Chapter 6
Caeo
Class ends, and bumps and thuds echo through the auditorium as everyone packs their things.
Except me. I didn’t take any notes, and I barely heard anything the professor said.
Why should I care about the wars with the fae?
They ended before I was born. Sure, they lasted for thousands of years, but no one’s heard a peep from the border in two decades.
It’s an odd sentiment for someone at a school whose sole purpose is to train people to fight fae, but most of the students here grew up with family members lost or disabled in battle, with tales of fae stealing poorly behaved children. My mother almost made that seem like a good thing.
Besides, my attempts at incanting in this morning’s classes went so poorly that paying attention doesn’t seem worth the effort. Especially when I could spend that time watching Ellie instead.
The afternoon sun pouring in from the windows warms her skin, reflecting gold light off her brown hair as she slides her notes into her bag. I wrap my fingers around her hand, stopping her from standing.
“Wait.”
She slowly settles back onto the gray bench, pressing her lips together before they twitch into a small smile. Sweat collects in my palms, her nerves somehow bleeding into me; she’s not drunk, and there’s no more class to distract her. I can’t mess this up.
“Do you have another class to get to?” I ask.
Ellie swallows. “No.”
“Would you go for a walk with me? I can show you around Haven. The parts with color.”
Her dimple peeks out as she nods. “I’d like that.”
I can feel myself smiling like an idiot, so I break our gaze and scan the half-empty auditorium. Reid and Alexis seem to have left already. Good—I don’t want them tagging along, competing for our attention. I need Ellie to keep seeing me.
We head down the stairs, and she winces on the last step, massaging her right thigh just above the knee.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m a little sore. It’ll probably be fine once I get moving.”
“We can do something else.” I scratch the back of my head as I rack my brain over what we could possibly do on campus. “Something with less walking.”
Ellie adjusts her bag on her shoulder. “No, I want to go. I’ll be fine.”
She was not fine.
Five minutes down the road to Haven, and she’s already limping.
“Maybe you should stop and stretch? Lean against me and hold your leg like this.” I demonstrate, standing on one foot and pulling my ankle up behind me.
“How could this possibly help?” Ellie wobbles as she grips my arm for balance, her nails digging into me, making me instantly aware of all the places she isn’t touching like that.
I force my voice to stay casual. “I don’t know, it just does—but you have to hold it awhile.”
She bites her lip. “I think this is an excuse to get me touching you.”
“I don’t need an excuse. You can’t resist doing that all on your own.” And it’s not like there’s anything else to hold onto—there’s nothing but dirt till we reach the outskirts.
Her face flushes a bright pink, and I steady her as she tilts too far to one side.
“You should switch legs now.” I keep my fingers gently pressed against her, helping her balance, then weigh our options.
Even if her legs feel better, it’d be stupid to have her walk all the way to town.
But I don’t want to take her back to her dorm; she has roommates, and I doubt she has the nerve to invite me to her bedroom.
“I could carry you?”
Ellie’s fingers dig deeper into my arm. “You’re not carrying me.”
“Why not? This isn’t Durnam—no one will care.”
“It’d be humiliating! And you’d be in just as bad shape when we got there!”
That’s definitely not true, but I doubt she’d appreciate me pointing that out. Luckily, another idea pops into my head. “What if I carry you somewhere closer? Just a few minutes away.”
Her eyes narrow. “Where?”
* * *
I unhook my arms from under Ellie’s legs so she can slide off my back, and her arms unwrap from around my shoulders as her feet hit the ground. I fish out my key to unlock the door, and after fumbling with it for a moment—it often sticks—I push it open and lead her inside.
She stands there, taking in my meager abode. From the beat-up walls to the mismatched furniture, until her gaze settles on me. “This is where you live?”
Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. She probably never imagined a house could be this small.
“Why don’t you sit?” I offer, my pulse quickening. “I’ll heat the kettle.”
She grabs my hand before I take a step. “I didn’t mean to come off that way. It’s nice. Cozy.”
An overwhelming urge to kiss her surges through me, but I resist. It’s neither of those things, but the fact that she cares enough to say that means everything. Most girls preferred finding a private alley over coming here.
“Thanks.” I squeeze her hand before she lets go, then I dig the kettle out from behind a mess on the counter. “My mother has this tea she uses to help with her aches and pains.”
“Do you expect her back soon?”
“Nah. She’s usually at the shop till dinner.”
I fill the kettle with some water from a barrel, then cross the room in a few strides to hang it above the fireplace. After a minute of fiddling with some flint and steel—normally I do this much faster—a decent blaze is going.
When I finally finish, Ellie’s lying on my bed in the corner, eyes closed, with soft shadows filling the curves of her face. Heat stirs in my chest. She’s certainly not the first to be there, but fuck, she’s the first one to make me sweat like this.
I sit next to her, the flimsy mattress shifting under my weight. “I thought it’d take longer to get you into my bed.”
Her eyes snap open, and she shoots upright. “I didn’t realize. My legs hurt, and there wasn’t much else, and—”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a joke. But that reminds me…” I tuck a lock of her hair back behind her ear. “I still owe you a kiss. If you want it, that is.”
My heart pounds as I look into her eyes, my body tensing with every stifled breath. This isn’t what I imagined, what I intended. I wanted to get to know her better. But it feels right.
Ellie swallows, trembling with the smallest of nods. “I do.”
I bring my hand to her cheek, slowly closing the distance between us. Her lips part, her eyes close…
My mouth brushes gently over her soft skin, my lower lip catching on hers. The warmth of her exhale sends heat rushing through me as I press closer.
I pull back just enough to meet her eyes. “Is this alright?”
She nods, almost a tremor.
My heart’s on the verge of exploding, but I’m terrified of scaring her away by going too fast. I gently bring my mouth to hers as my hand slides into her hair, this time teasing her lips open with mine. Once they do, I sweep my tongue in and savor the taste of her.
She gasps, but lets me in, her tongue bumping against mine.
A laugh tumbles out of me and into her—she’s clearly never kissed anyone like this before.
I slow my movements, giving her a chance to figure out what she’s doing, heat flowing through me as our kiss continues and her fingers curl softly against my arm.
Then she takes a breath, her big brown eyes sparkling, and the dam breaks.
I push my tongue deeper into her mouth, swallowing her muffled squeak as I tug her closer, into my lap. Ellie matches my intensity, pressing my back against the wall. Her fingers rake through my hair as she devours me with desperate, forceful kisses.
The string that held her back has clearly snapped, her hesitation gone. Fire rushes through my veins, urging me to show her how much further we can go. My collar’s smothering me, far too tight. I can hardly breathe.
I force my unwilling hands to let go of her and fumble with my top buttons. Ellie catches my bottom lip with her teeth just as I free my neck and inhale the lavender scent of her hair.
Holding her back, I catch my breath as I meet her eyes. “Hungry, aren’t you?”
Ellie’s lips are swollen and wet, her face flushed with a breathless smile. She traces her fingers along my throat, and a groan escapes me as she sends an aching heat down to my cock.
“I suppose I’ve claimed you now,” she says.
“I’m yours.” My voice is thick, lips clamoring for hers, but she pulls away.
Her hesitation’s back, her eyes bleeding vulnerability as they search mine. “You won’t break my heart?”
How could she possibly think I would? Even considering it sends a splinter digging into my chest.
“Never.”
I pull her gently to me, sliding my fingers through the soft locks of hair tumbling out of her bun, and wrap her in a deep but tender kiss. It’s less desperate than before, but I hope it conveys exactly how much I need her. Adore her.
The door creaks. My eyes open, peeking past Ellie.
My mother’s standing there. And she’s not leaving.
Realization hits Ellie that we’re no longer alone, and she pushes herself off me, wincing as her legs untangle from my lap. She stumbles to her feet, straightening her clothes and hair.
I fall back against the wall with a thud, then stare at the ceiling. Fuck.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” Mother says, followed by a thump as she sets something on the counter. “I’ve been looking for you—I need to make a delivery, but I’m simply not up to it today.”
“I should go,” Ellie says, and my gaze drops to her.
She’s glancing around the room with all the nerves of a scared bunny, her elbows tucked in as she wrings her hands together. This is the worst possible turn of events. I didn’t even keep her from my mother for an entire day.
Mother waves her off. “No, no. Stay. Have some tea. It looks like you already have the kettle going.” She walks stiffly over to the fireplace, removing the kettle with a metal poker.
Ellie takes a quick step forward. “Let me help you.”
“No need.” Mother shuffles back to the kitchen and rummages through a cabinet, looking for tea leaves. “Just a moment.”