Charis
I was strong, but they were stronger. Much stronger.
They leaned in, showering my face with wet kisses, running their hands over my chest and waist while my heart was slamming against my ribs in panic. I twisted and kicked, trying to break free.
"Get off me!"
That only seemed to fuel them.
Suddenly, someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me backwards. The girls stumbled forward without me, hitting the ground in a heap of laughter and still crawling to meet each other again as they resumed kissing.
When I looked up, it was Kael. His pale blue eyes were grim as his hand tightened around my wrist.
"Come on," he muttered, dragging me away.
I didn't resist.
We weaved through the chaos of students kissing, touching, some sinking into hot tubs with open moans. It was like the air was filled with lust that seemed influenced.
We passed Rhett, who now had four girls around him. His shirt was off, and thankfully, he wore swimming shorts. A wicked grin was plastered on his face as we passed.
"Eamon, come in here!" Rhett called out happily. "Let's have fun. I've got enough for everyone."
Kael didn't even spare him a glance.
I did, just for a second. The Rhett I knew—fun, cheeky, kind— wasn't in that grin. Something was off. Way off.
Kael led me to a corner of the courtyard, where one smaller hot tub was half-hidden behind an overgrown vine wall. It was almost invisible.
Kael finally let go of my hand and jumped into the water. He looked back at me. "Get in."
For a moment, I wanted to do just that. The sound of a hot tub on such a chilly evening didn't seem like a bad idea, but I remembered.
"What?"
"I said, get in," he repeated, not looking at me.
I stared at the steaming water. I couldn't. The shirt I wore was linen, and it would cling to me the moment it got wet. The bandage binding my chest might come loose, revealing the outline of my body. I'd be exposed. Found out. The entire reason I was here—fake name, fake ID, everything— would blow up in seconds.
"No, thank you," I said quickly, forcing a smile as I perched on the edge instead while still trying to sound casual. "I'll just stay here."
Kael removed his shirt and tossed it aside, then looked up at me with expectation.
"At least lose the shirt, so they'll know you're participating."
"I'm fine," I replied with another forced smile, maintaining my position at the edge.
He didn't push. Just leaned back again and shut his eyes, like he was trying to block the world out.
I dipped my legs into the hot water, pretending to relax. I couldn't. Not with what I was seeing. All around the courtyard, a lot of students were openly having sex now. Some were in pairs, threes, fours… kissing like they couldn't stop.
It was disgusting.
No, it was terrifying.
They weren't acting normal. Whatever had been in those drinks or cakes, it had triggered something primal. The Ebonvale girls looked possessed, and the Ravenshore boys weren't any better. It wasn't just hormones. It was something else. To make it worse, it was a full moon.
The energy of the Moon, slowly emerging from the sky, was fueling everything.
Kael had opened his eyes and seemed to be staring at me. When our gaze met, I lowered mine.
"I think I should thank you…"
"Think?" he scoffed, then floated to where I was, relaxing beside me. "Everytime I tell myself that I wouldn't help you, that I don't give a fuck, I end up doing the exact opposite. Why are you so naïve? Didn't your father teach you anything?"
I was quiet.
"And please, no sob stories about how Slater was favoured more than you, I don't want to hear that."
"Why are you angry at me?" I heard myself ask. "I've done nothing. In all the times you've helped me, I didn't ask for your help."
He chuckled dryly. "You're right, Riggs, but you owe me. I can't keep doing this for free. In the future, I'll cash in on these favours."
"And I'll be glad to repay them," I nodded eagerly.
Just as the words left my lips, Professor Martinez appeared, followed by the orientation instructor and someone who could only be the headmistress—she was far from me, but I could see the severe bun and the expensive suit.
I braced myself for a scolding of some sort, but instead, all three adults wore pleasant expressions on their faces, instead of shock. The headmistress especially had her hands folded behind her back. She looked like a proud parent surveying a graduation, not an orgy in progress.
I stiffened. "Did you see that?" I turned to Kael. "They're not…"
Kael sat up fast. "Shit."
In one swift motion, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the water, positioning himself in front of me and pressing my back against the edge of the tub. To anyone watching from a distance, it would look like we were engaged in the same activities as everyone else.
"What are you doing?" My eyes went wide at the sudden contact and closeness.
"They're looking, stay calm and act normal," Kael hissed.
I tried to push away from him. "They're far from us, Kael. I'm a boy like you, isn't this more suspicious?"
His arms caged me in, pinning me more to the edge of the tub. Our faces were inches apart, and I was sure my heart would explode any moment now.
"I'm serious," he growled through clenched teeth. "If they don't see us behaving like the others, they'll get suspicious."
We remained frozen in that position. While I was thinking of a way to deal with my soaking clothes, I was still painfully aware of the semi-naked man in front of me. I could hear the adults making comments about the students' enthusiastic participation in the activities.
Then her voice carried to where we were. "Who are those students isolated over there?" I heard the headmistress ask.
"Damn it." Kael cursed again.
And before I could even blink, his lips were on mine.
I gasped, not from pleasure, but from shock. His kiss wasn't tender or soft— it was a mask, a performance. I could feel the tension in his jaw, the way his hands around my arm had tightened; I was going to bruise from that, for sure. He wasn't enjoying this.
My hands pressed against his chest to push him back, but he held me there. Not hurting me, just holding me still.
The footsteps came closer until they stopped at the edge of the tub.
I felt Kael tilting his head, deepening the illusion. The adults were not going away; I was suffocating. Kael must have noticed my discomfort because his hand suddenly splayed on the back of my neck as his mouth crashed into mine again.
At first, I thought we were going to kiss to put up a show, but Kael was becoming eager; his tongue probed into my mouth, running it along my teeth, swirling around my tongue. I heard him moan as his hand around my arm loosened.
The kiss should be chaste, but I could feel the heat building between us. I found myself melting into his embrace.
I closed my eyes, lost in the moment, feeling his warm breath against my skin. His hand moved tentatively at first, tracing patterns on my arms and my back before finding its way to my hips. I gasped as he pulled me closer, our bodies flush against each other.
I felt the bulge in his trousers grow harder, pressing against my stomach, an indication that he was aroused and that would explain why he was pressing against me desperately. I tried to block out the sensations, but they only intensified. I could feel the wetness between my legs, and it didn't help that Kael was massaging my thighs.
His hands roamed my body freely, sending shivers down my spine. He kept trying to slip his hand under my shirt, but I kept stopping him. I could feel his desperation for me, and I knew if I didn't try to put an end to this, things would get worse than they already were.
"Kael!" I tried to push him. "They're gone. We've got to stop…"
It took me about three tries before he finally pulled away. His eyes were dark with desire, almost black. He was panting, and his lips were swollen from our kiss.
He kept staring at me and touching his lips as if he hadn't just kissed me so passionately.
Just as I was going to tell him that the headmistress and the other two adults were no longer watching us, Rhett suddenly appeared at the edge of the pool.
"Well, well, well," he smirked, "Look at you two. Can't keep off each other, can you?"
Kael finally tore his gaze from me and turned to Rhett. "It was nothing serious. We were just…"
"I don't care, Kael." Rhett moved closer to me, running a finger along my jawline. "I want to join in."