Chapter 13 Tate
Chapter thirteen
Tate
The gym doors shoved open, hitting the wall behind them with a loud thud. Jack chased after me, but I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.
I wasn’t mad. I wasn’t. Seeing Jack pinned beneath Professor Fawley hadn’t made me feel a rage I hadn’t ever felt before.
But I couldn’t stop my heart from pounding in my chest. The fur of the beast inside me threatened to burst from the seams of my skin. If I had a mirror, my eyes would no doubt be a yellow-green color, flickering back and forth with their natural color as I tried to regain control.
The cool fall air helped. I breathed in large shaky breaths, then growled. The scent of him on her lingered.
“Tate.” Jack's voice was soft as she approached me. Her hand reached out to touch me.
“Don't,” I snapped, making her flinch. I shook my head and tried to calm myself. “Any other time I’d love your hands on me, princess, but right now… I’m barely keeping it together.”
I grasped the side of the stone half wall that lined the walkway of the hall, glaring out at the decorative foliage in the courtyard.
Jack dropped her hand but didn’t leave. Her hips leaned against the half wall. I expected her to say something, try to explain away what just happened, but she didn’t. She simply stood there in silence, letting me decide when I was ready to talk.
Just like Kyren. Fuck. Of course she was. It’s no wonder they haven’t made up. Both were probably too prideful to be the first ones to say anything.
I chuckled bitterly to myself at the thought.
Jack gave me a curious look but didn’t say anything.
Stretching my arms over my head, I blew out a long breath. “So you and the professor, huh?”
“We were just training.” Jack stared at the wall behind me. “It’s not like that.”
“But you were once, right?” I braced my hands on the lower wall, not sure where to look.
Jack stayed quiet long enough for me turn to look at her. That's when I noticed it. She wasn’t just watching the students walk by like a casual observer. She was studying them. Accessing them for potential threats. Just like the professor did. Just like a hunter did.
“How long have you been a hunter?”
My question made her eyes snap to me. “I don't know what you’re talking about.”
I shook my head and huffed a laugh. “Still hiding secrets, princess?”
Jack’s face pinched in a wince, then she glanced around and grabbed my hand.
“Come with me.” She gave my arm a tug.
I laughed at myself for how easily I went with her. I didn’t even hesitate or question, I just complied with her wishes. Where she led, I’d follow, even if it was into the depths of hell itself.
We moved through the hallway until Jack stopped at an open classroom. She stepped inside and glanced around before ushering me inside. Shutting the door behind us, she moved over to the desk at the front of the classroom and leaned against the edge of it.
“I don’t want to lie to you, Tate,” Jack began, her hands gripping the edge of the desk.
I sat in the student’s desk in front of her, peering up at her from below. “Good. Then don’t.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared down at her shoes.
“I didn't come here just to go to school,” she said. “To be honest, I didn't even want to come. My parents kind of tricked me into it.”
“Why not?” I cocked my head to the side, watching her expression change with her words.
“Because I wanted to be a hunter. And they wanted me to just enjoy being human.” She let out a hard laugh, eyes meeting mine. “Like I could pretend to be human with supernatural parents?”
I nodded, letting her continue.
“So I guess you could say they bribed me into coming. Even if it was a supernatural school, it was still a college experience, which they thought was a good compromise.”
“And you didn’t.”
She smirked. “Of course not. It felt like they were still trying to control my future. They wanted me to have a normal human life, and I wanted to be…” She trailed off and then said softly, “Strong.”
“So what made you finally agree?”
Jack shrugged. “There were rumors about some disgruntled supernaturals gathering at the school, and the guild wanted someone to check it out. Hence…” She waved a hand at herself. “My presence here.”
I studied her for a moment. “And the professor?”
“Julian.” Her gaze locked with mine. “He’s my handler. Partner. Whatever you want to call it. He’s here to help me in whatever way he can.”
“Seemed more like he was helping himself,” I snorted.
Jack winced.
“There’s more, isn't there?” I swallowed, almost wishing I'd never asked. “Is he your boyfriend? Have you been seeing him while you’ve been with us?”
“No!” Jack pushed off the desk and knelt before me, grabbing my hands. “Tate, no. Julian and I… are complicated. We had something a while ago, but it’s over now.” She then muttered half to herself. “He made sure of that.”
I watched her expression closely. She wasn’t lying, but it was clear she still had feelings for the professor, and it was obvious he wanted her.
Why they weren't together, I didn’t know. I could tell how painful it was for her to be around him. There was always this kind of tension between them. Plus he knew far too much about her to just be a co-worker thing.
“Do you love him?”
I had to ask. I needed to know. I wasn’t sure how I felt about sharing Jack with someone else besides Kyren, but if I was going to, I didn’t want to be blindsided.
Jack stared down at our joined hands, her finger tapping on top of mine. “I don’t know.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “I did once. And I still feel something for him, but how many times can you get rejected before your heart has finally had enough?”
“I’ll have to let you know.” I gave her a sad smile.
“Oh, Tate.” She stood and cupped my face in her hands. “I’m not rejecting you. It’s just…”
“Complicated.” I smiled and kissed the palm of her hand. “I know.”
I used one hand to twist the desk’s top to the side and the other to drag her down into my lap, earning me a squeal. I wrapped my arms firmly around her waist, holding her to me.
Her hands dropped my shoulders, but she didn’t try to escape.
My forehead pressed to hers. “I miss you.”
“I miss you. too.” Jack wrapped her arms around my neck.
We sat there for a long moment, just breathing each other in.
“He misses you, too, you know,” I said softly. “I can tell. Kyren hasn’t been the same since he found out. He's been broody, pensive.”
Jack chuckled. “As opposed to his usually cheerful personality?”
I grinned. “It gets easier to tell the longer you're around him.”
“I could see that.” She sighed and moved to get up, but I held tight. “Tate… let go.”
“Not yet.” I brushed my nose against hers. “This is the closest I’ve gotten to you in days. Just give me a minute.”
“This is only going to make things harder for us,” Jack stated, but relaxed into my embrace. Her eyes trailed over my face, thumb brushing against the metal of my lip piercing.
I licked that thumb.
Jack cried out in surprise, then pulled her hand back with a grin. Eyes lock with mine, she lifted the thumb to her mouth and sucked the taste of me off the digit.
“You’re killing me, princess,” I groaned, growing hard beneath the soft press of her ass.
Her eyes flicked to my lips and then back to my eyes, a decision circling in her gaze. The moment her hips shifted in my lap, I knew she’d made her decision.
“Fuck it.”
Jack’s mouth claimed mine, arms closing in bringing her body closer to mine.
Not wanting to or able to resist her, I cupped her hips, our mouths trying to get closer even when our bodies couldn’t.
Her hands grabbed my braids tight. A low growl trickled from me. I lifted her until her legs straddled my hips, pressing my aching cock against her hot center.
Jack pulled back from the kiss with a gasp. Her eyes hot on mine, she rocked herself back and forth in my lap. Each low pant and moan came with each swipe of her quickly wetting pussy along the front of my pants.
I hooked my fingers onto the top of her tight shorts, eyes locked with hers, waiting for her to stop me. When she didn’t, I stood, holding her against my front as I dragged her shorts and panties down her legs. Then I sat her on the edge of the teacher's desk.
“Wait.” Jack pressed a hand to my chest. “We shouldn’t. If Kyren and I never… If we… This will just be harder for both of us in the long run.”
I fell to my knees before her, my lips pressed to the inside of her knee.
“Oh, I think it’s worth the risk,” And then I kissed the other.
Jack’s legs parted further, her arousal filling my senses as I kissed my way up the inside of her legs. I paused at her center to breathe her in.
“I could come just from the smell of you.”
Jack rolled her eyes and giggled. “That’s not as much of a compliment as you think it is.”
My tongue swept up her folds, circling her clit.
Jack groaned as her head fell back.
Using one hand, I parted her lips, sliding my thumb easily inside of her. I pumped it in a few times, my tongue never letting up. Her thighs pressing in on my ears couldn't muffle the delicious sounds of her moans.
My nose twitched as her scent changed. The spicy scent of her arousal mixed with the coppery tang of blood.
I slowed my ministrations, withdrawing my thumb to find a tinge blood coating the digit.
“Tate,” Jack breathed, pressing her hips toward me. “Don’t stop.”
I chuckled and lifted the digit so she could see.
Jack’s face burned red, her arousal overtaken by embarrassment. “Oh.”
She shifted as if to close her legs. I shoved my shoulders between them with a pointed look.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Jack glanced off to the side. “I started my period. You don’t have to keep… you know, if you don’t want to.”
I bit the inside of her leg, making her hips jolt. “Princess, I wasn’t laughing ‘cause I didn’t want to. I’m laughing cause Kyren is going to be pissed when he finds out.”
Jack just stared at me for a long moment, then her mouth formed an o as realization came over her.
I licked the blood off my thumb and then pressed my middle and ring finger back into her, pumping it in and out slowly until her head fell back again and she was gasping.
My fingers curled, putting pressure on the top wall where there was a rough spot. Jack's hand clamped down on my shoulder, her hips jerking against my hand.
I peered up at her, watching for the moment she was close to coming apart. When it finally came, my mouth latched onto her clit. I sucked it in between my lips until she clamped down on my fingers, her other hand a fist pressed against her mouth. It did very little to muffle her cries of pleasure.
Slowly. I continued to milk her release until she was trembling against me. Then I pressed a quick kiss to her clit before pulling back. Her eyes fluttered open, watching me as I slid my fingers out from inside of her.
Blood and her release coated them. I licked them off one by one, keeping my eyes locked on hers.
“I can't believe you did that,” she panted, shaking her head.
I smirked as I pushed up to peck her on the lips. “Vampires aren't the only ones who like period blood, princess. I’d just rather have it coating my dick.”
Backing up, I found her shorts and helped her get them back on until she was completely covered.
I discreetly tucked her panties into my pocket. Or so I thought.
Jack’s eyes narrowed, hand outstretched. “Gimme.”
Standing over her, I leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss. “No.”
“Between you all ripping them or stealing them,” Jack scowled, “I’m running out of underwear. Maybe I should just stop wearing them.”
“This is ours.” I let out a growl as I cupped between her legs with my hands. “No one gets to smell your sweet pussy but us.”
She stared up at me, arching a brow. “But they’re gonna smell me now. You have my underwear.”
I smirked. “No, they’re going to smell me all over you. That’s different.”
“I swear all you males are the same.” Jack rolled her eyes and huffed, but I could tell it wasn't in anger. “You should just pee on me and get it over with.”
I arched a brow, making her face twist in disgust as she pushed me out of the way.
“I’m not serious, you dog.” Shaking her head, she stopped at the classroom door. “Don’t torture Kyren too much. I’d hate to lose you, too.”
“Oh, princess,” I called after her, “you’ll never lose me.”
The door closed on her laughter, and my heart swelled. Hope sprouted for the first time in days.
I peered down at my hard on, shifting it with a grunt and then lifted my fingers—the ones that had been inside her — to my nose.
Oh, Kyren was going to be pissed for sure, but maybe I could make it work for me.