Supernatural Academy: Year One (Supernatural Academy #1)(60)

He didn’t seem too upset. Reaching up, he tucked a wayward curl behind my ear. “Definitely. Catch you later, Maddi.” He pushed through the crowd.

Turning my pissed-off face to Asher, I said, “You better have a very good reason for deciding right now you need to talk to me after all but ignoring me for a month.”

The crowds around us moved even closer, and I bit back a whole bunch of curse words when someone jostled me. The Atlantean-five closed in on me, protecting me from all sides.

“Move,” I heard Rone snarl, and almost like magic, we had space around us.

When we were much more alone, I let out a relieved breath and the guys backed up a little. Asher’s expression remained closed off as he stood staring down, making my breath catch in my chest. It wasn’t fair that he could make me feel this way.

I tilted my chin up so I could look him directly in the eye. “You might be hot, Asher. You might have every single person in this school under your spell. But … not me. Not anymore. Say what you’ve got to say, and then stay away from me.”

I waited a moment, and when he didn’t speak, I decided “fuck it” and went to make a dramatic exit. He reached out and caught my hand before I could take two steps. I gasped—this was our first contact since the whole “almost blowing up the school” incident. The six of us tensed, the silence heavy and filled with worry, but there was nothing except a low swirl of warmth in my center.

“Our energy isn’t fighting anymore,” I whispered, staring at our joined hands.

“Is the block still in place?” he asked, expression unreadable.

I nodded. “Yeah, but it’s starting to wear; I’ll need to see Louis soon.” I shook my head, lifting my eyes to meet his. “I can’t believe we can touch now.”

We were still holding hands; he could have let go, but he hadn’t.

Asher’s eyes flared, burning silver through the green, and I barely stopped from throwing myself at him. Jesus. Could I be any more pathetic?

Frustrated with myself, I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let me. “There’s so much you don’t understand,” he told me.

“I think I can keep up,” I replied drily.

His laugh was raspy and dark. “I don’t know what the fuck to do with you. You’re everywhere. You call to the water … and me.” He leaned in closer, his lips brushing across my cheek. “I can’t get you out of my head.”

His words set something on fire inside of me, flames scorching my center.

His friends had faded into the crowd by now, reassured that we weren’t about to blow up the school. “Where have you been for the last month?” I asked, our bodies still close.

His scent was all around me again, and I tried not to close my eyes and breathe it in. Why did he have to smell like my idea of home?

“I’ve been searching for the missing books of Atlantis,” he said, distracting me from my messed-up needs. “I’ve half ripped this school to pieces and … nothing.”

“You’re trying to figure out how I’m connected to Atlantis?” I wondered.

He pulled me a little closer. “Yes,” he said huskily. “These books are our best chance of figuring out how you can have the energy of the originals but not the blood … figuring out why our powers reacted that way. I’ll be honest, despite Louis’ reassurances, I wasn’t sure we’d ever be able to touch again.”

My heart clenched when he admitted to having the same worries that I’d had.

“Why did you stay away from me?” I asked again.

He took his time answering, his gaze never wavering. “It was the safest thing for you. The first time I touched you, Arterian assassins tracked you down. The second time, I almost killed you.”

“But we’re touching again,” I murmured. “Do you think something bad is going to happen?”

I immediately wished I could take that back, worried he’d withdraw from me.

But he didn’t. “I think the worst has passed. Both of those events occurred because whatever lock was on your power was designed to react to Atlantean power. Maybe it was a safeguard. Maybe a warning system. Either way, it’s been disabled now. I don’t think we can trigger more bad luck.”

I let out a shuddering breath. “What made you decide to risk it all tonight?”

His eyes shimmered in the twinkling lights, his hands strong and firm on mine still. “I couldn’t stay away any longer,” he said softly. “I tried my best. I focused on the library. But you look—”

He broke off, and I forced air into my lungs.

“Do you want to dance?” Asher asked, and I was sad that he didn’t finish his sentence but also glad that something had broken the intensity. It was beyond…

“I’d love to dance,” I told him.

We drifted onto the dance floor, and he wrapped his arms around me. Heat and ocean and power surrounded me, and I squeezed my thighs together to ease the ache there. My entire body felt like it had been touched by a live wire, and while it had definitely been too long since I’d had sex, this was all to do with Asher.

He moved gracefully for such a big guy, our bodies sliding together in perfect sync. “Damon is not the one for you,” Asher said, and I narrowed my eyes on him. “Trust me. You deserve better.”