I tugged on her waistband and she lifted her hips to let me pull off her sweatpants and underwear. I sat up, making quick work of them and groaning at the sight of her completely bared before me.
“Stop staring, start doing,” she said with a devilish smile and I hooked her right leg over my shoulder, painting a line of kisses up her thigh.
“Oh – fuck,” she hissed and I grinned, taking my sweet time as I made my way north.
She caught a handful of my hair again and I let her guide me between her thighs, getting off on how good it felt to be hers, to do her bidding. I rolled my tongue across her clit and she moaned so loudly I immediately did it again. Her hand tightened in my hair demandingly but I didn’t need the encouragement. I swear this girl was made of skittles because she tasted like a damn rainbow. Always had wondered what a rainbow tasted like. Now I knew. And as predicted, it firmly took number one as my favourite taste.
I drove her wild with hard licks and soft bites, bringing my hand up to join the party and feel how wet she was for me. I groaned into her, shifting my hips as I got hard as hell, but I wasn’t gonna take this any further. This was her moment. I was proving my damn worth. That I was more than just a pretty face and a set of supremely stacked muscles. I might not have been able to make a sandwich right but I could sure as hell make a girl come. And this wasn’t just any girl. No, Elise Callisto was gonna get the best orgasm of her life.
I pushed two fingers into her and she locked her thighs around my head like I was officially serving time in pussy prison. And hell was I okay with that. In fact, it was the only prison I was ever gonna fucking serve time in. Fact.
“Ohmagawd,” Elise slurred as I settled into a steady rhythm with my hand and mouth, driving her towards bliss town.
One more sharp flick of my tongue sent her over the edge and she clutched my hair, rearing up and keeping me in place while she rode out her orgasm and I devoured every drop of it.
When she released me, I glanced up at her. Sweat beaded on her brow, her lips parted and her hair was heading in all kinds of directions. I was so horny for her I might as well have been injected with pure Venus juice right then. I swear that bitch was firmly in my star chart every time Elise was around. Even if that did defy the laws of the planetary movements. I had a feeling Elise could defy the laws of a lot of things. Like making a Nemean Lion bow at her feet. A beast created to be served, now readily serving her instead.
“Say it,” I demanded.
“You’re good at stuff,” she said breathlessly, then flopped back down onto the bed. “Now prove it again.”
Fourteen Months before the Solaria Meteor Shower…
Gabriel finally bit the bait and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I needed to make my next instalment to Old Sal and Dante’s pay hadn’t quite cut it. The light of the screen illuminated me in the dark, but I had a sheet pulled around my bunk so no one would see the burner phone.
Gabriel Nox:
I’ll give you a thousand auras a month. I’m not pouring my fucking bank account into yours. Besides, you think my account wouldn’t flash up with dodgy activity if I did give it all to you? I don’t know who you are, but I know one thing. You’re a fucking amateur.
Tick-tock, Faeker. I’m going to find you.
Fear tangled with the relief I felt at knowing I was going to make another month’s payment. I shot him the bank account details to send the money to – one I’d set up specifically for this transaction under the fake name. It was untraceable as far as I could tell. So I just had to hope I didn’t make any mistakes and let anything slip to Nox. Because I was beyond dead if he found out.
I stuffed the burner phone away in the slit I’d made in the base of the mattress above my bunk, sealing it with a concealment spell before I released a heavy breath. I felt too hot and was sure I wasn’t gonna get any sleep at all. Tomorrow, I’d get that money and bring the monthly instalment to Old Sal.
I’d saved Elise for another thirty days. I just hoped I could keep this up.
***
“Your hair looks totally cute like this, babe.” Cindy Lou brushed my hair back, practically sitting in my lap as we sat together at breakfast. I grinned stupidly at her, sensing eyes on us but not giving one shit.
How had I landed the hottest girl in school? She wasn’t even a ten, she was a fucking eleven.
“Oh yeah?” I smirked, leaning in to steal a kiss and she giggled flirtatiously against my mouth. Her fingers knotted in my shirt, but I felt her attention drift and I pulled back, finding Dante watching us from the next table over.
Cindy giggled again, returning her attention to me. “We have an audience.”
I brushed my fingers up her back, turning to snatch up a piece of toast, figuring I’d better stop this unless I wanted to head to Arcane Arts looking extra happy.
Cindy Lou started nibbling on my ear and I groaned, gently pushing her back as I felt Dante’s eyes drilling into us. What was his deal?
When I glanced over, he jerked his head to beckon me and I sighed, realising what this was about.
I extracted myself from Cindy’s arms and headed over to talk to him, the hairs raising on the back of my neck as his pack immediately gave me their attention. It wasn’t like they were even that close to me, but I felt the threat in all of their postures. One word from Dante and they’d rip me to shreds for their Alpha.
“Hey man,” I said and Dante smiled lazily before patting the spare seat beside him.
His Beta, Tabitha, released a low growl as I dropped into it, but she also shifted up to give me a bit more room so that was kind of a headfuck.
“Nice hair,” Dante commented, looking at it with a smirk and I quickly flattened it down, unsure what the hell Cindy had done to it.
“My girlfriend messed it up.” I shrugged one shoulder and his eyes shimmered with some thought.
“You two are an item now?”
“Yeah I mean…I think so. We haven’t really said it though I guess.”
“So you’re not official,” he said simply.
“Well not official official…” I trailed off, knowing how lame that sounded. I needed to just ask her out but every time I considered it, I heard my own voice in my head and I sounded like such a douche. ‘Hey Cindy, wanna be my girlfriend ‘cause I think you’re super pretty and stuff.’ By the stars, why was it so hard to be cool? Dante seemed to find it as easy as breathing.
“She’s a nice girl,” he pointed out. “So be nice to her too or I’ll break your legs.” He said it all with a smile but my stomach knotted as I felt the undercurrent of the threat.
“I will,” I forced out, my throat overly tight.
“Good. Oh and I’ve got a job for you tonight, cavallo, I’ll message you when I need you.”
The school bell rang and Dante headed away, leaving me behind as his pack flowed after him.
Nerves inched into me as he disappeared from view. After the first job I’d done for him at the fetish club, I couldn’t help but worry about what he had in store for me tonight. But there wasn’t much point in dwelling on it. Whatever it was, I’d get it done.
***
The day crawled by and my mood only lifted by the time I left my final class. It was time to collect my first instalment from Gabriel and pay off my mom’s debt to Sal.
I checked my Atlas for any messages from Dante as I stripped out of my uniform in my dorm, but there was none just yet.
I stuffed a spare change of clothes in a bag I’d customised specially for travelling in my Order form – I was savvy like that – then turned to Leon who was in the midst of getting a back massage from Amy. He was face down on the floor on a fluffy blanket while Amy rubbed his back, working up a sweat as she struggled to knead out the kinks in all of his muscles.
“I’m going to town,” I told him, hanging the bag around my neck on the elastic strap.
“Pick me up some Faebury chocolate reindeers,” he asked and I felt his Charisma winding around me.
“You mea
n the ones they only make at Christmas?” I rolled my eyes.
“There’s a candy shop on Starfire Street that sell them,” Leon said in a way that almost sounded tempting to me. I blinked, shaking off the urge to comply.
“No dude.”
“I’ll get them,” Amy said brightly.
“You’re busy,” Leon said into the blanket. “And Gareth’s going to town anyway…”
For a moment I thought of the pawn broker’s arm he’d ripped off and that combined with his Charisma made me falter.
“Fine, sure whatever.” I headed to the window, pushing it open before peeling off my boxers and tossing them across the room onto my bed. I climbed up onto the sill then jumped with a whoop of excitement, calling on my Order form. My glittering black Pegasus burst into existence from the confines of my flesh and I neighed to the sky as I kicked my legs and flapped my wings hard, climbing toward the heavens. I broke into the clouds and whinnied as they brushed over my pelt, filling my magic reserves.
I twisted through the sky, relishing the rush of flying before heading toward the city. I thought of Ella and hoped she’d be at the club when I dropped the money off to Old Sal. If not, maybe I had time to drop in on her afterwards before Dante called on me.
I made my way to the closest branch of the Bank of Solaria then circled down into an alley close to it, landing on all four hooves and folding my wings before shifting back into my Fae form. I changed into the clothes in my pack then shouldered it and headed out onto the street. My veins hummed with adrenaline as I headed toward the large, grey stone bank, slowing my pace as a prickling sensation ran up my spine.
Have I covered my tracks well enough?
What if Gabriel has tracked me somehow?
I glanced around as the awful feeling of being watched increased.
Call it a gut instinct but I had the sudden urge to turn and head in the opposite direction. But if I did that, I’d draw attention to myself if anyone really was watching me.
I kept walking, crossing the street and entering a café opposite the bank. I ordered a coffee, my eyes flitting across the road and back through the window. There was nothing suspect there, but it was like the stars were warning me, whispering in my ears.
I moved to sit on a long table in front of the window with my coffee, watching the Fae coming and going from the bank. The heavy smell of cigarettes wafted from a guy with a handlebar moustache a few seats down from me, a newspaper flattened before him.
I wrinkled my nose from the strong smell, sipping my coffee and drawing in a breath of it to chase away the scent.
I thought over the account information I’d given Gabriel. It was linked to the Bank of Solaria, but that wasn’t particularly worrying. There were loads of branches in the city.
Although…this was the closest one to Aurora Academy. And if Gabriel suspected a student of blackmailing him then what better time for one to come to this particular bank than after school hours just after the transaction was made?
Maybe I was being paranoid, but I decided to play it safe. There were plenty of banks in the city and ATMs too. I’d visit them at random, never form a pattern.
I finished my coffee, heading back into the alley and flying toward the eastern quarter.
Within an hour, I was walking into The Sparkling Uranus with a wad of cash in my pocket, a bag of Faebury chocolate reindeers in my bag and my heart pounding in my chest. I headed into the dimly-lit club, searching for Ella or Mom, but I couldn’t spot either of them.
I walked through to the back and knocked on Sal’s door.
“Come in,” her croaky voice called.
I stepped inside, glancing around to check that no one else was there before taking the cash from my pocket along with the rest from Dante Oscura.
“Here’s this month’s instalment.” I planted it down on the desk with a barely disguised sneer. This woman was threatening my sister and I hated her for what she wanted to take from my family.
“You’ve surprised me, Gareth,” she said as she took the cash and started counting it onto the desk, a cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth. “I didn’t expect you to be so resourceful. You’d make a fine manager at this place one day.”
“You know, there are other jobs outside of your strip club, Sal. My sister and I plan on applying for them.”
Old Sal released a throaty laugh. “You might get a nice white collar job out of that fancy academy of yours, but your sister’s main asset will always be her body in a city like this.”
“Well maybe we’ll leave Alestria,” I snarled, heat dripping down my spine.
“Maybe you will,” she said like she didn’t buy it. “But it’s always good to have a back up plan. You’re lucky to have someone like me offering you paid work. No one survives living out on these streets very long.” She finished counting the money then turned to open her safe and lock it away with the mounds of cash in there. It made me kind of ill to know how much I was sacrificing for a debt that this bitch could so easily have absolved. Sal wasn’t hard up, she just wanted Elise. But I’d never let her have her.
I headed out of the office with the intention of visiting Ella. I just wanted a few hours in the company of my sister to forget all about the stressful time I was having at the academy.
My gut sank as my Atlas pinged and I found a message from Dante under the alias I’d given his number.
Starhawk:
Meet me at the campus gates in fifteen minutes.
I sighed heavily, my night of freedom racing away on the wind. I’d have to see Ella another night.
I’m doing this for you my little angel. I’ll see you soon.
The wind howled and dead leaves swirled around me as I ran down the muddy path through the trees. It was dark but up ahead the pale light of the moon shone at the end of the tunnel created by the towering trunks. If I could just make it to the light then I’d be safe. But no matter how fast I ran, I couldn’t get any closer to the safety offered up ahead.
I threw a look over my shoulder and fear spiked through me as I spotted the cloaked figure drawing nearer. My heart thundered a panicked rhythm and I tried to run faster. But it was no use, a cold hand landed on my shoulder and I screamed as I was dragged back into their arms-
I gasped as I woke, trying to sit up but finding myself pinned down.
For a moment I cried out as the fear from my nightmare followed me into reality but the warmth of the body pinning me in place quickly banished my fear as I recognised Leon in the dark.
He’d rolled over in his sleep and his arm and leg were thrown across me as he still held me close and completely immobilised me beneath him.
I tried to wriggle free, but a soft growl escaped him and he only tightened his hold on me.
A breath of laughter escaped my lips and I caught his arm, trying to shift it. But he was like a dead weight. Around two hundred pounds of muscular Lion Shifter, oblivious to the world and sleeping on top of me.
“Leon,” I hissed, pushing again.
He reeled me in, nuzzling into my neck so that his stubble grazed my skin.
I almost laughed but Leon ran ridiculously hot and I was starting to sweat pinned beneath him like that.
“Leon?” I said louder. “You’re crushing me!”
“I wanna try the cheese filled ones…”
His leg shifted over mine and I swear I was actually more pinned down.
I grabbed his arm and shook him, gently at first then harder when he still didn’t wake.
“Put it in my mouth,” he growled.
I sniggered and shoved a little harder, managing to gain a few inches of space but he soon reeled me in again.
I was so damn hot that it was making it hard to breathe. I needed some space and Leon was so deeply asleep that I couldn’t rouse him to get him off of me.
With a surge of my Vampire strength, I half lifted him and managed to roll free. Leon flopped back down on top of the spot I’d just vacated and I wriggled back until I was
sitting up at the foot of his bed.
His bare chest drew my attention for several long seconds as I remembered running my mouth all over it last night. Leon had asked me to stay with him again and I’d agreed because I was a little bit hooked on the way he made me feel and the laughter I managed while I was in his company.
And I couldn’t really deny the fact that I was happy to keep on avoiding Gabriel too. He was a liar and an asshole and if I never saw him again it would be too soon. I didn’t understand why he’d saved me the night of the party just to push me away and call me a liar right afterwards. If he really cared about what had been done to me that night then why didn’t he want anyone looking into the person who had done it? There was a killer in this school and Gabriel’s lies meant no one was even looking for them. Well, no one but me anyway. And I was sure as shit going to find them on my own.
Before Leon and I had had time to explore the possibilities presented by sharing a bed yet again and with me decidedly less hung over, Sasha and Amy had arrived back to the dorm. Leon wanted to send them away again but that made me feel like a total asshat so he’d reluctantly agreed to let them stay. He’d then wanted to carry on fooling around with me despite the fact that they were in the room which I’d shut down. So we’d watched Faeflix and fallen asleep together instead.
But as much as I liked the warmth of Leon’s arms around me, the single bunks just weren’t big enough for two people to sleep in comfortably. Especially when one of those people was a huge ass Lion Shifter who ran about five degrees hotter than was normal.
Leon had gone full starfish mode the moment I’d vacated my spot and he was now taking up every inch of his bed.
His hand kept shifting over the spot where I’d been like he was hunting for me and I pushed a pillow into his arms as I watched him with amusement. He smiled in his sleep, dragging the pillow closer to him and nuzzling it like there was no tomorrow.
I bit my lip on a laugh and looked around for a moment at the darkened space.
Savage Fae (Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac Book 2) Page 6