He’d stolen my ability to breathe, his lips turning violent in a way I should hate. Yet my legs clenched in reply. My abdomen coiled. And the intimate parts of me wept for attention.
Wet didn’t begin to cover it. Why was this turning me on so completely? Because of our bond? Another spell? Or did I enjoy this love-and-hate pull between us?
I whimpered, conflicted.
My mind loathed this male.
Whereas my body succumbed to his every touch, almost as if he’d trained me in my dreams to respond this way.
His lips curled against mine. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked softly, causing my brow to crumple.
“What?”
He brushed his mouth against my cheek before settling back into his chair. “We’re done,” he called out.
I blinked at him.
Then down at the paper he’d written while kissing me.
It disappeared before I could read it, and Headmaster Irwin appeared in the doorway holding the essay. His surprised expression told me whatever it said was not what he expected and probably not something I’d agree to at all. Shade had done something to override the lesson, in addition to kissing the life out of me.
“Very well,” Headmaster Irwin said, releasing us from his bonds. “I expect better behavior during our next session.” That last bit was aimed at me before he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
Shade stood and stretched, his impressive bulge inches from my face.
He wasn’t lying about the hard part.
“My tutoring offer still stands for whenever you decide to consider logic over emotion,” Shade said, then caught my chin and lifted my gaze to his. “As does my shower and bed offer.” With a wink, he turned toward the door. “I suggest you follow me, little rose. Or you’ll end up lost in the building until the students start arriving tomorrow, which will throw off your schedule completely.”
He disappeared through the glowing doorway, not giving me a second to gather my thoughts or my things.
Except they were all gone.
Headmaster Irwin had passed out a class text and notebook during the class, along with pens. The others had left with them. But mine were nowhere to be found.
I chased after Shade and found him waiting against the wall, his books and mine tucked under his arm. “How…?”
“As I said, conjuring is my specialty.” He canted his head, causing his dark hair to fall over his forehead and into one eye. “They’ll be in your room when you get back. Consider it my version of an olive branch. Accept it at your own peril.”
He didn’t allow me to reply, merely continued down the corridor. I stayed close to his side, pausing when he did to allow the walls to shift. Then breathed a sigh of relief the second we exited into the dark evening.
Until I found Zephyrus waiting with a scowl beside the gargoyle.
“What the fuck took you so long?” he demanded, scowling first at me and then at Shade.
“Detention,” Shade replied. “She attacked me with green fire. Impressive, really, but does make me wonder where she’s getting that Warrior Blood influence from.” He cocked a brow at the headmaster. “Any ideas?”
I frowned at Shade. “It wasn’t green. It was blue. And you deserved it.”
“I think you might be color-blind, babe. Maybe we’ll check that out later.” He tossed a grin over his shoulder, apparently deciding this conversation was over despite his question to Zephyrus. “See you in your dreams tonight, little rose.”
“Stay out of my head!”
“Blood, baby,” he reminded me, the words a whisper against my ear despite the distance his legs had put between us.
I batted at the vacant space, trying to get rid of whatever residual presence or spell he’d left in his wake. And found Zephyrus staring at me with an arched brow. “Blue fire?”
“Yeah, blue.”