Chapter 18
Sienna
I’m at my breaking point.
The full moon rises tomorrow, and everyone’s horny as fuck. Myself included.
Not only are shifters restless during class, incessantly tapping their toes and barely listening to the professors’ lessons, but in every waking moment of free time, someone’s getting felt up in the hallway or fucked in the not-so-private study halls.
Even now, I’m staring at my Pack Dynamics in Ancient Times text while someone moans in the background. Gemma hums happily to herself as she reads a horticulture article from her favorite witchy magazine, and Callum is . . . smirking at me.
When he notices me staring, it quickly morphs into a smile.
“Your eye is twitching, darling.” Reaching across the table, he brushes his fingertips over my temple and tucks my hair behind my ear, even though it wasn’t out of place.
“Pack dynamics can’t be that tedious a subject.
” His touch cools the blush warming my cheeks.
Fuck, his body would feel amazing on mine.
I’m practically overheating on account of the oncoming full moon.
Maybe a vampire is exactly what I need to cool off .
. . and get a certain alpha male out of my head.
Just as I imagine Callum naked on my bed in place of the man haunting my dreams, the vampire’s gaze darkens like he can read my mind.
For all I know, he can, and he likes what he sees.
Playing with fire is dangerous, but playing with vampires is deadly.
I mentally scold myself and hope Callum hears it. “Says the man avoiding his Vampire Dynamics in Ancient Times assigned reading.” The author couldn’t have been more boring with naming the series.
“Vampire politics are extremely dull,” Callum drawls, playing with the ends of my hair. “In ancient times, vampires did little more than rape and pillage unsuspecting human villages. It’s all rather dull.”
“Is ‘dull’ your favorite word of the day?” I grumble, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. “I’m ready for the full moon to be over. I never realized that shifters were so—”
“Horny?” Gemma pops her lips as her eyes track a burly male passing our table.
He doesn’t notice her, poor girl, as he follows a cheeky brunette into the stacks.
More moans fill the air moments later, punctuated by not one but two men’s voices.
Craning her neck, Gemma leans back in her chair and whistles appreciatively.
“Damn, you guys are freaky. Si, babe, come look at this.”
Callum quirks a brow and leans back to check what’s captured Gemma’s interest. “I can assure you that there’s nothing freaky about that particular move.” His lips purse. “Although, I’ve never seen it performed while standing. Bravo.”
Groaning, I bury my face in my hands. It doesn’t help that Alistair’s face keeps replaying in my mind.
The way he tilted his head back and smiled up at the moon .
. . how soft his lips felt against mine .
. . the jagged breaths that tickled my ear .
. . the unmistakable lust igniting between us .
. . how his eyes always find me in a crowd.
I tear my gaze away from his and try not to glare at the blonde bitch glued to his side. Veronica. What a stupid name.
“How does he do that?” I wonder aloud, slumping in my seat.
Not only can he find me anywhere on campus, but he went right back to his normal routine the next day, like our kiss never even happened.
I know I said that’s what I wanted, but he doesn’t have to make it look so damn easy to forget about me.
Gods, I wish he had never shown his face that night.
My cheeks burn at the memory of his tongue beneath mine, pliant and warm and such a wicked temptation, just like the rest of his godlike physique.
Seriously, who has that many muscles? Is it an alpha thing?
Revyn’s stacked, too, and I know that man doesn’t exercise.
I used to drag him out of bed for morning runs, not the other way around.
Frowning, I peer around Callum to check for Revyn among the writhing bodies in the nearest study rooms.
At least he isn’t flaunting his latest conquests.
My stomach pitches like I’m in freefall, and I draw a shallow breath to counteract the feeling.
All that does is bring the bitter taste of regret to my lips—but for whom, I’m not entirely sure.
When the scent of burnt pine gets stuck in my throat, I glare at the witch actively smoking a thin paper roll behind the checkout counter.
As if I need a reminder of Alistair’s mouth.
“With enough lower back strength, he can arch his pelvis at a deeper angle. It looks more difficult to achieve than it actually is, I assure you.” Callum’s gaze flicks to mine, the ruby shimmer in his eyes little more than thinly-veiled arrogance.
“If you’re truly curious, I’m happy to provide a demonstration. ”
I’ve barely been listening, too wrapped up in my own thoughts to pay attention. “What? No, not that.” My cheeks flush at the slow smile curving on Callum’s rosy lips.
Clearing my throat, I barely avoid staring at his mouth.
Sex with Callum might get my mind off the other two, but that feels like eating out of the palm of his hand.
It’s exactly what he wants. When he and I are alone during tomorrow night’s full moon .
. . I’m trying not to think about what could happen.
Alistair’s voice echoes in my head, his barbed words cutting like knives.
Are you trying to break as many hearts as possible, or are you naive enough to think that your actions don’t have consequences?
Sleeping with Callum would definitely have lasting consequences. Point taken.
“I was talking about Alistair,” I clarify, frowning at the taste of his name on my tongue.
Gemma sighs as she drops her chair down to four legs. The sound clatters but doesn’t echo as it normally would.
Too many warm bodies in the library today.
“What about him? Is he being a diva again?” She purses her lips but doesn’t mention her distaste for Alistair out loud, thankfully.
Her feelings aren’t a secret, but the less time she spends with the Dire heir on her mind, the better.
Ever since I revealed his actions the night she disappeared in the hallway looking for booze, she’s had it out for him.
Telling her about last night would only make things worse.
I blow out a breath. “Forget I mentioned it.”
Still, my mind lingers on the feel of his lips. The warmth of his body. That rumbling sound caught in his throat when he’s holding himself back from sinking his teeth into my—fuck. Warmth pools between my thighs as I remember the feel of his mouth on my neck and the throaty moan he let slip past.
I clench my hands in my lap to keep them from shaking.
Adrenaline pumps through my veins as heady as any drug, begging me to find release.
I take shallow breaths and talk myself through fleeing the library.
The panting and groaning in the background is enough to drive anyone to madness, but especially a shifter ignoring their baser instincts.
I should be fighting, fucking, or running to burn the excess energy off.
Instead, I’m sitting at a table pretending that I’m not about to crawl out of my skin.
I need a fucking break, and the moon isn’t even full yet.
“Sienna,” Callum murmurs, startling me by placing a cold palm on my bouncing knee. “Is there something you forgot to tell me?” When I don’t answer, he tightens his grip. “I can shield you from more than—”
I roll my eyes before he can finish his sentence. For a vampire, Callum is oddly ineffective at keeping Alistair at bay during the night. Though, Alistair wasn’t part of our arrangement. Could I ask Callum to keep both of my problem men at bay? Would he do that for me?
My gut tells me that he would be more than happy to negotiate a new deal in his favor.
I run my fingers through my tangled hair. I didn’t get nearly enough sleep last night to navigate the minefield of men in my life. “I don’t need your help—”
With a snap of his fingers, Callum activates his powers.
The library disappears in a cloud of smoke, and the sunlit field where we first met during the entrance trials takes it place.
Gemma’s nowhere to be found, but neither is the mountain of books we’re meant to review before our first exams of the semester.
I’m never going to graduate, let alone make the top of my class at this rate.
“For fuck’s sake,” I growl, ready to rip Callum’s head off.
I hate illusions. Clenching and unclenching my jaw, I stand rigid as Callum adjusts the finer details of his magic.
A warm breeze. Butterflies flitting about.
The solid earth under my feet. None of it is real, and knowing that makes my skin itch.
“If I wanted to go for a walk, I would have gone outside, asshole.”
He holds his arms out like a ringleader showing off his newest exhibit. “Come now, Wildflower. Don’t be dour.”
I swat a butterfly fluttering too close. Even that feels real.
Looking pleased with himself, he closes what little distance exists between us in a few long strides.
“I wanted to speak privately without drawing unwanted attention.” He teases my fist open and takes my hand.
“Don’t worry, you’re completely safe. It merely appears as though you’ve spaced out at the table. ”
I purse my lips. “What about Gemma?”
He hums noncommittally. “She’s no concern of mine. But if you’re asking if she’s safe, then yes. She is waiting patiently for our return, in a manner of speaking.”
Right. I’m sure Gemma is the picture of patience while her table mates hallucinate in front of her.
Drawing a breath, I do my best to block out the illusion’s power and return to my body, but this particular brand of magic always distorts my sense of reality. “I don’t like illusions,” I grumble.