CHAPTER 24
I hated to admit it, but being able to take a hot shower in the morning made staying overnight at the Arcane Three’s dorm almost worth it.
It was heavenly not having to rush or worry about people like Blaze barging in. And after last night’s little disruption, I’d actually slept peacefully for the first time in weeks. I’d had to take Thorne’s advice and pleasure myself first, but after that, I’d slept like a baby.
Oz had managed to scrounge up all my essentials, including some makeup, so I took my time in the bathroom doing my face and hair, ignoring the fact that Thorne probably needed to use it. After the stunt he’d pulled last night, he could wait.
Own me? Bend me? Break me?
Had I seriously let him get away with saying those things to me?
“You’re mine.”
Mine. Mine.
I couldn’t deny that a big part of me still thought he deserved to ruin me, but this thing between us was growing more and more toxic. Anger and hatred were turning into lust and obsession, and I wasn’t sure which was more dangerous.
If I wasn’t careful, he was going to end up breaking more than just my body.
I could feel it, feel how much I was drawn to him.
Not just physically but emotionally, too.
During my breakdown in the bathroom yesterday, I’d sought out his voice for comfort, not just his body.
He’d calmed me, made me feel safe, even after yelling at and shaking me.
I didn’t know how he managed to have that effect on me, but I was terrified of what that meant. Once our mentor-student partnership was over, we’d go our separate ways. We’d become rivals, enemies again. He’d have no need to protect me, and this thing between us would end.
I’d go back to being the school’s pariah, alone and unwanted.
But I wouldn’t be the same person anymore.
Once Thorne was done with me, I knew I’d never be the same again, just like he’d said.
My innocence would be gone, and so would a piece of me that didn’t belong to him.
Problem was, I was pretty sure he already owned that piece, and there was no way I could get it back.
So much for thinking last night hadn’t been that big of a deal.
He hadn’t even touched me the way my body craved for him to, but the intimate moment had left a mark on me anyway.
I might have needed it at the time, but if I didn’t get my suddenly active libido under control, I was going to keep giving in, keep handing him pieces of me that couldn’t be returned.
Own me? Maybe parts of me. But I couldn’t let him take everything, even if the guilt still gnawing at my insides insisted that my life was his to claim.
He didn’t want to kill me. He wanted me alive. And the only way I could stay alive in a cutthroat place like this was by protecting myself, which meant protecting myself from him, too.
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, resolved to not keep repeating the mistakes of last night, I whispered to her, “Sorry I keep getting naked with your brother.”
No response, but I didn’t need one. I knew my best friend, and without a doubt, she wouldn’t approve of what Thorne and I were doing.
She might have been the sweetest person on earth and loved me like a sister, but even she understood that Hudsons and Mayweathers were like oil and water.
The two couldn’t mix, and her death was proof of that.
If only I’d listened to my parents and Gran all those years ago instead of sneaking off to see Juliana behind their backs.
If only I’d listened, just like I should be listening to Gran now.
“Stay away from Thorne Hudson at all costs.”
I could only imagine how horrified she’d be if she found out what I’d done to his dick last night.
Cringing at my reflection, I collected my things and left the steamy bathroom behind.
Suddenly starving, I dropped my stuff on Thorne’s bed, deciding to ask them if I could come back for it later.
Not because I planned to stay here another night, but because I wanted more time at the dining hall to stuff my face.
But the moment I left the bedroom, the smell of food wafted toward me, along with the sound of male voices. When I emerged from the hallway and they saw me, the chatter stopped.
Great. What were the odds that they were talking about last night?
Right away, I noticed that Thorne still didn’t have a shirt on and that all three of them were in the kitchen cooking breakfast. So distracted by the unexpected sight, I forgot to blush at the thought of them discussing the hand job I gave Thorne.
“Didn’t think we were the domestic types, eh, Bambi?” Riku said, his tie and shirt askew as usual. I didn’t respond, too surprised that they were cooking and nothing smelled burnt. He waved a spatula at the island and added, “Pull up a stool. Eggs are almost done.”
Um, yeah, not a good idea. Not after what Thorne and I had done last night. If he hadn’t told them what happened yet, there was a very good chance that they’d heard it. Thorne had groaned awfully loud when he’d . . .
I accidentally looked at him just as I recalled that euphoric groan.
Our eyes locked, and I was suddenly back in that moment again, squeezing his dick as he came all over my belly.
Something on my face must have given away my thoughts, because his eyes abruptly hooded.
With Oz and Riku busy at the stove, he took the opportunity to reach down and adjust himself through his pants.
The move was definitely deliberate, a reminder of what we’d shared last night.
I own you, his heated gaze seemed to say, slowly sliding down my front. When it lingered on the apex of my thighs, that stupid ache returned, forcing me to squeeze my legs together. Satisfaction curled his mouth, and I wanted nothing more than to throw something at his head for torturing me.
The bastard knew; he knew that my body still yearned to be touched by him. Did he have to get me all hot and horny this early in the morning?
A sharp shriek and rustle of wings broke the cruel staredown, and I glanced toward the living room just as Comet launched off a perch near the windows and shot across the room. Thorne held out his arm, and the hawk landed on it, digging his claws in none too gently.
“Watch it,” he grunted at the bird, shooing him up to his shoulder so he could inspect the damage. Little puncture holes dotted his skin, a few of them starting to ooze blood.
Comet let out another ear-piercing shriek and flapped his wings, hitting Thorne in the head. When Thorne ignored him, he darted his sharp beak out and caught the warlock’s cheek.
“Okay,” he growled at the bird, dislodging him from his shoulder so he could press his hand to the bleeding cheek.
Comet smoothly dove back to his perch in the living room, turning his back to the room as if annoyed.
“What has his feathers in a bunch?” Riku asked as Thorne moved toward the kitchen sink.
“Nothing,” Thorne replied, turning on the water and grabbing a towel.
As one, Riku and Oz glanced at me, their gazes more than a little discerning.
Great. They thought I had something to do with that little squabble? Then again, maybe I had. Comet could hear Thorne’s thoughts, and maybe the familiar hadn’t liked what he’d been thinking. Thinking about me.
Huh. Maybe that cuddle session we’d shared in the bathroom yesterday had made the hawk warm up to me a bit. The thought of a bird defending my honor was kind of adorable, actually.
Even so, I felt more awkward than ever standing in a place that I clearly didn’t belong.
I was an intruder in their peaceful sanctuary, and my presence was ruining that.
Knowing that staying here any longer would further stir the hornet’s nest, I started to move toward the exit, murmuring, “I should go.”
I wouldn’t be able to sit at the third year table without them, but if I headed toward the dining hall now, I should still have enough time to—
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Riku said, suddenly beelining toward me. Before I could stop him, he grabbed me around the waist and picked me clean off the floor. Ignoring my sound of protest, he marched back to the kitchen and plopped me onto a stool.
“Riku—”
“Stay,” he said, pointing a finger at me. “I mean it, Bambi. We don’t cook meals often, and when we do, it’s never for a girl. This food was made specially for you, and you’re gonna eat it.”
I stared at him wide-eyed, too surprised by his passionate little speech to speak.
“I think you broke her,” Oz remarked when the silence stretched.
“No, that’s Thorne’s job,” Riku replied, so definitively that I nearly swallowed my tongue.
“Although . . .” He crouched down a bit so we were eye-level, cocking his head to the side as he studied me thoughtfully.
After a moment, he straightened and said, “Nope, still a virgin. Thorne’s got the restraint of a Zen Buddhist. I don’t know how he does it. ”
My cheeks burst into flames, and I swiped at Riku with my foot.
He easily dodged the kick with a light chuckle, rounding the island to finish making breakfast. Thorne failed to comment on Riku’s observation, and that somehow only made it worse.
I’d already assumed his friends knew about what Thorne and I had done, but it was clear they thought we’d gone all the way. Even expected it. Riku had, at least.
If they were making bets on how long it took for me to give up my virginity, I was seriously going to break some balls.
Reluctantly deciding to stay after Riku’s guilt-trip speech about the food being special, I swiveled on the stool to watch them finish cooking. Riku was manning the eggs, Oz the bacon and sausage, and Thorne the french toast—while also cleaning the blood from his face and arm.