One wrong step, p.32
One Wrong Step, page 32
Pressing my head forward, his finger slipped deeper down my throat. Relaxing my tongue and breathing through my nose, I hummed softly, urning more noises of encouragement. The cold tingled, like swallowing an ice cube, and after thoroughly lathering him up, I pulled his fingers free with a slick pop.
“Inks, help me…” He groaned this time, and I felt my knees shift as he pushed his own wider. “This isn’t… You need rest.”
“I don’t need rest. I don’t want to think about anything else, Cas.” Tears threatened to fall, but I willed them away as I looked him square in the eye, just as he had done me the honour. “I don’t want the last feelings of lust and desire I had tonight to belong to them. I don’t want to collapse, exhausted, because of them. I don’t want my body to feel spent, because of them.”
Sliding forward in his lap, I pressed my crotch to his, feeling the ridged outline of his swelling cock. It was straining, pulsing with heat and begging to be free.
“Make me forget for a little while, please?” Brushing my plea over his lips, I waited for him to move that last inch.
His eyes had dipped but rose to meet my gaze, and he spoke, brushing our lips together. “Then I promise you shall forget your own name.”
◆◆◆
Lips locked with mine; Cas didn’t hesitate. Hands winding around the back of my head and around my waist, he drew us together with a feverish need. Tongue sweeping my own, it clashed against the previous chill, warming me even more.
Threading my hands through his hazel hair, I rolled my hips, pressing tight against his cock. Cas’s hands skimmed down my back, over my waist, before kneading my ass. I groaned, rolling harder. Growling, Cas broke our kiss. Latching onto the soft spot where my jaw and neck met, he nipped and sucked at the flesh, bruising it. He thrust upward, the hard ridge of his cock grazing my own.
“Cas…” I panted, a plea and order. Who knew? But one of those hands slipped under my tee and suddenly icy fingers tweaked my nipple. “Holy shit!”
Cas chuckled against my neck. Palming the erect peak, he iced it over, again and again. Doing the same to the other side, I tipped my head back, revelling in the lust that flashed up my limbs.
But it wasn’t enough.
Pushing us apart, I reached for his hips, annoyed at the fabric between us. Pulling at the hem of Cas’s tee, I dragged it overhead, tossing it away. The shirt hadn’t even hit the ground when Cas did the same to me, pulling it off in a single, fluid motion.
“Better.” I purred, dragging my nails down his pecks and abs. "But you still need improvement." I popped the top of Cas’s trousers, pushing a hand between the material and his skin.
“Holy Inks, Zara.” Cas gasped, head falling back against the couch as I squeezed his cock. It was hot and thick, jumping under my touch. Smiling to myself, I stroked his length, pulling as much as I could free to see his glistening ruby head. Rubbing my thumb over his slit, his hips jerked, so I circled it again.
"Zar… I… fuck…" But suddenly, Cas halted my hand with his own. Snapping my head up, a bucket of cold rejection hovered over my head, ready to douse me.
Dark locks hanging in his face, there was no mistaking the fiery desire that blazed, nor how Cas panted with need. Yet he spoke softly. “Zara, are you sure?”
My mouth popped open as my heart tried to slow its erratic rhythm. Logic tried to whisper doubts through my mind: was this healthy, was this right? What might this mean? But taking Cas's chin, I made him look at me. Oblivion was what I sought, and an escape. "I'm positive." I kissed him once. "Are you?"
A slow smile curled his lips as he captured my lips in a kiss. And that was the only confirmation I needed. “Fuck me, Cas.” I ordered, tugging his cock again, “I want to forget. You promised.”
“That I did.” He grinned.
Suddenly scooping his arms under my legs, Cas lifted me with ease. I yelped in surprise as I grabbed his shoulders. Knees hooked over his elbows; my crotch fell perfectly against his. With my borrowed tee gone, only the thin material of my underwear stopped him from burying himself in me hilt deep. I whimpered as Cas walked us into the next room, placing me on the bed.
Falling on my back, I expected Cas to crawl over me, but he knelt, watching me up the length of my body. “When you forget your name, darling,” he purred a wicked grin of his lips, “You’re welcome to scream mine.”
He didn’t bother to remove my underwear. With a hot, wet tongue, he buried into the fabric. Already soaked, my core begged for release. Tipping my head back, I groaned, feeling the friction of the lace beneath the press of his teeth and tongue. Cas nipped and sucked, pulled, and lathered my clit, riding me along to the edge. It wasn’t enough to send me over, which meant too soon, I was panting with need.
I squirmed, but Cas pushed my thighs further apart, latching his lips over the sensitive flesh, leaving me completely at his mercy. “Cas… Cas, please…?” I begged, arching my back.
I’d already tried shoving my fingers through his hair, drawing him closer until I thought I’d rip them out at the roots. But the bastard was relentless. Over and over, he rocked my clit, leaving me breath less and coiling as tight as a spring. “Cas, pleeease…”
Just when I was about to scream in frustration, Cas pulled away. Sitting on his heels, the wetness of my desire gleamed on his chin, as his dark hair stuck up all over the place. “As the lady wishes.”
Cool air suddenly caressed my folds, finally released from the confines of the wet fabric, and I screamed as Cas mercilessly plunged two thick fingers into my core. I didn’t have time to breathe before I felt his lips lock around my clit, sucking it like a dying man. He swiped with the pad of his tongue, inflaming the sensitive nub while his fingers pumped in and out, curling at every other pass.
The fire in me exploded. A tidal wave of pleasure crashed into me, stealing my breath, and I screamed again, back arched off the bed. I shook uncontrollably, riding the crest. My thighs tried to clamp together, but Cas held them down.
When the wave finally receded, I lay sprawled like jelly, completely undone. My bare chest heaved as Cas rose to his feet, and I watched him with lidded eyes. His trousers remained undone, and the bulge was still there. “You look thoroughly fucked.” He murmured with a low growl, his muscles flexing as slowly stepped from his trousers, a smug smile on his lip. I drank him in.
“Thoroughly. Deliciously. Wickedly.” I mumbled back, my hands already lifting as he crawled over me. His cock hung heavy over my thigh, thick and dripping. Balls up tight, I ran a soft hand down its length, already feeling my heart pick up speed with anticipation. “I saw stars.”
Cas grinned. Hands on either side of my head, he lowered himself to his elbows, though his hips remained lifted, teasing. “And did you tell them my name?” He whispered against my jaw.
“Yes,” I smiled, drinking in the feeling as he nipped and licked his way down my neck. “It’s Barry, right?”
Cas froze. Lifting slowly, his gaze was playfully fatal. “You’re going to pay for that.”
“Really?” I giggled, stroking his cock again, squeezing at the top. “Promise?”
A deep growl rumbled up from Cas’s chest, his knees coming to rest inside my thighs, pushing them wide. “I’m going to have to make sure you never forget my name again, darling.”
Excitement sang through my gut as I slicked Cas up with his own pre-cum. “That’s good. I am terrible with names.”
Smiling too, he looked down my length, releasing a breath. “Are you shielded?”
I blinked at the sudden mood change, tilting my head against the pillows. “Like anti-virus software?”
Frowning, confused, Cas chuckled as if I’d just spoken a foreign language, but leisurely traced a finger up my core. “No, do you have a contraceptive charm or a contagion Polyjuice you’ve been taking?”
“Oh…”
Shame welled. I hadn’t even thought. Josie would have my tits for souvenirs if she knew. STDs and teen moms overran Trin-Cross despite the pamphlets she gave out. “I have a contraceptive implant, but-ah, what's a polyjuice?”
“It’s a weekly supplement that… you know what? How about being safe is better than being sorry?” He raised a brow as if I would object, before flicking a hand. Between his fingers, a silver square appeared, and I suddenly wondered what other summoning pleasures we could experiment with.
“Always prepared. How Boy Scout of you.” I teased, watching him roll the condom on. My gut tightened at the sight of him.
“Boy scout?” He chuckled. “You say the strangest things.” He nestled himself between my thighs, reaching between to line himself up again.
“Would you have me any other way, Barry?” I slid my hands around his neck.
“Barry?” He growled, his hips pushing down an inch, pressing me into the bed.
“Y-Yes…” I stammered, trying to keep my head. “Wasn’t that your name?”
“You are devious.” He panted a laugh, slowly stretching my entrance. “I guess I’ll have to find better ways of reminding you.”
“U-huh.” I agreed, the sizzle of pain euphoric next to the balm of pleasure. “Whatever you say, Samuel…”
Cas didn’t bother responding, inching himself forward with no mercy. My hands slid over the ripples of his back, feeling the muscles flex as he moved. Sweat beaded his brow, his arms trembling with restraint.
Finally, his balls pressed against my skin, his girth and length filling me. My back arched as the burn and pressure filled every fibre of me, making me feel whole. Pulling out, I released an elated groan as he slammed back to the hilt.
“Say my name.” He purred in my ear.
“Joel?” Panting, I laughed. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I dug my nails into his shoulders as I clenched around him.
His breath hitched, and Cas cursed. "Say it," he warned.
"I don't know… What is it?" I whispered, tightening my grip, and rolling my hips.
"Ugh-damn you." Arms tucked under me, hands wrapped around my shoulders, there wasn’t an inch of space between us as he pounded into me. With each thrust, I moaned, each pull, I whimpered, and when he hit the spot, I screamed.
"Oh, my God!" I called, unable to stop myself. His back flexed under my hands as I clung for dear life, already riding a high that shot me skyward.
“No old gods will save you now. Tell me my name, Zara.” He ordered again, curving my hips higher, and changing the angle. Deeper, harder, faster, my body pulsed with heat as he growled in my ear. “You can only come when you tell me my name, Zara.”
My body convulsed as his teeth closed around my earlobe. My nails dug into his back, probably drawing blood as a single word screamed from my lips. “Cas!”
The dam broke, and my second orgasm crashed into me, ripping every fibre and nerve from me. Stars filled my vision, and I rode the high, screaming and bucking. When the stars cleared, I blinked at the ceiling, as Cas slammed home through his own shaking orgasm, my legs shaking around his waist.
“Inks alive.” He collapsed to the side of me, a hot arm slung over my panting chest. Body spent, everything ached deliciously.
Better still, all was silent in my head.
“You okay?” Cas whispered, his fingers softly trailing over the skin of my abdomen.
Sighing heavily, I kept my eyes closed, languishing in the empty feeling as sleep beckoned. “Perfect,” I answered honestly. “Absolutely, undoubtably perfect.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Head against Cas’s chest, I sense the sun’s first rays creeping over the windowsill and I knew I had to speak.
I didn’t want to start a new day trapped in the memories of the night before. I’d been a different person then, I was a different person now, and when tomorrow came, I could be someone new once more. But until I released the fear that was still nestled under my ribs, I’d never get there. I’d be stuck in this limbo.
Cas was awake. He’d been leisurely running a soft line up and down my back for the past hour, saying nothing. Whether he knew I was awake too didn’t matter. He was here, just as he’d been there last night and, I hope, he would still be later.
“I was stupid,” I whispered, feeling the tears come. But I didn’t have many left, so they were easy to brush away.
Cas shifted, and his fingers stopped for a moment, but when I didn’t continue, he resumed. The words fell forth slowly.
“I was so focused on finding the truth that I didn’t listen to anyone around me. I’m not even from this realm, yet I was going around like I knew everything. I was so determined to prove I knew better; that everyone was wrong about Cleo…” I shook my head, the big picture hitting me in the nose. “I was told not to trust the Night Court. I was told they had no honour. I knew seeing Angelica and Chilton would be risky, but I did it anyway. Worse still, I took Bee with me and if anything had happened to her…” My trembling hand clenched on his chest, hiding the onslaught of guilt.
“Zara,” Voice soft, Cas gently stroked his fingers through my hair. “It’s not your fault. The Night Court is encouraged to embrace their darkest aspirations. They’re told the boundaries and rules so they can break them. They’re trained to be brutal and volatile, so they can test the Day Court and any future heroes to the max.”
“You're excusing their actions?” I wanted to growl, but it came out as a pathetic whimper. A part of me shrivelled.
“No. They went too far, taking away your consent.” He stated harshly, a flicker of anger flashing forth. “But you should understand, Chronicle Academy hosts the highest of the high and the lowest of the low. That’s why they can get away with it. The villains will knock you down repeatedly with harsher tactics, but only so you can get back up. They are there to make the heroes better, stronger, and triumphant. You’ll get back up after this and show them they didn’t break you.”
“What if they did?” I murmured against his chest, remembering how helpless I’d felt. How vulnerable.
“They couldn’t.” Cas tipped my chin up, making me look at him. In the morning light, his dark hazel hair glowed, his tanned skin golden. “I’ve seen you knock princesses down with a handful of words and brought an Alpha to his knees. You are wickedly strong, Zara, which doesn’t have to be physical. Maybe you grew up in the mortal realm, but it means you question everything, challenge everyone, and that’s what scares them.”
“I scare them?” I repeated, doubtful.
“You need proof?” he chuckled, brushing my hair back. “Only you can know what’s broken you. So have they?”
Pulling his question in, I mulled it over, evaluating the words. “I… I don’t know.” I answered truthfully.
And alongside my uncertainty, I looked at my arms, pebbled with bruises. Shifting my legs, my torn knees ached. Brushing the tender burns on my arms, I winced. I told Bee that being brave was finding something to push through my fears, and mine had been Cleo, but…
“What if I was wrong about Cleo? What if she really did kill herself?”
“I thought you saw bruises?” Cas frowned, accepting the change in topic.
“I did.” That I knew I couldn’t dispute. “They were there on her neck. But what if Cleo went through something like I did, but it… broke her? What if she saw no way out?”
As I spoke, I recognised the possibility. I hadn’t considered that route, but if I hadn’t stumbled to Cas’s door, where would I have gone? If those feelings of despair and hopelessness had continued to grow, what would I have become? What would have happened if I remained broken…?
Hooking my chin as it began to shake, Cas held my gaze. “Do you think Cleo would’ve taken her life?”
“I… I don’t know, I didn’t know her.” I admitted.
“Well, I didn’t either, but I’d seen her around the village.” He admitted, “I think she was seeing someone, so I’d bump into her sometimes before my morning run. She was… lively.”
“Lively?” I smiled, trying to erase the picture I had of the girl with another. “Like…?”
“Like she smiled, bouncing on her toes through the Village, and when I served her in the Beheaded, she was always dancing, talking to everyone. Loving life; living it.”
“Doesn’t sound like someone on the edge.” I mused, imagining her long hair spinning free, her smile wide, her heart open. “But it doesn’t sound like someone who’d take her life either. People hide a lot.”
“True,” Cas agreed, pressing a quick, soft kiss to my lips before stretching backwards, and reaching for his nightstand, “So, maybe this will help clear things up.”
Rough fibres brushed my palms as Cas handed over a dull book. Cleo’s Ever Book. Pages worn and gold script flashing, I sat up in the bed, a heavy sense of anticipation resting on my chest. For what I’d paid for this, it was worth a king’s ransom. “Did you read it?”
“No. I thought I’d leave that to Cleo’s most vocal advocate.” Cas smiled, pulling me against his chest. “If they haven’t broken you, that is?” He kissed my temple, warming something in me. But before I could examine it, my tome chimed.
“Ugh,” I groaned, almost wishing the bloody thing had fallen out of my trouser pocket in the Crypts. Grabbing it from the nightstand where Cas had kindly left it, I opened the message with a groan.
“Having heard that noise multiple times last night, I know it’s not a good moan,” Cas murmured against my skin, smiling.
“It’s this mandatory club thing.” I huffed, “Olli is demanding my presence in some dingy classroom so the Soap society can discuss the upcoming ball.”
“Soap society?” Cas laughed.
“The Social Organisation and Planners… some bullshit like that.” I sat up, swinging my legs off the bed. “They’ve been planning some stupid, up-coming ball– the messages pinging every thirty-bloody seconds. Now, I have to sit through two hours of it in person.”
And I knew Jade would check I turned up, just to save her fairy ass from a tongue lashing by Lopez.
