Page 43 of Great Falls Rogue
“Me as well.” River brushed his knuckles along her wet cheekbones, savoring the way she leaned into his touch. “But holding you makes it hurt less.”
What the hell was he saying? River closed his eyes, trying to breathe in some common sense. Instead, he inhaled a lungful of tantalizing lilac. A heartbeat later, River felt the soft brush of lips against his and snapped his eyes open with the speed of a diving hawk.
The girl had moved so she was kneeling on his lap, her beautiful eyes only inches from his own.
“Leralynn.” River cupped the back of her head, fully intending to pull her away. Gently but firmly. Then she bit her lip, and all his noble intentions sizzled away in a blaze of smoke. His cock tightened, his mouth demanding that it be him nipping Leralynn’s lush mouth. Taking it so completely that she’d have breath for nothing but the moment. With him. Together.
This time when she leaned toward him, River covered her mouth with his, scraping his teeth along her bottom lip until he could plunge inside.
Leralynn gasped, driving him deeper. His tongue danced with hers until sparks showed against his closed eyelids. Without seeking her permission, River’s hand slid to that maddening spot on Lera’s waist, massaged it, slid firmly over each bump of her rib cage until it met the bottom swell of her breast.
Wrong.
But he couldn’t stop. With Lera’s gentle undulations against his lap driving the flames higher, River felt himself falling—a fall that started a month ago and took a dizzying turn the night of Ostera, heady jasmine blending with lilac as they spun under the full moon. Spiraling down to a place he might never be able to come back from.
And might never want to.
17
Lera
“Idon’t like it,” Arisha says, swirling a spoon in a mug of the hot chocolate the Academy served with the midday meal.
“The part where Coal didn’t die?”
“That too,” Arisha says thoughtfully, stopping to watch the corner of the dining hall where a large wolf, a small boy, and a heaping platter of meat disappear behind one of the heavy window drapes. Shade.Shade is back.A moment later, Shade’s wagging tail makes the curtain move obscenely. Arisha winces, then returns to the matter at hand before I can fully process my shifter’s return. “But mostly all the other parts. Leaving Han aside for a moment, the little earthquake you caused without meaning to shook the whole school. And this strengthening connection with Coal? What happens if next time, he drags you into his nightmares instead of you pulling him out? Not only are the wards cracking, but the way the magic is spilling out is as controlled as an avalanche. Something is going to give, and sooner than we’d like.”
I take a sip from my own mug, the rich chocolaty liquid coating my mouth in bliss. “The next time the universe asks me for how magic should leak, I’ll be sure to lodge your complaint. Meanwhile, I want to bring Coal into the team.”
The chocolate in Arisha’s mouth flies out, raining onto the white tablecloth. “No no no no. That’s… He… We don’t like each other. The other day, he questioned how I manage to put on boots without falling on my face.”
“You do fall when dressing half the time.”
“That’s not the point.” She glowers at me. “We won’t be able to speak freely if Coal is there.”
“We can.” I tap my finger against the tabletop. “I know we can’t challenge Coal’s amulet by telling him whoheis, but with his arm broken, Coal will be staying put for a while anyway. And we should stay away from discussing my identity too, since Coal’s veil will keep insisting that the fae and human versions of me are utterly different beings. But talking about the breaking wards, about Han, the sclices and Yocklols and the Night Guard? None of that is a problem.” My words catch in my throat, another thought sweeping through me.
“What happens if we never beat the veils?” I ask Arisha softly. “If the wards shatter and the males’ magic returns and they still think they’re human? Or if the quint magic connecting us sweeps through and wages war against the amulets’ veils? If just words make the males scream in pain, what happens when magic wages war on magic?”
Arisha winces. “I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out, Lera. Somehow. We have to.”
“I want Coal with us.” I sound petulant, but it’s the truth. “I need him with me.”
Sighing, Arisha raises her palm. “Fine, fine. You can keep him. But I’m wagering it’s your backside he’s going to bite first. And if he pees in the corners, you are cleaning it up... In fact, you should probably go practice the latter now.”
Following Arisha’s gaze to the corner of the room, I see a puddle spilling from beneath the drapes, while Shade and Rabbit make a run for the door.
* * *
“Where are we going?”Coal asks, snorting as I press us into the shadows on the edge of the courtyard to avoid a pair of Academy guards.
“The library.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“Do you want to know what I’m up to or not?” I ask. We’ve spent the last day recovering, but it’s time to rally again, especially in light of Han’s presence. My fingers tap against my thigh, too many thoughts racing through my mind, tripping over each other. I despise lying to River, especially after last night, when he sent me on my way with a final chaste kiss and a desperation in his eyes that haunted my dreams—and left me wet until morning. But his colossal protectiveness leaves me no choice. As for Coal, the male’s presence will be a new edge to walk. Fortunately, after Arisha agreed to it this afternoon, Gavriel gave his blessings as well. Now, we just need to explain the whole mess. “How is your arm?”
“Shade is an overprotective grandmother who I will smother with a pillow just as soon as I can move my elbow,” Coal mutters, following me as I guide us through the now-familiar library door.
