Chapter 17 #2
Except I got it all wrong in the end and absolutely threw fuel on the fire with what I tried to do. I ended up deciding to glamour cat ears on all of the top-tier students thinking that would break the tension and people would chuckle and chill.
Yeah, I really needed to work on my ability to react and assess situations when the tension got to me and my anxiety shot up. Normally, I would have known that wouldn’t have helped. Never in a million years would putting cat ears on any top-tier anyone have improved any situation.
Idiot.
And when all of the other students burst out laughing thinking that I’d joined in to help them, everything exploded. At least five of the top-tier students built magic fast and it was focused on me.
Before they could launch it, a strong arm wrapped around me and magic I knew enveloped us.
My eyes went wide as the barrier shook, knowing what was sent at us wasn’t small.
“Over the fucking line,” Winter bellowed as he kept me in place against him. “She put fucking cat ears on you, not hurt you! You sent mauling magic at her for that? Are you out of your fucking minds?”
“Who the fuck is she to—” one started to say, but his friend elbowed him.
“That’s not what he did, and you have no proof we did,” that friend said firmly.
“Oh, but I saw it,” Mrs. Reid purred.
That guy smirked at her. “Yes, but your husband doesn’t have the stones to do anything about it against our families, does he? And you’re just his mate so—”
I threw magic at the guy from behind Winter’s barrier and the guy went down hard, unable to talk. Everyone slowly looked at me like I’d grown another head. I cleared my throat. “We’re dating. We’ve used magic together before.”
“I insisted on it given how unhinged people are around her,” Winter added, backing me up. He gave me a curious look. “Cat ears?”
I winced. “I was trying to implement what Emma taught me. I’m clearly not ready.” I sighed and gestured to the other top-tier students. “I know better than this. Even if—this was the wrong move.”
He kissed my hair and comforted me that it was a good try.
Yeah, sure it was.
The long story of it all was that the top-tier students had tried to do what I had with Winter and his friends or even Gloria and her friends and had failed.
Miserably. They’d underestimated everyone and not remotely put enough power into their plans thinking they were so much better and stronger than people.
And of course, the first to feel the magic mocked them. When it hadn’t even remotely worked on them and the normal students—the ones they called low-born—easily blocked it, they laid into the students from top-tier families.
Then I walked in and gave them cat ears.
Yeahhhhh, so clearly I needed to work more with Emma and pull my head out of my cute arse. Fine, Winter said the part about me having a cute arse later when I was picking on myself.
Right then, there was still a mess.
“You guys deserved this after you shit all over the people who were already doing stuff like this for the Wicked Challenges,” Danny interjected when things started to get heated again.
I reached out and blocked his face at the last second, everyone jumping around us. I shot an angry look at the squirrel familiar before the warlock he belonged to. “Really? You’re such an asshole and chicken shit, you have your familiar throw shit?”
The warlock gave me a bored look and raised an eyebrow. “They’re animals, Shaw. They do what they want and—”
“If that was true, their large familiars would chomp on people. I’m sorry you’re not talented enough to control your familiar and have such an unruly little shit squirrel,” I said firmly.
Winter cleared his throat and waited until I met his gaze. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear you talk so badly about a cute little squirrel. The little guy just—”
“Are you really siding with the squirrel over me?” I asked him, giving him the look he deserved for how stupid that truly was. “The woman you want to see naked? Even I’m not that dense, Winter. For real.”
Several people around us snickered and then it built into chuckles, the tension actually breaking.
Winter blinked at me for a full minute before slowly nodding. “I apologize, Lady Bevin. I am a total fucking twit. Thank you for correcting my egregious error and setting me straight. You are completely right, and we hates that squirrel. Bad squirrel.”
“Damn right,” I chuckled.
“You mentioned getting naked? Like soon?” he asked.
“Idiot.” I laughed when he shrugged and muttered under my breath after dinner maybe, but way too many people heard and burst out laughing, the fight completely over then.
Except Mrs. Reid heard and that was not something I wanted my mentor to hear. Oh well, at least maybe Emma wouldn’t fail me for botching her teachings after all for the cat ears mishap.
The drama managed, my day got back on track and I actually had sessions with Winter and several of his friends when I finished with Mrs. Reid. She stayed to watch over that since I was pushing a new level.
I felt bad because her whole day ended up being me…
Until I heard from her familiar that she needed a break from her own estate and could just be Laura here.
She truly enjoyed spending time with me and adored Tracey.
She was warming up to Jasmine and Clare.
She was valued here whereas her mate was always the focus at home.
Not that she wasn’t valued, but he was the rockstar head of the council. It made sense but also… Not?
“Take a break,” Winter said in between sessions.
“We’re pushing me today,” I told him, brushing off his concern.
“Bev, take a break,” he insisted, his voice a bit sharper than normal with me. I flinched. I flinched away from him which made everyone freeze. He let out a slow breath but didn’t move closer.
“I’m monitoring her and her magic, Mr. Green,” Mrs. Reid said evenly, clearly catching onto something I didn’t.
He nodded but kept his gaze locked with mine.
“I didn’t doubt it for a second, but you haven’t been here when she’s just dropped.
Pushing is great. But any of us have to take rest in between sets at the gym when we push our limits.
You’re going to tear your body again instead of building your magical muscles. ”
He raised his thick arm and flexed for me, knowing I liked what I saw. Then he winked and did both arms, striking a pose even. And then another when he got probably too much lust from me.
“I know Derek’s worked with you on this, Bev,” he said gently, moving to squat in front of me.
“You are a runner. A damn sprinter and you want to race like Loki. I see it sparkle in your eyes and it’s delicious and infectious.
You’re pushing all of us in ways I never thought someone could. It’s awesome.”
I studied his eyes for a moment. “But I need to learn from you guys too and…”
He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss. “Normal like Kelton said. Safety like Sergey knows. We all have something to teach you.”
“What do you teach me, Sir Winter?” I wondered.
“Moderation and now not to burn out,” Danny answered for him. “How to not always push the gas, go too hard.”
I couldn’t hide my shock which made a lot of them chuckle. Apparently, there was a lot more to Winter than I knew. I smiled at him and gave him a kiss this time. I was excited to learn it all.
But I did listen to him and I was glad I did. He walked me through what he would recommend as my “rests” in between sessions. Mrs. Reid said it might need some adjustments and she wanted to try a few other things, but it wasn’t a bad idea.
Something was going on there though. I wasn’t sure, but I saw a few glances they gave each other and Teddy muttered about her being too much.
I wanted to ask after dinner and when we were alone in my room, but apparently Winter was in a different type of mood.
One he quickly clued me in on and I forgot about the day and especially Mrs. Reid.
We set down our bags, but then I was up on my desk and he was between my legs. He gave me enough time to stop him, but when his large hands were on my legs under my skirt… I didn’t want him to.
“You were so fucking adorable today, Bev,” he whispered against my lips. “It really gets difficult for me to behave. Really difficult. And I don’t know that I can much longer, so there’s a conversation I want to have soon if we can.”
Sex. He wanted us to have sex.
“I think we’re ready,” I mumbled.
He froze but then kissed along my chin and down my neck. “I shouldn’t have been pushy. I can wait. I’m sorry, little sexy. We can go as slow as you need and—”
“No, you weren’t. I mean, I heard you. I think we’re ready,” I rambled as I angled my neck and gave him more room.
“If you think we’re ready then we’re not,” he countered… Even as he ran his fingers gently along my shoulder and upper arm. “I can wait. I can wait as long as my girlfriend needs.”
I leaned into him, snuggled up to his strong chest and buried my face against his neck.
“Hey, hey, what’s this? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I admitted. “That’s what scares me so much. We haven’t had any hiccups or—nothing’s gone wrong. Even Sergey and I have tripped. I feel—something keeps telling me that we’re going to have problems if we take that last step.”
“Then we won’t yet,” he whispered, kissing my hair. “Not until you’re sure I won’t be an idiot like them.” He ran his hands down my back and then back up before back down again to cup my ass. “But until then, I want to do some dirty things with you and hear you moan my name. You game?”
Yes, yes, I was.
Very much so, and it was amazing because it was with Winter.
Everything with him was… So why was I hesitant to take that last step when I embraced being bold with the others?