Page 14 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Elias

I ’d been poring over my grandmother’s journal for the past hour, but I hadn’t managed to read a single word yet. My mind was elsewhere.

Wild was sprawled across his bed, supposedly working on his Diplomatic Relations homework, but I could feel his restless energy through our bond like a constant hum of electricity.

Every few minutes, his gaze would drift over to where I sat at my makeshift desk, and each time, a spike of want would pulse through our connection that made my concentration fracture completely.

Caden had escaped to the roof with Atlas again, claiming they needed to “discuss the bond situation privately.” I suspected it was more about finding somewhere they could make out without an audience, but I couldn’t blame them. The sexual tension in our small dorm room had become suffocating.

Professor Blackwood’s words kept echoing in my head. Sexual energy is one of the most powerful forces in magic. Channeled properly, it could strengthen your connection exponentially.

I slammed the journal shut with more force than necessary, earning a questioning look from Wild.

“Problem with grandma’s magical secrets?” he asked, his voice carrying that familiar teasing lilt that sent heat curling through my stomach.

“I can’t focus,” I admitted, setting the journal aside and turning to face him properly. I did everything I could to ignore the very obvious halfie I was sporting in my pants. “Not with you broadcasting every inappropriate thought that crosses your mind.”

Wild’s grin turned predatory. “Inappropriate? I haven’t even gotten to the really good stuff yet.”

Before I could formulate a response, a wave of very explicit imagery flooded through our connection, Wild’s hands on my skin, his mouth trailing fire down my chest, the two of us tangled together in ways that made my breath catch.

“Stop that,” I gasped, my body responding despite my protests.

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” Wild said, though his eyes glittered with mischief. “The bond’s getting stronger. I can’t help what you’re picking up.”

He was right, and we both knew it. The magical connection between us had been intensifying daily, making it increasingly difficult to maintain any semblance of privacy. Our emotions, desires, even our dreams were bleeding together in ways that left me feeling exposed and vulnerable.

“This is impossible,” I muttered, pressing the heels of my palms against my eyes. “How are we supposed to function like this?”

I heard the bed dip as Wild moved closer, his presence suddenly overwhelming. When I looked up, he was kneeling on the floor beside my chair, close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his green eyes.

“Maybe we’re not supposed to fight it anymore,” he said softly, his hand coming to rest on my knee.

The touch sent electricity shooting through me, and I saw his pupils dilate in response to whatever he was feeling through our connection.

“Wild...” I warned, but my voice came out breathless rather than stern.

“I know you feel it too,” he continued, his thumb tracing small circles against my knee. “Every time we touch, every time our magic syncs up. It’s not just the bond, Elias. There’s something real here.”

I wanted to deny it, to retreat behind the walls of propriety and control that had protected me my entire life. But his touch was making it impossible to think clearly, and the honesty in his voice was stripping away my defenses one by one.

“It doesn’t matter what I feel,” I whispered, though even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. “My family, my reputation?—”

“Fuck your family,” Wild said fiercely, his hand sliding up to cup my face. “They want to use you as a weapon against people like me, like Caden. They tried to have us killed, Elias. When are you going to stop caring what they think?”

The truth of his words hit me like a physical blow. Through our bond, I felt his frustration, his longing, and underneath it all, something deeper. Something that looked dangerously like love.

“I’m scared,” I admitted, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. “I’ve never... I don’t know how to do this.”

Wild’s expression softened, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone. “Do what?”

“Any of it. The bond, the magic, this...” I gestured helplessly between us. “You. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you, and it terrifies me.”

For a moment, Wild went completely still, his emotions cycling through surprise, wonder, and something fierce and possessive that made my heart race.

“Elias,” he breathed, and then he was leaning forward, his lips hovering just inches from mine. “Can I kiss you? Really kiss you this time, not to save anyone’s life or prove a point. Just because I want to.”

I should have said no. Should have pulled away and rebuilt my walls and pretended this wasn’t happening. Instead, I found myself nodding, my eyes fluttering closed as he closed the distance between us.

This kiss was nothing like the desperate, magical ones we’d shared before. This was soft, tentative, Wild giving me every opportunity to pull away. When I didn’t, when I instead leaned into him with a quiet sigh, he deepened it slowly, his tongue tracing the seam of my lips until I opened for him.

The bond flared between us, but instead of the overwhelming surge of power we’d experienced before, this felt like coming home. Our magic wound together in lazy spirals, content to simply exist in harmony rather than seeking to overwhelm or consume.

When we finally broke apart, I was breathing hard, my hands somehow tangled in his hair without my conscious permission.

“S-Sorry,” I stammered, pulling my hands away.

But Wild grabbed them, pulling them around his neck and leaning close. “Don’t be. I like it.”

We stayed like that for a long moment, foreheads pressed together, sharing breath and the steady pulse of magic between us. I could feel his restraint through the bond, the way he was holding himself back despite the obvious desire radiating from him.

“Do you feel this way with everyone?” I managed to ask. “Like at your orgy… things. Is it the same?”

He shook his head slowly, those green eyes lifting to meet mine.

“Those things are just fun, a way to let go and get lost in the sensations. I love them, don’t get me wrong.

And I meet a lot of interesting people there that I like.

” He took a deep breath. “But they’re not you, Elias. You’re… special .”

His words landed like a stone in still water, ripples of emotion spreading through our connection. I felt his sincerity, the raw vulnerability beneath his usual carefree facade.

“How?” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “How can I be special to you? I’m everything you claim to hate. I’m structured, controlled, and boring .”

Wild laughed softly, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw.

“You’re not boring, Elias. You’re like..

. a volcano disguised as a mountain. All that power and passion just waiting to erupt beneath this perfect, pristine exterior.

” His eyes darkened. “And when you let go, even a little bit, it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. ”

I swallowed hard, unable to look away from the intensity in his gaze. Through our bond, I could feel the truth of his words, the genuine awe he felt whenever my carefully constructed walls slipped.

“I don’t know how to be what you want,” I admitted.

“I don’t want you to be anything except yourself,” he replied, rising from his knees to perch on the edge of my bed. “The real you, not the version your parents programmed.”

His proximity was intoxicating, the scent of him, wildflowers and summer rain, filling my senses. I found myself leaning closer without conscious thought.

“And what if the real me is still too structured for you?” I asked.

Wild’s smile turned wicked. “Then I’ll just have to keep finding ways to make you lose control.”

Before I could respond, he was kissing me again, deeper this time, his hands sliding into my hair to tilt my head back. A sound escaped me, something between a gasp and a moan, and I felt his satisfaction pulse through our bond.

“That’s it,” he murmured against my lips. “Let me hear you.”

My hands found his waist, fingers digging into the warm skin beneath his shirt. The contact sent another surge of magic between us, our pendants warming against our chests.

“Wild,” I gasped as his mouth trailed down my neck. “The door… Caden could?—”

“Let him,” Wild replied, his voice almost a growl. “I don’t care.”

His teeth grazed my collarbone, and I felt my resistance crumbling.

Every touch sent waves of pleasure through our bond, amplified and reflected back between us in an intoxicating feedback loop.

My hands slipped under his shirt, exploring the lean muscle beneath, marveling at how soft his skin felt against my fingertips.

“You’ve thought about this,” Wild murmured against my throat, his voice rough with desire. “I’ve felt it. Every time you’re in the shower, every night when you think I’m asleep.”

Heat flooded my face, and my cock began to thicken in my jeans. “That… That’s private.”

He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes, his pupils blown wide with arousal. “Nothing’s private anymore, Elias. Not between us.” His fingers traced the outline of my pendant through my shirt. “This connects us in ways neither of us fully understands yet.”

“It’s invasive,” I whispered, though my body was betraying my words, leaning into his touch like a flower seeking sunlight.

“It’s intimate,” he corrected, his thumb brushing across my bottom lip. “And scary as hell, I know. But also, kind of amazing, don’t you think? To be known, completely, without hiding?”

The thought terrified me. I’d spent my entire life hiding, constructing layers of protection around my true self, building walls so high and thick that sometimes I forgot what lay beneath them.

The idea of someone seeing past all that, of Wild seeing me, all of me, was more frightening than any magical attack.

But also... liberating.

“I don’t know if I can,” I admitted, my voice barely audible. “I don’t know if I know how to just... be.”

Wild’s expression softened, and through our bond, I felt a surge of tenderness that made my breath catch. “Then let me help you figure it out.”

He stood, pulling me up with him, our bodies pressed close in the small space between the bed and desk. His hands framed my face, thumbs stroking my cheekbones with surprising gentleness.

“We don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for,” he said, sincerity radiating through our connection. “But maybe... maybe we could try something? Just to see how it feels when we both stop fighting this?”

I swallowed hard, torn between desire and fear. “What did you have in mind?”

Instead of answering, Wild took my hand and guided me toward his bed. He sat down first, then tugged me gently until I was seated beside him, our thighs touching.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed softly.

“Why?”

A hint of his usual mischief flickered through our bond. “Because you think too much. Just trust me for once, okay?”

After a moment’s hesitation, I complied, letting my eyelids fall shut. Immediately, my other senses heightened. The sound of Wild’s breathing, the warmth of his body beside mine, the faint scent of wildflowers that always seemed to cling to his skin.

“Don’t think,” Wild murmured, his voice close to my ear. “Just feel.”

His fingers brushed against my pendant, sending a warm pulse through my chest. I felt his magic reach for mine, not forcefully, but with gentle invitation. After a moment’s hesitation, I allowed my own power to respond, reaching back tentatively.

The connection was different this time, not the overwhelming surge we’d experienced during battle or the desperate rush when I’d saved him from burnout. This was slower, more deliberate, like two streams merging into a river.

“That’s it,” Wild encouraged, his hand finding mine, fingers intertwining. “You’re doing great.”

I could feel his presence in my mind growing stronger, but instead of the usual chaotic jumble of thoughts and desires, there was a focused intent. He was deliberately sharing a memory with me.

Suddenly I was in a sunlit clearing, surrounded by ancient trees whose branches formed a cathedral-like canopy overhead. I could feel soft moss beneath my bare feet, hear birdsong and the distant sound of running water. The air tasted of honey and summer berries.

“Where is this?” I whispered, though I knew I hadn’t spoken aloud.

“My favorite place in the fae realm,” Wild’s voice answered within the shared memory. “The Heart Grove. It’s where I go when I need to just... be.”

I felt his emotions associated with this place, peace, freedom, a sense of belonging that he rarely experienced elsewhere. There was no pressure here, no expectations, just Wild in his purest form.

“It’s beautiful,” I said, meaning it.

The scene shifted slightly, and suddenly I was seeing myself through Wild’s eyes, not as I thought I appeared, but as he saw me. Strong, powerful, filled with untapped potential. Beautiful in ways I’d never considered myself to be.

My breath caught at the depth of emotion attached to these images. Admiration, desire, frustration at my self-imposed limitations, and underneath it all, that same dangerous feeling I’d sensed earlier. Something tender and fierce and protective.

“Wild,” I gasped, overwhelmed.

The memory faded suddenly as a loud knock echoed through the room.

Although at that moment, it felt like it was from another world.

Wild was already on his feet and heading for the door as I tried to shake myself out of the vision.

It was like waking up from a dream, unsure of whether I was awake or still sleeping.

“Caden?” Wild asked as he pulled the door open. “Why didn’t you just come in?”

“It… It felt like you two might be…” he said quietly, his voice timid and shy.

“We weren’t,” Wild replied.

He paused for a moment, looking Caden up and down. And that’s when I felt it too, a sense of panic coming from Caden that I’d been too caught up to notice.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, standing up from the bed. “What happened?”

Caden held out a small piece of paper, the upper edge torn from where it had been pulled down from a bulletin board. “This was just posted magically all over the school.” He handed it to Wild, whose eyes went wide. “There was another attack. They’re putting us on lockdown.”