Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Silas was right. None of us are exactly camera-ready right now, perhaps me most of all. My hair is hanging in damp strings around my face, and I realise belatedly that I’ve been tracking ocean water around Mollie’s apartment, making me groan. I’m going to have to deal with that, but not now. Right now, what I need is a good cleaning.

The exhaustion starts to creep in again almost as soon as I get to the bathroom. How the hell did Edith cast a high-level spell so easily? Stop worrying about it, I remind myself. You’ve been doing this for less than a year. Instead, I focus on disrobing, my muscles feeling weak from our sudden flight. I feel like I’ve run a marathon, and when I close my eyes to check on my magic, I can barely sense it, like the well of power has been completely tapped out. Shifter magic is like a muscle -- the more you use it, the stronger it gets -- but my god, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck. Getting my arms up over my head is enough of a challenge to my aching limbs, and I feel glued to my damp clothes, which aren’t exactly giving me an easy time. Wincing, I manage to pull my shirt off, and make the mistake of glancing in the mirror.

I look like a train wreck. My eyes are tired and bloodshot -- no doubt courtesy of sleeping on a motel room floor for the past few nights -- and my face looks gaunt and stressed. Worse, however, is the angry red mark that creeps up my left side, from my hip to just under my breasts. I don’t even remember getting injured, but the adrenaline of running from the Academy could have easily covered up the pain. In short, I look a mess, and I’m glad no one is here to witness my pathetic struggles. I’m supposed to be in charge here.

The bathroom is big, pristine, and the water runs hot from the shower head almost immediately. I’m grateful for that, and by the time I actually step into the large shower, I feel like I could practically fall asleep standing up. It’s only as the water rains down on me, washing away the dirt and muck, that the full extent of my injuries becomes clear: the impact from hitting the surface of the water must have really messed me up. I can only hope that I broke the surface tension in time for the others to avoid the same fate.

Closing my eyes, I let my forehead rest against the wall and breathe deeply for a few minutes, relishing the fact that we’ve made it this far. Still, I can feel the noose tightening, and no matter what Mollie says, we’re not going to be safe forever.

As for Edith… Maybe I just need to get to know her better, I reason. The dynamic has shifted with her around, but for better or worse, she helped make me what I am today, and I owe it to her not to shut her out just because she wasn’t at the Academy with the rest of us. It might take some time, but it’s not like we have anything better to do while we’re hiding out here. Resolving not to let my uncertain intuition muck things up, I’m able to start cleaning myself, luxuriating in the feeling of finally being able to relax.

By the time I step out of the shower, I’ve managed to steam up the entire bathroom, and end up having to wipe some of the fog away from the mirror so I can rake a comb through my tangled hair. It’s only after I do this that I realise with a muttered curse that none of my clothes are clean; they all went in with me, and I have no idea where Mollie keeps her spare stuff. Groaning, I look around, and chance upon a fluffy white bathrobe hanging from a hook on the door. Good enough. I cross the room and bundle myself in it, giving my hair a quick towel dry before I finally feel ready to be seen by other people again. Letting out a long breath, I straighten up and open the door, pausing for a moment to return to the cabinet above the sink and rummage a little. Bandages, ointment, rubbing alcohol… I grab a bottle of ibuprofen and take three tablets, hoping that will take the edge off the pain a little, along with a disposable ice pack, before padding out of the bathroom, my dirty clothes tucked under one arm.

It’s cold in the hallway, and I can’t help the goosebumps that break out on my arms as I return to the room Silas, Shade, and I are sharing. The bed is enormous, but I’m not under any illusions that the guys will want to sleep together, so we’re going to have to dig up some sleeping bags. Shade seems to be elsewhere in the house, and I feel alone enough with the door shut to open my robe and crack the ice pack, relishing in the relief it gives when I press it to the mark on my side. My eyes slide closed, and for a moment I forget where I am…

A moment too long, it seems. An instant later, there’s the sound of the bedroom door opening, and a familiar roguish lilt hits my ears. “You know, Boots, you could’ve…” But his voice trails off when he sees me, half naked and scrambling to cover myself back up.

“Sorry,” I murmur, a blush filling my cheeks. “I didn’t know where you went.”

The wolf shifter stares at me for a moment before slowly crossing the room. I’m surprised to see that his grey eyes aren’t locked to my body at all, but rather the welt on my side. And there’s something in his expression… concern, I realise with a start. The Academy criminal is actually concerned about me. “When did that happen?” he asks, tucking his hands into his pockets.

Self consciously, I close the robe more tightly around myself. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell him. “Happened when I hit the water, I think.”

He hisses through his teeth. “They say it can feel like concrete.”

Wincing, I give a rueful chuckle. “Wish I’d known that before I jumped, but what can you do?”

Shade extends his hand, and it takes a moment for me to realise he’s waiting for the ice pack. “May I?”

“Uh… sure,” I reply, passing it to him. Unfazed by the cold, he gently applies it to my side over the top of the robe, his movements achingly gentle. He hasn’t been this intimately close to me since that night on the rooftop of the Boston Academy, and it’s clear that my feelings haven’t dulled for him in the slightest since then.

“You’re shaking,” Shade remarks, giving me a half-smile, but the worry in his eyes is clear as day.

“Just tired,” I reply, but I can’t bring myself to meet his eyes.

Slowly, the wolf shifter reaches up to place his hand over the skin of my chest not covered by the bathrobe. “And your heart is beating fast,” he observes.

I raise my eyes to meet his, and the intensity of his gaze is almost enough to make me forget where I am. “I…” I whisper, my voice breathless, but then the bedroom door opens and Silas enters the room, dressed in a new change of clothes. Shade and I jump apart like we’ve both received an electric shock, but to my surprise, it’s Silas who looks the most taken aback.

“Sorry,” the dragon shifter says at once, clearing his throat and taking a step back. “I didn’t realise you two were…”

“It’s okay,” I hasten to tell him. “Silas was just helping me with an injury. Nothing serious,” I add when I see the expression of alarm on the dragon shifter’s face. “We’re not -- I mean, it’s not like…” Fuck. Why do I always end up tripping over myself the moment feelings come into the equation? The fact that I’m in love with both of them doesn’t ease my discomfort in the slightest.

“Well, gee,” Shade jokes dryly, “you could’ve just told me my kiss was that bad, Boots.”

I snap my head up to look at him with an offended expression, giving him a playful shrug. “That’s not it!” I insist. “You were fine. No, great. God, I’m terrible at this.” My blush intensifies as I glance over at Silas, who is watching the exchange with a mixture of curiosity and amusement on his face. This all suddenly feels too serious, and I feel the need to take the edge off. “Silas, back me up here.”

Silas raises his eyebrows, looking from me to Shade. “I wouldn’t know-” he begins.

I snort, collapsing onto the bed. “You two are unbelievable,” I joke. “You’re both great, okay? Better than great. Fantastic kissers.”

I would’ve once expected some jibes from the guys, or at the very least a surly look, so I’m surprised when they exchange a look and then burst out laughing. “Relax, Boots,” Shade tells me, coming to sit next to me on the bed. “I’m not territorial. Hard to believe, I know.”

“And I’ve told you before, I’m more interested in making sure you’re happy,” Silas adds, sitting down on my other side. “Although,” he adds dryly, “I’d be interested in a formal comparison.”

“Mm,” Shade agrees, and it’s only then that I realise just how close they both are. “Thoughts, Boots?”

“I…” I feel like I’ve lost my ability to speak.

“Only one way to find out,” murmurs the wolf shifter, nodding once to Silas before nuzzling his mouth into my neck. I let out a gasp as his teeth gently worry the skin there, and out of the corner of my eye I can see the dragon shifter’s expression burning with barely disguised lust.

“I-I mean, if that’s the only way…” I murmur, making the others laugh.

“Come here,” says Shade, pulling me to my feet. “Stand up.” His hands pause at the hem of my robe, waiting for permission, and I nod to him, allowing him to drop it to the floor.

“Shit, Boots,” Shade mutters, running a hand through his hair. “You’re unbelievable.”

Silas hums in agreement, moving to stand behind me and run his hands over my still-damp shoulders. A shiver goes through me as he buries his face at the base of my neck, one of his hands drifting downward, between my legs, and before I know it he’s working a finger gently against my clit, making me tremble and shake with every movement. I shouldn’t be in the mood for sex right now, considering my day, but there’s no fighting it: I’ve never thought about a threesome before in my life, but I want these guys. Both of them, in whatever capacity they’ll allow. I let my eyes close, savouring the tenderness of their movements and the affection that seems to pour off them in waves. I know being with them is going to be nothing like my first time with a high school boyfriend that I wish I could forget happened. Not that it lasted long…

By all accounts, it should be awkward. They hated each other when we first met. And yet it feels right somehow, like we’re three pieces of a jigsaw puzzle all fitting perfectly together, the connection of our childhoods more powerful than any former rivalry.

I gasp when I feel Shade’s mouth latch onto my breast, his fingers expertly teasing my other nipple as I quake from their combined touches. Silas peppers kisses over the skin of my neck as his fingers pick up their pace, and it’s like he knows what I need somehow -- they both do, as if they’re reading each other’s thoughts. It’s impossible, and yet the bliss is all-consuming.

“You’re wet, Boots,” murmurs the dragon shifter, boldly sliding a finger inside me as his strong arms keep me flush against his chest. Shade, still occupied, hums in agreement, pulling free of my breast to press his lips to mine, his hands tangling in my wet hair as his tongue brushes against my lips. I’m left a shaking mess between the two of them, fully at the mercy of the pleasure they’re giving me, and it’s like the pain of my injury fades away in an instant under their expert touch. I buck my hips against Silas’ hand as I can feel my orgasm building, lost in the feeling of Shade’s mouth on mine as he continues to ravish my breasts with attention like his life depends on it.

Working in tandem like this, it’s no surprise that I unravel completely, coming with an intensity I didn’t know was possible, breathing hard and feeling like jelly under their touch. Shade pulls away, running a thumb affectionately over my cheekbone while Silas holds me tenderly in his embrace, his mouth still on the skin of my neck. “Guys,” I breathe, nearly at a loss for words, “that was…” I can’t find a good enough adjective, so I resort to throwing my hands up and dropping them, making the other shifters laugh.

“Glad we could be of service,” Shade mutters teasingly.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” jokes Silas. “What’s the verdict?”

“What can I say?” I pant. “You’re both incredible.”

Silas opens his mouth to say something else, but at that moment the door flies open. I whirl around, scrambling to cover myself, and my heart sinks when I meet the eyes of one very skeptical-looking Edith.

Fuck.