Chapter 47 #3
“I’m gonna come again,” I gasped, voice thin and reedy.
“Good,” Julian growled, biting my neck. “Make a mess on me, baby.”
I did as he told me, shaking, squeezing, screaming like I didn’t care who heard. Julian followed with a groan, slamming into me one last time, hips grinding deep until we both went still.
He stayed inside me for a moment longer, forehead pressed to mine as our breathing slowly steadied. “Let’s stay right here for a minute,” he murmured. “Then we can get onto round two…”
After countless pleasures, we both lay tangled in the silk sheets, chests heaving as we caught our breath.
“Can we just stay in here forever?” I asked, stretching one arm above my head.
“That’d be great,” Julian murmured, his arm draped across my waist. “But you might miss your suite once in a while.”
“It does have a damn nice book collection,” I said, laughing softly. Something suddenly occurred to me, and my brows furrowed. “What happened to my old dorm at BHU? Is it still there, or did they reassign it?”
“Don’t worry.” Julian’s fingers played with the ends of my hair. “It’s still there, exactly as you left it.”
“Am I allowed to go back to it after the training period is over?”
He nodded. “You can if you want. But that almost never happens.”
“Why?” I asked, brows pulling even lower.
“Most Selection girls are seniors when they’re taken, so they’ve only got one semester left by the time training ends. They find it easier to just stick with the distance learning to finish their degrees,” he said. “The Club encourages the distance learning, too.”
“Even for juniors like me who still have a year and a half left?”
“Yeah. Couple reasons. First, it reinforces the whole mythos behind the Club. Girls getting swept up in the hunt and never returning.” His eyes flashed with wicked amusement. “That scares people. Makes them less likely to sniff around the Club.”
“Or in my case, more likely.”
He chuckled and ruffled my hair. “Yup.”
“What’s the second reason?” I asked, tilting my chin up.
“The rare few who go back to campus get hit with an endless barrage of questions from friends and classmates who know they were on the List,” he replied.
“Obviously, they can't say a word about what really happened or where they've been, so they either stay silent or give the cover story the Club provided. Which hardly anyone believes anyway.”
I nodded slowly. “That must get old fast, dealing with the constant questioning.”
“Yeah. Most girls find it easier to just… disappear, so to speak.”
“But I can definitely go back if I choose to?”
“Yes.” He paused. “Is that what you want?”
I gnawed at the inside of my cheek as I contemplated it. “I think so,” I finally said. “Distance learning has been fine, but I miss being on campus. Going to actual classes and lectures. I even miss Professor Grey, believe it or not.”
Julian leaned down and pressed a kiss on my forehead. “Then you’ll go back,” he said. “We’ll arrange it after the training period ends.”
“Speaking of which, what’s going to be in the rest of the training?” I asked. “We’ve already covered so much stuff.”
“I think the last four weeks covers some basic language training, because most Selection girls end up traveling a lot with their partners. Some cultural stuff, too,” he said. “Pretty sure there's also a module on hosting formal events. Dinner parties, galas, things like that.”
I groaned. “Oh god, I hope that's not the third trial. Hosting a formal dinner party on my own.” I covered my face with my hands. “Even just attending last night's party stressed me to the max.”
Julian gently pulled my hands away from my face and kissed my forehead again. “You’ll get used to it eventually,” he said. “But don’t worry. That’s not what the third trial is.”
“Yeah, I guess they wouldn’t name a dinner party the Anteros ritual,” I mused, brows pulling together.
“So… what is it, exactly? The instructors haven’t really told us anything about it.
They gave us a date, and that’s it.” I blew out a frustrated breath.
“I’m worried it’s going to be super hard because it’s the last one. ”
Julian was quiet for a moment. “I can’t tell you about the third trial,” he finally said. “I would if I could.”
I sat up and looked at him. “You really can’t tell me anything at all?”
“No. Sorry.”
“Not even a sliver of a hint?” I asked, widening my eyes pleadingly.
I knew I was being annoying, but Julian obviously knew what the Anteros ritual was, and I was desperate to know. Even the smallest hint about it could ease my nerves.
He pulled me back against him, holding me to his chest. “I guess I can tell you one thing,” he said. “It’s not really a trial at all. At least not for you. But it could still be very hard for you. Or it could be easy. I guess you’ll see when you get there.”
I blinked, mind spinning. “Um. That tells me… basically nothing.”
“I know. I wish I could be more helpful.”
“Will you at least be there for it?” I asked. “To watch me?”
A smile curved up his lips, and he nodded. “Yeah,” he said softly. “I’ll be there.”