Page 14

14

GAIDA

As Dante and Felix head off in different directions, I make my way toward Luke’s office. The corridor is busier than normal, with students clustered in small groups, their voices hushed, faces drawn with worry. News travels fast in a place like MistHallow, and everyone knows something serious is happening, even if they don’t know exactly what.

A group of vampires falls silent as I pass, their eyes following me with curiosity and wariness. I keep my head high, refusing to be intimidated by their stares. Let them look. Let them wonder.

When I reach Luke’s office, I hesitate outside the door. The last time we spoke, he pushed me away, made it clear he didn’t want my help. But something tells me he needs it now more than ever.

I knock firmly, giving the Gargoyles the side-eye and wait.

Silence.

I knock again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

The door swings open suddenly, and I wait a second before I step inside. Everything is meticulously in place. Books are aligned perfectly on shelves, papers are stacked neatly on the desk, and there is not a speck of dust anywhere. It’s too perfect, as if he’s been obsessively maintaining order to counterbalance the chaos inside him. He is in the far corner, adjusting the pile of already perfectly stacked books on the shelf. “Gaida,” he murmurs, sending a thrill coursing through me. “Close the door.”

I do as he asks, and in a flash of vampire speed, he is in front of me, pressing me back against it. He blocks me in, with one hand next to my head, the other going up my dress, to tug urgently on my knickers.

“Luke,” I pant, wanting him so badly, but I’m wondering if it’s a good idea after he pushed me away.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs in my ear, his lips brushing my skin, making me tingle.

“What for?” I gasp when he inserts a finger inside my pussy. I soak it instantly, unable to help the response I give him, even after he’s emotionally hurt me.

“For pushing you away.” He nuzzles my neck.

He’s blowing so hot and cold. I’m not sure if this is a good idea, but I fist my hand in his hair and drag his mouth to mine for a hard, desperate kiss. He tastes like nothing I’ve ever experienced, wild and primal with an edge of danger that makes my head spin. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, claiming me as he thrusts a second finger inside me.

He pulls back, his lips still on mine. “Gaida, you’re saving me.”

He plunges his tongue into my mouth again, his fangs snapping down and slicing into my lips. He whimpers, which is my complete undoing if his words hadn’t already made me weak at the knees. I want him with an intensity that frightens me.

“Luke,” I moan as his thumb finds my clit, pressing down before he circles it.

“You feel so good, Gaida, so wet, so hot. I need you.”

“Ah!” I cry out and come like a desperate whore from his words.

“That’s it, sweet girl. Let me know how much I affect you.”

“Luke…” His name barely escapes my lips before he crushes his to mine again. He withdraws and grips my hips with both hands before pulling me over to his desk. Turning me around, he lifts my dress, rubbing his hand over my arse.

Then he spanks me so hard, I yelp.

The sting of pleasure and pain ripples through me, making my body jerk forward. It’s too much, yet not enough. I grip the edge of his desk, knuckles white.

“You like that?” His voice is dark velvet, roughened with need.

“Yes,” I gasp.

He spanks me again, harder this time. My skin burns deliciously, and I bite my lip to stifle another cry.

“Fuck,” I moan, loving the sting. The heat radiates from where he’s hit me, his mouth trailing up my spine as he kisses the soft skin.

“You want more,” he growls, not a question but a statement.

I nod frantically, my body trembling with want. “Yes, please, more.”

He obliges, delivering another hard slap. I stifle another cry, aware that anyone could hear us.

“Someone could walk in,” I gasp as he pushes my knickers aside again.

“I don’t care if they do. Let them know who Gaida Aragon belongs to.”

His possessiveness sends a thrill through me, and I press back against him, feeling the hard length of his cock pressed against me.

“Luke,” I whimper as he unzips his pants. “What’s happening with you?”

“Silence,” he murmurs, but in that tone that makes even the gods obey.

I quiver, my clit twitching, ready for another release.

In one smooth thrust, he enters me, stretching me deliciously. We both groan at the sensation.

“You’re mine, my sweet,” he whispers, almost too quietly to hear. “I won’t let you go. I can’t.”

He spanks me again at the same time as he thrusts balls deep inside me.

“Luke,” I mewl. “I love you.”

The words tumble from my lips before I can stop them.

He freezes, and I scrunch my eyes shut, wishing I could take it back. He isn’t ready for that, even though I am. I’ve been ready my whole life to say those words… to him.

Fuck. Say something.

His fingers dig deep into my hips, bruising me, making me squirm.

“I’m sorry,” I stammer. “I shouldn’t have?—”

“Don’t,” he growls, his voice rough with emotion. “Don’t take it back.”

He pulls out of me suddenly, and I whimper at the loss. He spins me around to face him before I can process what’s happening. His eyes are wild, shifting between normal and darker and more primal.

“Say it again,” he demands, his hand closing around my throat.

I swallow hard, my heart thundering in my chest. “I love you, Luke.”

Something in his expression cracks, revealing a vulnerability I’ve never seen before.

“Gaida,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “I don’t deserve that. Not from you.”

“Tough,” I murmur. “Live with it.”

His eyes narrow. “Do you want another spanking, naughty girl?” he murmurs.

I practically melt into a puddle of goo, but the cold dose of reality hits me when I realise he hasn’t said it back.

He kisses me, softer than before, with a tenderness that makes tears spring to my eyes. When he pulls back, his gaze is clearer, more focused. He lifts my leg and slides into me, his gaze never breaking from mine.

“Say it back,” I beg him, feeling like such a complete idiot, but I need it. I need it more than I need air to breathe right now.

His hips slow, almost stopping. I can tell he’s struggling with something deep inside himself. His eyes darken, then lighten again, as if two sides of him are warring for dominance.

“I can’t,” he whispers, his voice strained. “Not yet.”

The rejection stings, but I understand. Or at least I try to. There’s something broken in him, something that needs healing before he can give himself completely.

“It’s okay,” I lie, blinking back tears. “I understand.”

His eyes flash with an emotion I can’t quite decipher. “No, you don’t.” His voice is rough. “It’s not that I don’t feel it. It’s that I can’t say it until I know I’ll be here to mean it.”

His meaning hits me hard, taking my breath away in a slice of pain so fierce, it brings tears to my eyes. “You’re not going to become feral,” I insist, cupping his face. “I won’t let that happen. I can help you.”

“Some things even you can’t control, my sweet.”

“You’re not leaving me. You can’t. Please, Luke, let me help you fight this. You know I can.”

He starts moving again, his thrusts harder, more desperate. I cling to him, my nails digging into his back through his shirt. The pleasure builds again, but it’s tinged with desperation now, with the knowledge that this might be fleeting.

“I’m not giving up on you,” I gasp as he hits that spot inside me that makes white light explode behind my eyes. “Please don’t leave me.”

His rhythm becomes frantic, almost punishing. I match him, thrust for thrust, determined to bind him to me through pleasure, if nothing else. His hand slips between us, finding my clit and rubbing it in tight circles.

“Come for me. Let me feel you.”

I shatter around him, crying out his name as waves of pleasure crash through me. He follows moments later, his body tensing as he spills inside me, his forehead pressed against mine.

For several heartbeats, we stay like that, joined, breathing each other’s air. I don’t want this moment to end, afraid of what comes after.

“You need to go,” he says finally, his voice gentle but firm as he withdraws from me.

The sudden shift in mood gives me whiplash. “That’s it? We fuck on your desk, and then you dismiss me?”

He sighs, adjusting his clothing with precise movements. “Is that what this was? A fuck?”

The expletive coming from him makes me giggle, despite the heaviness of the situation. “Oh, he does know how to say the word.”

He gives me an exasperated stare. “This was as far from a fuck as you can get, Gaida. We both know it. Don’t diminish it because you think I’ve hurt you.” He adjusts my knickers and pulls my dress down quickly before there is a knock on the door.

He gives me a told-you-so stare, and I roll my eyes.

“Okay, fine, you win. Happy?”

“Ecstatic,” he deadpans, stepping away from me. “Enter,” he calls out, his voice shifting to that authoritative tone he uses with everyone else.

The door opens, and Professor Kendrick steps in, her eyes widening slightly as she takes in the scene. I can only imagine how we look—me with flushed cheeks and swollen lips, Luke with his usually perfect hair slightly mussed.

“Headmaster,” she says stiffly. “Miss Aragon.” Her tone when addressing me is notably cooler.

“Professor Kendrick,” Luke acknowledges smoothly. “How can I help you?”

“We have several parents at the gate, wondering why they can’t get in,” she informs him, her gaze flickering between us.

“Who?”

“Mr Aragon and Mr DuLoc.”

Luke’s expression hardens. “Thank you. I’ll be there shortly.”

Kendrick hesitates, clearly wanting to say something more. Her gaze settles on me before she bobs her head and steps back, knowing exactly what went on in here. You’d have to be blind with no sense of smell not to. But I don’t care. I don’t care about the rumours and the accusations which will fly my way. I can deal with all of it as long as Luke keeps giving me what I need. The door closes behind Kendrick, and I meet Luke’s gaze. “You know they’re here to take us home,” I state.

“I’m aware. The remote meeting earlier informed me of such. This betrayal with the wards won’t go unpunished.” He is grim but resigned.

“It’s not a betrayal. You are protecting your students from mad attackers. You are doing your job.”

“I am protecting you , Gaida. That means I’m not doing my job at all.”

“Keep telling yourself that this is all about me, but we both know it’s not true. You would throw yourself in the line of fire to protect the students and MistHallow. It’s why you are here.”

He gives me one of his rare smiles, the kind that makes me feel like I’m the only person in the universe. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“I am right,” I assert, straightening my dress with as much dignity as I can muster. “So, what are you going to do about our fathers?”

Luke moves to the window, gazing out at the grounds. “I’ll have to let them in. Eventually.”

“And then what? They’ll try to take us home.”

“Yes,” he agrees. “They will try.”

I join him at the window, careful to maintain a small distance between us, even though I want to step into his arms and have him hold me. “I’m not going. Dante isn’t, either. Felix has given us some evasive tactics.”

He frowns and turns to face me. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t punish him for using dark magick on academy grounds,” I say quickly. “We asked him.” Okay, Dante asked him, but we are in this together and all that sappy bullshit.

“I don’t even know what he did,” he says.

“Well, let’s keep it that way then. Just know that we aren’t leaving here. So, play dumb, let them search the academy. They won’t find us.”

“Fair enough,” he says warily. “But if they do find you?”

“They won’t.” My tone is final, and he arches an eyebrow at me. “I’ll see you later. We need to research Mashtar, by the way. Did you know they were in that sword of yours?”

“Mine? I think you’ll find that it’s yours.” He gives me that smile again. I can’t determine whether he knew if Mashtar was in there or not.

“Good day, Miss Aragon.”

“Good day, Professor,” I murmur and duck out of his office, heading straight for the library. Research will have to wait. Dante and I have some evading to do.