Chapter Twenty-Five

"How are you feeling, princess?"

I groaned. "Like I'm going to be humiliated in front of the strongest wolves in the whole academy in about two hours."

Cole glanced out of the window. "More like one."

"Not. Helping."

He grinned mischievously at me, a glint in his eye. "Oh, you want me to help?"

I backed up a step, eyeing him. "Um…"

He stepped in to me again, backing me up against the wall. "Because if you need a distraction, I'm happy to provide one."

"Uh…" Words. Try some words, Cali.

"It's my duty, as your mate, to protect you…even from your own imagination."

Oh, I did not need any kind of distraction from what was going through my imagination right now. I swallowed, and Cole chuckled darkly, nostrils flaring as he scented my arousal.

"Does my little mate need my help?"

I nodded wordlessly as he leaned over me, planting one hand on the wall beside my face, caging me between it and him. I reached for him and he tutted, using his free hand to capture mine and pin them above my head.

"Uh-uh, princess. I'm distracting you, not the other way around."

I whined, and he ducked his head to mine, capturing my lips and swallowing the sound. His tongue demanded entrance and I granted it, tasting the possessive growl that rumbled through him.

He released my hands, his eyes warning me against lowering them, and I shivered with delight as I kept them there…for now.

"Good girl," he murmured, and nipped at my lips, claiming them once more as his free hand slid up my side against the bare skin beneath my shirt to cup my breast. His touch sent shivers down my spine as his tongue danced with mine.

I moaned softly against his mouth, unable to resist as he nipped at my bottom lip before sucking it gently. He pulled back slightly to nip at my earlobe, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin.

"Devouring you is going to be so sweet," he murmured against my earlobe as his hand teased my nipple into a hard point. I whimpered at the sensation and wrapped one leg around his hips, pressing myself against him. The feel of his hardness, his desire for me, only heightened the need uncoiling in my stomach.

His hands fell down to cup my hips, grinding me against his hard cock, then he drew back. A growl slipped from my throat and his eyes gleamed in the moonlight filtering in through our window.

"Fierce mate," he praised. "…but don't think that means you're getting your own way."

He repeated the action, teasing me, and my hands fell down from the wall to cling to his broad shoulders. His eyes narrowed.

"That wasn't what I told you to do, princess."

"I don't…submit," I gasped as he rubbed himself against me.

"You sure about that?"

I was sure about nothing except that I wanted Cole's cock inside me, right now. My hands made for his waistband and he tutted again.

"Patience, princess," he said.

I opened my mouth to tell him exactly what I thought of patience, and his mouth closed over mine again. I parted my lips and bit down, hard. The rich taste of blood flooded my mouth as he pulled back with a hiss, eyes hot with desire.

I slammed my palms into his chest, driving him back across the room so that he was backed up against his bed, then I shoved again so that he fell back onto it. He went with it, not fighting me, and my eyes fixed on the carotid pulsing in his throat. My body came down on his, covering him as my fangs sank into the soft flesh, freeing the delicious blood within.

"Fuck," he gasped as the taste devoured me. Hot, metallic ecstasy flooded my mouth, and I swallowed greedily, delighting in the primal pleasure of it as my nerves lit up with euphoria, heightening every taste, every sound and sight, every sensation. I could feel Cole's cock, impossibly hard, jutting into me, and it was the only thing in this whole world I wanted more than his blood. I reached for his pants and he flexed his hips, making it easy for me to pop the button and grasp the zipper.

I abandoned his throat and reached inside his pants, brushing my thumb across his velvety head.

"Fuck," he gasped again. "Princess…"

"What's the matter, mate?" I asked sweetly as I brushed my thumb across his head again, and he bucked in my hand.

"I need you," he growled. "Now."

He reached up and flipped me, tossing me onto the bed and looming over me, desire burning in his eyes, and a trickle of blood running down his throat. I lifted my head and licked it, shivering as the taste of his essence somehow filled every fiber of my being.

He seated himself between my legs, reaching for my pants.

"Naughty," I said, swatting his hand away. I latched on to his arm and yanked him back down onto the bed, rolling easily aside and coming up straddling him. He looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Fuck, princess. When did you get so strong?"

I frowned, flicking my tongue over my lip. He was right. I was strong. No way could I normally flip him like that. I swiped my tongue over my lips again, and froze, coming back to myself.

"Your blood," I whispered, quivering on top of him. I'd bitten him. Fuck.

"I like it," he whispered hoarsely. "You're so fucking hot."

"You're okay with it?" I asked tentatively.

"More than okay. You can bite me any time you want, princess. Whatever I have, it's yours already. Take it."

I leaned over him, my hair falling down around his face as I lathed the half-healed wound, tasting the remnants of his blood. His hands found my hips, steadying me, and he ground his cock up against me. My core clenched, and I threw my head back with a gasp.

"Too many clothes," I panted. I needed him inside me right now. I sat back, fumbling for the button on my jeans, and he stared up at me, worshipping me with his eyes. I needed…

I needed to go see Astor.

The thought slammed into my head and my hand froze on my button.

"Princess?"

I shook my head and shoved the errant thought aside, unpopping the button.

But I needed to go see Astor. Now.

"What's wrong?" Cole asked.

"Astor."

"Princess, I'm willing to try out pretty much any kink, but that—"

"She wants to see me. Now."

His brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

I blew out a sigh, even as the need to go to Astor's office screamed through me again, all but deafening me.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I muttered irritably under my breath.

"Not quite the way I'd imagined hearing you say those words," Cole said, sitting up carefully.

"I'm sorry." I gave him an apologetic look, because there was nothing I wanted more than to finish what we'd started.

Except go see Astor.

Fuck's sake, I know!

"She's using her stupid compulsion trick to summon me. And she doesn't want to wait."

"Compulsion? She's a vampire, not fae. How can she…?"

I grimaced. "She said she's drunk enough of them to pick up a few tricks along the way. And apparently she wants to use them to make my life hell."

Cole adjusted himself and rebuttoned his pants. "Do you want me to come with you?"

I shook my head, raking my eyes over him. "I'll be back as soon as I can. To be continued?"

He grinned languidly at me. "Count on it, princess."

My eyes drifted over the bulge in his pants, and my mouth watered. His grin widened.

I shook my head again and gritted my teeth. "Dammit. Fucking Astor."

His chuckle followed me as I hurried from the room, making a half-hearted attempt to fix my hair and clothing as I went.

The halls were mostly deserted—it was getting late, not far off time for the moon hunt, and the select few shifters chosen to run in it were likely preparing themselves, and those who hadn't been celebrating the full moon in their own way. Which usually meant getting drunk out of their skulls in the common room and having a good-natured fight or two. Not that much of the fighting going on recently had been good-natured, with war threatening the packs and everyone carefully choosing sides.

I followed my feet to Astor's office, and though it didn't take long to get there, she still barked at me irritably to come inside as though I'd been keeping her waiting for hours. If possible, she sounded even more pissed at me than usual.

I opened the door and hurried through, figuring it was best to go on the offensive if I wanted to get out of here in time for the hunt.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Domina."

She glared at me derisively. "You're sorry in more ways than that, Ms. Ellis."

I bowed my head, the power of Cole's blood still thrumming through me making the movement disjointed as some part of me resisted the show of respect.

"As you say, Domina," I forced out. Just let her play her games, and then get back to Cole. That was all I had to do.

She watched me in silence a moment longer, irritation flickering over her face as she saw I wasn't going to rise to the bait.

"Do you think, Ms. Ellis," she said coldly, "that you are better than the rest of us?"

I frowned, confused by her sudden change of topic. "No, Domina."

"Do you think," she continued, ignoring me, "that we are all hear to serve you?"

Her voice rose in anger and I opened my mouth to deny it, but she carried on.

"How dare you use this academy as a…a courier service?"

"I didn't!" I finally managed to get in.

She pushed herself up from her desk, glaring at me across its wide expanse. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"No, Domina." Because not even I was that dumb. "I just think… There must have been a mistake."

"Does this look like a mistake?" She reached into her drawer, pulled out an envelope and a small, flat sparkling gem sitting on top of it, and slammed them down on top of her desk. It took me a second to realize the stone was a Cailleach…and that the envelope had my name on it.

"You opened my mail?"

"You are not entitled to receive ‘mail' inside my academy. Need I remind you that you are remanded here under council orders and the supervision of my staff? Even if that were not the case, you would still have no right to have fae artefacts delivered inside this academy."

"I didn't ask anyone to send me that," I said, examining the stone as well as I could from this side of the desk. It was almost identical to the one Aodh had sent me…except this one was still active.

"I ought have you pulled from the moon hunt for this."

My eyes snapped to her at the threat, and my mouth popped open. Cole and I had worked so hard to be ready for this, and he needed it. We had to prove to the packs that he would make a strong alpha, and I couldn't afford to let anything stand in the way of that.

"Luckily for you," she ground out, irritating flashing crimson red in her eyes, "that's not my decision. But rest assured that I will be recommending to Instructor Ryker that you and your mate are not permitted on any further hunts. I would ban you from the feeding den, if I thought for one moment you would consider that a punishment."

She sneered at me, letting me see exactly how much lesser she considered me for my reluctance to feed…except on Cole, apparently.

"Instead, I am banning you—and by extension, your mate—from the canteen."

"What?" I stared at her in horror, and she smiled maliciously back at me.

"You heard me. Neither of you will set foot inside that room for the next week. I trust that will be enough to remind you of your place inside this academy?"

"Yes, Domina," I ground out.

"Good. Now take your trinket and get out of my sight."

I grabbed the Cailleach and the envelope it had come in and thrust them both into my pocket, then hurried from Astor's office before I could land myself in any more trouble.

I found Cole loitering outside, his face a mask of concern that eased once he caught sight of me.

"What's going on?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not here. Come on, let's get ready for the hunt."

I filled him in as we made our way out onto the grounds, showing him the stone and the envelope, because I was through hiding things from him.

"I don't like it," he said.

"Well, that makes two of us."

"Show me that envelope again?"

I passed it to him and he examined it before frowning. "This isn't Aodh's writing. I don't recognize it."

"Great. So now some mystery fae is trying to yank my chain."

"Ignore it," he said. "If you didn't make any more deals, then you're not bound to go. You didn't make any more deals, right?"

"I absolutely did not," I said vehemently.

"Then forget about it. Let's talk more later."

He nodded ahead and I saw the gathered shifters, some in wolf form, some still human, and several of them looking our way. I shoved the stone back in its envelope and then pocketed them. Cole was right; we had other concerns right now. Like how the fuck I was supposed to shift without looking like a weakling who needed Ryker to tell me what to do and force my submission with his alpha command.

I groaned. "This is going to suck so much."