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Orion's arm slid tightly around my waist and my eyes drifted closed as the pain ebbed away, replaced by something much more delicious. And definitely, definitely forbidden. I clutched onto his arm and his muscles flexed beneath my fingers, eliciting a soft, barely perceptible moan from my lips.
He finally extracted his fangs, but his mouth lingered on my neck a second longer than was appropriate. His lips pressed against the bite for what could only have been a millisecond, but I felt it in every corner of my being, like the ground had just dropped away beneath my feet.
He joined her as they walked away and I didn't miss the way she rubbed her shoulder against his or how she slid her hand possessively onto his arm. Some deep, animal instinct inside me made my upper lip curl back as if I was about to snarl like a beast.
“Even I don't know what shit he and Darius get up to. Their lies run so deep even their friends get kept in the dark.”
“I mean don't get me wrong, I love Darius. But I know he lies straight to my face sometimes. Whatever he and Orion are up to, it's pure sin.”
Lance: Floor 3 Lab 306 6633211 Will the ends still be blue? I reread the last line several times, unsure why the hell he would ask me that and why on earth he cared.
Lance: Maybe green this time? Although 'Green' as a nickname isn't quite so catchy. The suspense is killing me.
“Well, it looks like they’ve undergone a Guardian Bond,”
So, a Guardian Bond is an ancient piece of magic which links two souls together. In generations past, members of my family were selected to be guardians for members of yours,”
“In effect, magic is used to fuse the two of them together by linking their souls. Its purpose is to protect the life of an important person AKA the ward - in this case, Darius - by making sure that the guardian - Orion - will always place themselves between him and danger. So, in effect, if Darius were to come under attack, Orion would feel it and be duty bound to come to his aid. It was said that guardians could even feel the pain of their wards if they were injured and would give every last drop of their magic to protect and heal them.”
Apparently, the bond does more than just make the guardian protective though. It also draws the two of them together, their souls aching for each other’s company if they spend too much time apart. It’s supposed to be very intense. It is quite an outdated practice though. Years ago, the powerful families used to force people to be their guardians against their will. So laws were put into place to stop that from happening. Now, a guardian must volunteer to take up the position and complete various assessments and trials before they can be bonded to their ward. Orion must care very deeply for
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I turned to see Darius striding into the room with Seth, Max, and Caleb at his side. They were still in their dirty Pitball uniforms which seemed to be drawing even more attention to them than usual and I couldn’t deny how good they looked in them.
“That’s another point to us,” she said in a low voice. “And man did it feel good.”
Caleb shot through the crowd and came to a halt in front of me. He dropped his Pitball bag on the floor beside us and pushed a hand through his curls in a way that drew attention to his flexing bicep and didn’t seem to be entirely accidental. “Can I have a word, sweetheart?”
“No biting. Just come and talk to me,” he said, turning puppy dog eyes on me and damn if Caleb Altair didn’t look cute as hell when he was begging.
“What are you doing?” I asked before he could move any closer. “Hoping to convince you to kiss me again,” he murmured, and my pulse hitched at the confidence in his tone. “Not likely,” I said dismissively. Caleb groaned like I was torturing him, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re a straight up badass, Tory,” Caleb joked,
“Well, it would be pretty embarrassing if anyone found out I had such terrible taste in men,” I replied. Caleb chuckled darkly and a shiver ran down my spine, but I refused to acknowledge it.
“So are you going to tell me who’s the better kisser?” he pushed, leaning in so close that his breath mingled with mine.
“Neither of you really stood out so it's hard to say.”
“Maybe you need a reminder then?”
“I got his Atlas. Caleb Altair just joined a lot of Pegasus appreciation groups on FaeBook,” she said with a grin. “And he also sent a few suggestive messages to some Pegasus girls on campus.”
“Those assholes won’t know what hit them when we’re through.”
I turned to face her and my mouth fell open as I found a brooding Dragon asshole in my doorway instead of my friend. Weirdly, he was smiling at me like I amused him instead of scowling like I’d just pissed on his grandma, but I wasn’t going to trust in this strangely friendly visage.
“Don’t stop dancing on my account,” Darius urged, his eyes dripping over my shorts in a way that made my blood heat.
“I had no idea you were such a huge Taylor Swift fan,” he said, leaning against the doorframe like he owned the damn place.
“It suits you,” he said. “What does?” I asked. “Smiling.”
Darius eyed me curiously for a moment and the difference it made to his features was almost breath taking. I wasn’t sure he’d ever really looked at me with anything other than a scowl in place before. He really was devastatingly good looking. Every inch of his face looked like it had been carved from stone, all strong lines, and perfect angles. My heart thumped unevenly for a moment, and I swallowed down the traitorous glimmer of attraction I felt to him, holding myself firmly in denial over it.
Darius pursed his lips and reached out towards me. I took a step back, expecting him to turn angry again but instead his fingers skimmed against the soaked material which clung to my stomach and he drew the water back out of my shirt. My heart fluttered in response to his touch and I cursed my terrible taste in men for the millionth time.
He withdrew his hand from my waist, and I ignored the ache I felt as the point of contact between us was broken.
For a second, he actually seemed amused, but I must have been imagining it. “I’ll have dresses sent over for you.”
Shadows shifted overhead and I cupped my hand with my eyes, gazing up to spot a group of Harpies sailing under the light of dawn. I hadn't seen any in their shifted form before, and I marvelled at their beauty. Apart from their bird-like characteristics, they still looked mostly Fae. Their wings ranged in colour, from a silvery hue which flashed pink in the rising sun, to shadowy black, rich brown, russet red and more besides, and their bodies were plated with metallic armour.
“Oohh secrets with Orion,” Seth taunted. “You always did give him the fuck-me eyes. Are you in trouble for trying to spread your legs for a teacher, babe? Guess the students aren't interested so you had to look elsewhere. I'll make sure to ask him for all the details later.”
He stood in the doorway in a t-shirt and jeans, looking like one of us with his casual clothes and youthful appearance. I wondered how much older than us he actually was. It couldn't have been more than a few years.
Orion scooped it up, holding it out for me. Before I took it, he caught my hand, brushing his thumb across my palm and sending a shiver through me. He repeated the process on the other hand then pressed his index finger to his lips. “That'll stop your skin chaffing,” he muttered.
“DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY, SETH CAPELLA!” Orion boomed, and I wiped the mud from my eyes, spotting him climbing up onto a high chair that looked more fitting for a lifeguard than a Vampire in a field.
A laugh rushed from my throat and Orion threw me a wink. “So, I'm having a little trouble, Miss Vega.” “With what, sir?” “Telling you apart from your sister,” he said in a low voice that I imagined only I could hear through the torrential storm he was still casting over the Heirs. “And you never did answer my question. Blue or green?”
“I want an answer by sundown,” he called after me and my grin grew even wider.
“Shut the fuck up!” Orion shouted. “I'm trying to concentrate here.” “Watching porn again, sir?” Seth shot at him with a smirk. “Yeah, your mom's really improved since the last edition,” he answered without missing a beat and Seth's face dropped into a scowl while a laugh tore from my throat.
Orion jumped up, catching hold of the tab, his shirt riding up as he did so and giving me a glimpse of his tightened abs. My cheeks flushed hot as desire unfurled within me, and I noticed Seth's gaze lingering on him too.
“You're all wet,” he pointed out, his eyes raking down my body. I nodded in answer, unable to make my tongue work as he passed me a trowel and a pair of gloves.
He looked so inviting, his expression tugging me in and his eyes lighting a blaze that swirled in my chest.
Orion stepped up close behind me and his fingers brushed my waist, barely perceptible but I felt it everywhere. Magic scored a line of goosebumps across my back and a heavenly shiver fluttered up my spine. Heated air pushed under my clothes, drying them out almost instantly.
He took hold of the ladder either side of my hands. “Up,” he breathed against my cheek and hot wax seemed to pour down each of my legs, making it almost impossible to move.
“So get cleaning,” Orion growled and his tone sent a quiver through me. When he wasn’t directing his harsh tone at me, it was super hot.
“Damn,” Orion muttered, moving to my side. “I hoped at least one of them would go splat.” I didn't know whether he was joking or not,
“No one's untouchable,” Orion said in a rumbling tone that struck a deep cord in my heart. “You just have to find the right buttons to push, Blue.” He lowered his voice to a secret whisper, leaning in close. “Or is it Green?”
Caleb smiled darkly. “Depends what you have in mind, sweetheart. Maybe I’d like your brand of punishment.”
Red flowers blossomed to life all around me as I walked, and I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling at his display of magic. “I’m not really a flowers kind of girl,”
“You still need to pay though,” I warned. “Whatever you desire, sweetheart.” He flashed me a dazzling smile complete with dimples before shooting away from me with the speed of his Order.
