Page 49

I was making my way out of Sariel’s class when I barely had time to react. Hunter grabbed my wrist and pulled me down an empty hallway.

His name fell from my lips in a squeak. Rain splattered against the windows, blurring the outside, as he shoved me against the wall, pressing his finger to my lips.

“Shh,” he warned. “Unless you want Sariel to come here and lecture us both on moral discipline.”

A laugh bubbled up in my chest, but the firm press of Hunter’s finger against my lips had me swallowing it down.

His grey eyes glinted, a smirk curling at the edges of his mouth. “You think that’s funny, Bambi?” he murmured, his voice low and rough in a way that sent heat up my spine.

“A little,” I admitted, my lips brushing against his fingertip as I spoke.

Hunter inhaled sharply, dropping his hand but not stepping back. Instead, he braced one arm against the wall beside my head, caging me in. “You know what’s not funny?”

“Let me guess. You?”

His smirk ticked wider, but the look in his eyes darkened. “The fact that I nearly got my ass kicked today in training because you were distracting me.”

My stomach fluttered. “Distracting you?”

“Yeah.” His gaze flickered to my lips as his voice turned into a lazy drawl. “It’s kinda hard to focus when you’re standing there, stretching and looking all...” He trailed off as his body pressed in just a little more. I suddenly forgot the meaning of breathing.

“All what?” I whispered.

“Tempting.”

My pulse skipped violently.

“That’s not my fault,” I said, feigning innocence.

Hunter exhaled slowly like he was barely holding himself together. Then, without warning, he gripped my chin, tilting my head up so I was fully caught in his gaze. “How about I show you what happens when you distract me?” he murmured, his breath hot against my lips.

And then he kissed me.

Hard.

Like he was punishing me for every single second he had to spend thinking about me. Like he was staking a claim. Like I was his.

My back hit the cool stone, and Hunter pressed himself against me, his body heat sinking through every layer of my training uniform. His hand slid into my hair, tilting my head as his tongue traced along the seam of my lips.

The worst part?

I let him.

Because I wanted this. I badly wanted this.

I curled my finger into his jacket, yanking him closer, and he groaned against my mouth.

“Someone could walk by,” I whispered, breaking the kiss as I sucked in a shaky breath.

Hunter smirked, dipping his head to trail his lips along my jaw. “I’m willing to take that bet.”

“You’re impossible,” I muttered, even as I tilted my neck to give him better access.

“And yet, here you are, still putting up with me. Interesting.”

He wasn’t wrong.

My fingers found their way into his hair, tugging him back to my mouth as he kissed me like he’d been starving for it. I melted against him, letting his hands roam beneath my uniform jacket, his fingertips tracing my stomach, then lower.

We were far from a couple. But what were we?

Something dangerous? Something reckless? Or something that would destroy us both...

But I didn’t care then. Not when his fingers slipped into my trousers and pressed against me through my underwear.

I gasped, my back arching slightly as he smirked against my lips.

“Keep quiet,” he murmured. “Unless you want to get caught.”

I pressed my forehead against his chest, gripping his jacket as he slipped beneath the fabric and touched me, his fingers slow, teasing, dragging out every ounce of restraint I had left.

It was infuriating.

It was intoxicating.

I bit down on my lip, my breath coming out in short, ragged gasps as pleasure coiled inside me.

Hunter hummed in approval. “You know what I love?”

I shook my head, unable to stop the moans from slipping out of me.

“That only I get to see you like this. No one else.”

That almost ruined me on the spot.

I could feel the tension building, the warmth spreading through my limbs like wildfire. My pulse hammered as he worked me to the edge, and just as I was about to come undone, my eyes snapped open at the sound of footsteps approaching.

Oh, no.

Panic flared through me. I shoved at Hunter’s chest hard, sending him stumbling backwards into a room opposite the hallway. His eyes lit up in amusement as he smirked at me, and I slammed the door shut in his face right when—

“Grace.”

I turned so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet.

Nadael.

I forced my face into something remotely normal.

Nadael raised an eyebrow, her sharp gaze sweeping over me with quiet curiosity. “You’re flushed.”

“I—I was just in Sariel’s class,” I blurted. “It gets... hot in there—well, not hot, hot, but something was definitely in the air. Maybe I’m just coming down with something. It’s natural for that to happen to humans during this time of year, especially—”

“No need for unnecessary explanations Grace,” she cut me off with a frown, and I wanted to slap myself. “Either way, you’ll have to excuse me. I’m late for a meeting with the Council.”

I nodded, willing her to walk away faster. When she turned to leave, I almost sighed in relief, but then Eden stepped into view.

Why me!

“Grace,” she greeted with her usual sweet and effortless smile. “It’s a good thing I’ve bumped into you. I wanted to ask if you had spoken with Joe since you visited him.”

The mention of Joe made my stomach twist uncomfortably. “No,” I admitted. “I haven’t had the chance.”

Eden sighed. “You should. He’s... been a little off lately. I think the Council is keeping things from him.”

I frowned. “Keeping what from him?”

Eden tilted her head, then shook it like she’d said too much. “Never mind. Just—be careful, okay?”

The words should have sounded reassuring.

But they weren’t.

They felt like something else.

Something I was unsure of.

She smiled again before walking off, her heels clicking against the floor.

I exhaled, rubbing a hand over my face as the door behind me creaked open, and Hunter stepped out.

His usual smirk was gone. He looked... tense. Frustrated.

“Are you okay?” I asked, searching his expression.

He nodded slightly, avoiding my gaze. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow, Grace.”

And just like that, he was gone.

I stared after him, my heart still racing from before.

What the hell was that?

And why did I suddenly feel like I was losing control of something I never really had control over in the first place?