Chapter 11 Chapter 11
Amber
Hands grabbed my shoulders, steadying me, and I immediately opened my mouth to scream.
A palm covered my mouth instantly, almost robbing me of my breath.
"Quiet," a low voice hissed and I was about to bite into the hand when silver flashed in front of me.
Damian.
I tried to pull away, tried to say something, but his hand stayed firmly in place.
"I said quiet," he repeated, his silver eyes blazing with warning.
“They hurt someone from the academy and..I saw…” I began but he glared at me.
“I know. Stay quiet.” He replied in a low voice.
“You know? Then why the hell are you simply standing here?” I hissed despite my muffled voice but he started pulling me into one of the dark corners while still keeping a firm grip on my mouth.
I yanked at his wrist, shaking my head, and he clearly realized I wasn't going to listen because his expression shifted into something between frustration and determination.
“I am warning you one last time, Red…”
“You don't understand, they were hurting someone…” I began and Damian’s eyes widened at the sound of hurried footsteps coming in our direction.
Shit.
Now we were both going to get punished for roaming around in the dark well after the prescribed hours. All because of this guy who jumped on me for no reason. But I would worry about it later.
For now, we had to run before anybody noticed us.
“Let’s go!” I whispered in panic and had barely taken a few steps forward when his hand reached out for my wrist, pulling me closer.
“What are you doing?” I asked in a mixture of disbelief and anger.
“Improvising” He said and before I could ask what the hell that meant, he cupped my face and slammed my body onto his.
The sound that left my mouth was somewhere between a gasp and a strangled moan.
I desperately tried to push him away, to make him understand this was no time for any stupid trick but nothing would have prepared me for his next move.
Because a second later, his mouth crashed onto mine without warning, swallowing my gasp of surprise.
For a split second, my brain short-circuited and my body forgot how to move.
I simply stood there like an idiot as his hand slid from my mouth to cup my jaw, tilting my head back, and all coherent thoughts disappeared entirely.
The kiss was nothing like I'd imagined a first kiss would be.
It was not sweet or soft but fire and demand and barely controlled chaos.
His lips moved against mine with a hunger that stole my breath, his teeth grazing my lower lip in a way that sent heat pooling low in my stomach, making my nerves tingle and butterflies not flutter but bloody riot in my stomach.
One hand remained on my jaw, firm and possessive, while the other slid to my waist and yanked me flush against him as if he wanted to fuse us together.
I should've pushed him away, should've been furious.
But my body had other ideas.
My hands fisted in his shirt without permission, pulling him closer instead of shoving him back. A sound escaped my throat, an embarrassingly desperate one I’d never admit to have made, and I felt him tense against me.
"Damian" I breathed and his grip on my waist tightened as some part of my brain registered the footsteps coming closer.
He seemed to have heard it too because he then quickly turned me around, backing me up three steps until my spine hit the wall of the building, using his body to cage me in, to press closer, to deepen the kiss until I forgot where I ended and he began. It was as if time was running out and he couldn't be fast enough.
It was damn difficult to focus on the mysterious figure, and what I had just witnessed. In fact, I would fumble if someone asked me for my name right now.
Because my brain dispelled all other thoughts and my entire being was laser focused on Damian, on the taste of him and how utterly delicious this was.
His thumb was tracing circles against my jaw like he was trying to memorize the shape of it as he flipped me around again, burying one of his hands deeper in my hair and tugging it down with a bit of force to leave fiery kisses on my neck.
"Stop fighting me" He growled.
Wherever his lips touched me, my skin came alive and I shamelessly obliged to his demands.
My knees were turning to jelly and at this rate I would soon be a puddle at his feet. More, I wanted more, I wanted….
"Who's there?"
The gruff voice shattered the moment like glass and Damian pulled back just enough to break the kiss, both of us breathing hard as he leaned back on the wall, the shadows hiding his face.
I spun around on my heels, my heart galloping so fast it would have broken all records if this were a race to see the now limping man and recognized him instantly.
He was Mr. Clarke, the administrator Damian had nearly choked on his first day.
He looked straight at me squinting in the darkness, and his expression went from suspicious to annoyed in half a second.
"Out of bed at this hour?" He zeroed in on me. "What's your name, girl?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My brain was still offline.
He took a step closer, staring at me angrily as I hastily adjusted my clothes and hair.
“Don’t you know this could get you expelled? You don't even seem to belong to any particular faction.”
He said, looking at the plain collar around my neck as an evil smile appeared on his face.
“Answer me!!” He shouted and then Damian stepped forward, moving slightly in front of me, and Mr. Clarke's eyes widened in recognition.
"Oh." He took a hasty step back, his tone shifting to something almost nervous. "Mr. Blackwood. Didn't see you there."
Damian said nothing, just stared at him with those cold silver eyes.
Mr. Clarke's gaze darted between us again, and I watched realization dawn on his face as I patted down my hair yet again.
A knowing smirk crossed his features.
"I’ll keep that as a little secret," he said slowly, winking at Damian as if he intended to use it later against him.
I looked at Damian who casually wiped his lower lip with his thumb in a deliberate, almost lazy gesture and pulled me close again, his arm sliding around my waist in a way that looked casual but felt like a brand.
"Shall we finish what we started?" he murmured, his voice low and intimate.
What?