Surviving Plagues (Artemis University Book 3) Read online

  Tamsin: You and your dragon are so demanding.

  Hudson: You love it. I normally demand to please you and you love it.

  He had me there. I did, shivering as I thought about some fun with him.

  Tamsin: This conversation is turning me on and I’m studying with Darby.

  Hudson: I miss you. I need you. I want to be inside of you.

  Oh, great, that helped. Dick.

  I bit back a groan thinking about his huge dick. I was such a perv sometimes. Fine, two could play this game.

  Tamsin: Maybe I should let you ride me hard when your time-out’s over and show you my nape, completely naked and begging for you, touching myself so I come for you again and again.

  Hudson: Fuck the gods, Tamsin! I need to see you. I’m THROBBING for you. I want to fuck you in that little dress. I dreamed of you wearing it for me and fucking you on that table in front of the whole restaurant after I ate you again and again.

  Tamsin: You have such a skirt fetish! Fuck, you’re going to make me wet and then the doc will thank you for winding me up so I jump him. Do you want me to live chat you as he takes me?

  Hudson: Yes. Does he feel as good inside of you as I do? Do you think of both of us in you?

  Tamsin: Yes, but we haven’t had sex yet, only fun and sleepovers.

  Hudson: I want sleepovers. I want you in my bed. I want my whole room to smell of your sweetness again. I’m going to make you scream as I fuck you, my princess.

  “Why are you so turned on?” Darby demanded quietly, snapping me out of my haze.

  I almost yelped as I fumbled with my phone. I cleared my throat and locked it. “Sorry, just reading something.”

  “Clearly you were sending dirty messages,” he drawled.

  “Um, yeah, needed a break. I’ll be right back.” I was out of my seat way too fast, texting Craftsman to meet me in my room since the crew and everyone was on the other side of the mansion.

  He gladly joined me and while we didn’t have sex, we did have a lot of fun.

  And then the dick texted Hudson, thanking him for teasing me so he got to please me. Men.

  8

  I was getting ready for bed Friday night when Craftsman threw open the door to my suite and came in. He slammed the door behind him, locking it and with a sound barrier before storming over to me.

  “What’s wrong?” I whispered, taking an unintentional step back when I felt he was rolling with energy that I didn’t understand.

  He didn’t answer, grabbing me to him and kissing me like a crazy man and so fiercely our teeth hit as he tried to devour me. He lifted me up so every inch of me was pressed against him and his hand went in my hair to keep me in place.

  “Julian?” I panted before he came back for more.

  He carried me to the bed and followed me down when he placed me on it, never letting me go. He yanked off my bed shorts and cami before I even realized what he was doing, the tearing sounds clueing me in.

  When I was naked and he was touching me everywhere he finally slowed down the kissing. He leaned his forehead to mine and I felt wetness land on my cheeks.

  Was he crying?

  “You freed me, my sweet fairy,” he rasped, hugging me to him. “You freed all of us, Tamsin.”

  “I don’t understand,” I whispered as I ran my hands over his back, getting something big was going on.

  “I know and that just makes you so much more amazing,” he moaned as he kissed along my neck. “You didn’t want credit. You just wanted justice and to make things right.”

  Edelman. This had something to do with Joshua Edelman. That was the only thing I could think of that had him tied up and I’d been involved in.

  “Will you let me have you now?” he begged. “Now that I’m free and able to be only yours will you let me be with you? I’ll explain and then let me make love to you, my sweet, perfect, little fairy?”

  “I can’t think,” I admitted as he pinched my nipple and squeezed my ass. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  He gave me a soft kiss before sitting up. He licked his lips as he eyed me over and yanked his shirt off.

  “The Witches and Warlocks Council made a ruling on the Edelmans. Joshua Edelman is going away for a long time for what he’s been up to. Not only that, they also ruled to undo the damage he did but make reparations to those of us he trapped, including fixing my contract and any owing him.”

  I couldn’t have stopped the smile that grew on my lips if I tried. “So your runes are yours?”

  He sighed as he undid his pants. “The ones I did last year or admitted I did as a student are like public domain. They were bought and Edelman sold them with the approval of the head of the Craftsman bloodline.

  “Which neither had a right to do as they belonged to the university, not them personally. It was how he got the backing to make it happen but the council ruled the money paid comes to me.”

  “And make the runes public so no one owns them,” I muttered, understanding the logic.

  “Yes, but I get the credit, not the Craftsman family,” he chuckled, beaming at me. “I get the bloody credit now, love. Before it was listed as them, founding by Joshua Edelman. You blew the lid off the whole fucking thing I didn’t even realize the depth to and more.

  “They told my family to take a few very large steps away from me. And if they ever tried to take credit for my accomplishments again without my permission they would approve my request to take my mother’s maiden name. It would sever the family bonds according to the whole magical world and they’d lose one of their savants, which is not okay with them. So I’m free.”

  “They don’t seem the types to not come back,” I worried.

  He chuckled as he moved off the bed and got undressed, nodding at what I said. “Of course not, but it’s in an official ruling that they went over the line. That’s huge, love. It’s bigger than a restraining order in the human world. It could mean jail time, but to us that means having magic stripped or bound. It’s huge. And you did it. You did all of this for me, my sweet, sexy, delicious fairy.”

  I felt my cheeks heat as he climbed back on the bed. “So I freed you and now I own you? Is that what you’re basically saying?”

  “Aye, you took me over,” he murmured before kissing me again. It was sweet this time and I moaned deeply. He kissed along my chin and down my neck to my breasts and then he gave them so much attention I was dripping by the time he moved lower. “I’m a free agent now with just a normal job and normal family I don’t talk to. I won’t have any alliance before you, love. Only you.”

  I came the second his tongue ran over my clit, holding his face there and demanding more. He knew that had been what was making me hold back to a level I didn’t even realize. He paid so much fucking attention to me and noticed everything. It was so damn sexy I couldn’t even put it into words.

  After a few more orgasms, he kissed up my flat stomach and gave me a worried look. “Don’t let me push you if you’re not ready, love.”

  Was he for real? Silly polite Brit.

  I flipped us and smirked at him but then frowned. I leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. “Your debt with me is paid, Doc.” I shook my head when he opened his mouth. “No, I don’t even want to keep teasing you with it. You’re completely free and don’t even owe me anything. Now do you want to continue?”

  The look he gave me spoke volumes about how silly I was to ask.

  My answer was to hold up his dick and lower myself on it. “Just so we’re clear, I’m still always the boss.”

  “Of course you are, love,” he groaned as he moved his hands to my thighs. “Lean over and give me those tits to lick.”

  “Oh, do you like these tits?” I teased him as I leaned over and worked my hips. They rubbed against his chest and I smacked away his hands when he tried to touch them. “How do I feel, Julian? Worth all the torture I gave you?”

  “Aye, love, undoubtedly worth it.” He leaned up and kissed me, holding me to him as we moved together.
“Come on me, love.”

  He moved his hand to tease my clit as I moved and the damn man knew how to press my happy button perfectly because I orgasmed, coating his cock even more with everything he wanted.

  He rolled us and linked our fingers as he spread his legs so I was open wider to him. He kissed me deeply as he moved in long, deep thrusts, hitting everything perfect inside of me. It didn’t take me long to come again and he followed me right over.

  “Don’t judge me, it’s been a few years,” he panted against my neck.

  I snorted. “I’d be offended if you could hold out for more than a few minutes after the weeks of teasing I gave you. For the record, that was worth it. So worth it.”

  “It was.” He pressed his lips against my ear. “And I’m going to have you again in the morning, my sweet fairy. You done fucked up now letting me have you because I’m even more addicted.”

  “It was always my evil plan,” I teased, swallowing my nerves of how serious that made us sound.

  Which he probably sensed since he backed off. He carried me to the bathroom and cleaned us up before tucking us in—naked—and wrapped around each other. I zonked right out in my post-sex bliss and didn’t even dream.

  Sex was a wonderful thing like that.

  The next morning I heard murmuring and tried to wake up but my bed was too comfortable.

  “Nice and tender and waiting to be teased again,” Craftsman said before I felt his fingers touching me intimately. He chuckled when I flinched. “You finally waking up, love?”

  “No, this is a prerecorded response,” I muttered even as I spread my legs wider for him. I didn’t even realize the covers were off of me and I was still naked. “Cover me back up or make me warm before I catch a cold.”

  “Bossy little minx,” he grumbled. “Someone wants to say good morning.”

  Well, that woke me up. Pushing up on my elbows, I blinked at him. “Huh?”

  He just handed over his phone to me.

  I put it to my ear. “Hello?”

  “Don’t get mad. He called me,” Hudson’s deep voice said in my ear. “He wanted to thank me for helping to push the Edelman thing and testifying what I knew. Well, I think he wanted to thank my parents but not like this.”

  “I’m not awake enough for this conversation,” I admitted. “And I think I’m about to get fucked by a sexy Brit, so I’m not mad.”

  “Love, pull the phone away from your face and see him,” Craftsman chuckled.

  My eyes went wide as I realized we were Facetiming, not just a call. “You were giving him a pervy view of me while I was sleeping?”

  “You love it,” he mumbled before burying his face between my legs.

  “Oh, fuck me,” I moaned, moving the phone back to see Hudson’s handsome face.

  “You are so fucking gorgeous,” he whispered. “I can’t wait to watch him take you in person before I do next, my princess.”

  Yup, I came. The dirty guys got me to orgasm a lot and Hudson watched us have sex from where I propped up the phone on the pillow.

  “We could sneak him in through the portal,” Craftsman offered as I lay there panting and spent.

  “I can’t, stupid meeting,” Hudson grumbled. “But the moment we’re back on campus, I’m coming to find you to make you scream some more, my princess, so I need you to lift my time-out.”

  “Maybe, I’ll let you know,” I teased, but really, I hadn’t had much time to think about how I felt on what he’d done. I thought I was over it, but he did need to earn back my trust and I hoped he understood that.

  I really did because I liked him.

  Craftsman looked way too happy with himself as we went to shower. I’d never showered with a guy so I was trying not to cover myself now that the hormones had cooled and his smirking that he’d done a good job at loving on me didn’t help.

  I finished first, which was ridiculous given how much hair I had and meant he basically had just watched me shower. I needed a moment away from him so I quickly dressed and headed to the kitchen for food.

  Mel was there and she choked on her coffee when I walked in. I gave her a confused look as she eyed me over.

  Did I have a hickey or something? I covered my neck like it would help but I would have already healed by then. My faster than human healing was kicking up notches now and again and there was no way I’d still have a hickey unless he took a bite out of me.

  Izzy was there too and she was glancing between us as if trying to figure it out as well. Darby came in next with Craftsman right on his heels.

  “What the fuck did you do to my little sister that she came walking in here practically bowlegged?” Mel demanded.

  I slowly looked at her with bug-wide eyes and threw the marble I’d just picked up at her. “Fuck, Mel, not everyone here knew.” I gestured to Izzy, who looked like she was going to fall out of her chair.

  “Oh please, she would have figured it out,” Mel waved off.

  “Wait, so Dr. Craftsman is your boyfriend?” Izzy hissed at me. “And Darby? Anyone else?”

  “Not my boyfriend,” I blurted before Mel could tell her about Hudson next. That was on the DL. “We’re, um, yeah, and I went to dinner with Darby and we’re doing it again.”

  “Basically she’s a huge hussy,” Mel teased, rolling her eyes at me. “Clearly from the several shades of red she’s turning.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me. “So how was it? I heard Brits are fab in bed.”

  “Tomorrow I start looking for a new older sister,” I grumbled, grabbing my juice and going to sit by Izzy. “You talk too much and say things that upset me.”

  Mel instantly lost her smile. “I’m sorry. It never bothered you before. I really was only teasing you when I got past the shock of you walking in here gingerly.”

  “Did I hurt you?” Craftsman worried. “Was this morning too much?”

  “Oh, for the love of…” I let my head fall to the table hard enough my forehead hitting it echoed in the kitchen. “I’m fine, thank you for your concern. I’ve never done what we did and—” I lifted my head and narrowed my eyes at Mel. “If you make anal sex jokes I’m never telling you anything again.”

  She raised her hands in surrender. “I assumed morning sex after sleeping over. None of those losers you banged stuck around.”

  “Dude, seriously, even I have more tact,” Izzy chastised her.

  Mel had the grace to wince at least. “Sorry, I lost all filters and tact given who I was living with.”

  Then it was my turn to wince. Right, that explained it, at least to me. She did used to have more tact and I hope found it again because she was fine with that sort of environment, but I would lose my mind living with some of those women or open book people like them.

  “I’ll be better. I was up late handling some stuff for our friends,” Mel muttered.

  “No, it’s cool, I get it you adapted to them. And yeah, maybe I didn’t care before but a lot of that was a defense mechanism to act like how they treated me didn’t bug me. It did and I felt—I wasn’t as cool as you, Mel, to keep it casual. I was stupid and kept going back for scraps so I played it off. I’m smarter now and this is more than that so, no, I don’t want to—I like private.”

  “Got it. Sorry.”

  “We’re cool and yes, your intel on Brits is accurate.” I smiled at her when she laughed, letting her know I really wasn’t upset.

  “Wait, you went to the clinic, right?” Izzy squeaked. “Human birth control doesn’t work on us.”

  “Already taken care of, thanks, Izzy.” I leaned over and kissed her hair. “Now, can we talk about anything else?”

  “I was going to try and talk you back into bed but so much for that idea,” Craftsman grumbled as he headed over to the fridge. “Might as well use the perishables.”

  “You really should not be pouting after what you got this morning and last night.”

  He was back in front of me moments later, lifting me out of the chair and kissing me as he squeezed my ass. “I�
�m not pouting, more chastising myself for thinking with my cock only around you. I’m over the bloody moon, love, so I’m going to make you breakfast and not have to hold back when here so I’m grateful for Melody’s big mouth.”

  “Yeah, but now we really have to get a charm to block Izzy from people or they’re going to learn way too much.”

  “I’ll handle it and start working with her on shielding before your class next semester. You’re a vault but you’re right, we need her better covered.”

  “So am I getting a big English?” I asked him.

  He snorted as he plopped me back on the chair. “And I’m the dirty one? It’s a full English.”

  “In her defense, that doesn’t sound any less naughty in that context,” Izzy muttered, sending all of us into laughter… Even Darby who’d been very quiet so far. I glanced over and saw he wasn’t upset, more curious or like he was bummed he’d missed the fun.

  Craftsman made us breakfast and when he set down my plate, there was a massive orange rose on it for me. Well damn, the man really did know how to thank a woman for having hot sex.

  I almost teased him it was letting him be a perv but we weren’t alone… And it wasn’t the end of the spoiling. Oh no, he went overboard the whole weekend.

  It made having to go back to school that much harder as I liked not having to hide what we were.

  Someday. Someday we could be out if we lasted that long.

  Yeah, we’d probably end things long before I got tired of hiding it.

  I was a very glass half full woman like that.

  9

  I was not surprised when I was whisked off after I got back to school and we unloaded. I had just parked my bike in the faculty lot, my mind on the conversation Mel said she was going to have with Izzy about what to keep secret, when the energy danced over my skin at a crazy level.

  Yup, time-out with Hudson over.

  The energy was so bad I was shocked we didn’t fuck against one of the teachers’ vehicles within full view of the security cameras. He dragged me over to the classroom building and did very dirty things to me right in the main hallway in the blind spot of the cameras.