Page 26 of Vathia
As I sit down, Jesper smirks. “You’re with me today, Little Mouse. The leatherworker sent word that Vasari’s saddle will be here this afternoon, so your morning has been cleared.”
“What about us?” Roz asks as he shoves a whole sausage link into his mouth and groans, his words barely intelligible: “I love the food here so much.”
Ember slaps him upside the head. “Manners. You’d think you were fucking the damn thing.”
He grins at her and leans closer once he can talk again. “I can think of something I’d rather be doing with my mouth. All you need to do is invite me to your rooms.” He winks and she turns a bright shade of red.
“Not in this lifetime, Stoll,” she mumbles without the usual bite of her words.
“Oh they are so going to do it,” Nero adds, making me choke on the egg I just tried to swallow.
I place my utensils down, trying to keep my composure. “So how will we be spending the morning?”
Jesper leans back in his chair and grins. “We are going to work on your Szellemi magick, of course. The others will be doing whatever they normally do. I figured it was about time we have a little one-on-one. What do you say, Mousey? Want tocome play with the beasts?” There’s a wild glint in his eye that has me squeezing my thighs together and I watch as his nostrils flare, knowing that he’s caught the scent of my body reacting to his words.
My face reddens and Killian growls, abruptly getting up from the table, leaving his plate half full as he exits the room.
“Ignore him,” Jesper adds. “He’ll have his time with you when he gets the stick out of his ass.” He winks again like we share a secret. One that seems I’ve been left out of.
“He’s a scary bastard,” Mel mumbles, taking a sip of her glass chalice that’s filled with orange juice.
“Killian’s not that bad once you get to know him,” I tell her, touching my lips as I remember the searing kiss he gave me. A kiss of yearning and pain—I swear I can still feel his lips against mine.
Mel nods, but I’m not sure she believes me. I suppose I can see where she’s coming from though. He’s a massive male, scarred and rugged. It’s understandable why other fae would be intimidated by him, but for me, he draws me in. Ever since I got my memories back, I can’t help but want to be around them all. I’ve missed them without even realizing it—even if they aren’t the same as I remember. The only one who seems to have remained mostly the same is Jesper, although he does have a darker side to him now.
The rest of breakfast passes by quickly and I say goodbye to my friends as they head off to train with their bonded beasts, while Jesper guides me down the corridors of the castle. We stop briefly at a door as he unlocks it and enters. It only takes a moment before I realize that this must be where he’s been staying while we’ve been here.
“Come and sit down on the floor here with me.” He pats the ground where he’s sitting near the end of his bed.
My gaze strays to the bed quickly before I force myself to focus on him. What in the hell is wrong with me? We are here for training. That’s all. Taking even, measured steps to help keep my heart rate calm, I move towards Jesper and sit across from him, leaving about a two foot gap between us.
“You’re nervous,” he states, tilting his head slightly as his gaze slowly drags over me. “I said I wouldn’t do anything until you’re ready. If nothing else, I am a male of my word, Ravina.”
Unable to say anything because my tongue feels like it’s tied in knots, I nod.
If my non-verbal answer bothers him, he doesn’t let on, pushing forward with this lesson. “Tell me what you’ve learned. Have you been able to use your Szellemi magick successfully at all?”
“Yes…” I wince as I realize that I’m going to have to explain what we were doing to need it. “Roz was helping me with the basics. He taught me how to hide myself and others. How to sense others’ minds so I can infiltrate them. I’ve only practiced on my friends, though.”
Jesper nods his head thoughtfully. “Has Roz ever tried to enter your head?” His mismatched eyes gleam with curiosity.
I shake my head. “Once. He said I had strong mental barriers. I even tried to take them down but I couldn’t, so we gave up.”
He nods again. “Would you mind if little ol’ me gave it a try?” He gives me an impish grin—the same one I remember.
My heart pangs with the memory but I dip my head anyway. “If you think it will help, sure.”
He doesn’t respond, just stares at me intently like I’ve seen him do so many times before, and it makes me wonder if he’s already tried this and was curious if I knew. It’s then I feel him brush along my mental barrier with a feather-like touch thatsends a shiver down my spine. With a gentle push, I feel him breach my mind and I gasp. His eyes widen.
“Hello there, Ravina,” I hear him like a distant whisper. Not nearly as clear as when speaking with Vasari and Nero. It’s almost like trying to communicate in a wind storm. I can actually feel Nero startle at hearing Jesper’s voice in my head.“I see your pretty little mind opened for me. Such a good girl.”I blink at those words as they light a fire in the pit of my stomach.“I’ve been waiting to see if this would work. It’s been tempting. Entering your mind like this is even better than I imagined.”
My body is still reeling from him calling me a good girl and I can’t help but think back to when he kissed me. The memory of his lips on mine flits about my mind and I’m unable to stop them as the look in Jesper’s gaze grows hotter, darker.
He licks his lips and leans in closer to me. “I think about the way your lips felt against mine all the time. Every part of you invades my mind at all hours of the day. You’re my obsession, Ravina. All you have to do is say yes, and we can screw the lesson for today. Say yes, and I’ll kiss you… say yes and I’ll show you all the ways I want to pleasure you.”
He’s so close to me now, his nose running along the column of my neck.
I struggle to get my thoughts in order. “Nero. You should leave.”
