Supernatural Academy: Year Two Page 2

  My hand swung out and I smacked Asher on the shoulder. “That’s fucking terrible, you asshole.”

  He shrugged, his grin more than a little amused. “I shocked the hell out of the teacher when I crossed, because no one thought it was possible. There’s a strong spell on the door … one with a very simple counterspell. It was put in place to keep anyone from wandering in here without assistance. There’s some dark shit further back in this section.”

  I let out a low laugh. “No wonder you looked so stunned when I almost made it through. But how did I make it through? How are we breaking through the spell?”

  His expression turned more serious. “Ever since that first class, you’ve been on my radar. Only those with very strong water magic could have broken through the spell. I didn’t know what you were then, but I was certainly intrigued.”

  Asher had been on my radar since the first moment I caught a glimpse of black hair with silvery-blond streaks. The powerful aura. The broad shoulders that had taken up half the table. Then when I got to know him, it was so much more than his physical perfection. It was the way our energies mingled and our souls reached for each other, just the way I imagined true mates’ souls would.

  We might not have triggered the actual true mate bond yet, but I didn’t care. I chose Asher.

  When we stepped out onto the beach, I threw my arms out and let the magic sun warm me. Asher laughed, and I was reminded of something. “I guess we’re friends now.”

  His smile remained as he tilted his head. He didn’t remember.

  “You told me that you’d reveal everything about the door when we were friends,” I reminded him.

  His arms wrapped around me and I snuggled against him, loving the feel of his skin on mine, and our energies together. It was hard to believe that when we’d first met, the block on my power had clashed hardcore with Asher’s energy, and we’d almost blown up the school.

  Now, with the help of the powerful necklace Louis had given me, it actually felt like my energy was soothed by Asher’s.

  We’d come so far.

  “Happy birthday, Maddi,” he said softly, pressing kisses just below my ear and down my cheek. I was barely breathing by the time he reached my lips, desperate to taste him.

  We kissed for a long time, and then he lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around him.

  When he pulled away to open the door, I realized he’d taken us up to one of the small, colorful huts that sat at the edge of the white, sun-kissed sand.

  “We get to stay here?” I asked, excitement sending my voice higher. “I’ve never even seen inside them.”

  I’d swum in this water, sunbaked under the magical sun, frolicked with the unique pink dolphins of the water world, and made out with Asher on the sand multiple times.

  But I’d never made it into the huts.

  The front had three steps leading up to a small porch. There were no windows on the walls, just a door surrounded by weatherboards. The house he’d chosen was pink, and I wondered if that was a tribute to the hair color that had brought us together.

  Asher didn’t let me down, holding me with ease as he opened the door and stepped us into the dark interior. It was quite the contrast to the eternally bright and warm world outside the door, and I wondered if the lack of windows was so you could actually sleep.

  I was a little disappointed that we’d be cut off from the ocean though. Just seeing it there was soothing for me, but at least I knew it was close. I could still smell that briny freshness in the air.

  Lights flared, and since Asher hadn’t moved to touch a switch, I was guessing it was magic illuminating the inside. I gasped and wiggled to get down. With a laugh, Asher let me drop to the ground.

  “It’s amazing,” I said, running to look around. There was one bedroom with an attached bathroom, a living room, and a gorgeous open-plan kitchen. Everything was painted in white, cream, and soothing grays, a stark contrast to the bright exteriors.

  “It’s so … homey,” I said, surprised.

  Asher nodded. “And you haven’t even seen the best part yet.”

  That definitely piqued my interest.

  I watched as he crossed back to the front door and placed his hand against a small panel there that I hadn’t noticed. It flared red, and then a moment later turned green. I stilled at the whirring sound that followed, my eyes widening even further as the walls started to lift up.

  Like, literally lift.

  Within two minutes, every wall in the house had risen, allowing sunlight and the ocean breeze in. Like a tent with the canopies open.

  Joy danced through me at this integration of indoors and outdoors. Now it was perfect. No matter what room I was in, I could see the ocean, as the hut had been designed to capture that view from all angles.

  Dashing into the bedroom, I jumped on the bed and sprawled back against the pillows. Hands behind my head, I relaxed deep into the cushion and watched the water splash out there. If it wasn’t so bright, I could imagine sleeping like this for days.

  “No wonder this is used as a prize,” I said to Asher as he dropped down beside me. “This is … incredible.”

  His chuckle was low and husky, and suddenly I was very aware of the bed and the privacy and the sexy, sexy Atlantean beside me. Rolling to my side, I focused on the only thing here more captivating than the ocean. Asher.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, those hypnotic eyes caressing across my face.

  “Just wondering how the heck I ended up here. Twelve months ago I was in a dirty bathroom, dyeing my hair pink, all the while trying to figure out what to do next with my life. Today…” I spread a hand to sweep across the view. “Today I’m here. At the ocean. With … you.”

  As I dropped my hand, he moved forward and kissed me with enough force that my toes curled and my stomach filled with swirls of butterflies and arousal. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer, and I let out a soft breath as his firm grip ran across my back and down to my ass. His touch sparked tingles across my body. As he gripped the bottom of my dress, pulling it up so that he could scrape his fingertips across bare skin, I felt like I was actually going to combust.

  “You’re so damned sexy,” he practically growled against my lips. “Seriously, Maddi, you’re all the fuck I can think about.”

  No complaints here. I’d always hoped that if I ever fell in love, they’d be equally as obsessed with me. I never wanted what my adoptive mother had—meaningless and sometimes violent relationships that did nothing except strip her of soul and heart and dignity. I wanted someone who made me feel everything and never used those feelings against me.

  When you loved someone, they had a certain amount of control over you. A scary concept when you truly thought about it, especially when it was someone who didn’t deserve or cherish that gift.

  Asher had never made me feel like that.

  Leaning back, I yanked at his shirt, managing to pull it up over the rigid muscle it covered. Asher was built like a god: tall, broad shoulders, slim hips, and thick muscles that I’d compare to those of an elite athlete. You know, if he were human.

  When my hands were finally on all of that bronze skin, I bit my lip to stop the groan of appreciation from emerging. By the holy fucking gods.

  My lips descended; I pressed them to his chest, right above his heart. I could feel it beating under my touch, slow and steady at first, but as I touched him more, the pace picked up.

  I affected Asher, and it was the best fucking feeling ever.

  He allowed me to touch and explore for longer than usual. “It’s your birthday,” he joked when I laughed about his need to control. “It’s all about you.”

  My dress was long gone. I wore only a barely-there lace bra and a thong. Asher’s hands traced across my skin, and before I could catch my breath, he flipped me over so I was on my stomach.

  When I tried to turn back to look at it, his firm hand on my back stopped me from moving.

  “Trust me,” he said.

  For a second my mind rebelled, because I didn’t like to be held immobile, but then I remembered it was Asher. I did trust him. So I relaxed, resting my head on my hands, turned toward the ocean.

  There was a low rustle of fabric, and then his hands—warm and soft—landed on my lower back. They glided across me, oiled from whatever he’d grabbed, and then he was rubbing and stroking and kneading my muscles.

  “Oh my gods,” I groaned, eyes fluttering shut as Asher massaged me, moving with skillful hands across the planes of my back, working out the tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding. My bra was unhooked, the heat of his body pressing along one side of me.

  As he made his way back down my spine, I curled my toes at the sensations building inside me. He was touching me everywhere, stroking every nerve to life, and as his hands spanned across the small of my back, I moaned softly. More oil, and then he was rubbing across my ass cheeks, fanning more of the fiery arousal inside of me to life. As his fingers stroked down to the tops of my thighs, I mentally started to beg him to touch me where I was throbbing, aching in a way that only Asher could cause.

  Bastard no doubt knew that; he could probably see and smell that I was wet as fuck for him, and he continued to tease me. Rubbing across my thighs, brushing lightly over my center, but never giving me exactly what I wanted.

  He was waiting for me to beg … I was waiting to see if he’d cave first. Both of us caught up in this moment. I arched my back involuntarily, because he had me so fucking wound up that I was moving without even knowing it, desperately seeking some sort of release.

  “Baby…” Asher said warningly. “Stay still.”

  I moaned again. “I can’t, fuck. Please touch me. I need you to touch me.”

  Asher’s hands slicked up my thighs then, and I cried out as he pushed my thong aside and finally … finally, stroked my center. Firm, right along my clit, caressing and circling it, the oil lubricating me—not that I needed it. I was literally dripping wet for him now, moisture pooling along his fingers as he rubbed them across and then inside me. There was something about being in this position, my ass half in the air, slightly vulnerable as Asher played with my body, that was driving me crazy.

  “Oh, fuck,” I cried, starting to ride his hand, my body moving back on the two fingers inside while his thumb continued to circle the hard ball of nerves that was sending shocks through my body.

  Asher’s lips landed on my back, and everything inside of me shattered, the orgasm ripping through me. I dropped on my stomach, limbs trembling as I rode out the last of the pleasure, Asher never removing his fingers until I was completely spent.

  Best birthday ever.

  3

  My skin was still heated when his hands gripped my hips and spun me over, an arm on either side of my head as he held his weight up off me. Needing more, I opened my legs and welcomed him closer.

  “Massage is definitely a skill you need to hone,” I told him, my voice still breathless. “I mean, you’re pretty good, but with a lot more practice, you could be something really special.”

  His lips quirked as he stared down at me, no doubt taking in my flushed cheeks and accelerated breathing. He didn’t speak, he just lowered himself so that he could kiss me gently. Or at least it started gentle before it quickly turned into something hotter. Heavier.

  And I was right back to that low, tugging need in my body.

  I got his pants off, and then both of us were thankfully naked. Clothes were such cockblockers. He slid inside in one firm stroke.

  “Ah, fuck,” I said, my body still so sensitive that I almost orgasmed just from that one movement. Asher’s grin was both wicked and sexy as he started to move, just the way I loved it, in long deep strokes. The ocean crashed nearby, and the sound and scent of the water were everywhere. We moved together, and I marveled at the gentle kisses we exchanged while he continued to love me.

  “Gods, Asher,” I groaned, already starting to unravel.

  “Maddi,” he replied in a low, husky tone. Just hearing my name on his lips like that spiraled my pleasure higher, and everything inside of me tightened as I lost control, crying out his name. Asher groaned, coming too, and my head spun as the sensations became almost too much to handle.

  For many long minutes we remained in that position, breathing heavily, and I loved the feel of his body against mine. I loved having every part of him like this. Our energy hummed together, and if this was the sort of chemistry that books talked about, then it was no wonder everyone searched for it.

  I’d never felt like this before, not with anyone else, and I wondered at the extra connection that had always existed between us, pretty much from the first moment we’d met. It had to be Atlantean, something to do with our origins from there. But our supernatural sides…

  “We aren’t true mates,” I said, the sad, pathetic words falling from my mouth.

  Asher rolled to the side, bringing me with him, his arms holding me close. Our eyes met, and his were intense. I almost couldn’t stare directly at them, but I also couldn’t look away. “I believe we are,” he said. “There’s a bond between us that goes way beyond a normal attraction. Even before I loved you, I wanted to be near you. You consumed my thoughts and my dreams and my attention.”

  My heart pretty much stopped beating, and I sucked in air, trying to feed my starving lungs. “You … you said you love me?”

  Asher’s lips quirked up, dimples came into play, and I was a fucking goner. “Baby, you already know I love you. I’d sacrifice myself for you. I’d sacrifice the fucking world for you. If that’s not love, then I don’t have an explanation for it.”

  A tear escaped. “I’ve never had anyone tell me that before. Not really say it and mean it.”

  He kissed me again, and I wondered if I’d ever feel this happy again. It was almost tempting fate to destroy my life because it was so darn perfect. “I lov—” I started, but a loud splash and chirping noise interrupted me.

  Asher’s lips twitched before his gaze turned to the ocean. I looked over as well, because that splash was way too large to be one of the dolphins.

  “What in the hell…?” I whispered, rolling over so I could see better.

  “It’s Alex,” Asher said from beside me, suddenly laser focused on the water. “I thought he’d actually left us somehow. I haven’t seen him in ages.”

  Alex. Okay.

  A giant kraken-looking octopus called Alex. Why the hell not?

  Asher was up then, lifting me with him, and I squeezed my legs closed so that I didn’t drip all over the bed. “You wanna swim?” Asher asked me.

  I wanted that more than anything. “Yes, absolutely. Just let me pee and clean up a bit and then I’ll join you.”

  I knew I should be afraid that he wanted to swim with … whatever it was, but I was excited. Asher dropped a kiss on my lips and gently deposited me in the bathroom before he handed me a warm cloth to help me clean up. I just stood there staring at him, because no one cared for me like he did. Then I stared more as he jumped off the side of the open house, landing on the sand before he strolled to the ocean. Gods. That perfect fucking ass, and the Atlantean ink, and … drool.

  When he entered the water, I finally focused on cleaning up. There were no walls, and for a second I wondered if I should be embarrassed peeing right where anyone could see me, but thankfully Asher was already half out to Alex. The creature rose up further from the water, and I took an extra-long look.

  Alex was dark green, like seaweed in color, with a ton of tentacles in varying lengths and thicknesses. Way more than an octopus—too many to count. There was a round, squid-like head and a defined face, with two eyes and what looked like a large mouth. I had never seen anything like him in human or supernatural books. He was both scary and fascinating.

  When I was finished, I jumped out onto the sand too, feeling freer than I ever had. Swimming naked in the ocean with an Atlantean was my not-so-secret fantasies come to life.

  My favorite little dolphin, who I’d named Blush, joined me when I was in the deeper water. She was the pinkest of all the dolphins I’d seen in here and also one of the smallest.

  Diving down with her, my eyes and lungs immediately adjusted; I was able to breathe and see under the water with ease. Even in the deepest reaches, my body adjusted to my natural state. I was meant to be able to live above and below the water. Blush sent out a call next to me, and I picked up the vibrations that traveled through the water. We dashed along together until I reached Asher. He was in front of Alex, the two of them just hanging out in the water.

  He turned when I popped my head up, my eyes widening as I took in the full height of Alex. He was twenty feet tall at least, with most of it being the head and eyes. The tentacles were even longer than that, and I would guess that a few of the thicker ones were forty feet at minimum.

  “Alex, I’d like you to meet Maddi,” Asher said as he pulled me closer.

  The creature stared down at me, and since its face was like nothing I’d ever seen before, I wasn’t sure how to read its expression.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said softly, relieved to feel Blush just under my arm. “Any friend of Asher’s is a friend of mine.”

  Something strong and firm wrapped around my center, and I let out a low shriek when I was yanked up and into the air. Alex’s tentacle was wrapped around my stomach, not tight, but it was still a little scary to be dangling in the air with my ass on display.

  I mean, allow a girl a little dignity.

  Asher laughed, his eyes darkening as he watched me closely. “He likes you,” he said, and with that, Alex lowered me back down into the water.

  I didn’t even want to ask what would have happened if he didn’t like me. Alex basically dropped me into Asher’s arms, and I just shook my head as I realized he was being playful with me. Like a huge, scary, octopus dog.

  “Let’s swim,” Asher said, and he sounded younger and excited. Like this wasn’t something he normally got to do. Just let loose and swim.

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