Clock Strikes Midnight: Great Falls Academy, Episode 4 Read online

  Shade gasps. Pulling away, he raises his face to the starlit sky and draws a shaking breath. Another. His arms tremble, his thighs clenching around a great pulsing bulge. “You are hurt,” he rasps. “You can’t fight me off. And when—if—I start, I won’t be gentle. I can’t.” A shudder rakes his strong body, his breaths quick and shallow. Despite the chill, his temples are damp with sweat. The scent of him, like earth fresh from rain, fills the air between us. “If you want to stop—”

  “I don’t.” I can’t.

  Shade growls. His eyes flash, the magic in them taking over. “If you move too quickly, I will hunt you.” A warning.

  “You can try.” Baring my teeth, I rip his flies open, his cock springing free. The long velvety shaft rocks beneath its own weight, the moist tip of it glistening in the starlight. Making my mouth water for it. I rake my nails along Shade’s shoulder, and he sheathes his cock inside me in a single hard thrust.

  I gasp, his size filling me completely.

  Without waiting, Shade pulls back and thrusts again with a groan, the great length of him taking me by surprise no matter how many times I’ve felt it. Thrust. Thrust. Thrust. The thick head of his cock hits the sensitive ridges inside my channel, sending zings of spasming pleasure rippling through my back and thighs.

  My channel clenches around Shade’s shaft, but it is still not enough. Gripping his waist with my legs, I push my hips up into him and—I scream as a blaze of pain shoots through my wounded thigh, tears springing to my eyes. Inside me, I can feel the closeness of Shade’s healing magic, its desire to knit my flesh together—just as I feel the shackles of the mortal world holding everything down.

  Shade pulls free of me.

  “No!” I grab his shoulders.

  Brushing me off him with a single, powerful motion, Shade flips me over the heap of clothes piled high on the moss. My backside is suddenly high in the air, my legs bent, my face pressing into a shirt that smells of Shade.

  But I can’t see him. Can’t grab him.

  Gritting my teeth against the stabbing in my thigh, I try to flip back over—making it all of two inches before a biting slap on my bottom sends a different kind of blaze all through my skin.

  I yelp, clenching my backside, only to discover Shade has spread my thighs, his fingers stroking inside my folds. The male’s deft fingertips brush ruthlessly along either side of my apex, the sting from my bottom echoing all along the swollen bud. Magnifying each sensation. Molten flame consumes my throbbing sex, pushing me to the edge of an abyss.

  Then the head of Shade’s pulsing cock is at my entrance again, sliding easily through the wetness. In and out, in and out, the sound of his hips smacking my backside reverberating through the forest.

  I barely catch my breath when I feel Shade’s hands on me again, one reaching around to stroke my apex while the other cups my right breast, rolling my nipple. Shade’s large body engulfs mine, holding me from all sides.

  Too much, my wounded body screams at me, my breaths coming as fast as the rushing stream beside us. The pulsing inside my channel, the spark of pain on my thigh, the escalating zings streaking from my breasts to my sensitive bud. The pressure building inside me is exquisite, my whole shuddering core knowing that something must give.

  His gasps tickle my ear, his throbbing shaft sending ripples of vibration through me. His hand shifts from my breast, desperately digging into my hips to get more purchase, pulling me back harder against him in a frenzy. The abyss looming before me is surely large enough to swallow us both. Yet it does not.

  The pressure grows, squeezing my need, my lungs, my magic. His finger quickens along my apex, flickering left and right and middle.

  “Leralynn!” He bellows suddenly, the tension between us finally giving way. Shade’s magic floods our connection, searing my wounds just as the ecstasy of release shoves me over its own cliff.

  Agony and elation weave together, the warmth Shade spills inside me spreading like the strongest of spirits. I shudder. Once. Twice. With the third great spasm, I arch toward the stars, screaming Shade’s name as the world flickers around the edges.

  12

  Lera

  After a few minutes wrapped in a haze of exhausted release, the world returns into focus with my naked body reclined against Shade, the male using a stream-dampened cloth to clean my thighs. Despite the smooth strokes of Shade’s hands, his heart pounds against his ribs. Blinking, I realize the dressing he applied to my leg earlier is gone, my once-deep wound now shallow and no longer bleeding. Not my usual fae-enhanced healing, but much more. As if some of Shade’s healing magic actually staked its claim, even the mortal world’s shackles unable to fully contain the power surge my coupling with the quint male brings.

  Or else the wards protecting the human world have cracked further still in Ostera’s honor.

  I try to sit up.

  Shade’s arms tighten around me, his earthy scent caressing my skin. Shifting me to the crook of his shoulder, he focuses his beautiful face on mine, his high cheekbones and strong jaw shadowed in the scant moonlight. The air thickens between us, questions and sensations saturating the small space. The memory of Shade inside me still stirs my body, the loss of him tingling like a phantom limb.

  Reaching out slowly, he runs a knuckle along my cheekbone. “For a moment, when we were connected, I knew who you were,” he whispers. “But I don’t anymore.”

  I swallow, the memory of my name on Shade’s lips squeezing my chest. I press my cheek into his touch, savoring the feel of his hand along my skin. Pretending, for a moment, that we are in the before. “I know.”

  “And… Do you know me?” he asks, his yellow eyes penetrating.

  My throat closes, my pulse picking up the beat. I don’t know what might trigger the amulet, whether answering even that question might turn the magic on Shade.

  “You do know.” Shade’s jaw tightens as he answers his own question, his hand falling away from my cheek. “Tell me. Who are you? Who am I? Why have I been losing time, finding myself… How did I come to be here?”

  “I can’t say it.” I rub my face, missing the male’s touch.

  “Try.” His voice hardens. “We’ve shared quite a bit more than information just now. You owe me a chance to understand.”

  I wrap my arms around myself, the loss of contact with Shade’s skin leaving me chilled to the bone. Maybe Shade is right, maybe speaking the truth will fare differently from forcing physical evidence of it, like I tried by having Coal touch his ear. Maybe this moment now is too precious to let pass. Licking my lips, I find the male’s eyes. “You are fae, Shade,” I say quickly, despite the warning bells tolling in my soul. “We came from Lunos together, wearing an amulet that was supposed to make humans believe we belong in the mortal realms. But—”

  I cut off as Shade’s eyes widen—not in surprise but in sheer undiluted agony. No. Clamping his hands on either side of his head, the male rocks, gasping for breath.

  No, no, no. This can’t be happening again. I’ve only just recovered from Coal’s agonized scream.

  “Shade!” My gut clenches. Twisting to my knees, I brush my finger along his strong pain-lined face. “Breathe. It’s all right. I’ll stop.”

  Holding on to my gaze like a lifeline, Shade continues gasping a minute longer until his breathing finally slows. “I heard you speak, but your words turned to daggers,” he says, his voice breaking. “I could hang on to what you said no more than I could hold a blade with my bare hands.”

  The image is so on point that bile rises up my throat. I’m afraid to speak. Afraid of doing anything lest it challenge the amulet’s veil. I only realize that tears roll down my cheeks when the male reaches out to brush them away with his thumb.

  “It’s all right, cub.” Drawing me to him, Shade smooths my hair, his palm large and so, so warm.

  “No, it isn’t.” I force the words past my tight throat. “I have to go.”

  “No.” He grabs my arms, his eyes now clear. Intellig
ent. “Just because you cannot speak of some things doesn’t mean you get to run from me, cub. Not now, not ever.”

  I shake my head, my fingers running along Shade’s cheek, savoring the stubble-roughened skin. “I have to go,” I whisper again. “We both do. We can’t talk, and we can’t stay here forever. You know that. Plus, the Night Guard is still about.”

  Predatory yellow eyes narrow on mine. “I will find you again,” he says, this time the words coming as a mix of threat and promise. “I will work out the truth of this, and I will find you.”

  When I open my mouth to reply, his lips descend upon mine with a claiming force that takes my breath.

  Gripping the back of my head, Shade plunges his tongue deeper still, each stroke more possessive than the one before it. Heat rushes from my mouth all the way to my swollen apex, which rouses again immediately. My body flinches from the sheer intensity of Shade’s kiss, but the security of his grip keeps me in place, turning the spreading flame into a bonfire that has my thighs trembling.

  I moan into Shade’s mouth, my tongue trying and failing to match his. I struggle against the force of his kiss again, my heart speeding until…until I stop fighting, letting myself feel the full force of Shade’s desire, trusting the male as he makes my soul soar to frightening heights.

  A whimper escapes me when he starts to pull away, the sound turning to a short yip at the string of pain along my upper lip.

  “You bit me,” I sputter.

  Still holding me in place, Shade laps the tiny drop of blood from my lip, his eyes glowing with lupine intensity. “I claim you, cub,” he whispers, finally allowing me to pull back. “Now and forever.”

  I touch my lip, the sting morphing to a warmth that spreads through my skin. “You marked me.”

  He shrugs one shoulder, a bit of color touching his face. “If you are going to go, you better do it now,” he murmurs. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep myself in check.”

  Right. Over my panting breaths, the night still feels like a dream. When I climb to my feet however, the sensations flooding my body reassure me that everything that happened was, in fact, real. Gathering what’s left of my clothes and armor, I cover myself the best I can. “Don’t look,” I tell Shade as I start toward the gathering of thick oaks a few paces away. I don’t know how his looking actually matters since the moment my own veil amulet snaps into place, it will spin a story of its own, but I want to tempt the magic as little as possible.

  Once behind the cover of the trees, I take the magical relic out of its pouch and swallow. Shade claimed me. But will he find me amidst the humans? Before the terror of his possible failure paralyzes me, I fasten the amulet around my neck and disappear into the woods.

  A cadet keeping clear of an instructor lest he catch her out of bounds.

  By the time I meet Arisha on the other side of the escape tunnel—waiting with a patient smile and my rumpled dress and cloak in hand—my throat is so tight that I can barely pull myself together enough to explain my disheveled state. Shade held me. Claimed me. Called out my name. And would not recognize me now if I walked right into him. I can hardly explain why this is so agonizing to myself right now, let alone my inquisitive, too-watchful friend.

  “I only managed to hit two Yocklols before the Night Guard appeared of all things. It seems they’ve obtained a key to Mystwood and managed to step between the Light and Gloom in the mortal realm,” I force myself to say over the sorrow and longing pounding my soul.

  “Stars.” Arisha sucks in a breath. “Plugging a leak of errant magic seeping through faulty wards is one thing, but going against the Night Guard… “

  “Could they be responsible for the crumbling wards?” I ask. “Why are they here of all places?”

  “Likely the same reason your quint came——this is where the rift in the protective fabric starts.”

  “Fair point. Well, unless the rift expands, the Night Guard fae have no more access to magic in the mortal realm than I do, so at least we are even.” I try to shrug one shoulder in feigned nonchalance but end up wincing instead, my traitorous body reminding me of just how sore and drained I am. Whatever dance Shade’s magic did with mine while we mated might have healed the worst of my injuries, but I am still a certifiable mess. “On the brighter side,” I say, starting our trek back to the dorms, “Coal is likely to break me in two in the next morning training, and then I will have to deal with none of this mess. That is right, right? Your uncle doesn’t have some prophecy that says a fae comes back from the dead to do work?”

  “Actually…” Arisha shoots me a sideways glance that makes my stomach sink on instinct.

  “What?”

  “The good news,” says Arisha, “is that you need not worry about Coal in the morning.”

  “And the bad news?”

  “I didn’t want to distract you earlier, but you are to report to River tomorrow morning. The suspicious sort that he is, he’d like to watch as you complete your assignments.” Arisha tries for a smile that doesn’t quite reach her blue eyes. “Look at the bright side, do this once, and we’ll have breathing room for a while.”

  13

  Lera

  Stopping halfway up the long, winding keep stairs to River’s study, I press my back against the cool stone wall on an off chance that brilliance might strike down upon me at the last moment.

  It doesn’t.

  My mind spins with the taste of a forbidden kiss, of River’s stunned gray eyes. Of his hunched broad shoulders silhouetted against the railing as I ran from the balcony.

  Of what transpired between Shade and me since then.

  I scrubbed the healer’s scent—along with other smells of the night’s fighting—off myself early this morning. But there is nothing I can do for my memories.

  Focus. I shake my head. One problem at a time.

  The satchel with books I can barely read and math I can’t begin to understand hangs over my shoulder, its weight heavier than any weapon. Despite tossing in my sheets for what was left of the night, I’ve no solution for the looming disaster. The moment River pushes, there will be no hiding the extent of my ignorance. And then… Then you’ll deal with the practical consequences, I tell myself firmly. He can punish me for cheating, force me to repeat the classes for the next decade, lock me in my chamber until I improve. But he can’t expel me from the Academy.

  And he can’t ever unknow what he will discover about me. King, meet stable girl.

  Swallowing the bile rising up my throat, I force my body back into motion, the spiraling staircase somehow managing to be too long and too short all at once. The bustling Academy grounds glimmer through tall narrow windows, escape growing farther and farther away. Stopping at the second level from the top, I survey the antechamber to River’s study, the pair of benches where visitors are to wait currently empty. The double doors leading to the study itself are thrown open, revealing a room burned into my memory despite a single visit here. Wood-panel-lined walls, a bookshelf, a fireplace—the flames currently banked.

  River stands in front of his desk, his back toward me. With his arms braced on the table’s edge and his attention down on something he must be reading, his back forms a muscular triangle beneath a black silk shirt. His shoulder blades are especially pronounced against the soft fabric, which tapers to a narrow waist and fitted pants that outline the male’s muscular backside and thighs. His woodsy scent fills the room, marking it as his.

  The sight of River’s perfect, powerful frame dries my mouth—and the male hasn’t even moved a muscle. Hasn’t acknowledged my presence either, though surely his immortal senses have alerted him to my coming. In the silence, I can almost hear the phantom chords of the Ostera ball, River’s sure steps spinning us with a waltz that makes the very stars dance. Biting my lip, I press my thighs tighter together, my body reacting to his sheer physical presence even while my mind screams its warning to me. That was a noble lady he had been spinning. Not me.

  The heartbeat of silence
between us turns to two. Three. I clear my throat. “Sir? You wished to see me.”

  “Yes.” He still doesn’t turn, though his back muscles bunch beneath his shirt. His hand moves, apparently pulling another paper out for his inspection as he motions to a high-back chair a pace away from him. “Take a seat.”

  I walk slowly, my hands fingering the strap of my satchel. “I’ll stand.” The words come out softer than I’d intended. I clear my throat and try again. “I’d prefer to stand, sir. If that is all right.”

  River turns, his broad chest and square jaw enough to make a stone dampen. “All right.” He waits, bracing his hands on the desk behind him in a way that makes his shirt stretch over his abdomen.

  Stopping at the chair, I’m suddenly not sure why I insisted on standing. Certainly it does little to diminish the sheer difference in our size, with my head barely reaching River’s shoulder.

  “You should know that when I issued orders for you to report here, the Ostera ball…events had not yet happened.” His voice is a soft rumble that vibrates my core. Events. His dance. Our kiss. My running off into the darkness. My hands tighten on the back of the chair. River straightens, pulling down on his already perfect shirt, his face an unreadable mask. “What I did was inappropriate, Leralynn. And I both beg your forgiveness and offer assurance that such indiscretion on my part will not be repeated.”

  Ice douses my core. Indiscretion. I’m a bloody indiscretion.

  “Understood, sir.” My voice is so distant, I can’t believe it belongs to me, my heart hammering against my chest.

  He draws a deep breath, his shoulders straight but seeming to bear even more weight than I am used to seeing upon them. “All right. With that said, judging from the books I see you’ve brought, I imagine you are aware of my original reason for summoning you.” He runs a hand through his hair, one of his only tells of discomfort. “However, given my subsequent poor choices on an unrelated matter, I don’t believe myself to be in a position to oversee you. So I will instead simply lay out the facts and let you walk out that door to make your own choices. You are not required to say anything regarding my suspicions or allegations, but I request that you not lie to me either. Can you agree to that?”