Wintertide Read online

  “That’s enough!” a familiar voice bellowed from the front of the class. I had been so entranced with the fight, I hadn’t even noticed the teacher entering the room. I turned to see who would be our instructor for the day, only to find a set of dark eyes glaring across the room sternly.

  I felt the tug of the cord that bound our hearts, and a gentle ease washed over me at seeing him again. It had not even been a day, but already my heart ached and filled at the same time as he snuck a sexy smirk at me. I smirked at myself, this was shit from romance books, how the hell did it happen in real life?

  “Take your seats now,” he demanded. “One more stunt like that and you will both be sent to solitary.”

  Calex chuckled beside me and led me to a seat in the back. The rest of our crew followed, situating themselves on either side of us. I peeked at Una, who was still eye fucking fish boy as she sat in the seat next to him. It looked like I wasn’t about to find any help there.

  Sebastian’s voice caused my eyes to snap forward as he started his lecture, “We have a new student; therefore, we will cover some basics for her benefit as well as for those of you that need a refresher. Who can tell me the first thing to do when you feel your skills taking over?” His voice was less stern now, taking on a carefree quality as he had with me in the van. Though he didn’t look at me, I could feel his emotions through our bond. It was happiness mixed with longing and a hint of anger. I wondered at the anger, had the students fighting really angered him that much? From what I understood that was a common occurrence here.

  A tiny girl spoke, her voice surprisingly raspy for her size, as she answered, “Breathe and meditate.” I could only see the back of her head from where I sat, her hair tinged green with what looked like a mud-caked rat’s nest. The person next to her said something that I couldn’t hear and as she turned I got a glimpse of half her face. I gasped at the sight, again having no clue what she was. Skin, the color of dirt, was covered with seeping pustules that dotted her face. I had no other words to describe it other than gross.

  Calex leaned close and his breath brushed across my ear making me shiver as he whispered, “Brownie. Ugly little creatures, aren’t they?” He leaned back in his seat, a satisfied smirk on his face.

  I blushed and quickly looked up at Sebastian as I felt his jealousy. It was odd to suddenly feel another human’s emotions. I hung my head in shame at the reaction I was having to Calex right in front of the man who I shared a desperate, heated kiss with only a day earlier.

  What had come over me to make me go from preferring to be alone, to lusting after two men. Three if you counted Blade, who I had dirty thoughts of less than an hour ago. Sure, they were sexy as hell in their own right, but I should have been able to choose one of them, instead of letting my thoughts go as unchecked as my powers while they flitted between the three. Maybe my father had been right when he told me that I was not worthy of a man’s love and I should have just picked the most prominent lord to marry, instead of searching for something more. Something like they had in the romance stories.

  I tried to pay attention to Sebastian’s lesson, but it proved nearly impossible. Between the constant commentary provided by Calex and my desire for him, and the self-loathing I felt at my reaction to the three guys, I wasn’t able to listen to a single word.

  Every time Sebastian moved, it reminded me of his powerful body underneath his robe. How amazing it had felt pressed against mine. I wanted to run to him and touch every hard plane, feel his lips on mine again. I wanted to lose myself in him and do things I had only read about. I squirmed in my seat as my mind wandered down a very different direction than that of the lecture. I really was going to have to ask Una how to get more panties.

  At last class was finally dismissed, and I tried to rush out, still needing time to figure everything out, but I wasn’t fast enough as Sebastian called after me. “Evangeline,” he raised his voice over the shuffle of students leaving. I knew I would have to obey, so I stopped and faced him. “Stay after, I would like to discuss the work you will need to do, to catch up with the rest of the class.”

  Calex stood behind me, so close I could feel the heat from his body against my back. He didn’t move as the rest of the students filed out of the classroom. It seemed as though he had decided that I was his. I shouldn’t be surprised since I had made a deal with the devil’s son. It didn’t matter that it was completely unintentional.

  “Calex, go to your next class. Evangeline will be there shortly,” Sebastian’s voice was harsh and left no room for argument.

  Calex didn’t budge though, and I could feel the tension between the two, both standing rigid, neither willing to back down. Fear laced through my body as I felt the familiar tingle of my magic in my hands. I couldn’t have these two fighting because of me. Snow fell from my hands to the ground, the tiny flakes quickly piling up making little mounds at my feet. I couldn’t stop it and my heart raced as I began to panic. Especially because I knew Sebastian had to make it look like I was any other student to him.

  My shoulder suddenly felt warm as Calex reached up and laid his hand on me, instantly the feeling resided, the snow stopping as my magic retreated back into my body.

  Sebastian furrowed his brow in confusion but quickly recovered. “You are dismissed, Calex,” he said with less force than he had before, but still carrying all the authority of one of the professors here.

  I was surprised when Calex obeyed without a further issue. “I’ll wait for you in the hallway,” he said before leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. The only indication that he was angry was the slam of the door as he left me alone with my professor.

  Sebastian didn’t wait, as he quickly closed the short distance between us, his hands running up my neck to tangle his fingers through my hair as he pulled me to him. He devoured my mouth as if he were a starving man and I was the last thing on earth. I opened my mouth and our tongues slid together, my body responding to his as my nipples pebbled. I pressed my body closer to his, my body filled with need, my center pulsing with excitement. I could feel his hardness pressed against my stomach and it made me ache to feel it. To know if it was really as hard as it felt.

  I slid my hand down, covering his erection with my hand as he let out a small groan. Immediately I jerked my hand back at the sound, and the familiar feeling burned beneath my skin. I glanced between us and groaned when I found my hand covered with ice. “Shit,” I bit out, angry that when I had finally gotten the touch I longed for, my powers betrayed me.

  “It’s okay, Eva,” Sebastian soothed, as he ran his hands down the outside of my arms. “It’s probably best we don’t take this any further right here anyway.” He looked at me darkly and I knew he wanted me every bit as much as I did him. He cleared his throat before he spoke again, “You will get there, don’t worry. Which brings me to why I held you back. The headmaster found out that you were placed in the wrong cell-dorm block. He wasn’t happy about it at all and insisted on moving you.”

  “No. He can’t do that!” Una had filled me in on what it was like for people like me in that section. It was a solitary confinement of sorts. I was finally with people and I couldn’t go back to that life of sheer loneliness.

  He held up his hand placatingly, “Eva, let me finish. I assured him that I would take responsibility for teaching you. He suggested another student, one who has the same type of magic as you, be the one to help guide you. We made a deal that I would watch over your study sessions with this student, and if you don’t improve, I will step in and bind you. I know it’s not the greatest solution, but it’s the best I could come up with that would not only keep you safe, but give me an excuse to be near you.”

  I let out the breath I had been holding, “I’ll do it. I will do anything to stay where I am, while I’m here. For the first time in my life, I have friends. Shit, even ones that aren’t scared of touching me.”

  “Eva…” he started, seeming unsure of what to say. I looked at him expectantly as he rubbed
the back of his neck, seeming to gather his thoughts. “I know you have found people you think are your friends. I’m happy you have someone here. Just be careful. Calex is someone that you should be very wary of, my instincts are to get you as far from him as possible, yet, I saw the way he looked at you, the way he stopped your magic with just a touch,” he sighed and ran his hand over his face.

  When he looked up at me his eyes were filled with longing and confusion. “As much as I don’t like to admit it, I know he’s also never claimed a woman before like he seems to have done with you. I can feel his claim through our bond, and I’m not sure what to do about it. For the first time in my life, I have no answers.” I swallowed hard at his revelation.

  “All I can say is keep your guard up around him. I’ve never known him to do anything without a price. And what he asks, you might not be willing to pay.”

  I looked up at him and wondered what I had inadvertently gotten myself into. “I promise I’ll be careful,” I assured him as I thought about how I needed to figure out how to convince myself of that. I stood on my toes and gave him one last longing kiss before I turned and left the classroom to face the music with Calex.

  Chapter Nine

  I stood outside the classroom and waited for Eva. To everyone else, I looked like I was relaxed, but inside anger and jealousy raged like the fires of my home and it was everything to hold me back. I had felt the professor’s lust for the little ice sorceress and I didn’t like leaving her alone with him one bit.

  I knew I got away with a lot in this place, considering who I was, but even I knew I could only push so far before someone decided to put me in solitary. Sebastian was one of those people I knew wouldn’t hesitate to throw me in a cell. And given how he felt for Eva, I knew he would be even more inclined to do so now to get me away from her.

  When I first spotted Eva she hid bravely behind a frightened face, but I could feel her anger and fear. It was a part of my nature to be able to sense every person’s worst feelings whether it be fear, anger, lust, jealousy, and everything else in between.

  Those things called the deadly sins were what fed me, fed my powers. It wasn’t just her feelings that had caught my attention, even though they fed me so strongly. Something else had drawn me to her and I couldn’t figure out what it was. Sure, she was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, with her piercing turquoise eyes, and a face so enticing it must have been created by my father himself to lead men to temptation. This place was filled with beautiful creatures though, yet none had ever made my dick hard like this one had, at least not without me consciously thinking about them.

  The night before, when I watched her in line, I had every intention of walking the other way, ignoring her as I did everyone else in this place. I felt her need span the distance of the cafeteria and helplessly I had walked toward her, pulled by her emotions.

  When I had seen the ice crystals come from nowhere and work their way from her hands to the tray, felt the fear that exuded from her soul as she seemingly lost control in her panic. Instinctually, I knew what I needed to do, so I crossed the rest of the way to her.

  I had no clue how I did it, but as soon as I wrapped my arm around her it seemed to be all that was needed. Her fear subsided and my inner demon protested at the loss of such a strong feeding. Something else stirred though, I couldn't be sure what it was as she visibly relaxed in my arms and her ice receded. Something else in me seemed to quietly awaken, and feel a need to be around her, and not for the fear she once had.

  She was just as astonished as I was and asked me how. I knew what she meant, but I passed it off as her wanting to know her student ID and before I could think about it, I was offering to find it out for her. I was glad she hadn’t pressed it because I didn’t know myself and couldn’t have given her an answer on how I was able to ease her fear and panic so the ice retreated.

  I was even more shocked when I led her to the table, and instead of finding myself sealing a deal with her as I normally would, my wings instead claimed her for their own, and I was helpless to do anything about it. The way they quivered around her and sent a needing pulse of their own through me, told me that she was mine, no matter what I thought about it.

  The next morning, I had done exactly that, without wanting anything in return, even going as far to escort her to our first class of the day and sit with her. As we sat in class, I again had to fight back the waves of lust that filled me. This time my own sins satiating me and giving me a satisfaction I had never felt before. That coupled with her desire, had me hard as a fucking rock and ready to bend her over one of those desks and fuck her where she stood, consequences be damned.

  The only reason I had controlled myself was because my desire was matched with anger and rage that her desire was not only for me. The fires of hell flowed in my blood and I was ready to fight on the spot for what was mine. Only, I couldn’t. She desired the professor just as much as he did her. Hell, as much as I desired her, if I were being honest with myself, and as much as I wanted to fight Sebastian, I wasn’t willing to risk being taken from her.

  The soft click of the classroom door opening pulled me from my thoughts to find her face flushed and her lips swollen. I fought my crushing need to push past her into the classroom and kill the man that dared touch what was mine. She looked at me with those bright turquoise eyes of hers and I knew I wouldn’t dare risk anything that caused me to not be near her. I also wouldn’t let her see the jealous fury that burned inside and take the chance that she would push me away.

  “So, what did the professor want?” I asked smoothly as I attempted to act cool about it.

  She shrugged nonchalantly, “He just wanted to tell me that the headmaster was demanding that I work on controlling my magic. I guess with some guy that has the same kind of magic as I do, the professor will oversee my studies.”

  “Who?” I asked, curiously, even though I knew there could only be one answer. There was only one guy here with ice magic, and he was bad news. The demon inside me lashed out attempting to break free in its anger and need to protect her, but I forced it back as I felt the guilt rolling from her. I knew she felt guilty about what had happened in that room, and I didn’t need to make it worse.

  “I forgot to ask his name,” she frowned.

  The rational part of me knew I had no right to be jealous, or even upset that she kept something from me, I was sure she had her reasons. Other than the demon inside me marking her, I had no real claim on her. It was that part that didn’t give two fucks about whether I had a reason or not, it was simply jealous as hell and ready to burn the Earth to protect what it had claimed as its own.

  “There is only one here that has ice magic that I know of. Jaxon. A little half-breed fae. Interesting, if they should decide to partner you with him for your studies,” I pondered out loud. Why would Sebastian do that to Eva? His feelings for her were so strong even his druid magic couldn’t keep me from sensing it. It was the worst kept secret in this prison that the son of the headmaster was a fucking parasite that wouldn’t do anything that didn’t benefit himself. I was the same, but at least I didn’t harbor hatred for anyone and anything more powerful than myself, like the ice fae did.

  “I guess I’ll find out soon enough,” she responded with a shrug. She looked at me through her eyelashes before she bit her lower lip as she seemed to keep a lid on whatever she was about to say. As I walked her to our next class she declined to hold my hand and moved a bit further away from me.

  “Something else is wrong. What’s up, Ice?” I asked. I wanted to know why she seemed to be trying her damndest to distance herself from me, but at the same time I wanted her to trust me enough to confide in me. Even if it did mean I had to accept that she had just made out with the professor, or worse.

  Eva stopped and looked up at me, again that guilt flooding her eyes as she fought some internal battle only she knew about. I reached out and used my thumb to pull that soft bottom lip from between her teeth. My dick hardened and it
took me every bit of self-control to not push her against the wall and fuck her until she screamed my name. Fuck her until she forgot that damned professor.

  Her addictive hunger reached out to me, and fed me, made me bite back a groan as those full dark lashes, such a contrast with her light hair, batted at me. “You can tell me anything,” I told her, my own voice coming out foreign and filled with need.

  She sighed heavily, “It’s just that Sebastian – the professor – said something about you and I’m just trying to process it,” she admitted. “I’m trying to understand it.”

  As her words came out, my anger and jealousy spiked again. How could she trust his words over mine? Hadn’t I been there for her, without asking anything in return, since she got to this hell hole? How could she trust the very person that would turn her in given a moment's notice, over someone that only wanted to claim her in every way possible?

  I refused to give in to my inner turmoil, or let her see how his warning had affected me. “You’ll find that everyone has a bad opinion of me,” I let out a laugh to lighten the mood. “I’m Lucifer’s son, that alone brings a reputation, one I never asked for.” I reached up and brushed my finger against her cheek making her shiver a bit beneath my touch. “Tell me, Ice. What did our revered professor have to say about me?” My words bit out, almost a sneer, and it was everything I had to not let my anger show. To keep my tone even and light as to not scare her.

  She looked down and a blush crept up her cheeks. “I think he’s just trying to protect me. He seems to care about all of his students and wants to do right by us, by all of us, that is,” she clarified. “He said somehow you claimed me, that you might not do it unless you wanted something in return. I don’t know anything about this world. I have no clue what that even means,” she shook her head as she was wracked with guilt, and a need to defend Sebastian.