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Summer

W alking through the campus, I have more of a spring in my step than ever. For the first time, I feel like I have made a positive step toward protecting myself and my loved ones. I’m far from being able to say that I can take on whoever or whatever is after me, but the leap I took today required the kind of guts I’ve always longed to have. I can’t help but think of the stranger at this moment. Would he be proud of me? Does it matter?

I stop at the cafe on the way back to the dorm and order breakfast for Connor and me and blood for Alice. There is still a nip in the air, the chill of early morning, but I barely feel it. Warm blood pumps through my veins, the adrenaline dancing with my cells in an addictive way that makes me want to continue to seek it out. There is something thrilling about training with Max. It’s different from the lessons in combat class.

When I return to the dorm, I drop the takeout bags on the coffee table and go to my room to see if Connor’s awake. The rising sun fills the room with a happy yellow glow, and the light brushes against his skin in the most ethereal way. He’s never looked more angelic. The light bounces off the halo on his wrist, and the gold looks like it’s absorbing the natural energy of the sun.

I take a quick photo of him and then kick off my sneakers. Silently, I tiptoe to the end of the bed. Connor is so dead to the world that he’s lucky I’m not an axe murderer. I kneel at the end of the bed, practically holding my breath as I slowly lift the sheet. I try not to jostle the mattress as I crawl up between his legs.

His cock is semi-hard in sleep, and with the softest puff of cool air, it hardens more, tenting the sheet. I slowly shift so my mouth hovers over the tip and gently slide my tongue along the slit in his crown. He moans low and slow, but I can still hear the heaviness of sleep in his voice.

I smile and slowly close my lips around the tip of his cock. Swirling my tongue over the head, I start to suck, my cheeks hollowing as I pull him deeper into my mouth. Connor moans again, the sound resonating in my core. I curl my tongue, cradling the underside of his shaft and tightening my lips, dragging both up his length. Connor’s hips undulate, and he moans again.

“Summer…” he groans, his voice still thick with sleep.

I swallow down more of his length, gagging on him, my throat protesting the intrusion. At the sound, Connor’s muscles tense, and he lurches into a sitting position.

“Summer! Fuck, Summer…” he moans. I feel him lean back again, his body relaxing into the pleasure. Connor’s hand rests against the back of my head, and I moan, working my mouth rhythmically up and down his cock. Frustrated with the sheet blocking his hand and view, he shoves it back. When his bright blue eyes meet mine, his body starts to shake with pleasure.

Connor tangles his fingers into my hair. He doesn’t hold my head down or even try to lead my movements. He simply runs his fingers through my hair, a silent, passive praise. I keep my gaze locked with his, swallowing him down over and over. It doesn’t take long before he is writhing beneath me. I can see he’s struggling to hold back. His muscles quiver, and his body shakes as he tries to hold back his release, wanting to stay in the pleasure for as long as he can hold out. His eyes are almost black, his pupils so dilated they have nearly swallowed his irises.

I force him deep, gagging around his girth again and ripping a strangled groan from him. His head involuntarily falls back, but his eyes snap back to me a split second later. The hunger pushes him to watch me as I swallow his cock, to watch me as he fills my mouth with his release. Connor’s hand fists in my hair, and his hips thrust, sending him deep into my mouth. He releases a short shout, and I feel the pulse of his cock just before his cum fills my mouth. The salty taste explodes against my tongue, and I moan, savoring him. Connor’s body goes lax against the mattress, his chest heaving. I swallow down his release, claiming every last drop as my own before crawling up his body and kissing him deeply.

“Well, good morning to you, too,” Connor moans.

I smile against his lips. “Good morning, big guy.”

“I thought that only happened in movies.”

I laugh, kissing him again. “My, my, what kind of movies do you watch?”

Connor chuckles, gliding his hand down my back. “It happened in that show Alice likes last week.”

“I brought breakfast.”

“You did?” Connor frowns, glancing at my outfit. “You worked out already?”

I nod and reach for the note I left for him.

“My girl is such an early riser.”

I roll off him. “I’m going to shower before we eat. I’m all gross from the gym.”

Connor follows and steps into the shower with me. His presence in the shower lengthens the process. We barely make it five minutes before I’m hoisted against the wall, and he’s fucking me against the tile.

When we finally emerge, I wrap a towel around my body. I can feel eyes on me, but this is the gaze of someone who loves me, a feeling I’m still unused to. I glance over my shoulder and see Connor watching me, a bubblegum-colored towel slung low around his hips.

“You’re pretty.” He smiles, leaning against the shower door. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” The words come so easily. They slip out on a breath of truth, filling the air with such sincerity. Connor stands up straighter. His smile slowly melts away, but his skin glows faintly.

I expect to feel dread, regret, and panic, but all I feel is the lightness of my candor. Connor just gapes at me, and I grin at him before going back into my room to change and rebandage my thigh. After a long moment, he follows and steps in front of me, his large hand cupping my cheek. He tilts my head up until I meet his gaze.

“I didn’t think…” He pauses for a moment, just looking at me. “I didn’t think you’d ever say it.”

“I’m full of surprises.” I lift my chin, giving him a soft smile. Connor leans down, brushing his lips over mine.

“I will protect your heart, Summer Tuatha De Daanan.”

I nod. “I know.”

Connor smiles, pressing his forehead to mine, and I smile up at him.

“Hurry up!” Alice growls through the door.

My lips curve in a grin at the interruption. Connor laughs and pulls back to get dressed for the day. I walk to my closet, looking for my blush pink cardigan to wear over my shirt. I leaf through my clothes and frown when I notice that one of my dresses is missing, too. Maybe Alice borrowed them, though I seriously doubt Alice would be caught dead in a cashmere pink cardigan. Or a pastel green sundress, for that matter.

I grab one of the sweaters I procured from Connor instead and pull it on over my uniform. I love the way it fits. It feels like one of his hugs. His scent clings to it, giving the illusion of being surrounded by him and his warmth.

When we leave my bedroom, holding hands like some gross sappy couple, Alice is waiting by the door. She is loudly slurping the blood smoothie I brought home for her this morning.

“About time.”

I flip her off and reach into the bag, grabbing the two breakfast burritos. Handing one to Connor, I open mine as we leave the house. Connor squeezes my hand a little tighter and leans down for a bite of my burrito. I bring it to his lips, and he takes a happy bite.

“You have your own burrito, you know?”

“I know, but everything tastes so much better after you’ve taken a bite.”

I roll my eyes, but I grin.

“You guys are so gross,” Alice groans.

“I know.”

“We are not gross,” Connor protests at the same time as I concede.

“We’re pretty gross, big guy.” I take his burrito from him and take a bite before handing it back to him. He smiles like an idiot, but a slight tension buzzes around him.

Alice and I arrive at our combat class just barely in time, and Ike clocks us immediately.

“Summer. A word.”

I grimace, and Alice throws me a sympathetic look as I walk to our combat instructor. He watches my approach with a strange expression on his face.

“I don’t technically think we were late?—”

“I have spoken with Max. He told me you are training with him.”

I blink. “Oh?”

“Max is a skilled fighter. I have asked him to lean more into the offensive. I will work with you here on your defensive skills.”

“Is this the case for every student who attends classes at the university gym?”

Ike’s lips twitch a fraction. It’s the smallest of movements, and I would have missed it if I weren’t looking at him. “No, but Max approached me. He asked for tips on the best ways to train your kind. Max’s classes are very popular on campus, but as you know, fae don’t train with others.”

I nod knowingly. “They do like to keep to their herds.”

Laughter dances in Ike’s eyes, but he just says, “Anyway, let me know if you have any questions. I will be checking in with Max, but I think this is for the best. You will learn faster in the one-on-one lessons, and I think the quicker you learn to defend yourself, the better.”

“O-of course. Thank you.” His words surprise me, and I wonder how much he knows and who told him. Maybe the headmaster spoke with him?

Ike glances at the rest of the class, obviously dismissing me. He claps his hands loudly, capturing the attention of the students.

“Two to a mat and one dummy per mat.” Ike’s voice rings out across the hall, yet he barely raises it. He crosses his arms, waiting for us to get into position. I hurry to join Alice on the mat she claimed for us.

Ike starts by demonstrating five different defensive positions. He spends the rest of the class going from mat to mat, watching each pair and making corrections where needed. Eventually, he calls time and dismisses us.

“I hate how sweaty I get in Ike’s class,” Alice grumbles as we walk to Elder Futhark runes. I wave goodbye to Alice at the door and sit at the front of the class, ignoring the stares of the fae already seated.

Professor Henley is drawing a large complex rune on the board. Students filter in loudly, but they quickly settle, obviously intrigued by the rune on the board.

Professor Henley turns to face the class. “Has anyone seen this rune before?” She looks over the class, waiting for raised hands. When none come, she nods. “Good. While this rune doesn’t technically fit within the Futhark alphabet, it was created by a native. Its original use was for good, but,” she reaches up, pointing to the top line, “this line is off by point one of a degree, and that makes for an unstable rune. It was initially created to assist in the building of a library. Instead, the rune took out an entire city, leaving nothing but rubble and ash blowing in the breeze.” She snaps her fingers, and the rune disappears from the board, the memory of it hazy and difficult to recall. “This lesson will be about the importance of rune accuracy. If you would turn the piece of paper on your desks over.”

I flip the piece of paper, looking at the runes laid out in front of me.

“These runes should all be familiar to you. Each of them is unstable, with varying consequences. Your task is to find and label the imperfections, providing a detailed analysis of what is incorrect. Then, draw the rune correctly next to the incorrect one. To continue with this class, you will be required to pass this exam with a hundred percent due to its importance. If you fail, you will be dropped to a lower-level course until your knowledge is at the level it needs to be. You have twenty minutes to complete.”

The room is silent. Everyone is looking at Professor Henley in shock, but I understand the need for this. Careless rune work can be devastating.

I look down at the first rune. It’s a simple rune used for heating water. The lines look correct, but I notice a slight deviation in the split curve at the top. Although this rune would not be effective in increasing the water temperature, I’m unsure if it would have catastrophic consequences. I quickly label the mistake and draw out the correction. The rest of the runes are pretty straightforward, and there is only one that could potentially cause a small fire. The rest of the class looks anxious as they hand their test papers to Professor Henley, but I pass it to her, smiling.