32. Adelaide

32

ADELAIDE

I stare at the ruined books, angry and frustrated. "Shitshow doesn't even cover this, Zeph. We are fucked up the arse with a goat horn!" All that effort, all those close calls, and now we've lost the vital information we need for the ritual. The ink has run, rendering most of the text illegible.

"That sounds painful," he muses. "But we'll figure something out. Right now, I need to just lie here for a minute and not have anything take my magick or try to eat me."

"You do realise you just fucking jinxed us, right?" Ignatius snickers.

Sighing and flopping down next to him, defeated and deflated, I want to believe him, but the weight of our situation is crushing. We're supposed to perform this incredibly complex, dangerous ritual to separate me from Crimson and send her back to the NetherRealm, and now we've lost our instruction manual.

I close my eyes, trying to fight back tears of frustration. "What are we supposed to do now? We can't just wing it. One wrong move, and we could tear reality apart or kill me in the process."

Corvus kneels beside me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "We'll figure it out."

"How?" I snap, more harshly than I intended. "We don't have time to go searching for more ancient texts. The merging is happening whether we're ready or not."

"I hate to say it," Zaiah says, "but we know some people who can help."

Zephyr groans and claps his hands to his face. "The elders."

"Well, they did do this ritual before, but in reverse."

"Fucking fuck," I say again. "Well, I'm out. No idea where Randall is, and even if I did, huge pass on that one."

Ignatius sighs heavily. "My parents aren't exactly on speed dial either. Last I heard, they were off exploring some active volcano in Hawaii."

"And you know mine never leave the djinn realm unless they have to."

"Which leaves my father and Corvus's," Zephyr says grimly.

Corvus sighs. "My father is supposed to be around somewhere. He was here for the board meeting."

"And we know my dad's lurking," Zephyr adds grimly.

"Great. So, we have to rely on the very people who might try to stop us or imprison Crimson again, or worse, kill her and probably me at the same time. Fantastic."

"We don't have much choice," Zaiah points out. "Without those books, we're flying blind. And they do have experience with this kind of ritual."

I sit up, looking at each of them in turn. "Okay, but we stick to the plan. We're doing this to send Crimson back, not to trap her here or kill her. If they try anything funny, we bail. Agreed?"

They all nod solemnly.

"Okay, then," I say, standing up and brushing grass off my clothes. "Let's go find ourselves some shady elders."

We make our way back towards the main campus buildings, keeping an eye out for any sign of Zephyr's father or the other elders. The destruction from earlier is still evident, but already I can see signs of the school's magick at work, slowly repairing the damage.

As we approach the central courtyard, I stop. "You know what? This can wait. I'm tired, hungry, and I need to just not think about any of this for a while."

"That's what I said," Zephyr snaps. "But no one listened to me."

"Well, I'm listening now," I say firmly. "We are going to clean up, rest, eat and then at nightfall, we will go hunting down what we need. Fuck knows, maybe it will even find us first. Your dads are here for a reason, and it's not some fucking board meeting."

"Can't argue with that," Corvus says and takes my hand, leading me to the tower and opening the door with a flourish. "After you."

I step into the tower, the familiar surroundings a welcome sight after our harrowing underground adventure. The others file in behind me, all of us dripping water onto the stone floor as we trudge up the steps.

"Showering first," I say and aim straight for the stairs that lead to the bathroom. I dump the soggy book in the sink and strip off. Climbing into the steaming shower, I sigh contentedly and then just stand there, exhausted.

"Mind if I join you?" Ignatius asks, leaning in the doorway. "That water is playing havoc with my magick."

I peer at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, but whatever it was, it doesn't like fire elementals." He holds his hand up, and nothing happens.

Sliding the door across, I move aside to let him in. He is naked in under five seconds, a cheeky grin on his face. I take in his hard body and tattoos with an eager eye, which makes him laugh.

"Like what you see?"

"Fuck yeah." I place my hands on his chest and tilt my head back for a kiss that sets my insides ablaze. His mouth is hot and demanding, his hands exploring my body as the water washes away the grime from our ordeal. I moan softly, pressing myself against him, feeling his arousal grow with every touch. I grip his cock and tug gently. He groans into my mouth and moves his hands to my hips, pulling me closer still. He lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist, grinding against him as the water cascades over us. Breaking the kiss, he meets my eyes, his filled with desire, and he presses me against the tiles. His cock teases my clit, and I gasp as he grips himself and slowly slides inside me, inch by inch. The sensation is overwhelming, and I cling to him, my nails digging into his back. My pussy clenches around him, desperate for more. He thrusts deep inside me with an intensity that makes me cry out. I can feel my orgasm building already, and I grip him tighter, urging him on. He groans, his thrusts becoming harder and faster, until I can't hold back any longer. I come with a scream, my body convulsing around him as wave after wave of pleasure washes over me. My pussy clutches his cock possessively, causing him to grunt and pick up the pace. He slams into me, ramming me back against the cold tiles as he loses control.

With a final thrust, he comes, his cock pulsing deep inside me as he groans, "Addy, fuck."

"I needed that," I whisper into his ear, clinging to him, never wanting to let go.

"Me fucking too."

"Is your magick back?"

He holds out his hand, and a flame appears before being doused by the shower, which is raining down around us. "Yep."

"Did you even lose it?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.

He laughs. "Yeah, I did. That water was destructive."

"Well, I'm glad it's back," I say, smiling at him as the water continues to wash over us. "And I'm glad you're here with me."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," Ignatius says, his voice sincere. He kisses me gently, and I melt into his embrace.

After a few more minutes of standing under the hot water, we finally reluctantly turn off the shower and step out. I wrap a towel around myself and start to dry off, feeling a sense of relief and comfort wash over me. "Food and sleep," I say, yawning, feeling the daylight tug on my vampire senses. He draws me to him and kisses my forehead. "Get some rest. We'll go and track down supplies."

I nod sleepily as we walk down the bathroom stairs, and Ignatius tucks me into bed. He fills the guys on the plan.

"After showers," Corvus says and pulls his shirt off, tempting me.

But to be honest, I'm too tired to keep my eyes open. I close them and hear the guys moving around, but eventually, I must drift off into oblivion.