Page 58 of Baneful Magick

Choking and gurgling got my attention, and I lowered my hand enough to see one student dead. With blood on his lips, he stared up at the sky with empty eyes. The second student was hovering in the air, struggling to breathe. Something invisible had clamped around his throat.

‘Beastie,’Cassius murmured, his voice thick. It was hard to tell what he was feeling, but I thought I detected hints of both lust and anxiety.

‘Cas. Put up a shield between us until this is over.’

‘He’s about to?—’

‘I know,’I said softly, swallowing hard.

Feeling the weight of my gaze, Echo lifted his head, meeting my stare. Gold and green eyes, with just a touch of blue in his right eye, drew me in. A cocky grin curved his lips before he leaned closer until only a breath of space was between our mouths.

“I’m going to cover you in their blood then fuck you until you break.”

I lifted my chin in defiance. “Stop playing with your toys. Break him.”

I wasn’t going to fight him, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to cower in fear of him anymore.Get a grip, Isla.“Show me what kind of man you are, Echo. Let’s see if you measure up.”

Echo snarled a second before his power slammed the remaining student into a nearby tree. A sickening crack sounded, then he crumpled to the ground, part of his spine sticking out of his neck. Echo ordered me to stay put, then he prowled over to the bodies.

What followed was one of the most gruesome things I’d ever seen. He tore apart the bodies with his hands, ripping skin and muscle from bone. Sometimes, he used his teeth. When he finally stopped, chest heaving, he was covered in blood. He was just… brutal yet so beautiful. I shouldn’t have found it hot as hell, but I did.

Crooking a finger, he silently told me to come to him.

‘Be safe, beastie. If he tries to kill you, I’m coming out.’

Cassius threw up the mental shield as I took my first step toward Echo. When I reached him, he was more gentle than I thought he would be. His fingertips skimmed my flesh as he undressed me. Anytime I tried to help, he’d growl until I stopped and let him take his time.

From how Aizel had tried to describe a rut, I was expecting something harsher, more violent, but Echo seemed to be savoring this moment until I stood naked before him.

Then he started to paint me in blood.

He didn’t leave a single part of me untouched. His skilled fingers traveled my body, teasing me. When Echo touched my pussy, a satisfied male laugh rumbled through him at my obvious arousal before he sank two fingers inside of me, making us both groan.

He stared at me, his cheeks flushed with arousal, and in that moment, I realized I was in trouble. The rut was one thing, but this incubus… He was something else altogether. Not wanting to overthink, I rocked up on my tiptoes and kissed him.

It was simply a soft kiss, a way to connect with him, but then he took over. Threading his hand in my hair, Echo seized control with ease. His tongue teased my lower lip until I opened up and let him in. We groaned together, and I pressed my body against his, hating the feel of his clothes between us.

I broke the kiss a few minutes later, gasping for air. “I need more.”

“You take what I give you, Isla. Nothing more and nothing less. I know just where we can go for some uninterrupted time together.”

He scooped me up and walked up to the greenhouse, bringing us in before kicking the door closed. I jolted with surprise, having forgotten it was nearby. Carefully walking along the path, he made his way to the inner sanctum. The small circular room was still clean, not a speck of dust to be seen.

Echo tossed me onto the bed, chuckling roughly when I squeaked. I wasn’t used to being thrown around as if I weighed nothing.

“Let’s see how fun you are, Isla,” he rasped, slowly pulling off his own clothes. “I’ve been starving fordays, and I’m not leaving until I’m satisfied.”

“What about me?” I asked, licking my lips.

“This isn’t about you, and honestly, I don’t give a shit. My other partners never complained… though I suppose they never got a chance to.”

“Why not?” I asked, unable to help myself.

“Because they died.”

Died?!

Chapter 22

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