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  Deflated, I apologized and took my tray off his desk. After carefully wiping the crumbs off it, I placed the tray on my lap and continued to eat, unable to meet his penetrating gaze. “Just as I thought, my son. If you could stop eating, we can get this business over with and you can be on your way to class.” His switch from dark and dangerous to the caring headmaster was unnerving.

  “Yes, sir,” I answered, barely managing to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. “I do want to know why Carmen hasn’t been taken care of. She almost ruined everything with her little stunt.”

  Jack laughed, a laugh that was full of humor yet managed to sound evil. “Carmen will be taken care of soon enough. We have another student arriving and I think they will be perfectly suited for one another as roommates. The staff will be moving her to another floor, so you won’t have to worry about her.”

  “I thought you were taking care of her right away?” I questioned. “She almost ruined the progress I made getting closer to Eva.”

  “Eva? You seem to be doing just fine if you’re already using a nickname for the sorceress.” He had a point, but I wasn’t going to admit it. “I’d love to be able to say well done my son, but I can’t as you have still yet to do anything. It was me that made it possible for you to start the private lessons with her. I made it so that Evangeline’s little boyfriend would be sent away and give you the time you needed.”

  “You had no way of knowing that would happen, father.” He might have power, but predicting the future was not one of them.

  “Oh? Carmen did exactly what I expected of her when I had one of the guards plant the idea in her head as they rutted in the supply closet. I couldn’t trust you enough to let you in on the plan.”

  His dig at me didn’t even hurt a bit. I was used to being the son that would never measure up to his expectations. I could become the most powerful being in all the worlds and he would still have an insult to sling at me. I blew it off and thought about what he revealed. Even I had to admit that it was a good plan, getting rid of the one person that would have been able to stop me from getting close to her.

  Jack allowed me to stew in my thoughts before he got to the real reason why he had called me. “Now, tell me what you have found out so far.”

  I cleared my throat, ready to tell him everything I knew. “She became friends with Una, and they seem pretty close already. As you know, Calex is all over her. Now that he’s away, it seems as though she’s taken up with Blade. Sebastian seems to be…”

  “I don’t care about her petty circle of friends!” my father roared, cutting me off. “I want to know about her! What kind of power does she wield? How strong is she? Give me the details of her magic!” He shook his head and muttered, “Why the Gods cursed me with a disappointment for a son, I’ll never know. A stain on our family’s name,” he spat out.

  Words I had heard many times before, though they never bothered me as they had at that moment. The way he said them made my skin crawl and had me second guessing my plan to tell him everything. I knew my father was not to be trusted and the fact that he wanted to learn about Eva’s power specifically had me more than concerned.

  The look in his eyes when he mentioned her power, a yearning and sense of glee that made me feel nothing but dread. He might be my father but I never knew what he was truly capable of. There were things I had seen in the past which had never left me and made me proceed with caution now. The way he had stolen magic from others, leaving them drained, even dead in his wake, not caring one bit as all he wanted was power.

  A picture of Eva flashed through my mind, one of her laying in a pool of her own blood, her last breath leaving her body. It horrified me and made me scared for her. It didn’t matter that she had fucked the pussy, or anyone else for that matter. I couldn’t let that happen to her. Not after I had seen her innocence and love for life.

  “She’s pretty much a dud,” I lied. “I think her parents must have lied to get her in here, maybe embarrassed at her lack of strength. She can barely make a snowflake, let alone ice. Sorry, Father.” I addressed him properly as I always had when I was telling him the truth and hoped it was enough.

  “Nothing?” he questioned disbelievingly, his gaze seeming to penetrate my soul.

  “No. I’ve seen nothing. She couldn’t even defend herself against Carmen. Do you think a powerful sorceress would have allowed her clothes to be stolen from someone as pathetic as the harpy?” I asked with a shrug, putting on quite the show.

  He hummed and rubbed his upper lip with his thumb, “There is always the possibility that she is hiding her magic from us. Or maybe she just doesn’t know how to use it. You will continue to work with her. Draw it out anyway you can. I’ll have my guard come and get you when I’m ready for another report. In the meantime, if anything happens, anything at all, you are to report back to me immediately.”

  “Yes, sir,” I agreed, possibly a little too eagerly. Hopefully he just took it as my desire for my freedom. “If that’s all, I need to get to class. I’d hate to get detention and miss out on my time to work with Evangeline.” I was laying it on thick, but I wanted him to believe me. I had never so blatantly lied to him before. My first class of the day we didn’t do shit and the so-called professor didn’t give a fuck if anyone showed up or not. I knew that because of all the times I strolled in late after fucking Carmen.

  “I don’t need to remind you that your freedom is at stake here. You better work hard to bring it out of her. If she’s a dud, our agreement is null and void,” the steel in his voice made me shiver involuntarily.

  “I will do my best.”

  “No, Jaxon. Do better than your best. We both know your best is paltry at most,” he declared as I walked out of his office and closed the door, leaving my tray behind on his chair as a silent little fuck you.

  I took my time returning and decided to skip my first class, instead going to my cell. I was still pissed off at Eva for whatever she might be doing with Blade, that had not changed. At the same time, there was no way I could let my father have her power. He was already the most powerful sorcerer I knew, one that thrived off the pain of others in his quest for more. He would never be satisfied and whatever he had planned for her would leave her powerless, if not dead. Hell, his position as headmaster wasn’t earned. No, it was stolen for the sole purpose of taking more power from the inmates that were sent here.

  The problem was, I didn’t know how he did it. I hadn’t a clue how he managed to gain the stolen powers. I was never allowed to see it; just saw the aftermath of his destruction and heard his bragging rants when he was filled with energy from the newly stolen magic. The unknown was what scared me the most. No matter what Eva had done, she didn’t deserve that fate.

  I was stuck. I had to keep up the pretense that I was her friend and report back to my father while being cautious with my lies to him. He had so many unknown spies that I knew if I didn’t follow through, he would find out. Considering the vast amount of power Eva held, I was certain my punishment would not be simply to remain stuck in this place. No, he would make me pay with unimaginable pain and my being his son would only make it more severe.

  The only thing I could do was to keep up the act and report back to my father with as little information as possible. The only good thing that came out of my meeting was that I wouldn’t be stuck with that bitch of a harpy. I had some yearning to send her after Eva again, make her pay for her actions. The only thing that stopped me was knowing that if Eva wasn’t drained like the last time, the magnitude of her abilities would be known to all. No, I would find another way to get my revenge on Eva and it would be spectacular.

  Chapter Nineteen

  I couldn’t believe I gave my virginity to Sebastian. That was the thought that rolled through my mind as I walked to class. That, and if I had known it was so damn good I would have done it a long time ago. Not that I had any opportunity to do it before I got here, but knowing what I knew now, I’m sure I would have found a way.

&n
bsp; Blade walked behind me to class and the other students seemed to give me a wide berth, even more than they ever did when I was with Calex. It was odd and I didn’t understand it. Blade was scary as shit in his own right, but Calex was the son of Lucifer. Everyone was afraid of him.

  I felt the need to know more about Blade, his history and why people were so scared of him. There was just so much about this world that I didn’t understand and I cursed my mother for never allowing me to learn about it. Her confession before I left home was nice, yet it was more of a slap in the face that she knew all of this and didn’t prepare me for a world outside of our home.

  I hung my head when I entered Sebastian’s classroom, trying not to meet his eyes. I was sure that as long as I didn’t look at him it would stop the blush from rising in my cheeks; stop everyone from knowing what we had done. It’s not that I regretted it, not at all. I just didn’t want him to lose his job. I could feel the thrum of our bond and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at him. That twinkle in his eyes made my heart soar and I knew he could feel it just as I could. I fucking lost my virginity and it was amazing.

  We sat in our normal seats, Blade not sitting beside me as I assumed he would, and the empty seat beside me was a depressing reminder of Calex’s absence. When I took my seat all the excitement I had felt over the amazing sex turned to self-loathing. He had sacrificed himself for me and I went and fucked another guy. That was some messed up shit. I felt Sebastian tug at my heart, and when I looked up his face was full of concern. I tried to convey that I was okay, hoping that he would understand, then buried myself in my notebook, pretending I was taking notes. Sebastian didn’t need to know I was aimlessly doodling. Or maybe he knew? I really didn’t know how this new thing between us worked.

  “Girl, why are you looking like someone killed your puppy? Or should I say pussy cat?” Una whispered to me with a laugh. When I just shrugged, she gave me that look, the raised eyebrow that told me she knew I was full of shit. “Fine,” she sighed, “We’re talking about it later, though. If we can get rid of your bodyguard, we can skip the next class.”

  I looked over at Blade and he was staring straight ahead, the only indication that he heard was the subtle scowl that crossed his face. Fuck it, I needed to talk about this with someone that would understand. I didn’t have a clue about relationships and Una had far more experience in these matters than I did. “Okay,” I agreed and relief flooded through me that I might be able to sort through some of these emotions. I didn’t look at Blade again, I didn’t want to see his disapproval, nor did I understand why I felt like I needed his approval. I was a grown woman that could make my own choices and he was just going to have to deal with it.

  The class finally ended and I scrambled to leave before either of the men tried to stop me, Una hot on my tail. I skidded to a halt when Sebastian said my name and I rolled my eyes. I should have known better than thinking he would let me get off that easy. “I’ll be out in a minute, Una. Just wait for me outside the door.” She nodded and left, but Blade stayed behind.

  I knew that he was tasked with my protection, but I didn’t need this right now. “Blade, I will be fine with the professor. You can wait outside with Una.” He glowered and I thought he was going to argue and make a scene as Calex had done, but instead he turned and started walking out.

  “I’ll be right outside the door,” he growled, punctuating the last part. What was it with these overprotective men?

  As soon as the door shut, I looked up at Sebastian who was leaning against his desk with his arms crossed. He didn’t say a word and I shifted uncomfortably. “You needed to speak with me?” I asked meekly.

  “Eva,” he sighed as he raked his hands through his hair. “I know this is all new to you and you probably have a lot of questions. It’s new to me, also. You don’t need to avoid me because of what happened between us or feel the guilt I know you are feeling.”

  “I- I don’t know how to explain why I can’t let go of the guilt,” I admitted as I hugged myself.

  “Like I told you on the roof, it’s okay that you have feelings for others. I knew that before we ever did anything. I know this world is very different from where you came from and it will take you time to get used to the idea. I just want you to be happy and remind you that you don’t have to feel that way.” He took my hand in his and rubbed circles with his thumb, sending sparks through me. I felt my desire spike as I thought about how incredible he felt inside of me and my thighs clenched again in anticipation of doing it again. “Plus, it gave me an excuse to be alone with you for a few minutes.”

  “Thank you. That really means a lot to me,” I said earnestly. “But I think I need to talk about it with Una first. I’m still working through my feelings and I don’t know if it’s fair to you to talk about it while I still don’t even know how I feel. I just – we have this new connection and it seems wrong, you know?”

  “I understand. Just don’t be so hard on yourself, Eva. You’ve known nothing but the ways of humans your entire life.” He squeezed my hand and tears stung the back of my eyes at his show of kindness.

  “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have you in my life, Sebastian.” I stood on my tiptoes and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “We’ll talk after practice with Jaxon, okay?” He nodded and lightly pushed me towards the door.

  I felt a little weight lift off my shoulders as I met Una in the hallway. Blade stood straight as a board, his arms crossed, and an expression that I was certain would frighten anyone else. I went over to him and laid my hand on his arm. I knew he would never hurt me. “Blade, can we get some girl time? Alone?”

  He grunted what sounded like a no and didn’t move a muscle. “Seriously? Una won’t let anything happen to me.”

  “No,” he responded simply, finally using his words.

  Una rolled her eyes at him, “Look kitty cat, no one is going to mess with Eva with your scent all over her. And I think you would feel very uncomfortable listening to her talk about the good dick she got.”

  I choked at her blunt honesty. I really should have been used to it by now but it still took me by surprise. “What scent?” I questioned, completely taken aback by that tidbit.

  “Your pussy cat body guard over here put his scent all over you. Since you didn’t know, we’ll add that to the list of shit to talk about.” Una looked pointedly at Blade, “If you’re going to piss on people, the polite thing to do is to tell them.”

  “I don’t mark by pissing. I only do that to people I don’t like and you won’t get a warning when I do,” he quipped as his lip twitched.

  “Will you two stop with this pissing contest?” It took me a moment to realize that I fell right into that one as they both laughed at me. Technically Blade didn’t laugh, just made a short huff sound but I would count that as a laugh. “Blade, I really need Una to help me deal with this before Calex gets back. You can follow us and watch us from out of your hearing range. Is that a good enough compromise for you?”

  His muscles tightened, which I would have thought was impossible with as rigid as he was standing. A look of jealousy flashed across his face so quickly that I wasn’t quite sure that’s what I saw. His face went back to stone and he agreed, “Okay, but I will be watching your every move.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, beast boy,” Una cackled as she pulled on my arm and led me away. We went through a door that was marked “No Students Past This Point” in big, bold red letters. I didn’t have time to question as she pulled me down a dimly lit hallway and up a set of steep stairs.

  “Creepy much?” I muttered which just made her laugh quietly as she pulled me toward a brick wall. “I’m not sure this is going to be the best place to talk. Blade isn’t that far behind us.”

  “Patience my dear,” she whispered as she pushed on some of the bricks. “I know it’s here somewhere.”

  I had no clue what she was looking for or talking about. My eyes went wide, and I gasped whe
n one of the stones depressed at her touch and a hidden door slid open, the stones grinding against the floor as it did. “How did you…”

  She pulled me through and pushed in a brick on the other side causing the door to slide shut. “I’ve never been one for keeping out of trouble. I love to explore manmade things. I have a bit of an obsession with human objects. I found this place and thought it would be the perfect place to hide my treasures.”

  I looked around, astonished at the small room she had decorated like a makeshift sitting room. Crates were stacked in the center with blankets thrown over them making a seating area. I wondered how long she had been here to make this or if this was how she found it. Even more amazing were the shelves that lined the walls, on each one little trinkets were displayed. She had everything from jewelry, pipes, and decorative bottles to… Wait, was that silverware? I wondered again what she was, but didn’t have time to ask as she spoke up.

  “Do you like it?” she asked excitedly in a way that I had never seen before.

  “It’s amazing!” I gushed. “How the hell did you get all this stuff in here without anyone seeing?”

  “I have my ways,” she winked at me. “The shelves were already here. I just made a little seating area with the crates and some of the other things that were in here when I found it. Some of my treasures were in here already, too. I think this might have been a storage room that has been long forgotten.”

  She gestured for me to sit down on one of the makeshift chairs and it was amazingly comfortable. I realized she put pillows between hard wooden crates and the blankets covering them. Sitting across from me, she relaxed in her chair and put her feet up on the table with a sigh, “Ahh that’s better. Now tell me what has you all uptight today?”

  “I had sex this morning. Real sex. Not just an orgasm that felt like sex, but dick penetration and all,” I blurted out.