Page 46 of A Lesson in Deceit (Mystic Riegan Duet #1)

Riley

I asked to shower by myself which had gotten me disgruntled looks, but I was able to get clean with no distractions.

My mind had wandered to the vision of River and Grayson together.

It was erotically intimate in a way I’d never seen.

The amount of care River had for him pulled at my heartstrings.

Watching him fuck from a different perspective had that same heart racing.

River had given me some of his clothes to wear as he usually did and I stepped out of Asher’s bathroom, feeling clean and refreshed.

“You could have just gone to sleep smelling like all of us.” River smiled at me, pulling at the hem of the shirt I wore.

“Maybe next time.” I lifted up on my toes and rubbed my nose against his.

Asher leaned against his desk. “I think it’s time we went to bed. So, get out of my room.”

“Can you pretend you like all of us for maybe a fraction of a second?” Grayson said, chuckling.

Asher rolled his eyes. “I do like you. I would like you more if you left and let me get some sleep. Let her get some sleep as well. No midnight fucking.”

River walked over and grabbed my phone from his brother’s desk. He looked at the screen. “Well, it’s way past midnight, so I think a mid-morning fuck is not off the table.”

“Your brother is right. Lack of sleep will not be pretty for you.” I poked him in the chest.

He pouted but held his hand out for me to take. Grayson followed behind us as we left Asher’s room and walked down the hall to River’s.

“I think I’m gonna sleep on the couch.” Grayson threw his thumb over his shoulder before we stepped into the room.

“No one is kicking you out,” I said, tugging at his shirt playfully.

He caressed my face, his thumb hanging onto my bottom lip. “Oh, I know. I also know that River did not spring for a queen-sized bed when he and Asher went mattress hunting.”

“A full can fit us just fine,” River argued, attempting to throw his best friend in the room.

Grayson slapped his hands away. “I also think it’s better for Riley if we both aren’t there to cause her to overheat, in the good way and the bad way.”

River rolled his eyes but conceded. “Fine, you know where the blankets and shit are.”

Grayson blew him a kiss, then grabbed my face and kissed my lips. I leaned into it, wanting more of his mouth. “Good night, aking sinta .”

I’d spend the entire rest of the weekend with River.

Grayson had left early in the morning, leaving us with a simple text that he couldn’t stay till Monday and that he’d find a way to make it up to us.

River had put me on the back of his bike and taken us to Lucina, which was a small town near where the school was located in San Francisco.

It had pretty architecture and I could listen to River talk about art for hours.

I hadn’t realized he’d invited Marianne out as well.

She’d pulled up in her mom’s car and was happy to see me, but she’d waited until River had gone to get me a snack before diving into her questions.

My answers were honest, but the most exciting part was that in a short period of time I’d gained two additional sexual partners.

I had no idea what that meant for me in the long run.

The excited expression on her face told me she was happy I was satisfied in the present and that she should have bet money on Asher and I colliding in a way I’d never considered until last night.

I was sad that she was leaving Monday morning, but we had already marked on our calendars each time she would be back.

We’d all sat outside of a small grab and go food place while I video chatted my mom.

Beau was more than happy to be in the screen the entire time.

The only thing I could think of that would have made it even better was if we were all there together.

Yes, even Asher, who we’d invited, but he claimed he was too busy to go to a town he’d been to loads of times.

Corrin kept trying to ask me questions during Asher’s Monday morning class, but now that the sex haze had lifted, I wanted to focus on what I’d originally come here for.

I shushed her for the fourth time, and she practically hissed at me.

I would tell her things, just not right now, not while the man who I’d seen naked and panting taught in front of us.

He was so good at pretending like he hadn’t made me come on a bathroom sink or that he hadn’t shoved his cock in my mouth, causing tears to run down my face.

I grabbed my things when class was dismissed and Corrin pulled me to her when we were off the aisle steps and proceeded to throw a million questions my way, but Asher had other plans. “Miss Monroe, a minute?”

Corrin let out the most obnoxious groan and stomped out. Asher walked around his desk when we were alone, closing the space between us. “You can’t go around telling your friends about what happened.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m not doing that. You are the one who knocked a drunk guy out at your house. You are the one who ran after me and into your bathroom.”

He sucked his teeth, nodding. “A dire mistake on my part then.”

I scoffed. “Is that why you wanted me to stay back? So, you could scold me?”

“I’m not scolding you.”

I pulled my braids to one of my shoulders. “Tell yourself whatever you want. You can forget about that night and we can go back to this fun little repartee, where you constantly think I’m up to something and I don’t give a fuck what you think.”

He stepped toward me, taking up any space that had existed between us.

“I do still think you’re up to something, little liar, but that doesn’t mean I’ll forget about that night.

To be honest, if you just opened up your pretty mouth and told me I was right, that your glowing education isn’t the whole reason why you transferred, then I might be inclined to repeat all the things I did to you. ”

“I don’t owe you any explanation. I’ll be completely fine writing it off as a lapse of judgement and have a story to tell when I’m much older. It will be fascinating and not—what is it you said about how my story telling goes—oh, right, mundane.”

His laugh echoed in the empty room. “Lapse of judgement? I don’t really think you even considered thinking about it. You just knew what your needy little pussy wanted and I gave it to you.”

I shoved him back. “And you are just the king of thought-provoking decisions. It didn’t take you long to join in on the fun with your brother.”

He put both his hands on the side of my head, bringing his face close to mine. Our breathing mingled and his glasses started to fog up. “You don’t know how badly I want to bend you over this desk and pound your pussy until you’re screaming. You and that fucking attitude.”

“You don’t know how badly I want you to stop treating me like I’ve got something to hide.”

His lips brushed mine. “Oh, little liar, but you do. You were very conflicted in your dreams the other night.”

My eyes widened. “You went into my head? Again?!”

He dropped his hands. “My brother made you a promise. Not me.”

“Did you see anything?” My voice was hesitant, and I was nervous that I had dreamed of a prior conversation or dreamed of a future plan.

“Was there something you didn’t want me to see?” Asher put his hands in his pockets, searching my face for some indication that I was about to be forthcoming with him.

“I…” I was cut off when my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I was grateful for the distraction.

CORRIN

Northside courtyard, now!”

I started to back away from Asher who looked more than frustrated with me.

“Riley, where are you going?”

I shook my head. “It’s important. Your interrogation can wait.” I spat back, opening the door and running out.

I ran as fast as I could to the northside courtyard, noticing that a bunch of people were crowding the otherwise open space.

I shoved students out of my way, getting disgruntled looks, but I had to find Corrin.

When I got to what I hoped was the front of the crowd, she grabbed me and pulled me into her.

“Look!” Corrin pointed to what had everyone so enthralled.

There was a girl with dark hair and olive skin on the ground.

The school nurse and other medical professionals were around her, but I could see her face clearly.

She looked confused and lost. Her clothes were a little dirty and she was flinching each time one of the medics tried to touch her, but there were no signs of blood or external injuries.

“Who is that?” I asked, noticing that school officials were starting to disband the crowd and the sound of cop cars were in the distance.

“It’s another girl from my coven, Riley.”

A Dalmatian barked erratically while being held back by two school officials. The dog ripped out of their hold and was at the girl’s side in a matter of seconds, starting to growl at anyone who came near her.

She held her hand out and softly touched its body, rubbing her hand down its side and the dog ceased its growling, nuzzling its face into her neck. It must be her familiar.

I looked over at the girl, shuffling back when we were finally shoved out of the perimeter. “We need to do this then. You need to do what Pen said tonight, and I’ll find a way to get to my dad’s office.”

A few people lingered, but the rest of them moved on with the rest of their day.

The girl from Corrin’s coven was carried off somewhere, her dog following closely, and I had an inkling to follow her as well, but I wouldn’t have known what to do when I caught up with them.

She wouldn’t remember anything. I would leave any conversation I had with her the same as when I started.

“You won’t have to look that hard. It’s the department meeting night. It happens one Tuesday every month. It’s around eight in the auditorium.” Ike stepped up behind us, causing Corrin to shriek.

“And how do you know this, brother dearest?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“It’s on the school calendar. Public knowledge.” Ike rolled his eyes.

“That gets the staff out of the building, but what about getting in in the first place? It’s not like I’ll be able to just grab a key off of security.” I looked at Corrin. “Could you make one through magic?”

She tilted her hand from left to right. “Um, maybe. It’s not something I’ve ever done and I don’t even know how long that would take me to figure out. Your faith in my magic is appreciated, but I’m still just a sophomore witch.”

Ike scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fine, twist my arm.”

“Huh?” I said, scratching my head.

“Listen, I may not want to use my powers in my career, but I still know how to use them. Locks are made of…” He waited a moment. “Right, metal. And what do I do?” He paused again, giving us a patronizing expression. “Metal magic. Does it all make sense?”

Corrin punched him in his arm. “You don’t have to be so annoying, you are aware of that right?”