One wrong step, p.39
One Wrong Step, page 39
Cas coughed behind us, and I turned to find a little colour on his tanned cheeks. “I like her,” He smiled, nodding at Jade. “She compliments me – for the most part.”
Shaking my head with a smile, I regarded Jade once more. “Are you sure? I feel bad…”
“Will you just get laid, please?” She huffed heavily. “Someone has to have something good happen to them after this shitshow of a night.”
“Alright, fine.” I relented, my skin tingling as Cas wrapped his arms around me from behind. “But you’ll come find me tomorrow. I’ll need my ally’s expert guidance in finding another club.”
“Yes, because finding you another club is your biggest issue.” Jade shook her head. “Go. We’ll meet for breakfast.”
Smiling, feeling lighter than I had in days, I conceded, fully relaxing into Cas’s arms as Jade dragged Bee away. Stubble nuzzled my neck, and I groaned. “Well,” Cas chuckled. “What is this I hear about – and let me get this right – fucking your brains out?”
“Not yet.” I took a breath, turning in his arms, taking in his features. “I want to make this night last.” I brushed my lips against his. “I want to go somewhere the neighbours can’t hear me scream.”
“That I can do.”
◆◆◆
Cas linked our hands together and pulled me away from the village and down to the lake's sandy dunes. The wind picked up, gentle and warm, yet he shrugged off his hoodie, exchanging it for the heeled boots I’d taken off. The fabric smelt like him, spice under the familiar scent of musk and drawing in that scent, my shoulders relaxed that last inch.
“You look like you’ve had one nightmare of a weekend.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me in on a twirl.
“Are you trying to say I look tired, Cas?” I growled playfully as he spun me back out. Feet twisting in the sand, I wobbled, but not once did he let me fall.
“I’m saying you seem tense.” He answered, pulling until we were chest to chest, his free hand on my hip.
“Don’t tense. Fight like liquid.” I quoted him from our many, many workouts.
“Ah, so she does listen to me.” Cas grinned, drifting us in a circle. “But we’re not in lessons now.”
“I noticed.”
“And It’s just us.”
“Also noticed.”
“And we never did get to dance at the Adversary Ball.” Cas smiled sheepishly; his hair tussled in the wind, and I finally noted our rhythmic sway.
“Are you wooing me, Mr Almando?” I teased, fingers tightening around his.
“Now seems like as good a time as any.”
Warmth pooled in my chest, flushing my skin hot as I smiled. “Now seems like the perfect time.”
Our music was the waves softly lapping the shore. Our lights, the fireflies that swirled in the reeds. Our audience, the stars, winking mischievously. We swayed, lost on the sands of another time, where everything wasn’t chaos and fury, but where it was just a boy, a girl, and leagues of possibilities.
◆◆◆
“Thank you,” I muttered sometime later, my head leant against his chest, our arms around each other’s waists.
We’d stopped turning in a tiny circle and ended on a small rocky outcrop. Dark depths lingered under the lake’s surface ominously, but the bright, towering beacon of the academy divided it all. The sandstone walls glowed with warmth, the thousands of tiny windows flickering with life, while the slated towers cut through the silver clouds. It was a magical sight. Picturesque.
Cas hummed from deep within his chest. “Thank you for what?”
"This," I admitted, ducking my chin, "Because you're always here - always there when I need you. Everything that’s shit disappears when you’re around."
I could feel Cas’s smile against my head as his fingertips brushed up and down my spine. “You are very welcome, Zara. I’m happy to disappear with you anytime.”
I giggled, allowing my gaze to drift across the lake. Yet, watching the lake’s silver waves shatter like glass, my mood soured. “Do you think it’ll be alright?”
“How do you mean?”
“Ignoring the Day Court being a bunch of assholes, and the Night Court hunting for my head; do you think it will be alright? Me, shattering the Adversary mirror?” I bit my bottom lip. “No one will talk to me about it, only that I have a nemesis now, and… I don’t know what it all means.”
Lifting a hand, Cas brushed some hair from my eyes before cupping my face. “Have I ever told you about my Adversary?”
My brows shot up. “You had one too?”
He nodded. “Talltale Hall hosts the Great Balls too, though not as grand as Chronicle Academy. I was called up to the Great Mirror and saw who brought about my downfall.” Still holding my hand, Cas stepped away and pulled us down to the beach at a gentle pace. “I saw my best friend in the mirror – Charles Mountfield. I didn’t know what to do, or how to react. We’d grown up together, practised our summons together. He favoured the bow, me, the blade. He was my brother and friend and confidant.”
I watched Cas, his gaze distant and expression pinched in deeply rooted pain. “What happened?”
“Nothing at first.” Cas shrugged. “The Adversary Ball takes place in the first term of the first year. When nothing happened, I brushed it off for three years. I considered Charlie and I still close, but I didn’t see him as much. I was interested in battle schematics, war plans, and logistical divisions which will be my dissertation’s topic. Well, when I start, it is.” He threw me a guilty smile.
I smiled too but didn’t speak as Cas took the time to gather his thoughts.
“Charlie, though…” He sighed, looking to the skies for answers, “I don’t know when we drifted, but suddenly I realised not only had I not seen him for weeks, but I knew nothing about his life anymore. It was like this adversary calling had driven a wedge between us inch by inch, and I hadn’t noticed.
“But he was my friend and always would be, so I went to see him. We didn’t have the Crypts like here, but we had the Bell Tower where our Night Court would hang out. When I got there, though…” Cas blew out a breath, “I found Charlie high on Mistril – an addictive drug. It can heighten your powers, but too much and everything goes haywire. I found him, eyes black, face gaunt, firing arrows at some poor dryad… he just wasn’t the friend I knew anymore.”
Cas slipped into silence.
At this point we’d reached the Training Grounds, its giant wooden doors sealed, but we kept to the lake's edge, moving towards the back fields. “And that’s how you became adversaries?” I asked, I could only guess the rift addiction could make between friends.
Yet Cas shook his head. “No, not quite. I lost my friend when he offered me some Mistril too, pressuring me to not be a tight-ass. But I said no. We became tense when he came asking me for coins to buy more and I said no. But the final straw was when the Dean of Telltale raided all the dorms and discovered Charlie had been stockpiling the drug for his dealer. Not only was he expelled, but they also sent him to Ravenscroft Prison, charged with the intent to sell.”
“And he blames you?”
Cas nodded. Coming to a stop, he drew me in as if now needing my support, tucking his face against the crook of my neck. “He thought I sent the Dean after him. I was the reason for his expulsion and imprisonment. He swore he’d never forgive me.”
“I’m sorry, Cas. That must have been horrible, especially if you didn’t do anything.” Running my fingers through his hair was the only reason I felt Cas tense, his breath drawn in on a sharp inhale. “Unless… did you send the Dean?” I pulled back. But Cas wouldn’t look at me.
Gazing into the distance, it was as though he could see all his life choices laid out before him as he ticked them off one by one. “He wasn’t the same guy as I grew up with any more. But I still cared about him, and I just… I just wanted him to stop. I thought a scare might do that. I didn’t know he was stockpiling or was in so deep. I didn’t want everything to fall apart for him. I didn’t know…”
Shaking his head free of regrets, Cas pressed his brow to mine. “My point is, you don’t know how your adversary will play a part in your life. It might be tomorrow; it might be years from now and the animosity could spring from any source.”
“So, what you’re saying is I have to like this fate and lump it.” I pouted.
“What I’m saying…” Cas curved a half smile, lowering until his breath sailed across my lips. “Is you shouldn’t worry about what you don’t know; not when you can focus on the now.”
Closing that last inch, I drank Cas in, groaning as his tongue teased the seam of my lips. My hands slid over his hard chest, feeling every contour beneath my fingers. Heat stirred in my gut, and I groaned, pressing closer, demanding more, needing the feel of Cas against my body.
Hands skimmed under his hoodie, Cas exploring the plains of my back, while the other cupped my breast. Finding peeked nipples, he rolled the nub, squeezing it gently between delicate fingers.
Not to be outdone, I ran my hands down his front, following the dips of his toned body, before palming his strained jeans. “Remember, I mentioned something about the neighbours?” I murmured against his lips while Cas groaned. Squeezing his shaft, I followed the zipper down, kneading the bulge of his balls.
“Yer… Um- right?” Blinking awake, there was a devilish innocence about his expression, like he’d forgotten the rest of the world existed. It was a heady feeling, knowing I could make him forget it all.
Guiding me up the dunes, we dashed across the pasture. A few mares looked our way but paid us no mind as we hopped the fence and skirted towards the stables. The place was silent; the shadows lengthening as the moon dipped in the sky. Pulling me into an empty stall, Cas pushed the bottom door closed, but hesitated as reality and the stench of straw flickered through our lusty haze.
“Ah- we should go back to mine.” He scrubbed the back of his neck nervously. “This wasn’t where I had in mind to woo you…”
“What’s wrong with it?” Compact dirt lay underfoot, scattered with fresh hay and straw. The half walls were panelled wood, the upper half painted plaster. “It’s clean.” I ticked off, slinking forward, “It's warm. It’s empty.”
“It’s a stable.” Cas countered, “You deserve better than this.” Yet, his eyes flashed with lust as I drew my dress up my thighs, over my head, exposing my braless chest and black lacy underwear.
“I deserve to be fucked, Cas.” Pushing him against the door, I dropped to my knees, running my palms up his thighs as I gazed up. “And you deserve many things too… You were so chivalrous tonight. So strong… So defensive.”
“I-I told you. I will protect you, always.” He stuttered as my fingers traced the edge of his swollen cock. Heat pouring through the material.
“I felt very protected, like a true damsel.” Letting my voice dip to a whisper, I fluttered my lashes. “How will I ever thank you?”
“I don’t- oh!” Cas faltered as I moulded my mouth to his cock over the fabric, my hot breath mingling with his musky scent.
“Tell me, Cas.” My fingers roamed, pulling apart the bottom of his shirt until I could scratch down the planes of his abs. “Tell me how I can thank you…?”
All thought of our location left his mind, and lust took over. Fisting a hand in my hair, he jerked my head back as a fire burned in his eyes. His other hand slid down my face, gently, as his thumb brushed heavily across my bottom lip. “You want to thank me?” I nodded, eager. “Then show me what that pretty mouth can do.”
I smiled. Flicking out a tongue, I swirled it around his digit, capturing it between my lips before sucking on it softly. Hand still in my hair, I couldn’t move, but as I reached for Cas’s trousers front, his grip eased.
“Don’t.” I panted, letting go of his thumb. “Don’t be gentle. Show me how you want to be thanked. Order me…” I pushed, heat filling my core at the possibilities.
“Alright.” He murmured, hand tightening once more.
Popping his button and pulling down his fly, familiar briefs greeted me and with a sharp tug, I pulled everything down together. His cock sprang free. Curved and thick, his head leaked pre-cum, and I eagerly collected it on the pad of my tongue. Bitter salt exploded across my taste buds and Cas groaned as my lips enveloped him.
Trailing my tongue up and down, I held off until he looked at me, teeth grit in exertion. “Tell me how to thank you, sir?”
Cas grunted in surprise, his fingers tightening another inch as a half-smile captured his lips, “Deeper,” He breathed, as I flicked my tongue over his slit. “But take your sweet time getting there. I want to be thanked thoroughly.”
“You deserve nothing less, sir.” I bit my lip.
Hungry for his cock, I licked him, base to tip, before parting my lips over his shaft and swallowed. Hollowing my cheeks, I sucked him down as far as I could, using my hand to cover the rest. Bobbing my head, I kept Cas’s request in mine, not diving in too fast, but making sure to taste every inch of him.
“Holy inks…” He whispered, both hands coming to grasp my head. Predicting what was coming, I took a breath and focused on relaxing my throat, my hands braced on his thighs. Cas’s hips jerked, slamming back further than comfortable, and I choked. He pulled back, and I gasped for air, only to reach again, sucking harder, bobbing faster, swirling his tip with every pass.
“Shit, Zara.” He gasped, ripping himself free minutes later. Saliva hung between his tip and my swollen lips as we both panted. “You’ve gotta stop or I’ll cum.”
“Isn’t that the point?” I purred, swiping my thumb across my lips, sucking down its residue as he watched.
“Not fucking yet, it’s not.” He growled.
Kicking away his pants and dropping to his knees, he shot a hand between my thighs, and find my dripping underwear. I shivered. His thumb slipped under the fabric, finding my clit. Stroking the sensitive bundle of nerves, he whispered against my lips. “When I cum, I want this soaking pussy to pulse around my cock. Now, demonstrate on my fingers what you're going to do.” I moaned, hot and heavy, as he plunged two fingers inside.
“Cas…” I tipped back my head, lifting my hips before dropping, feeling my body already responding.
“That’s it, darling. Sing my name.” He chuckled darkly, curling his fingers, and making me writhe in his grasp. Trailing kisses down my neck, he captured a nipple, rolling it between his teeth, sucking until I thought it might bruise. A pressure was building in my core, the promise of a blissful release.
But this was his reward.
“On your back, Cas,” I ordered, pulling his hand from between my thighs.
Cas hesitated for a second, surprised, but he let me guide him, pushing his shoulders, until his back pressed into the hay. Throwing aside my underwear, I kneeled over his waist.
“What happened to me thanking me thoroughly?” He teased.
“Oh, you’ll be thanking me.” I purred, reaching between us to grasp his hard shaft, lining up his tip. “Especially when I tell you my contagion Polyjuice came last week.”
Now, hadn’t that been a fun order? I’d had to physically pull myself away from the ‘Poly-Amour Cauldron’ site. Madam Quintessence, had everything. A polyjuice that enlarged body parts for a time, one that heightened your senses, or, better yet, one that guaranteed a dozen orgasms in a night. Too enthralled, I stuck to ‘Drink it Clean’ and my contraceptive implant. The rest could be for later exploration.
Cas’s brows shot up in surprised delight. “Did it now. And…?”
“It tastes gross.” I pulled a face, before smiling seductively. “But I took my daily dose for five days like a good girl and now I’m all clean, sir.”
“My, my. You have been a good girl to me. Thank you.” He growled, hands falling to my hips as I ran his cock’s head through my core, shivering with desire. “Are you ready for your ride?”
Falling forward, I hovered my lips over his, “Y-Yes, please, Sir.”
“Good…” His tip probed my entrance, and I gasped as he abruptly thrust up. A deep, guttural groan escaped Cas's throat.
He stretched me, his cock filling me completely. My head swam, the sensation of him inside, and the pleasure overwhelming. I didn't wait for the pain to ebb. Instead, I rocked my hips, grinding against his pelvis. Spreading his knees wide, Cas thrusted again, and again, pulling heady, embarrassing groans from my lips.
“Ungh- Cas…” I panted unintelligibly, throwing my head back as his mouth latched onto my breasts. Meeting his every thrust, I braced against his chest.
A fire consumed my veins and built in my core. Sweat trickled across both our skin, filling the tiny stable with the scent of salt and sex.
Cas's breath hitched as he suddenly moved. Sitting up, one hand behind the other around the small of my back, he locked us chest to chest. Flexing his hips, heels planted in the straw, he pounded into me at such a pace my eyes rolled back in my head. My whole body shuddered. The pressure became unbearable, and Cas was gasping, too. We were both so close.
"Cum for me, Zara." He ordered, "Cum for me!"
I screamed his name, and Cas swallowed the sound, crashing our lips together as I shattered into a million pieces.
Panting, we slumped back to the straw, and I rested my head on his shoulder, the last aftershocks of pleasure rolling through me. There was no stopping the grin that curved my lips. “Well, I’m feeling exceptionally grateful.” I mused, lifting my head enough to look at his face.
“Me too,” Cas chuckled, running his hands up and down my back like he always did. “What made you think of that little act?” He adjusted his softening cock nestled in the apex of my thigh.
A pang of guilt suddenly rose, but I shoved it down. “What? The puppy eyes, begging lips, and my desire to please, sir?” I smiled, having enjoyed that role. “I don’t know. It just kinda felt fun.” I admitted, “Was it all right?”
“Yer, more than all right.” Cas grinned; eyes closed as he relaxed. “Next time we’ll have to see what other roles we want to play.”
“Sure,” I agreed, that guilt twisting again.
