Chapter 39
Thirty-Nine
Avery
Felix’s room was a couple of floors up, so they took an elevator. An elevator. Caerwyn was truly made for torture because nowhere in that goddamn school was a single elevator to be found. The shifters, apparently, believed in basic infrastructure. Point to them.
Whether this would be her new home now, she couldn’t say.
The shifters clearly hated her mere presence.
But she could never go back to Caerwyn. As much as she fantasized about leaving, she thought she would be sadder, but the only thing she missed was Maya.
She didn’t even get to say goodbye. Maya would just think she had disappeared.
Or what if they told her she died? The thought of Maya getting that news and believing it made something twist beneath Avery’s ribs.
Guilt wound its way through Avery. There had to be a way to get a message to her.
An idea flashed past her mind. What if she wrote fanfiction about her and Felix?
Maya had to see it. Now that she knew Maya was on those same websites, surely she would see it.
Maybe it could even make some witches more open to shifters.
The power of smut was endless. If that was her destiny and duty in life, she would do it with pride.
But for right now, all she focused on was getting Felix down the hallway.
He leaned against her, his massive frame almost toppling her over at one point.
From what she knew, he couldn’t shift until the poison left his system.
Even with their newfound power. A single bullet.
That was all it took. An inch closer and—she forced herself to stop.
Avery opened the simple door, but what was behind it was far from that.
The first thing she saw was the massive windows, overlooking the orange and red forest below lit silver by the moon.
Herringbone floorboards caught by the firelight, flickering away in a massive fireplace, the room warmer than her dorm had ever been.
It would be nice not to worry about toes freezing off in the middle of the night again.
In the center of the room were brown leather couches with plush pillows surrounding a mahogany coffee table.
Above the fireplace, a TV reflected the flames in its black screen.
The whole room was the size of her dorm, and this was only the living room.
It smelled of pine and winter, of him. Despite everything, it put her at ease. Was this home?
She helped Felix past a modest kitchen into the bedroom to the right.
An arch welcomed them in, and when Avery saw the room, she was speechless.
The same floor-to-ceiling glass, the same view of stars and trees, but here the bed dominated.
It was massive, enough to fit multiple people in it, draped in dark fabric that looked soft enough to drown in.
Above the bed, cut into the ceiling, a skylight framed a perfect rectangle of night sky.
“You can change anything you like; this is your home now, too,” he said.
So it was her home. It didn’t really matter where it was though, as long as Felix was with her. But this was where she would be staying for the foreseeable future. It was everything she dreamed of. She wouldn’t lie, though; it needed some feminine touch, but he had done pretty well on his own.
“It’s perfect,” she said honestly.
Across from the bed, another fireplace crackled, already lit, warming the space with its soft glow.
Carefully, she helped Felix lie down on the bed, a moan of pain coming out of him. He made a come here motion with his damaged arm. His arm needed a sling, just so he stopped fucking moving it. Maybe she could tie him down. Nope. She liked that option a bit too much to entertain it.
Finding the TV remote on the nightstand, she flipped through the channels until she found a bird watching one. When a starling filled the screen, its blue and black feathers bright against snow, she slid her gaze sideways to Felix.
“Very funny,” he deadpanned.
He made a chittering sound, the one cats made at birds through windows, and it was so absurdly accurate she almost laughed.
Sitting down on the silk sheets, she was suddenly self-conscious about how filthy she was. They had already dragged in tons of mud that she would have to clean later.
Felix eyed her, instantly picking up what she was worried about. “Don’t worry, the maids will get it later.”
How did he always know?
“You have maids?”
“Well, not exactly, they’re more like magic brooms that love to clean.”
Another point to shifters, then. Magic brooms and elevators? They were living the life. Now if only she could get her hands on some chicken nuggets.
“Will you be okay if I go take a shower?”
“No. I will simply crumble away into the aether,” he said, splaying himself across the bed and doing a fake cough like that of a dying Victorian child. Until it turned into a real cough. Served him right.
“So dramatic,” she said.
Before she could get up and go to where she thought the bathroom was, he caught her hands in his, fingers wrapping around her. “Leave the door open,” he said.
Something warm unfurled in her chest. She nodded, sliding off the bed to open the door she assumed led to the bathroom. Except she found a closet instead.
“Other one, kitten.”
She’d explore the closet situation later; the fact that he apparently owned more than one shadow shirt was a revelation.
Opening the other door, she walked into the bathroom.
The lights automatically turned on for her, flooding the room with a soft glow.
It was the most beautiful bathroom she had ever seen.
Once again, large windows dominated the space; in front of them was an enormous bathtub, which was ironic given how much he seemed to hate them, or perhaps it was maybe the fact that she had shoved him in there like a dick with no lube?
How did he even stay clean? The mental image of Felix licking his own shoulder like a house cat made her snort, but the alternative, some kind of magical scrubbing charm, seemed equally ridiculous.
The shower occupied the corner, glass-walled, with a rainfall showerhead that she was far too excited about. The same style skylight cut through the ceiling above it. Her dorm room had charm in a cramped, familiar way, but this was something else entirely.
Through the glass, stars scattered across hills that rolled into darkness. How far did the territory extend? Where did the shifter land end, and human civilization begin?
Before she took off her clothes, she looked over her shoulder to see that Felix had a full view of her and the shower. A hot shudder went through her, a coiling feeling threading through her core.
Felix watched her with an intensity that made her skin burn even hotter.
Slowly, one by one, she finally got to drop the prison clothes. First the shirt, then the pants. She wanted to burn them in the fire, but that would happen later.
She didn’t look back, not even to see if he was watching—she knew he was.
Water hit her skin, hot enough to sting against the cold, and she gasped, tilting her head back to let it run through her hair, down her neck, between her breasts, washing the day away.
Goddess, it felt so good. Steam filled the space, but not enough to obscure his view of her.
Whether it was the temperature or his gaze making her feel dizzy, she couldn’t tell.
The shower was the exact thing she needed right now.
Pulse quickening, her hands ran over her body; she took her time, let her fingers drag slow enough to leave trails of sensation behind them.
Her core started to throb with the movement, and the bond responded in kind, flaring to life in her chest, heightening the desire coursing through her, but whether that was from her or Felix, it was impossible to tell.
She loved it, though; feeding off each other’s emotions like bloodthirsty beasts, and she was ravenous for him.
The steam became so thick that she could no longer see Felix from the shower. Whether or not he could see her show wouldn’t stop her. Her hand slid down her thigh, and the touch sent sparks skittering over her.
The other hand moved upwards, exploring her own curves, and made its way up to her pierced nipple.
She gave it a gentle pinch, and it started to vibrate, a small moan escaping her lips.
Felix’s hands came to mind, and the very thought of him sent a fever rushing through her.
Her fingers dove beneath her slick folds, finding the tight bud.
If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend it was him, his fingers instead of hers, his palm cupping her breast, his breath hot against her neck instead of steam.
She arched into the fantasy, chasing it, her fingers moving faster as her breath came quicker, hotter.
A small whimper escaped her lips as she slipped a finger inside. Nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the stretch of him, but the thought of it dragged another gasp from her lungs.
Movement outside the door stopped her in her tracks.
Was he coming in? No, he hated water; he wouldn’t do that.
She gave it another breath before she continued.
Knowing he was listening, that he could hear every small sound she made, brought her so close to the edge she had to slow down or risk finishing before she wanted to.
“What do you think you’re doing, little witch?
” Felix said into her ear, the words low and husky.
She jumped. How the fuck had he just appeared next to her?
Her heart hammered—part shock, part arousal made worse by the way he was looking at her.
His pupils had gone to slits, green and amber burning through the steam.
He looked her up and down, and everything clenched in response.
“Having a shower.” The lie came out breathless, unconvincing even to her own ears.