Page 14

Fourteen

K amine beamed with a new aura, Grimot thought, when at their next lesson, he tied her hands again. She had been the one to suggest it this time, claiming she wanted the challenge.

Perhaps being reminded of what she had lost, brought back everything that she still had yet to lose. Grimot could see the determination set in her purple eyes as she concentrated.

She had been standing there for almost an hour at this point, though he didn’t rush or goad her. But Grimot began to wonder if it was time for him to step in.

He stepped forward, and she lifted her head to him.

“What if I can only make it work when I’m on the ground?"

“You’re thinking too much still,” he said. “The occasions where it worked, you weren’t thinking about manifesting your powers. The first time, you were trying not to get hurt,” his voice rasped. “The second time, you wanted to come around my fingers.” He trailed those aforementioned fingers along her bare arms and she shivered.

“I think it's deeper than that,” she admitted, breathily. “I think there was a truth to what you said last night. There’s a block there because of my mother and what she represents to me.”

“Is that so?” Grimot asked, as his fingers danced down her warm skin.

Kamine tilted her head back, as if savoring his touch, or willing herself to focus on her magic instead of him. He could tell she had failed, though, for when she looked at him, her pupils were dilated.

“That’s a conversation for another time. Are you going to fuck me for real?” she goaded.

“I could…” he said against her ear. “A reward—only after you get your powers to surface.”

“Well, then neither of us is leaving here happy.”

He pulled her glasses from her face. Her mouth gaped open, but he shushed her. “Don’t speak. Let’s try upping the stakes. There is a high likelihood that you’ll be knocked down during the Undertaking, and you won’t be able to see if your glasses break.”

She stiffened as the realization dawned on her. “I had never considered that.”

He didn’t step away. “What will you do?”

His mouth was so close to hers. He could feel her breath tickling his lips. He bent his head down and pressed a kiss to her neck.

She gasped. “That’s cheating. I need to do this without you.”

She was right. He wouldn’t be there to coax her powers out during the Undertaking. But after yesterday, after she had spoken so freely to him about her past, he wanted to touch, and to comfort her. He wanted her to know that he understood her pain. He wanted to tell her the truth about his own past—and he almost had. But he was worried she would look at him differently, and respect him less. Maybe once she completed her Undertaking, he would tell her. Because once this was over, Grimot knew he still wanted to spend his time with Kamine. That became clear last night, after she had poured her broken heart out to him. He wanted to make it whole again, piece by piece.

Grimot kissed the side of her lips.

“Professor,” she breathed out.

His cock stirred, and he knew it was his sign to pull away.

“Get your powers to cooperate, and you can have me.”

Kamine could barely see anything without her glasses. Everything in front of her was a blur. She focused on her breathing, not letting panic consume her.

She knew Grimot was somewhere in the room with her. She also knew that he was hard, and her mouth was practically salivating at the knowledge.

He was affected by her just as much as she was by him.

“Will you let me suck your cock if I do this?”

“Stop asking questions. You’ll be alone during your Undertaking with no one to distract you, so don’t try that as a strategy.”

“The falling rocks will distract me,” she said with a know-it-all tone.

“Rocks that will scare you,” he pointed out. “Clear your mind. Remember, it’s like moving a muscle.”

Kamine rolled her eyes. “Just be careful with my glasses.”

She adjusted her feet so that she was in a strong stance. She had taken off her shoes, giving her at least some direct contact with the ground. Grimot had pointed out that competing in the Undertaking without shoes wouldn’t be ideal, but he allowed it for the sake of their practice.

Kamine evened her breathing and began to concentrate on a specific memory, one she thought about in fondness. This time, she thought about when she learned to swim. Her father had taken her and her mother out to a nearby lake. Kamine was only eight, and her mother floated in the water alongside Kamine and her father. Kamine’s father held onto her outstretched hands, dragging her through the water. She kicked her little feet instinctually to stay afloat. She had been scared because she had to take her glasses off then, too. Her vision was poor, but her father used touch to reassure her, while her mother’s words encouraged her to keep going. Kamine flailed her arms, but didn’t swim anywhere at first, her body just trying to not drown. However, with her parents’ guidance, she slowly learned to move forward. Years later, she could swim across the lake without rest.

Kamine let the survival skills that were innately part of her come to the surface. Her feet dipped as the ground beneath her swayed. She reveled in the sensation, letting it continue. Her powers were hers to control. They were hers to decide when and how they manifested, just like her feet were hers. As the movement continued, Kamine tried taking a step forward. She didn’t stumble, her body recognizing itself. She kept advancing towards the shadowy outline of Grimot that stood across from her.

When she reached him, he untied her hands, and she held them out. “Glasses.”

“Don’t you want your reward first?”

She cocked her head to the right, the ground becoming still, and a newfound boldness took over her body, as if her manifesting powers had shed a layer of doubt inside herself. “I want it on my own terms.”

“And those are?”

Swallowing deeply, Kamine didn’t allow herself to hesitate as she said, “I want you to fuck my mouth.” The words felt strange on her tongue, yet they communicated exactly what she truly desired.

She noticed his posture straighten, and his pelvis brushed against her stomach. She felt his hardness, and her mouth watered at the promise of tasting him.

“It’ll be more fun if you can’t see,” he suggested.

A shot of arousal went through her.

“Fine,” she agreed, before glancing down at the glasses he still held hostage. “But put those somewhere safe.”

Grimot stepped forward, backing her up, and Kamine could only follow him until she hit a wall.

“They’ll be safe,” he promised.

She heard a zip, but she placed her hands on his bulge to pause the action. “Let me.”

Grimot removed his hand, and she undid the button, before pulling down his pants and underwear in one go. She wrapped her hand around him, feeling his solid length. As she rubbed his tip, she felt moisture beading.

She tightened the ponytail in her hair and dropped to her knees, then lapped at one side, then the next. Above her, Grimot hissed.

She sucked on the head, the taste of him exactly what she expected—strong and salty, something that would linger on her tongue for days. Kamine popped off his cock and licked her lips, staring at his glistening tip. “Do whatever you want,” she said.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice wavering as she pumped him.

“Yes.”

“Thank the Gods.”

He pulled on her hair, and pain bolted across her scalp, though she found that she enjoyed it. He pushed himself in between her lips, crowding the back of her throat. She gagged, but urged him on. He kept going without abandon, her eyes watering, and her mouth drooling around him. Her hands fondled his balls as he thrust. Grimot moaned her name, and the sound made her want to touch herself, but this moment was about him. He had satisfied her, and now she needed to return the favor.

“Your mouth is so good,” he murmured, his lips barely forming clear words. Kamine had a feeling he didn’t even realize he was speaking out loud, and she loved that he was so disheveled, so willing to unleash himself so that she could please him thoroughly.

“I’m almost there,” he grunted. He slid his hands around her throat, gently at first, as if asking permission. She coaxed them tighter, and he squeezed.

Kamine let her teeth drag against him, and she knew he liked it with the way his rhythm faltered, as he bucked and reached his peak, then exploded in her mouth.

Kamine took it all, and swallowed it down. When he had finished completely and pulled away, she wiped a dribble from the corner of her mouth, then licked her finger clean.

“Now we both can walk out of here happy,” Kamine said with a smile. “I got my powers to work again, and you came so much, I thought I was going to choke on it.”

He didn’t say anything, just put her glasses on her so she could see him clearly. His face was devastated, as if he’d had the same realization she had when he’d gotten her off: no one else would ever compare.

“Who’d you fuck?” Janina asked bluntly as she distributed playing cards between herself and Zoya.

“What?” Kamine responded wide-eyed, trying her best to appear confused. The lesson had ended immediately after Grimot had finished, with both of them finding excuses as to why they had to leave. Kamine needed the distraction from the tender feelings bubbling up, so she naturally sought out her friends. Now she was realizing that was a mistake.

“Don’t play coy.” Janina’s face twisted. “It wasn’t Lycaster, was it?”

“No—”

“So it was someone .”

Zoya followed their conversation, her eyes bouncing between the two women.

“Why are you letting her grill me like this?” Kamine asked, sitting next to her colorful roommate, checking the hand of cards she was dealt.

Zoya shrugged. “I’m curious too. Though I have a guess.”

Kamine poked her shoulder. “If you're so all-knowing, then who?”

“Professor Grimot,” she said plainly, like it didn’t shock or disturb her.

“That’s insane. He’s a Professor, and I’m a student.”

“There’s no rules prohibiting it.”

No, there wasn’t. With everyone trapped in this place, it was only inevitable that people started relying on one another to relieve the tension. Kamine had heard the rumors, like the night Janina had with Roz, and had actually once walked in on another couple mid-act in the bathing room. Apparently, so long as the coupling was consensual, no one at Skola seemed to mind. They all might be doomed anyways, if the Undertaking wasn’t successful.

“You’re blushing,” Janina pointed out, her sharp fangs protruding as she smiled.

“Don’t try to hide it. Just own it,” Zoya said, as she placed her first card down.

“Fine,” Kamine said. “But we’re not just doing it for pleasure. We learned that I can access my powers this way, likely because I’m focused on other sensations beyond my powers.”

“But it’s still pleasurable?” Zoya asked, genuine concern knitting her brow..

“Yes, I found my pleasure.”

“Then I think this is a good thing,” Zoya said, satisfied.

Kamine wasn’t so confident, but now that she’d had a taste of him, she couldn’t get her mind off of her professor.

They’d pushed that boulder down the hill, and there was no way of stopping it.