Wintertide Read online

  She waved a hand at me like it was no big deal, “Your girl stunk and went to take a shower. She should be here soon. She knows not to miss dinner check in.”

  I looked at the clock and saw there was only five minutes left for her to check in with Henry. I might have gotten shit to slide once before, but he wasn’t going to give her anymore leniency, no matter who my father was. “Maybe you should go check on her,” I suggested, not even attempting to hide the bite to my voice.

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist Prince of Dead Souls. She’ll be here,” Una’s flippant tone didn’t match the emotions I felt coming from her. It didn’t help that I knew she was growing concerned too.

  I was just about to tell her exactly what I thought of her nonchalant attitude when I heard a commotion behind me. Fucking Jaxon and his harpy were shouting at each other. Well, Jaxon was yelling at Carmen and she cackled loudly like the evil little bitch she was. Someone should stuff a cracker in her mouth and shut her the fuck up. I rolled my eyes and turned back around, not giving a shit about a lover’s spat like the rest of the inmates.

  “Calex!” Jaxon’s voice reached me and I turned to see him stomping toward me, a look of panic on his face. When he reached the table, he leaned toward me and lowered his voice, “Damn it! Evangeline’s in trouble. She’s stuck in the bathroom on the fourth floor. Carmen the bitch stole her clothes and the guard won’t let her out! You need to help her,” his words rushed out as his body trembled. I could feel the fear coming off him in waves. Interestingly though, it wasn’t fear of me; it was fear for Eva.

  It took me only a second to gather my wits. The clock said there were three minutes left. “Fuck!” I shouted and slammed my fists on the table. I started stalking out the door not giving a shit about anything but getting to her, making sure she was okay. “You,” I pointed to a random girl I passed and she looked up at me in terror. “Go give Henry the number six, three, five and give the meal to Una.” She nodded her head but didn’t move. “Now!” I barked at her and she scrambled to do as I commanded.

  I turned to the only person I trusted in this place, my voice low and as dangerous as I felt. “Blade, take care of Eva. I don’t know how long they will put me away for this.” He simply nodded and I knew that he would do as I said. Without another word, I ran for the door.

  The guard tried to stop me, but I didn’t pay him any attention as I left him babbling behind me. I extended my wings and tucked them back as I flew down the hallway. When I reached the open atrium that housed the stairs to our rooms, I pumped my wings and shot up to her level, landing silently on the platform. The sensation of needles digging into my skin washed over me as I passed through the magic wards intended to keep us off the other floors. I pushed through, desperate to get to her. A simple ward was not going to stop me.

  “Calex! This is not your floor,” one of the guards yelled sternly as I raced for the opposite end of the hall.

  I didn’t stop or even acknowledge he had spoken. I ran down the hall, the area too tight for my large wings to extend enough for me to fly. I skidded to a stop in front of the bathroom, still guarded by the asshole guard that wouldn’t let her out. He held up a hand, “You can’t go in there.”

  “Try to fucking stop me,” I growled. I knew my eyes were glowing with the fires of hell, my anger unchecked. He cowered and slid out of my way like the snake he was. The pathetic ass I knew not by name but by reputation. There was a reason he requested this particular station, and it wasn’t because it was an easy shift. He was a fucking pervert that got off on trying to force the women here to suck his little dick so he wouldn’t report them. If I found out he did anything to my Ice, he wouldn’t be walking for much longer, consequences be damned.

  I raced into the bathroom and found Eva curled up on a bench, a small ratty towel the only thing covering her body, her eyes closed. She looked so helpless laying there. Such a far cry from the power and destruction I had witnessed coming from her only a few hours before. My heart squeezed in that unfamiliar feeling that happened often when I was around her.

  I rushed to her side and gently brushed the hair from her face, “Ice, baby. Wake up.”

  She stirred and her eyes opened slowly, the stunning turquoise blinking up at me. “Calex?” she questioned as she looked around confused. “Why do I keep waking up in odd places with sexy men in my face?” she grumbled.

  I chuckled, relieved to hear her feistiness, even if she sounded exhausted again. “You certainly do get yourself in some awkward situations. Is this going to become a habit, Evangeline?”

  She sighed and slowly sat up, the towel slipping a little giving me a view of her perfect breast before she quickly hid it from my sight. “Some chick stole my clothes and said I should leave what’s hers alone?” The last part came out as a question.

  “Ah, you met Carmen. Jaxon’s plaything. Or possibly ex now, if his reaction to hearing her stunt is any indication.” I kept a lid on the anger that was boiling inside of me, now was not the time but Carmen would suffer for what she did, I would make sure of that.

  “What? Why the hell would she do that over me studying with him? She seriously needs to get a grip.” Eva’s innocence was endearing as her soft lips frowned, and I wanted nothing more than to feel them against my own.

  “You really need to watch your back better, Ice. You can’t trust anyone in this hellhole.” My voice came out harsh as my anger rolled through me and she flinched back. I felt bad but it was probably for the best, she needed to get it through her head. “We are all supernaturals that were locked away here for being dangerous. For being unable to be part of the normal world without posing a risk. They say they are reforming us, but you know just as much as I do it’s bullshit. We have been tossed here to get us out of the way. There is real evil here that will never change.”

  “I shouldn’t even trust you?” she asked in a whisper.

  “Especially not me. I am the devil’s son after all,” I grinned with a wink. We fell into silence for a moment before I spoke again, “Look, some of us got tossed in here for the wrong reasons. Misunderstood, misfits in our communities. But you don’t know who is who here. My gifts allow me to see inside a person’s soul, so to speak. I can feel strong emotions that fall under the realm of sinfulness. There aren’t too many here that have good intentions.”

  She bit her lower lip and I couldn’t help myself as I rubbed my thumb over it, heat shooting to my cock as she released it. I wanted so much more, my pants were becoming uncomfortably tight, but I knew we didn’t have much more time. No matter how much the guards feared me they would be coming for me eventually. I broke the rules and knew my punishment would not be overlooked this time. I sighed, “You can trust Una, if that makes you feel any better. She’s one of the rare ones in here for the wrong reasons. The people that sit at our table are the only ones I trust.” I looked at her pointedly, hoping my words sank in. “Now let’s get you out of here so you can get dressed. I don’t think I can take much more of seeing you this exposed.” My voice dropped and I could see the effect it had on Eva.

  She stood up and looked down at the small towel that barely covered her, “I can’t leave like this. The guard won’t let me take the towel out and as you can see, I have no clothes. I’m not walking down the hallway naked. If you could just run down to my room and grab me something I can get out.”

  I laughed as I spread out my wings, pride soaring through me as her eyes went wide at the sight of them. “Don’t worry, Ice. I’ve got you.” I stepped closer to her and looked down, willing myself to maintain control. “I’m going to pick you up and carry you. I want you to wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my waist. Is that okay?”

  She nodded slowly and I took another step toward her and wrapped my midnight feathers around her small body. They shivered of their own accord as I picked her up and she wrapped around me. The feeling of her as she brushed against my sensitive feathers had me trembling from my restraint.

  �
�You’re making it very difficult to control myself,” I rasped out as she wiggled against my hard cock to get in a comfortable position. My hands held her naked ass, and fuck it was so firm. I needed to get the hell out of here and deposit her in her room before I took her right where we stood.

  I strolled out of the community showers, ignoring the shouts from the guard. I could hear more of them running toward us, their shouts raised as they demanded I stop. There was no way I would leave my girl in the hallway for these fuckers to ogle. They could wait until after I escorted her to her room.

  Just before I was about to enter her room a hand gripped my shoulder making me pause. “Calex, you need to stop. You have broken enough rules as it is,” the familiar voice ordered, though there was some sympathy behind his words.

  “Professor.” I turned to face him, “I will not stop until Evangeline is safe in her room and not left naked for all these perverts to see,” I ground out to Sebastian as I tucked my wings tighter around her, ensuring she was hidden from view. “If the fuckhead guard would have helped her in the first place when a student stole her clothes, I wouldn’t have had to break the rules.” I should have known that they would call him in to deal with me. There wasn’t any other person in this place that was strong enough to go head to head with me other than him.

  “Is what he said true?” he spun and questioned the guards that were gathered behind us. I didn’t care to hear their pitiful responses and took her into her room. They’d lie and I didn’t need to get any angrier than I already was.

  I slowly set Eva down, reveling in the contact as she slid down my chest. She looked up at me horrified, “Will they really punish you for this?” Her lower lip trembled as if she were going to cry.

  I felt that squeeze in my heart again and it dawned on me that it was a feeling that meant something good, something I had never experienced before. I cared for her. The revelation had me beaming, “Not to worry. I would do it again in an instant.” I leaned down and gently kissed her, her soft moan of both pleasure and upset struck me to the core. No one had ever cared about what happened to me before.

  Sebastian’s voice cut through even though it was no more than a soft, harsh whisper, “Calex, while I understand why you did what you did, I can not let this go. There are too many witnesses that will report back to the headmaster. For her sake, I have to take you to solitary.”

  I turned and glared at him, “I know. Just give me five fucking minutes before I have to leave her.”

  He nodded, “I’ll stall as long as I can. Make it quick.” He was surprisingly calm, not a hint of anger or jealousy as he backed out of the room and left us alone. I could hear his voice echoing through the hallway, yelling for the guards to line up. I knew he was going to work the truth out of them.

  I had to make the most out of the time I had with Eva. I didn’t know how long I would have with her and I needed to ensure her safety. “Ice, I need you to stick with Blade and Una. They’ll watch your back. Jaxon is an enigma. Tread carefully around him.”

  Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and I was overwhelmed with the need to make her better. I kissed her deeply and she returned it with fervor. Lost in the world of desire, I stroked every inch of her. My dick bobbed with anticipation as I kissed down her body and knelt before her. I could smell her arousal and it was intoxicating.

  She startled when my mouth connected with her pussy. She tasted like candy and ice, her soft mewls urged me to give her more as I sucked in her clit and ran my tongue along her slick folds. When I added a finger and slid it in slowly, gently stroking her, her hands tangled in my hair and pulled me closer.

  I gently pushed her back on Una’s bed and spread her legs open for me. I knelt next to the bed and devoured her sweet cunt while she writhed on the mattress and breathlessly whimpered my name over and over. Her pleasure made me harder and my dick ached for its own release. I ran my hand over her pussy, covering it with her slickness before taking my dick out and stroking myself in rhythm with my fingers fucking her pussy.

  Between the lust coming off of her, her taste, her voice, and my desire to give her pleasure that she would never forget, I didn’t last long at all. I tapped her g-spot as her body trembled, so ready to release. When she moaned my name and begged me for more, my cum shot out and I growled into her sweet pussy. I watched her face over her trembling stomach as she came for me, her expression one of bliss that I would stamp in my mind to get me through the long days of solitary ahead of me. Soon, I would bury my cock in her and bring that look to her face over and over.

  I knew my time was almost up and I moved up the bed and hovered over her, looking down at her pleasure filled expression. “Promise me you won’t forget about me while I’m gone.” The words flew out of my mouth before it registered what I had said. What the fuck was wrong with me? I didn’t give a fuck about anyone, yet this sorceress had consumed my every thought since I first laid my eyes on her. I didn’t want to think about how hard it would be to be away from her for so long.

  She reached up and cupped my face, “I could never. Thank you for doing what you did for me. I feel terrible that you have to be punished for saving me. I should be the one going in there, not you.” she said quietly.

  “No, Ice. I have no regrets. There’s something about you that makes me want to do anything to keep you safe, anything to make you mine. I’ve been fighting this feeling I’ve never had before. I don’t know what the fuck it is, I just know that I need to keep you safe and happy.” I kissed her gently as I heard Sebastian clear his throat behind me. “Promise me, Evangeline.”

  “I promise,” she answered with a shaky voice. I kissed her one last time and straightened myself out, my eyes never leaving hers as I backed out of the room to face my punishment. The real torture would be having to be away from her, not what they would try to do to me to break me in solitary.

  “I know you’ll go quietly, but I have to make this look legitimate. I need to bind you,” Sebastian said quietly so only I could hear.

  “Just take care of her. Don’t leave Jaxon alone with her again,” I growled before putting my hands out for him to bind as I braced for the pain.

  He muttered words in his ancient language and glowing ropes appeared on my wrists. I looked at him in surprise when it didn’t bring me to my knees with pain. It was more of a slight sting.

  “I’m taking it easy on you for Eva’s sake. I know she feels something for you.” He said quietly and I threw my head back and laughed, not caring that the guards looked at us suspiciously. They would assume I was crazy.

  “Let’s get on with this professor,” I said, amusement in my voice as I covered for the lack of pain bringing me to my knees. “You know how much I live for pain and torture.” He didn’t hesitate to lead the way to the dark tunnels where I would be spending who knew how long. Sebastian was a confident bastard to turn his back on me, especially considering that he knew what I could do to him. Yet I felt no desire to hurt him. Not only the thought of Eva’s feelings toward him stopped me, but oddly enough, his for her, and I knew he would make sure she was seen to. For once, I went quietly.

  The tunnels under the school were not what most would picture. These were not the kind that were paved and stoned by man. Instead, they were caves, natural to the island, simply carved out and iron doors added to keep us in. The paths were worn from all the foot traffic, yet sharp rocks still pointed up in some areas. I was careful to avoid them, there was no sense in starting my pain early. Normally I would heal right away from a wound like that, but the amount of iron down here ensured that my healing would not only be slow, but extremely painful.

  As we moved down the winding path, creatures screamed out nonsense as they shouted for whatever they deemed they needed at the moment. Some of it actual things, and some of it stuff their minds had made up after endless hours of torture. Damn, I dreaded having to listen to that. Sebastian led me to the farthest end of the tunnel and gestured for me to enter.

  Normally,
I would put up a fight, but this time I didn’t. I just wanted it to be over and get back to Ice. Instead I walked through the door and took in my dimly lit new abode, the magical lighting was just bright enough for me to not trip over myself. He dismissed the guards and I heard their heavy footsteps recede as they left me alone with him. We both knew he was just as strong as I was, if not stronger.

  “It’s not as five-star as my room but it will do,” I smirked at the druid. “Add a few throw rugs and some better lighting and it would be perfect.” It didn’t even have a bed. Instead there was a pile of hay in the corner for me to sleep in like I was a fucking animal.

  He smirked but didn’t respond. I broke the uncomfortable silence. “I know you love her,” I stated blandly.

  “As do you, Calex,” he stated simply as if it were a fact about the weather.

  “Demons like me don’t have feelings like that,” I argued.

  He shook his head and tsk’ed, “Lest you forget that I was the one that brought you in. I know exactly why your daddy threw you in here. You may have everyone else convinced that you are a cold-hearted Prince of Darkness, but I know the truth.” I couldn’t argue with him as he would see right through me, so I chose to not speak.

  Sebastian remained silent as he walked over to me and removed my bindings. I didn’t attack him even though he had just mocked me. I knew Eva wouldn’t approve, and I had no right going after him when he was right in the first place. I didn’t know what I felt for her, but I was about to have plenty of time to figure it out. I just hoped she kept her promise and stayed safe. I strolled over to the hay and flopped down, the musty scent engulfing me as I picked up a piece to run between my fingers.

  “You may not know this, but I am looking out for her,” Sebastian spoke from the doorway. “I have to keep my cover though so I need to be careful. Jaxon teaching her was a sacrifice I had to make in order to keep them from doing worse to her here. Possibly risk them moving her down here.” His words surprised me yet I knew they were true. “Somehow you keep her magic at bay, I don’t know how, but there is something behind it. We just have to figure out the right way to help her control it herself.” I thought he might have been trying to make me feel better, yet he had no reason to. It wasn’t as if he owed me anything and some of it he had said before.