Page 16

Professor Asshole storms across the field, tiny tremors rattling the ground with every step he takes.

Shit. He’s mad. Big freaking mad.

Oh well. I shrug for no reason whatsoever. Not my mate, not my problem.

I’m here to learn. Figure out this damn rune on my thigh. Figure out what kind of animal I have. Figure out how to keep myself alive.

I don’t have the time or energy for petty squabbles between my mate, the professor—even if he is an asshole—and my babysitters.

“Alright, line up and shift.” His words come out in a garbled command, but every shifter here seems to understand what he says. Even me, much to my own surprise.

The formation—all of us lined up in a straight line—is reminiscent of my first class, sending a sliver of fear racing down my spine.

But no. This isn’t anything like my first class. My eyes dart to the three men at the edge of the field, their eyes focused solely on me. Just seeing them there, knowing they won’t let anything happen to me, gives me the confidence to close my eyes, focus on my magic, and let go.

As always when I look inward, my magic gives a happy zip around my heart in the semblance of a hug at being acknowledged. Being seen. Being used. I make my intentions known of what I want it to do while imagining the rune on my thigh—the silhouette of a person with two wavy lines radiating from the figure.

The grunts and groans and the sounds of bones breaking fade into silence, giving me a moment to ground myself to this moment. To build my confidence that this time, I’ll show that stupid professor that I can do what he said I couldn’t.

Heat lances across my thigh, the familiar burn of my rune being infused with my magic. Goosebumps pop across my flesh as the warmth chases away the slight chill in the air. A deep, ardent ache begins to build in my bones, arcing higher with every second that passes. But it doesn’t stop there.

A scream pierces the air, the sound so sharp it knocks the wind out of me and brings me to my knees. I want to help; I want to find out who’s hurting, but pain ripples through my soul, bringing about another scream. This one louder, higher, sounding like someone’s being murdered.

My mouth opens, a plea on my lips to stop the senseless cruelty, but all that comes out is a cry—a scream of anguish. It’s then I realize the screaming is coming from me. There’s no violence, just endless pain tearing my soul to shreds.

Strong arms wrap around me, and I can vaguely hear my name being yelled, but it sounds far underwater, distorting the voice until it’s unrecognizable.

“Fuck, she’s convulsing!”

“Lay her down!”

“Dammit, Bailey. Let go of your magic.”

Let go are the only two words that penetrate through the agony, so I do.

I let it all go.

My back arches on the cool grass beneath me, and a loud crack resonates through the field. With one last deafening scream, all pain flees my body, multi-colored spots dancing in my vision. I expect to pass out from the toll of whatever just happened, to fall into the void of nothingness to heal, but I don’t.

All around me is silence, not even a whisper from those that surrounded me moments ago. But I know they’re there. I can feel them, watching me, waiting for something.

“Please tell me I shifted into something badass like a dragon,” I croak, refusing to open my eyes.

“Not exactly, goddess.”

“Oh gods, I’m a rabbit, aren’t I?” That would totally be my luck, and something I called back when I first learned I had the possibility of shifting into an animal.

“Open your eyes and find out.” Zane. Even without opening my eyes, I know it’s him. His voice has a breathy, husky quality to it that Bane doesn’t.

I shake my head, not wanting to, even as I peek an eye open. Only it’s not the blue of the sky that greets me, though. Nope. It’s a pink horse’s muzzle and blinding white teeth.

“What the fuck!” I shriek, scrambling across the grass, putting distance between me and the pink thing in front of me. “Where the hell did the horse come from?”

There’s a stiffness in Bane’s gait as he walks over and reaches down, picking me up off the ground and setting me on my feet. He doesn’t say anything, but places his large palm on my lower back, directing me back over to the small group hovering around the animal who hasn’t stopped watching my every move.

Now that I’m standing, I’m wholly aware that this thing isn’t a horse. From the size alone, it’s easy to see that it’s a pony. A very bubblegum pink pony. White hair makes up its mane and tail, pink eyes—a mirror to my own, right down to the dark spot in the iris—and shit… Are those… wings?

“What the hell is that?”

“That, goddess, is a Pegasus. A very rare animal only ever found in the god realm.” The reverence in Luka’s voice is unmistakable. This animal—this Pegasus—means something to him. So how is it here? Did I…conjure it?

Shit. I’m so confused.

“Is it mine?” It has to be because there’s no one else here with freaky ass magic that seems to have a mind of its own.

“Yep,” Zane pops the p, eyeing the creature like it might attack him without warning. But for some reason, I don’t feel it’ll happen. No. I don’t feel, I know it won’t happen. Deep down in my soul, I know this animal won’t hurt him. Any of them.

The guys part as the Pegasus moves forward, making his way toward me. I go to step back, but Bane’s hand keeps me rooted in place, allowing the animal to come straight to me. Before I can even attempt to move again, the pony nuzzles me, rubbing his big head against my stomach.

Warmth sears soul-deep from the single touch, my heart feeling whole now that he’s here.

He?

I peek underneath the Pegasus, sure the guys are watching me with various looks on their faces. A squeak leaves my lips when I find what I’m looking for, and I straighten, feeling my face flame.

Yep. Definitely a he.

Before I can question what I’m supposed to do with him, the bell rings, signaling the end of last period.

Shit.

Now what?

* * *

“Luka,” I groan, side-eyeing the still-tangible magic animal clip-clopping down the hallway in between us, “what the hell am I going to do with a pink pony?”

“Not a pony,” he mutters in exasperation, completely fed up with my whining over the pink monstrosity that’s followed us all the way here from the transmutation field. Not that I’d expect it to go anywhere else. But come on. People already stare wherever I go. Now they have all the more reason to mock me.

Bane huffs a quiet laugh from further behind us, not bothering whatsoever to hide his amusement at this new development.

Honestly, the pink pony wouldn’t be so bad if it was…smaller. More compact. Or ya know, something cooler like a damn dragon. But nope. That’s not my luck. I get a pony. And not just any pony. A freaking pink one.

Zane and Bane peel off, stopping at their dorm and going in, the slam of their door closing echoing in the hallway. The pony—which really needs a damn name instead of me calling it pony all the damn time—gives a disgruntled neigh at their departure but then stops out front of my dorm like he knows exactly where my room is. And being my magic, I guess he does. Even though, being magic, it shouldn’t be sentient.

All I know is that being a curiomancer is confusing as fuck.

Because this magic—my curiomancer magic—seems to be dead set on defying all the damn rules. That reminds me. Sometime soon I’ll have to crack open one of the books I brought back from my birth parents’ house. There’s bound to be a plethora of information no one else is privy to. No one but curiomancers. Also, this book Cassian will be sending over hopefully soon. Maybe it can tell me how the heck I ended up with a semi-real, full of attitude animal, instead of actually shifting into one.

Luka opens my door with a flourish, my mind skipping over the fact that he somehow has a key to my dorm. Not that it matters. That’s the least of my problems. But a thrill rushes through my veins at the thought of him sneaking in during the night to cuddle.

Or more than cuddle, my dirty ass mind whispers.

Yeah, I could totally get behind that idea.

My bag slides from my shoulder and drops to the ground beside the door with a muted thud the moment I enter. Luka lifts a brow at my dismissiveness but wisely doesn’t say a word as he closes and locks up behind me, his priority of my safety always at the forefront of his thoughts. My Pegasus clops around the room, huffing and sniffing everything in general proximity before he sets his sights on my comfy ass couch.

“Nope. Nuh uh.” I rush forward to stop him, but before I can, he hops his ass right up onto it, then lies down, closing his eyes like he doesn’t have a care in the world. And for a magic pony, he doesn’t. “Godsdammit.”

“Relax, goddess. It’s not like you have to clean up Pegasus shit.” Luka cracks up at his own joke, completely ignoring the daggers I’m shooting him with my eyes.

Stupid demi-god.

“What am I supposed to do with him, Luka? I can’t keep a freaking animal in my dorm room!” I swear this man just doesn’t seem to get how bad this situation truly is. “How the hell do I—” I wave my arms around, “—suck him back in. Put him back. I don’t know. Get rid of him.”

A distressed neigh emanates from the couch, making me flinch. Fuck . I drop my chin to my chest, completely deflating. Now I’ve broken my own pony’s heart.

Taking a deep breath to cool my frazzled nerves, I finally look up, locking with a pair of pink orbs that match my own. As much as I want to deny that I hurt him, there’s no missing the tightness around his eyes, the desolation in his gaze.

Relax, Bailey, I tell myself. This can’t be that freaking bad.

Luka remains silent, watching on as I traverse the room toward the couch, sitting in the open spot next to his head. I barely have a chance to plant my ass before my pony moves, settling his head on my lap and looking up at me with those puppy dog—pony—eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I murmur, brushing my fingers through his white-blond mane. “You’re just… you know… unexpected.” I grimace. Understatement of the century there. “You are cute, though, so you have that going for you.”

The Pegasus just stares at me, not making a sound. However, the same can’t be said for Luka. He thinks I don’t hear it, like he’s slick enough to hide it, but that fucker is chuckling under his breath at my misery. And if he keeps that shit up, he’s going to be one grumpy demi-god when I zap him in the ass with my lightning.

“I’ve got an idea. How about we pick out a name for you?” The pony shifts a bit, perking up and scooting a little further into my lap. Granted he may not be the size of a full-grown horse, but as some of his weight settles on me, I groan, not entirely imagining the creak in my bones. If he’s not careful, I’m going to be a curiomancer pancake here shortly.

Just breathe through the pain, Bailey. You got this.

Now, back to the matter at hand.

I tap my chin, my fingers brushing the soft pink fur of his neck. “Hmmm… what about… Sparkles?”

“Nope. No fucking way,” Luka interjects, plopping his butt on my coffee table, hitting me with a look full of annoyance. “He’s a damn Pegasus. A male one at that. You’re not naming him Sparkles.”

I roll my eyes. “He’s my damn pony,” I mutter under my breath, just not as quietly as I hoped if Luka’s growl is anything to go by. “Fine. What about… Bolt?”

“Lame.”

“Olaf.”

“Stupid.”

“Sebastian.”

“Seriously, goddess?” Luka shoots me the stink eye. “Stop referencing characters in old Disney movies,” he groans, scrubbing at his face before dropping his hands between his spread knees.

I raise a brow, absolutely dying inside to ask him how he even knows who these characters are. But I digress. We have more important things to deal with. Like giving my Pegasus a name.

I’ll just have to make sure to come back to that subject at a later date.

“Let’s hear your ideas and see if you can do any better since you’re against every one I’ve thrown out.”

Luka seems to mull it over for a moment, then a blinding smile lights up his face. “I got it. Thunder.”

The heavy as hell Pegasus in my lap huffs out a breath, that could easily be mistaken for agreeance, but somehow, deep in my soul, I know he hates it. No. Wait. The feeling is much stronger than hate. It feels suspiciously like he despises it.

Ha. He sucks at this just as much as I do. But instead of voicing those exact words, I shake my head. “Next.”

Luka blows a very unmanly raspberry, his lips popped out in a pout. “What do you mean next? That’s a cool ass name for a male Pegasus. If he were mine, I’d name him that.” The last of his words are quieter than the rest, more of a statement to himself rather than to me.

Well, that’s good for him, but this is my Pegasus we’re talking about, and he doesn’t particularly like the name. Not that I’d tell Luka that. I don’t need another person looking at me like I’ve got two screws loose because I get feelings from my flying pony.

My brows furrow, pondering those last two words. Flying…pony.

Flying.

Air.

“Oh my gods. I got it.”

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense, goddess.” Luka leans forward, his rapt attention focused solely on me.

“Aero.” It’s nothing more than a whisper on my lips, but it settles something deep inside my soul. Like just breathing the name has righted every wrong in the world. If only that were actually possible. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s great, godd?—”

“I wasn’t asking you,” I interrupt with a laugh, shaking my head. “I was asking him.” I nod toward the sleepy Pegasus, who’s slowly making me lose all feeling in my legs.

The look of indignation on Luka’s face has me laughing even harder, but it’s the way his eyes crinkle in the corners as he tries not to smile that tells me he isn’t all that upset.

Aero gives a happy little neigh, the sound tapering off into a snore that could rival the trash trunks that would pass through the human sectors.

“Well, now that that’s settled, I’ll run and grab us some dinner,” Luka murmurs, dropping a kiss on my forehead before he leaves me with the passed-out Pegasus to get us some sustenance for the night.

* * *

“Oh gods, Luka. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

His fingers pump harder inside of me, rubbing that spot that shoots me off like a rocket. “I’ve got you, goddess. Let go.”

My toes curl as pleasure washes over me. Luka is between my legs, a hazy-like quality to his visage telling me this is a dream. My favorite kind. They keep me going until I can be in the arms of my men again.

“Please, please, let me come before I wake up,” I beg, not in the mood to wake up unsatisfied like every other dream I’ve had like this.

He chuckles, a delicious sound that vibrates through my very being from where his lips are wrapped around my clit.

A cry of dismay leaves me when he stops, leaving me on the edge of that cliff once again, unsatisfied and so borderline angry, I feel like I could cry.

“Open your eyes, goddess.” He gives a lazy thrust of his fingers, not fully committing to the action.

“No.” I shake my head, a pout on my lips. “Then I’ll have to get myself off, and it’s not the same.”

“Hmm,” Luka hums, another half-hearted pump pulling me further from falling into bliss. “How can I convince you that this is real? That I’m real. That this—” he sucks my clit sharply, making my eyes fly open, before releasing it, “—is really happening.”

“Luka,” I breathe, my voice husky.

“There she is.” His lips curl into a smirk, his navy eyes radiating smug satisfaction. “Now, come for me, goddess.”

Finally—finally—he resumes, every thrust of the two digits deep in my pussy massaging my walls that constrict around him, trying to keep him from disappearing. My fingers tangle in his onyx hair, pulling him closer to where I want him. He huffs a laugh at my impatience, but takes the hint, settling further between my legs. His tongue snakes out and makes figure-eights over my throbbing clit, but his eyes, they don’t leave my face.

He watches every twitch, every tell that lets him know just how close I am.

My stomach coils tighter and tighter, his mere touch propelling me back to where I was easily, and all it takes is one more sharp suck from Luka’s magical mouth before I’m tumbling over the edge of the cliff with a loud cry of his name, diving headfirst into a world of pleasure. Lights flash before my eyes, pops of pinks, blues, whites, reds, almost every color imaginable.

Luka slows his pace but doesn’t stop, working me through my orgasm and licking up every drop of cum like it’s the holiest of holy grails. A shudder works its way down my spine as he pulls his fingers out, slurping up the wetness left behind.

“Shit,” I heave, unknitting my fingers from his hair as I try to catch my breath. “I could get used to waking up like this.”

Luka laughs, climbing up from between my legs and wrapping himself around me. He tenderly brushes his lips across my forehead while holding me to his chest. “Every morning, goddess. All you have to do is ask.”

I giggle, ready to reply, but a disgruntled neigh echoes from the living room, punctuated by the piercing screech of my alarm telling me it’s time to get up.

“Dammit,” I mutter, rolling my eyes as I reach for my phone, turning off the annoying wail emanating from it.

So much for my blissful morning. Now I have to go to class. With a damn pink Pegasus.

Fuck my life.