Page 57 of Evergreen

He nodded. “Are you still sore at all?” I asked, positioning myself between his thighs. “Tell me if anything hurts, and I’ll stop.”

“I know the drill, big guy,” he said, his voice already taking on that breathy quality that meant he was ready for me. “Just fuck me.”

I worked him open slowly, carefully, fucking him with my fingers until he was relaxed enough to take me. His magic was still crackling around us, responding to every touch, every whispered word of encouragement. The storm outside had picked up now and I could hear sleet pelting against the window. Hopefully no one would notice the storm was anything but natural.

When I finally pressed my cock against his hole and began to push inside, I watched his face contort with pleasure. His hands came up to grip my shoulders, his nails digging in slightly as he adjusted to my size. Even after all these weeks, the stretch was still intense for him, and I loved that. Loved knowing that he never got bored of me.

“Okay?” I asked, pausing halfway inside.

“Yeah,” he breathed. “Yeah, keep going. I want all of that thick cock inside me.”

I sank deeper, groaning as his hole clenched around me. The feeling of him surrounding me, the warmth and the tightness and the absolute perfection of it was almost too much to bear. But I loved it too much to stop. And so did he.

I started slowly, letting him set the pace by how much he wanted me to move. But it didn’t take long before he was begging me for more, his hips rolling up to meet mine, his voice breaking into gasps and moans that I was pretty sure the entire dorm could hear. I didn’t care. Let them hear. Let everyone know that Cass was mine, and that I was going to spend the rest of my life making him feel this good.

“Harder,” he demanded, his eyes going dark with lust. “Fuck, Linden, don’t hold back.”

So I didn’t. I drove into him with more force, my massive frame dwarfing his, my magic singing in harmony with his. The bed creaked beneath us, the headboard banging against the wall in a rhythm that was probably going to draw complaints, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. Not when Cass was making those sounds, not when I could feel him getting close to the edge.

His orgasm hit without warning, his entire body going taut as he came between us, his hole clenching around my cock like a vice. I followed right behind him, my entire body shaking as I emptied myself inside him, filling him with everything I had. My magic flared, my entire body looking like molten gold. The storm outside intensified, thunder cracking overhead as the sky reacted to our mutual orgasm.

We collapsed together in a tangle of sweaty limbs, both of us gasping for breath. Cass’s arms wrapped around me, holding me close as our magic slowly settled back down to a gentle hum beneath our skin. The wind outside began to ease, the sleet tapering off as his weather magic calmed along with his racing heart.

“I love you,” I murmured against his neck, pressing a kiss to the sensitive skin there. “No matter what happens tomorrow, I need you to know that.”

“I know,” he said, his fingers trailing through my hair. “And I love you too. We’re going to be okay, Linden. I can feel it.”

I wanted to believe him. Needed to believe him. But as I lay there in the darkness of my dorm room, listening to the wind gradually die down outside, I couldn’t shake the feeling that tomorrow was going to change everything. One way or another, our lives were about to shift on their axis.

Chapter 25

Linden

Morning came far too quickly and before I knew it, I was standing at the edge of the standing stones that would teleport us to the Elder Council’s chambers. It was cold, almost bitterly so. And thanks to Cass’s storm the night before, everything was covered in a thin sheet of ice. As the sun came out, the light caught the ice, sending sprays of light dancing across every surface. It would’ve been beautiful if I hadn’t been so anxious. But I barely noticed it. All I could think about was the hearing to come and the potential loss of everything I’d ever known.

We were only standing beside the teleportation stones for a minute or so before the crackle of magic filled the air. With a small pop, two figures appeared, both of them dressed even more flawlessly than usual. Elder Briar Hall’s hair was somewhat tamed, his long fae ears on full display. Elias was still dressed in dark clothes, but they were pressed and his hair was perfectly quaffed. The pair of them looked formidable. I just hoped it would be enough.

“Ready to go, Linden?” Elder Briar Hall asked. “And Mr. Reed?”

Cass and I both nodded.

“Good,” Elder Briar Hall nodded in return. “Now remember, there is no need to lie or try to stick to a story. Our defense doesn’t rely on trickery. Instead, we’re going to tell them the truth and appeal to their sensibilities.”

“Do they care about that kind of stuff?” Cass asked, walking with me into the circle to join the other two.

“Yes,” Elder Briar Hall said. “Some of them at least. But we don’t need a unanimous vote to save the grove. We just need the majority on our side. That should be more than doable.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said, shaking my head.

“We will do our best,” Elias replied this time, giving me a curt nod. “We might be new to the Council, but we’re not neophytes when it comes to their proceedings. And Jackson Rose is known for being a bit ham-fisted when it comes to trying to get his way. He’ll slip up and turn the tides in our favor.”

“You seem confident,” Cass remarked.

Elias nodded. “I am.”

With that, Elder Briar Hall raised his hands and began to chant in a language I didn’t recognize. The air around us shimmered and crackled with power, and I felt that familiar lurch in my stomach that came with teleportation. Cass grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight as the world dissolved into a blur of light and magic.

When we materialized, I had to blink several times to get my bearings. We were standing in a massive circular chamber, the walls carved from some kind of pale stone that seemed to glow from within. The ceiling soared impossibly high above us, and the floor beneath my feet was inlaid with intricate patterns of silver and gold that seemed to shift and move when I wasn’t looking directly at them.