Relever (Ironside Academy, #4)

by Jane Washington

Kilian: Isobel? Oscar: She’s in the shower. Elijah: And you are…? Oscar: Not a fucking idiot. You told me to rub her temples and use a soothing voice and to not make any sort of suspicious scenes. Elijah: And you…? Oscar: I rubbed, but I missed the temples. I used a voice, but it wasn’t soothing. I didn’t make any suspicious scenes. Oscar: Gold star for me.

It was the prettiest of gilded cages. But it was a cage, and they could only float so far before colliding headfirst with the solid gold bars.

“Goddamn,” he groaned, inhaling deeply. “Have you always smelled this good?” “Have you always spoken your intrusive thoughts out loud?” Theodore demanded. “Pretty much, yeah,” Moses drawled, squeezing Isobel.

Cian: Yeah, a friendly game should settle this. What’s a little competition between Alphas? Moses: Very funny. Moses: Actually … Cian: Now you want to compete for it, don’t you? Elijah: Alphas are nothing if not predictable. Kalen (admin): Nothing violent. Gabriel: You never answered your own question of whether you would consider this, and neither did Mikel. Kalen (admin): Everyone is aware. Gabriel: Well now we’re all VERY aware. Mikel (admin): Yes, thank you for that. Isobel: It’s okay, I understand. Can I compete too? Theodore: We’re rubbing off on you. Kilian: Well, someone is, anyway. Moses: Come again? Kilian: I’m sure she will. Isobel: Huh? Oscar: Don’t be jealous, Kiljoy. The hunt hasn’t even started yet.

Elijah: A very literal one. You hide somewhere, and whoever finds you first wins. Isobel: Last year nobody wanted a bond and now it’s a prize? Elijah: If you had made it a competition earlier, it would have been a prize earlier.

“You may be my mate,” he said softly. “But you aren’t mine. You can be grateful for that today, or you’d have most definitely received repercussions severe enough to impede your ability to walk straight for the rest of the week.”

“Your punishment is simple. No orgasms for the next twelve hours. Say ‘yes, sir.’” She didn’t answer him right away, drinking in the unflinching, serious expression on his face. There was no emotion there. Nothing in his eyes. Nothing in the bond. He had separated himself from her completely while he punished her, and she wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Or how to feel about his command. It should be easy, right? “Why?” she finally asked. His lips curved, satisfaction sparking in his eyes. He planted his hands either side of her on the desk, leaning down until he was at her eye level. “You just doubled the sentence, Isobel. Let’s try that again. Your punishment is simple. No orgasms for the next twenty-four hours. Say ‘yes, sir.’” “Yes, sir,” she rushed out,

“You’re mine,” he growled, his grip around her neck tightening. “Nobody hurts what’s mine, not even you.”

This thing between them was awful and messy and right.