CHAPTER FORTY
The next day found us back at the Academy, though my legs still felt like jelly.
I was running on pure exhaustion; Asher and I had barely slept, caught in a cycle of him devouring me and us talking until four in the morning.
We’d collapsed into my bed the second we finally made it inside, while Zya and Aether curled together in front of the hearth.
Since we’d returned to the Academy, the two boundlings had been inseparable, a sight that was almost too cute for two such lethal predators.
Now, I was draped across my chaise lounge in shorts and a strappy red shirt, a book forgotten in my lap while Asher used my thighs as a pillow. I played with the dark curls that tumbled over his forehead, tracing the familiar lines of his face. Gods, he was perfect.
His eyes fluttered open while I was still admiring him.
"Stalker much?" he mused, a sleepy, self-assured smile tugging at his lips.
"I’m sure you’d like that," I countered, arching a brow.
He chuckled darkly, the sound vibrating against my legs.
“Careful, firecracker. Don't stoke the beast."
In one fluid motion, he sat up and hauled me onto his lap, my legs settling on either side of his hips.
I trailed my fingers over the swirling ink of his tattoos, tracing the intricate lines with a light touch.
He groaned at the sensation; I knew he enjoyed the tickle of my fingertips just as much as I did.
He rolled his head back, eyes sliding shut as I continued my exploration, eventually letting my touch drift to the bond mark over his collarbone.
His hands gripped my thighs with sudden, punishing force. Gods, I was instantly wet at the contact.
He chuckled, eyes still closed, clearly sensing my reaction through the bond. I furrowed my eyebrows at the mocking sound and decided to play dirty.
I leaned down, licking a path from his ribs up to his chest before flicking my tongue over his nipple.
He groaned, his grip on my legs tightening until it bruised. I didn't stop, trailing my tongue up the column of his throat before fisting my hand in his hair.
I yanked his head to the side—hard—and gods, he bucked his hips against me at the sharp spark of pain.
I smiled in triumph, feeling the heat of him rising.
“Gods, my vicious firecracker,” he moaned through the bond.
He was so fucking turned on. I leaned in, biting into the sensitive skin of his neck just lightly enough to mark him.
He went completely still beneath me, his cock twitching against my center through the thin fabric of his sweatpants.
The bond thrummed between us, a heavy, vibrating pulse that matched the frantic beat of my heart.
I focused on a small patch of skin untouched by ink, sucking a mark into his neck before smiling against his skin. I
trailed my tongue higher, tracing the curve of his ear and dipping behind it, only to find more swirling tattoos hidden beneath his dark curls.
I brushed the hair away to see the ink better, and my heart suddenly seized.
I went stone-still. There, tucked neatly behind his ear and hidden from the world, was a small black crown.
“Ava?” Asher’s voice was low, sensing the immediate shift in the bond.
Before I could fumble for an answer, the door swung open.
My head snapped toward the sound to find Ezra leaning against the doorframe, looking entirely too amused, while Havoc and Ruin, the twin heads of his massive bloodhound, watched dutifully from his side.
My cheeks ignited, but Asher didn’t even flinch. He just looked at Ezra with a lazy, unbothered stare, his hands still gripping my ass with a painful, possessive intensity.
“Practice starts soon,” Ezra said casually, his gaze dancing between us.
I didn’t move an inch. I couldn’t—not with Asher’s hard length pressed firmly between us and my own nipples peaking against my shirt. I was trapped by the heat of him and the sheer mortification of being caught.
“I’ll be down soon,” Asher murmured, offering his friend a jagged, lazy grin.
I watched, utterly mortified, as Ezra gave me a quick wink and pulled the door shut. The silence that followed was heavy, charged with the scent of sex and the lingering shock in my veins.
“You want to continue?” Asher asked, his eyelids hooded and dark with a lethal kind of hunger.
He moved against me, but I couldn't focus on the pleasure.
My heart was still hammering against my ribs, my mind stuck on that single, hidden mark.
That crown.
“Actually,” I blurted, practically jumping off him.
His brows furrowed at my sudden departure, his arms left hanging in the empty air where I'd just been.
“I, too, have practice,” I said with a sweet, sharp smile.
I turned toward my dresser, scrambling through the drawers for my cheer uniform while my heart continued its frantic staccato against my ribs.
I felt him before I heard him.
He was behind me in a heartbeat, his hands sliding down to grab my ass and grind me back against the heavy, insistent length hidden by his sweatpants.
"You sure you don't want to continue?" he murmured, his breath hot against the shell of my ear.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I did.
I wanted to drop the clothes and let him ruin me right there on the rug, but my mind was a chaotic mess of crowns and shadows.
I turned around in his arms, flattening my palms against the heat of his bare chest to create an inch of desperate space.
"I think you should wait," I said, my voice dropping into a darker, challenging register.
He grinned, the silver in his eyes catching the light.
"Wait for what?" he asked, his hand already roaming, finding my nipple through my shirt and kneading it with a slow, agonizing pressure.
I had to grind my teeth together to keep from moaning out loud. He saw the struggle, his grin widening into something predatory.
Bastard.
I swatted his hand away, trying to regain some semblance of control.
"I want you to squirm a bit. Wait for after practice," I said simply.
I began to undress, moving with a slow, deliberate rhythm that had his gaze tracking every inch of exposed skin with hungry, lethal eyes.
He watched, unblinking, as I slipped into the pleated skirt and the tight vest of the uniform.
His expression went dark.
He stepped forward, grabbing my thigh and hoisting me up against his hip, pinning me between his body and the dresser.
"Gods, you look fucking delectable in this, darling," he murmured against my lips, his voice a jagged rasp.
"Even better to wait," I whispered back, mirroring his dark intensity.
He smiled then—not the lazy grin from before, but a look that promised a beautiful kind of ruin. It was a game now, and he looked every bit like the god of ruin himself, ready to play.
···
Asher dressed after me, keeping up a constant, low-voiced litany of begging for me to reconsider.
Between pulling on his Umbra clothes, he pressed me against the wall, whispering all the ways he wanted me to reconsider, while I simply said no
His frustrated whines only made my victory more pleasurable, even as that damn crown continued to loop through my mind like a recurring fever dream.
We walked toward the practice fields together, his hand possessively locked in mine.
He was wearing his Umbra vest and black shorts that put his powerful, muscular legs on full display with every stride.
I couldn’t help but gaze at him; his hair was slicked back with water, save for a few rogue curls that had already escaped to fall over his forehead.
With his jaw dark with stubble—my favorite part—and his olive skin and ink shining on his arms, I found myself seriously reconsidering my decision to make him wait.
He caught me staring, a wicked glint in his silver eyes.
“I swear, firecracker, I would fuck you right here in front of my whole team,” he said, smiling down at me with absolutely zero shame.
My eyes widened at the sheer audacity of the claim.
“Ava!” Maddy’s voice squealed from across the grass.
She was already in her blue and silver cheer uniform, sprinting toward us with a frantic energy.
She skidded to a halt, her eyes darting to Asher.
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said breathlessly.
Asher gave her a polite nod and a small smile.
“I’ll be there in a sec!” Maddy added, quickly turning toward Ryven, who was sitting alone on the bench.
My eyebrows furrowed as I watched her. “Is he still being benched?” I asked, leaning back into Asher as his hands found my waist, pulling me flush against his heat.
Asher looked toward the bench, his jaw flexing rhythmically. “No. He just didn't want to play today.”
Worry ran straight through me, cold and sharp. Asher felt the spike in the bond immediately and looked down at me, his expression softening. “Don’t worry. I’ve got him, okay?”
I nodded, trusting him even if the unease didn't fully fade. He leaned down and pressed a lingering kiss to my temple.
“Now, go jump around and show me some moves, princess,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes, gave him a quick, searing kiss to leave him wanting more, and started walking toward the squad.
I didn't get five steps before he reached out, slapped my ass with a resounding crack, and winked at me before jogging off toward the center of the field.
I jogged toward the girls, who all beamed at me the moment I reached the grass. Zaria, with her signature pigtails, didn't hesitate to pull me into a tight hug.
"It’s so good to see you happy again," she said, pulling back to search my face with a grin.
"Thank the gods," Rhea added, stepping in to hug me next.
As I hugged her back, my gaze drifted over her shoulder to where Ember was standing with Ezra.
Her stance was rigid, arms crossed tightly over her chest and brows furrowed as Ezra’s hands moved frantically as he tried to explain something. Oh gods, clearly last night had gone south.
I let go of Rhea just as Ember started walking our way, her expression furious.
"Em—" I started, but she shot her hand up immediately.
"I don't want to talk about it," she snapped, though she managed a tight smile for me anyway.
"I’m really glad he’s back, though," she added, squeezing my shoulder, but I could feel the tension rolling off her in waves.
Maddy came running back to the center of the group.