Chapter Twenty-Two
A man walked out of the bathroom, little wisps of steam escaping to curl around him as he approached the dresser. Naked except for a white towel that hung from his waist, Evie stood mesmerized at the sinful sight of exposed skin on full display. Jaxon’s jet-black hair dripped little rivulets of water onto his tanned, broad shoulders. Evie followed those drops downward, taking in his dark chest. More water droplets dotted along his pecs and his stomach. Unable to resist, Evie’s eyes continued their downward trek to the small sprinkle of hair trailing to his groin.
Evie licked her lips, her breath escaping in little pants. The small kindle of desire she always experienced around him flared into a full-blown inferno. Her hands ached to reach out and touch him, to claim what belonged to her. Her mouth watered at the thought of kissing down his sexy chest, unknotting the towel, and discovering how he tasted on her lips.
Jaxon finally realized she stood in his room and halted his action of pulling out a pair of underwear from his drawer. His mildly curious expression sharpened as he took in her expression.
Evie moved, walking toward him slowly. Her hips swayed from side to side, and her eyes darkened with her intent. Licking his lips, Jaxon turned fully toward her, dropping the forgotten boxers to the floor as he slammed the drawer shut. The towel tented in the front, his member straining toward her, begging for her.
Evie reached out, grasped the knot, and unraveled it, letting the material drop to the floor alongside the black boxers. Her eyes ran up and down his body. Jaxon stood still while she completed her perusal, brow arched in curiosity to see what she would do next.
Giving in to the urge assailing her body, she lifted both hands to his chest. His cinnamon colored skin was warm and dewy from the shower. A spattering of dark, curly hair covered his pectorals, trailing downwards. Evie followed the path, touching with her hands first then with her lips. As she moved down lower, Jaxon’s stomach muscles clenched, and a loud groan rumbled from deep within his chest.
“I’m gonna go to hell for this,” he moaned, his amethyst colored eyes almost black. With a rough swallow, he ordered huskily, “Get on your knees, baby.”
Without question, she followed his command. Settling on her knees in front of him, her fingers trailed through the coarse ring of hair. Her mouth teased the tip of him. She watched his face closely for signs of pleasure. Jaxon threw his head back, his face alight in ecstasy. Teasing him lightly, she rimmed the outer edge of his slit with her tongue.
“Suck it,” Jaxon demanded, his voice hoarse with need. “Please, Evie, don’t tease me.” His hands fisted in her hair, pulling her forward until his hard length forced its way past her lips.
Evie bolted up in bed, her breath ragged and heart racing. Her body felt tight, and an ache throbbed between her thighs as remnants of her dream replayed over and over in her head.
Believing it to be real, she glanced around, expecting to be in Jaxon’s room, with him sleeping beside her. The four walls of her dorm room stared back at her. Dejected, Evie turned over and snuggled back under the covers. The realization that Jaxon wasn’t with her felt like a slight, like the world kept using her as its own personal punching bag.
She startled when noise echoed in the quiet room, breaking through her misery. Not an alarming sound, more like a low purr, came from her other pillow. Without opening her eyes again, she disregarded the noise. Some cat must be lounging outside her window. Snuggling deeper into her comforter, Evie tried to will herself back to sleep.
Meow.
Rumbles erupted in Evie’s ear, and cold touched her exposed cheek. Turning her head slightly, Evie opened her eyes to meet a small pair of blue eyes. Below them, pitch black fur surrounded a whiskered nose. There was a cat in her room.
Lifting her head in order to see better, she corrected her assumption. A tiny kitten was in her room.
The kitten took Evie’s wide-eyed expression as an open invitation and climbed onto Evie’s chest, kneading her skin before it settled down with a soft purr. It looked similar to the one she had rescued.
Heaviness overtook her body. The shadows around the room reinforced what it told her; it was still dark outside. Giving way to her tired body, Evie settled back down. She would leave the kitten where it slept and deal with it in the morning.
~
Sunlight streamed through the blinds to brighten the room, much to Evie’s irritation. Her body ached like she’d run a marathon or went a round on Fledgling Day. The lethargy made her want to fall back into the world of dreamless oblivion, but Evie’s mind wouldn’t allow it. Her brain synapses fired at a mile a minute. She had class. She couldn’t miss a second day in a row. She needed to check in with Jaxon, and if she couldn’t reach him, with Inian, to see if any decisions were made in the wee hours of the morning. She also wanted to check on Jaoel. She worried he didn’t take the news well about his marking.
Scrubbing her eyes to clear the sleep away, she sat up in bed. Did she dream about a kitten being in her room, or did it actually happen? Her mushy brain couldn’t tell dream from reality. She needed to get ready for the day and grab some caffeine from the cafeteria. Maybe then she could sort out her jumbled thoughts.
The hot shower tempted her to delay her plans. The pulsing water helped to relax her muscles, easing some of the tension. She forced herself not to linger, though. Once dry, she felt better and dressed before making her way to the coffee shop. The campus bustled with activity, and Evie realized how late she slept in. She had enough time to eat, but her talk with Jaxon would have to wait. If they needed her, they would find her.
“What can I getcha?” the barista asked, polite smile firmly in place.
“I will have a large café mocha and a chocolate croissant.” Evie’s mouth watered. The sweet treat she ordered for breakfast was her one weakness, and she needed to be careful not to overindulge. Bounty in hand, she walked to the same table she shared with Inian the day before and sat, arranging her breakfast in front of herself.
“Hi, dove.” Dashiel’s velvety voice caressed her ears, sending goose bumps across her skin.
“Morning, Short Fry.” Lips pressed into her hair, and Cyne’s body warmed her back.
“Hi, guys.” Evie offered hesitantly, watching the two males join her at the table, one on each side of her.
“We went by your dorm, but you were already gone. I’m glad we caught up with you.” Indigo eyes peered into her own, holding her captive, unable to look away. “Cyne and I wanted the chance to come and apologize to you.”
The other man beside her nodded his head vigorously. “We ducked up. It’s not like we didn’t believe you, it’s just you took us by surprise. We were slow to react, but we never took Jaoel’s words to heart. We know you aren’t like that. Can you forgive us?”
Evie’s heart lightened. She’d been so frightened the guys would write her off as a lost cause. She never imagined they would be the ones to apologize. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m relieved you aren’t mad at me for not speaking up sooner.”
Dashiel pulled her unexpectedly out of her seat, lifting her up before he sat in another chair and deposited her on his lap. The male hugged her close while Cyne took her empty seat, picked up her hand, and grasped it tightly. “We were never mad at you. I was fudging pissed at Jaoel, but never you, Shorty. In just a few days, you’ve become family. I hope we didn’t nick that up.”
Evie shook her head, smiling at his endearing expression. “Speaking of Jaoel, how is he? Is there any news? Can I see him?”
Dashiel heaved a long breath out, his features tightening. “Jaoel isn’t on campus. He, along with Selja Inian and Masteri Ardon, have journeyed to speak with the Healer’s Council to seek their advice on how best to proceed. They should be back in a couple of days.”
“Okay. What should we do in the meantime?” Evie wanted to help, but she didn’t know what she could offer.
Cyne spoke up, kissing her knuckles playfully. “You, my dear, are to attend classes. Get caught up. Inian’s orders. We’re going to help Max and Caleb watch over Cammie. Make sure she doesn’t do anything too reckless.”
Jealousy stirred in the pit of Evie’s belly, and she yanked her hands from Cyne’s grip. “Let me up, Dash. I need to get to class.”
“Woah, there, little filly. What’s got your panties in a twist?” Cyne placed his hands on her thighs, holding her in place.
“Nothing.” Evie fumed, her anger burning brighter. “Now let me go.”
“I think our little human is jealous, Cyne,” Dashiel whispered huskily.
“Am not. I just need to go.” Freeing herself proved ineffective. Dashiel bounced his knees, jostling her attempts.
“She lies so prettily, Dash.” Cyne’s words hit Evie like a ton of bricks. She’d heard the same phrase recently. Racking her brain, she couldn’t recall who said it.
“You have no need to be jealous, Evie.” Dash soothed. “Cammie is of no interest to us. She belongs to my brother and Caleb. To make you feel better, we will only watch over her from afar.”
Guilt ate at Evie’s insides. Cammie needed their help, and Evie had no right to be jealous. She shared a few special moments with each of them, but a lasting relationship wasn’t possible. She needed to move on. She valued their friendship, and she would not allow her silly crush to ruin it.
“It’s okay, really. You need to help Max and Caleb out right now. They need you. Do what you need to do to keep Cammie safe.” Her mouth dried up, and she practically choked out the next words. “I’ll be fine on my own. When Cammie’s better, we can all hang out. Maybe catch another movie in town.”
The two men laughed, finding her words hilarious for some reason.
She crossed her arms and harrumphed. “If you guys don’t want to hang out with me, that’s fine, but you don’t have to laugh about it.”
Her words sobered them up, but they both continued to smile brightly at her. “Dove, there is no way you will be on your own. You are stuck with us. We planned to invite you over to the house every day after your classes are finished. We have shifted our responsibilities to others this week in order to spend time with you.”
“But what about watching, Cammie?” Evie plucked at an imaginary string in her jeans, avoiding eye contact.
“We are going to take shifts. With Jaoel gone, there are five of us left to help Max and Caleb. We can watch her, but we’ll still have plenty of time to spend with you.” Dashiel paused, his body stilling. “Unless, you don’t want to hang out with us?”
Evie beamed at the Surmata. “There’s no place I would rather be.”
Her declaration didn’t go unrewarded. Cyne leaned over her, nipping her lips lightly.
Dashiel followed suit, kissing her more firmly. “Now, little human. You need to get to class. As soon as you’re done for the day, head over to our house. Someone will be there to let you in.”
Unnerved, but pleased at the public display of affection, Evie’s gaze swept the area expecting to see recriminations in the eyes of the mingling students around her. No one paid them any attention. Evie stood and gathered her bag, her coffee and chocolate croissant long forgotten. They escorted her out of the shop. Happy, she stepped toward the path leading to her first class. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Bye, dove.”
“Bye, Tiny Tot.”
As she crossed the campus, Evie silently thanked the goddess for sending her to the Suoja Guild. The campus had quickly become her home, but the Shadewolf Kaveri was her salvation.