Page 14 of Faeheart
Wild, Caden, and I were all rock hard.
My face burned with mortification as I tried desperately to adjust my pants to hide my obvious arousal. This was a nightmare beyond anything I could have imagined. The heir tothe Thorne family, standing in the middle of campus with an erection visible to half the student body.
“Well,” Wild said, completely unbothered by our predicament, “that’s new. Usually takes a lot more than kissing to get a group hard-on going.”
“Shut up,” I hissed, grabbing both him and Caden by the arms. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
Caden’s face was as red as mine, but he nodded quickly. “The dorm. Fast.”
We practically ran across the remaining distance to the residential buildings, the sound of laughter and shocked whispers following us. I could already imagine the rumors spreading like wildfire through the academy. By dinner, every student would know that Elias Thorne had been caught making out with a fae in public and that he’d popped a boner because of it.
Fuck.
The moment we reached Wild and Caden’s room, I slammed the door behind us and leaned against it, breathing hard. My arousal had finally started to subside, but the phantom sensation of Wild’s lips on mine lingered.
“That,” Wild announced, throwing himself onto his bed with obvious satisfaction, “was fucking amazing.”
“Amazing?” I turned on him, my carefully controlled composure finally cracking. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done? My reputation, my family’s name?—”
“Will survive your first public display of actual human emotion,” Wild interrupted. “Trust me, the world won’t end because perfect little Elias Thorne got caught with his dick hard.”
Caden sat heavily on his own bed, still looking stunned. “The physical response though... that has to be connected tothe binding, right? I mean, I’ve never...” He trailed off, glancing between Wild and me.
“Never what?” Wild asked with interest.
“Thought about anyone other than Atlas,” Caden finished quietly.
I felt my stomach drop. “You mean this binding is making us feel things that aren’t real?”
Wild’s expression shifted, something like hurt flickering across his features before he masked it with his usual smirk. “Worried you might actually like kissing boys, Princess?”
“That’s not—” I started, then stopped, unsure what I was trying to say. The truth was, I had enjoyed it. More than enjoyed it. And that terrified me more than any magical binding.
“How am I going to explain this to Atlas?” Caden interrupted before I could gather my thoughts. I could feel the desperate panic welling up inside him through our bond. “I don’t want him to think I’m cheating on him!”
“He’s not gonna think that,” Wild replied, his tone shifting completely as he walked over and pulled Caden into a hug. “We’ll tell him what happened and then we’ll figure it out.” He glanced up at me. “But I don’t know how I’m gonna live with this tight-ass,” he muttered, gesturing at me. “You are gonna have to loosen up dude because your vibe is seriously harshing my mellow.”
“I…” I began, massaging my temples as a migraine started to come on. “I don’t even know what that fucking means.”
Chapter 6
Wild
“Will youpleasestop thinking so fucking loud?” I barked across the room to the corner where Elias had barricaded himself in by his belongings. “Stop worrying so much. Fuck.”
Elias’s head snapped up from where he’d been hunched over what looked like a leather-bound journal, his brown eyes flashing with irritation. “I can’t help how I think!”
“Well, learn,” I shot back, flopping dramatically onto my bed. “Your anxiety is giving me a headache.”
“My anxiety?” His voice pitched higher. “You’re the one broadcasting every crude thought that pops into your head!”
Caden sighed from his position on his own bed, where he’d been trying to mediate between us for the past hour. “Maybe we should try Professor Blackwood’s breathing exercises again?—”
“Fuck the breathing exercises,” I interrupted. “They don’t work when Mr. Perfect over there is having a mental breakdown every five minutes about what Mommy and Daddy will think.”
Elias slammed his journal shut, the sound sharp in the small room. “At least I care about something other than my next orgasm!”
“Hey, orgasms are important,” I replied with a grin, enjoying the way his face flushed. “They’re honest. Unlike whatever bullshit facade you’re trying to put up right now.”
