Shadow Magic: Year 3 Read online

  Chapter Ten

  When I arrive back at my room, Thorn is standing outside the door, arms crossed over his chest, foot propped on the wall behind him. He frowns when he sees me. “You should have taken Rocco with you if you were leaving your room,” he says.

  “Not now, Thorn,” I say, my throat tight with unshed tears. I made it all the way across campus without crying, but I don’t know how much longer that’s going to last. I grab the doorknob, about to go in, when Thorn speaks.

  “Rocco had to go to class,” he says. “Is there something wrong?”

  I swallow hard, resting my forehead against the door and cursing myself for the selfish disappointment I feel. Rocco shouldn’t skip classes for me. But damn if now isn’t the time I need him most. I hate that I’ve come to rely on him, that I count on his humor, supportiveness, and uncomplicated love to get me through. I haven’t counted on anyone but myself for so long, it feels terrifyingly vulnerable. And yet, I wouldn’t change it for anything.

  “I’m fine,” I say to Thorn after a moment.

  “If you need me, I’m right here,” he says quietly.

  And that’s what undoes the last of my control. I shove my door open and stagger across the room to fall onto my bed facedown, sobs of rage and hurt clawing their way out of my mangled heart. I shouldn’t care about that sick, heartless bastard who fucks girls just to hurt me. I shouldn’t waste tears on him, shouldn’t need his brother to soothe away the hurts he causes. But I do. I care about Ryker, and I want to help him even though he makes my life a living hell every day.

  A minute later, I hear soft footsteps and then Thorn’s strong arms scoop me up. He sits on the bed holding me while I bawl like a baby in his arms. I know I’m a mess, and I shouldn’t cry about another guy to him, but I can’t stop the tears. He doesn’t ask questions, just holds me tightly to him, rocking me gently and kissing my temple every few minutes.

  When I finally catch my breath and the tears cease, he picks me up and carries me into my bathroom. The soft, soothing scent of lavender engulfs me, and I lift my head from his chest. I stare around in wonder, unable to believe my eyes. Whatever feat of magic he pulled, it’s seriously impressive. The room is transformed.

  Instead of a small bathroom, it’s spacious and filled with ambient, romantic lighting. A clawfoot tub has replaced my shower, and a carpet of rose petals lies in place of the usual rug. Bubbles tower from the steaming bath, which has fogged up the bathroom with soothing steam. Flowers and twinkling lights surround the oval mirror, and a chair draped in silk sits in front of it.

  “Thorn,” I whisper. “Did you do this?”

  “I thought you might want to relax,” he says, carrying me to the tub. “I can change anything you don’t like. Do you want a different scent?”

  “No,” I say, sliding my arms around his neck and looking up at him, tears pooling in my eyes for a different reason. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  “Good,” he says, sounding relieved, as if any girl wouldn’t swoon for a guy who did this for her—with magic, no less. “I’ll let you have some privacy. If you want to talk about it when you’re done…”

  “Wait,” I say, holding tighter. I swallow hard. “Can you… Stay?”

  He looks from me to the tub and then back again. “I don’t know…”

  “My magic is under control,” I say. It’s weird, and I’m just now learning how it works, but even though I just had sex a few hours ago, my magic is super low. At least, it’s super low in the way it affects others. Inside me, there’s a ton, but it’s somehow controlled after being charged by sex. Like, if I had to fight Lilith right now, I could blast her out of this world and straight through hell into nothingness. I’m super strong. And apparently others can tell. But it doesn’t leach out into them the way it does when I need to get laid.

  “Yes,” Thorn murmurs, a slight frown on his brow. “I can tell you’re not influencing me with magic.”

  “We don’t have to do anything,” I say. “Just sit with me.”

  He nods. “Okay.”

  Outside, I hear the lock on my room door engage, and then the bathroom lock. Damn. He’s magicking the hell out of this place. He sets me down, and I suddenly feel vulnerable undressing in front of him. He turns away, though, giving me privacy instead of watching. I can’t help but watch him, though. His broad, rigid shoulders, his narrow hips. God, he’s more of a mystery than Ryker. I’ve never even seen Thorn with his shirt off, and though he’s been there for me like no one else, he’s never been sexual with me. The most we’ve done is a single kiss.

  “You’re not getting in?” I ask when he doesn’t move. I stand in the nude, my toes curling into the velvet rose petals, but Thorn hasn’t so much as unbuttoned his shirt.

  “You want me to sit in the bathtub with you?” he asks. “I thought you meant, sit here while you were in the bath.”

  “Where’s the fun in that?” I ask, stepping across the petals to reach him. I slide my arms around him and unbutton his shirt, one button at a time. My breath is coming faster by the time I’m done. I untuck his shirt from his pants and tug it free, dropping it to the floor beside us. My fingers trace over the muscles in his back, his olive skin rising in a chill under my touch. Gently, I press my lips to the center of his back. I can feel his heart thundering hard in his chest.

  I slide my hands around him, flattening my palm against his taut abs. His skin is warm and soft under my hands. I slide a hand lower, gently undoing the button on his pants.

  He catches my wrist, his grip gentle. “Jade,” he says, his voice catching. “I—I have to tell you something.”

  “You’re huge?” I guess, slowly easing down the zipper of his pants.

  “What? No.” He shakes his head. “That’s not what—”

  “You’re… Small?” I ask, gulping. I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst thing. I’ve got plenty of size with Rocco, and god, if I ever fuck Ryker, everyone on campus will know it when I have to limp around.

  “No,” Thorn says, shaking his head. I slide a hand into his pants, my fingers wrapping around his perfectly large, hard cock. I sigh in relief, my fingers moving over the smooth skin of his shaft. His cock throbs in my hand, and my pussy pulses with longing at the sensation of his longing.

  “What is it?’ I whisper, my pulse fluttering, wetness coating my thighs as I squirm with desire. I don’t need even a flicker of magic inside to know I want him. “We don’t have to do anything, but we can if you want. I like you, Thorn. I want you. I want to be yours. Take me.”

  He swallows so hard I can hear it. “Jade,” he says, clearing his throat. “I’ve never… Done… This. Before.” His words come out disjointed and halting, and it takes a moment for me to realize what he’s saying. My hand stills on his cock.

  “You’re a virgin?” I ask, unable to keep the incredulousness from my voice.

  “Yeah,” he says softly, drawing my hand from his pants. “I know that’s not exactly what you wanted to hear.”

  “It’s not that,” I say. “It’s just… How?”

  “I guess I just never wanted to do it to say I’d done it,” he says.

  “But… Thorn, you’re like the hottest guy I’ve ever seen,” I blurt out. “And you’re practically famous, and rich, and you must have had a million girls throwing themselves at you the way Bella does all your life.”

  “I’m sure that’s part of it,” he says. “It never felt genuine, like they wanted me for who I was, or even wanted to get to know me. It’s not that I didn’t have opportunities.”

  I snort. “That’s gotta be an understatement.”

  “Anyway,” he says. “I’m sure that’s a turnoff. I didn’t really mean to wait this long.”

  “It’s not a turn off,” I say. “Come on. Let’s get in the bath and talk about this.”

  “Just what I want to do,” he grumbles, but he slips out of his pants and drops them in the corner with his shoes b
efore turning back. We stand there sizing each other up for a minute, both of us nude, with only the steam caressing our bare skin. My nipples harden as his gaze moves down my body, over my full breasts, my narrow waist and full hips, dipping between my thighs to my shaved pussy. He swallows.

  I bite my lip and resist the urge to squeeze my knees together to relieve the ache building as he looks at me, as I look at him. There’s nothing small about him, thank the gods. He’s tall with long legs, his shoulders broad and muscular, his pecs not massive like Rocco’s but flat and strong. His abs are lined with the muscles of his six-pack, and his cock stands tall and straight, his shaft long and pink and perfect, with a bell-shaped head with a nice thick ridge around it. I gulp, heat pulsing between my thighs as I stare at it, picturing my lips around it, picturing it straining against my entrance, sliding deep inside me, bare and beautiful.

  Thorn steps forward, his feet sinking into the petals. I gulp, my breathing labored as I wait.

  For a second, we don’t move, don’t speak.

  “Touch me,” I whisper.

  Now it’s his turn to gulp. He lifts a hand slowly, gently cupping my breast. His thumb strokes across my soft nipple, and it springs erect under his touch. His eyes drop closed, and he draws a shuddering breath. “Jade,” he whispers.

  “That feels so good,” I breathe.

  “Let’s get into the tub,” he says, dropping his hand and stepping into the tub. I climb in, too, settling into the warm cocoon of bubbles. When I feel the side of the tub move, my eyes fly to Thorn in alarm. He’s muttering under his breath as the tub magically expands to fit us both comfortably.

  “Okay, that’s it,” I say. “There’s no way you haven’t charmed the panties off a girl yet.”

  Thorn shrugs. “I’ve just never met a girl I really wanted to.”

  “You’ve never wanted to have sex with anyone?”

  “I guess I just think it means more than that,” he says. “And sure, yes, I could have fucked some random girl if I wanted. I just never got caught up in the whole competition thing guys did, seeing how many girls they could bang. That’s not my style.”

  “You should have told me,” I say. “I would have loved to be each other’s first.”

  “It’s okay,” he says, looking down at the bubbles. “I… I don’t have any experience. I won’t be good enough for you, Jade.”

  “You already are good enough,” I say firmly. “I love you, Thorn. I don’t care if you’ve been with a hundred girls or none. It doesn’t matter to me. I like you, not your number.”

  “Come here,” he says, laying an arm along the side of the tub. I slide across, nestling in beside him.

  “How’d I get so lucky?” I ask, fitting my body beside his.

  He lifts my chin, gently kissing my lips with his soft, full ones. He gazes into my eyes, his fingers lingering on my skin. “I love you, too, Jade.”

  A wave of pure love wraps around my heart, and I find myself fighting back tears again, these ones brought on by the power of what I feel for this big, quiet, amazing sorcerer. I want to say it again and again, tell him how much I love him, how lucky I feel that he loves me. I’ve never been good with that, though, so I lean in and press my lips to his.

  I start to pull back after a minute, but Thorn’s wet, soapy hand slides around the back of my neck, pulling me back in. We kiss and kiss and kiss, until I’m dizzy with it and the space between my legs feels swollen and aching to be filled. My magic swirls around us, and I’m afraid it’s going to intoxicate him and make him crazy like it has to Ryker before. Thorn will never forgive me if I let anything happen, but oh god, I want to jump on him and ride that beautiful cock until he screams.

  Not helping, not helping, I scold myself. I know how to take care of myself so my magic doesn’t affect anyone else.

  I surreptitiously slide my hand between my thighs under the bubbles. My fingers massage my clit in rhythm with Thorn’s tongue until I’m squirming and panting, and a moan inadvertently slips out. Thorn answers with a moan of his own, turning toward me in the tub. His hips angle toward mine, and his cock bumps against the back of my hand for a second before shifting away.

  Crap. I jerk my hand away and try not to look as guilty as a kid who got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

  “Jade,” Thorn says, his voice low and husky. “Were you touching yourself?”

  I swallow hard, avoiding his eyes. “I didn’t want my magic to bewitch you,” I manage. “I was trying to… Spend some of it.”

  With a flick of his fingers, the bubbles are gone. “Show me.”

  His voice is more commanding than I expected, and it sends a pulse of lust through me to have him order me around like Professor Darius does. Biting my lip, I raise my eyes to his, my fingers moving hesitantly back to their former position. Thorn’s breathing quickens as he watches me part my lips and reveal my swollen clit. He watches me stroke it for a minute, two, ten. At first, I’m a little shy, but as his eyes linger on my sex, my arousal grows until I’m not sure what’s making me hotter, my touch or his gaze. I open myself shamelessly for his inspection, gyrating my hips, spreading my thighs, exploring my folds and teasing my entrance until I’m whimpering for release.

  “Don’t be shy,” Thorn coaxes. “Let me see you put a finger in.”

  I open my thighs wider and slide a finger into my pussy, slowly at first, then quicker. “Help me,” I whisper at last, knowing I need something bigger.

  Thorn swallows, then slides his hand over mine. I withdraw and cover his hand with mine, sliding his middle finger into my slippery slit. He sucks in a breath, his cock throbbing in the water. I grip it with my free hand, pumping up and down his shaft while I slide his hand lower, pushing his finger deep inside me.

  “Oh, wow,” he breathes, his finger exploring my walls slowly, his hips rising and falling slightly with the stroke of my hand over his long, full, perfect cock. My mouth waters just touching it, and my entrance floods with slippery wetness. I withdraw my hand, letting him have full access to my pussy while I turn my attention to his cock. With each stroke of my hand, I imagine that cock inside me, and my arousal grows until I’m nearly bursting.

  “Two fingers,” I moan, and he pushes a second into me, his cock jerking in my hand.

  “Focus on the head,” he growls in response. My pussy clenches at the command in his voice, and I circle my hand over the head of his cock, watching a wisp of precum swirl into the water when I run my thumb over his tip. I run my hand down his shaft, down to the base, cupping his balls. They’re full and hard, and when I give them a little squeeze, he groans. I run my hand back up, quickening my pace as I slip my hand over the ridge around the head over and over. Thorn drives his two fingers into me harder, then adds a stroke to my clit with every thrust. After a bit, he changes pace and begins thrusting his fingers fast while his thumb strokes with slow, intense pressure. The contrast does me in. I arch up, opening my thighs wide and thrusting my pelvic bone into his hand.

  “I’m gonna cum,” I cry.

  “Me, too,” he rasps out as I continue popping my fist over the head of his cock. “Cum on my fingers.”

  With the next thrust of his fingers, he adds a third, stretching my opening and making me gasp and writhe. I imagine his cock stretching me open, and I cry out again, arching up as his fingers drive deep inside me and stay there, feeling the way my walls clench and pulse around them.

  “Oh, fuck,” he groans, thrusting into my palm, his cock throbbing again and again as white, creamy cum pours from his tip into the water. I watch transfixed, my pussy pulsing hotter at the sight. I want that cum inside me. I want him inside me. God, his fingers are not enough. I’m crazy for this man, and I want all of him, every inch, joined with me. He massages his palm over my mound, stimulating my clit until every last bit of my orgasm has throbbed through me. When we both relax at last, I lay beside him again, catching my breath and listening to the racing of his heart begin to slow. Thorn’s fingers gently stroke
my hair, making me sink into a blissful, drowsy afterglow.

  “I want to do that in your mouth next time,” he says after a while.

  My head pops up at that. “Thorn! You naughty virgin!”

  He chuckles and squeezes me closer. “Don’t worry. I’ll return the favor.”

  “Have you done that before?” I ask carefully, making sure not to sound skeptical, like I doubt his ability.

  “No,” he admits. “But I’ve read a lot of—” He breaks off and clears his throat, his voice coming out an octave lower, like he’s putting on a front. “I watch porn.”

  “Um, porn is for men,” I point out. “Trust me when I say it doesn’t show you how a woman likes to be treated or even fucked.”

  “Then you can show me,” he says.

  “What were you really going to say?” I ask, my eyes narrowing. “You read a lot of what? Men’s magazines?”

  “No,” he says, his cheeks pinkening in the most adorable way.

  “What?” I ask, poking his side. “Tell me.”

  “You’ll make fun of me.”

  “I won’t,” I promise.

  “Well, when I was a teenager, I happened upon a collection of my grandmother’s paperbacks.”

  “Wait, Lady Claudia reads trashy romance novels?” I ask, laughing out loud. “Oh my god, you read trashy romances?”

  “You said you wouldn’t laugh.”

  “I said I wouldn’t make fun,” I say. “I’m laughing with surprise and… Happiness.”

  Thorn gives me a funny look. “You’re happy that I read racy romance novels?”

  “So happy,” I assure him, kissing him hard on the lips. “You have no idea how many men could use that type of education.”