8. Thorne
Chapter 8
Thorne
Finally I tasted her.
I continue licking my fingers.
The beautiful silver-haired siren watches me, mortified that I’m savoring the sweet nectar from her pussy.
The color of our sexy encounter drains the blood from her already Snow White-skin, leaving it a deadly shade of alabaster.
Like the bastard I am, I’ve enjoyed every second of watching her squirm in my arms. Nothing was sweeter than seeing her fight then fail when she realized she wanted me. She wanted everything I had to give her and more.
“You taste like you want me to fuck you, little deer.”
“Fuck you.”
“That’s the idea, malen'kiy olen' .” I lean forward and laugh, infuriating her further. “Was that a request?”
“You know it wasn’t.” The color returns to her cheeks and she tries to move, but I restrain her.
With the weight of my body I push her harder into the wall, allowing her to feel the bulge of my cock.
I’m hard as fuck and I know there’s only one thing that will satisfy me—being inside her.
“Let me go.”
“No. I’m not done with you yet.”
“What are you going to do to me now? You’re such an ass?—”
I silence her again with another kiss.
She puts up a fight and I realize that fire is another reason I like her. Ivy fears me but at least she tries to unsnare herself from my grasp.
It’s commendable, but just like before she loses. She loses to that thing that’s screwing with both of us— desire .
My dick grows harder and I know I have to be inside her, right here and now. Up against this wall.
I grab her ass to pull her closer, but the sound of footsteps pulls me back from the wild sexual spell that’s seized my mind.
No one is supposed to come down here but us. I sealed off this section of the labyrinth so I could finally fuck this girl out of my system and move the hell on.
I tear myself away from her lips and look across to find Lucian coming down the path.
Ivy pulls out of my arms when she sees him and quickly fixes her clothes. I only released her because her dress is up around her waist and I don’t want anyone to see any part of her body except me.
On seeing that I’m clearly in what was nearly a compromised position, Lucian grins.
I glare back at him, wanting to rip the smile off his face.
The instant Ivy is decent she rushes away from me without looking back at either of us.
I watch her go, fleeing again. This time is worse and now I have a major case of blue balls.
I snap back to face Lucian when he reaches me and I stare him down.
“Not like you to go for a freshman.” Lucian smirks.
“Fuck you, Sokolov. You better have a fucking good excuse for disturbing me.”
“I do. Kade locked James Valmik in your pressure chamber.”
Oh, fuck . I’m already moving. Lucian falls in step with me.
“I thought they were at the party.”
“They were, but shit went down and they started fighting.” Lucian quirks a brow. “Kade beat James to a bloody pulp before he shoved him in the chamber.”
My pressure chamber is not like the ordinary ones people use for altitude testing. It’s deadly and meant for torture. When used the wrong way, like I’m guessing it has been, it could mean death.
I designed it for the trials this week and kept it hidden at the boathouse. I never taught anyone how to use it because of how dangerous it is. You can only open the chamber with my fingerprints.
“What the hell happened?”
“James called Kade’s mom a whore and his father a cocksucker.”
Nothing further of explanation needs to be given.
Kade’s parents are both dead. Just like mine and, like Kade I’d want to kill anyone who spoke about my parents in a derogatory way.
We leave the club and head across to the boathouse, but I take one last look at the sea of partygoers outside, looking for Ivy.
I didn’t expect to see her, so I shouldn’t be disappointed.
Knowing Ivy she will have rushed back to her dorm.
That’s okay.
Tonight was just the beginning.
A taste of her.
The next night, we gather outside the boathouse for the first big trial.
This event is the only thing that’s successfully occupied my mind enough to keep me from seeking out Ivy Yegorov.
I’ve been working with Caspian and Lucian all day. Now we’re here for the big moment.
Caspian, Lucian and I stand before the twenty pledges who are competing to be selected for our elite group.
“ Haec nox est nox, quam vitam tuam effundis vetus ac de novo incipis ,” Caspian speaks first as our leader, reminding them of the first paragraph of our Creed.
It’s in Latin, like the Oath. It translates to: Tonight is the night you shed your old life and start anew.
“ Ego spondee ,” they all reply in unison, confirming their pledge to us.
“I hope you'll all remember that.” Caspian scans over the guys, focusing mainly on Kade, who stares back with a stern face.
Caspian switches his gaze to James next, who still looks like he was ravaged by wolves. James is lucky Kade didn’t kill his ass. The fool would have died in that chamber last night if Lucian hadn’t come to find me when he did.
“Tonight is the beginning of the rest of your lives.” Like a war commander, Caspian walks down the line of the first row of pledges and stops. “Each of you here was assured a place at Raventhorn, but it is not guaranteed that you will become a Knight. The same as it’s not a guarantee that you will become part of my elite. Tonight, eight men will be chosen to continue the trials for the elite group. In the weeks to come, only four will remain.”
I focus on the four I’ve been drawn to since the semester began. They’re standing together now. Kade, Dmitri, Logan and Alek, Lucian’s cousin. I predicted Alek would join the trio, which he did.
They were accepting of him joining their pack for two reasons.
The first is, he’s Lucian’s cousin. As Lucian is already in with us, they believe Alek has a sure spot and want to make use of him. It’s human nature to use others. Part of the survival of the fittest.
The other reason is he’s just as unhinged as they are.
“Over to you, Thorne.” Caspian looks at me.
I give the pledges a wicked smile. A sign I’m about to fuck with them all six ways to Sunday. “This trial will take place in the river.”
The puzzled look on each of their faces is exactly what I expected to see.
Except for the moonlight and the light from the boathouse, it’s pitch black. Since I gave no indication that there would be any water activities, they’re wearing T-shirts and jeans.
“You will work in groups of four. There’s something at the bottom of the river I need your group to retrieve for me. The item holds some specific meaning to each of you in the group. I will hand your team leader a number. First, you must locate that number along the riverbank to know what part of the water to enter.” This idea was one of my best. Inspired by my love for Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Resident Evil movies.
“The first two groups to bring their item to me will win tonight’s round. There’s a box of waterproof flashlights over by the boats. Use whatever you can find around the docks to help you.” I smile wider when I think of the twist in this trial. “Oh, and beware of my friends at the bottom of the river that bite. They’re particularly fond of human flesh.”
With that declaration, even the guys acting like they’re hardcore motherfuckers look like they’re about to shit themselves.
“What’s down there?” James stutters. The little prick has the audacity to look scared in front of me.
“Crocs.”
The silence that descends on the group is like death. Still, unmoving and cold. It lasts for a full minute before James takes a quick breath. Or maybe it’s more like a gulp. Or he heaved.
“How did crocs get in the water?”
“I put them there. The river has been sectioned off, so the crocodiles won’t escape. But you have to deal with them.”
“And all we get is a flashlight?” He stares at me wide-eyed.
I answer with my trademark smile.
This is hazing like no other. But I expect some of these guys will be so terrified they won’t get in the water. The others with common sense will actually seek out the danger first and eliminate it.
“How many?” Kade asks, glancing at Dmitri.
“Five. One for each group. Any more questions?”
They’re quiet. What more can they ask me though?
Either they accept the trial or they don’t.
I divide the pledges into groups, choose their leaders, and hand them their numbers from one to five. Even though Kade deserves punishment for last night I chose him to lead his pack for group four.
“Ready, set, go.” I wave my hand and they all rush to the riverbank.
“You are one crazy motherfucker.” Caspian nudges my side. “Crocs?”
“This is a walk in the park. Remember our Reaping?” That stops him in his tracks from saying anything more.
To this day, I don’t know how we survived. His asshole father set things up, so it was like the fucking Hunger Games meets hell. We were thrown into a deathtrap in the forest and pitted against the Bratva assassins, men trained to kill on sight.
“My Reaping wasn’t that much different, nor my trials here last year.” Lucian smirks with a nod. “I know why you added the crocs.”
“I knew you’d appreciate my stroke of genius.” I grin back at him.
The three of us watch the chaos unfold.
Team Three is the first to find their number on the riverbank, but one of the crocs surfaces and none of the guys get in. They stand there, waiting, wondering, then accepting defeat when they walk back to us and keep going, eliminating themselves.
The same thing happens with Team One, leaving Teams Two, Four and Five, who are now in the water.
Here’s where things get interesting, and as Teams Two and Five look like they’re already failing I focus on Kade and his group.
They understood the assignment.
Logan and Alek lure the crocs away while Kade and Dmitri dive in beneath the dark depths of the river.
They’re all good swimmers, so that’s a plus. And they’re all clever. Another plus.
Moments later Kade and Dmitri surface with the wooden coffin I left for their group at the bottom of the riverbed.
Each group has one. A symbol of the death of their old lives.
They swim to the riverbank and pull out the coffin, free of the crocodiles.
The whole diversion gives Team Two the chance to get their coffin and follow suit.
Logan and Alek split up, swimming separate ways, and so do the crocodiles. That messes with Team Five’s chance, and they end up swimming back toward the riverbank empty-handed.
The chaos they cause creates a stir among the crocodiles, something they hate, but that gives Logan and Alek a chance to escape and swim back to land.
They join Kade and Dmitri, and the four bring their coffin to me.
The rest of the guys try to make it back in a state of panic. They’re nearly back when one smooth-swimming croc catches up to Blakeley, the slowest swimmer.
He shouts for help as the croc opens its giant maw revealing a million teeth.
No one is dying on my watch today, including my animals, so I pull out my gun with the idea to scare off the crocodile.
I’m about to shoot when Kade runs forward and throws his knife. It sails through the air and lands in the crocodile's head. Seconds later, my croc flaps around the water until it goes still, dead.
Blakeley and the others climb out of the water then Kade looks back at me, taking note of the gun in my hand.
“You killed my pet.” I raise my brows at Kade.
“I thought it was going to eat him.”
I don’t bother to answer since he passed the test, which was teamwork and bravery. “Team Two and Four stay. The rest of you can go.”
With sour expressions, Team Five leaves.
I look back at Team Four and Two, Kade and James specifically. James knows he’s only standing there because he and his group piggybacked off Kade’s group effort.
“Well done, men.” I nod at them. “You made it this far. As you gathered, the test was to see how well you can work in a team and how brave you can be. Also, I saw just how much you want to be part of our elite. You may open your coffins now.”
They open them, and the looks on their faces when they see what’s inside are memorable. But not in a good way.
It’s my job to know these guys inside out so I'm aware of their deepest emotional wounds. Each of the items in the coffin represents a nightmare that would fuck with these guys for years.
I pay attention to Kade the most as he looks at the picture of his parents.
Feeling my gaze, he locks his eyes with mine and it’s the first time I’ve seen any emotion in him apart from that stern, unreadable expression.
“Tonight, you banish the memory of your old lives and move forward. To be a Knight you must be fearless and sometimes you have to be heartless. Is that understood?” I look around at the faces of the eight left behind. All of them nod their understanding. “Then here endeth the lesson. Place your items back in the coffins and close them, then you may go. Everyone except Kade.”
I focus on Kade while the groups do as I instructed. He does it, too. Caspian and Lucian lead the rest of the group away, leaving me with Kade.
He looks nervous. Another emotion I haven’t seen him display since knowing him. And I make him more nervous on purpose by prolonging the stretch of silence between us.
He’s figuring me out while I’m doing the same to him. People say it takes one to know one and that like minds are drawn together. I sense that’s what’s happening between us.
My problem is I always clash with people who are like me. One could argue that Caspian and I are so similar that we have the same personality, but that’s not true. He has a heart. I don’t. It makes the difference. It means you don’t easily allow your emotions to get in your way and hinder you.
Looking at Kade, I see he’s as heartless as I am.
Maybe just a little more. The kind my particular blend of fucked up calls a challenge.
“If you pull a stunt like last night again, you’re out of Raventhorn.” My tone is as sharp as a slap in the face. It slashes Kade’s bravado down by another few notches.
“I’m sorry for what I did. I know James could have died.” He looks like he means that apology well enough, but I know he’s not sorry in the least. It was his intention to kill James.
“If you’re going to be in my unit let’s agree not to lie to each other. You don’t give two shits if James lives or dies. Is that correct?”
His jaw tenses and he looks uneasy at being called out. “Yes. It’s true.”
“My problem with what you did is that you used my shit. My modified, illegal, deadly shit that has my name written all over it. If he’d died they would have blamed me, and I would have been stripped of my Knighthood.”
Realization forms in the press of his lips and in the wideness of his stare. “I never considered that.”
“No shit. Don’t fuck with me like that again. If you do, I will fuck you up and make you wish you’d never been born. Is that clear?” I stare at him hard, but with the cool calculated mask of malice.
“I hear you.”
“Good, because you don’t get any more chances with me. Now get out of my sight.”
He takes a few steps but stops and turns back to me, his face contorted with the combination of trouble and the moonlight.
“What?” I stare him down but the instant he glances at the closed coffin that contains the picture of his family, I know he’s going to ask me something to do with it.
“Have you banished the memories of your family? Have you moved on?” He searches my face, giving me a frosty stare. “I’m not in your unit yet but I still don’t think we should lie to each other.”
This guy has some balls on him. I’ve had to kill men for less than questioning me. This guy is putting me on the spot and I sense he already knows my answer.
“No. I’ve neither banished the memories of my family, nor have I moved on.”
“Then how must I?” He balls his hand into a tight fist at his side.
“Consider the guidance a favor, Pledge . It’s what you need to hear to be on my unit. If I didn’t want you on my unit , you wouldn’t be here.”
He straightens, his fist loosens, and the tension in his shoulders subsides. He gives me a curt nod and glances at the coffin again. “They were murdered, and I wasn’t there.”
“Neither was I. For mine.”
“Sorry.”
I dip my head and he leaves.
It doesn’t take much for me to think about what happened to my family. Especially when I’m reminded about it. My memories of them are a dark mixture of pain, sadness, and grief. I hardly remember the good things.
The pain from losing them will be forever engraved in my soul.
It’s late when I get back to Erebus.
I walk into my apartment, close the door and leave the past outside, behind me.
The automatic lights snap on and the four Prussian blue walls of my living room greet me, along with the silent glare of the flatscreen TV taking up most of the wall to my left.
I left the TV on earlier by accident and I see that the computer is on, too, unlocked. Anyone could have broken in and had a field day with my secrets and the ones I keep of others. I have enough shit on there that could put me and said others away in a federal prison for life.
My fucking brain has become scanty since a certain virgin stepped into my sphere of existence.
And now that I’m alone with my thoughts and my rock-hard dick, Ivy Yegorov is dancing around in my head again.
She didn’t really leave. She and her music, her glossy pink lips, smooth skin, and that silver-blonde hair.
It’s getting worse. This obsession of mine.
The unsatisfied part of me that didn’t get what I wanted from her last night is pushing me to the edge.
I know I’m supposed to control myself, but I only do that when I want to. Not because I must.
That’s why I purposely walked by Ivy’s dorm on the way here. The lights were out in her room so I assumed she’d gone out.
My little deer is not asleep. It’s eleven, so it’s late enough to assume she could be. But I know she’s not. Especially not after last night.
Ivy is a night owl anyway and there’s something about the darkness that soothes her when she's troubled. At the same time, she fails to factor in that monsters like me love the darkness, too. It’s where we can be who we are without restraint.
Where did she go tonight?
The library? The coffeehouse? The auditorium? They’re all still open.
Or maybe she’s with someone.
A guy?
If she is, he’s dead.
There were several eyes all over her body last night when she arrived at the party with her friends. Twelve guys signed up to have her for seven minutes in dark fantasy heaven before I stepped in and took them off the list.
She was supposed to be mine.
My dick is on the verge of explosion by the time I walk into my bedroom and I know I’m not going to be able to sleep until I find some relief.
So I strip off my clothes, head to the shower in the ensuite and grab my cock.
I turn on the water so it sprays over me with a cool but not cold temperature.
I rest one hand against the granite wall in front of me then, just like last night, I clamp a fist around my shaft and stroke.
Closing my eyes, I imagine Ivy naked on her knees before me. I’ve never seen her fully naked but what I conjure seems to fit. I already know what her legs and hips look like, so I add large, bouncy breasts, a curvy waist and the flat stomach I felt when I shoved her against the wall.
Now that I have a good visual I imagine her hot little mouth sliding up and down my length, then she takes me deeper, deeper, deeper.
The sight of her in my mind is so prominent and visceral it sends a rush of blood straight to my dick.
Moments later I’m pumping like a madman on crack and like I’ve lost my shit.
It gets worse when I imagine what her face would look like if she were really here with me.
I see those magical, seductive gray eyes staring up at me as if she worships my dick and that’s when I blow my load.
A guttural roar pours out of me as virulent as the cum flowing out of the aching head of my cock.
I’m fucked. Fucking fucked.
Whatever the fuck it is that’s captivated me with this girl has possessed me.
And I’m worse than those creepy fuckers in The Exorcist movies because I’m more than aware of what I want.
Her.
I want her.
I actually fucking want her.
The darkness inside my head that usually whispers its evil plans to me is now shouting to take what I want.
This is a new strain of greed. Something I crave and can’t control.
And I don’t want to control it.
I want it to consume me. I want it to erase the notions of right and wrong from my mind, along with honor and duty to who I am.
I want to break her, break down all her walls of resistance, and truly make her mine.
Only then will I be satisfied.
Because I’m obsessed.