Page 24 of Goody Magic Academy: Year Three

The headmaster’s voice stopped us both cold, as surely as if a police officer had shone his flashlight into a parked car.

“I can’t find Peyton,” she said. “She wasn’t in our room when I woke up. I’m worried something has happened to her.”

Jaxon groaned in frustration. “Damn it. Another time, Peyton. I want to hear you scream my name.” He moved away from me and helped me pull down my top.

My cheeks burned with shame as Twyla and the headmaster headed toward us, under the oak tree. I smoothed my hair nervously, hoping I didn’t look as flustered as I felt.

Jaxon cleared his throat and stood up first, gallantly offering me his hand. I took it, trying to ignore the lingering warmth ofhis touch as I rose to my feet. There were blades of grass stuck to my bare legs, and I hastily brushed them off.

The headmaster’s eyes narrowed slightly as he approached, his gaze flicking between us with barely concealed suspicion. A step behind him, Twyla wore a similar look, as if she couldn’t believe I was entangled with the enemy.

I knew she thought I should choose Finn, but it wasn’t her choice. It was mine.

The headmaster’s eyes swept over us, taking in our disheveled appearances with obvious disapproval. His gaze lingered on our joined hands before settling on Jaxon, his expression morphing into one of utter contempt.

“I suggest you both come inside,” the headmaster said quietly, his voice low and heavy with barely contained anger. Each word fell like a stone in the tense silence. “You’re supposed to be protecting her, Jaxon. Not seducing her.”

His accusation hung in the air, sharp and cutting. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, spreading down my neck and up to the tips of my ears. Shame and embarrassment crashed over me in waves, making me wish I could disappear into the ground beneath our feet.

“Iamprotecting her,” Jaxon countered fiercely, his voice a low growl that sent vibrations through the air. “I will always protect her. She’s mine.”

His words sucked the breath from my lungs. My heart stuttered and raced, and heat bloomed across my cheeks, warring with the chill that had zipped down my spine.

Mine.The word echoed in my mind, alluring and terrifying all at once. Did he really mean that? The intensity in his amber eyes made me want to believe him, so desperately. Jaxon was everything I’d ever wanted in a man—or in this case, a vampire. Strong, protective, dangerous.

But tomorrow...

My stomach churned, acid rising in my throat. Tomorrow, he would sell me to the highest bidder, all in the name of getting the Dragon Nexus. I swallowed hard, tasting bile.

I forced myself to meet his gaze, searching for any hint of deception but seeing none. “Yours?” I whispered, the word barely audible despite the stillness of the night.

Jaxon’s hand cupped my cheek, his touch strangely gentle for someone so strong. I leaned into it involuntarily, even as another part of me screamed to pull away. His thumb brushed across my lower lip, and I shivered.

“Yes. Mine to protect,” he murmured, his cool breath fanning across my face. “No matter what happens tomorrow.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. In less than twenty-four hours, my life would be in his hands—and those of whatever monster bought me at auction. I could only pray that Jaxon’s promise wasn’t a hollow one.

Chapter

Thirteen

Jaxon’s fingers intertwined with mine as we followed the headmaster and Twyla. His touch sent warmth running through me. I found myself acutely aware of every point of contact between us. My skin still tingled where he had kissed me, his rugged beard scratching my hot skin even through my bra where he had worshipped my nipple. I felt like he was marking me as his. Did I really belong to him, as he said? Deep down in my soul I wanted desperately for it to be true.

The memory of his body so close to mine when we were lying in the grass earlier, the warmth of his breath on my neck, made my cheeks flush. But I pushed the thoughts away, acutely aware of the tension radiating from the headmaster’s and Twyla’s stiff shoulders as they marched up to the front porch. It felt like Jaxon and I were walking toward a firing squad.

Everyone just assumed Jaxon was a traitor, a snake waiting to strike at the first opportunity. But when I looked into his eyes, I saw something different. Something that made my heart race and my breath catch in my throat. “You okay?” he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. His voice was low and husky, sending a shiver down my spine.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. As we entered the headmaster’s home, the heat from Jaxon’s body enveloped me, and I found myself leaning into him almost instinctively.

I had to believe that he would do everything he could to protect me at Ravenwood Estate. The alternative was unthinkable. My fingers tightened around his, and he squeezed back, silently reassuring.

As we entered the dimly lit foyer, Jaxon’s hand slipped from mine, and I immediately felt its absence. Our eyes met for a brief moment, and I saw a flicker of something—longing? fear?—in his gaze before his mask of cool detachment slipped back into place.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. I just hoped Dimitri Dragan hadn’t changed his stripes, or we’d all end up shit creek without a paddle. At least with Jaxon by my side, I felt a glimmer of hope. And something else, something dangerous and thrilling, that I wasn’t quite ready to name.

My stomach churned. I just prayed Finn and Kamaron weren’t waiting for us in the living room. Finn would know exactly what Jaxon and I had been doing when he saw me. It was written all over me. My lips were swollen and felt tender, still tingling from Jaxon’s fierce kisses. Loose strands of hair tickled my face and neck where they had escaped from my usually neat braids. One braid was noticeably looser, from when Jaxon’s fingers had tugged it free in the heat of the moment. A small, tender spot pulsed just below my jaw, sure to become a visible mark later. Heat radiated from my cheeks and neck. I could feel the flush extending down to my collarbone.

My chest tightened at the thought of hurting Finn, but I couldn’t control the wild way I felt whenever Jaxon was near. My heart—or maybe my dragon—had other ideas.

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