24. Elyssa
ELYSSA
B ack in Italy, Jedde used to take me to the beach every Sunday. We walked on the sand, picked up the prettiest seashells, and finished the day with ice cream from a local parlor we both loved. Jedde had a sweet tooth.
We did all that, but we never swam. Ever.
Other than the fact that she refused to wear a swimsuit for modesty reasons—Jedde wasn’t particularly religious, but she came from a traditional village, back in Tunisia—she was also scared shitless of the water. She had told me tales of her childhood back in her homeland, how one of her sisters had almost let her drown when she was eight years old because she and her friends got distracted.
That event traumatized her so much that she never set foot in the water afterward. She limited her visits to the beach to shellfish-hunting and sightseeing. Against her will, Jedde had passed on that fear to me. I wasn’t angry at her for that. I missed her terribly.
A few months after we arrived in New York, my grandfather decided I would have to take swimming lessons alongside my cousins. According to him, it was shameful that I hadn’t mastered something as simple as swimming. I tried objecting, explaining to him that I was scared, that the mere idea of being submerged in water made me anxious as hell, but nothing worked.
On the day of my first lesson, I started crying when the instructor asked me to go in and categorically refused. My uncle Ignacio, Viola’s father and Mamma’s brother, saw me from his office and came down.
He slapped me so hard across the face that even my instructor was shocked. Then he picked me up and threw me unceremoniously into the water.
Its coldness against my skin had made me screech in fright.
And it was exactly this memory that flashed before my eyes the moment Konstantin pushed me inside the pool.
I gasped and water immediately burned its way inside my lungs. I tried spitting it out but, being submerged, it was no use. Throwing my head back to get as much air as possible every time I managed to break the surface was hard, especially with panic settling deep in my stomach.
I heard something else splash into the water from the distance but my mind was racing with ways to save myself and so I didn’t dwell on that. Not until a set of hands grabbed my waist, pulling me to a strong chest, my head finally fully out of water.
My arms wrapped themselves around Konstantin’s neck, my legs around his waist as I breathed heavily, still a little dazed from what just happened.
“I’m here. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
My whole body trembling, I grabbed onto his shoulders like my life depended on it—and in a way, it did.
I was shaking both from fear and because it was freezing out there after hours. They kept the pool area warmed up during the day when practice occurred, but we were well after ten at night and nobody had access to it this late.
Konstantin swam to the edge and held me as he climbed his way out. I finally let go of him when we hit the ground, coughing up water and holding my chest like it would stop my heart from beating so fast.
Fear slowly let go of me, quickly replaced by anger. Before I could think it through I turned around and slapped Konstantin’s face as hard as I could. The sound echoed around us like a gunshot. It left my hand stinging from the force of it, but I didn’t care. The pain barely registered.
His face was turned slightly from the blow, his jaw clenched, but he didn’t say anything. Slowly, he looked back at me, his eyes digging into mine and settling there.
Neither of us spoke, still a little confused about what had just happened as well as the quickly growing tension around us. I couldn’t believe I still wanted him after that.
And yet when his hand wrapped around my neck, pulling me to him and slamming his lips on mine, I let him. I let him kiss me again and moaned against his mouth, wanting, needing more.
My hands were back to clutching his shoulders, his around my waist, bringing me as close as possible until I straddled him. He licked my lips and I parted them readily, letting my tongue tangle with his. The taste of chlorine mixed with him was intoxicating, and I needed more. My anger subsisted and I poured it all in the kiss until it disappeared.
Everything we had talked about prior, the fact that we couldn’t be together, went out the window at this very second. I hadn’t wanted to say it in the first place but I needed to, to protect my rapidly, stupidly falling heart.
Needing to breathe, we pulled apart, his forehead resting against mine as we shared a breath.
“I can’t stop wanting you. I don’t want to. Fuck everything else, Ayaari, you’re mine.”
I didn’t want those words to be true, but I couldn’t contest them anymore. Nobody made me feel like he did.
“I got it! I got the role!” was the first thing Briar told me when we met at our usual table during breakfast.
I was already sitting, Sinem next to me yapping about her plans for Christmas break in just over three weeks. Mia was still missing, claiming she was too ashamed of herself to show her face in the dining hall and risk bumping into Dominik. After I told her about what Lorenzo did yesterday, she was even more mortified and cried for ten minutes straight. Speaking of, my cousin wasn’t anywhere to be found either, probably still licking his wounds.
I couldn’t say I was happy about what happened to him, but he’d brought it upon himself. I got that he wanted to be chivalrous and show support to his sister, but he certainly hadn’t gone about it the right way.
“No kidding, you got Black Swan?” Sinem jumped up and hugged Briar over the table.
I grinned, happiness blossoming in my chest for my friend.
I hugged her next. “I knew you had it in the bag, girl. I’m so proud of you.”
Briar simply grinned and sat down in front of us, telling us all about the auditions, and how excited she was for practice to start.
“The premiere is the week before finals. Please tell me you guys will be there.”
Shaking my head, I smiled at her. “Don’t worry, I’ll take the day off studying just for you.”
Briar sighed in relief. “Oh thank God! God knows I’ll need all the support and friendly faces I can get.”
“You don’t. You’re the best, babes!” Sinem put her hand on our friend’s on the table and both girls shared a smile.
“Who got White Swan, by the way?”
Briar snorted, spearing a piece of strawberry with her fork. “Korolova, of course. Viola didn’t stand a chance against us both,” she smirked.
She wasn’t cocky by any means, but her disdain for Viola outweighed her friendliness. I couldn’t blame her. To hear that my awful cousin didn’t get the role brought me some level of satisfaction, I couldn’t lie.
The rest of the meal was spent animatedly chatting about Briar’s role and what we planned on doing to celebrate it. I finished eating breakfast, hungry as fuck since I’d barely eaten anything at dinner last night.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, a flashback from yesterday evening came to mind. Konstantin’s hand on my waist, his tongue playing with mine, our moans and groans filling up the space of the pool room.
Like he’d been summoned, Konstantin entered the dining hall, looking like he always did, perfectly put together. My breath caught in my throat when I saw him and I felt myself blush.
As soon as his eyes dropped to mine, he maintained my gaze, slowly making his way toward his friends’ table. He looked me over, icy stare traveling from my head down to my chest, since the rest of me was hidden behind the table. He licked his lips before breaking eye contact and sitting down with his crew. I released a breath I hadn’t even known I’d been holding, closing my eyes and centering myself again.
Last night had been… unexpected.
When I snuck out of the secret room in the morning, I really had all intentions to stop whatever it was we were doing, but after last night… I knew I couldn’t. We made out for a good part of the night before simply lying there, my head on his chest while looking up at the ceiling. Then he walked me back to my room silently and left. All that without a word.
I think we were both trying to process things. In a few months, we went from him blackmailing me, to discovering secrets together, to him killing someone in cold blood for me, to… this weird attraction that left us both mindless with desire.
“Hello? Earth to Elyssa.” Sinem agitated her hand in front of my face, bringing my thoughts back to the present. I smiled apologetically before asking her to repeat. “I was asking if you had plans for Christmas break.”
I frowned, the subject somehow sensitive to me although she couldn’t have known. “Not really. I’ll just study and watch movies with Mia, I guess.”
Sinem looked confused. “Your family doesn’t celebrate Christmas? New Year’s Eve?”
I looked down at my plate, suddenly at a loss for words. How do you tell a new friend that your family did celebrate those holidays, but you simply were not invited? I didn’t want Sinem’s idea of me to be tinted with pity, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure I should lie to her about it if we were going to be friends. She’d learn sooner or later.
Thank God for my best friend, though, because Briar immediately knew this conversation made me uncomfortable. “Actually, I was gonna ask if you’d like to come over for Christmas this year. Nonno loves you and he’s been asking about you every time I have him on the phone.”
My eyes widened, both in surprise and happiness. I nodded my head before I could even think it through. “Yeah I’d love that, B.”
She smiled and winked at me, before dragging Sinem into another conversation. I couldn’t put into words how grateful I was for her.
Rummaging through bookshelves and looking for books on old, forgotten Greek deities was no easy feat. I had always considered the Academy’s library to be rich and full of answers, but today was proving me wrong.
The paranoid part of me thought that maybe all books about it had been removed to keep people from discovering it, but I forced myself to push those thoughts away. If only I had the journal with me, things would be so much easier, but I forgot it in the secret room the morning I snuck out.
Getting on the tip of my toes to grab the book on the top shelf, I huffed when I still couldn’t reach it, falling back on my heels with a curse.
I was about to go get a ladder when a hand reached out from behind me to get it. I gasped, immediately spinning around and coming face to face with the one person I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about lately.
Neither of us talked for the longest time. I think we were both too shy to do so. We never really met up in the daytime, especially not somewhere so open that anyone could see us.
We were on the last floor of the library, so it was pretty rare for people to come and study here, but still.
“Hi,” he whispered, his breath fanning my lips.
“Hey.”
Konstantin’s eyes roamed all over me, taking in my uniform, the golden belt around my waist, and the bangles on my wrist.
“You look good. Beautiful.”
The way he said that felt unnatural, and forced, but not in a way that would imply that he didn’t mean the words. More like he wasn’t used to saying them. As if to prove my thoughts, a soft blush appeared on the top of his cheekbones and he was unable to hold my gaze.
Konstantin Korolov looked… cute.
“Are you… complimenting me?” A small smile tugged at my lips but I didn’t want him thinking I was mocking him so I did my best not to let it show.
He caught on it anyway and shook his head, his blush deepening. “Forget I even said anything.”
He went to move away and I grabbed his arm, bringing it flush against my chest to use my whole weight to keep him from moving. “I’m sorry, I swear I’m not laughing at you!” I chuckled, loving this new version of him. “It was a little unexpected but nice. Thank you.”
Konstantin looked me in the eye and nodded once his embarrassment eased.
“And thanks for the book.”
“Are you still researching The Order?”
I nodded, taking the old book from him, our fingers grazing. He seemed to have done it on purpose and I loved that even more.
“I am. It would probably go faster if I had the book but I always seem to forget it in the s?—”
Without a word, he produced the small journal from inside his jacket, making my eyes widen.
“Oh, you grabbed it!” I took it from his hands, looking up at him with a grin. “I could kiss you right now.”
“So do it.” The words coming out of his mouth made everything slow down around us and I looked up at him in surprise.
I gulped, waiting for him to take it back but he never did.
“You want me to kiss you?”
“I want us to do a whole lot more than just that, moshennik .”
My heart beat fast against my ribcage, desire igniting in my stomach. Deciding to let us indulge in what we both wanted, I took a step toward him, stood on my tiptoes, and brushed my lips against him, my eyes closing slightly.
The moment was over almost as soon as it started and I pushed away. “You got what you wanted, now?—”
I never got to finish that sentence, because Konstantin had me by the throat and pushed me against the shelves, claiming my mouth in a violent kiss.
I moaned from the impact, the copper taste of blood flooding my tastebuds. I lapped at his lips greedily, wanting to commit his taste to memory.
“Fuck, I’ve been wanting to do that since I left you at your dorm last night,” he confessed.
“Give me your fingers. Please, like last time.”
Maybe later on, in the confines of my room, I would feel ashamed of the way I asked for things, the whimpers coming out of my mouth and the way my panties were soaked right through, but at the moment, none of that mattered.
“There’s something else I want to try,” he whispered against my lips.
I moaned in complaint when he pulled back from me, but that was quickly forgotten when he dropped to his knees, looking up at me with lust clouding his gaze.
My breath caught in my throat and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
One might have said that being on his knees might have made him appear less dangerous, and less in control, but I would disagree.
Even in this position, he screamed control.
“I’ve been thinking about it ever since we kissed in church.”
Not giving me time to ask or even reply, his hands snuck up under my skirt until he grabbed the waistband of my panties. I spread my legs a little, making it easier for him to slide them down my thighs. They weren’t sexy by any means, just a basic pair of white cotton underwear. Comfortable and convenient.
Once they were completely off, I couldn’t help but blush at the sight of the wet patch on them.
“You’re always soaking for me. Does that turn you on, lebedochka ? Seeing me on my knees for you?”
I nodded, unable to form a sentence at the moment. Konstantin started kissing up my thighs, my skirt barely hiding my pussy.
“Tell me how to please you,” was his only instruction before he pulled the skirt up, baring me completely. He grabbed one of my thighs, throwing it over his shoulder, opening me up in the process.
My head fell back, unable to take how hot he looked in this position.
I could have cried when his tongue made contact with my most sensitive spot. He lapped at my slit, the tip of his tongue slipping slightly inside. I whimpered, my hands coming down to clutch at him. One was in his hair, the other on his shoulder.
“Oh, fuck!”
“Shhh… I don’t want anyone to come looking for us. Your moans are only for me.”
Even the vibration of his voice against my cunt felt good, I could already feel the beginnings of an orgasm build up at the base of my spine.
Konstantin went back to licking and sucking me. I ground myself shamelessly against his mouth, biting my lips and drawing blood from how much I tried not to moan aloud.
“Fuck, please, my clit. Suck my clit.”
I whispered, needing the stimulation there, and he obliged almost immediately. When his mouth enclosed the little bundle of nerves and the suction started, I was burning up.
“Oh, fuck yes, it feels so good. Yes, baby, it’s so good.”
He sucked harder, alternating between lapping at the cum flowing out of me and sucking my little clit in his mouth. When his teeth grazed it, I nearly lost it, the orgasm close enough that I could taste it.
Then he thrust a finger in me and I was a goner.
My thighs started shaking uncontrollably, my back arched and my head was thrown back in pleasure against the bookshelves.
I had to bite my fist to keep quiet, my hips working of their own accord against his mouth while I ground myself against him, riding the high of my climax for even longer than I had the first time he touched me.
He didn’t move and let me come down at my own pace.
When my orgasm subsided and my thighs finally stopped shaking, he pulled away slowly, looking at me with an expression I had never seen him wear before. He smiled devilishly at me, his lips and chin glistening with my essence.
My cheeks warmed up, especially when he didn’t bother wiping it off. Instead, he got up, still holding me against the bookshelf, and slapped his mouth on mine.
The foreign taste of me mixed with his deliciousness made me hazy.
“Taste yourself on me.” And I did, letting my tongue tangle with his lazily.
When air started to lack, I pulled away slightly and looked up at him, dazed and thoroughly satisfied.