Chapter 49 So High School
So High School
Raven
Ever since that dream, I've been a wet, sopping mess. A slow-burning wreck of want, and need. Every cell in my damn body is attuned to him, and every glance he’s thrown my way is only making it worse.
It’s pathetic, really. I’ve been practically drooling over him like some hormonal teenager, like I’m starved. And maybe I am.
Something shifted while I was gone, I can feel it. It seems like something else woke up right along with my magic.
God, I missed him.
The banter. The glares. The way he looks at me like he’s one breath from devouring me whole. And those stupid fucking dimples, making it harder than it should be to keep hating him.
I still don’t want a relationship, but I’ve basically let him walk right in the front door. And the worst part is, I don’t even hate it.
That’s the terrifying part. I have no idea where he fits into this strange, new discovery that is my life. Everything's changing so fast. My magic, my identity, the lines I swore I wouldn’t cross. And somewhere along the way, I’ve developed feelings for this annoyingly beautiful man.
But I'm not staying here. So that’s all it can be.
A long, scalding shower does absolutely nothing to clear my head. If anything, it makes it worse, because now I'm warm, restless, and dangerously aware of what I really want.
I yank a brush through my hair, throwing my dress back on—because it’s all I have. The estate is too quiet and it’s almost unsettling.
When I reach the kitchen, it’s empty. No coffee cups, no half-finished breakfast, nothing.
I wander down the hall, checking the rooms I’ve already been in, but there’s still no sign of them. Which is weird. Where would they have gone?
The library's my best guess. If he’s not in there, maybe I’ll try his office—assuming I remember how to find it. My footsteps echo in the silence, and I can feel the restless energy crawling under my skin.
My phone buzzes in my hand, making me jump and my heart skips up a beat when I see Kane’s name on the screen.
Kane: You’re getting warmer …
I freeze, looking up from my phone.
The hallway's empty. No sign of him, nothing but my pulse hammering in my ears. He’s obviously here or he wouldn’t know that I’m getting warmer. I feel the unmistakable weight of his presence pressing against my skin, winding around me like a predator circling its prey.
I force my shoulders to stay loose, even though every nerve in my body tightens knowing he’s watching me.
I roll my eyes. “Stalker.”
Knowing him, he’s close enough that he can probably hear me too.
I move forward, fingers clamped tight around my phone like it's going to do me any good.
“Where are you?”
I scan the hallway again, and my nerves won't sit still. My eyes keep darting to the archways like he's going to pop out at any second. He could be anywhere.
“I do not like this game, just so you know.” My tone's sharper, irritation threading through every word. I really hate hide and seek. Still, I inch forward, even with my stomach knotting tight.
“When I find you,” I mutter under my breath. “I’m going to punch you.”
The second the words leave my mouth, my phone goes off again, making me jump. My nerves wind tighter with every step.
One glance at the screen and my stomach drops at his reply.
Kane: Don’t tease me with a good time, Princess.
Fuck.
My phone's seconds away from snapping in my hand. My thighs press together like that'll help the little self control I have left. One fucking text and I'm already wet enough for him to slide right in.
I don’t have time for this.
I need to find him, not stand here like an idiot, burning from the inside out. But damn it, he knows exactly how to wind me up, exactly where to push, and exactly how to pull the thread as tight as can be without ever snapping it.
I move down the hall, keeping my shit together, even though my body's not getting the memo.
Another buzz has me rolling my eyes.
Kane: Left or right, sweetheart? Choose wisely.
My lips part as I snap my head up, scanning the empty hall. If I wasn’t sure he was watching, I am now. I can feel the weight of his stare sliding over me and my grip tightens on the phone.
That arrogant, smug, infuriating—
Another buzz.
Kane: Tick Tock.
I can feel the heat curling through my veins, unraveling whatever logic I was hoping to take with me going into the conversation I planned on having with him. I bet he's enjoying every second of this. If only he knew how worked up I was getting over nothing.
Two hallways split in front of me—one leads deeper into the estate, the other toward the library. Since I was already heading that direction, I keep going that way. My stomach flips at the memory of the last time we were in there. That might as well have been years ago.
The second I step inside, the smell of leather and something familiar wraps around me. My eyes sweep the shelves and the dark corners swallowed in shadow, but I don't see him.
Okay, Raven, think. There’s only so many places he could be if he’s in here.
Another buzz.
Kane: Warmer.
I swear under my breath, scanning the space. “You’re enjoying this way too much.” I mutter, knowing damn well he can hear me.
Silence.
Then I hear a whisper of movement, and my head snaps to the left, while my heart hammers in my throat. I suck in a breath, trying to convince myself to calm down. I might actually end up punching him in the face, and it’s going to be his own fault.
But, alright, fine. If he wants to play, I’ll fucking play. I school my expression and straighten my spine.
“You know, if you’re trying to scare me,” I say, brushing my fingers over the worn leather spines like I've got all the time in the world, “you’ll have to do better than this.”
Still nothing.
But I feel him.
“I really don’t like hide and seek,” I go on, still looking around like he might pop out of a corner. “Never have.”
I pause, letting the silence stretch, when my phone buzzes again. Only Kane would turn hide-and-seek into foreplay. How the hell am I turned on and on edge at the same time?
Kane is typing… pops up on the screen and I glare at the dots like they personally offended me.
Kane: “...”
That’s it? Oh, fuck no.
“What are you, in high school? Where the fuck are you?” My voice echoes through the library, swallowed by the rows of books towering around me. “I mean it, if you jump out and scare me, I’ll hit you, and I won’t even feel bad. Consider yourself warned.”
Another buzz.
Kane: You’re beautiful when you’re angry. Did you know that?
I stop breathing.
My fingers tighten around my phone as heat rushes through me again. That smug, insufferable fuck.
Oh, he wants me. His eyes give it away every damn time, tracing me like he's memorizing all the ways he’s going to ruin me. Every smirk, every crack of tension between us… he's not even trying to hide it anymore. Not since our little date.
I've got nothing. What would I even say? I could ignore him, or call him out? But I can't act like I'm not throbbing in all the wrong places over one stupid text.
“Flattery won’t save you when I find you.”
A beat of silence and then… another buzz.
Kane: Who said I wanted saving?
Jesus.
I clench my jaw, and my thighs. Damn him.
I tuck my phone away, determined to find him and end this stupid game before my body reacts anymore than it already has.
I'm buzzing, lighting up like a freaking Christmas tree.
I glance out the window just to make sure a storm isn't rolling in—because the last thing I need is for my magic to start acting up over here.
But before I take another step, there’s another buzz, and I curse under my breath.
Kane: I think… you want me to drag you into the shadows. My hands in your hair, my mouth on your throat, my fingers pumping…
I slap a hand over my mouth as a strangled noise breaks from my throat.
Holy. Fucking. Hell.
Another wave of heat tears through me, and this time it's sharp and unforgiving. It's just a text. I shouldn't be this far gone. And I absolutely shouldn't consider ducking into one of these goddamn alcoves just to get myself under control.
Kane: What’s wrong, Princess? Can’t handle the thought of me between your thighs?
I squeeze my eyes shut, willing my pulse to calm the fuck down. I hate him. I fucking hate him right now. My body doesn’t ever seem to be on the same page when it comes to him.
“You’re so fucking lucky I don’t have a knife on me right now.”
His response is instant.
Kane: Am I?
Kane: Or will you finally admit how badly you want me when you’re on your knees, blade in hand, waiting for my permission to use it?
My breath stills. Is he for real?? “Permission? Please.”
Motherfucker.
Kane: Or maybe you’d rather I use it on you. I'd have you trembling and dripping, so desperate to be filled you’d beg for it.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Kane. Are we still talking about the knife?”
A hot, pulsing ache settles between my legs, and I don’t know if I should be horrified by that. I clench my jaw, grinding my teeth so hard my head throbs.
I can feel the warmth spreading up my arms, and it’s all I can do just to breathe, hoping that will stop it from spreading any further.
Kane: No, Princess. I’m talking about you.
Kane: Your legs, shaking while I drag the blade over your skin, teasing you…
Kane: … you know what I think? I think you like it a little rough…
A violent shudder rips through me and I have to stop walking. My thighs squeeze until they hurt, my nipples are hard, and my clit is throbbing. My body's begging for friction.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I’m desperate for any type of control, but there isn’t any. Not when it comes to him. Not when his words seep into my skin like a toxin, spreading through my veins, unraveling me from the inside out.