45. Draven
45
DRAVEN
“Oh, you idiot. You just had to say that, didn’t you?” I slap my hand to my face as Tilly turns to see me and Luc arrive just in time for the big reveal.
Matilda’s eyes widen as she takes in our sudden appearance. “How long have you two been standing there?”
“Long enough,” Luc drawls, sauntering into the room with his usual arrogant swagger. “Seems we’ve missed quite the party.”
I roll my eyes at my brother and focus on Tilly. Her face is pale, her blue eyes huge in her delicate face. The urge to wrap her in my arms and shield her from all of this is nearly overwhelming. “Seconds,” I reply. “Are you okay?”
She gives a shaky laugh. “Oh, you know, I’m some kind of vessel for buried, cursed, ancient and potentially world-ending magick; my family is from a long line of ancient druids who have been syphoning off my magick and my sister, who I thought had my back, set me up. So yeah, just peachy.”
“Cursed?” That bit has caught my attention the most. Although all of it is pretty fucked-up.
Blackthorn clears his throat before she can answer. “Gentlemen, your timing is impeccable. We were just discussing how your unique abilities might be of use in this situation.”
Luc’s eyes gleam with interest. “Hellish prison guards? Yeah, we already know.”
Without thinking, I reach out and take Tilly’s hand in mine. Her fingers tremble slightly as they intertwine with mine, but she doesn’t pull away. Her touch sends a jolt of electricity through me, reminding me once again of the inexplicable connection we have. “So you think the curse is coming undone because of Tilly’s presence here, and we need to re-curse it to put it back in its box?” I ask.
Blackthorn nods.
“But what happens then to Tilly’s magick?”
“It’s a very good question, Mr Draven, but one I can’t answer. No one can. Miss Matilda’s magick isn’t Praxian in nature, it is druid magick being influenced by the Praxian magick.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” I ask with a frown. “I’m not really up on druids or origin Earth magick.”
Blackthorn leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers. “Druid magick is tied closely to nature and the elements. It’s powerful in its own right, but fundamentally different from Praxian magick. What we’re seeing with Miss Matilda is a unique fusion of the two.”
“So if we re-curse the Praxian magick into going back underground, what happens to that fusion?” Luc asks.
I squeeze Tilly’s hand gently. “We’re not doing anything that puts you at risk.”
She looks up at me, her expression serious. “We might not have a choice, Draven. If this magick gets loose, it could destroy everything.”
“She’s right,” Blackthorn says gravely. “The risk to Miss Matilda is significant, but the risk to the world if we do nothing is catastrophic.”
I clench my jaw, hating the impossible situation we’re in. “There has to be another way.” We seem to be saying that a lot lately. I cast a glance at Luc. He seems more relaxed like he has found a way to be with Tilly without it killing her or hurting me. Maybe if he found another way, there is a second exit here as well.
“If there is, we will find it,” Vex says. “I think we have time, but not too much. Our jaunt into the underground chambers pissed this thing off. That’s why it sent those creatures earlier.”
Luc nods. “Okay, well you said me and Dray are outside of this thing’s parameters. We could create a buffer, something to shield Tilly from the worst effects of re-cursing the Praxian magick?”
Blackthorn nods slowly, considering Luc’s suggestion. “That’s not a bad idea. Your celestial powers could indeed create a barrier between Miss Matilda and the Praxian magick during the re-cursing process.”
“But we don’t know if that would be enough,” I say, still holding Tilly’s hand tightly. “Or what the long-term effects might be.”
Tilly squeezes my hand. “We have to try something. I can’t just sit back and let this magick destroy everything.”
“I agree,” Vex says, leaning forward. “But we need to be smart about this. We can’t rush into anything half-cocked.”
“Quite right,” Blackthorn agrees. “We need to study the runes more thoroughly. Miss Matilda, do you think you could transcribe what you saw in the chamber?”
She shakes her head. “No. It’s gone. I can’t draw a stickman, never mind an ancient rune I’ve only seen once.”
“Then it looks like we have to go back,” Vex says.
“If the chambers will let us,” I point out. “They weren’t exactly the friendliest last time.”
“We have no choice,” Blackthorn says, but Vex shakes his head.
“Not we. Us. You are needed here. We don’t know what will happen down there, and you can’t be part of it. Not yet. Besides, you need to figure out what Laurent is up to.”
Blackthorn looks like he is going to argue.
“He’s right, sir. We’ve got this.”
His gaze bores into mine, and I resist the urge to squirm under the intensity. “Very well. I see your point, but you aren’t going down there unprotected.”
“It knocks all our magick skew,” I point out. “Even ours.”
“I’m aware,” he replies with a smile that speaks volumes. “But I can concoct something that will alert me if you are in life-threatening peril.”
“So it will be going off all the time, then?” Vex says with a smirk.
Blackthorn purses his lips. “Go and get some rest. You will enter the chambers tomorrow morning. I will excuse you all from class. Report to me before you go and then again when you arrive back.”
“Assuming we get back,” Matilda mutters.
I squeeze her hand. “We aren’t dying down there tomorrow, petal. We are nowhere near done here.” She shivers and gives me a slow smile. I know just how I want to spend the next few hours with her, and she is of the same mind. I pull her to her feet. “Okay, we will see you tomorrow then, sir.”
The Araxi on Matilda’s shoulder leaps towards Blackthorn, and he holds his hand out for it, conjuring up a bloody steak, which the creature devours in seconds.
“Okay, then,” Matilda murmurs as the Araxi jumps up onto Blackthorn’s shoulder and curls around his neck and promptly falls asleep. “Guess we’re sharing him then.”
Blackthorn remains silent and watches us like a hawk as we leave casually, but all four of us know how this night is going to go. While, I have absolute certainty we will make it out alive to tell the tale, on the off chance we don’t, we aren’t wasting this last night together.
I let go of Tilly as we exit the library and grip Luc’s arm. “Are you ready for this, brother?”
He draws in a deep breath, noticing that I have also dropped the ‘half’ we were so dead set on using for all these years.
“I think so,” he mutters. “Are you?”
“Yes.”
A look of gratitude shoots through his eyes, but it’s fleeting, and the usual arrogant smirk returns. “Good, because I am dying to get my dick inside her.”
I let him go and roll my eyes at his back. “You are such a fucking cock.”
“Well, it is massive, so it stands to reason it’s part of my personality.”
Tilly lets out a loud guffaw, which makes me chuckle. “Big words, stud. You have a lot to live up to.”
“I’m not worried,” he says and slings his arm around her shoulders.
She freezes, as do I, but nothing bad happens, so we all relax and follow Vex to his room, knowing this will be a night of sheer debauchery.
As we enter Vex’s room, the air is thick with anticipation. Tilly’s eyes are wide, darting between the three of us. I can sense her nervousness, but also her excitement.
Luc moves in behind her, and she leans back against him, arching into his touch. I feel the pull on her soul, but just as suddenly, it stops. My gaze snaps to Luc, but he isn’t looking at me. He is concentrating on Tilly. He grazes his teeth over her neck, breathing in deeply as he passes over her jugular. I move in front of her, needing to be close in case Luc loses control over the Incubus inside him. The air heats up as I reach out to pull Tilly’s tee over her head. Luc’s hands are already unclasping her bra, letting her tits fall free. Vex moves in closer to her side and takes one of her nipples in his mouth, tugging on her with his teeth as I drop to my knees to work on getting rid of her jeans. I could do this with a snap of magick, but where’s the fun in that? Undressing her is like unwrapping a present and I want the tease, the anticipation. It makes my cock hard as I peel her boots and clothes off her, one by one.
I slide my hands up Tilly’s legs, savouring the softness of her skin. Her breath hitches as I reach the apex of her thighs. Luc’s hands roam over her stomach and ribs while Vex sucks on her nipples, his hand gently around her throat.
Tilly’s head falls back against Luc’s shoulder, her eyes heavy-lidded with desire. “Please,” she whispers.
That single word ignites something primal in all of us. Vex captures her lips in a searing kiss. I lean in and run my tongue along her slit, groaning at her sweet taste. Luc’s fingers tangle in her hair, tugging gently to expose more of her neck to his sharp teeth.
Tilly whimpers and squirms between us, overwhelmed by the onslaught of sensations. I slide two fingers inside her, twisting them to hit that spot that makes her cry out. Vex swallows the sound with another deep kiss as I flick her clit with my tongue, enjoying her pleasure as we ravage her body and soul.