Of Bone and Ash (Silverwood University Book 1)

30. Serafina

THIRTY

Iwake to a soft, warm hand sliding up and down my back, the feeling so alien yet so freaking amazing that I can”t help but snuggle into the warmth under me. I can”t remember a time when I didn”t wake up cold, my fingers and toes numb. Not even when Ryland lived at the house. I wiggle my fingers, then ball them into the soft blanket draped over my shoulders, pressing my cheek more firmly against the chest under me.

Wait… chest?!

Gasping, I sit up, or rather, I try to, but Teos’ strong arm moves from where it”s running up and down my spine and encircles my waist. He yanks me back down, his handsome face pulling into a scowl, a line forming between his thick eyebrows as he shakes his head, eyes still closed.

“Ten more minutes,” he demands, his voice rough from sleep. “So nice,” he grumbles, turning us as he shifts to his side, keeping my chest pressed firmly to his as a thick leg suddenly wraps over mine, pinning me to him. The memories from the day roll back in as I wake up. How Darius and his men had tried to take me. Ryland showing up and saving me. Teos dying on the ground. There was blood everywhere. His arm was bent at an odd angle, and my magic was swirling around him, not in an aggressive way, more sporadic, like it was just as concerned for him as I was.

Then, the memory of Ryland picking me up, forcing me away from Teos and the resounding sound of Teos’ neck snapping. His body bursting into flames until all that was left was bone and ash. Something snapped in me at that moment, tearing a scream from me that made even my ears ring, and I vowed to do whatever I needed, heal whatever I had to, as long as Teos came back to me. It took Ryland twenty minutes to calm me down when Teos hadn’t immediately come back. He had to clear the area, my magic feral and seeking revenge.

Oh shit. I hope I didn”t hurt anyone.

Hot tears sting my eyes as my vision glosses over at the reminder of waiting for Teos to come back. It took over an hour, much, much longer than normal, for a Phoenix to regenerate. Then, finally after having a second meltdown, the small smoldering pile that used to be Teos slowly grew, the flames rekindling to a fire so large that they licked the branches of the trees above.

I’m pretty sure I broke Ryland”s hand when he tried to keep me from the fire, but when I finally broke free, Teos was back, lying unconscious on the ground and triggering yet another freak out as I raged at him despite the fact I knew he couldn’t hear me. The last thing I remember is kicking Ryland out of my room and slamming the door before sitting on the chair next to my bed to watch over Teos. I must have fallen asleep because the sun looks to have set, and I feel like I’ve slept for a few hours.

“Oh my God! Are you okay?” I ask, wiggling against his firm hold, trying to look at the arm that was broken.

“Obviously,” he groans then shushes me as he yanks me up closer to his face and snuggles into my neck before releasing a content sigh. “If dying by a Hellhound means I get to wake up with you in my bed, then I’ll do it every day.”

“You’re ridiculous!” I snap, not finding any humor in this situation at all. The cold grip of fear that had coursed through me when I had seen Teos on the ground is still replaying in my mind, and I feel sick. Logically, I know Teos is fine. Ryland killing him only helped him heal faster, but there is that seventeen-year-old girl who is still crying on the inside, remembering how Teos’ heart had stopped. How he wasn’t eighteen, meaning there was no coming back from the death I’d just inflicted. “And you didn”t die from a Hellhound. Ryland killed you.” And I’m going to roast his ass for it.

“Hellhound… angry Alpha Dragon,” Teos shrugs, keeping his nose buried in my neck. “Same thing,” he mutters as his warm lips press against the sensitive skin there, and I have to work hard to suppress the shiver that lights up my body in response. “Calm down, Bella,” he croons into my ear, and I smack his shoulder.

When has telling a girl to calm down ever had the desired effect? Never!

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” I grind out, my voice cracking and sounding weak. Shit. I need a drink of water so I can yell at him properly. “How did I get into bed with you? I was on the chair,” I point out, then roll my eyes when Teos pulls back enough to peer up at me with wide, puppy dog eyes.

“You were shivering and looked cold. I wanted to snuggle. It was a win-win situation,” he whispers with a small smile. I tilt my head, confused as hell, as I look back at the chair next to the bed.

“Yes, but how did you move me without waking me up?” I ask, nothing making sense. Being a predator means that I have heightened senses. This leads to me having a hard time with sleep since the smallest rustling sound will wake me up. The fact that Teos not only moved but managed to get me into bed with him without me waking up is frankly terrifying to me. Is my magic not working properly? Has something happened to dull my hearing?

“Oh. Well, you kinda woke up. Grumbled something about killing me if I did that again. I agreed, of course,” Teos says with a small grin as he snuggles back into my neck. “Then you fell back to sleep.”

“Huh,” I mutter, mystified by his story. “I have no recollection of that,” I admit. Teos snorts.

“You seemed rather tired,” he offers, and I nod. I had been tired after all the excess magic use and crying. The arguing with Ryland. I’m honestly surprised I made it to the chair next to my bed without passing out. My hands mindlessly trace Teos” chest, and I relax into him as I think back on the time in the forest. Darius scares me, knowing he has enough magic to fight me head on and possibly win? It’s like a cold bucket of water is dumped over my head.

“What”s wrong? You just tensed up and got all quiet on me,” he whispers.

“Nothing,” I hurriedly say, pressing against his chest, then cringing when I feel the scratchy material of my shirt against my skin. Looking down, I wince at the amount of blood and dirt that is caked on my skin and clothes. “Shit. I need to get up and shower, then throw these sheets away.” Teos frowns, leaning back and looking down at me, his eyes widening when he sees how messy I am.

“Damn, I didn”t really notice how covered you were when I yanked you in here,” he says, unbothered as he reaches up and strokes a thick finger over my right brow. A frown tugs at his lips and he leans forward, shocking the breath straight out of my lungs when he presses a soft kiss to my forehead. “You have a bruise right here above your eye. Should I call the healer?” I move to tell him I’m fine when he curses and shoves away from me, untangling his arms and legs before pushing himself up onto his knees. “Fuck! Did you see a healer before we went into that damn forest? I forgot all about that, and now you”re hurt again. Shit!” Like a cartoon, Teos springs from the bed, looking at the floor for something, all while muttering about calling the healer.

I blink at him in surprise because with everything going down, I totally forgot that Teos was completely and deliciously naked. The fire had burnt his tattered clothes, and I hadn”t thought much of it since he wasn”t waking up and I was having a meltdown. I tilt my head to the side, taking a moment to enjoy everything about the view and I mean EVERYTHING. Damn, the boy is truly blessed. Not that I’ve seen a cock in real life, but I’m not dumb. I have the internet and know what a normal-sized penis looks like, and this is not it!

I mean, sure it”s probably closer to average in length, but Teos is thick. Like really thick. I clench my thighs as dirty ideas start to run through my head. Will that even fit? Shit, I’ve only kissed the guy once, well… twice, but the first one doesn”t count since I accidentally tore his soul from his body. I really shouldn”t be thinking about what it would feel like to have him inside me. Shit, I’m mind rambling now. Teos is really a bad influence on my mind. He needs to keep his lips to himself and put on a pair of shorts.

I suppose I’m not the only one who”s affected by being in bed with each other. By the way everything is, um—standing at attention, Teos really, really liked our snuggle session.

“Teos,” I try to say calmly, but it comes out all squeaky and weird. Clearing my throat, I sit up and snag his big wrist, tugging him back toward me in an attempt to get him to stop looking for his phone. I don”t have the guts to tell him it probably burned up when he died. “Teos, I’m fine, really. I head-butted the man. Trust me, I definitely walked away from the fight as the winner,” I add, feeling a little proud of myself. I mean, yeah, Ryland showing up definitely helped since I was outnumbered, but I was totally kicking Darius’ ass there until the end.

“Are you sure?” he asks, concern etched into his brow as he stares down at me, and I can’t help it. I smile and nod, the feeling of warmth traveling through me as he reaches out and cups my jaw. “All right. Do you want me to start you a shower?”

“That would be nice,” I whisper, sliding off the bed to stand next to him, trying desperately to keep my eyes on his face and not the seriously nice rounded ass he’s got. But really! He must do a million squats a day to maintain that thing.

“All right,” he whispers, almost like he’s in a daze as he steps back. “I’ll just—” he stops talking mid-sentence as he looks down, then lets out a weird low squeaking sound, his hands immediately moving down to cover his junk. “Oh my god! I’m naked!” he whispers to himself, moving his hands away as if to double-check if his junk is hanging out. He nods and then closes his eyes as he groans, letting his head roll back on his shoulders.

“Are you?” I tease. “I hadn’t noticed.” Teos’ mortification turns to indigent outrage as he gapes at me like a fish.

“What!? How did you…” Teos groans again and shakes his head. “Never mind. I’m sorry for, uh, exposing myself. I forgot and was worried,” he starts to ramble, and I start to laugh, glad I’m not the only one who is acting awkward with these new developments.

Teos’ eyes snap back open, and he turns toward me, hands still trying to cover his dick as he stares at me, a smile playing at his lips. Feeling self-conscious, I look away, unsure as to what to do next.

“Do that again,” he whispers, and I frown, looking at him.

“What?” I ask, shuffling back and forth on my feet, pulling a dried piece of bloodied hair off my neck, wincing when it tugs painfully.

“Laugh. You look like you used to back in high school when you do that,” he admits, and I can feel my cheeks flaming with heat as I shake my head. He chuckles before looking back at the bed and using his toes to slide one of the blankets that fell off closer to him before stooping down and grabbing it, holding it in front of his impressive erection.

“I’m going to go start your shower. Maybe we can talk once you”re clean and I’m dressed?” he offers, making my happy mood plunge in an instant. Talk? And It’ll probably be about us. Honestly, this is shit. I’m not good at talking, but I did tell him I wouldn’t push him away anymore. I narrow my eyes on him, wondering how the hell he managed to get me to say that.

“Uh, we can try,” I offer up and wince when Teos rolls his eyes.

“Better than a no,” he mutters as he walks to my bathroom and I hear him turning on the water for me. Hurrying over to my dresser, I grab a pair of simple leggings, underwear, and a black tank top before heading into the bathroom, attempting and failing to stop before colliding with Teos in the doorway. “Shit, sorry,” I gasp when his hands fall on my shoulders so he doesn’t plow into me. This of course, means he loses hold of the blanket he had pressed against his crotch, and now his erection, which is still hard, by the way, is making its presence known pressed up against my belly.

Teos’ eyes dance with amusement as he looks down between us and wipes at some of the dirt on my face. “You need anything else for your shower? It looked like you had shampoo and stuff already in there.” I arch a brow, somehow not surprised that he snooped in my shower while turning it on.

“You and your stalker tendencies are the first thing we’re addressing when we have our talk,” I grumble, trying to sidestep him, but Teos doesn”t move, his broad shoulders taking up the full doorway, not allowing me into the bathroom.

“We can talk about them, but I doubt they’ll change,” he admits, his hands moving from my face to my neck as he rubs at the dried blood there. “Are you sure you’re okay? You”re covered in a lot of blood,” he whispers, and I nod, watching as his pretty hazel eyes flicker, the golden hues brightening as he stares at me. His big hand curves around the column of my neck, rubbing soft circles there that feel like he’s setting my skin ablaze. His touch is so warm and full of life. I close my eyes as my mind decides to remind me what he looked like earlier. Cold and lifeless, his unseeing eyes staring off into the forest.

“Kiss me,” I whisper without thinking. I open my eyes when Teos’ hand freezes, his breath hitching as he stares at me with wide eyes.

“W-what?” he stutters and I realize I just demanded that he kiss me without asking. Shit, not good.

“I mean. Want you to… fuck no, that’s not right. Will you—” I try to say, moving to step back and give him space just in case, but my words are cut off as Teos’ grip tightens on me, one hand staying on my neck while the other curves around me, lifting me up enough that I feel his warm breath against my lips.

“You want me to kiss you?” he asks, voice dropping an octave as he holds me tight. I nod, my words sticking in my throat. “Hmm. What if I want you to kiss me?” he asks, and I frown, looking him in the eyes before looking at his soft lips.

“I can do that?” I stupidly ask out loud. Teos chuckles, his whole body shaking slightly as he nods.

“I would love it if you did.” I nod and slowly, so fucking slowly, I lean close. I can smell Teos” warm vanilla scent as I close my eyes, ignoring how my heart feels like it”s about to burst out of my chest. There’s still some lingering fear there. What if I lose control of my magic? The more rational side of my brain replies with you idiot, you already saw him come back from the dead right in front of your eyes just hours ago; he’ll be fine.

“Bella?” he whispers when I stop only a hair’s breadth away. “You don’t have to,” he reassures me, and his words are enough for me to close the distance, pressing my lips to his and kissing him like I’ve always wanted to since high school.