I clamp a hand over my mouth and let out a stifled cry as the orgasm rushes through me, my shoulders hitting the shelves again, a few books falling to the floor, and here between the stacks of Arcana Myths and Legends and Astrological Correspondences for the Major Arcana, a bright flash of light explodes before us, the ground shaking, books tumbling from the shelves, glass breaking in the distance, a fire raging across the walls, devouring every book in its path…
“Kirin!” I shout, and he’s on his feet in an instant, cupping my face, whispering that everything will be okay, that he’s sorry, that he shouldn’t have done this…
I follow the sound of his voice, the feel of his hands on my face, the summer-storm scent of his skin. The library slowly comes back into view, and I look around to assess the damage. The shelves are still standing, most of the books where they should be, save for the couple that toppled out during my grande finale.
“Okay?” Kirin whispers, and I nod, but my heart is still raging, my legs trembling in a way that has nothing to do with Kirin’s mouth.
“I don’t understand,” I whisper, terrified that anything louder will send me back into that vision. “What’s happening?”
Kissing Kirin, kissing Baz, even those little mental games with Dr. Devane… I always seem to get pulled into some sort of vision with them. Is it always like this for witches and mages? Or does it have something to do with the true form thing they were talking about at their meeting?
Kirin’s eyes are glazed, his mouth puffy, and he’s looking at me like he doesn’t know whether to run, or grab me in another breathless kiss.
I decide for him, leaning in and capturing his bottom lip between my teeth, grazing the tip of it with my tongue. I taste the salt of my own desire, and he shudders, his hands tightening on my hips.
But then he presses his forehead to my shoulder and exhales, his grip loosening, and I know in that moment he’s letting me go.
“Kirin?” I whisper.
His cock is hard, straining against his jeans in a way that tells me he wants this as much as I do. But then he just looks at me with so much sadness and regret in his eyes, I almost fall into them and die.
“It’s… it’s the library,” he says randomly, clearly casting about for an excuse. “It’s probably against the rules, and I just… I’m sorry. I have to go.”
And there, in the space where commanding hands and a passionate, devoted mouth worshipped my flesh mere minutes ago, a cold emptiness echoes.
Forty-One
STEVIE
“Light some more sage,” Isla says from my living room couch, sipping her whiskey-spiked chocolate lavender tea, which is only about half as disgusting as it sounds. “And shuffle the deck again. Must be some stuck energy.”
“Isn’t it bad luck to keep asking the cards the same question and hoping for a different answer?” Jessa asks. It’s our inaugural Friday Night Witch-N-Bitch Happy Hour, and we’ve got her on video chat on my laptop, propped up on the coffee table. On her end, she’s got a margarita, just like old times.
“It’s definitely bad luck,” I say, but I’m already lighting another sage bundle, passing it over my cards anyway. At this point, I’ll try anything to change the outcome of this dumb story.
“Maybe the crystals are still in the wrong positions.” Nat rearranges those for the fifth time, too. “Or maybe you need different ones. I think rose quartz is supposed to be good for love.”
“I’m not in love with him,” I clarify.
“Which him?” Isla teases, and I reach over and smack her foot.
“Eitherhim. As far as I’m concerned, they’re both crazy and destined for eternal bachelorhood and celibacy.”
All three women shoot me the same mischievous, knowing glances.
After that insane night at the library last week, I haven’t seen or spoken with Kirin at all—not even about the Dark Magician legends we were working on. Every time I went to the library this week, his office was locked, and he wasn’t in the archives. Professor Phaines popped in to help with Mom’s translations once, but when I tried to casually ask about Kirin, all he said was that Kirin’s working on another high priority project this week.
As if saving the world from the Dark Arcanapocalypse isn’t high priority enough.
On top of that nonsense, Baz is being chilly, too. He’s not ignoring me outright—he always says hi in class, jokes around a little bit, but it’s nothing like before. He never runs to catch up to me after class, or makes any more comments about rescheduling our little “makeoutus interruptus” session.
I’m even starting to miss his damn innuendos.
The only good thing about Baz sidelining me is that I’m basically off Carly’s radar now, so that’s going in the “win” column.
Dr. Devane is actually being nice to me, which is a mindfuck in the other direction. Pretty sure it’s only because he’s worried I’ll get myself worked up and fall into another acid trip down undead-army lane, and none of us wants that.
The only one being totally normal is Ani, and if it wasn’t for him and my witchy-bitchies here, I’m pretty sure I’d be looking for the escape hatch on this Academy right now.
