Oleander (Elemental Desires Book 1), page 22
He looks like a fantasy come to life; pants down to mid-thigh, his cock an angry red color and glistening with my spit. I slowly lick the sensitive underside, traveling down to his balls, where I gently massage them with my tongue.
I tease Skyler mercilessly before I finally suck him back into my mouth. I alternate between licking and sucking languorously, swallowing his cock and controlling his pleasure. There’s a heady sort of gratification I get from it.
His guttural moans have a deep satisfaction rolling through me, so I keep going, pleasing him the best way I know how. Skyler’s cock is pressed into the back of my throat when someone bangs on the door incessantly, interrupting me as I give the sexiest blow job of my life.
Fucking fuck!
“Hurry up! I need to piss! Unless you want it all over the floor out here!”
We both ignore the drunk asshole until he goes away. We’re in our own world right now. Nothing but Skyler’s pleasure for me to focus on.
I’m here to worship him.
I peel my lips from his hard cock. “Look at me,” I demand, and Skyler’s ice-blue eyes pop open, staring down at me with an arousing intensity that intoxicates me further. “Watch me suck your cock. Watch me make you come.”
Skyler whimpers, never once taking his eyes off mine. I suck him like our lives depend on it, pulling every last drop of cum from him as he shouts my name. His cries of passion echo off the cold tile, but neither of us cares if the asshole on the other side of the door or even if the entire bar hears us.
“Wow,” is all Skyler says, still slumped against the cold, metal door.
I stagger to my feet, nearly tipping over as the blood rushes to my head and my vision goes black. I stumble to the sink, gripping the edge and leaning forward to peer into the mirror. Swollen red lips, pale skin, and dark circles under my eyes. I overdid it tonight for certain, and my magic is nearly drained, but I wouldn’t change a damn thing.
We’ve accomplished so much tonight, but I’m beyond ready to leave this place. “Let’s go home.” I hold my palm out, waiting, and he doesn’t leave me hanging, placing his rough hand in my own and squeezing tightly.
“Home,” he echoes with a dopey, satisfied smile that I return easily.
Time to find our designated driver, Zephyr, and hope that he has gas in his car this time. I’m not sure I’ll survive another unplanned disaster in the woods. We need smooth sailing and sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SKYLER
The afternoon sun shines through my curtains, pulling me from the deep, restorative slumber I was cocooned in. I open my eyes to the best of my ability, with one of them slightly swollen and a busted eyebrow. Regardless of the excessive amount of hours I slept, I still feel hungover and sore.
Not a good combination.
The wound on my neck pulls painfully, as does my eyebrow when I stretch and yawn. I need more of Ander’s homemade salve. Maybe I can take the jar and use it on the hellhound scratch currently burning a hole into my ribcage.
Fuck.
I amble into the kitchen and grab a baggie, filling it with ice to dull the raging inferno on my side. Just as I’m filling a second bag for my eyebrow, two nimble arms wrap around me, brushing against the hellhound scratch and causing stabbing agony to shoot up and down the entire side of my torso.
I can’t stop the pained whimper from escaping my lips, and Oleander immediately lets go and steps back. “I’m so sorry. Did I bump your eyebrow somehow? Your neck?” His lavender eyes ping pong between mine, and I instantly feel guilty knowing I’m going to lie to him.
As soon as the excruciating pain somewhat subsides, I choke out a single, strained word. “Neck.”
Lie. Although it hurts, too.
But he doesn’t need to worry; he’s been through enough because of me. I can handle this one on my own. I just need to get my hands on his miracle salve.
“Sorry, Sky. Here, let me help you with those.” Ander fusses over me, filling the second bag with ice and grabbing two soft hand towels to wrap them in. “Here. This should help the swelling in your eye, as well as the pain in your neck. Ten minutes on, ten minutes off.”
“Thanks, doc,” I joke, even though I’m sweating through the nausea churning in my stomach. I swallow the saliva pooling in my mouth. The pain is intense, and I hope I’m sufficiently hiding it. “Hey, can I borrow that salve? I’ve got a few other bruises and thought it would help with my eyebrow.”
“Yes, of course. Let me grab it. I can help you apply it. Just lie back on the bed and take your clothes off.”
An unusual panic rushes through me at the thought of taking my clothes off. I’ve never felt this way before, and it’s not because I feel any shame about my body. “No. I can do it.”
He can’t see the hellhound scratch on my side.
Ander’s brows crease in confusion. We’ve been so open with each other and become about as close as two people can be. “Sky. . .”
I hate the worried tone of his voice. “I can handle it myself. I just need to borrow the cream.”
Or so I tell myself.
“Very well, one moment.” Oleander doesn’t look convinced, but he respects my wishes and leaves to get it. I sigh in relief, hoping it works and that I’ve made the right decision in keeping this from him.
“Oleander Sage Sauveterre.”
“Uh oh. She full-named you. You’re fucked,” I whisper to Ander out of the side of my mouth while his mother—the queen—paces in front of us. The ice packs and salve did their jobs to temporarily numb the pain and inflammation, but it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since the hunt. I’m not ready for this lecture.
“How dare you place your life and the future of this kingdom in mortal danger for a silly game and even sillier prize?”
Ander lowers his head, casting his gaze to the ground. I want so badly to speak up for him and tell her it’s my fault, but I know that won’t do either of us any good.
“However,” she adds, and his golden head pops up, eyes shining with hope. “I am deeply proud of the honor this silly game brings to our family, as well as what will be said about you and your human companion in the history books.”
Human companion? Did she just low-key insult me? Whatever. I don’t need to listen to this.
“I’ll step out and give you two some privacy,” I interrupt awkwardly, slipping from the suite before either of them can stop me.
I pause on the other side of the door, resting my forehead against the wood and breathing through the pain stabbing at my side. The position allows me to unintentionally eavesdrop.
“The other good news that comes from this situation is that I can see you’ve gained control of your magic and are no longer an active threat. You’re free to leave the academy, Oleander,” Queen Hyacinth says, and my heart falls to my feet. I pause, needing to hear his answer, before I take the stairs and get some much-needed fresh air.
I press my ear to the door when I don’t hear anything, wondering if I missed his soft voice.
“You don’t need to stay here now that you’ve proven yourself knowledgeable beyond your courses and brave beyond your training. There’s magnificent power in you, Oleander, and your skills exceed this academy’s capabilities, I’m afraid. You need to study with the old masters. It’s clear you are the one who shall become king. It was never going to be your brother. Flame is a disgrace.”
I step back silently, bumping into someone behind me. Firm hands brace my biceps, and I gasp, sucking in a quiet breath of air.
“Shh. Listen.” The words are quiet in my ear, but the smell of smoke and cedar easily gives away his identity.
Flame.
How much of that did he hear?
I glance over my shoulder, and the twinkle of moisture in his amber eyes tells me that he heard more than enough. I focus on the conversation beyond the door, and my gut churns waiting for Ander’s response. I know becoming king and living at the castle is his legacy and birthright, but I thought we’d developed something special. Something once in a lifetime.
Does our connection mean nothing to him? Because it means everything to me.
“I’ve only ever wanted to prove myself worthy of being king. Worthy of being your heir. I never wanted to be here, Mother. You know that. I miss home. I miss my tower. There’s nothing here for me—”
With his easy dismissal of our friendship—of our budding relationship—I turn and slip past Flame, silently jogging down the stairs. I can’t listen to another word. My heart feels like it’s shattering into a million pieces. If he really wants to leave, I guess I’m not good enough for him. He said my Blood Fae heritage doesn’t bother him or affect his feelings for me, but how could it not when our lineage makes us enemies?
Each step is pure agony as my skin feels like it’s being ripped open and hot spikes drilled into my bones. I pause on the fifth-floor landing, leaning against the wall and panting through the pain. I try to catch my breath, but an unpleasant tightness bands around my chest, constricting my breathing and all rational thought.
Oleander can’t leave. He can’t. Not after everything we’ve been through.
Sweat beads on my forehead and I lift my shirt, peeling back the bandage. I force myself to look down at the gruesome sight I’ve been avoiding all day. The scratch is no longer just a scratch. The wounds have deepened and festered, and black veins now spider out from the center.
Shit.
Not good. So not good.
I grit my teeth hard, and it feels like my jaw is wired shut. I gently lower my shirt over the bandage. I need a doctor, and I have the money to afford one now. I just need to get out of here first.
I’ll be fine.
Everything will be okay.
I make it all the way downstairs, gasping for breath and sweating profusely as if I just ran a marathon. I can’t let anyone see me like this, so I slip outside into the chilly afternoon breeze, allowing the wind to cool my fevered skin. My mind is foggy, and my limbs are heavy. I disappear into the forest to get some fresh air and find a tall, thick tree that seems like the perfect spot for a short rest. Gingerly sitting down, I clutch my side and lean my head against the trunk as my vision goes in and out of focus. My eyelids weigh a million pounds, so I close them, deciding to take a quick nap while I wait for Ander and his mom to leave so I can pack my shit and find a doctor.
I’m no longer bound to this realm, this school, or even my mom. I can make a new start for myself anywhere I choose. If I’m not wanted here by the one person I thought cared about me, then I don’t belong here either.
I thought the Fae couldn't lie, but he sure fooled me.
“Sky! Skyler! Can you hear me? I need you to wake up. Open your eyes for me.” Oleander’s soft, musical voice is full of worry and rips me away from blissful unconsciousness. The pain returns, roaring with vengeance. “Please, baby. I need you to tell me what’s wrong.”
The fear in his voice spurs me to move, and I finally get my eyes to open. “Am I seeing double?” I croak out, hissing in pain from the simple task of speaking. I clutch at my side and squeeze my eyes shut.
“No, dumbass. It’s Flame. Can you walk?”
I glance at Oleander, who’s scowling at his brother.
“I can’t even stand.” At my pained reply, Ander’s concerned eyes dart down to me. He squats, resting the back of his hand against my forehead.
“You’re burning up, Sky. I’m worried. Really worried.”
“Y-yeah. I think I might be pretty fucked up, to be honest.” I lift the corner of my shirt slightly before hissing in pain and dropping it.
Oleander lifts the edge for himself and gasps at what he finds. “Sky. . . No.”
“Fuck!” Flame curses, leaning over his brother’s shoulder to get a closer look.
I meet Ander’s glistening gaze, the tears instantly welling up. And I think I finally understand that it’s not just a scratch.
“W-when?” he stutters, already knowing the answer.
“The Hunt.”
He squeezes his eyes shut, and a single tear slips out, making a lonely journey down the curves of his face and settling into the seam of his lips. If I could move, I’d kiss it away.
I’m fucked. I know it.
“Am I a goner?” I choke on the last word, not ready for this to be the end. I feel sick, and not just from the hellhound venom flowing through my veins.
Ander opens his eyes, a new determination shining brightly in their lavender depths. “No. I won’t let that happen. Flame, help me get him up. Please.”
Both brothers grab me under the armpit and lift. I yell out in excruciating pain as the movement pulls at my infected wound. I’m breathless and on the verge of passing out, and black spots swim in my vision as Oleander and Flame practically drag me back to the dorm and into the waiting elevator.
“H-how did you find me?” I mumble incoherently as we wait for it to take us up eight floors.
“The trees talk. They guided me. I was worried about you.”
“I. . . I thought you wanted to leave,” I pant out.
“What? No?”
“I heard you tell your mom there’s nothing here for you.”
“No, Skyler. You mustn't have heard the rest. I said, there’s nothing here for me except Skyler. I told her exactly how much you mean to me and that I’m staying.”
We stare at each other for a moment, inches apart. Our unspoken connection thrums between us like a living, breathing entity.
Before I have a chance to say anything, the elevator doors open, revealing Gaia and Nerine waiting outside our door. Gaia’s giant smile immediately drops when she sees the state I’m in.
“Oh my goddess, Skyler!” She runs over, attempting to help Flame and Oleander drag me through the front door and to my bed. They gently set me down, and Gaia immediately throws out a slew of questions that overwhelm my brain. “What happened? Are you sick? Injured? What’s wrong?”
“Gaia, please,” Oleander says as politely as a life-or-death situation can allow for.
Nerine wraps long, slender arms around her girlfriend, pulling her out of the way. “Let us know what we can do to help,” she whispers softly, and Oleander nods his thanks.
“Thank you. Can you get him a glass of water and a bowl for me? Oh, and a fresh towel, please. To the right of the sink.”
Ander holds up the pair of scissors from my desk. “I’m going to cut your shirt open. I can buy you another.”
“Do it.” My skin pebbles as it’s exposed to the cool air, even though my temperature is spiking.
“Holy shit,” Flame murmurs, but it doesn’t surprise me. I already knew it was bad.
An ice-cold chill takes over my body, and violent tremors tug on my wounds, making my teeth chatter. Ander grabs my hand and squeezes tightly, attempting to reassure me.
I’m drifting away. I can feel it.
“Don’t let go,” I plead, my words a breathless whimper.
“Never. Stay with me, baby.”
My gaze homes in on Oleander, and I smile at his handsome face, no matter how worried his features are. If I’m about to die, at least I can be with the one person I care about most in all of the worlds.
“I love you,” I whisper before my eyes roll into the back of my head and I’m thrown into a bottomless pit of darkness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
OLEANDER
“Ilove you.”
I’m so stunned by his words and what’s happening that it takes me a second to react. This feels like a dream and a nightmare, all wrapped into one.
He loves me?
Shock hits me hard, and Flame moves before I can, rolling Skyler to his side as he begins to convulse violently. Foam bubbles out of his mouth, and absolute terror seizes my heart, squeezing ruthlessly.
Skyler was poisoned. By a hellhound’s claws. The toxins are so potent, so evil, that a simple scratch can kill you. Only the most experienced and the most powerful Earth Fae healers can save someone afflicted by a hellhound bite or scratch. My mother is one of them. She could save him, but she just left, and he won’t make it to the castle in time. It’s too far.
I have to try. I have to.
“Use your power to save him, Ander!” Flame shouts at me, coming to the same conclusion I have—I’m the only one who can. He’s on the bed, carefully bracing the boy who just told me he loves me. The boy who’s dying. “Do you love him?” Flame growls at me.
I nod, unable to form words. My pulse pounds unevenly, the emotions threatening to spill out like a tsunami wrecking everything in its way.
“Then take the poison and take his pain. Now! What are you waiting for, Ander?!”
I close my eyes and summon my magic, hovering my palms above his skin as I attempt to absorb the evil toxins from his wound.
Nothing happens.
“I can’t! It’s not working,” I cry, nearly pulling my hair out of my head in distress.
“You can! And you have to, or he’s dead! Do it now, Ander!” Flame’s right. I have to keep trying no matter what. “Change his fate, brother. Now!”
A flashback to the treehouse with River slams into me. The painful memories press down on my back like a heavy burden only I can carry. It suddenly feels as if all of the oxygen is being sucked from the room. I need to redeem myself here and save someone with my power. Someone I love. I never got a chance to say it back, and I have to tell him.
I love him. With everything that I am, I love him.
Our love is wholesome, wild, and pure, like I’m wrapped in a warm blanket and a tight embrace. Peaceful energy flows through me, settling the building panic.
I love him, and he loves me. I can do this. I can save Skyler.
I repeat the words like a mantra in my head and press my hands to his fevered skin. I call a thread of magic slowly, infusing it with the love that I hold so deeply for him. Instead of allowing my poison to manifest, I concentrate as hard as I can and pull. I think about how he saved me and how it’s my turn to return the favor. I talk to the poison the way I talk to the plants and slowly let more magic out, pulling harder as the boiling, rancid, dark magic starts to seep into me.
