Chapter 35 Just Sleep
Just Sleep
He pulled me with him further into the corridor, and I followed, glancing behind us when I heard laughter in the main hallway, and saw a group of witches, probably headed for the lavatory. Then I was standing at a heavy metal door.
Bones flicked his wrist at the handle’s lock, and I sucked in a breath, the hair on my arms and the back of my neck standing up at the charge of magic that left his hand.
Given how hard he hit it, I strongly suspect he broke the lock altogether.
He didn’t wait but pushed it open, catching hold of my wrist to drag me in after him.
I glimpsed a small classroom, a heavy wooden table near us that stood at the front of several rows of cushioned chairs. I’d barely focused on any of it when I felt an out of control, snaking charge leave his magic, slamming into mine, making me suck in a breath.
I caught hold of his fingers, holding them between both hands.
“Bones,” I said. “Calm down.”
He wrapped an arm around me and dragged me up to him. His fingers gripped my neckline and yanked it down. He kissed me before I could catch my breath, his hand massaging my bare breast outside the toga, and his magic flooded into me, slanting out my vision.
I let out an involuntary sound when his mouth lowered to my neck and he began to suck, hard, on the skin. He did the same to my breast, seconds later, and both times, I could feel it leaving a mark.
Before I could find words, he turned me around, and bent me over the table.
I wanted to be angry, to fight him, maybe even just to want to fight him, but that wasn’t how any part of my magic or mind or body reacted. He used a foot to kick my feet and legs wider, and I let out a low moan. He yanked the dress up to my hips, and gripped one of my arse cheeks in his hand.
“I should spank you,” he growled. “I should lock you in my room.” His hand wrapped into the long braid Miranda had woven in the Greek style, so that it fell down my back. Once he had a good grip, he pulled, hard, forcing my head back, my spine to arch.
“Bones, calm down––”
“I thought I was really fucking clear, Shadow,” he gritted out. “I said no dates with other gods-damned people. No touching other people. I thought we agreed. I didn’t think I’d need to mark you, to get you to fucking adhere to that, but I will if I have to––”
“I wasn’t with him,” I protested. “It wasn’t a damned date––”
“He had his fucking hands on you,” Bones growled. “He’s lucky I didn’t break both of his wrists.”
He yanked the lace knickers I’d worn aside and stroked me deliberately with his fingers.
I writhed up against him, unable to help it.
I let out a loud moan when he didn’t stop, unable to help that, either.
He continued to stroke me precisely, without putting his fingers inside, still gripping my hair, and I nearly came, right there.
“You’re soaked, pussycat,” he said coldly. “Is that for me? Or for that Hollywood prick out there?”
“Bones––”
“Just answer the gods-damned question, Leda.”
I shivered, and not from the cold. His skin was hotter than it had been the night before. I knew I should probably be worried, that he was likely overloading, and definitely acting insane, but somehow, I couldn’t make myself care about that, either.
“Just fuck me,” I told him, gasping.
The hand not in my hair yanked my hips towards him, and he entered me with his cock, surprisingly carefully, and groaned. He didn’t move immediately once he was all the way in, and I looked back to find his eyes closed, his jaw hard.
“Fuck,” he growled. His hand wrapped tighter around the braid.
We hadn’t done it from this angle the night before, and the difference in how deep he went cut my breath. I felt him reacting to it too, right before he gripped my hip and arched into me again.
The combination of that and his magic made me feel drugged.
I’m pretty sure he felt the same, given the string of curses that came out of his mouth.
I softened under him, and his magic coiled into me harder.
I felt so much of him in it, I was moaning and gasping, fighting to breathe, when the wave finally rolled back.
His strokes where deep and hard by then, and gradually getting faster once he’d experimented with angles.
Neither one of us lasted very long.
I came first, maybe twenty seconds after he started stroking my clit with his index finger, not long after his hand released the braid to grip my arse.
The combination of sensations took me over the edge so fast, I think I yelled his name, right as I finally came apart.
I was still spasming around his cock, completely unable to move, to think, to do anything, when his strokes got rougher, more out of control, and then he pressed into me, gasping as he let go.
He was lying on me then, his arm wrapped around my shoulders from behind, his hand between my legs.
Both of us were breathing hard, and I felt his magic coiling around both of us, emitting bursts of gold that rippled through the dark classroom in iridescent waves.
I saw butterflies then, riding through those waves, and glanced back at him.
“Why does your magic do that?” he asked. He sounded strangely calm. He kissed my shoulder blade, then my neck, his voice a murmur. “The butterflies. The dragons. The snakes. You used to do that when I made you really mad. Now you do it when I make you come.”
I thought about his question, flushing. Watching them with my eyes, I shook my head, still fighting to catch my breath. “I don’t know.”
He gripped me tighter, squeezing me against his chest.
“I like it,” he said, then kissed my mouth.
“You’re not going back to Valarian with that drunk, handsy perv who can’t take no for an answer.” He grunted, fastening the front of his trousers. He watched me, his jaw ticking. “Come to my room.”
I shook my head, exasperated.
Looking away, I murmured a small spell to repair part of the dress he’d ripped, but I’d already decided my knickers were beyond help.
Yanking them the rest of the way off my leg, I balled them up in my fist so they wouldn’t fall off me while I walked through the gardens in the snow.
I’d throw them away when I saw a reasonably inconspicuous option.
“I need to sleep tonight, Bones,” I said.
“Sleep with me.”
“I mean sleep-sleep.”
“I know what you mean,” he said, a touch warning. “I want you to sleep here. With me.” He hooked the bone belt back around his waist, his eyes on mine. “I’ll behave. Mostly.”
I scoffed. “No you won’t. And that’s another thing,” I said. “I’m sore.” I bit my lip, fighting a flicker of embarrassment. “So unless you want a moratorium on sex for the next week, you might want to give me at least one night to recover.”
He stared at me, startled. “I’ve been too rough? You should’ve said––”
“No.” I shook my head, flushing hotter. “No, you’re fine. It’s normal to get sore, especially when you haven’t had sex in a long time. And you’re…” I motioned vaguely in the direction of his crotch. “You’re not small, Bones.”
He frowned, but in a way I knew meant he was thinking. When he looked over next, I saw a flicker of heat in his irises.
“You haven’t had sex in a long time?” he asked.
Realizing what I’d said, I pressed my lips together, fighting not to curse at myself aloud.
“I wasn’t trying to––”
“How long, Shadow?”
I exhaled. “What does it matter?”
“If it doesn’t matter, then just tell me––”
“You’re the first person I’ve had sex with in Magique,” I blurted, cutting him off. I threw up my hands at his silence. “You’re the first mage. There. Okay? You can do the math. You know when I got here.”
He stared at me, and I cursed myself inwardly again, for letting him needle me into telling him that.
I had no idea how he was going to react, or frankly, why it would even surprise him.
Despite all of his “whore” comments and cracks, pretty much from day one, he had to know I wasn’t actually getting around at school.
Even if I’d wanted to shag half the mages in Malcroix, London, and Bonescastle, most of them wouldn’t want anything to do with me.
He let out a scoffing, derisive laugh.
“Amun’s cock, you are delusional,” he said.
I frowned at him. “Didn’t we talk about you reading me without asking?”
Still scoffing faintly, he walked towards me, now entirely dressed, and entirely in costume. I found myself watching him warily, even as I realized I was struggling not to react to him, even now. He didn’t hesitate, but walked up and wrapped his arms around me.
“Come over,” he said.
I huffed at him. My fingers wrapped around his arms. “What about my poor cat?”
“Spoil her and pet her and feed her treats tomorrow. I want to do that to you tonight.” He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “Anyway, you owe me.”
“I owe you?” I scoffed. “Please explain.”
“I made you a birthday cake.” he said. “And you never showed.”
I stared at him, completely thrown. “No, you didn’t.”
He laughed. “I did, though. I was going to try and tempt my little kitten with treats. I made you a cake. I had thoughts of back rubs and foot rubs and clumsy, extremely obvious attempts to snog you on my couch.” He cleared his throat.
“I even got you a real present,” he said.
“I don’t mean the back rub. I mean a non-selfish, non-excuse-to-touch-you present.
If you come over, I’ll give it to you now.
Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until Yule. ”
I stared up at him, bewildered. “Who are you?”
His mouth twitched, right before he bent down and kissed me.
“Come back with me, or I’ll abduct you,” he murmured in my ear. “I won’t try to fuck you, I promise. I’ll give you a back rub. I’ll feed you cake and pomegranates, and rub your feet. Then we can take all of our clothes off and sleep.”
I laughed, even as a shiver ran through me.
Stifling both, I glanced away from his face, biting my lip as I felt that thing between us pulling on me, making it hard to think. I was tempted. Truthfully, I was more than tempted. Some part of me wanted that, badly. The craving was intense enough, I closed my eyes.
“Gods,” I said. “You are impossible.”
He could feel me wavering, and wrapped his hand gently around my neck, caressing the muscle with his thumb. “You want to come.”
“That doesn’t mean I should,” I pointed out.
He pressed his body against mine as his fingers tugged on one of the long, ringlet curls Miranda had shaped so precisely.
He glanced at the windows on the other side of the classroom, his gold eyes glowing faintly again.
“It’s snowing out there, my darling wife, and you don’t have a coat.
Or boots. Or even a scarf. I don’t believe I can let you go, given the possible danger to your health.
It would be incredibly irresponsible of me. ”
I let out a half-snort, burying my face into his chest.
He’d won. He knew he’d won.
I didn’t even have it in me to pretend I minded.