MALCOLM
__I watch Gwen tuck her son into bed. The territorial part of me is irked she'd birthed another man's child.Leaning against the door frame, I observe them. I'd tried to scent out what species the boy was, but I knew I wouldn't have much luck. He is still young. My gaze slides over Gwen and it grows hooded. Her eyes are soft, her voice gentle and sweet as she whispers words to Rylan's drowsy form.
"He won't remember half of that tomorrow."
Her eyes snap up. "Malcolm..." she says, momentarily shocked, before she regains her composure. "He doesn't need to remember that I love him," she says.
"Is that what you've been filling his ears with?"
Her chin goes up defensively. "Yes. Didn't you have someone filling your ears with those too when you were younger?"
For a moment I'm rooted on the spot. My mouth works before my mind does. "My parents left us when we were younger, to fight against the uprising wrought by ot
GWEN__True to Malcolm's words, his men arrive in mere hours. Greta goes with them after bundling me into a long hug. Rylan's departure is much more difficult. He did something he hadn't done in a while. He cried. And it nearly breaks me.I make him promise he'll be strong for me. He does, and soon after he's put in the car. I watch as it drives away, never daring to tear my eyes away from it until it turns a corner, disappearing from view. Even then I still stand rooted to the spot, staring at the darkening atmosphere.Malcolm comes to stand behind me. "You should come inside." His baritone is a low rumble. Despite myself I feel a shiver dance down my spine.
I have dinner alone that night, and the next night.And the next one after that.Three days have gone by since I last saw Malcolm.And it's official. I despise him.It's not like I don't know where he is every minute of the day. Oh, no. I do. And that makes it all the more frustrating.A light wheedling from Martha told me he's presently in his office. I huff out a breath, staring up at the ceiling. A chandelier winks down at me and I start to pull my duvet over my body when I hear it.A knock on the door.I sl
MALCOLM__F*ck.Moonlight washes over Gwen's lithe body, casting an almost heavenly glow about her.I wouldn't doubt for one minute the glow around her head is a halo, nor would I doubt the intensity of the thought the observation revokes. I feel like going on my knees before her and laying silent prayers at her feet.A prayer for my damned soul. And a prayer for the lurid amount of lust raging through me... Surely it couldn't be normal?The top comes off completely and her perky breasts spring free. My breath waters and I see the dusky nipples turn to hard points. F*ck.
GWEN__I fight hard to catch my breath, noticing Malcolm also did too. He didn't look any better than I did, hair in disarray from when I'd run my hands through it, pupils blown, mouth slack."Oh, my god," I breathe, pleasure clouding my senses. "That was... Amazing." Understatement. It'd felt like the world had tilted right off its axis and only sensations and the kaleidoscope of lights behind my eyelids were all that existed. "This is what I've been missing out on."His arms are tight around me, and I'm too drugged with pleasure to care how I look sprawled all over his laps. He raises a brow, voice dry, "Have you never had an orgasm?"
MALCOLM__"If you're a virgin, then explain how you got Rylan."I watch the colour bleach from her face. She does that thing where she opens her mouth and closes it countless times. Then she settles on a curt, "I don't have to explain anything to you."Oh yeah?I abandon the sink, drawing closer to where she's perched on a stool. I notice how her robe parts to reveal creamy flesh. My canines throb with the consuming urge to mark her, it worsens when I scent the lingering musk of her orgasm. I want in on my tongue.Patience, I tell myself. There is apt time for that.I lean over the table. While she doesn't pull away, I notice the flush spreading around her cheeks. My little minx is just as attracted to me as I am to her."You're curious about me," I say. Her guard lowers and I catch the look of contempl
GWEN__Malcolm prepares a sweet dish of lasagna. When I take the first spoon, a moan leaves my mouth and I realize how hungry I am. He watches me eat and it is then it occurs to me he's waiting for a review of his cooking. I stiffle a smile.He's so adorable.Odd. Adorable is never a word I'll use to describe Malcolm. He is too intense. The raw edge radiating from that mountainous body would give anyone a pause... But as he stood there, elbows on the counter, steel grey eyes watching me expectantly, I can't stop a part of my heart from melting."This is so good," I say around a full mouth.
Malcolm's lips are at my neck while his fingers make slow caresses up and down my sides.He'd toweled us off and taken me straight to the bed without any clothes. Once my back made contact with the soft sheets, he covered me with his body, pressing languid kisses anywhere he could find.It was like he couldn't stop touching me.Like I would disappear if his hands weren't on me.And I've... never felt so wanted.My eyes suddenly heat and I feel a sob threaten to spill. So attuned to me, he notices. Lifting his head, he peers at my face, eyes hardening.A tear dribbles down and he cups my face, his gaze darkening. "Why?"I snort a watery chuckle. "Nothing. I'm just an emotional f*ck, I guess.""But we haven't even f*cked."I laugh long and hard. A smile cracks Malcolm's face and he leans down and kisses my tears. "I love the sound of your laughter.""And is that all you love?" the question comes out of nowhere and my face flames, my breaths stilling for a moment.He gives it a serious t
MALCOLM__I come awake once I feel Gwen moving in my arms. She's trying to get out.My arms clamp around her on reflex and I growl. She giggles and slaps my arm. "Come on, let go. I have to get ready."F*ck. Our dateReluctantly I let go and soon I hear her light footsteps fade across the room. Then the drapes come open and I wince. I drag myself up to a sitting position and immediately locate Gwen. She's pushing the second drape open. When she secures it, sunlight washes over her naked form, making the yellows of her hair gleam gold.My chest tightens. She's beautiful.
RYLANShe takes wild jabs at me, stabbing the air each time I leap away. Now I land behind her and she spins around, face red from exertion and just the littlest bit of irritation. Falling into stance again, we start a slow dance around each other. My lips twitch."You won't be laughing for much longer," she says. She lunges, focused ruthlessly on my shoulder. Last minute, I block, knocking her wrist with the heel of my palm. The dagger falls to the ground and when she makes a dash for it, I grab her, pinning her to me with just the slightest pressure on her neck.I lean down. "Always," I say against her ear, breathing hard, "have your full attention on your opponent, not on only where you aim to attack."Her elbows come down on my arms and she wrenches out of my grasp. I grin. "Impressive."She picks her blade off the ground, coming at me again. This time I attack, feinting a right just to place the tip of my dagger against the smooth line of her throat.Time suspends.When my eyes s
RYLANWhen the sound of crushed leaves sound, I look down from my high vantage point. Emmaline.Through the darkness, I watch her advance forward. Her head snaps around, looking for sign of me. Unnoticed, I use the time to look at her. She's dressed in all black, but had forgotten to hide the most important thing. Her blonde beacon of a hair. I stifle an eye roll. She really did choose the right colour.When I jump down. I hear her gasp. But she turns around and releases a loaded breath on realizing it's just me."You sacred me," she breathes."I'm sorry."I notice there are bags under her eyes and there's an air of sadness around her that I can't explain. "Are you okay?" I find myself asking."Yes. Of course."I shrug. Fine then."Come on."We walk for what seems like an eternity. The pen is located at a really remote part of the school. The gatekeeper really took his privacy serious.We walk by moss covered plants, the scent of fresh water and evergreens strong in the air. I look ba
Once I enter the dinning hall the next morning, I wish I didn't.Sophie is sitting with a group of girls. Among them is Sharlene.I grip the strap of my bag on reflex and start to walk past them, hoping I looked indifferent. But soon that is all I become consumed with. How do I make them realize that I don't give a f*ck? Do I wave at her? Act like I don't see her?Am I waking too straight?My anxiety vanishes. It's replaced with something acidic, and painful. I see Rylan.He's with Sabrina.The wall I'd erected around myself threatens to crack. When I slide into an empty table, I feel irritation at myself well. Why did I think anything between us had changed?He's only helping me out of some misguided responsibility and not because, heaven forbid, he likes me. A hysterical laugh bubbles to the surface but it morphs into a lump and lodges at the back of my throat when Sophie's table breaks out in laughter.What are they talking about?Is it me?My stomach clenches. Did she tell them wh
Without wasting any more time, I turn on my heels and rush in. The empty room stops me short. Reaching up, I absently start to untangle my hair, drawing out stubborn leaves. My hand freezes mid air when the murmur of a crowd down below becomes audible.I rake my fingers through my hair frantically, desperately hoping I've managed to remove any evidence of being in the woods. Throwing the door open, I rush down the cold halls. The stairwell is suddenly too long, every step I take sending a rush of dread snaking through me.Finally I get to the common room. Following the voices, I make my way to the dinning hall.Up to a hundred pairs of eyes turn to laser on me. I fight the urge to shrink away.The girls wear varying looks of irritation, still in their night wear. Veloria's matron is the last to notice me. The dread in her eyes gives way to shock and then concern before her eyes turn cold. I notice someone shoot up. "Emmaline!"Sophie.She pushes away from her crowded table, heading in
EMMAShit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.Shit!We leap across another tree, legs pounding down on hard gravel. Rylan still hasn't left my hand, his strong grip steering me relentlessly."Don't let them get away!" A guard yells.When I stumble over the uneven ground, Rylan catches me, wrapping a large hand around my bicep. He hauls me to my feet easily, pushing me in front of him. My breaths tear out of me and the wind whips my face punishingly, sending hair and the scent of evergreens into my nose. Gnarled branches lie low, preventing our desperate escape."Wha--" My gasp is torn when Rylan nudges me in a different direction. The sound of water slapping against boulders become evident.When we get to the raging stream, he shrugs off his bag, throwing it into the river. The practice dummy follows soon after. He spins on me, motioning for my bag. My eyes widen. "My pho--"His voice is unyielding. "Emma. Now."A stab of frustration. When figs crack in the distance, I thrust the bag into his w
RYLANUsing my boot, I kick off excess gravel and sit. "Our professor says the first step to welding is getting pretty f*cking pissed."She blinks. "Pissed, as in drunk? Or, like, angry?""Furious. Foaming at the mouth."She lifts a brow. "Well, since I don't have rabies, do I still qualify?""Tough, but we'll see."I cross my legs, putting my palms face down on either of my knee in what is known as a thinking pose. Trees sway to the chilly night air, the sound of crickets and crinkling leaves breaking the silence from time to time. Emma mirrors my actions. "So what now?""Take a deep breath."Wrong idea. When she inhales, her breasts jut forward and I feel my mouth dry. "I didn't say suck in all the air," I snap.She trains a glare on me. "I was just following your instructions.""Well, follow them without trying to be a vacuum. Watch."She watches snidely as I inhale. "There," I say quietly. "One small breath in, another one out."She copies my actions for a few minutes then just sto
RYLAN_"Quiet," I say when Emma starts to speak behind me.Absently, my brows rise in surprise when she does. I fit a key into the lock, opening the door to my room.We both walk in and I catch my gaze flitting around, wondering what she'll think about my space. I hear the quiet thud of her bag hitting the floor. She is dressed in black, her blonde hair standing out like a beacon. Her heavily-lined eyes look around and her footfalls sound as she goes to my bookcase. A finger trails along the spines of my books.When she chuckles, I scowl, feeling an odd emotion slither through me. What's so funny?She starts, "You know, I'd kind of thought that you were some kind of control freak. But seeing this..."An unfamiliar feeling whips through me. I discover it's self consciousness."Seeing what?" I ask, my skin knotting.She starts to point. "Your skate boards have the same amount of space between them, so do the trophies on your desk. I can't find even a speck of dust on your shelf, your bo
RYLANThe mock tournaments mark the wrap of another semester. It's a series of playoffs done by opposing Houses in preparation for the main sports competitions. In mock tournaments or 'mocks', each team gets to weigh the skills of the counter House by undergoing challenges--in the hopes of mapping out a way to use it to their advantage. So it goes without saying that no one goes all out during mocks.Which is why Malkar's coach wanted to rip my head off when I went at Ezra with everything I had, giving him a black eye in the process.I don't want to look into what it is about the amber-eyed fiend that gets my blood boiling. But I know that with each moment I see him and Emma engaged in unending discussions, or laughing together at something either of them said: it f*cking grew. Each time he spoke to her, I wanted to tear his tongue from his skull."Rylan, are you listening?"I bring my attention back to Cal. "What?"He laughs. "You have a thing for Elmloch boys now?"I lift an unimpr
"Okay, I can't keep quiet anymore," Soph says.She sits cross-legged on the plush cream rug, burning candles on either side of her. Sunlight spills in through the wide windows, adding a gleam to her jet-black hair. "What happened to the 'I Eat Dick For Breakfast' type gal I saw on the first day."I blow out a long-suffering breath, pulling on a pair of tailored slacks. I slip a checkered vest over my head. "The 'type gal' is right here." I cringe into the mirror once the words leave my mouth."I liked that Emma better," she says. "Now you're like some domesticated poodle."I whirl around. "You did not just call me a dog."She laughs. "Technically, you are. You're an animal shifter."A nervous laugh. "Yeah. Got me there." I go back to arranging my hair. I'd dyed it platinum blonde. I'm just in the process of sleeking the pale strands into a bun when she lets out a frustrated noise."Stupid f*cking wind!"I turn, seeing the drapes billowing. My eyes shift to her. Her candles are snuffed