Zodiac Academy 3: The Reckoning
The Reckoning: Chapter 23

I RAN THROUGH THE Wailing Wood with my headphones on and the music pumping loud enough to bust an eardrum or drown out the echoes of the shadows which were still whispering on the verges of my mind.

I’d barely slept. Each time I drifted off, the darkness had been waiting for me, thick with promise and expectation.

I didn’t know if I was more afraid of it taking me or of me choosing to go willingly.

I knew it wasn’t real, just a memory of what Darius’s dagger had exposed me to but the goosebumps lining my flesh were still in place since the moment I’d woken up on that beach. I felt cold. All the way down to my bones. And even the fire magic in me couldn’t do much to fix it.

My heart was pounding against my chest, my breaths coming hard and fast as I pushed myself to my limit. I had twenty minutes until my Water Elemental Trial and I intended to use each of them up before I arrived. If I could pound the shadows out with a heavy bass and hard exercise then I’d do it.

I took a turning south towards Water Territory, increasing my pace as I hit a downhill.

The lake shimmered between the trees as they began to thin and I took a turn quickly, gasping as I spotted someone standing right in my way. I couldn’t stop in time, my sneakers skidded in the mud and I slammed straight into Darius Acrux’s chest.

My headphones were knocked loose, falling to hang around my neck and the world came crashing back in on me.

He caught my forearms to stop me from falling and looked down at me in surprise.

I fought to catch my breath, some kind of violent death metal song clashing out of the headphones hanging around my throat as I stared up into his dark eyes.

Darius looked at me in surprise, his lips parting like he had something to say but he hadn’t quite decided what. His grip on me tightened a little, just like it had on my throat last night.

“Get the fuck off of me,” I growled, yanking my arms back.

His eyes darkened instantly like a wall had slammed into place behind them.

“Gladly,” he snapped. But instead of releasing me, he shoved me hard and I fell back onto my ass in the mud.

Pain ricocheted through my hips and tears stung the backs of my eyes as something in my chest twisted sharply.

My mouth fell open in shock as I looked up at him, the cold of the ground burrowing into my bones quickly and banishing what little warmth I’d managed to glean from my run.

For a second I remembered laughing with him after we’d crashed his motorbikes and somehow survived and I swallowed thickly against the sensation that I’d lost something with him now. It was like that had been someone else. Not this cruel, hard shell who stood over me, only looking to cause me pain.

“Whoops!” Caleb said cheerily as he shot onto the path beside us. I caught the sounds of Seth howling somewhere in the trees too. “Did you fall down, sweetheart?” He offered me a hand to pull me up but I looked away from him, pushing myself upright instead.

“She was just getting used to the feeling of being where she belongs. Beneath our feet,” Darius growled.

Caleb looked between us, a frown pulling at his brow for a moment as he seemed to realise he’d walked in on some kind of altercation.

I didn’t bother to respond to Darius, sidestepping him quickly as I made to continue my journey to my Water Trial.

“Did you just shove her in the mud?” Caleb asked incredulously.

“What does it matter to you?” Darius snapped.

“It’s just a bit…”

“What?” he snarled.

“Weak,” Caleb snapped back and I paused, glancing over my shoulder as I looked between the two of them.

Darius moved to square his chest against Caleb’s, rising up to his full height and making the most of the few inches he had on him.

“You wanna say that again?”

“Any asshole can push a girl in the mud, it’s got nothing to do with your power or hers,” Caleb snarled. “And it’s a petty fucking thing to do to her.”

My heart beat a little faster at his words. Caleb had made it clear that he stood with the Heirs always, I’d never expected to hear him standing up for me against one of them. Even if it was just because he didn’t like the way Darius had gone about belittling me rather than objecting to the idea as a whole.

“Petty?” Darius growled. “Well I’d sooner that than be a pathetic little puppy, begging for every moment of her time. You literally let her run away from you rather than just taking what you want from her. What kind of Vampire are you?”

“The kind who’s overpowered you more than once,” Caleb hissed, his fangs lengthening.

I backed up a little as the air between them crackled with the promise of violence.

“Wanna put that to the test?” Darius baited.

Max crowed like a cockerel as he made it to the path behind me with Seth at his side but the two of them fell still as they looked at their friends in a stalemate. I wasn’t sure if Darius would bite Caleb’s head off first or if he’d get his throat ripped out instead.

I glanced at the other two Heirs but they weren’t offering me any attention.

“What’s going on?” Seth asked, a whimper escaping him as he took in the spiralling tension in the air.

“Caleb’s crying because I pushed his little whore about,” Darius taunted and for some reason those words stung more than him shoving me had.

Max looked at me with narrowed eyes and I backed up further. Whatever the hell this was, I didn’t need to stay around and watch it play out. I had a trial to get to and the fewer assholes I had around me during it the better.

“Darius is just pouting because she won’t look twice at him,” Caleb retorted.

Seth turned to look at me, a snarl aimed my way through bared teeth like this was my fault. All I’d wanted to do was go for a run. He couldn’t expect me to be on asshole patrol at all times, just in case I ran across one. They were freaking everywhere in this place.

“Or maybe the two of you just want a dick measuring contest but you can’t find a microscope to judge it,” I snapped.

Darius and Caleb turned away from each other to glare at me instead.

Yeah, I’m out.

I turned away and started running again. Mostly because they were making me late, partly because I just wanted to get the hell away from them. From Darius.

“Come stay in Terra House with me tonight, Tory!” Caleb called after me but I didn’t respond to that either, I just kept running.

A crowd had formed alongside the lake, slowly moving up onto the bleachers which had been erected for them to watch the challenge.

I circled them, heading straight for the tents which had been set up for the freshmen to change in. One glance at the magical timer hanging suspended beside the bleachers told me I had six minutes until it started and I upped my speed in response.

Darcy’s eyes widened in relief as I pushed my way inside the tent. 

“Where the hell have you been, Tor?” she demanded, holding out a black swimsuit for me to put on as I quickly tossed my headphones off of me and used water magic to wash the mud from my hands and face.

“Fucking Darius,” I muttered, dropping my leggings. “Doesn’t matter, I’m here now.” I hadn’t told her about the shadows yet. I would. But she needed to focus on this first and foremost and there really wasn’t any time now.

I dropped all of my clothes in a heap and dragged on the bathing suit, noticing a belt around it with a large, metal hoop hanging over my right hip, before hurrying out of the tent at Darcy’s side.

She was still eyeing me with concern but I set my jaw, raising my chin. That seemed to be good enough for her and she grinned at me.

“We got this,” she said firmly.

“Let’s show that asshole who he’s fucking with,” I growled.

“Those assholes,” Darcy teased. “There’s four of them, remember.”

I snorted a laugh. “Five really. Orion just licks his ass too.”

“Yeah,” she agreed, a frown pinching her brows.

We reached the group of freshmen assembled before the lake and moved to take our places alongside them.

Professor Washer strolled along the lakeshore in a fluffy red robe and I glanced at Darcy, exchanging a ‘thank god he’s covered up for once’ look with her.

“The trial!” Washer called, gaining silence from the onlookers as well as the freshmen. “Is simple. There are coloured keys hidden in three different forms of water. One is a block of ice. Another, a relentless waterfall. And the third, the depths of the lake itself-” I suppressed a shudder at that one. “- to succeed in passing this trial, you must each claim a red, blue and yellow key and make it to the platform in the centre of the lake within the allotted hour. Only use water magic – no sneaky Siren transformations, Julian,” he purred the guy’s name and threw him a wink which made me gag.

“They should make the challenge to escape from Washer,” I breathed to Darcy. “I’d run so fucking fast I’d have it won in five seconds flat.” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

She slapped a hand over her mouth to stop her laugh and Washer looked our way, offering a cheeky grin.

“I’ll be on hand alongside several other Sirens to monitor your progress, make sure no one is cheating and that no one drowns. The ice is that way-” he pointed over a bridge to our left. “The falls over there-” He pointed right. “And if you just want to go ahead and get wet with me right now, you can all see, the big, blue…” Washer dropped his robe to reveal his blue scales covering his body and wriggled his hips suggestively. He was wearing the smallest fucking red speedo I’d ever seen. It was practically a thong. My mouth opened in horror. “Lake!” he finished, throwing his hands up just as a claxon sounded the start of the challenge.

“What first?” Darcy asked as the freshmen all started running in different directions, most of them going for the falls and ice.

I stared into the lake, nightmares shifting beneath my skin.

“I hope you don’t drown, Roxy!” Darius shouted from somewhere in the crowd.

“Again!” Max added.

The sound of hundreds of students laughing filled my ears and blood flooded my cheeks.

“Fuck them,” I spat. “Let’s do the lake first!”

“Hell yes,” Darcy agreed and we both started running straight for the water.

We’d done a fair bit of work in our Water Elemental lessons on controlling water. The trick to it was in giving it somewhere else to flow. You couldn’t just cut through it, you needed to carve a hole into existence and encourage it to flood on by.

The cold liquid splashed across my legs and the slick feel of reeds pushed between my bare toes in a way that made my skin crawl but I didn’t slow.

We kept wading until we started swimming, aiming for a ring of blue lights which sat in a circle on the water’s surface, marking the spot where we needed to dive.

As the water got deeper, we began to swim. The endless depths beneath me made my heart beat faster but instead of caving to that fear, I used the energy to fuel my weary limbs.

We made it to the ring of lights and I looked down into the darkness of the blue water. I could see my legs but not much beyond.

Washer was bobbing in the water before us, a smile playing around his lips. “How long can you hold your breath?” he teased, though for once he kept his Siren magic the hell away from us.

I openly sneered in disgust at him as I drew on my water magic.

“On three?” Darcy asked, her eyes glimmering with the depths of her power.

“Three,” I said, just before I dove beneath the water.

I pressed my hands out in front of my face as I kicked down and worked my hardest to channel the water around me.

A flood of air hit my face and I gulped it down before it slipped away. I tried again. And again. Each time I succeeded, the longer the air stayed around me, the water sliding by as if I were in an arrow-shaped cocoon.

Blue lights glimmered ahead and I kicked harder, trying to ignore it every time the water cut back in and hit me in the face. Each breath I managed was a success, the glowing blue lights signalling this win.

Darcy’s leg skimmed mine and I was glad to find her right beside me. It was hard to make her out in the gloom beneath the water but just knowing she was there leant me strength.

As we neared the bottom of the lake, the blue lights revealed themselves to be keys. I cried out in triumph, bubbles spilling through the water around me as I snatched one into my grasp.

I caught Darcy’s eye for a moment as I hooked the key onto the loop at my waist and she did the same.

She pointed at the surface far above us and I nodded my agreement as I started to kick towards it.

Rising was easier than diving and the air slid over my lips less and less often as I chose speed over wielding the water away, the promise of oxygen waiting so close above.

My head breached the surface and I whooped in triumph, sparing a moment to high five Darcy as Washer grinned at us.

“You’re the first to make it to the base,” he said and for once I didn’t flinch away from the suggestive tone he used, I just laughed.

“Ice next?” Darcy suggested and I agreed quickly as we started swimming for the shore.

A chant had started up from the crowd but I couldn’t make out the words. I probably didn’t want to anyway.

We kept going until we were dragging ourselves up the bank and started running towards the bridge Washer had pointed out.

“Vegas gonna take you down! Vegas coming for the crown! Watch out Heirs you’d better bow! Vegas gonna take you DOWN!”

I looked around, my eyes widening in surprise at the chant which was taking place and my gaze fell on Geraldine in full on conductor mode as the Ass Club all screamed their lungs out in support of us. She had a baton and a white shirt with Vega Royals! scrawled across the front of it and was grinning her damn head off. I couldn’t spare her more than that quick glance as we ran on but we both let out a laugh as we went.

We crossed the bridge quickly and my eyes widened as I spotted the huge block of ice before us. I felt the freezing cold air coming off of it before we even made it within ten feet. Inside it, red lights were glowing which I knew had to be the keys.

“Shit, how will we get one of those out?” I asked desperately. I’d created ice more than once, though not really on purpose and I hadn’t ever tried to melt it with water magic. My natural inclination would be to use fire for that.

A girl with bright blue eyes was standing a little way along the block of ice, both hands pressed to it and sinking in. With a cry of success, she drew back, yanking a red key with her before she turned and sprinted away.

Darcy sprang forward and I followed her lead, ignoring the bite of cold that came at me as I moved towards the ice.

I laid my palms against the frozen block right over a glimmering key which looked to be about a foot inside it.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and trying to feel for the sensation of water moving between my palms, willing the ice to take on that form for me.

A bead of moisture raced down the back of my hand. Then another. And another. I pressed on, refusing to open my eyes in case it broke my concentration as water began to spill between my spread fingers.

My palm finally hit metal and I snatched the red key out with a whoop of triumph, hooking it onto my belt and looking to Darcy as she did the same.

“One to go,” I said excitedly.

“Oh I’m gonna rub it in the Heirs’ faces so hard when we make it through The Reckoning,” Darcy announced and I laughed at the fire in her voice.

We ran back across the bridge, past the bleachers and the crowd who were still screaming encouragement for us under Geraldine’s guidance.

We crossed paths with students racing in the opposite direction, one guy smacking straight into me and earning himself an elbow to the ribs in response.

When we made it to the waterfall, I stumbled to a halt, staring up at it in shock. It slammed down on the path in an endless torrent, the water cycling back around and around magically with so much force that I knew we wouldn’t be able to stand beneath it much less pass through it without magic.

I bit my lip as I raised my hands and stepped forward, the spray crashing over me.

My magic was beginning to feel a little empty, the well inside me running lower than usual at all the power I’d exerted. But we needed more. Just a little more.

We’d figured out how to make it through the waterfall which led into our Water Elemental class in our second week and I guessed this was just a more extreme version of that.

I took a deep breath and pressed my influence into the torrent as I raised my hands, willing it to part in the centre and convincing it that the routes to the left and right of me were easier. Darcy threw her own magic at the same spot and all of a sudden the water parted like a curtain, revealing a pedestal covered in glimmering yellow keys.

We darted in and grabbed two, hooking them to our belts before dropping the magic and sprinting back towards the lake.

The crowd screamed as they spotted us and adrenaline surged through my shaky limbs as I caught Darcy’s hand so that we could run together.

The platform in the centre of the lake seemed impossibly far out but I also noticed that no one stood on it yet. We were in the lead, the first of the freshmen to have collected all three keys.

I grinned as I ran straight into the water, swimming as soon as I could, using my water magic to carve an easier path for my aching body along the surface.

There were a lot of other students in the lake but they were all still in the process of diving for the blue key. I was so glad we chose to do that first now that the exhaustion was pounding through my limbs. It had taken the most magic and I was sure more than one of the students in the water were struggling on low reserves now.

It seemed like we swam forever, the sound of the crowd lost to the swoosh, swoosh, swoosh of water around my ears before finally, my hand hit the wooden platform.

My arms trembled as I dragged myself up onto it, catching Darcy’s arm to help pull her over the edge at the same time.

We pushed ourselves to our feet and the screaming crowd went wild on the lakeshore, a grin almost cleaving my face in two as I looked out over everyone.

“We did it,” Darcy said, partly in relief, part shock, part pure goddamn joy.

“Hell yeah we did!”

I threw my arms around her and we squealed like little kids who’d just turned up at Disney Land. After the horrors of the night before, a win was exactly what I’d needed and holy crap did it feel good.

***

Geraldine threw us a celebration of ridiculous proportions in The Orb over dinner, laying out plate after plate of food for us until we were so full we were fit to pop.

By the time it got close to curfew, I’d joined Sofia and the members of the Ass Club who lived in Ignis House and headed back to my bed.

Exhaustion had tugged at my body and I’d managed a few hours of sleep before a nightmare had woken me. I scrubbed a hand over my face as I tried to fight it off but I could still hear whispering in the dark corners of my room.

I snatched my Atlas from my nightstand and scowled as I realised it was only half eleven.

My heart was beating a little too fast and my mind was whirling with crazy ideas which wouldn’t let me rest. I tried closing my eyes to block them out but gave up as the nightmares drew close again.

I let out a breath of irritation as I rose, trying to figure out who might be awake to keep me company.

I slipped out of bed and decided to investigate the common room. Maybe Sofia or even Milton would still be up.

It was chilly out of the comfort of my bed and I quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a red sweater before kicking my sneakers on and heading down to the common room.

I thumbed through FaeBook posts on my Atlas as I walked and one caught my eye.

Tyler Corbin: Watch out Griffins. I’ve personally dealt with an Heir lusting after me for my sparkly tail. Here’s a few tips to you Griffins if Max Rigel peer pressures you into joining his turd herd with his Siren powers.

1.Don’t look him in the eye too long (Caleb Altair started touching himself when I did this)

2.When in your Order form, take dumps in private. If Max catches you, charge him down. (He’s not as fast as a horny Vampire)

3.If all else fails, shit on him and shit on him good. He might enjoy it but at least you’ll get even. (Caleb’s still washing the glitter out of his hair since I did this – I’m starting to think he wants it there)

#pooboo #dungchum #maxlikescracks

Comments:

Milly Badgerville: Ewww is this true?

Amy Sawyer: Oooh where can I sign up to the turd herd?

Max Rigel: You are so fucking dead. 

Geraldine Grus: If you lay a finger on him you foul faeces enthusiast, you will face the wrath of the Almighty Sovereign Society!

Milton Hubert: Hahaha Geraldine

Darius Acrux: @Miltonhubert Ghosts don’t have FaeBook profiles. Delete it before the end of the day.

Caleb Altair: I’m going to Pegassassinate you.

Angelica Luevano:  The A.S.S protect all friends of the true queens! Hail the Vegas! Hail their friends! #downwiththeheirs

I laughed to myself as I continued to read the comments and only looked up as I reached the common room. I stilled, looking around for a friendly face. I didn’t find any. Instead I spotted Darius Acrux and his fan club taking up a huge circle of chairs by the biggest fireplace in the room. I almost turned and walked straight back out but he looked up at that moment, his gaze fixing on me.

I pursed my lips, refusing to scurry from the room but no longer having a reason for being there.

“Sneaking out to go screw Caleb again?” Marguerite mocked as she spotted me too. “You realise he’s just using you for your power, right?”

I lifted my chin and stalked towards her, silently thanking her for the brilliant idea. Caleb was exactly what I needed to take my mind away from my nightmares.

“You’re wrong, Marguerite,” I said sweetly. “He’s not just using me for my power: he gets my body too.”

Darius growled and a wall of flames sprang into place before the doorway, blocking my way out.

“It’s after curfew,” he snapped, daring me to go against him.

“Yeah,” I agreed, pausing before the flames. “There are lots of silly rules in this place. They even frown on people hanging out down at Air Cove with tea-”

“I don’t give a shit what you do but I don’t want you getting caught and losing us House Points,” Darius snarled, cutting me off as he dropped the barrier of flames. 

I offered him an insolent look and headed for the door. Darius got out of his chair before I made it though, stepping into my way. He snatched my Atlas out of my grip and I fought against the urge to try and snatch it back, clenching my teeth instead.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

“I just wanted to make sure you’ve seen the latest story about you. Wouldn’t want you to miss it,” he said with a shrug, tapping away at something on the screen. 

His fan club were all watching us expectantly and they fell silent while they waited to find out what would happen next.

“Unlike you, I don’t jerk off over the sight of my name in the press so don’t bother,” I said, holding my hand out for my Atlas.

“Oh but it’s such an accurate piece, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to miss out.”

Marguerite laughed excitedly and I narrowed my eyes on him, wondering why it was taking him so long to search for a single news story.

Darius twisted my Atlas in his hand and pushed it back at me. Unsurprisingly the story had been written by Gus Vulpecula and the title was less than complimentary. 

Are the Vega Twins cheating their way through school exams?

I instantly shut down the page, having no interest in reading more bullshit that guy had invented about us.

“Can I go now? My sex addiction needs an outlet.” I looked up at Darius like he was boring me and his jaw clenched.

“You might wanna give Cal some notice if you’re planning on surprising him. Last I saw of him, he was heading back to his room with Milly Badgerville, it might be embarrassing for you if she’s still there,” Darius taunted as he stepped aside.

I snorted dismissively. “Let’s hope you’re right and the three of us can have fun together.”

I moved towards the door and Darius called after me, unable to just let me go and escape his aggravatingly boring company.

“If you get caught you’ll be fucking sorry.”

His fan club laughed appreciatively and Marguerite gave me a look that suggested she thought she’d won something.

I rolled my eyes at him and continued towards the door. “I hope you have a great night too,” I muttered. “And your friends don’t end up suffocating from shoving their heads too far up your ass.”

Once I was outside, I wrapped my arms around myself and set a quick pace to Terra House, slipping off the main paths to avoid being caught by patrolling teachers. I probably should have been more worried about coming across a stray Nymph but I really needed a distraction from the shadows which would be waiting for me if I tried to sleep again now. Besides, with so many teachers out patrolling and the FIB still maintaining a perimeter around the school grounds, I found it hard to believe a Nymph could get in again. Even so, I decided to run so that the trip would be over as quickly as possible.

It didn’t take me long to get to Terra House and I swerved around the back of the large hill, tiptoeing up to the very highest window where Caleb’s room lay.

As I got closer I dropped to my hands and knees, slowing my movements in the hopes that even his Vampire senses wouldn’t detect me.

I lay on my stomach and inched forward until I could see down into Caleb’s room through the window in the grass. He was laying in bed, one arm hooked behind his head as he watched TV with his shirt off and the duvet wrapped between his legs.

I bit my lip and carefully pulled my Atlas from my pocket, tapping out a message with feather light movements in case he detected me.

Tory:

15 minutes…

I heard his Atlas ping through the glass and he reached for it slowly, dragging it out of the folded duvet while his attention stayed fixed on the screen at the foot of his bed. He lifted the Atlas to read the message and I grinned as he sat up straighter, tapping out a response instantly.

Caleb:

I’ll find you in five 😉

He leapt out of bed and flicked the TV off without a second glance, snatching a hoodie from his wardrobe and shrugging it on before pushing his feet into his sneakers and heading straight out of the door.

I counted to thirty to make sure he was well down the corridor then carefully jimmied the latch on his window using a pen I had in my pocket so I could open it. It was easily done now that I was familiar with the catch after we’d broken in to plant the Pegasex doll and within moments I had the window wide.

I shoved the pen back into my pocket and shuffled around so that I could lower myself into his room. I hung from the window frame before letting go and falling down to land on my ass in the centre of his bed with a laugh.

I quickly got up and kicked off my shoes as I moved to sit on his bed. My heart pounded with adrenaline as I lifted my Atlas into my grip and typed out another message for him.

Tory:

You’re getting colder… do you want a clue?

Caleb:

Watch out sweetheart or I’ll start to think you want to lose.

But of course I want a clue…

I held my Atlas up and took a selfie of me sitting on his bed before sending it to him. I knew that it would mean I lost the game, but I wanted him enough tonight not to care about being bitten. I just needed to get out of my own head and lose myself for a few hours and what better way to do that than in Caleb Altair’s arms? Plus I probably owed him some kind of thanks for sticking up for me with Darius.

I waited for a reply but none came and I drummed my fingers against the side of my Atlas impatiently.

A moment later the key sounded in the lock and Caleb swept into the room with a wide smile on his face.

“How?” he demanded, looking around at the door as he closed it again.

I smirked at him and pointed to the window above my head. “You left it open,” I replied innocently, though I was fairly sure he knew that was a lie.

Caleb didn’t seem to care much about the truth to my claim as he stalked towards me instead, his gaze fixed on me where I sat in the centre of his bed. 

“I thought you were pissed at me?” he teased.

I shrugged. “I decided to give you a pass in light of you sticking up for me with your friend.”

Caleb paused, a crease forming on his brow. “You know my loyalty is still with the Heirs though, right? I just happen to think shoving girls about isn’t the best way to show strength.”

“Yeah, I got that. Don’t worry, I don’t think you’ve suddenly turned into a knight in shining armour. And I wouldn’t want you to either; I can fight my own battles.” My gaze trailed over his mouth and my pulse hitched a little.

“I don’t know about that, you promised to punish me for my involvement with that shit at the pool but I’m still waiting for you to come at me,” he teased.

“Are you, now?” I couldn’t help but smirk to myself at that. He had no idea we’d already hit him solidly in his reputation with those Pegasus rumours, but if he liked the idea that he still had one up on me then I wasn’t going to burst his bubble. “Well maybe I’m building up to it,” I said, dropping my voice as I looked over his body slowly.

Caleb smirked at me and hounded forward, closing in on me with intent.

“Wait,” I said as he drew closer, shifting up onto my knees as I moved to meet him at the edge of the bed.

“Why?” he breathed, his gaze roaming over me intently.

“Because I made you a promise,” I said, offering him a sly smile.

“What promise?”

I stepped off of the bed and bit my lip as I caught his waist and walked him backwards a few steps until he bumped against the wall.

Caleb caught my jaw in his rough palm and guided my mouth to his possessively. My heart pounded at the heat in that kiss as his body begged for me like I was aching for him. I needed to push the shadows away and forget everything else and his kiss was a promise of oblivion. Even if it couldn’t last forever.

I kissed him hard, my tongue sweeping over his as I tugged at the drawstring which secured his sweatpants, loosening it so that I could have access to every hard inch of him.

Caleb groaned as my hand gripped the smooth length of him and I smiled against his mouth as I slid it up and down a few times slowly.

I broke our kiss as I reached up to unzip his hoodie, sliding it off of his broad shoulders so that I could have access to more of his flesh. He wasn’t wearing a shirt beneath it so I was instantly rewarded with what I’d wanted.

He pushed his hands into my hair as I moved my mouth down his neck, over his collarbone and down the firm ridges of his abdominals before I dropped to my knees before him, pushing his pants down as I went.

“Shit,” Caleb breathed, his word a curse and a prayer as he realised what I was going to do with him.

Caleb swore more forcefully as I took him into my mouth, my tongue sweeping around the length of him as I drew him between my lips, sucking and teasing as his hands fisted in my hair.

He groaned as I found a rhythm, moving my mouth over him as I pushed his body closer and closer to release.

Caleb gripped my hair tighter in a desperate movement and drew me back off of him. His hand slid to my chin and he pulled me upright again, claiming my lips with his as he peeled my sweater off. He tossed it aside and quickly unbuckled my jeans, his fingers swift and urgent with his need until he had me in my underwear.

“You always surprise me, Tory,” he breathed, turning me suddenly so that my back was to him and his arms wrapped around my waist, drawing me close. “I never know what to expect from you and it drives me fucking insane.”

I moaned as his teeth skimmed along the line of my jaw, arching into him as his hands moved across my flesh.

He kissed my neck and I pushed my ass back against him, moaning as his fingers pushed beneath my bra and he began a sweet torment on my hardened nipple.

“Just when I think I’ve got you figured out, you do this to me and I could just about lose my mind over it.”

Caleb’s other hand shifted beneath the fabric of my panties and he groaned with desire as he pushed a finger inside me, feeling just how much I wanted him. His dick was so hard against my ass that my mouth was drying up with desire to feel every inch of him inside me.

Caleb kept moving his hand and started walking me forward towards the bed. I went willingly, my breaths laboured with need as he kept up his sweet torment, his fingers giving me a taste of what I needed from him while keeping me hanging in suspense at the same time.

We reached the foot of the bed and I caught the bedpost, leaning forward over it without needing any more encouragement. Caleb withdrew his hand, catching my panties in his grip and shoving them down. He lined himself up behind me and I panted breathily, needing this from him more than I’d realised when I came here.

He groaned with desire and claimed me with one hard thrust of his hips. I cried out, bucking forward as I gripped the bedpost to stop myself from falling.

Caleb swore under his breath, gripping my hips as he drove himself into me again and again, each powerful thrust forcing a moan from my lips as he pushed me closer and closer to a climax which my body ached for so desperately.

The headboard was slamming into the wall and my nails were gouging lines into the wooden post which was the only thing stopping me from toppling over beneath the strength of his desire.

Caleb’s hand slid from my hip, pushing down until his fingers were riding the perfect place at the apex of my thighs, the power of his thrusts meeting with a circle of his fingers on that sensitive spot.

I sucked in a breath, my head spinning as he drove me closer and closer to the edge, drawing so much pleasure into my body that I could barely even meet his thrusts with the rocking of my own hips.

Caleb drew back one final time, his fingers pressing down a touch harder as he slammed into me and sent me careering into a mind blowing wave of pleasure with a cry which was punctuated by his own gasp of release as he followed me into ecstasy.

He fell forward over me for a moment, our bodies slick with sweat, chests heaving as we fought to recover from the impact of what we’d just done.

He pressed kisses to the back of my neck and shoulders, little shivers tumbling through my sensitised skin at the feel of them.

After several minutes where neither of us could do much more than try to catch our breath, Caleb eased off of me and drew me upright into his arms.

He turned me around, his hand sliding into my hair as he kissed me sweetly, righting his pants which hadn’t even made it off of his body in his haste to have me.

I smiled into his kiss, my flesh humming with satisfied energy as I ran my hands along the firm muscles of his biceps so that I could hold onto him. 

“You have no idea how much I needed that,” I murmured, kissing him again as he guided me back to his bed.

“You’ve been keeping me in suspense for days, sweetheart,” he replied with a laugh. “I think I know how much.”

I sank down onto his mattress and he offered me one of his shirts which he snagged from a chair beside the bed. I shrugged into it, fastening the buttons as he watched me intently, following me back onto the bed.

“You wanna stay and watch Rambo with me?” he offered with a shy grin which was so unlike his usual cocky smirk that I couldn’t help but stare at it a little.

“Yeah,” I replied, moving to lean against his pillows as his smile widened. “That actually sounds really… nice.”

Caleb flicked the TV on and pulled me under his arm so that I could rest my head against his shoulder as the classic action film got underway. It was about a third in already but I shook my head when he offered to restart it for me, happy to just sit and let the noise of it wash over me while I stole a little comfort from his arms.

Caleb held me loosely, his fingers toying with my hair as we watched the film before inevitably falling back into the temptation of each other’s bodies and I soaked up all the pleasure I could take from his flesh.

While he held me, the shadows seemed to stay a little further from my mind and I couldn’t really ask for much more than that.

He was the perfect escape from the mayhem of everything else that was going on in my life. And I was more than happy to lose myself with him for a little while.

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