“Always with you.” He winked at me and pulled out of the school parking lot. “But it means you need to initiate the final phase. Can you do it?”
I sighed, allowing my head to fall back on the seat. “Yeah. I can. However, I’m not going to enjoy it.”
He snorted. “I should hope not.”
“Aww, are you going to be jealous, Trayton Nacht?”
His palm landed on my thigh and squeezed. “You’re mine, Ella. And I’m a Midnight Fae. We’re notoriously possessive.”
“Really? Because I don’t feel that way at all,” I lied, grinning at his scowl. “I have no idea why I shocked Ryan. It’s not like she touched you or anything.”
His scowl morphed into a chuckle. “You’re a bad girl, Isabella Cinder.”
“Are you going to pun…?” I trailed off, grimacing. “Nope. Can’t even say it. Too cheesy.” And the words tasted horrible in my mouth.
He laughed outright, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, dove. I’m not into the punishment game.”
“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d probably be fine with it. But the words? Out loud? Sounds like a cheesy romance movie.”
“Pretty sure you mean porn, darling.”
My eyes widened. “Fae watch porn?”
He gifted me with another of those amused sounds, the kind that made my heart skip a beat. “Oh, Ella. We’re supernatural beings who thrive on blood and sex. What do you think?”
“I think I want you to share your stash.”
He glanced sideways at me, then refocused on the road, his neighborhood a few streets away. “I’d rather demonstrate my learnings. Personally.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to turn that offer down. “But only after another milkshake.” I’d been craving one all day—something I never thought would happen after watching him make the first one. However, they’d become a part of my daily diet. Tray suspected it was a result of my fae side making up for lost time.
My powers were growing, too. I felt them simmering beneath the surface, my control a continued learning experience.
“Deal,” Tray agreed, releasing my leg. “However, I require you to drink it naked. Consider it your punishment.”
I snorted. “Sounds like something that’ll punish you more than me, so sure.”
His lips curled. “We’ll see.”
“Indeed we will.”
Turned out, it was a punishment for us both.
One we thoroughly enjoyed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ella
One Month Later
Freshman attended the Holiday Ball in December.
Seniors attended the Winter Ball in early February.
The similarities between the two made tonight perfect for what we had planned.
“Wow,” Tray breathed from the doorway, his eyes roaming over my black gown and the slit running up my left leg to the middle of my thigh. It was one of the most risqué outfits I’d ever worn, hugging my figure in all the right places and dipping low into my cleavage.