Chapter 8 #2
Campus was silent as we made our way back to the dorms, and when we reached the elevator, I curled into Dakota’s side and let my head loll against his chest, just happy to have them back.
Have them safe and healthy. When we entered the floor of our room, I froze and looked around, an odd scent invading my lungs.
“It smells weird in here,” I pointed out.
Tore was frozen, his chest rumbling as the guys spread out. I breathed out a sigh of relief when Julian came out of my room and seemed completely fine. That was a good sign, right? I had to assume so.
“Why don’t you take a shower and warm up,” Tore suggested gently as I walked into my room, happy it didn’t smell odd as I closed the bathroom door and undressed.
I closed my eyes as I stepped under the hot shower and let it take away every ache and pain that the tension in my body had caused today.
I felt both exhausted and oddly exhilarated, which made so little sense.
Angry too, but that was for far more obvious reasoning.
I had no idea what had happened in the huler, but I had a feeling it had to do with Ryder’s comment about me not being human.
I leaned back against the wall of the shower as heat licked up every inch of my skin, my toes curling as I washed my body and tried to not think about the men in the other room.
Although focusing on that odd strain of energy underneath my wolf didn’t seem to help either, and when the two fused…
I felt completely thrown off by the sudden swing of desire that slammed into me. My breathing caught, and I tried to slow it down by turning the water colder, but the icy water hitting my heated skin didn’t seem to help.
I turned off the shower and tried to ignore the energy coursing through me, running a hand through my hair as I realized I was shaking slightly.
Was this some post-adrenaline rush? Or dip?
Why did I feel so odd? My entire body felt flushed and I gripped the counter, a frustrated noise breaking from my throat.
“Kitten.”
Ryder’s voice had my center throbbing as I walked towards the bathroom door and peeked my head out. His eyes ran across my flushed face as a groan built in his throat.
“Yes?”
“Your magic is surging… I thought maybe you were hurt or upset.”
I was hurting, honestly but instead I said, “I think I’m okay.”
His eyes went to the door of my room as he inhaled sharply. “You’re not, but I can’t help you. Maybe I can get the others to come back inside.”
“What do you mean, help me?” I asked quietly. I opened the door more so I could talk to him properly, and his eyes ran over the towel on my body.
“Kitten, I can smell how turned on you are from here,” he groaned, looking pained. “Fuck, this is the most inconvenient time for them having to do rounds—”
I tried to close the door, feeling my eyes water. Inconvenient. I shouldn’t have let his words affect me so much, but the weird energy running through my trembling frame was causing my emotions to swing back and forth turbulently.
His hand stopped the door’s motion. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to not be inconvenient,” I sniffed, pushing firmly.
The door closed, and Ryder’s voice changed to a growl. “Open the door, kitten.”
“No.”
Names and insults had always been thrown at me, but somehow ‘inconvenient’ hurt more than anything, and I think it was because it came from Ryder.
Scratch that—I absolutely knew it was because it came from Ryder.
I believed what he had been saying before and his reasoning for not being together…but in the moment when he said he was affected by me, it had given me hope. Determination that I could show him that he didn’t have to sacrifice happiness.
Then he said stuff like this that had me doubting everything.
“Effie, open it now.”
I threw it open and narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
Instead of giving an answer, Ryder’s lips suddenly surged against mine.
I let out a small moan of surprise, my butt hitting the top of the counter as he stepped between my legs and his fingers dug against my towel.
A small whimper escaped my throat, my towel dropping as he let out a snarl, his hand catching my wet hair and twisting it into a tight hold.
The heated air of the bathroom ran across my skin, heightening the sensations of his touch.
“Fuck, you taste better than I imagined.” Ryder’s chest rumbled as I wiggled to get closer to him, not even embarrassed of my naked state as his hand ran up my waist and brushed over my hard nipple, causing my breath to go uneven as I tried to tighten my legs around him.
That weird surge of magic was causing my instincts to push forward as I tried to find a way to explain to him what I needed.
“Ryder,” I whimpered, begging, pleading… Asking for something that I couldn’t put into words, but recognized he could give me.
“Keep your hands on the counter,” he growled. “I’ll make you feel better, kitten.”
I let out a small cry as his fingers brushed over my wet heat, his thumb teasing my clit before he slid a thick finger inside of me.
The slight pinch from the sensation had my sharp intake of breath echoing through the room.
Almost instantly, pleasure flooded my system, and I could feel that I was growing embarrassingly wet around his digit that he stroked in and out of me, causing my legs to shake.
“Fuck, you are so tight.” Ryder’s voice was rough and his breathing uneven.
My hands moved from the counter to string through his hair, wanting his lips again, but he stopped his movement, making me all the more needy.
It didn’t help that I could feel his magic right under the surface of his skin, practically encompassing me in a possessive hold.
“Kitten, hands on the counter, now. Or else I stop.”
His voice was strict and had me obeying as he slowly pumped his finger in and out of me while teasing my clit, causing my entire body to melt into a puddle of need.
My head fell back, begging for his lips as he used his other hand to grip my jaw and kiss me deep, his touch causing everything to light up.
Everything about this was right, and I knew without a doubt that Ryder and I had something growing between us that was dangerous, something that could land both of us in trouble.
I could feel that sensation I’d experienced with Dakota building in my center, and a small whimper broke between us as Ryder let out a deep growl that had my skin prickling with heat.
My instincts were telling me that I needed something else inside of me, that I needed his thick, hard length to pulse in and out of me as I gripped onto his large shoulders. If not that, then I wanted to feel him in my own grip as he felt the same level of pleasure that he was bringing me.
“Fuck, that’s goddamn perfect,” his voice rasped. “You’re perfect. You’re going to give me exactly what I want, aren’t you? Your little pussy is going to come around my fingers, I can fucking feel it.”
“Ryder…” My voice was breathless as my head fell back.
A second finger pushed into my center, and the breath pushed out of me as I let out a cry of his name. I went off like a bomb. My skin broke out into chills, my magic swarmed the room, and Ryder’s constricted around me like a deadly predator, the lethality only making it that much better.
Ryder hissed, putting his head down against my shoulder but not moving as he pulled his fingers from inside me.
When he finally pulled back, I met his gaze, a dark heat running through it as he popped his fingers into his mouth…
tasting me. My tongue darted out as I watched him, the intensity of the energy between us still not gone after I’d climaxed hard enough to see stars.
My magic did feel better, though.
Then voices from the other room had me startling out of the moment.
Ryder blinked and looked towards the door as I slid off the counter and tugged the towel around me.
I could already feel the distance growing between us as reality trickled in, and my heart hurt as he seemed trapped in his own thoughts, finally looking at me in confusion.
This is exactly what he hadn’t wanted, and now our magic was more tightly coiled together than before.
It was the same intensity as with my other mates, but unlike with them, I was supposed to fight this.
“Effie…”
“You can go if you need to,” I whispered, feeling embarrassed. “I didn’t mean… I know that you didn’t want any of that to happen between us, I just feel awkward now. I’m sorry Ryder, especially after what you told me earlier.”
“Kitten.” His eyes widened in what almost appeared to be panic.
The door opened and Julian walked in, his eyes darting to me and the sad look on my face.
“Get the fuck out,” he barked at Ryder. I jolted slightly, but I was proud that I didn’t flinch like usual, slowly getting used to the notion that these men meant me no physical harm.
Not like the others that had polluted the past few years of my life.
Ryder’s jaw clenched. “You have no idea what is going on.”
“Don’t give a fuck. Do it. Now.”
Ryder offered me another look and disappeared as Julian surged forward and picked me up. “I am so sorry you got caught up in any of this, preciosa. Maybe we need to find somewhere off campus to live.”
“Why?” I asked in concern.
“Just with everything going on—”
I heard Dakota snap something out in the other room, and I tried to move forward, but Julian blocked me. “Don’t go in there.”
“Why?” I could feel my stomach tightening. “I want to know what’s going on.” Especially if it involved my mates and caused Dakota to sound upset.
Inhaling, he took my hand and led me towards the bedroom door, my other hand tight on my towel.
I found the guys in the main room, windows open while scrubbing something off.
It didn’t take a genius to see that someone had handwritten ‘WHORE’ on them.
I stepped back into my room and felt unease run up me.
It wasn’t that the words hurt me, it was that someone had invaded our home.
“How did they get up there?”
“I’m not positive,” Julian growled, “but we will figure it out, I promise you.”
“Get dressed.” Caedmon appeared in front of me from where he’d been talking to Ryder. “I don’t want you getting cold.”
I stepped further back into my room, feeling disoriented.
Once I was dressed in a warm pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie with socks, I went to go back into the main room…before seeing my backpack. I realized that I’d once again missed class.
Backtracking to my bed, I sat down on it as my eyes started to water with frustration and disappointment in myself.
I knew it was silly, and more than anything an accumulation of my emotions, but it felt like the cherry on top.
Maybe I really didn’t belong here. But then I didn’t belong anywhere, did I? I had nowhere else to go.
“Lil bit?” Tore’s voice sounded as I looked up to find him in the door.
My tears had him immediately coming to kneel in front of me as he wrapped his arms around me. “What the hell is going on? Are you okay?”
Was I okay? I didn’t feel okay.
I met his icy gaze that was filled with concern and answered honestly. “I don’t know.”