Chapter Nineteen

Zac

"Sir? Your sister is out here to see you."

I press the intercom in my phone, mentally preparing myself. "Send her in."

I quickly clear off my desk, stuffing everything into the drawer and closing the computer. This is getting out of hand.

The door to my office opens and I can tell she's upset simply from the velocity the door moves inwards. How many times has this scene played out already this semester?

"Hey sis, what's up?"

I get up and give her a hug, because as much as it gets old her thinking she can run to me for every little problem, she's still my sister.

"We have a problem. A big one."

She drops her bag onto one of the chairs in front of my desk and starts pacing.

"Okay? You want to give me more information?"

"I don't like her here. I know we can't just kick her out…or can we? No. No, we can't. We need to knock her down a peg or two. Who the hell does she think she is? Why the hell does she think she's so godsdamned special? Because her mommy is extra magical? No."

"Okay, slow down, Shelly. What happened? Did someone hurt you?"

"No. Well, yes. But not really. I'm just…ugh!" She stamps her foot and then finally takes a seat next to her bag, primly crossing her legs and smoothing down her hair. "What are the school rules on bodyguards following students around? Because I don't like those bodyguards that I have in my Conduit Care Support class. They make me uncomfortable. I've spoken to other conduits, and they make a lot of people uncomfortable. They're always…there…and like, staring."

"I…see. Am I correct in assuming we're discussing Delaney Duncan?"

Fuck. Even her name makes me go a little bit wild. Luckily I've got ironclad control, so my sister doesn't have to know anything.

Yet anyway.

My sister scoffs. "Yes. Why did you approve of her having bodyguards here? It makes her think she's so much better than everyone ese. It's disgusting."

"You do realize she's a princess, right? Like, actual royalty? You don't think that doesn't come with a certain amount of danger when trying to be a part of society?"

"Not my problem. Her bodyguards are hindering my education and I don't like it."

I pick up a pen and start tapping it on a pad of paper I've turned over on my desk, trying to figure out the best way to mediate this situation. "I need you to do your best to work around them here, Shelly. She deserves to feel safe."

"Does that mean I can hire my own bodyguards? What if I don't feel safe here, huh? Doesn't it insult you that she's insinuating your school isn't a safe place for her to be? That's a bit ridiculous."

"Look, Shells. That girl has actually been through a lot, and she needs those bodyguards, trust me."

"Why? What does that even mean? Oh my gods, you know something, don't you? Of course you do! Why didn't I think of that sooner? Of course!" She jumps up, placing her palms down on my desk and leaning towards me, a stance that normally has me buckling, but it's not like I can buckle on this issue because of who it involves. Things are a bit tricky. "Tell me what you know."

"Sorry, it's not my information to share."

"Aha! So there is information! Hm. No matter. I'll figure it out….in the meantime, you need to tell her guards they can't live here. It's in the bylaws of the dorms; they're not actually mated to her and they're not students here, so they can't live on campus. It's not appropriate to have two single men that are trained in all the …fighting things….to live with a bunch of young students. Can you imagine what parents would think if they knew? Think of that, Zac. You know I'm right. They need to go."

"Can't you just focus on what you need to do to finish out your year? It's your final year here—just worry about your studies."

"Hmm. Tempting. But no. Get them in here and kick them out. They want to guard her? Fine. But they can't live here. I'll be by tomorrow to make sure you're complying."

She gets up and walks out without looking back, leaving me to wonder what the hell I'm supposed to do.

I don't exactly like that my sister can snap her fingers and make me behave, but I also don't like what happens if I don't give her what she wants. In this case, she's technically correct— Delaney's guards aren't really supposed to live on campus, though I granted them an exception due to the unique situation. I figured the students in that dorm would be at risk if those shields weren't there to diffuse Delaney's unstable magic…

Well, I suppose there's only one thing to do. I grab my phone and buzz the secretary again. "Rita? Can you please call Miss Delaney Duncan to my office?"

"Of course, sir. I'll get right on that."

"Thanks Rita."

Fuck. Now I really need to make sure my desk is tidied up. The last thing I need is Ms. Duncan getting a peek at what my desk is currently covered in. That…would be really bad.

It hurts to push everything through the shredder, it really does, but I can always make more.

Hoping it will calm me down, I flip on the heater in my chair and try to center myself, wanting to be as much in control as I can be for this meeting. Unfortunately, just the knowledge that she's on her way to see me keeps my blood pressure elevated. I can feel the shift wanting to take over, my tongue wanting to taste the air and find what has my heart so excited.

When there's finally a knock on my door, I'm scared that if I get out of my chair, Delaney won't be happy with the results. So I stay put. "Come on in."

"Um, hi. You…wanted to see me, Sir?"

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. "Y—" I clear my throat. "Yes. Please, have a seat."

She sits and crosses those ridiculous legs, in jeans today, and I can see how very warm she is, and it has me wondering who she's most recently been around that has her a little bit worked up.

"Did I do something? Did something happen?"

"No, nothing like that. I uh, I've had some complaints from a few students…" I pull on my necktie, needing more air to get in my body somehow.

"About me?" Her lower lip pulls into a tiny pout, making my mouth water.

"Not—it's actually your bodyguards. I was assured they would not be a problem, that they wouldn't interfere with your classes."

She huffs, but it's so much less irritating than the way my sister does it. "Is this about the incident in Conduit Care last week? Because I have to say, I was really unimpressed by your sister's theatrics."

Yeah, me and her both. "Care to share your side of the story with me?" Good, keep her talking. Then I don't have to focus so hard on controlling myself.

"She was friendly at first when she introduced herself…but then she began to insult my partner and—"

"Which partner?" What did I miss?

"Oh, a student in the class. We're working together on a project. Your sister didn't like me working with him, encouraged me to either go elsewhere or let Wilford do all the work so I could go meet her friends…but that didn't seem fair, and I didn't want to spend more time with her after the things she was saying.

"I was still fine though, trying to get her to just leave us to our assignment, but you have to understand it wasn't their fault. August and Jackson are trained to protect me, so when she put her hands on me, well. That sort of changed things."

"She did what?"

"Left that out, did she? It wasn't a big deal, but I'm sure you can appreciate that, being my bodyguards, they're awfully protective of me, and they didn't care for the way she was speaking to me and Wilford, so they stepped in. All August did was peel her fingers off my arm, he didn't harm her in any way. She made a much bigger deal of it than it really was, but none of it would have happened if she would have just respected my wishes. I asked her several times to let us work but she wouldn't."

"I see…" No I don't. My sister can be such a bitch.

"But you said you had received a few complaints. What else has caused a problem? I've got them house trained and treat trained so that they're usually on their very best behavior." She smirks as she says this, helping me to thankfully relax just a little bit. It's too much having her here in this room though with the door shut.

"Erm, students in the dorm. They don't feel comfortable with your bodyguards sleeping in the dorm since they aren't students here and you aren't mated. Those are the requirements to live in our dorms here. I know we made an exception for you, but we may have to rethink things."

Delaney studies me for a minute, trying to work out what I'm not saying. "You can be honest with me. I'm not the type to take this problem elsewhere. She doesn't like that I get bodyguards, does she?"

I actually laugh at that, which surprises me. "Shelly's pretty obvious, isn't she?"

"I just understand women like your sister; I've dealt with them before. Well, whatever her chief complaint is, we actually are mated, so they are actually both legally allowed to live with me since I'm a student here."

"What? Since when?" And then I realize how that came out, so I have to edit myself. "I mean to say, congratulations. They…weren't mated to you when you began a few weeks ago, correct? I would have had that on file."

She looks down at her arm, which is covered in a long sleeve shirt, smiling warmly. "Thank you. It's pretty new, but I'm happy."

"Well I apologize for interrupting your day for something that apparently isn't an issue at all. Can I ask you something?"

"I suppose?"

"Do you—shit, how do I put this? Are you…" Abandon ship. "Are you settling in okay? I'll, uh, try to diffuse things with my sister. I think if she got to know you better that she'd take a step back from this weird crusade, but conduits are a bit territorial, or at least they can be, which I'm sure you're aware of. Please accept my apologies."

She stares at me for a moment longer, trying to figure out what's really happening in my head, but thankfully she can't read minds. She does, however, lean forward, putting herself a bit closer to me, and I instinctively have to sit back in my chair all the way to put more space between us.

"I make you nervous. Why?" She makes that face again, and then I realize I've been found out.

I've only been around a bodysmith one other time, when I was younger, and it was in a much different setting. She'll likely be sensing the ridiculous amount of heavy lust that I can't help but generate for my fated mate, but it must not feel odd to ehr because her eyes widen and she inhales sharply.

"I think that my state of mind needs to stay mine. I apologize again for wasting your time, and for…everything else." I breathe deep and allow my tongue to dart out the tiniest bit, detecting a mouthwatering scent of cherries that puts a vision of them dripping sticky red juice into my mouth. Then I decide to own up to at least a little bit of what she's sensing so I can try and make it less awkward for both of us the next time we have to interact. "I apologize for…what you're sensing, as well. Some things I have control over, and some things I do not. I want you to feel safe here, Ms. Duncan, and you can rest assured that I have nothing but professional intentions towards you. You are of course beautiful and special, but I don't want you to think being around me will be uncomfortable. I'd take suppressants if they existed, but maybe it's best if you head out of my office and return to class."

A little smile tips up on her lips as she heads towards my door. "Very well, Mr. Aspis. If you do need to update my file, you might want to note that I have four mates now. Also, do you know anything about the gargoyles on the school?"

"The…what?"

"You know what? I'll check the library again. Let me know if you need me to clarify anything else, Sir."

I nod, supremely uncomfortable, nearly slamming the door behind her as she walks through it.

I stare down at my crotch, twin throbbing making me feel so fucking slimy. "You're not supposed to want students, you assholes! Wait until she graduates, then we can tell her. You can wait until then."

I have to reach a hand down to squeeze them a bit, hoping that will make them calm down. However, I didn't account for the fact that Delaney hadn't actually left. A brief knock sounds as she opens the door again.

"Sorry, I forgot my sweater—"

Her foot catches on the edge of the rug I've been meaning to replace and she goes flying, hitting me at the perfect angle so that I go down not only with her, but perfectly under her. We land in a position where her face is now directly on top of my hemipenes.

Which of course, have slipped the protection of my clothing since I was trying to squeeze myself into submission. My pants are tucked neatly under my balls, and as she fell, her mouth must have opened in surprise, because my dicks are fully in her fucking mouth.

We both freeze, unsure what exactly we should do in the present circumstance, and I detect a very low rumble of a moan as her tongue either accidentally or purposely flicks out to lick across my tips before she throws herself backward and covers up her eyes with a hand, scrambling blindly for the sweater she left on the chair.

Mortified, and thinking this might have to be my resignation unless I can somehow save this situation, I roll over and dart to the other side of the room and face the corner as I tuck myself back in, all the blood that was below the waist now firmly in my face and making me the most horrified I've ever been in my life. "I am so sorry, Ms. Duncan. You have no idea how incredibly freakishly accidental that just was."

"Um, I mean technically it was my fault since I stormed back in here without knocking. I didn't think you'd be… you know." Is she suppressing laughter? At a time a like this?

I spin immediately, needing to reassure her and attempt to get her to take this seriously. "I most certainly wasn't. Look, I know you realized I hold some sort of attraction to you, and I was merely trying to make my body stop reacting to you by…it doesn't matter. The thing is, I accept full responsibility for assaulting you in such a way. I think it best if we part ways so I can call my boss and tender my resignation."

She chokes. "What? You're going to quit? Because I just…accidentally sucked you off?"

A thrill runs through me as those very sexual words infuse the air around me, forcing me to shake my head to dispel the cloud of lust again. "Yes. Because I put you in a position where you were more or less forced into…putting your mouth on me. I behaved deplorably and cannot control myself around you, therefore I am not fit to be your headmaster."

The more I talk, the more I realize there's no fixing this. The weight of what just happened begins to fall on my shoulders as I collapse into my desk chair, pulling off my damn tie because it's useless if I'm not required by dress code to wear it anymore. I dig my fingers into my scalp, wondering where the hell I can go now, everything spinning out of control.

"Don't quit. I must admit my oral skills usually have quite the opposite reaction..."

"Please don't belittle the situation, Ms. Duncan. This is not a joke. I just committed an unpardonable offense."

"I'm sorry, I'm socially awkward. Look, nothing is going to happen, okay? Nobody saw anything, and we both know it was no one's fault. I think you're…a good man and you're doing a good job of being our headmaster.

"I will just walk out that door and we can pretend it never happened, okay? It didn't. Nothing happened. So if you quit, you'll be blowing up your career over nothing."

"Nothing?" Now I'm angry, my voice shaking a bit. "You are not nothing. You are our queen's only daughter, and I've been entrusted with protecting you here." The words I want to add onto that are, you are everything, but my position as her headmaster muddies our relationship beyond recognition.

"And you're doing a good job. Trust me, my mother doesn't have to know. If she did find out, she'd probably find it hilarious. For my 19th birthday, she gifted me a week-long intensive fellatio course in the tropics. Also, did you forget that I run off of sexual energy? If anything, I should be thanking you for topping me off for the afternoon. I feel great right now. Please think on this before you do anything rash. If you still insist on destroying yourself in the next day or two, can you at least let me know first?"

And then she's gone.

The scent of her lingers long after the doorway is emptied, staying open this time. I can hear her calling out a greeting to Rita as she exits the main office, and then the outer door opening and closing, and then nothing but normal sounds.

Can I truly…pretend it didn't happen? What are the ramifications of doing that? If I ever do mate her, can I handle that odd family memory for an in-law?

Well if somebody found out after the fact…I suppose I'd be fired. Or likely taken behind the school and shown a lesson by the men with bulging muscles she is apparently mated to.

Of course, if I merely reported that she was my fated mate, there wouldn't be an issue; no one would care one bit what went on between us then.

But I can't do that without getting her in on it, and there's no way I'm telling her that.

Yet anyway.

I replay everything again, likely for the first of a few thousand times, trying to figure out what's bugging me about her parting words.

She said…

She's not supposed to be able to feed off of lust, yet clearly she said I topped her up. Interesting.

Like the weak man I am, I sneak to the window, staying out of sight, to see if I might observe her without notice a few minutes longer. That hardly seems like the greater transgression now.