Chapter 29 #2
I pull him to me and kiss him, and he responds immediately.
His mouth opens under mine and his hands find my waist, gripping tight like he's afraid I'll disappear.
This kiss is different from Caspian's. Less claiming, more claiming back.
Julian reminding me who had me first, whose bond was complete before Caspian even looked at me twice.
We move to my bed without breaking contact and he lays me down carefully, following me down. His weight settles over me and I wrap my legs around his hips, pulling him closer.
"We have to be quiet," I whisper. "Lily's at Emma's birthday party but the walls are thin. Other students might hear."
"When will she be back?"
"Not until past two." The added risk makes my pulse spike. "But still."
The reminder of what we're risking, that students in neighboring rooms might hear their professor fucking one of his students, sends heat flooding through me.
He kisses down my throat while his hands slide under my t-shirt, pushing the fabric up.
When his mouth closes around my nipple through my sports bra, I have to bite my lip to keep from crying out.
He's not as rough as Caspian was but every touch is calculated to drive me wild, devastating in a different way.
He knows my body and exactly where to touch, where to kiss, where to apply pressure. He's had me before and he learned what makes me fall apart.
I tug at his jumper and he pulls back just long enough to yank it over his head. The t-shirt underneath comes off with it and then his bare chest is pressing against mine. His skin is hot, muscles flexing under my hands as I explore the planes of his body.
His hands find the waistband of my leggings and I lift my hips so he can pull them down along with my underwear. The cool air hits my exposed skin and I shiver. He settles back between my thighs, still wearing his jeans. The rough denim against my bare pussy makes me gasp.
"You're overdressed," I manage.
"I know." He grinds against me and I can feel how hard he is through the fabric. "But I want to taste you first."
He doesn't wait for permission. His mouth trails down my stomach and then he's between my legs, tongue sliding through my folds. I arch off the bed and press my hand over my mouth, catching the moan before it escapes.
He circles my clit with his tongue, then slides lower to taste me fully. The wet sounds of his mouth on me fill the quiet room and I'm grateful the walls aren't paper thin. When he adds his fingers, sliding two inside me while his tongue works my clit, my thighs start shaking.
"So wet already," he breathes against my pussy, voice rough with need. "Is this from him or me?"
"You," I gasp, even though we both know it's a lie. Even though I'm still aching from Caspian's hands on me hours ago.
He doesn't call me on it. Just curls his fingers to find that spot inside me that makes my vision go white. I buck against his mouth and he has to hold my hips down to keep me still. His tongue flicks faster and his fingers work deeper, stretching me.
A moan builds in my throat and I turn my head to the side, burying the sound in the crook of my elbow. The student/teacher dynamic, the forbidden nature of this, the risk of being caught - it all adds edge to the pleasure building inside me.
When he adds a third finger, stretching me wider, I'm trembling and so close to the edge. My free hand fists in the sheets and my back arches as the pressure builds and builds.
Then he pulls back and I want to scream.
"Not yet." He strips off his jeans and boxers in one motion and I see how hard he is, cock thick and already leaking. My mouth goes dry. "Together. I need to be inside you when you come."
He settles back between my thighs and takes himself in hand, stroking once. His eyes lock on mine and I can see the war in them. Need versus control.
"I've thought about this all day," he says, voice barely above a whisper. "Thought about being inside you while he was putting his hands on you."
He lines himself up at my entrance and I can feel the blunt head of his cock pressing against me. Not pushing in yet. Just there. The anticipation is torture.
"Tell me you're mine," he says.
"I'm yours." The words come out breathless. "Always yours first."
He pushes in slowly, just the tip, and my breath catches. The stretch is immediate and I press my hand harder over my mouth. He watches my face, watches my eyes go wide as he feeds me another inch.
"That's it," he breathes. "Take me."
Inch by torturous inch, he sinks deeper. I can feel every ridge, every vein, the thick head of him dragging against my inner walls. My pussy clenches around him, trying to adjust, and he groans low in his throat.
"Fuck, you're tight." His jaw clenches and sweat beads on his temples. "So fucking tight and perfect."
When he's halfway in, he pauses. His forehead drops to mine and I can see the restraint it's taking him not to just thrust home and claim what he wants.
"More," I whisper.
He sinks deeper and my hips lift off the bed. My legs wrap around his waist, trying to pull him in faster, but he holds firm. Taking his time even though I can feel him shaking.
When he's finally fully seated, buried to the hilt inside me, we both go still. Just breathing. Just feeling how my body stretches to accommodate him, how he fills me completely.
"Mine," he whispers. "You're mine first. Always mine first."
"Always," I manage, clenching around him.
The sensation makes him groan and his hips jerk forward, driving even deeper. I bite down on his shoulder to muffle my cry.
He starts to move and it takes everything in me not to cry out. Each thrust is slow and deep, angled to hit that spot inside me that makes pleasure spark up my spine. His cock drags against my inner walls and I can feel every ridge, every vein, every perfect inch of him.
I meet him stroke for stroke, our bodies finding a rhythm that's familiar and ours. Sweat builds between us and he has to brace himself on one elbow to keep the bed from creaking too loudly. The restraint required makes every movement more intense, the quiet desperation adding edge to the pleasure.
He reaches between us and finds my clit, circling it with his thumb. The dual stimulation pushes me closer to the edge. My thighs start shaking and my breath comes in short gasps.
"Come for me," he breathes against my neck. "Let me feel you."
His thumb presses harder. His cock hits that spot deep inside me and I shatter. My pussy clenches tight around him in waves, pleasure crashing through me so intense I see stars. I bite down hard on his shoulder, tasting salt and skin, muffling the scream that wants to tear out of me.
He doesn't stop moving. Keeps thrusting through my orgasm, dragging it out, making it last until I'm trembling and oversensitive and desperate.
"Julian," I gasp against his skin. "Please... Professor..."
The word breaks something in him. His rhythm falters and then he's driving into me harder, chasing his own release. His breathing goes ragged and I feel his whole body tense above me.
"Say it again," he groans.
"Professor Harmon." I clench around him intentionally. "Sir."
"Fuck," he groans, the word barely audible. His hips stutter. Then he's coming, cock pulsing deep inside me. I feel every spurt of his release, hot and thick, filling me. His body shakes and he buries his face in my neck, fighting to stay quiet as his orgasm tears through him.
He rocks into me a few more times, drawing it out, and I feel him pulse again. When he finally stills, we're both breathing hard and covered in sweat.
We lie there afterward, tangled together, both catching our breath. He's still inside me and I'm not ready for him to move yet. The bond hums between us, satisfied and complete.
After a few minutes, he pulls out slowly and I feel the loss. He rolls to his side and pulls me against him, my back to his chest.
"I hate this," I whisper into the darkness. "Hiding you."
"I know." He kisses my temple. "But it keeps me safe. Keeps us both safe."
The reminder of reality crashes back. Julian has to hide. Caspian can claim me publicly. The inequality burns between us through our bond and I know Julian can feel it too.
"Caspian said when I'm ready, I go to him. For claiming." The words feel heavy saying them aloud, acknowledging what's coming.
Julian goes still, and I feel the spike of jealousy through our bond before he locks it down. "Are you? Ready?"
"I don't know." Truth. "The bond wants it. My body wants it. But claiming him means everyone knows. Permanent mark on my throat. And you..."
"I've already claimed you. The bond is complete between us." His hand over my heart. "What you do with Caspian doesn't change what we are."
"Doesn't it bother you?"
"Of course it bothers me." He pulls me tighter against him. "But I knew what you were when I claimed you. Silverpelt. Multiple mates. I don't get you exclusively and neither does he." Pause. "But what we have in the dark is ours. That's enough for me."
I'm not sure it's enough for me but I don't say that. Just press closer and try to memorize this feeling before he has to leave.
Around twelve thirty, he kisses my shoulder. "I need to go. Lily will be back soon."
"I know."
He gets dressed slowly and I watch from the bed, memorizing how his muscles move in the dim light from my desk lamp. When he's fully clothed, he comes back to kiss me one more time. Deep and claiming and desperate.
"I'll see you in class," he says against my mouth.
"Professor Harmon," I whisper back, and his eyes darken.
He climbs out the window and I slide out of bed, wrapping the sheet around me as I move to watch. He scales down the wall and when his feet hit the ground, he looks up at me one last time. I can see the war in his expression even from here - wanting to stay versus knowing he has to go.
Then he disappears into the shadows and the unfairness of it burns in my chest. Julian has to sneak in and out like a secret. Caspian can claim me publicly, proudly, permanently. It's not equal. Not fair.
But life isn't fair.
I'm still awake, staring at the ceiling, when there's a knock on my door an hour later.
I freeze. It's barely past one thirty. Lily has a key. No one should be knocking.
Another knock. Quieter this time but insistent.
I pull on clothes and open the door.
Knox is standing there and he's been in a fight.
Blood drips from split knuckles and there's a fresh gash across his jaw that's still bleeding.
His eyes are amber, flickering between wolf and human like he's barely holding his form.
Claw marks score his forearms and his t-shirt is torn at the shoulder, revealing more scratches underneath.
"Knox?" My stomach drops. "What happened?"
"We need to talk. Now." His voice is rough, barely human, and when he speaks I can see his canines are elongated. "Can I come in?"
I glance down the hallway but it's empty. I step back and he slips inside, moving like a predator even injured. The scent of blood and violence rolls off him.
I close the door. "What's going on?"
"There was a wolf on campus tonight. Sniffing around the dorms. Around your building specifically." He leans against my desk and I can see him fighting to keep his form steady. "I intercepted him before he got to your floor."
My blood goes cold. "Who was it?"
"Don't know. Not pack, not Dominion. Unfamiliar scent." His nostrils flare. "But he knew which building you were in. Which floor. He was hunting you, Nova."
"Did you..."
"Kill him? No. But he won't ever be the same again." A growl rumbles in his chest and the sound raises every hair on my body. Pure predator. "And whoever sent him will know what happens if they try again. I made sure of that."
I sink onto my bed. Someone was coming for me and would have found me if Knox hadn't been there.
"Why were you here?" The question comes out quieter than I intended. "You don't watch people. You don't do protection."
"I know." His hands clench into fists and I see fresh blood well from his knuckles.
"I've been trying to stay away. Trying to keep my distance like I'm supposed to.
But the bond..." He looks at me and I see the war in his eyes.
"I can feel you. Where you are. When you're in danger. And tonight something felt wrong."
"Knox..."
"I'm not asking for anything." He pushes off the desk.
"I'm not going to show up at your door demanding you choose me.
I know what I am and what I'm not." He moves toward the door.
"But I can't stop watching, can't stop making sure you're safe.
So if another wolf comes sniffing around, I'll handle it. That's all."
"Thank you." The words feel inadequate. "For stopping him. For..."
"Don't thank me." He pauses at the door, hand on the handle, then winces as the movement pulls at his injuries.
"Wait." I move to the small bathroom and wet a clean towel under the sink, then come back. "At least let me..."
I reach for his hand and he lets me take it, watching me carefully as I wipe the blood from his knuckles. The cuts are deep, still seeping. Up close I can see more damage through the torn fabric of his t-shirt: scratches across his collarbone, a dark bruise spreading along his side.
"You should see the healer," I say quietly, dabbing at the gash on his jaw.
"I heal fast." His voice is rough. "I'll be fine by morning."
I clean what I can reach but there's too much damage, too many wounds. After a minute he pulls his hand back gently.
"I need to go before someone sees me here." He looks at me and something in his expression makes my chest tight. "Just be careful. Whoever sent him will send others. And next time I might not be close enough to intervene."
He turns to leave and I reach for him. "Knox, wait..."
"Stay safe." He opens the door and looks back at me one last time. "Lock this behind me."
Then he's gone, closing the door quietly, and I hear his footsteps fade down the hallway.
I lock the door like he told me to and stand there in the dark, heart racing. Someone knows where I live. Someone is hunting me. And Knox just saved my life without asking for anything in return.
Three males pulling at me in different ways. Julian hidden in shadows, sneaking through my window. Caspian waiting for me to choose him publicly. Knox fighting battles I don't even know about, protecting me from the darkness.
And me in the middle, wanted by all of them and not knowing how to make it work.
The sun is rising when I finally fall asleep, exhausted and overwhelmed and more aware than ever that danger is closing in.