The flesh whisperer excused herself, leaving the two of us alone in the room together.
“I know it wasn’t right what he did,” Trubble said, pausing at the stone counter in the corner and using the fresh cloths and running water to clean himself up. The Royal College had some of the most advance plumbing in the world, all these underground aquifers and pipes that water whisperers manipulated to deliver streams of fresh water at the touch of a handle. “But my brother’s worried about our country, our mother, and to be quite honest with you, I don’t think he’s altogether sure why he sacrificed his life for yours.” Trubble glanced over his shoulder and smiled to soften the blow, slipping off his borrowed gold jacket to wipe the blood from his chest.
The sight of that warm cloth moving over his muscles made my own body feel hot and achy. I shifted on my feet and accidentally bumped a few jars on the shelves behind me. They wobbled precariously, but the only one that did fall, Trubble lunged for and caught in a single hand. As I stood there and gaped, he set it back on the shelf above his head and looked down at me.
“Except, of course, for the fact that he has a crush on you.” The shadow boy stared me in the face with slanted, bronze eyes and a wicked little smile. My heart thundered wildly in my chest as he leaned down and hovered his mouth over my own.
“So you have a crush, too?” I whispered, but Trubble just smiled and pressed his lips against my own, invading my mouth with his tongue, tasting me as I leaned back against the wall beneath the shelves and quickly dropped my wings to the floor to avoid breaking anything.
Even though he’d washed his mouth out, he tasted like blood and copper, but for whatever reason, that didn’t make me want to stop. No, I pressed harder, putting my hands on his chest and feeling his heart beat beneath his skin. That sweet, gentle fragrance of lotus blossom surrounded me, wrapping me in a cocoon that I was suddenly desperate not to break.
Trubble put his hand on my waist, this firm, hot press of fingers, and then slid them along the waistband of my breeches.
And of course today was the day that I’d decided not to wear a skirt.
That didn’t seem to deter him at all as he curled his fingers inside my pants and skimmed his way over to the laces on the front. With his other hand, he used quick, deft movements to untie them, yanking the laces completely out and dropping them on the floor. Trubble’s left hand slipped underneath my panties, two of his fingers tracing these slow, elegant movements over my clit.
Pleasure spiraled out from that spot, taking over my body, making my knees feel weak. I curled my hands around each of his shoulders to hold myself up, but when he took it a little further, slipping his fingers inside of me and using his thumb to tease my clitoris, I collapsed and just barely caught myself.
Effortlessly, Trubble slipped his arm around my waist and hauled me up, depositing me on the edge of the marble table. He grabbed the edges of my breeches and pulled them down, even as I told myself I should probably stop. Talk to Air. Talk to Vexer. Do anything but what I was doing right that second.
“I’m not sure I should do this,” I whispered huskily, just as my breeches were yanked over one boot and left to hang from the other. He stepped close to me, standing between my legs and capturing my mouth with his own again. It was undeniable that I had an attraction to this guy, but was it right for me to keep going right now? Technically, a lot of Amerin would say yes, of course it was. I was a woman and it was my right to have as many lovers as I wanted.
But I didn’t want to think of myself like that. I wanted to be progressive, to promote equality, to not just collect lovers but cherish them.
“Wait,” I said, pulling away and putting my hand on Trubble’s chest. I could feel his heart thundering like crazy. “I can’t do this right now, not here.” Talon was still missing, there was tension between Air and me, Vexer and I had a brand-new relationship. Ultimately, it was my choice what to do right now, but I didn’t want to be wracked with guilt over it either.
Trubble stopped immediately, standing so close to me that his warmth made me feel comforted, closed in, like I was wrapped in shadows. The dark magic inside of me responded to that, and I leaned forward, putting my face in the hollow of his neck.
“Gods, you smell good,” I whispered, and Trubble grunted. He was shaking with adrenaline and need, but when I leaned back to look at his face, he had a peaceful sort of expression resting there. He looked so much like Dyre. If it weren’t for the eyes and the hair, I wasn’t sure how easy they’d be to tell apart.
“We should get dressed before the virgin walks in here and has a heart attack.” Trubble moved to pull away, but I reached out and grabbed the waistband of his jeans, holding him still. The look he gave me said he really did not want me to keep touching him right now.
“Finish yourself,” I said, letting go of him and feeling this sudden cold draft in the air when he pulled away. “And I’ll watch.”
“Maybe you should go in the lobby and wait for me instead?” he asked with a sharp-toothed little grin. “Being trapped in my usual body for an entire year makes me a little … sexually unstable.”
“I want to watch,” I repeated, scooting off the table and almost cracking my head on the marble table as I struggled to get back in to my pants. As soon as I grabbed the laces off the floor, I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest.
Trubble stared back at me for a moment like I was a crazy person and then shrugged, leaning his back against the far wall of the room and pulling his cock from his pants. He licked his fingers to lube them up and then took hold of the base, working his hand slowly up and down the length of his shaft.
Warmth flooded between my thighs and the muscles in my lower belly contracted painfully, asking me why I’d completely lost my marbles and said no to this guy. But in my heart, I knew I’d made the right choice. I wasn’t saying no forever, just for now.
Our eyes meet across the room, Hellim’s magic simmering in the air between us as Trubble’s lips parted and sensual little sounds escaped his throat. His eyes became heavy and half-lidded, but he never closed them, keeping his attention locked on me. When he came close to orgasming, I moved across the room and hovered my fingertips over his face, waiting for him to finish, watching him.
My right hand dropped down, fingers teasing over his knuckles as he worked himself hard and fast. I snatched a cloth from the counter and handed it to him, keeping our eyes locked as he groaned and spilled himself into the fabric.
“What the fuck is happening in here?!” Dyre snapped from behind me, and I whirled around to see Air, Eli, Dyre, and Professor Cross in the room. Oh, and also the flesh whisperer who’d just opened the door, presumably to check on us.
She, at least, had the good grace to back out and close it softly behind her.
The spirits, not so much.
“We’re just getting to know each other,” Trubble said as he cleaned himself off and tucked his dick back into his pants. “There’s nothing wrong with them. A strong woman needs a strong harem.”
“You are so old-fucking-fashioned!” Dyre snapped out, and I think if he could’ve in that moment, he’d have possessed me again and decked his brother in the face.
Me, I just made sure to look straight at Air and Eli; I had nothing to hide from them. If I was going to date multiple men, I’d have to be an open book.
“Jacking off a dude in the nurse’s office right before manners and etiquette?” Eli asked, and I couldn’t tell if he was angry … or just bemused. “That’d be an interesting one to ask Mrs. Maniri about: is it socially acceptable to fake an injury during class so you can be excused to fuck for the rest of the hour?”