Chapter 16 Declan
DECLAN
Veronica felt so good against my body, her breasts pressed against my chest. Her softness, the way she pulled me close, and the look in her eyes made me feel things I didn’t think I could anymore.
From the moment she first kissed me, it was like everything that had happened in my past might not be the end for me. She gave me hope.
Her tight pussy clenching around my cock nearly made me lose all control. Veronica ran her hands through my hair, grasping as I fucked her with wild abandon.
“You’re so fucking wet,” I said, whispering the words into her ear, then taking her earlobe into my mouth gently sucking it.
Moaning, she wrapped her legs around my waist, digging her heels into my ass to pull me deeper with each thrust.
“Let go, Declan,” she murmured.
I hadn’t even realized I had been holding back, yet somehow, she had.
Her words gave me the freedom to fully relax and sink into the moment.
With a growl, I sat up and grabbed her waist, pulling her onto my cock as I slammed into her.
Sweat streamed down my chest as I looked down at her.
Veronica’s curls splayed out on the pillow beneath her, her freckled cheeks flushed, breasts shaking with each impact of my hips against her.
She was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen.
“Fuck,” she cried, voice high-pitched, verging on awe. “I’m coming again. Harder. Harder, Declan.”
I gave her what she wanted, palming her breasts and riding her with wild abandon, her tight, wet pussy accepting my cock as I gave her every inch. She pressed her hands against my chest, her fingers dragging across my sweat-slicked skin.
“Fuck, you feel so good,” I growled as I continued thrusting into her, moving faster with each second.
It had been three years since anyone had touched me like this.
I hadn’t known you could miss the touch of another human, and I had the urge to sob in relief, in happiness.
Veronica looked at me like I was made for something, like I was important, like I was necessary.
It had been a long time since I’d felt like that.
Not even before I’d retired and I felt what she invoked in me.
The intimacy and closeness between us shouldn’t have been this intense after mere days of knowing each other, but it was undeniable.
My orgasm swelled inside me, a fuse lit and burning hot and fast, ready to blow. I moved ever faster, desperate for release, to spill myself within her.
“Can I come inside you?” I panted, barely holding back.
Veronica, eyes barely open, veins bulging at her neck as she orgasmed again. “Come, baby. It’s safe. I want it.”
That was all it took. My climax burst through me.
My cock and balls felt as though they were exploding as I came.
My thrusts slowed, and I collapsed against her, the steady pulses of ecstasy throbbing through my pelvis.
I moved with aching slowness until I stopped altogether, lying on top of her and basking in the post-climax bliss.
With her warm, soft skin pressed against me, I felt content for the first time in years.
“That was…so…fucking amazing,” she panted, wrapping her arms around me.
“Uh huh,” was all I could say as I tried to catch my breath.
Finally, I roll off her and gazed into her gorgeous eyes. There were hints of gold in her irises when the light hit them right.
“You’re amazing,” I said, kissing her long and deep.
We fell asleep like that, wrapped in each other’s arms.
“See anyone?” Veronica asked, looking up from the laptop and ledger.
I shook my head, and let the blinds drop back down. “Nothing. Like usual.”
It had been almost two weeks since we’d gotten the ledger of worshippers from Sucellus’s acolyte.
So far, our location had remained secure with no further incursions by witch bounty hunters or monsters.
A good sign. I’d come to the conclusion that the attack outside the temple had been pure bad luck.
Someone else must have discovered that Sucellus was Balthazar’s patron god and sent people to check out his place.
We must have had the world’s worst timing. At least, that’s what I was hoping.
“Do you ever wear, like, plain clothes?” Veronica said, glancing me up and down.
I was in my typical working outfit of slacks, a dress shirt, and dress shoes, while Veronica had her curly hair in a messy bun and wore one of my oversized shirts and a pair of shorts I’d picked up for her when I’d purchased some supplies for us.
“What?” I said with a smirk. “Not fashionable?”
She shrugged. “It just seems like you’d be more comfortable in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt or something.”
“It keeps my head in the game,” I said, which was true. Dressing the part helped me concentrate on the task at hand. “Find anything?”
“Not from this page,” she said, tossing her pen down on the ledger.
“Damn.”
Over the last couple of weeks, we’d spent nearly every waking moment going through each individual name.
I’d used my old access to several databases to track them down, trying to see if any might have been connected to the Freedman family, the coven, or the academy itself.
So far, each and every one had been a dead end.
We’d done almost all we could do living out of the safe house, having groceries and food delivered.
It was mind-numbing. The only respite we’d had was winding down watching movies once we’d finished twelve hours of research.
Also sex. Lots of sex. I couldn’t argue that it was a bad way to spend our time, but no amount of primal fucking was going to get us out of the mess we were in.
“There has to be someone connected,” I said. “There’s no way anyone could get into the academy without anyone knowing.”
“We did,” Veronica said. “When Nyxia teleported us.”
“That’s different,” I said, waving a hand through the air.
“She’s the best of the best. No one else on earth could have sent someone inside the protection spells of that place.
It’s why I went to her. And as much of a shitshow as it became, I’m glad you were with me.
If I’d gone by myself, I’d have been lost. Once we were there, you had to guide me.
I had no fucking clue where to go or how to get there. ”
“Oh,” she said, frowning. “I didn’t think about that.”
“That place is a maze. To have gotten to not only Balthazar, but also Wendy, this person had to know their way around. I freaking know it.” Frustrated with our lack of progress, I let my hand flop down onto the armrest of the sofa.
For a few minutes, we sat in silence. My mind raced, trying to think of a new angle, an interesting new way of finding a suspect.
“What would be the easiest,” I said at last, chuckling ruefully, “is if we had a way to interview all the students and faculty. If I could ask everyone a few quick questions, I could use my gift. It would give us tons of information and leads.”
Veronica sat forward, an excited gleam in her eyes. “Why don’t we?”
“Right,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Do you know the kind of shit that would take? We’d need disguises, distractions, entrance and exit plans, backup plans, and even then, it’s unlikely to work.
They’ve probably updated security. Hell, they may have even hired outside people to watch over the academy.
Mercenary shifters or vampires or something.
Could be—What? Why do you have that look on your face? ”
Veronica’s disappointed frown had morphed into a look of delighted surprise.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest. “The New Year Sabbath!”
“What about it?”
“It’s coming up. The Freedman Coven will attend the gathering. That could be our chance,” she explained.
I knew enough about the different types of wiccans to know that the solstices and equinoxes were big deals for them, so it made sense they’d be big fans of New Year’s as well. They were all some of the most powerful days of the magical year, along with Halloween—Samhain, as they called it.
“What’s this party about?” I said, suddenly intrigued.
“It’s a get-together of sorts with other covens,” she explained.
“Kinda like a ball or a prom or something. Right after Yule—er, Christmas for non-Wiccans. Multiple covens come together for it. There are ceremonies and so on, but it’s mostly a good time to have fellowship with other witches, sorcerers, and the less bizarre warlocks.
Loads of mingling and talking. Plus, it doesn’t take place at the academy. ”
Hope surged through me. This might be exactly what we needed.
“I didn’t think about it before. It slipped my mind with all the running for my life and researching,” Veronica said.
“Grab your stuff,” I said. “We’re going to The Shadow Streets.”
“We are? Again?”
“Yeah. There’s a fae there we need to talk to. When is this party?”
“It’s this coming Saturday. The covens do their own thing the actual night of. It’s the last big get-together of the year. This party starts in the evening and ends after the witching hour at three.”
“Which means we’ve got a couple of days. Good. That gives us some time to prepare. Let’s go.” I took her hand and helped her up.
We arrived at one of the entrances to The Shadow Streets a half hour later.
I’d chosen not to go to the entrance in the park.
Too many people might spot us. Instead, I took us to a bar in Wrigleyville.
Leaving behind the cold and stepping into the warmth of The Cub House, we were assaulted by blue, red, and white Cubs memorabilia all over the walls.
Thankfully, with it being the middle of a weekday, there were almost no people around, and the few that were, appeared to be human.
Veronica confirmed it after catching their scent.
As we walked up to the bar, the ancient-looking man polishing the beer taps glanced up.
“Dec?” he said, tossing his rag down. “Dec McClintoc?”
“Hey there, Manny,” I said, leaning my elbows on the bar. “How’s the old man doing?”