49. Chapter 48
They quickly made their way back to campus.
The short stretch between downtown and the academy’s western gates was quiet, but it only made them more alert.
As they passed through the gates, a small group of men huddled at the top of the hill between the buildings for Constructs and Warfare. A small group of huge men.
“Guessing those aren’t students?” Ivy muttered.
“Unlikely,” Ezra said. Wind rushed past her as Ezra pulled the air in with his magic. “Be ready to run.”
As they got closer, she saw them turn and set their sights on their target.
Ezra. And, by extension, her. Before the men could take a step closer, Ezra threw his arms in front of him, shouting the words of the spell to release the windstorm at the group, knocking them violently to the ground.
He grabbed her hand quickly, pulling her along in a run through the newly opened space.
As they ran, the men shouted and cursed.
She peered over her shoulder, and a few of the men had already recovered and were chasing them.
She called to the roots again, and they shot up from the ground and curled quickly over the shaded path behind her.
Two of the men tripped, tumbling to the ground.
The third leaped over it, continuing his pursuit.
They reached the door to Embry, and Ezra pushed it open with his magic. But the last grunt was too close. If they go inside, they wouldn’t close it in time to keep him out. She twisted her hand out of Ezra’s, turning around and planting her feet firmly on the path.
“Ivy, get inside!” Ezra said, moving to stand next to her.
“There’s no time,” she said. “We need to take care of him first. I’ll strike, then you can push him away.”
The man rushed up the path, panting heavily.
The air twisted around them, and Ezra’s magic brushed against hers as she reached for the roots.
A strong, twisted branch burst from beneath the earth, and once their assailant was in position, she called the strike.
The root smacked the man between the legs.
Hard. A shriek of pain garbled nonsensically out of the man as he crumpled to the ground.
Ezra huffed a laugh, doubling over as he dropped his spell. “Well, you’ve taken care of him for life, snapdragon.”
She smirked. A moment later, two more were coming down the path in the distance. “We can celebrate once we’re inside.”
They ran inside Embry, slamming the door shut behind them, and ran up the stairs.
By the time they reached the third floor, her lungs burned, and her heart practically thudded out of her chest, and the high of escaping the threat coursed through her body.
When they reached her apartment, she flung open the door and ran inside.
The door slammed shut. The only sound was their heavy breathing. They were alone. She turned around to see Ezra leaning against the door, panting for air as he focused on her.
“Ivy,” he breathed, sliding his hand through his mussed curls. “I’m sor—”
“Apologize later,” she murmured, stepping closer to him.
His eyes darkened when she grabbed the front of his jacket and his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his body.
Their lips met in a rush, as if they would explode if another second passed.
She whimpered softly as his magic curled around hers, heat swirling through her when his lips parted to swallow the sound.
Her tongue swept gently against his, and he clenched her body tightly, but there were far too many layers in the way for her liking.
She broke away from him for a moment and bit her lip at the sight of his face, love-drunk and dazed.
His lips were puffy, and his cheeks were flushed.
She watched as his eyes journeyed down her body and back to her mouth.
Her tongue peeked out and brushed against her bottom lip briefly, and he tried—and failed—to bite back a groan.
She dropped her hand from his jacket to shrug her own off her shoulders. He grabbed it as it slid and tossed it somewhere in the room. She didn’t care where the hell her jacket went. She cared only about the way he was staring at her with an insatiable hunger that sent heat straight to her core.
“Touch me, Ezra. Please.”
The sound that came from him was a mix of a sigh and a growl.
His hand came to her waist again, spinning her around and pinning her flat against the door hard.
His lips pressed against hers as he slotted one leg between hers.
Instead of an explosion like their first kiss, he kept his promise he made on the train platform.
He took his time. Fabric rustled as he slid his own jacket off, tossing it somewhere in the room with an audible thud.
Then his hands were on her—sliding up her thighs, her hips, waist, brushing the sides of her breasts.
The fabric of her clothes caught on his fingers as they traveled, pushing her skirt up farther.
One hand came to rest against her neck, his thumb tilting her head to deepen their kiss, while the other slid back down her body to play with the hem of her shirt.
She clutched the front of his sweater as he rolled her hips against his.
Her mind flashed back to the morning they shared—one of their almosts—and his cock was pressed hard against her.
But now he wasn’t jumping back like he was ashamed.
Which, going off what was pressed against her now, he had no reason for that.
Whatever feelings they had been dancing around for weeks—no, months—were out in the open.
With the next shift of his hips, she rolled hers in time with him, and the firm press of his leg rubbed against her clit.
She gasped, and he pulled back, smirking at her. “Again,” he instructed, his voice low. He gripped her hip firmly as he pressed soft kisses along her jaw until he was at her ear. “Take your pleasure, Ivy. Come apart on me.” His voice was thick, as if he was barely holding himself together.
The thought of him falling apart only for her had her sinking further into his embrace.
Her hips moved of their own accord, guided by Ezra’s grasp that sent shock waves through her body.
She cursed as he shifted his thigh, increasing the pressure with each movement she made.
Her feet barely touched the floor as he propped her against the door.
“That’s it,” he whispered before trailing kisses down her neck and slipping one hand beneath her shirt. His name spilled out from her, like a chant to spell of his own design. With his hot skin against hers, her hips moved faster as she chased her peak on his thigh.
Her hands slid into his curls, something she’d been dreaming of for far too long, and his moan vibrated against the crux of her neck as she tugged gently.
God, that sound. She loved his voice, even back when she first met him.
The smooth-talking baritone sent her imagination running wild.
She’d grown used to it, typically having some layer of sarcasm mixed in.
But now? Now it overflowed with lust and desire, and she feared it was becoming her favorite sound in the world.
She tugged his hair again, pulling another cry of pleasure from him, and she whimpered his name as she climbed her peak.
Her body shuddered in his arms as her orgasm overcame her.
Her vision went black for a moment as she soaked in her high and the feel of his lips pressing a final kiss against her skin.
“Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” Ezra breathed.
Her surroundings gradually returned as he brought her feet back to the ground.
She moved a hand to his cheek to bring him in for another kiss.
Calm and slow. A quiet moment while the remnants of her high coursed through her.
He pulled back, and she pressed her index finger where his dimple was supposed to be.
“I can barely see it,” she murmured, pouting playfully.
He chuckled. “Should I go shave?”
“Don’t you dare.”
He laughed a little louder before the fire in his eyes took center stage again as he slowly knelt before her.
He moved to her left leg first, lifting it enough for him to unzip her boot and let it fall to the ground.
She expected her foot to be placed back on the floor.
Instead, he slung her leg onto his shoulder, and her breath hitched.
He flashed her a cocky grin. It would normally earn him an eyeroll, but she was too busy imagining his face buried between her legs to react.
Her other boot clunked to the floor and, a moment later, he whisked her up in his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He gripped her thighs as he carried her to the bedroom, discarding his own shoes somewhere along the path.
Once inside the bedroom, he let her slide down his body and back to the floor.
He swept a lock of her hair over her shoulder, his fingers skimming over her body until he reached the hem of her shirt.
He tugged at the material, dragging it slowly off her body and tossing it aside.
Her forest-green lace bra, which left little to the imagination, and smiled as his gaze fixated on her breasts.
While he stilled, she unzipped her skirt and let it fall to the floor before she stepped out of it. “At a loss for words?”
His lips parted slightly, his eyes roaming her body like he was admiring fine art. “Only figuring out what spell I could use to make this moment last forever so maybe I’ll have enough time for everything I want to do with you.”
“Time spells are quite difficult, if not impossible, you know,” she mused, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
“No, it’s not,” he said, releasing a slow, deep breath as his hand slid up her back to unclasp her bra. “When it comes to what I’d do for you, everything is possible.”