Page 29 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

The dark space is strangely comforting, and warmth still radiates from the other side of the tunnel, so I keep going, taking one step after another.

Shadows dance around me, blending with the darkness, and for a long while, it’s actually kind of nice.

Like when you take a walk in the park to clear your head, and before you know it, your mood has picked up.

At least I feel that way until the path continues to stretch on without an end in sight, and I start to wonder if I’ve made a horrible mistake.

My doubts and fears begin to rise, because what if I’m trapped in here forever?

Around me, the flickering shadows aren’t dancing anymore.

They look like they’re laughing, and I’m close to a full-blown panic attack when a halo of light finally appears in the distance.

I mutter a thank you to any god that’s listening, and I continue forward, moving from the pathway and stepping out into a room.

I wince as light washes over me, blinking a few times before I can make out a wall that’s a short distance away.

It’s lined with black filigree wallpaper that’s all too familiar, and I sag with relief.

Oh, thank god. Am I in my dorm room? Before I take another step forward, a spicy, masculine scent reaches my nose, and I freeze, because I know that smell.

Oh crap. This isn’t my dorm room after all, is it?

It takes me a few seconds to orient myself.

I’m tucked away beside a large statue, and on the wall that faces me, is a massive decorative mirror that has different creatures molded into the silver frame.

I glimpse two figures in the mirror, and my jaw slackens as I recognize the men reflected in the glass.

It’s only then that the sounds of the room seem to reach me.

Ho-ly smut gods.

Knox is on his hands and knees on a huge four-poster bed, and behind him, Thane kneels, the pair of them completely naked.

Knox’s muscular thighs are taut, as Thane grips the back of his neck and drives his cock into the other man’s ass.

Thane’s muscles ripple as he bucks his hips and thrusts, the pair of them grunting and groaning.

I let out a small gasp, and Thane’s attention goes to the mirror, his gaze connecting with mine.

Shock touches his rugged features, but he doesn’t stop what he’s doing.

No, he picks up speed, growling low in his throat as he grips Knox harder and begins thrusting faster.

His face becomes feral, but he doesn’t take his gaze from me the entire time.

My heart thunders in my chest as heat floods my body, and all I can do is stare.

It doesn’t take me long to realize what has happened.

I’d been thinking about Thane when I’d pictured the pathways, and that’s where the shadow magic has led me.

To the professor who just so happens to have… company right now.

I fight to swallow the hard lump in my throat, and I try to control my breathing.

Something tells me Knox won’t be happy if he discovers I’m here, and it’s only a matter of time before he detects me.

I force my eyes closed. Okay, shadow magic, I plead internally.

I need a pathway to take me back to the lecture hall, like right now!

But I can’t focus. Not when all I can hear is the two men in the throes of ecstasy as Thane fucks Knox.

Damn it. Liquid heat pools between my legs, and I clench my thighs together.

Stop it, Shade, I chastise myself. They’re not your mates, remember?

They’re asshole professors who only care about themselves. You need to get out of here.

But it’s no use. The bed groans, the wooden furniture protesting at the weight of the moving men, and I can’t help myself. My eyes fly open, and a warm brown gaze is there to greet me. I’m transfixed as Thane’s eyes hold me hostage. He gives me a look that seems to say, You’re next.

I bite my lip.

Thane isn’t gentle. He’s rough as he pounds into Knox, and when another breath rushes out of me, Knox groans, both men finding their release at the same time.

I keep watching, my heart pounding as they shatter on the black silk sheets.

I want to be on that bed with them. I want to be between them, enjoying them just as much as they’re enjoying each other.

I shift, possibly about to do something stupid, when magic snaps tight around me.

Like a tether pulls taut around my waist, I’m wrenched backward, dragged into a shadow pathway at frightening speed until I’m back in the classroom, the world brighter around me with students staring at my flushed face.

“I said to visualize the roads, but not travel them,” Professor Lankin reprimands with a withering glare. “Leave this classroom without my permission again, and you’ll learn what happens when you don’t follow the rules.”

All I can do is simply blink at her, stunned. There’s a snicker from across the room, but I hardly notice it. The image of Thane and Knox together, is still in my mind. Thankfully, Professor Lankin doesn’t linger, and she glides down the steps to the front of the class.

The moment the professor has her back to us, Kenzie turns to me. “Shade, what happened?” she hisses. “Your face is all red and sweaty. Where did you go?”

I clear my throat, fighting hard to forget about what I’ve just seen. “Nowhere interesting,” I murmur. “Just our dorm room.”

Kenzie side-eyes me, and I can tell she doesn’t believe a word of that, but mercifully, she doesn’t press it. “I managed to create a pathway to the dining hall,” she tells me. “But I couldn’t keep the entrance open for long.”

I nod, my head still feeling like a muddled mess, with Thane’s piercing stare still branded in my mind.