Carnal (Her Dark Desires #1) (28 page)

He
put a finger to my lips. “What did we say about talking about work during sex?”

I
pouted. “Maybe if we were actually having sex, I wouldn’t want to talk.”

One
of his dark brows arched in amusement about the same time he drove himself into
me.

I
gasped from surprise, moaning as he filled me up. God, it felt so good to feel
him inside me, stretching my walls, stoking the growing fire within.

He
began pumping his hips in a steady rhythm as I loosened up. I grabbed his hips
and adjusted my position so as to take him in more deeply.

I
cried out at the sharp burst of pleasure, and he growled, greedily taking one
of my bare breasts in his mouth and sucking on it. It felt like ages since
Hector and I had gotten to be with each other like this. I reveled in it, in
the pure, carnal nature of our lovemaking.

“Yes,”
I rasped. “Harder. Faster. I want all of you.”

I
grabbed his hips and began pressing him against me, urging him to go faster and
deeper. In one swift, fluid motion, he rolled us over so I was straddling him.
He never lost the rhythm. I rode him, bucking my hips, stroking his long length
with increased fervor. Energy began to siphon from us, him taking mine away
only to have it pour back into me with each thrust.

I
could feel the fire in me burn hotter, increasing in intensity. My eyes closed
shut as I focused on the sensations stirring within me.

Hotter,
faster. More. I want more.

The
temperature of the room suddenly felt as if it had gone up by about twenty
degrees, but I didn’t care. All I could focus on was the feel of my love inside
me, and the rising tidal wave of pleasure that burst with a few more fervent
stokes.

I
threw my head back, screaming his name because I knew no one would hear, thanks
to the soundproofing spell.

Hector
came shortly thereafter, and I slumped against him, our breathing hard.

“That
was something else,” he said huskily, still drunk off our climax. “You were a
lot warmer this time, almost like - what the hell?!”

My
eyes fully snapped open, and I bolted upright.

My
jaw dropped.

Our
sheets were literally burning.

Leaping
off the bed before I could get burned, I stared at the burning silk.

With
a wave of his hand, Hector calmly doused the flames.

I
closed my eyes, trying to calm my nerves. That’s right. In my panic, I’d
forgotten Hector was a fire user, or a Red Warlock.

The
smell of burned material filled the air. “What the hell happened?” I asked.

Hector’s
dark gaze roved over the singed sheets, the frown on his face deepening. “I
don’t know.”

“You’ve
never lost control before,” I said, stumped. “And we’ve had some pretty wild
sex.”

“That’s
just the thing,” Hector said, his eyes meeting mine. “It wasn’t me.”

I
blinked. “What?”

Just
then, a knock interrupted us. The neat thing about Hector’s soundproofing spell
was it allowed us to hear summons like this, while keeping our, um, sexual
escapades quiet. “Professors Aurelius and Sanders? Dean Akimura would like a
word with you.”

I
groaned. “Great. Exactly the witch I hoped to see,” I said, going to the closet
we shared and pulling on a navy blue cotton dress. It had been three months
since we defeated Damien, and spring was one of the welcome changes, mostly so
I’d have an excuse to wear cute dresses.

“Be
nice,” Hector chastised playfully, getting up and also dressing. I watched him
in the mirror, admiring the way the candlelight hit his lean muscles. “She’s
the main reason we’re able to have a relationship at all,” he added.

“I
know,” I said, sprucing up my smeared makeup and mussed hair. “But I still
don’t trust her.”

“We
don’t have much of a choice,” he said, coming up behind me and wrapping his
strong arms around me, holding me close. He kissed the back of my neck, making
me shiver with longing.

“Careful,”
I murmured, turning around and giving him a big kiss. “You’ll make me horny
again.”

“Good,”
he said, nibbling my lip. “Then it’ll keep you ready for later.”

I
smiled. “I like the sound of ‘later.’”

He
took my hand and started toward the door. “Come on. You know Musashi doesn’t
like to wait.”

“What
is it with deans being so impatient?” I grumbled, following him out the door.
We’d had to wait on her plenty of times, but oh, no, we couldn’t afford to
dawdle.

He
let go of my hand once we were in the hallways and in the sight of students and
other faculty. Though Musashi didn’t mind our relationship, anyone else could
report us to the board and that would be the end of “Hector and Sally’s Epic
Love.”

Every
time we were out in public, I felt like we were walking on thin ice, like one
false step and it would all be over.

I
hated it.

For
the past few months since becoming a self-defense instructor - and having my
life subsequently change for the better - I’d become more bitter about the
whole “secret love” with Hector. At first, it had been romantic, but now? Now,
it just pissed me off more than anything.

Who
the hell cared whom I loved? Why should it matter?

Why
was I not allowed to truly be myself and be with whomever I damn well pleased?

“Easy,
tiger,” Hector murmured as we started walking down the last hallway leading to
Musashi’s office.

I
followed his gaze and noticed my hands were clenched into fists. Even with my
nails biting into my palms, I hadn’t noticed. Flexing my fingers and rolling my
shoulders, I pasted a friendly smile on my face, as I was accustomed to doing
out in public, and walked with Hector into Musashi’s lair.

I
said “lair” because she had redecorated yet again, this time going with a sort
of
Dungeons and Dragons
theme. With the iron chandeliers, fur rugs, and
stone walls and wooden floor, I felt like I’d stepped back into the Dark Ages.

She
changed her room’s appearance almost as frequently as she did outfits.
Sometimes, it amazed me all the wonders magic could provide, then it bummed me
out knowing I could never do anything like that. My lack of “cute clothes,” as
Monique called them, wouldn’t matter if I could conjure up something whenever I
felt like it.

Musashi,
clad in a sweeping crimson gown that left little to the imagination, sat behind
her desk, an impressive piece of furniture composed entirely of antlers. She
held her arms wide as we approached. “My dear friends, thank you for joining
me.”

“‘Dear
friends’ my ass,” I mumbled under my breath, and Hector elbowed me as we sat
down.

Musashi
also took a seat and leaned back in her overstuffed chair, kicking her heels up
on the desk. I marveled at her shoes, which seemed to have a small fishtank in
each heel, along with a small fish. Her ivory legs seemed even longer, thanks
to the thigh-high slit in her skirt. “As you may or may not know, I am well
acquainted with the headmaster of one of our sister campuses, Hades.”

I
nearly snorted.
Cheerful name.
I wondered if that reform school really
looked more like a dungeon and less like a vacation resort.

Musashi’s
color-shifting eyes narrowed as her expression grew serious. “In times of
urgent need or emergency, it is customary for sister schools to reach out to
one another aid. My friend, Headmaster Cross, has asked us to help with a
matter of civil uproar on campus.”

“Civil
uproar?” I said, puzzled. “You mean, as in the students going out of control or
something?”

The
look she gave me could have frozen hell over. “You think this is funny?”

I
immediately fell solemn. “No, ma’am. I’ve just never heard of things getting so
out-of-control at a reform school.”

“That’s
because PR usually keeps such matters covered up,” she said with a flippant
wave of her hand. “At any rate, you two have been selected to join the party
that will assist Hades in their endeavors to restore peace at the school.”

I
blinked. It was the first time someone had really entrusted me with anything
important. Elias never would.

I
pressed my lips together, at a momentary loss for words.

Hector
was quicker to respond. “Thank you so much for this opportunity,” he said.
“We’ll do the best we can.”

“I
hope so. It’s imperative we restore balance as quickly and efficiently as
possible. The system is only as strong as our weakest link. If word gets out,
it could damage the reputation of the school and harm our future.”

I
bit back a smirk. Musashi and Prescott had that much in common - they both
worried about funding.

A
phone rang from her desk, and Musashi glanced at the caller ID. “I have to take
this. You are dismissed. The representative from Hades will be here tomorrow to
debrief you on the situation and get you prepared for what to expect.”

How
bad can it be?
I
thought as Hector and I rose, but I kept my mouth shut.

When
we were almost to the door, Musashi flicked her wrist and the door slammed
shut.

“Oh,
and before I forget,” she said in a dark voice, “should you fail to meet your
objective or cooperate in any way, I may let your ‘relationship’ slip at one of
the board meetings.”

Bitch
. Sometimes, I
wondered if we hadn’t traded in one tyrant for another, far more dangerous one.
The power rolling off of Musashi was ten times greater than that of Prescott’s,
and that was saying something.

“Understood,”
I said coldly.

Hector’s
features tightened, though he didn’t say anything.

Musashi
smiled pleasantly. “Good.”

The
door creaked open on its own a moment later, and we took our leave.

I
sighed once we were well away from her office, though it wouldn’t surprise me
if she had spells and enchanted objects planted about the place to spy on us.
“What do you think? Doesn’t the whole thing sound odd?” I asked.

Hector
shrugged. “Eh, it happens from time to time. Usually when there’s a weak
headmaster or mistress.”

His
gaze grew troubled and I studied him. “But this one’s not, I take it?”

He
shook his head. “Cross is an aristocrat, one of the seven vampire princes, but
he’s no pushover. I’m surprised he lost control this quickly. He’s only been
headmaster for a few months.”

“Weird,”
I murmured. “Guess we’ll find out, huh?”

Hector’s
warm hand wrapped around mine, squeezing. “Guess we will.”

Despite
the comforting gesture, I couldn’t help but feel like we had bitten off far
more than we could chew.

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