Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Nati

Going to the secret rooms is starting to become second nature to me. I don’t know how Meic knows which ones are empty when, but he seems to have a knack for it. Either that, or there’s some kind of communication system the students who know about them are using in order to not bother anyone else when they’re in them.

But now that I know about some, I realise that they’re everywhere within the academy.

I push one of the bricks to the side of a portrait of a minotaur reclining on a chaise lounge while surrounded by fruit baskets. It’s a strange set-up, but he seems happy with himself. The painting creaks and swings forward, allowing me to step inside.

Flickering candlelight fills the room I step into, and I find myself looking around in awe. Meic has made it look so magical.

“Hey,” he says, taking me in with an appreciative look on his face.

“Do you like it?” I gesture to my dress.

“You look gorgeous,” he responds. “But what’s with the scarf?”

“It’s a turban, actually,” I say, reaching up to touch it. “I don’t know if it’s going to work, the snakes can probably get out of it, but I thought it would help a little.” I go over to him, pausing just before we touch.

“It looks good,” he says. “Is it comfortable?”

“I barely notice it. I sleep with a bonnet on.”

“I don’t know what that is.”

“You’ll find out when we spend the night together,” I respond, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

He turns at the last minute and captures my lips with his. I sink into the kiss, letting myself relax. I’m still nervous about whether it’s going to be safe for the two of us to do this, but I can’t live my life in fear, and I have the spare potion Cethin made with me. I’m going to have to work out how to get hold of more that doesn’t involve him having to steal items from the stores to make it for me.

We break apart and I smile up at him. “Okay, that wasn’t so bad.”

He chuckles, the sound vibrating through me. “Should I be worried about my kissing skills?”

“No, that was excellent,” I promise. “I was just worried about us being so close together and how Frank was going to react.”

“Is he doing anything?”

I pause, paying attention to the way everything is feeling on my head. “Nothing noticeable.”

“Good.”

“Which means I can suggest this.” I pull a silk scarf out of my pocket and hold it up to him.

Meic raises an eyebrow. “What’s that for?”

I bite my lip. “Well, before I turned you into stone, things were fun.”

“Mmm, they were.”

“I don’t want to ruin the fun again,” I respond. “So this is my solution.”

“We’ve already kissed again,” he points out. “How much more fun were you thinking?”

I bite my bottom lip and meet his gaze. “Well...” I draw my gaze down him, leaving nothing to the imagination when it comes to what I’m thinking.

He groans. “Nati...”

“Yes, Meic?” I ask sweetly.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to keel over dead or something.”

“I hope not,” I respond. “Anja hasn’t foreseen anything.”

“You asked your roommate if she’d foreseen my death?” His amusement is clear on his face.

“She volunteered the information. Now, do you want this?” I hold up the scarf.

“I want you.” His voice is deep and full of promise, making me needier than I expected. He takes the scarf from me, the silk running across my skin as if it’s water. “What do you want to do with it?”

“Blindfold me.”

“Nati,” His voice cracks as he says my name. “You don’t have to do this, I trust you.”

“But I don’t. Please, Meic?” I touch my hand to his chest.

“If you’re sure.”

I turn around, my breathing already coming a little faster with anticipation. He lifts the scarf around my eyes and ties it into place with a surprisingly gentle touch.

There’s a part of me that expects to feel uncomfortable with the fact I can’t see anything, but I don’t. Everything about the situation makes me feel perfectly safe, and I know that I am.

“What now?” he murmurs, his hand dropping to my shoulder and smoothing over my skin.

I lean back into him, enjoying the warmth of his body against my back. Somehow, everything is heightened with my eyesight taken away, and it even seems to soothe the snakes on my head under my turban. Or maybe they’re just getting used to being around Meic. Though it’s mostly Frank who is the issue.

I turn around, smoothing my hand over the fabric of his shirt. Maybe I should have waited until he took it off to put the blindfold on. But I suppose there’ll be plenty of time for that once I’m feeling more confident about my snakes behaving.

My fingers play with the buttons of his shirt.

He clears his throat.

“You okay?” I ask.

He reaches out and brushes a hand against my cheek. Even without being able to see him, I can sense him leaning in. His lips press against mine, hungrier and more insistent than they’ve been the last couple of times we’ve kissed, making me wonder about just how much he’s been holding back. I’m impressed he’s been able to, because even I’ve been struggling with how much I want him.

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back with the same amount of passion, the desire to be with him growing within me with every touch.

He pulls away and turns me around. “Tell me if you want me to stop,” he whispers, his breath tickling my ear.

“Don’t stop,” I murmur in response.

His hands reach for the back of my dress, slowly drawing down the zipper. My breathing hitches as his fingers touch the bare skin of my back. I shrug off the straps of my dress while Meic helps push it down. The cool air prickles against my bare skin, but I’m immediately warmed by the heat coming from Meic’s body and the desire building within me.

A soft hiss comes from my hair, but it’s more of a general noise than a warning and it’s muffled by the fabric.

“No underwear?” he asks.

“I didn’t plan on needing any.”

“Mmm. You came here with an intention.”

“I did,” I respond softly.

His hands glide over my skin, leaving a trail of fire behind them.

I let out a soft moan and lean back into him. He splays a hand across my stomach, pulling me closer.

“You’re still wearing clothes,” I murmur, enjoying the feel of how hard he is despite the barrier between us.

“I know.” He leans in and kisses my neck, his sharp teeth grazing against my skin. “You’re in charge, Nati,” he reminds me, his hand moving across my body until he pinches my nipple between two fingers. I groan and lean my head back, only exposing more of my neck to his nibbles.

His other hand moves down until he reaches the point between my legs. I part them without thinking about it, and his fingers continue their exploration, not quite reaching where I want them to be, but doing enough to drive me at least a little crazy.

“Meic,” I say.

“Mmm.”

“Touch me more.” The words come out as pleas, I’m desperate for more of his attention, in whatever way he wants to give it to me. Right now, I feel like nothing more than a slave to my own desire. Not that I mind. I knew what would happen when I suggested this.

“Bend over,” he says gently. “Here.” He reaches out and takes my hands, placing them on the desk in front of me. My ass sticks out in the air, exposing me more than I think I ever have been before, but something about the position doesn’t make me feel too vulnerable. Probably because I know I can trust the ghoul in the room with me.

He gently parts my legs, running his hands up the inside.

A low moan escapes from me.

He chuckles. “I haven’t even done anything yet.”

“I know.” But not being able to see was making every touch more intense, even when there was no real reason for that to be the case.

He shifts position, though without being able to see, I don’t know what he’s doing. Or I don’t until his hot breath brushes against my inner thigh. I tense for a moment, only to relax when he kisses my skin.

My body trembles as he travels higher, his lips leaving a trail of heat along my skin as he worships me. The fact he’s so far away from the snakes on my head, the turban covering them, and the blindfold, all help me relax into his touch. Nothing bad can happen right now, only good things. And from the way he’s touching me, I can only assume that it’s going to be very good.

His lips move higher, and he starts to tease my entrance with his tongue, the touches fleeting at first, and then more insistent, I moan and lean back into him. Wanting more and less at the same time.

He seems to get the message, and his fingers slip around me until they’re pressing against my most sensitive spot. I let out a cry, the pressure surprisingly intense as he continues to give me the same attention.

Pleasure builds within me, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to hold on much longer.

“Meic,” I murmur through the moans.

He hums in response, though I’m not entirely sure what he’s trying to say as the vibrations tip me over the edge and my whole body starts to shake as my release takes over, spreading through my entire body and taking away any semblance of thought.

I’m dimly aware of Meic pulling away so he can support me as I collapse back into him.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Mmhmm.” I turn around so I’m on my knees beside him. Or I think I am. I can sense his body heat coming from my left, but I still can’t see him. I reach out, and he catches my hand in his, putting it on his chest. “Your clothes.”

“I haven’t needed to remove them yet.”

“You should.”

“If that’s what you want.” He pulls away from me, and for a moment, I’m disappointed, until I hear the thud of his clothing against the floor.

I shuffle around until I think I’m facing him. I reach out, finding his leg. “Where do you want me?” I ask, tilting my head up so that if I wasn’t wearing my blindfold, I’d be looking up at him.

Meic clears his throat. “Erm...”

I wet my lips, gaining a small groan from him in response.

“You can’t do that where you’re sitting,” he says.

“Why...oh.” A wicked smile twists at my lips, and I realise exactly why he might be saying that. Feeling bold, I repeat the gesture.

“Nati,” he warns.

But I don’t care. Why would I when I’ve got him precisely where I want him? I trail my hand inwards until I can close it around his hard length, my eyes widening as I realise the one disadvantage of being blindfolded.

I can’t actually see what I’m working with.

I run my fingers along his length, feeling him become impossibly harder in the process. A ridge near the base feels like it could have intriguing consequences, but that’s for later. Right now, I want to drive him as crazy as he did me.

I lean forward, fully intent on what I want to do.

“No,” he says, the word coming out garbled.

I frown. “But...”

“It’ll be over for us both if you do that,” he says.

“We’ve got all night.”

“We do.” He moves and it takes me a moment to realise he’s now on the ground beside me. “I need you to take the blindfold off, Nati.”

“But...”

“It’ll be okay,” he promises.

I bite my bottom lip, a little worried about what’s going to happen when I remove it. But if I don’t learn to trust myself around him, then this can’t go anywhere. I can’t be blindfolded every time we want to have sex.

Slowly, I reach up behind my head and undo the scarf, letting it fall to the floor. I check the turban to make sure it’s still containing all of my snakes properly. My body might still be humming with desire, but I’m not gone enough to have forgotten that I need to make sure he’s safe.

I look up, realising that he’s right about where I’m sitting, but not caring. I lick my lips, causing him to groan in response. I reach out to touch him again, stroking my hand up and down, and wondering whether I’ll actually be able to fit him when the time comes.

But that’s a problem for some point in the future.

I lean forward and take him in my mouth, using my tongue to press against him and try to drive him as crazy as he did to me.

He groans, his hand coming to hover over my head, but not touching me. I don’t know if it’s because he’s nervous about the snakes, or if there’s another reason, but I don’t pay it any heed, concentrating on what I’m doing.

It doesn’t take long for him to tense beneath my touch.

“Nati...you should...” A long groan cuts off his words as he finds his release, leaving a deep sense of satisfaction within me.

I sit back and smile up at him. “Yes?”

He chuckles. “You’re amazing.” He gives me a hand and I let him help me to my feet. He draws me over to where a pile of blankets sits waiting for us and pulls me down again.

He opens his arms, and I rest my head on his shoulder while he pulls a blanket over us. He traces a pattern on my shoulder, a sated expression on his face.

I close my eyes and let out a contented sigh.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“I’m great. Are you okay?”

“Definitely.” He grins at me. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I only did what you did for me,” I point out, trailing my fingers over his chest, feeling the taught muscles there and creeping down lower.

He captures my hand in his and lifts it to his lips to kiss it. “How are the snakes doing?”

“Okay, I think. They feel fairly calm.”

“Maybe the answer to keeping that way is orgasms.”

I snort. “You don’t think someone might have talked about that in one of the books about gorgons?”

“Maybe. But I’m willing to do some research with you into it if you want.” He leans in and kisses my neck, causing me to let out a small moan.

“I don’t think it’ll go anywhere,” I manage to get out.

“Maybe not, but it will be fun,” he promises.

My eyes close and I push myself against him as he explores. Because he’s not wrong, it will definitely be fun.