Chapter 37
Iwoke up to the sound of my own ragged breathing, and as consciousness seeped in, I realised why. A scorching body was draped around me, pulling me close to his chest like I was some sort of human teddy bear. It was Orlando. After Griffin and Melody had retreated to their room last night, he”d dragged me back into bed, wrapping himself around me like a koala on a eucalyptus tree.
”Shit,” I muttered under my breath, feeling my cheeks heat up at our proximity. But damn, it felt good. Snuggling back into his chest, I revelled in the sanctuary that had become my bed, knowing full well I had to get up soon for classes. The thought made me groan — who the hell wanted to leave this? Not me, that”s for sure.
”Morning,” Orlando murmured, his voice husky with sleep, he pulled me in even tighter, his warm breath tickling my neck. ”Let”s take the day off,” he murmured, nuzzling my hair.
I couldn”t help but smile on my pillow. ”Okay,” I whispered, feeling a sense of freedom wash over me like a wave. But then he groaned, his body tensing up against mine.
”Shit, I have a test on illusion this morning,” he mumbled, sounding genuinely disappointed. My curiosity got the best of me, and I rolled over to face him, propping my head on my hand as our legs tangled together.
”What are your powers?” I asked wanting to know more about Orlando – especially if they were anything like his rock-hard abs.
”Can”t you tell? You have the same ones,” he said, grinning at my astonishment. My eyes widened in disbelief, and I could feel my heart starting to race.
”What? No! Are you telling me I have more than four now?! For fuck”s sake, I was struggling as it was!” I exclaimed, feeling a mix of excitement and frustration. I had barely begun to understand and control the powers I already had, and now there were more.
Orlando laughed, clearly amused by my reaction. ”They”re not exactly yours, more like you can access mine and use them like they are yours,” he explained, his green eyes sparkling with mischief.
I frowned, trying to wrap my head around what he was saying. ”Well, I have no idea what they are. Please enlighten me.”
He looked at me with those mesmerising green eyes, seeming to consider how to answer. ”Well, one of them is earth magic,” he said, a small smile playing on his lips. As if to demonstrate, he twisted his hand in the air, producing a single deep purple rose that almost looked black. He handed it to me, and I couldn”t help but smile as I reached out and took it. The rose was cool to the touch – almost otherworldly.
”I also have healing,” he continued, his voice low and intimate, ”and illusion.”
I leaned in closer, my curiosity piqued. ”What is Illusion?” I asked, pressing a soft kiss to his chest.
”Ah, now that”s the fun one,” he grinned, his excitement infectious. ”It”s a magic where I can make anything look real, change what people see, but not actually change reality.” With a flick of his wrist, the room around us transformed into a set of train tracks. My heart raced as a train came charging towards us, its whistle blaring loudly.
”Trust me,” Orlando said, gripping my hand tightly. I held on, squeezing my eyes shut as the train hurtled towards us.
”Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I whispered under my breath, adrenaline surging through my veins. The train rushed past us, leaving nothing but a gust of wind in its wake. My hands flew to my hair, expecting it to be a tangled mess from the wind, but it felt perfectly in place.
”Shit, that”s insane!” I exclaimed, laughing nervously as I stared at the now-disappearing train. With another flick of his wrist, we were back in my room, wrapped in the warmth of the bed.
”See? Endless possibilities,” Orlando smirked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
”That was the coolest thing I have ever seen” I exclaimed, as Orlando leaned over and kissed my cheek and reluctantly climbed out of bed, his lean muscles flexing as he stretched. Padding over to the bathroom, he left the door open and I could hear him relieving himself. Mid-stream, he called out, ”Hey, Harper, why is there underwear and bras hanging in here like a laundry room?”
My face flushed with embarrassment, heat spreading from my cheeks down to my chest. ”Um, well, I only brought three pairs with me,” I stammered. ”And I have no fucking idea how laundry works here, so I hand-washed them.”
Orlando finished up and walked back out, his eyebrows raised in amusement. ”You didn”t think to just order more or get them washed?” He pointed towards a basket near the door. ”All you have to do is throw your dirty clothes in there. They”ll disappear daily and reappear on your bed a few hours later, clean and folded.”
”Seriously?” I muttered, feeling like an idiot. ”Why didn”t anyone tell me that before?” I glanced at Orlando, feeling my face heat up again. ”I don”t exactly have a disposable income to waste on buying more underwear, you know,” I muttered. ”I”ll just wash what I have.”
”Here,” he said with a smirk, leaning in and kissing me gently. ”What size are you? I”ll order you some today.” He pulled on his sweats and shirt as if it was no big deal.
”Orlando!” I exclaimed, shocked by his forwardness. ”You should never ask a girl her size!”
”Relax, Harper,” he chuckled, completely unfazed by my reaction. With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he turned on his heels and walked back into the bathroom. My heart raced as I wondered what on earth he was doing. A few seconds later, he sauntered out holding a pair of white cotton panties and matching bra. ”All good, I got it,” he announced triumphantly, having checked the size on the tag without my permission.
”Orlando,” I growled, trying not to smile despite my annoyance. ”You”re incorrigible.”
”Red is my favourite colour, by the way,” he added with a wink, leaning in for another quick kiss. ”Just thought you should know.” And with that, he headed towards my bedroom door. ”I”m gonna go get changed. I”ll be back to walk you down for breakfast.”