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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CASSIEL

Watching Isolde sleep is a peaceful way to spend my time. I was surprised CJ came to me to ask me to watch over her while he went to find the ghost.

I move closer to the bed, studying the faint mark on her chest where the sigil appeared, which CJ told me briefly about, knowing I would see it. It’s barely visible now, a shadow beneath her skin, but I can sense its malevolent purpose. Someone marked her, branded her like livestock for slaughter. I pull the covers back, unhook the towel from her body and stare at her naked form. She is exquisite. I run a finger over the brand, and it flares up hot and heavy with magic. She hisses and shifts in her sleep, but she doesn’t wake. Her nipples peak in the cold, and I run my hand over one of them before dropping it lower. Moving it over her stomach, I pause and then trail a finger over her mound. She moans softly when I slide my finger over her clit. That special place that makes her wet and gives her enjoyment. I circle it, pressing down harder, giving her pleasure while she sleeps.

Isolde’s breath hitches, her hips shifting unconsciously toward my touch. The connection between us pulses with a strange energy, different from what I’ve observed between her and CJ or the ghost. This feels ordained somehow, as if the very act of my falling from heaven was meant to lead to this moment. Slipping my finger inside her, I feel the barrier that was there before is no longer. She has been claimed, but it doesn’t stop me from adding another finger and twisting them to watch her reaction while she slumbers. It’s hedonism at its finest and makes my cock ache. I pull it out of my pants with my free hand and tug on it with a soft groan.

Isolde dampens my hand as I pleasure her, and she gasps as her clit thuds gently. She turns over onto her side, towards me, pressing her thighs together, trapping my hand. I let go of my cock to push her legs apart, so I can keep thrusting. I add another finger and slide them all the way out over her clit and then back inside her.

She sighs and I tug on my cock again, masturbating over her.

“Isolde,” I murmur .

There is no reply. She is truly in a deep, exhausted sleep.

Removing my fingers, I crawl onto the bed, I roll her onto her back again, parting her legs. Experimentally, I take my cock and rub the head of it over her wetness. I stifle my groan. Adding more pressure from my stiff shaft, I rub it in a tight circle over her, and she trembles, her thighs tensing up as I heighten her arousal. I wonder if she is dreaming of me. Or does she think this is CJ?

“Isolde,” I murmur again, but she still doesn’t wake.

I want to slide my cock into her pussy. I want to sheath it in her desire and have her claim my purity, my virginity. I want her to corrupt me in the most sinful way.

“Isolde, wake up.”

Still nothing.

I wonder what it would feel like to take her while she sleeps. Would she mind? Would she wake up and be angry, or would she enjoy what I’m doing to her? My curiosity gets the better of me.

I slide the head of my cock down to her entrance, wetting it further with her arousal. I stop breathing for a moment, my heart pounding with anticipation and a twinge of something unfamiliar. But my need to connect with her, to understand this intense draw between us, overrides everything .

“Cass,” she mumbles, but doesn’t rouse.

Slowly, I push the head of my cock into her. She’s incredibly tight and warm, and I groan, louder this time. Her body tenses slightly, but she doesn’t wake. I pause, giving her a chance to rouse, to object, but she only murmurs softly and turns her head to the side, exposing the graceful line of her neck.

I take that as a sign and gently push deeper into her. The sensation is overwhelming, a heady mix of pleasure and an almost spiritual connection. Her essence mingles with mine, her life force pulsing around me. It’s not just physical; it’s metaphysical, something fundamental resonating between us.

Her hips move slightly, her body responding even in sleep. Encouraged, I thrust deeper, feeling every inch of her clench around me. It’s an ecstasy unlike anything I’ve ever experienced or imagined. Her breath quickens, small gasps escaping her lips as I thrust rhythmically inside her.

Again, she tenses and then relaxes around me. This time, she whispers my name on an exhale that makes me drive in deeper and groan softly from deep within my soul. I loom over her, bracing my hands on either side of her as she opens her eyes with a startled moan.

“Cass,” she gasps. “I thought it was a dream.”

“It’s real, Isolde. I needed to know what you felt like. I needed to know how much deeper our connection could go. ”

“You violated me in my sleep.”

“I know. Are you angry?”

Her eyes widen in surprise at my question, but then she laughs. “I should be. I should be fucking kicking your arse from here to the middle of next week, but fuck…” She arches her back, pressing her breasts closer to my face. “… you feel too fucking good.”

“I have never done this before.”

“I gathered. Your way of seducing a girl is a little blunt, and that’s coming from someone who has been locked away her whole life.”

“I apologise for my bluntness, but this feels too good to stop.” I thrust deeper inside her, and she makes that noise of pleasure that I love to hear coming from her mouth.

Isolde arches her back again, pressing her breasts against my chest, and a primal growl builds in my chest. The sensation of her body moving under mine is overwhelming, sending waves of pleasure through me I never want to end. Her pussy clenches around my cock, gripping me tightly as I withdraw slightly before thrusting back in, deeper this time.

“Cassiel,” she gasps again, her fingers digging into the muscles of my back, pulling me closer to her. “This is incredible.”

Her words send a surge of desire through me, and I move with more urgency, each thrust eliciting a gasp or moan from her. The sound of our bodies coming together fills the room, a symphony of pleasure and need. I can feel her essence merging with mine, a connection that goes beyond the physical act. Our souls intertwine, binding us together in a way that defies comprehension.

Isolde wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me even deeper inside her. Her hips move in sync with mine, meeting each thrust with an intensity that matches mine. The sensation is overwhelming, consuming every part of my being. I can feel her pleasure as if it were mine, each wave crashing over us both simultaneously.

“Isolde,” I whisper against her ear, my voice hoarse with desire and emotion. “You are everything. You are the universe and the stars.”

“Cassiel,” she whispers back, her voice laced with a profound emotion. Her body bucks against me, her hips moving in rhythm with my thrusts. Her inner muscles clench around me as she nears her climax.

The sensation is indescribable. It’s a fusion of physical ecstasy and spiritual connection. Her energy flows around me, merging with my being, creating a bond that transcends the mere act of lovemaking. I can feel her, all of her. Her strength, her vulnerability, her fierce determination, and her tender heart. It’s overwhelming, a tidal wave of emotion and pleasure that consumes me in its wake .

Isolde’s breath hitches, and she lets out a soft cry as her orgasm rips through her. Her body convulses, the waves of her climax pulling me deeper into her. My release builds rapidly, a primal force that demands to be unleashed. With a final, deep thrust, I pour myself into her, our combined ecstasy shattering the boundaries between us.

We lie there, entwined and breathless, our bodies still pulsing with the aftershocks of our union. I rest my forehead against hers, our breaths mingling as we share this intimate moment. Her eyes meet mine, filled with wonder and a depth of emotion that makes my heart swell.

“You are such a fucker,” CJ’s voice rings out next to us.

I turn my head to see him crouched down with a look on his face that isn’t anger, as such, but he isn’t pleased either.

“This had better be consensual.”

“Not exactly,” I say, withdrawing reluctantly from Isolde’s warmth. “I was watching her and then desire overcame me. I wanted to know what my cock would feel like inside her.”

“While she was sleeping,” CJ says, his voice dripping with a threat that promises to rip my head clean off my shoulders.

Isolde intervenes quickly. “It’s okay, I’m not angry. ”

CJ’s amber eyes flash dangerously. “Not angry doesn’t make it right.”

I sit up, pulling the covers over Isolde’s naked form, though I remain unapologetic. “I understand your concern, but what happened between us was transcendent.”

“It was what you wanted, not what she consented to,” CJ interrupts, rising as I climb off the bed and stash my cock, his voice deadly quiet. “There’s a difference.”

Isolde pushes herself up on her elbows, her blue eyes moving between us. “CJ, I said it’s fine. I’m not some helpless victim.”

“You were unconscious,” he points out, his jaw clenched tight. “That’s not consent, Isolde. That’s a violation.”

“Not if I wanted it to happen,” Isolde grits out.

“You were asleep!” CJ yells. “How could you know what you wanted?”

“I’ve wanted it since I first saw him,” she grits out. “You know that as well as I do, so quit your bitching and tell me if you found William.”

“This really doesn’t bother you?” he asks incredulously.

“No.”

He clenches his jaw and visibly calms himself. “You are fucking lucky she is as magnificent as she is, or else you would be accompanying Harrington in the ghost realm.”

“I agree, she is magnificent,” I murmur.

CJ inhales deeply. “I found Harrington. He’s at the Bell Tower, brooding like the dramatic ghost he is.”

“Is he okay?” Isolde asks.

“He’s fine. Angry, but fine. We had a conversation.” CJ’s expression shifts, becoming more serious. “About the sigil. About who might have placed it on you.”

I straighten, my wings manifesting slightly as the gravity of the situation returns. “What did you discover?”

“The mark is a collector’s brand. Used in occult black markets to claim rare specimens before rivals can capture them.”

Isolde’s hand goes to her chest, fingers tracing where the sigil had glowed. “So I’m already claimed? By The Collectors?”

“Not necessarily,” I say. “If that were the case, they would have come for you. It’s more like a homing beacon. When they come, they know who to take.”

“So who is working with them, and why haven’t they come for me yet?” Isolde asks, her eyes conveying her worry.

“Two questions we will find the answers to,” I say.

CJ moves to the window, his posture tense as he scans the academy grounds. “We need to assume they’re already here. The brand wouldn’t have been placed unless they were close enough to act on it.”

“Then why wait?” I ask, settling beside Isolde on the bed. “If they have a way to track her, why not simply take her?”

“Because SilverGate’s wards are still holding,” CJ replies grimly. “But they won’t hold forever. The Collectors are patient. They’ll wait for the right moment, when the defences are weakest. Whoever placed the brand is one creature acting on their own. With you, me, and Isaac already protecting Isolde, they aren’t strong enough to take her alone.”

Isolde pulls the covers tighter around herself. “That’s not great.”

“It’s not,” I agree. “It gives us perhaps days to prepare.”

“Or hours,” CJ adds darkly. “We don’t know their timeline.”

“Then we make our own timeline,” Isolde says, her voice hardening. She climbs out of bed, wrapping the sheet around herself like armour. “I’m tired of being hunted, tired of waiting for them to make the first move.”

CJ turns from the window, his amber eyes flashing with approval. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking we set a trap of our own,” she replies, moving to her wardrobe. “If they want me so badly, let’s give them what they think they want. ”

I feel my wings twitch with unease. “Isolde, that’s incredibly dangerous. We don’t know how many of them there are, or what they’re truly capable of.”

“We know enough,” she counters, pulling out clothes with sharp, decisive movements. “They want to torture me and dismember me. They’ve branded me like cattle, and they murdered William a century ago because he got too close to uncovering their sick methods.”

Her magic sparks around her fingertips as her anger builds, that defensive power that’s been evolving since she arrived at SilverGate. The air in the room grows thick with energy.

“Let them come.”

“This is an epically bad idea,” I say.

“I have you two, don’t I? Haven’t you already proven you will do anything to protect me? And William isn’t exactly helpless. I bet he wants vengeance.”

“Oh, he does,” CJ says, “Badly enough that it might be an advantage they aren’t expecting.”

I stare at him and Isolde, feeling a coming war. “Then we fight.”

CJ gives me a rabid grin. “Now you’re talking, feathers.”

The bolt of anticipation that strikes me is hot and potent. The urge to protect Isolde by any means necessary, races through me. Whoever is coming for her won’t survive long enough to lay their hands on her.