Bleeding Ink

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Dessa hesitated for several minutes before taking down the ward around her room, which she'd put up so no one could come in and no sound could escape. There was a reason for that, a reason that required her to be alone, though she would have rather had someone else with her, too.

She'd barely slept, only managing two hours before the sun rose, but the dreams she had only continued on where her waking thoughts had finished. Elys had been the focus of every single one of them. The way his hands gripped her, how he fit her body against his, how his lips and tongue not only felt but tasted, too. And since she had a reference to go on now with that mind-numbing kiss between them...well, her fantasies and dreams were a little more elaborate than they previously had been.

Her shower was longer than usual, mostly because her mind was running with her again and she found herself standing still beneath the spray of water. Plus, she wanted to take as long as possible to make sure she wouldn't run into him in the hallway. But then again, if she saw him at breakfast with everyone else around...gods, that would probably be even worse.

So, she pretended like it was any other morning as she pulled her hair halfway up in a braided crown, slipped on her training clothes, and laced up her boots before leaving.

Only to come face to face with the male that had occupied every one of her thoughts for hours as he opened his own door.

Both Dessa and Elys froze as soon as they saw one another.

Then Elys nodded with a slight smile. "Morning, Des."

Morning? Had he forgotten what happened between them? Was everything she thought happened merely her fantasies she convinced herself had come to reality?

Dessa swallowed hard, shifting as she pulled her hair over one shoulder. "Good morning, Elys."

Elys's eyes dropped to her throat, the exactly place where he'd kissed and bit and traced his tongue over...and she watched as he licked his bottom lip before biting the inside of it, eyes flashing.

Oh, he definitely hadn't forgotten.

Forget being nervous around him. She was going to tease the hell out of him instead.

"Rough night?" she smiled sweetly.

Elys swallowed hard, nodding as his eyes trailed over her. "Yep. Barely got any sleep."

"Hmm. Same here."

Turning on her heels, Dessa made her way down the hallway, waiting to hear his bootsteps following, but it was a quiet curse that reached her first. Once she knew he was trying to catch up, she disappeared with a flicker of magic, which allowed her to jump from the hallway into the kitchen downstairs.

With everyone else either still asleep or getting ready for the day, there were only three other people there, Milena, Eamon, and Archer. Her usual spot was occupied. Milena had been sitting sideways on Eamon's lap, her arm slung around his shoulders as they chatted. Both cried out as Dessa suddenly appeared, but then Milena dissolved into a fit of laughter while Eamon groaned at the additional weight.

"I do believe you two are in the wrong spot," Dessa grinned at them.

"Where the hell did you come from?" Eamon asked.

"She didn't come from anywhere, idiot," Milena grinned at him, then turned it to Dessa. "Newfound magic?"

"Yep!"

"Nice. You know how useful that's going to be when fighting against the males?"

"Exactly. And I'm wanting to test it out today."