Gothicana

“What are you staring at?” Troy asked back on his feet, following her gaze.

“Just that professor,” Corvina replied, shrugging like her insides weren’t on fire. “I haven’t seen her before.”

“That’s Dr. Harbor,” he supplied helpfully like the endless source of information that he was. “She’s in the history department. She and Mr. Deverell had a thing a while back.”

God, how many women on this campus had he been with?

She gulped, glaring down at her boots. “Are they still together?”

Troy shrugged, unconcerned. “Probably. Who cares?” he said before suddenly his gaze sharpened on Corvina. “You care.”

The denial flew from her lips. “Nope. Not at all.”

Troy, the jovial boy who loved to tease her, looked at her with seriousness beyond his age. “Look Purple, what you do is your business,” he told her quietly, his attention on her. “And not that I have any issues with Mr. Deverell. He’s always been cool with me. But just so you know, that’s not a guy I’d ever want to be alone with on a dark night. Not to mention, it’s against the rules so don’t tell anyone. Just be careful, okay?”  

Her throat tight, Corvina nodded, not really knowing what to say.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” he reassured her, giving her one of his side-hugs. “But damn Purple, you had to go find the devil of Verenmore, didn’t you?” 

Troy shut up as they joined the others, giving her his trademark grin. “Let’s get to class.”

Corvina waved him off. “I need to go to the library.”

“I’ll come with,” Jax said from her side. “I have to return a book.”

Nodding, Corvina started cutting through the garden to the side of the Academic Wing that led to the dungeon library, the wind extra cold on her face. It was a foggy morning, the white mist heavy around the castle and its occupants, humans shivering in the cold as they went about their day. She wondered for a moment if she should worry about Troy knowing, and then discarded the thought. She trusted him and he’d been nothing but good to her. He was her friend.

“So, you’re done with Deverell’s paper?” Jax started in the way of conversation, his cheeks ruddy in the wind, hands in his jacket pockets.

Corvina nodded, grateful for her fitting black woolen skirt and dark purple sweater that broke the wind, her legs encased in her thigh-high warm boots. “Finished it last night,” she told him, gripping the strap of her bag. “You?”

He slid her a grin. “Almost.”

“We need to submit that today, you know?” she reminded him as they rounded the corner of the academic block. The heavy double doors of the dungeon with their wrought iron frame were open, a set of wide stone steps leading down to the entrance.

“I’ll get it done before class,” he assured her, taking the steps four at a time. 

Corvina rolled her eyes, a smile tipping her lips at him showing off his athleticism for no reason.

“That was very u

“Did it impress you though?” he asked good-naturedly. “Or should I add a backflip next time?”

A chuckle bubbled out of her as they entered the library, few students already in queue to return books in front of the desk. Corvina wasn’t surprised. Monday mornings and Friday evenings had the most traffic in the library since Mrs. Suki was on leave on the weekends.

Jax took a book out of his bag, heading towards the queue as Corvina turned left towards the shelves.

“You aren’t coming?” he asked loudly, earning a “Silent, young man,” from Mrs. Suki at the desk.

Corvina indicated the shelves at the back, telling him she needed to borrow some books quietly, and he nodded, going to stand behind a few students.

Corvina headed towards the literature section, hoping to find a few novels to read over the week. She passed a girl perusing a book in the History aisle and finally turned to her destination. Mrs. Suki had told her one day about a special shelf where she’d stashed all her romances, unbeknownst to the university – vintage romances from her day, erotic romances, historical, and even some paranormal. Corvina was a sucker for those. 

Fingers skimming over titles, she plucked out two small shifter romances, continued skimming, paused over Jane Eyre, and took it out as well.

Armed with her three books for the week, she left the aisle and began walking out the short corridor that led out in the main library area.

Suddenly, an arm shot out from the Philosophy section and pulled her in, slamming her against the shelves in the dark corner of the aisle.

The scent was the first thing she noticed, amidst the smell of old books and musty library, that scent of crisp burning wood and brandy. Heart pounding, she tilted her head back, catching a glimpse of the silver eyes before his mouth crashed on hers.

The taste of him jolted her senses, her entire body electrocuted by the pressure of his mouth on hers, coming alive after weeks of slumber. She opened her mouth under his, welcoming the assault of his tongue as he pressed her deeper into the shelves, her hands barely holding onto the books, his hands holding the sides of her face to keep her still as he ravaged her like a maniac given free rein to the madness in his head.

Her heart fluttered as their tongues met, his taste consuming her, his arms keeping her protected in a way Corvina never wanted to leave. She wanted to suspend time and live in the feelings he elicited in her, a warm, beautiful riot of colors in her dark heart.

After consuming her, devouring her, ravishing her for long, long minutes, he pulled back, letting her come up for air, his mercury eyes flashing as he gripped her face.

“He fucked you yet?” he muttered the question against her lips, flicking the corner with a soft lick at the end.

It took a second for the words to penetrate her foggy, lusty brain.

And then they did.

A swift wave of anger took a hold of her. She grit her teeth, pushing against him, and he let her face go, putting his hands on either side of her, trapping her between him and the shelves.

“You have some nerve,” she spat out in a low voice, the rage in her body making her shake. “You tell me not to expect anything, that you don’t get attached. You fuck me and ignore me for weeks, and then you corner me and demand to know if I’ve been with anyone else like you have some kind of right?” she hissed. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Her chest was heaving by the end of her tirade. She had never been as furious as she was right then, her entire body warm, her palms itching to inflict some hurt on him to ease the turmoil inside her.

He completely bypassed her words. “Has anyone else been in that pussy?”

Corvina glared at him. “As many as have been on your cock,” she spat out, pushing against him. “Now let me go before Jax comes looking for me.”

He leaned forward, the danger rippling off his body crashing into hers, making her push back into the shelf. “He wants you.”

Corvina stayed silent, shooting daggers at him with her eyes, her heart crashing in her chest.

He came closer, planting a soft kiss on her nose piercing. “He can’t have you.”

“I’m not yours,” Corvina reminded him, slightly breathless, severely pissed. “You don’t get to decide that.”

The corner of his mouth twitched before he pressed a hard kiss to her mouth, making her pulse skitter before lowering his arms. “Does Mo get to decide, hmm?”

She was ten seconds away from doing some serious damage. “Let me out.”