Second Chance Soul: a paranormal reverse harem steamy slow burn academy adventure (Second Chance Academy Book 2) Read online

  I took off my coat and my wet pants before flinging myself on my bed. The more I thought about it, the more I was confused by Ms. Farkas’s behavior. I’d told her what had happened. Shouldn’t she be as freaked out about this as I was?

  Slug jumped on my tummy, slid off me, and squeezed himself between the wall and my body. Automatically, I reached out and stroked his velvety fur. Touching him calmed both of us. His rumble started like a small airplane engine and grew until he vibrated against my side.

  “You know,” I mused, never stilling my hand, “this whole thing is weirding me out.”

  Slug opened one blue eye and stared at me. I chuckled at the judgment he managed to put into a look.

  “Okay, what I mean is, it’s weirding me out more than it should. Why did Farkas not call the cops right away? And why was Lawson involved in this? I met him a few times, and I never got any psycho vibes off him. But I didn’t imagine it, did I? They tasered that kid for sure.”

  Slug pushed his head against my cheek as if he agreed. He probably only wanted me to rub between his ears, but it made me feel better. I obliged with his demand and heaved a big sigh while tickling his skin. “Man, I wish you could talk. Right now, you’re my only friend until the boys and Beth come back. Just one more day.”

  I wondered how Lance was. Really, he’d been quite the hero, attacking those men by himself. Was he brave? Or just stupid? Either way, the way he’d thrown himself into the brawl to save that poor kid gave me all the feels. Maybe I’d misjudged him.

  Slug was becoming restless, catching my fingers with his mouth and chewing on my hand playfully. I wasn’t sure how much time I’d spent mulling over the situation, but it must have been the best part of an hour.

  “Okay, let’s see what the head witch says.” I got up and kissed the obnoxious furball on the nose before grabbing my coat and leaving the room.

  The outside felt even colder than before, and I shivered in my winter clothes. My breath streamed past me as I jogged the distance to Ms. Farkas’s office. Her door was slightly ajar. I knocked and pushed the door the rest of the way open.

  “Ah, Amber. I spoke to Lawson and his team. There is a perfectly good explanation for what you saw. Apparently, the young man suffered a psychotic break due to an unfortunate drug habit. What you witnessed was the final resort to make sure he couldn’t injure himself or others. Lawson drove him to the next town for assessment, and hopefully, they’ll be able to look after him until he’s better.”

  I stared at her, dumb-founded. Seriously? That’s not what it had looked like. But then, she’d never lied to me before. In fact, Ms. Farkas had saved my life not that long ago. My head was swimming with confusion. Lawson must have twisted his story to get her off his back. Because I’d seen him knock Lance unconscious and leave him there. No responsible person would have behaved like that, no matter how urgent the situation with Matt might have seemed. If he’d actually had a breakdown.

  But judging by Ms. Farkas’s expression, she was done with this, and I knew better than to argue with the head witch. Before I left, she thanked me, but cautioned me at the same time. “Feel free to bring anything else that bothers you to my attention, but please don’t spread any rumors. You know how small communities like our school are. People love to gossip. We need to protect the unfortunate young man, if he’s ever fit to attend here again.”

  Returning to my room, I wondered if I should check on Lance, but he was probably resting after all the excitement. I wasn’t comfortable walking into the boys’ quarters alone, either. Maybe tomorrow, when Julian and Kiernan were back, I’d ask them to find out how he was doing. For now, I needed to cuddle my cat and forget about the memory of Matt collapsing to the ground before being dragged away.

  3

  I’d woken up early in anticipation and gotten ready for my boys to return. When I emerged from my tiny bathroom, Slug was scratching against the door.

  “Stop it. You’re not a dog.”

  I blinked against the winter sunshine finding its way through the dirty glass pane. Since I’d arrived, nobody had cleaned the windows. I might ask Beth to point me to the cleaning supplies. Pushing the thought away as quickly as it had popped up, I dragged myself to the door and pulled it wide. Slug slunk through the opening, winding around the legs of the person on the other side of the threshold.

  “Hey, baby. Did you miss me?”

  I swallowed the rest of my yawn, slapping my hand on my mouth. “Julian!”

  My boyfriend stood in the doorway, all six feet of vampire chic. His eyes beamed from underneath a shock of dark hair, and his black painted lips were pulled into a huge grin. I flung myself into his arms. He had filled out a little since I’d first met him and wasn’t so painfully skinny anymore. But he smelled just the same, and as I pressed the side of my face against this chest, he wrapped me into a giant hug. His woolen coat cocooned me, offering safety and warmth.

  We stood for a few seconds, while I reveled in his presence. I hadn’t expected the last two weeks to have been so boring. I’d been counting the days for my friends to return.

  “Hey,” he whispered.

  I lifted my head and smiled. “Hey.”

  And then he kissed me. I’d forgotten how soft his lips were. I opened my mouth and allowed his tongue to slip inside. A deep groan vibrated from his chest as he held me tightly. Step-by-step, he pushed me backwards in such small increments, that when the back of my knees connected with the edge of the mattress, I fell onto it with a yelp of surprise. Slug barely jumped out of the way and expressed his displeasure by hissing at us. He walked to Beth’s bed with all the grace and expression of an offended lord.

  I couldn’t have cared less. Julian lay on top of me, kissing the breath right out of me. I allowed myself to relax and sink into the mattress as his heavy body pushed me deeper. It was easy to block out the outside world, and my focus remained on where our mouths were connected.

  Julian lifted his head, amused by what I imagined was my dazed expression. “You’re so beautiful. I can’t believe how much I missed you. Kiernan’s house was fine, but I’d have preferred to stay with you.”

  “So why didn’t you?”

  “I promised to come with Kiernan. His mom—” He hesitated and started again. “I don’t want to be disloyal, but Kiernan’s home life isn’t fun. His dads are okay, but his mum is a complete bitch.”

  My eyes widened at the swear word. I’d never heard Julian lose his cool with anybody before. The way his eyes flashed and his cheeks reddened betrayed a deep anger. For a moment, he chewed on his lip, scraping off the lipstick and revealing the natural pink color of the skin. Then he smiled ruefully. “I’m sorry. They fed me and put me up for the whole break. I shouldn’t complain.”

  I nodded, keen to move on. “Well, the last two weeks nearly killed me with boredom. I’m so glad you’re back.”

  “I would have thought you’d appreciate a little less excitement.”

  My eyebrows pulled together. “Why would you say that?”

  “After all the trouble with Strickland, didn’t you enjoy sleeping in and playing with Slug?”

  “Yeah.” I pushed my hand through his silky-soft black hair and twirled a strand around my fingers. “I did that for the first few days, but it wore off real quick. I can’t remember the last time I was so bored stiff. I even started on the reading for the next term. Can you imagine?”

  Julian moved off me and sat up. “I for one am really happy you had such a boring time. If it were up to me, I’d lock you in your room and only let you out for classes.”

  I rolled to my side, resting my head on my hand. “Good thing then it isn’t up to you.”

  I was becoming irritated. After all, I wasn’t exactly helpless. I’d proven that by beating off Strickland by myself, without any help from the outside. I wasn’t sure if Julian realized that he’d upset me, but he reached out and took my hand.

  “While I was with Kiernan’s family, I had nightmares about you. I dreamed S
trickland had drained you and left you for dead. Do you have any idea how terrified I was when he abducted you through the portal? I thought we’d lost you. I don’t ever want to go through that again. So don’t get pissy with me if I worry. I only do that because I care about you.”

  I was stunned. Coming from Julian, that was a love declaration. As if he’d realized what he’d just said, his face went from intense to slightly embarrassed. He ran his hand through his hair, looking everywhere but at me. His ears were bright red, which was so adorable, I had to kiss him again.

  For a while, we were content to explore each other’s mouth. But soon, his kisses turned more demanding. His tongue pushed harder against mine, and his hands roamed under my shirt. He slipped his hand under my bra and rolled my nipple between his fingers. I arched my chest against his palm as the sensations zinged through my belly straight between my legs.

  “You like that?” he whispered against my lips. I nodded, wanting him to touch me more, but too shy to say it out loud. Thankfully, he understood without me having to beg for it. He moved lower and opened my pants. Then his middle finger brushed against my clit, flicking and sliding across the tiny bud.

  I gasped, my legs trembling, as I felt a hand other than my own caress me for the first time. My eyes shut and my head dropped back as he lay half on top of me. There was very little space on the single bed, but we made it work.

  He moved relentlessly, never increasing the pressure, never speeding up. Behind my closed eyelids, colors bloomed as he took me higher and higher. The ache in my clit swelled and ebbed with every touch of his hand. Each wave washed over me, and my body tightened in preparation of release.

  I felt out of control, trembling and moaning. Julian pushed his tongue back into my mouth. His other hand pulled on my nipple, pinching gently. His hips bucked against me in time with his strokes, and his moans matched mine in volume and intensity. We were in this together, and suddenly I didn’t feel scared anymore.

  I held my breath and my whole body stiffened. Julian increased the pressure and rubbed little circles against my clit. That’s all it took to push me over the edge. My orgasm tore through me, blinding me, stealing my voice as I screamed my ecstasy soundlessly against his lips. I could have sworn I was suspended above the bed for a few moments, watching myself surrender to pleasure, tethered only by Julian’s arms wrapped around me.

  When I finally came back to reality, I was barely able to open my eyes. I felt as if my body was weighed down with rocks. Julian smiled at me with an expression on his handsome face I hadn’t seen before.

  “Damn, you are so sexy like that.”

  “Like what?” I had to ask.

  “Coming apart under my fingers.” Julian grinned as he pulled his fingers out of my pants. As I watched, he brought them to his mouth and licked. “You taste great, too. Next time, I want to use my tongue.”

  I swallowed hard. Had he really just sucked my juices off his hand? I didn’t know what to say.

  “Are you embarrassed? Don’t be. Kiernan and I talked about what we were going to do to you when we saw you again. This is only the start.”

  My eyes widened. I suppressed a moan at the images his words conjured up. Julian’s dark head between my legs, licking at my wetness. Kiernan’s mouth sucking on one nipple while he pinched the other. Holy God, the butterflies in my tummy were migrating lower for a second time.

  Squeezing my thighs together, I resisted the urge to put his hand back between my legs. I have some self-control, dammit. I fixed my clothes and sat up. Julian grinned and followed me, putting his arm over my shoulder. Neither of us spoke until the silence became uncomfortable.

  I cleared my throat and asked, “So where is Kiernan now?”

  Julian shrugged. “He’ll be back tomorrow. His mum insisted on taking him shopping. She invited me along, but honestly, I needed to get away. And I wanted to see you, of course. I reckoned Kiernan could fend for himself for twenty-four hours.”

  I glanced at him sideways. Why was he dropping hints about Kiernan’s mom? He never went into specifics—just enough info to make me want to know more. Without thinking, I blurted out, “What’s your problem with his mom?”

  Julian’s gaze dropped to his hands. He looked uncomfortable, his whole posture tightening. “She has huge expectations of Kiernan. She pushes him to graduate best of class and has already decided what career she wants him to have. Basically, she’s a complete control freak.”

  He’d spilled the words as if he couldn’t get them out fast enough. Once he was done, his face closed off. “I shouldn’t have told you. It’s disloyal to Kiernan. I’m sorry.”

  My eyebrows pulled together. Did he think I’d gossip if he told me something in confidence? His lack of trust hurt and annoyed me in equal parts.

  It wasn’t until much later that I realized I hadn’t told him about Matt. Next time, I thought. Next time I’ll ask both Kiernan and Julian what they thought about this whole sorry business.

  4

  I spent the rest of the day in my room, trying to create a study schedule for the upcoming term. But I kept seeing the expression on his face when he basically told me to stop probing into Kiernan’s business. It isn’t like I’m the one gossiping. Julian started bitching about Kiernan’s family. All I did was ask a simple question.

  By the time I went to bed, Beth and Sharon still hadn’t returned. I woke up only briefly when they dragged their suitcases into the room, banging against the door frame.

  The next morning, we had breakfast together. Beth had brought a pack of instant oatmeal which was meant to be nuked in a microwave. Since we didn’t have one, we mixed the powder with water, and I zapped three bowls in turn until we had steaming-hot porridge.

  For the first time ever, Sharon was impressed. “I didn’t think your powers would be good for anything other than blowing things up. Looks like I was wrong.”

  I didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended. Beth responded, “Wow. I didn’t think you could be anything other than a raging bitch. Looks like we were both wrong.”

  Sharon rolled her eyes. “She’s not completely bad. That’s all I’m saying.”

  After we were done eating, I took the bowls to the community bathroom down the hallway and rinsed them in the sink. Somebody’d already had the same idea. A blond girl, much taller than me, was wiping crumbs off three plates under running water, throwing curious glances my way. As I finished the last dish, she asked, “You’re Amber, right?”

  I nodded, keeping a friendly smile on my face. After the last term, I was a minor celebrity on campus. Everybody knew who I was, and the students who’d just joined would be told about me soon enough.

  The girl continued, “I’m Lillian. What’s your first class this term?”

  “Tech-Mag. Have you had this before?”

  She shook her head. “It’s a new subject, I think. The teacher is new, too. And hot.”

  He must be the replacement for Strickland. The bastard disappeared after I beat the pants off him.

  “Well, see you later.” With a final nod, she grabbed her clean plates and rushed out of the room. I followed more slowly, watching her disappear down the hallway in the opposite direction of my room. She seemed nice and, above all, normal. I could do with some normalcy this term after the craziness of the last few months.

  By the time I got back, Sharon and Beth were ready. I quickly tidied the bowls away and grabbed my school bag. Beth and I were both attending Tech-Mag, but Sharon’s schedule was slightly different. For some reason, she had fewer classes than us, and some sounded cryptic, like “Magical Augmentation.” When I asked her about it, she shrugged. “No idea, but I’ll let you know.”

  She left just before us. As we followed her out, Beth frowned and said, “That’s weird. Why is Sharon leaving a trail of water on the floor?”

  I looked closer. Beth was right. Sharon’s floor-length skirt dragged heavily across the linoleum surface. A good two inches of the fabric was soaked. I scanned the
room, but there was no puddle that could have explained the moisture.

  I called out, “Hey, Sharon. What happened to your dress? It’s wet at the bottom.”

  Sharon whirled around, her face ashen. I stared at her, my eyes widening. What was up with her? She looked terrified.

  As we watched, Sharon pulled herself together. With a shaking hand, she brushed her long hair behind her ears. Then she smiled weakly, so different from her usual brashness. “Thanks. I must have spilled something and stepped into it. It’ll dry. See you later.”

  Well, that was bullshit. And her reaction was strange, to say the least. Beth looked at me with both eyebrows raised.

  “What was that?” she whispered.

  “No idea,” I replied. “Honestly, Sharon is so weird sometimes.”

  We were on time for the first class this term. When we entered the classroom, I made a beeline to sit with my boys. Kiernan saw me coming, and a broad smile split his face. Julian had his back turned and was talking to Lillian, the girl I’d met just this morning. They’d left a free seat, and I dropped myself down between them.

  “Good morning, darling,” Kiernan said and pecked me on the cheek. Then Julian angled my head with his fingers and pressed a chaste kiss on my mouth. My heart fluttered, despite the irritation that had lasted all afternoon yesterday. But his eyes sparkled and his black-coated lips twitched into a small smile. I couldn’t hold a grudge when he looked at me like that.

  Kiernan kissed my hair and whispered, “I missed you.”

  I pulled away from Julian and turned toward Kiernan. He brushed his cheek against mine, and butterflies danced inside my tummy.

  “I would have loved to see you last night, but my mother—” He shrugged his shoulders as if he’d already said enough. I wanted to ask, to get him to finish his sentence. But before I got the chance, a man, only a few years older than us, strode to the front of the class.

  “Good morning. My name is Justin Whitehall, and I am your Tech-Mag teacher. Most of you have probably never heard of the subject, so let me give you a quick introduction.”