Seven is Swell: Hemlock Academy Book 7, page 6
She purses her lips. “So there’s a bodysmith somewhere in your lineage and you’re sensitive to emotions...” Then she starts laughing, remembering what she was up to right before the football came at them, most likely. It’s a joyful, tinkling sound full of pure amusement. I’m dying to touch her and see exactly what she’s feeling, but I won’t cross that line unless she invites me to.
“Yeah, well, you guys were kind of putting on a show. I didn’t have to be touching you or even be close to you to sense the insane amount of lust you guys were brewing up. You’re pretty potent, you know?”
She turns to her, I'm assuming mates or boyfriends or something… no. I look closer and notice they all have matching marks on their arms, so they’re definitely mated. Something I just simply can’t wait for, because to belong to somebody like that? Knowing you've found your place in the world? I can’t imagine there're many things better.
She runs a finger along each of their collarbones at the same time, and that potency I was just claiming ramps up. In such a small space it hits me even harder, and I almost want to curse whatever ancestor gifted me with this ultra sensitivity to lust, because it doesn’t do anything for me other than wind me up. It doesn’t refuel my magic like it might do for other bodysmiths, because there’s hardly any of it in my blood. Just enough so that when somebody else is wanting, I definitely know. And right now, those two men want.
“We are, are we?” she drawls, then she stands between them so all three of them are facing me, but she pulls one down to kiss her mouth and the other to kiss her neck. It's impossible to see such a display and not want to know what it’s like to be involved in it.
She saunters over to me, taking care to avoid my injured foot. “Now Spencer, don’t think this gives you carte blanche to re-injure yourself."
Oh my gods it’s like she can read inside my head.
“But because I was accidentally involved in this, and I don’t want you to miss your game, and you know, the whole brother aspect, which isn’t sexy at all…maybe I should go back to the kissing thing?” She turns and looks at her mates and that little bit of awkwardness sets me at ease.
She might seem unobtainable; everybody knows who she is. Daughter of our queen, who's in commune with the goddess, goddess blessed, goddess favored, handpicked even. But right now, in this tiny little office that smells faintly of sweaty socks, she’s just a woman that feels slightly weird about kissing a somewhat stranger. Even if it’s for ulterior motives.
“You don’t have to make some big, romantic gesture, Delaney,” I say. “I really appreciate this, you know?”
“It’s not that, I just… I’m going to feel really bad if I can’t make this work. From what I’ve read or learned or picked up, it seems to work best if the recipient, that’s you, feels kind of lusty. And just to clear the air, is it me or them that’ll get you there?”
I eye the two men behind her and entertain the idea of being naked with them and my dick goes extra soft. "That’s sweet that you would consider my preferences, but if you think I can take my eyes off of you for one goddess damned second, you’re not as smart as you think you are.”
“Maybe it would be easier if we stepped out,” one of her bodyguards/mates offer.
“Hey,” I say as an afterthought, “are you two okay with this? I don’t want to cause any problems between you guys.”
One of them steps close to Delaney and wraps a very possessive hand around her neck and yanks her into him, and I can see the way his tongue is shoved inside her mouth. The other twin just snorts and smacks him on the back of the head and then pulls him out of the room by the back of the shirt. “She’s a conduit. If she wants to do this, we’re cool with it. We know whose cocks she’ll be riding later anyways,” he says with a wink, and then it's just me and her as the doors close.
“Holy fuck that never gets old.” She pulls her shirt back and forth to fan herself.
“You guys are cute. How long have you been together?”
“Honestly not all that long, but when it’s right, it’s right. Where were you going when you bowled me over?” She takes a seat on the edge of coach Adlers’s desk, feet crossed at the ankle just like he does. The similar mannerism is kind of weird.
Fuck. “Well, it doesn’t matter anymore,” I say as I ignore the incessant buzzing of my phone in my pocket.
“You know, I would apologize for causing all these problems, but I think you know I couldn’t have controlled them. Have you always been this sensitive to lust?”
“Unfortunately. It's such an inconvenience to have to fight a hard-on in every single class. There are a lot of horny students at Hemlock.”
She laughs and it lets set something free in my chest again. “Yeah, there sure are. Well, we should probably get this over with before my brother gets back. It might make it hard for me to get into it if he’s in the room. You can’t stand— is it okay if I like, sit on your lap?”
“You don’t have to try so hard; it’s just a kiss.”
Except I get the feeling as she closes the distance between us, minding my injured foot, that it’s so much more. This might change something.
“Is it?” she asks, holding my cheek like she likes me. Which is impossible because we don’t even know each other, but it’s fun to pretend.
“Sure,” I lie, and then I make the first move to spare her the effort. I wrap an arm around her lower back and pull her into me, similar to how her mate did. But I know I’m not going to kiss like he did. I’m not trying to possess or put on a show, I’m merely trying to figure out who this magnificent woman is.
I forget that she’s trying to heal me, instead getting lost in the way our lips seem to slide together so effortlessly, my breaths getting easier and easier as we can’t seem to pull away from each other. And then she lets out a little noise in the back of her throat that just does it for me, and I grab her hip a little bit tighter, wishing for just a second I could leave a mark there, something she could remember me by later when she’s in her room and in bed with her mates.
I want to see her tangled up with bodies everywhere, moans coursing around, and be right at the center of everything. I highly doubt that’s in my future, but what a fucking thing to imagine.
She pulls away as if the kiss was unexpected, eyes blinking slowly, trying to reorient herself. Then her hands fall to her lips, covering them, trying to figure out how she felt about it.
I try to subtly flex my foot and find it only has the slightest twinge now.
“I didn’t get it all, did I?”
“It's not your job to fix me, beautiful.”
“You saying that makes me want to though,” she argues as she dives in again. This time when she kisses me, I put my whole mind toward it in case this is the last kiss I’ll get with her. If I have to see her from afar, I’ll remember this moment, the way her knees split on either side of my hips as she towered above me, hair tickling the sides of my face as it tries to stay in place. The way she tastes like cherries, but it doesn’t feel artificial. It’s like it's soaked into her very being. And then a little spark ignites in my ankle, and I know that I’m well again, so I stand, keeping a hold on her curvy-ass frame, walking to the door so I can pin her against it. A show of strength while I create some time. Now her legs are wrapped around me and I'm enjoying the kiss far too much.
The knock on the door tries to ruin the moment, but both of us are far too good at ignoring what’s good for us. “All better?” she asks with so much breath in her tone it sounds like pure sex.
“I feel like I could tap dance with you like this and be just fine, I promise.”
“You are a bit of a surprise to me, Spencer.”
“Did you read that note I gave you?”
“Shit. I didn't, I’m so sorry. You have no idea what I've been dealing with today. It's been a bit crazy.”
“That’s okay, beautiful. Read it when you want; hopefully I’ll see you around?”
“You want to leave that to chance?” she asks in disbelief.
"I seem to be pretty good at running into you. I think I like my chances. Besides, if it keeps happening, you might get to thinking the goddess wanted us to run into each other. And then you won’t be able to argue with how frequently I creep into your thoughts.”
She cracks a smile. “You've got it all thought out, then.”
“Delaney, you good?” a deep voice asks through the door which does not belong to Adler. One of her mates, then.
“Yeah!” she yells back. She wiggles her hips, so I let her down, leaning in one more time to kiss her nice and soft.
“Something to remember me by,” I say and then I twist the doorknob and pull it open just enough to squeeze through. I offer a goodbye to the collection of people growing in the hall and start walking across campus at a much more relaxed pace than before, wanting to be careful so I don’t squander the gift of a healed ankle she just gave me. It feels almost stronger than it did before, but I’m sure it’s just because I’m more aware of how it felt a moment ago.
I wait until I'm outside of the building before I pull out my phone, knowing this conversation is going to suck for several reasons, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Decisions are already made.
“Where the fuck are you? I told you to be here on time, which means you should have been here early. I don’t have a fucking moment to spare.”
“And I meant to be early,” I explain as I start to pick up my pace just a little. “I had a little run in with your fiancée and I physically had to stay for a bit,” I tell him.
“That wasn’t part of the deal. And back off of her—she’s mine.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
“What were you doing with her?” He sounds nervous.
“I literally ran into her. Knocked her over, had to take care of her, and then she took care of me because I got hurt, too.”
“How nauseatingly sweet. Don’t let it fucking happen again. Now get here so we can figure this shit out. You’re running out of time. Things are getting set in motion and you need to be ready.”
“I don’t need to hear again about what happens if I’m not ready. Sorry, sir, I’m on my way.”
I try and breathe normal, making my lungs inflate and deflate evenly. I need the oxygen to stay levelheaded so I can fight my way out of this mess I find myself in.
Chapter Six
The Tale of the Mashed Potatoes (part two)
The thing is, do-gooders can't succeed in a place like Hell.
No, really, it's in our bylaws.
I'm not sure where they even learned about cupcakes and sprinkles, but they did, and they brought in so many to try and tempt us with.
Do you have any idea how terrifying a pink sparkly cupcake is when you're used to the food served in Hell?
I'm not saying they made me scream and pee a little in terror, but I'm not not saying that either.
Somebody got sent down here that wasn't supposed to.
No doubt it was someone's idea of a practical joke, to send a second-grade teacher that enjoyed baking in their spare time to Hell, because she caused so much chaos that her arrival is literally a national holiday now.
So, this disgustingly well-meaning person got sent to Hell, which now that I think about it must have been incredibly inconvenient for them, too, and after a few measly days of being screamed at by their personal evil overlord, she started trying to recruit for her cause.
The whole thing was odd. I recognized some of my fellow demons in the mob, but they were laughing. They thought they were being hilarious, trying to fight for pay for all our hard work and “fair” working conditions.
Lucie (that's short for Lucifer, in case you were wondering) snapped his fingers when he got bored of it all and vaporized the lot of them, which, really, what else were they expecting? To be sent to Heaven and given a pat on the back and a puppy? No, we torture souls down here. Occasionally completely eradicate their existence, but that’s nearly always well-deserved.
Nearly…
So that whole angry mob hullabaloo meant I had to go several days without my overlord. It was dreadful. And I don’t mean that in the good way, either.
You know what I was forced to do with all those extra hours? I cleaned my toilet. I cleaned my kitchen. I got down on my hands and my knees and I fucking scrubbed my baseboards. Do you know what baseboards are? They’re the fucking worst. You know what else I did in those two days? I cried.
That’s right. Demons cry, bitch.
I know if my evil overlord would have been there, they would have been providing such a nice background sound of all my shortcomings, reminding me how useless I was, and then likely I’d have been scrubbing my ceiling instead. Which is much more important, but I’m so useless without him that I seem to find the stupidest things to do with my time when he’s gone.
I never wanted to be that man again; the man who starts to think he might be nice. So, I recorded all kinds of personal slurs, so that even if my overlord has to take a break or a day off, all I have to do is turn to my phone to be insulted. That's the condition when I do with my best work, really.
When everything got settled back to normal, I was sent on a special mission topside. It took several days of briefing to get all my information, and several days after that to prepare myself.
I found out there were some souls there trying to cheat their way out of hell. That’s so stupid if you ask me, because where else are you going to find such a good spa that will remove your toenails with diamond encrusted tweezers? You can’t find service like that just anywhere.
I’d heard the word love before. Didn’t understand it, but I’d heard it.
Well, there was this man who thought himself very highly evolved. He had gone around bargaining with people stronger than him, trying to find out the secrets to immortality. He said he needed to live forever, so that he could live his legacy.
Fine, whatever.
The problem is, he was dealing with a witch who had some very peculiar tastes and ideas that went completely against our demon king, Lucie.
She was also madly in love with this cheat, but I'm not sure how that's at all important.
Ah, fuck. It's walk across hot coals night, and I just remembered. My buddies will never let me live it down if I skip. I'm certain you have enough information to hold you over for now.
Until next time.
Chapter Seven
Wilder
I wait for my current class to start exiting the room before I pack up my stuff. The past few days have left me on autopilot, barely responding to external stimuli because once again, everything is a mess with my mate.
I could blame the fact the I haven't spoken with her or sought her out in nearly a week on the fact that I'm now facing many more duties as pride male, but even I know that would be a bullshit excuse.
The truth is far more stupid; she was right.
Now that I've had time to come to terms with what my father pulled and tried to expose Delaney to, I find my thinking at the time to be absolutely ridiculous.
How could I have thought that Delaney getting her parents involved would be a bad thing?
Likely because my own father is such a fuck up that I find it hard to comprehend that there are parents out there that actually want good things for their children.
I begged off of returning home with Delaney over the weekend, where she brought Adam and Cory and her mates to spend time with her family, because I just wasn’t ready. I knew it was important to her, and yet I let my ego get in the way and told her I had other responsibilities.
I did actually, so it wasn't a complete lie, but it would have been fairly simple to rearrange my schedule to fit Delaney's needs in.
In fact, it would be expected of me as her mate to assimilate into her life like she should be melding into mine. Which clearly isn't happening.
Everyone has kept me in the group chat, so I know all about the cute picnics Cory and Adam have taken her on, the football game she went to to support her brother, but also how she ended up fucking August and Jackson in the empty women's locker room after and how hot it was, but it's just life going on without me.
I don't know how to reinsert myself into her life after we had just started getting somewhere good and I blew us off the map.
My teeth ache from how hard my jaw keeps clamping itself shut, because I'm so tense, and my lion doesn't understand what the fuck I'm doing with our mate.
“Wilder? You have a second?”
I shake my head and force myself into play-nice-with-my-colleagues mode as I start collecting my lecture notes so I can replace them in my briefcase. “Yes, I have a moment. What did you need?”
“I was just wondering if you could check over this grant proposal I put together; it’s for that one you won last year, and I just want to make sure I'm giving it my best shot. My students could really benefit from this kind of program.”
“Yeah, I could do that. When's the deadline? Could you email it to me so I can check it out when I'm focused? I tend to miss more important things when I've been lecturing all day.”
“Maybe we could just go over it really quick in your office?”
I finally look at my colleague, wondering if I'm reading the situation correctly. “You…want to go to my office? How is that better than here?”
“Well,” she says, stepping forward, “we’d be alone, for one. There wouldn't be any students vying for your attention. I could give you all of my focus.”
A snort from the auditorium has me whipping my head around to see who is still out there. There are hardly any classes that run in the evenings, so my students are usually anxious to get out of this room so they can get home for the night. “Pretend I'm not here. Please, do finish this fascinating conversation.” Delaney clicks her pen and continues to read a textbook she has open, completely chill. Even while this other woman is clearly making a pass at me.
