Chapter 253. The Competition I

Chapter 253: 253. The Competition I

Maisie

I woke slowly to something warm and solid beneath my cheek. I inhaled deeply. The spicy male scent settled so deeply inside of me, I instinctively snuggled closer, running my nose up and down the strong column of throat.

Goddess, but he smelled delicious.

My hands drifted off their own free will, yanking aside the shirt under my cheek so I could feel more of that hot skin.

A little sound escaped me. A tiny, contented coo. And for a few seconds, I just existed in that cocoon. Warm. Comfortable. Safe.

My fingers roamed higher as I tried to break through the extreme drowsiness. Couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept so fitfully.

Another soft sound escaped me when a hand moved under my shirt, along my ribs. It moved absent-mindedly, tracing a gentle path along the uneven patterns of my scars.

It rose a little higher, skimming the scar on the underside of my breast and I felt it like a string had been plucked in my pussy.

My eyes flew open, sleep disappearing in an instant.

I cringed away so quickly, I got tangled in the sheets and nearly fell off the bed.

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stared at Jericho.

He was waking too, his expression briefly clouded with sleepy confusion, until he saw the frightened look on my face.

"If you’re asking if I took advantage of your vulnerable state last night and fucked you, then you really must think I’m animal," he said, butchering the words in his Russian accent that came out deep and irritated.

The events of last night came rushing back and I tried not to die from the second hand embarrassment of it all.

I wanted to find some hole and hide in, so I wouldn’t have to face them, the pity or disgust on their faces or the questions they would have for me.

But Jericho didn’t ask a single thing as he pushed to his feet, how night shirt crinkled around his hulking frame. The top button was missing and I flushed when I realized that was my doing.

His hair was disheveled, sticking up this way and that and my Lycan preened, whispering mad things that all entailed tackling him back into bed and fucking him until we both couldn’t walk. That, and strawberry pie recipes.

She seemed oddly... excited.

Which made one of us.

"Shut up, will you?" I growled inwardly.

But she hummed pleasantly, "Something’s coming today, girl. I can feel it. Gods beyond, how long has it been? Now, would that need one or two eggs? Maybe the whole crate? Oh, I could think of eggs that need hatching. You should get on your knees and hands and put your body to work, little girl. Pups. We should have pups. Lots of them. Touch his knot. He’ll like that. Oh, a wonderful day indeed."

See? Insane.

"Be down in an hour. I’ll take you to school," Jericho said, strolling for the door.

I glanced around for the first time, noticing the empty room. "The others?"

"The students of Hellsgrave need to be transported with convoys. Soren and Mercer have been called to the borders to oversee their safe arrival. Chastain is off practicing for the game," he said with a deep frown. "Unfortunately, you’re stuck with me this morning."

He thought I was uncomfortable being around him.

"Jericho," I called out, catching his sleeve before he could walk away. "About last night–"

"Talk about it when you’re ready, Maisie." His eyes tracked mine. "You don’t have to prove anything to me. I’ll always been on your side. We Ivanovs protect our own."

I swallowed thickly, tears stinging my eyes. His amber gaze tracked each tear as they spilled over and his fingers curled.

I knew he wanted to wipe the tear away, but kept himself at a respectable distance, tugging his sleeve out of my grasp easily. "I’ll make you breakfast."

***

"One at a time!" the sentinels yelled as they scanned the IDs of the Hellsgrave students.

Greymoor was in utter chaos, every corner lurking with students with bright purple weaved into their outfits, quarterbacks on lacrosse teams in their numbered, purple gear and helmets, curiously large wolves in their rugby jerseys eyeing the sentinels distrustfully, fighters in black–no. More purple.

They looked like ninjas, dressed head to toe in a purple so deep, it looked black. There were weapons on them and tough expressions.

None of them looked half as excited as the Greymoor students who kept pointing and whispering about them like they had fallen from a different planet.

Of course they wouldn’t enjoy the atmosphere, not when their town got attacked and their homes possibly destroyed, and while this was a game to Greymoor students–a silly competition–this was for their survival. They were seeking refuge here in Ashbourne.

I felt a pang of guilt in my chest, but I pushed it aside.

None of this would be happening if Tessa and the Queen hadn’t tried to kill me in the first place. Maybe my blood brought those things into this world, but they had just as much blame in this catastrophe.

The hallways were more packed than usual and I had to squeeze past the crowd to keep up with Jericho’s long strides. On the bright side, everyone was too busy gossipping and checking out the Alpha heirs from Hellsgrave Academy to pay us much notice.

"I’ll, um, head to class," I told Jericho when we reached the hallways outside my classroom.

He didn’t stop walking, his head high and his back tall. I thought it was unnecessary that he was so tall. I wondered how I’d ever climb that tree without falling off.

"Classes do not begin until nine today, because of the ruckus," he said. "Follow me. We have a few things to talk about on the assessments you took yesterday," he said professionally.

It was so damned sexy, I had no idea when I blurted, "Yes sir."

He stumbled mid-step, his head whipping back so fast, it was almost comical. A flush ran down from his ears to his neck.

Was he... blushing?

His lips parted, like he had something to say, but we were saved when I heard someone yell, "Maisie!"