Clash (Academy of Unpredictable Magic Book 6) Page 3

  This isn’t the end. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings, right? We haven’t rolled over and declared defeat yet. But it’s hard not to feel like Agustin holds all the cards here.

  I feel awful for the people who tried to stop him in that office. They never stood a chance, but by God, they fucking tried. And they paid the ultimate price for it. I hate that I wasn’t there. Oh, sure, I don’t have even the first clue what I could’ve done to stop him, but at least I could’ve done my best instead of sitting here helpless. I feel like somehow I should’ve instinctively known he would go after the High Circuit, that he’d be bold enough to just waltz in and try to take it over, and that he’d be powerful enough to actually succeed.

  Everyone looks frozen, almost dazed. Even Roman, the kind of guy who always has a plan, looks just as lost as I feel.

  Then Cam moves.

  I jump a little, startled. I didn’t expect Cam to leap into the action—he’s more of a stand back and snark kind of guy, and I thought we’d see Dmitri storm off or something first. But Cam’s pulling out his phone and shouldering his way through the crowd to get to Brodie.

  “Hey, I need your help.” He hands the lanky man his phone. “I’ve got a video on here, and we need to upload it to the internet as fast as possible.”

  My stomach crawls off the floor and back into my body, twisting into knots as a small glimmer of hope flares inside me.

  Oh, fuck yes. Cam recorded Agustin’s giant rant about how regular magic users are pathetic weaklings, about how he’s the next step in the evolutionary chain, and how he’s going to rule everyone—through violence, not peace.

  If we can get that up onto the internet and can get the magical community to see it, that’ll nip Agustin’s whole “I’m on your side and only dislike Unpredictables” act right in the bud. He wants to get rid of Unpredictables for just one reason: we’re the only people who have a chance at taking him down. He’s Unpredictable himself. He’s not looking out for the best interests of the magical community.

  At least Johnson actually believes all that fanatical bullshit he spouts. Agustin just wants to fan the flames of bigotry so that he can get Unpredictables out of his way, leaving nobody powerful enough to contest his rule.

  It’s diabolical—and unfortunately, it also seems to be working.

  Brodie takes the phone from Cam, chewing on his lip as he watches the video play. It only seems to take him a few seconds to realize that this is a big deal. His eyebrows shoot up, and he nods quickly.

  “Yeah. I’ll do what I can.”

  “Agustin will shut it down,” Asher says. “Or he’ll have his minions do it. Like with pirated films on YouTube.”

  “But they can’t shut down all the pirated films from all the sources,” Kendal says, stepping up to our little group from where she’s been hovering nearby. Her blue eyes are wide, her face so pale that her freckles stand out starkly against her skin, but her voice is steady as she turns to Cam. “Can you send that video to all of us? That way we can all upload it from all of our computers and phones.”

  Holy shit, that’s a good idea.

  “Everyone get your electronics!” I yell. “Bring them in here!”

  “Like we’re conducting a fire drill, please, people,” Hardwick calls. He’s still up on the table, but I think he overheard our conversation. At least, enough to throw his support behind whatever we’re about to do. “In an orderly fashion, no shoving, walk normally, don’t rush!”

  “I’m not sure about this.” Brodie shifts his weight from foot to foot, still holding Cam’s phone. “It could accomplish nothing and just bring Agustin down on us. Plus, with the geo-tracking as we upload, he’ll know exactly where we are—”

  “I’m sure he knows already,” Tamlin interjects.

  She steps up, coming close enough that she has to tilt her head to meet Brodie’s gaze. She takes the phone from him and holds it in front of his face, like she’s trying to make him truly see it.

  “What are you going to say you did, Brodie, when the time comes and they ask you? Are you going to say that you sat around waiting for official channels, that held back and did nothing out of fear of doing the wrong thing? Or are you going to say that you fought? That it might not have been the best way or the right way, but that you made a choice, that you stood up and did something to try to stop this?”

  She puts the phone back into his hand, curling his fingers around it and wrapping her own hands around his closed fist. “There are more of us than there are of him. The world needs to know the truth so that the world can rise up. How can we expect people to do the right thing if they’re misinformed?”

  Brodie’s looking at her with two spots of color high up on his cheeks, his eyes a little wide, like Tamlin’s possibly the craziest and best thing he’s ever seen in his life.

  I don’t think he even realizes that’s the expression he’s wearing.

  “You can upload this,” Tamlin says, her voice soft, meant only for him. “Or I will. I’ll storm the damn gates if I have to. We’re not letting him win. And if there’s even a chance that this will help, no matter how small, then I say we take it. Wars can be won and lost by public opinion.”

  Brodie looks down at the phone, then back up at Tamlin. “All right,” he says. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am.” Her voice leaves no room for argument.

  He nods, then extracts his hand from hers and starts tapping on the phone, his face still flushed.

  Everyone else files back in, computers and cell phones at the ready. Hardwick and the other professors begin organizing us so that we can upload onto as many social media sites as possible from different accounts and all at the same time so we create a flood that’s harder to shut down. We’ve got our own versions of Instagram, Twitter, and all the rest so that we can share magical videos and stuff without anyone non-magical stumbling across it—not that it doesn’t happen from time to time, and there’s a division of the Circuit that deals with that exclusively, but it helps keep those instances to a minimum—and we’re uploading to all of those sites.

  It takes some time to share the video with everyone and then upload it all. But we get it done.

  Everybody’s silent as they work. This isn’t much, but it’s all we can do at the moment. Cam’s good with social media and is walking around the large space, quietly directing people. I’ve never seen him in a leadership role like this, and I have to admit it suits him well. I’d even say it’s pretty damn hot, if it weren’t for the fact that something is… off about him right now.

  Sometimes it seems like Cam is made of pure sunshine. It’s not that he doesn’t take things seriously, but he does tend to want to lighten dark situations, to see the bright side, to cheer others up.

  Right now though, his face is serious, his voice low and firm, his shoulders stiff. It’s not like him at all.

  “People are definitely viewing it,” Tandy says, glancing up at me. Erin is peering over her shoulder and nodding along. “The numbers are ticking up fast.”

  “Good,” I tell her.

  People need to know that Agustin’s lying. He doesn’t care about regular magic users. He considers them worthless, weak, and disposable. All he cares about is himself. He probably wouldn’t even care about Unpredictables if they didn’t pose a threat to him.

  Cam nods grimly, then slips out the side door.

  Huh. Not even a smile?

  I’m proud of him—proud of his quick thinking, proud that because of him now we might have a chance to get the word out—but he doesn’t seem to feel the same way.

  I touch Roman’s arm. “I’ll be right back.”

  He glances at the door Cam just went through. His brows furrow, then he squeezes my hand and nods.

  When I slip out into the hallway, Cam’s already several yards ahead of me, leaning his shoulder against the wall with his head bent. His back is to me, and when I put my hand on his arm, he jumps.

  “Hey, are you—”

  Befo
re I can get another word out, Cam spins around, and now it’s my turn to jerk in surprise as he grabs me, hauls me to him, and kisses the breath out of me.

  Chapter 5

  Don’t get me wrong. I love making out with every single one of my boyfriends. If I didn’t, they wouldn’t be my boyfriends, now would they?

  And Cam’s a damn good kisser. Playful, passionate, energetic.

  But this doesn’t feel like him.

  Of course, it’s still a fucking amazing kiss. I sink into it, and for a wild second I forget Agustin, our situation, and maybe even my own name as Cam pins me to the wall and devours my mouth until I can feel my body melting, thrumming with need.

  It’s not how he usually does things. Not at all.

  There are plenty of empty rooms around, since half the Circuit staff are in stasis and everyone else is still in the main room uploading the video, so Cam just drags me toward the nearest one. I know I should probably stop and ask him what’s wrong, but I can feel the energy thrumming underneath his skin and the coiled tension in his muscles. He doesn’t want to talk right now, that’s for sure.

  He hauls me into what looks like a small conference room and kicks the door shut behind us. There’s a large oval table in the middle of the room with a few office chairs arrayed around it, and a smaller table along one wall. I take all of that in at a glance while Cam fumbles quickly with the door handle, turning the lock, and then his hands are on me again, his mouth slamming back onto mine as if the few seconds our lips were apart was pure torture.

  Whatever is driving him, whatever is stoking this fierce, burning need, it infects me too. My body responds to his with an answering hunger, and my tongue meets his stroke for stroke. We almost stumble as he backs me toward the table, since neither one of us is really watching where we’re going. As soon as we reach it, his hands slide down my back and over my ass, gripping my thighs and lifting me easily, depositing me on the sturdy wooden surface.

  He rips his mouth away from mine, and when he pulls back, his cheeks are flushed, his blue eyes slightly manic.

  “I have to be inside you, Sin.” He shakes his head, his nostrils flaring as his large hands massage my hips and thighs. “I have to.”

  He sounds almost apologetic, like I’ll be put out or offended that my boyfriend wants to fuck me so bad it’s making him a little crazy.

  But I’m right there with him.

  I can feel wetness dampening my panties already, and I’m breathing harder as desire dances through my body like a lick of flame. I nod emphatically, my head bobbing up and down.

  That’s all the go-ahead Cam needs. His hands move unerringly to the button and fly of my jeans, working them open before peeling my pants and panties off in one go. I shift my weight to help him, and when they get tangled up on my shoes on the way down, he lets out a noise of impatient frustration before yanking my shoes off too.

  The smooth wood of the table is cool on my bare ass as I watch Cam unzip his pants, shoving them down on his hips as he retrieves his cock. It’s hard and heavy and swollen, precum already beading at the tip as if we’ve been torturing each other with foreplay for an hour instead of two minutes of hot and heavy kisses.

  Then he’s stepping between my legs, nudging them open wider as his hands find my ass again, pulling me toward him so I’m perched right on the edge of the table. One hand moves to grip his cock, and as soon as the smooth head finds my entrance, he surges forward, burying himself inside me.

  A loud, satisfied, shocked noise falls from my lips at the suddenness of the intrusion, and Cam’s gaze flies up to meet mine. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t pull out or thrust in again. He just stays like that, buried so deep that I can feel him everywhere.

  Oh God. He really wasn’t kidding about needing to be inside me. He doesn’t even seem willing to withdraw to fuck me in earnest.

  Not that I’m complaining.

  There’s something perfect and grounding about being joined with him like this, completely filled by him, the most deeply connected we’ll ever be. My legs are wrapped around his waist, and our faces are close, our gazes locked as we stay like this. I squeeze my inner walls tight around him, and he groans. So I do it again. He bites his lip, his breath coming quicker.

  But he still doesn’t move.

  One strong hand wraps around the back of my neck while the other slips between us, the pads of his fingers quickly finding my clit. He rubs in tight circles, making pleasure radiate through my entire body. I pulse around him, squeezing his cock in the same rhythm that he might thrust into me, and I know he feels every single one.

  “Come, Sin,” he mutters, the muscles in his neck straining as he fights for control. “I need to feel you come on my cock.”

  The tempo of his fingers increases, his beautiful sky-blue irises burning as he watches me. His gaze tracks over every inch of my face, collecting each small shift in my expression as he pushes me toward the edge.

  “Fuck! Oh, God.”

  The tension building inside me snaps, flooding me with overwhelming pleasure, and I convulse around him, squeezing him so hard he lets out a choked grunt. His fingers abandon my clit as he wraps both arms around me, crushing me tightly to him and burying his face in my hair as I cling to him, riding out the waves of my orgasm. He’s muttering soft words into my hair, and I can’t quite make out what they are, but as my body slowly relaxes, coming down from the high, so does his.

  I can feel his heart beating hard against mine as he slides his hands under my thighs and lifts me off the table, carrying me across the room with his cock still buried inside me.

  Uh oh. Was he that serious about needing to be inside me?

  I have a sudden vision of us walking out into the hall like this and going about the rest of our day, as if Cam actually got his wish and somehow bound us together permanently.

  But he doesn’t reach for the door handle. Instead, he lays me down on the floor and settles his body over mine, then rises up on his forearms to look down at me. And finally, he pulls out of me.

  After having him stay so still for so long, the friction of his cock against my sensitive inner walls feels fucking amazing, and when he’s almost all the way out, he reverses course and thrusts in again, so hard and deep our bodies rock on the floor. Then he does it again. And again.

  His thrusts are long and deliberate, and even as he picks up the pace, the intensity doesn’t diminish. He’s fucking me like a man on a mission, like if he could just get deep enough, he might be able to touch a part of my soul. My entire lower body feels flushed and swollen from the orgasm that tore through me earlier, and the way Cam is driving into me makes me certain another orgasm isn’t far off.

  He’s close too. I can feel it in the way his cock is thickening, seeming to grow impossibly harder.

  Bracing his elbows on either side of my head, he drops his own head to kiss me, fusing our lips together even as our bodies move in sync. He kisses me deeply, melding our mouths together, refusing to let either one of us come up for air as we both drown in the sweetness of it.

  And I come like that.

  With Cam’s lips on mine, his cock inside me, his weight on top of me, and his warm sandalwood scent teasing my nostrils.

  With everything that is this beautiful, kindhearted, soulful man overtaking my senses.

  My arms and legs wrap around him, and he finally tears his lips from mine to let out a low groan as he thrusts in deep one last time. His cock pulses inside me, and I nip at his earlobe, drawing another noise out of him.

  I can feel the tension draining from him, the strange intensity that was so unlike Cam’s usual easygoing demeanor. His body drapes over mine for a second as he gets his breath back, then he pulls out and flops over onto his back beside me.

  As he does, it strikes me that he’s still—mostly—wearing pants and a shirt, and although my bottom half is completely bare, I’ve still got my shirt on too. Somehow, in the middle of everything, I hardly noticed it. But it feels a little strange
now, so I sit up slightly and tug my shirt over my head, then roll toward Cam and do the same to him.

  Maybe it isn’t appropriate to take off more clothes at this point, but what the hell. We just fucked in an empty meeting room, so I think we’ve pretty much blown right past the “what’s appropriate and what’s not” question. And I want to be skin to skin with him.

  Cam lets me take off his shirt and then tugs me into his body, wrapping his arms around me as I drape myself over his chest.

  Gazing up into his eyes, I catch a few lingering sparks of manic desperation as they dance around in his irises, and I can’t stop the question that pops out of my mouth.

  “What was that all about?”

  I try to keep my voice gentle and a little playful instead of accusatory. I don’t want him to think I minded the extremely hot sex or that he’s not allowed to ever feel upset.

  Cam sighs, reaching up to run a hand through his hair. “This might sound weird or callous, but right now? With you and the others? I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”

  I blink, shifting in his arms a little to get a better look at his face. That’s not at all what I thought he was going to say.

  “For the first time in years, I have a family.” He strokes my hair absently, threading his fingers through the strands. “Asher’s family has always looked out for me and done their best to welcome me in. But now it feels like I’m not just a plus one or somebody that another family has absorbed into their ranks. I’m a part of this whole unit. I’m a part of all of us, an equal part. I haven’t had that since my parents died.”

  His blue eyes soften, and my own eyes prickle as my heart swells in my chest.

  “It makes me really damn happy, Sin,” he whispers. “To share that with all of you, even if the conditions aren’t exactly ideal. But on the flip side of that, I’m also the most damn worried I’ve ever been in my life. It feels like it could all be taken away from me at any second. I could blink and Agustin could be here, or someone else he’s sent in his place, to steal away everyone I care about.”