Page 36 of Shattered & Returned

I had no idea what he meant. Then again, with him, it could just be another one of his tempers.

The crisp scent of mint flooded my senses just before his lips captured mine. My breath hitched as I found myself pressed against him, fingers tangling in his hair before I could think to stop them.

His tongue traced the seam of my lips, and I opened for him with embarrassing eagerness. The slow, deliberate strokes against my tongue sent tremors through me, making my knees weak. I matched his rhythm in a fever pitch, his answering growl possessive and savage.

Lost in the madness of the kiss, I moaned helplessly. His scent, raw masculinity mingled with brimstone and burning wood, wrapped around me like home, different than the one I’d grown up in.

His fingers started to move again, masterful and deliberate, finding delicious places within me that made my vision blur. The lecture hall faded around us as pleasure built like a gathering storm. My breath came in broken gasps against his neck as he brought me to the edge of release. Then his movements slowed to an excruciating halt again.

“Don’t stop,” I begged, breaking our kiss.

“You aren’t allowed to come until I let you,” he said cruelly. His dark eyes gleamed with calculation and dominance.

“I need it,” I whimpered.

“Such eagerness.”He chuckled as his fingers teased, drawing me to the edge, then pulling back just as ruthlessly.“Show me that frustration. What will you do with it?”

I arched against him, hips driving forward. If he wouldn’t give me what I needed, I’d take it. But then, nothing. An invisible barrier slammed down, cutting off my climax before it could crest.

My eyes flew wide.How the hell was that even possible?Dirty trick. Downright criminal.

“You’re learning now,” he crooned.

Howdarehe toy with me like this?

Frustration twisted into fury. I swung my fist toward his ear.

“You like that, asshole?”

Shadows lashed out, snaring both my wrists, yanking them above my head in a vise-like grip. He withdrew his fingers from my aching heat, that half-smile playing on his lips.

“Consider this your punishment,”he purred.“Assaulting a professor does have consequences.”

Fury burned through me and sharpened to pure energy. A coiled power stirred in me, thrashing against its cage, seeking release. Pain followed, searing through my core, radiating through every nerve until I could barely breathe. I wanted to collapse, to curl in on myself until it passed.

Then, a spark.

Faint, flickering, like something wild and ancient waking beneath my skin. This time, before it could slip away into the dark, Iseizedit. Cradled it like a precious baby.

And then?—

Agony became ecstasy.

Magic surged through me, sweet and electric as any climax he’d denied me. Light flared between my palms, shimmering, thenwhirledinto a gust that slammed into Ravencrux.

Shock and joy sang in my chest. For the first time, I feltalive—power thrumming under my skin, intoxicating, even if the wind barely ruffled his robes.

A slow, proud, and sensual smile curved his lips.“That’s my girl.”

I tensed. Had this all been a test?

“Your magic isn’t like anyone else’s,”he said, his voice rough.“It doesn’t just respond to coaxing—it needs to be forced out. And this?”He gestured to the fading shimmer in my palms.“This is a firefly compared to the dragon sleeping inside you.”

Then his body locked. His face contorted in pain, and for a heartbeat, I swore I saw something else—a shadowed reaper, scythe glinting—superimposed over him. My magic surgedinstinctively, tendrils of light curling into him, easing whatever agony gripped him.

When he straightened, his gaze burned into mine.“You’ve found your Weaver magic, which is outside the five magical system, and this is only the beginning.”His voice dropped, dark with promise.“You’ll need private lessons. Your magic isn’t like any others. Sexual stimulation is the fastest way to awaken yours, until you reach your full potential.”His eyes raked over me, possessive and full of heat.“Now remember: you won’t come without my permission. Not here, not in your room, not with your own hands. You’ll ache, and you’ll always come back to me for more. Summons or not.”

I glared at him. Rage flared hot in my chest. I’d never been crude before I came to this school, and right now, I wanted to flip him off.

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