Oberon Reformatory Book Three: Final Offense Page 6

  Relief fills me, and I relax. An awkward silence settles around us. Robbie fidgets as Lark stares at me with a gleam in her black eyes, almost daring me to ask questions. I arch a brow at her, meeting her challenge.

  “So,” I say, moving around them to plop down on Lark’s bed, “what’s new?”

  Robbie rolls her eyes while Lark chuckles, and a small smile tugs at my lips. By some sort of silent agreement, they move forward and sit down on either side of me.

  “So, I’m seeing someone,” Robbie says. “I like her a lot, and I hope you’ll be happy for me.”

  “Of course, I’ll be happy for you, April,” I say, playing along. “Who is it?”

  “It’s me,” Lark says, lifting a hand into the air. “I don’t know how it happened. I’ve never been attracted to a girl before, but there’s something about her…it tugs at my soul.”

  “My sister and my best friend? That’s…amazing,” I say. “I’m truly happy for you both.”

  Robbie’s face lights up, and I can see the gleam of unshed tears in her eyes as she whispers, “Thank you, Finley.”

  “Rory,” I correct her in a soft voice.

  “Rory,” she mumbles, then cocks her head at me. “You’re really okay with this?”

  “I’m really okay,” I say, smiling. “And the family will be, too. Don’t let my knee-jerk reaction scare you into thinking you need to keep it a secret. Just make sure you tell them before someone else walks in on you unexpectedly.”

  “I will,” she promises, her fingers lacing through mine.

  “Now that we have that out of the way,” Lark says, “tell me why you risked coming to my room in the first place. It must be important.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that,” I say, my mouth stretching into a wide grin. “I just wanted to tell you I knocked Echo onto his butt today.”

  “What?” she shouts, bouncing up and down with excitement. “Tell me everything. Don’t leave out a single detail.”

  And just like that, everything is back to normal. All weirdness between the three of us, gone. Sure, I’ll probably suffer a little shock the first few times I see them together, but I’ll get over it. My sister is happy. My best friend is happy. And I’m happy for them.

  What more could I ask for?

  Chapter Nine

  “What’s wrong?”

  After I’d left Lark’s room, I made a quick detour and found Asher lying on his bunk. He’d jumped up and pulled me inside, swinging his door closed before pulling me in for a kiss. He must’ve sensed a weird vibe coming from me, which is why he asked the question. I quickly throw up a privacy shield to keep any passersby from hearing us.

  “Nothing is wrong, exactly,” I say, hedging.

  Lark and Robbie hadn’t asked me to keep their relationship a secret, but at the same time, it wasn’t my news to share. I silently curse myself for not asking them if anyone else knows and whether or not they’re keeping it private.

  Asher tilts his head, studying my expression as the thoughts filter through my mind. “Did something happen with the headmaster?”

  “No. I mean, yes,” I say, the corners of my mouth turning up. “I managed to knock him down today, and he was thrilled. I think I’m getting closer to gaining his total trust. He’s going to let me in on his plan soon. I just know it.”

  “That’s great,” Asher says, his voice flat. “So, what happened between then and now that’s upset you?”

  “Nothing,” I say, flinching at the defensive edge to my voice. “I left Echo, then decided to swing by to see Lark, then came here. That’s it.”

  “Oh, I see,” he says, a light sigh accompanying the words. “You went to see Lark, and she wasn’t alone.”

  His blue eyes fill with understanding, and I suck in a sharp breath, taking some spit with it. Asher pats my back as I cough to clear the airway. When I can breathe again, I shoot him an accusing glare.

  “You knew?”

  He shrugs. “They didn’t tell me, if that’s what you’re asking. But it doesn’t take much to figure it out. Lark has always been terrible at hiding her feelings. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed before now.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Probably for the same reason you were beating around the bush and trying not to tell me a moment ago. It’s not my story to tell.”

  He’s right. I know he is. But a head’s up would’ve been nice.

  “I understand,” I say.

  “Are you okay with it?”

  “Yes. Of course. I mean… it’s weird, right? Your best friend dating your sister?”

  “Only if you let it be,” he says, shrugging.

  I know he’s right. I love them both, and I want them to be happy.

  “I’m happy for them,” I say. “I want everyone I care about to be as blissful as I am with you.”

  “Good answer,” he says, smiling as he grabs my hips and pulls me forward.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and lift onto my tiptoes, sealing my mouth to his in a fiery kiss. All thoughts of Lark and Robbie flee as Asher’s tongue brushes against mine, warming my blood and setting my nerves ablaze. His hands grip me tighter, and a gust of wind blows my hair into a halo around us.

  I kiss Asher harder, rubbing my body against his as the wind swirls faster and faster. I’m so hot, I can feel a trickle of sweat zigzagging down my spine, but I ignore it. The heat feels good, Asher’s mouth feels good. Everything feels good, and I don’t want it to stop.

  “Rory.”

  Asher pulls his mouth away to say my name, but I chase it with my own, refusing to end our kiss. He kisses me back for a couple of seconds before pulling away and saying my name again.

  “What is it?” I groan, trying to catch his lips with mine again.

  “Lustnado,” he murmurs around my lips.

  I pull back and look from left to right. Sure enough, there’s a cyclone of fire spinning around us, and we’re the eye. We’ve each created them when our hormones get carried away, but this one is bigger. Stronger.

  “I think we’re both responsible for this one,” I chuckle as I look back at Asher.

  “It seems bigger than the others,” he says, “but at the same time, more controlled.”

  I nod, my tongue darting out to wet my lips as my eyes travel over his face before dipping to his muscular chest and shoulders. He’s so gorgeous, I can barely breathe. Heat—and not the heat from the lustnado—zips through my veins to pool deep in my center. I want more. I need more.

  “Are you okay?” he asks, and my eyes snap up from his chest to his eyes. “The fire seems to be growing.”

  I can see the flames reflecting in his blue eyes, and I nod quickly before lunging forward to kiss him again. All thoughts of the dangerous tornado of fire flee my mind as he kisses me back with the same hunger I’m feeling.

  I feel light as air as our lips meet again and again. Our tongues dueling. Hands, roaming.

  My fingers slip up into his black hair, gripping the strands tightly and pulling. His head tilts back, and my mouth forges a path across his jaw and down his neck. I hear him groan over the noise of wind and crackling fire. The pleasure-filled sound spurs me on, and I press my mouth harder against his flesh, sucking and letting my teeth graze his skin.

  One of Asher’s hands glides into my hair near the scalp, his fingers massaging lightly before closing into a tight fist. Using my hair, he pulls me back and gives me a scorching kiss that ends much too quickly.

  Before I can complain, his hot mouth is on my own neck, forging a path downward toward my clavicle. Tingles spread from the spot, igniting every nerve ending in my body until I’m writhing with need. With one hand still locked in my hair, Asher’s other one creeps up from my hip, sliding beneath the hem of my uniform shirt.

  When his warm fingers brush the bare skin of my lower back, the universe explodes.

  We rip apart, and I notice several things at once. First, the explosion I felt was real—tendrils of fire are swirling to the floor, the remnants of the lustnado extinguishing harmlessly as they land. Secondly, my hastily erected privacy shield seems to have held, despite the unpredictable magic Asher and I had conjured as we touched each other.

  And third, that light-as-air feeling I had a few moments ago wasn’t a figment of my overstimulated mind. We are actually hovering near the ceiling.

  I look at Asher, and his blue eyes are centered on something behind me. I glance over my shoulder to see my wings extended.

  “They’re so amazing,” he whispers.

  I can’t help but smile, a different kind of warmth spreading through me at his words. My wings are different from other Fae…well, except for my sister. We both have the blue wings of our father, but the edges are tinted black, like Mom’s. It’s the one part of me and Robbie the world would recognize. The one feature our parents didn’t Glamour when we were babies.

  “You’re amazing,” Asher adds, holding onto me tightly.

  He kisses me gently, pulling me down with him as he drifts toward the floor. As my feet touch down, Asher ends his sweet kiss and pulls back to gaze into my eyes.

  “I love you, Aurora Finley Oberon,” he whispers. “Now and forever.”

  I can hear the emotion, the truth, in his words, and tears sting my eyes. I shake my head with a slight laugh before swiping them away with one hand. The corners of Asher’s mouth turn up before he presses a warm kiss to my cheek. Then he releases me and takes a big step back.

  “You should probably go before someone misses you,” he says like it pains him to utter the words.

  I nod, knowing he’s right while simultaneously hating the suggestion. I don’t want to go. I want to stay locked in his arms for the rest of eternity.

  I turn and walk toward the door. Be
fore I pull down the Glamour blocking out the rest of the world, I glance over my shoulder.

  “Asher?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you, too. And when we get out of here, I’m going to show you just how much.”

  I have no idea where those words come from, and heat scorches across my face in what I’m sure is an unflattering blush. I turn away and quickly dissolve the privacy shield before pulling open the door and rushing out into the hall.

  But despite my embarrassment at my own candor, I smile as I walk toward my cell.

  Eventually, we would be free. Free to do whatever we want, whenever we want. Free to be together, in every way that counts.

  Chapter Ten

  “Today, we’re working strictly on hand-to-hand combat with no elemental assistance,” Chase says, folding his hands behind his back. “So, I’ll be leaving the bracelets activated for now.”

  A collective groan rumbles around me, the disappointment in the gym palpable. Everyone looks forward to stretching their magical limbs in this class, so when Chase refuses to unbind the magic that restricts them, they tend to complain. Loudly.

  But this is great for me. I’ve improved in physical combat, but I still need a lot of work if I am ever going to impress Echo.

  And that’s the goal. I’ve yet to come across any faery who could bind or even restrict my elemental magic, so I honestly don’t think I need to learn to fight without it. But Echo doesn’t know that about me. He thinks the gold bracelet on my arm rendered me magically useless much the way it did everyone else—except for Robbie, of course.

  I huff out a breath as I look at the walls surrounding me. Despite my ability to wield the elements inside this place, whatever magic Echo is using to keep us from figuring out his plan is in full-effect. Why does that magic work against me, when nothing else does?

  “Okay, pair up,” Chase calls out, snapping me back to the present.

  Several Fae bustle toward me, vying for the chance to be my partner. I have to fight to keep my eyes from rolling. This is what I wanted. What I needed, to make Echo see me as a true leader. But knowing it’s Glamour-induced, that it’s not real, makes the attention somewhat annoying.

  “I’ve got Finley.”

  My body rocked at the words, the use of my real name sending spirals of shock through me until I realize the speaker thought she was using my last name. The tension barely starts to ease before it ratchets back up.

  Tiana Avery moves to stand before me, her arms crossed over her chest. She’s the one who’s called me out, and if the satisfied smirk on her face is any indication, she’s pretty pleased with herself. I look to Chase, who just shrugs.

  Now that the other classes have been cancelled, Tiana is no longer an instructor. She’s just a prisoner, like the rest of us. And while it’s obvious my magic outclasses hers on every level, my physical fighting skills do not. So she’s stayed away from me until today. Until she thought she might actually win.

  God, I wished I’d never removed the Glamour I placed on her. That I’d never made her forget that I’d used it in the first place. If she could remember, she wouldn’t be so cocky, standing before me now.

  Chase signals the class to start, and Tiana drops into a defensive stance, her fists up in the air in front of her. I copy her position, and we begin to circle each other with bent knees and wide steps.

  “We both know that bracelet is useless,” she hisses in a voice so low, only I can hear it. “Go ahead and try to use it against me. Echo will throw you back in solitary faster than you can blink.”

  I think she’s overestimating her importance to him, but I’m not ready to risk my relative freedom and all the trust I’ve built with Echo just to knock Tiana on her butt. But, oh, it’s so tempting.

  She lunges forward, her fists uncurling into claws that reach for my face. I duck and spin to the side, evading her attack while ending up behind her. I kick out, my foot slamming into the back of her knee. She loses her balance as it crumples, and I grab her hair, yanking her toward the floor. She lands on her back with an oomph, and I jump and spin, landing on top of her. My knees straddle her hips, and I grab her wrists and pin them to the floor with all my weight.

  “I don’t need magic to win against you, Tiana,” I taunt as I bring my face down, close to hers. “Good always triumphs over evil.”

  A screech tears through her lips at my overly-dramatic words, and I press down harder as she bucks wildly against my weight.

  “Stop moving,” I hiss into her ear, and her body freezes as the Glamour-infused words take effect.

  I pull back, looking into her eyes as she snarls in frustration, “I thought you didn’t need magic to beat me?”

  “I don’t,” I say. “I’ve already won. You just haven’t realized it yet.”

  Those words stick with me as I make my way to Echo’s personal wing of the prison. Their double-meaning wasn’t lost on me. Yes, I was talking about our sparring match, but the words light a fire in my belly as I think of my whole situation.

  Have I won? Not yet, but I’m beginning to like my odds. Everything seems to be moving along in the right direction. Echo trusts me, the inmates all trust me, and I can almost see the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.

  As I reach the door to Echo’s office, I turn back to look at my escort, Jax. He’d been the one Echo sent to fetch me from class just as I was getting ready to spar Tiana for the second time.

  “Thanks, Jax,” I whisper, and he smiles.

  Without correcting my use of his first name, he moves to the wall beside the door where he’ll wait to escort me back to the main area of the prison. He gives me an encouraging nod as I take a deep breath and rap my knuckles against Echo’s door.

  The panel swings open, and exhaling slowly, I step inside. Echo sits behind his desk, and he’s smiling. His expression is as vicious as it is pleased, and I have to force myself to remain calm as I move to stand in front of his desk.

  “Please, sit,” he says, gesturing toward the chair beside me. Once I’m settled, he adds, “Nice work today. You really knocked Tiana down a few pegs.”

  “Thank you, sir,” I say meekly, staring at a point just over his right shoulder so I don’t have to see his eyes.

  His words throw me off-kilter, especially paired with that smug tone. Why is he happy I bested his…girlfriend? I don’t know if that title is right, and it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he’s somehow delighted that I knocked her on her butt, when I was sure I was coming here to be reprimanded.

  “And nice work, using your Glamour so discreetly that no one in that crowded gym even noticed.”

  My eyes snapped over to meet his, and his smile widened. I was so sure I’d been careful. That everyone, including Echo, would think I’d used brute strength to hold Tiana down. I was careless. I hadn’t even thought to check for the headmaster’s cameras beforehand.

  Echo’s face is shining with delight, and I cock my head to study him. “You’re not angry with me?”

  “Why would I be angry with you, my dear?” he asks, his voice going deeper and huskier. “You are magnificent.”

  Somehow, I manage to suppress the shiver his words invoke, smiling instead. “Thank you, sir.”

  He stands and moves around to my side of his desk, sliding into the chair next to me. Angling his body in my direction, he leans closer and rests a hand on one of my knees. It’s all I can do not to flinch away from his touch.

  “We are going to do great things together, Rory Finley,” he purrs, his fingertips stroking circles around my knee.

  “We are?” I squeak, then clear my throat and repeat the words. “We are?”

  “Yes,” he mutters, one fingertip dancing under my knee to caress the sensitive skin underneath.

  He’s testing me. I know this because Echo is always testing me. I just don’t know if the reward of passing this one is worth enduring these intimate caresses.

  Only Asher should be touching me like this.

  Certainly not my great-grandfather’s second cousin, twice removed…or whatever relation he is to me. It’s highly inappropriate for him to flaunt his power like this even if he doesn’t know my true identity and our relation to each other.

  When I fail to react either positively or negatively to his teasing touches, Echo sighs and leans back out of my personal space. When I finally meet his eyes, they are filled with disappointment.