Page 43 of Wicked Chains (Serpentine Academy #2)

Forty

Ash

It’s early, but I cannot sleep. I pace in my quarters, thinking about the sensations I felt all night long, phantom touches that weren't meant for me, pleasure that wasn't mine to take.

Rose Smith has found a new way to drive me to the edge of madness.

I should be furious that she fucked three men while knowing that I would feel every second of it.

Instead, I find myself smiling. She's either the bravest witch I've ever met or the most foolish. Possibly both.

How could I sleep when my body was flooded with the ghosts of her climaxes? One after another, rolling through the mark like waves crashing. I felt her surrender to them, all three of them. The incubus, the vampire, even that damned ghost.

I yank on my jacket and slam the door behind me.

The corridors of the administrative wing are empty this early.

The blood mark was supposed to be a one-way street.

A tool for control, for siphoning power.

No one told me it could work both ways, that I would become a prisoner to her sensations.

That I would lie awake at night, sweating and hard, as Rose Smith gave herself to others.

She knew I could feel everything, and the knowledge excited her. She wanted me to feel it. Wanted me to know exactly what those men were doing to her, how they were making her feel. It was a provocation.

My Rose likes to play with fire.

I push through the doors leading outside, barely noticing the cold of the morning air.

The quad stretches before me, frost glittering on the grass like scattered diamonds.

A few early risers hurry toward the dining hall, their breath puffing white in the cold.

I ignore them all, my focus narrowed to a single point, the dormitory building where Rose sleeps.

What is it about her that makes me like this? She's just a witch. Just a source of magic. Just an asset.

Except she isn't.

Rose Smith is an enigma. She's defiance and vulnerability in equal measure. She's the first person in decades who has surprised me, who has made me feel something beyond the desire for revenge. I hate it. I hate her for it.

Last night, lying in my bed, I felt her climax around those three men.

Felt her mouth on the vampire, the incubus between her legs, the ghost at her back.

And beneath it all, her awareness of me.

Her deliberate enjoyment of my witness. The way she clenched and flooded at the thought of me feeling it all.

She was fucking them, but she was performing for me.

I take the stairs two at a time, my boots thudding on the treads. Third floor. Her floor. I slow my pace, gathering my composure. I won't give her the satisfaction of seeing me affected. Not after the stunt she pulled.

What am I even doing here? I should be meeting with the coven elders, discussing how to contain Helena after yesterday's public humiliation. I should be planning our next move, securing our position. There has been chatter from outside, the Crescent Moon Coven is attempting to regroup, trying to find alliances. If that were to happen, it wouldn’t just be my coven in peril, it would be Rose as well.

I have no doubt that they would drain her immediately, as Helena originally suggested we do.

But I don't turn back. There's a conversation that needs to happen. After what occurred in the dining hall, Rose needs to understand her position. Needs to know that while Helena is indeed a problem, the solution isn't to run to her little menagerie of monsters for protection. The solution is me.

I reach her door and pause, listening. The mark tells me she's alone, I can feel only her presence—not the others—and for that she is lucky.

I knock, restraining myself from simply barging in. Inside, I hear movement, then silence. She knows it's me. The mark ensures that.

"Go away." Her voice is muffled through the door.

"Open the door, Rose."

"It's seven in the morning. Unless the building's on fire, I'm not interested."

"You have ten seconds before I let myself in."

There's a string of foul language, then shuffling footsteps. The door swings open to reveal Rose in an oversized t-shirt that barely goes down to the tops of her thighs, her hair a tangled mess around her shoulders. Her eyes are puffy with sleep. She doesn't step back to let me in.

"What do you want?" The suspicion in her voice would be offensive if it weren't so expected.

I let my gaze travel over her, taking note of the marks visible on her neck, the slight wince as she shifts her weight. "May I come in? Or would you prefer to have this conversation where anyone might hear?"

She narrows her eyes, her body blocking the doorway. But after a moment's hesitation, she steps aside, grudgingly allowing me to enter. Her room is small, dominated by a bed with rumpled sheets that carry the scent of her night's activities.

"If you're here to threaten me, can we skip to the end? I'm not really in the mood for your villain monologue this morning." She crosses her arms, putting as much space between us as the small room allows.

Even exhausted and vulnerable, she maintains her fire. "That's not why I'm here."

"Then get on with it." She leans against her desk, one hand unconsciously moving to touch the blood mark on her arm.

I watch the movement. "To make sure you understand the situation after yesterday's incident with Helena."

"You mean when you forced her to kneel in front of everyone? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I understand the situation. She's going to murder me in my sleep."

"No. She won't."

Rose snorts. "And why's that? Because you told her not to? Helena doesn't strike me as the type to take orders well. Especially after you humiliated her."

I take a step closer, noting how she tenses but doesn't retreat. "Helena won't touch you because I won't allow it. The academy is secure, and you are safe here."

"Why do you even care?" Her voice rises slightly. "If I'm just a magic battery to you, shouldn't you be more worried about Helena trying to usurp your position in the coven than about my well-being?"

I consider her question, studying her face. There's genuine confusion there, mixed with lingering suspicion. "You seem to be under the impression that these are separate concerns."

"Aren't they?"

"No." I move closer still, not missing the way her breath catches. "Your well-being is directly tied to the coven's interests. To my interests."

"So this is just business. Making sure your asset is protected."

"Would you prefer it was something else?" The words come out before I can stop them, a question I hadn’t intended to ask. My eyes go to the hem of her t-shirt, where it barely covers that enticing pussy.

Rose's lips part slightly, her pupils dilating. For a moment, neither of us speaks.

Then she breaks eye contact, running a hand through her hair. "Look, I appreciate the reassurance, but I'm not exactly feeling super secure here. Helena's made it pretty clear she wants me gone, and after yesterday..."

"Helena will be dealt with." I cut her off, my tone leaving no room for argument. "The coven is aware of her unacceptable behavior. Steps are being taken."

"What kind of steps?" Rose asks, her curiosity getting the better of her wariness.

"The kind that don't concern you." I let my gaze wander around her room, taking note of every detail. "However, I would suggest avoiding direct confrontation with her for the time being."

"Yeah, I wasn't planning on having tea with her anytime soon."

"Good."

An awkward silence falls between us. I should leave now that I've delivered my message, but something keeps me there. The memory of last night's sensations, perhaps. Or the way she's looking at me now.

"Was there something else?" she asks, her head tilted.

I find myself focusing on the slight flush creeping up her neck. "Last night," I begin, watching her reaction carefully. "You were rather active."

Her blush deepens, but she doesn't look away. "And you felt it all, didn't you? Through the mark."

"Yes."

"Good."

I take another step closer until we're almost touching. "You wanted me to feel it."

She lifts her chin. "Maybe I did."

"Why?"

The question hangs between us, loaded with implications. Rose's eyes meet mine, challenging.

"Why do you think?"

"I think you're playing a dangerous game, Rose Smith."

"I think," she says, her voice soft, "that you like dangerous games."

I could press further, could test the boundaries of whatever this is between us. But not today. Not like this, with the scent of other men still clinging to her skin.

I step back, putting distance between us. "Stay away from Helena," I say, my voice carefully controlled. "And if you feel threatened, you come to me. Not them. Understood?"

I could swear disappointment flickers across her face before she masks it with a smirk. "Whatever you say, boss."

I turn to leave, pausing with my hand on the doorknob. "One more thing, Rose."

"What?"

I look back over my shoulder, letting her see a glimpse of what I've been suppressing. "Next time you decide to put on a show, remember what I told you when you decided to test my patience in the forest.”

I don't wait for her response. I step into the hallway, closing the door behind me, and walk away, the memory of her wide eyes and parted lips burned into my mind. The game between us has changed somehow, the rules rewritten.

And I'm not entirely certain who's winning.