He raised her, bending her back over his shoulder, his hand running along the outside of her thigh. She stretched out her leg, still following the flow of his subtle touches, even though he was now tossing her around. He suddenly gripped the inside of her thigh, turning her again as she bent her other knee, keeping her elongated leg strong as she caught her free foot and bent completely over his shoulder.
She released the pose as soon as his hands shifted, keeping herself pliant and willowy as his palms wrapped her hips, twirling her again as he lowered her, his feet already nudging hers across the floor in turn after turn after turn, until her breath dropped out of her chest completely and she was too dizzy to do anything but cling to him when he drew her back in.
“Sweet girl,” he said, holding her close, his voice rough, his hands dragging her suddenly up his body, his hips grinding into hers.
The movement was so sudden, so forceful after his drugging, guiding movements that a sound actually hiccupped from her chest, her legs hooking up to cling to his hips on instinct.
He was … hard.
And pushing right between her thighs, the solid length of him pressing tightly to her suddenly throbbing centre like her tights were only a momentary barrier that could be torn away with one of those magical flicks of his wrist.
“I think that’s enough for today.” He suddenly set her down, and she realised his song had already finished, and a new one was playing.
“Sorry,” she choked out, unsure what else to say.
He ducked to whisper against her cheek, “It’s enough for today because reducing us to shadows won’t hide a thing if I put you on your hands and knees and see how prettily you’ll bend with your hair wrapped around my fist and all that sweet-smelling, desperate heat wrapped around my d—”
“Your delightful self-control?” Gabriel was suddenly behind her, spinning her around, but his eyes seemed fixed over her head.
She swayed between them, her thoughts scattered.
What?
What the … hell?
Had Elijah just lost his composure?
“Focus,” Gabriel snapped.
“I stopped, didn’t I?” Elijah returned, a growl still riding his tone. “You try having her damp fucking tights rubbing all over the head of your d—”
“My delightful manners remain intact.” Gabriel pulled her away. “But I’m sure one of the other cavemen can empathise with you—”
“Stop.” Alpha voice. “Bring her back.”
“Ah, shit.” Gabriel froze, and a shudder travelled through Isobel.
“Ignore,” Elijah gritted, the word a breathy snarl. “That.” He made a sound that was halfway between a growl and a groan. “Take … her … away.”
Gabriel marched her over to the bench, snatching up all their stuff in the dark before guiding her back to the door, his steps quickening as the room grew suddenly, ominously silent now that her phone had stopped playing music.
“Fucking hell.” He pushed her out of the door and slammed it behind him, before grabbing her hand and tugging her into a run. “First class?” He shot out over his shoulder, before answering his own question. “It’s not time for your first class yet—”
“Shouldn’t I—” She tried to twist away from Gabriel, worried that Elijah was surging and that running away would only make it worse, but Gabriel interrupted, tugging her harder.
“You shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because that particular issue has absolutely nothing to do with your safety.”
She frowned, keeping her head down as he dragged her toward the dining hall. She could hardly demand answers with students spilling over the pathways on their way to grab breakfast and cameras leering down at them.
“There’s Theo,” Gabriel said, pointing out the tousled dark head of hair ducking into the dining hall, taller than most of the students around him. “Go straight to him. No detours. I can’t leave Elijah alone and you aren’t allowed to be alone either. Mikki’s rules.”
He spun on his heel, jogging away from her, and she followed the slow slog of students into the dining hall. Theodore had already grabbed a tray and was filling it to overflowing. It seemed that the food theme that morning was just “pancakes,” because that’s all she could see.
They were all different shapes and sizes, stacked onto labelled warming plates and surrounded by tumbling displays of fruit, selections of yogurt, flavoured creams, an assortment of syrups, and an entire section of miscellaneous toppings. There were thick and fluffy buttermilk pancakes, spotted blueberry and choc chip, orange pumpkin and pecan, buckwheat, wholewheat, ricotta, lemon, oatmeal, and cornmeal … and then there seemed to be an international section. Thin stacks from Sweden; puffy, jiggly towers from Japan; savoury samples from Korea and Japan; tiny little Dutch puffs; and flat, sugary Hungarian crepes.
She scanned the other labels with distracted eyes. Chinese, Finnish, Mexican, Persian, Bhutanese, Hungarian, and Indian … it was one of the most elaborate breakfast displays Ironside had done since she had arrived. She was used to it on special occasions, but she couldn’t remember anything special about that particular day. It was the day before Consolidation Day.
Theodore was mixing so many different types of pancakes it actually made her stomach start to turn, but then she realised he was checking his phone as he piled things on. Kilian, Cian, Moses, Niko, and Oscar were already tucked away in their booth, and only some of them seemed to have food.
“Need a hand?” she asked.
“Just the Illy I was waiting for.” He immediately doused her in a smile that made her stomach flip before he transferred the tray to her hands, pulling out a fresh one. He paused, his smile disappearing as he glanced around her. “Elijah and Gabriel are supposed to be with you.”
“They … got held up.”
“Hmm.” He examined her expression quietly, but he didn’t press her, turning back to his task until the second tray was also full. He added on what she wanted to eat, and then they carried all the food back to the table, setting the trays down as the other Alphas descended, grabbing for plates and muttering their thanks.
“Hey.” Moses caught the hem of her shirt, pulling her firmly down beside him. “Thanks for the flowers.”
She peeked over at him, but he had already released her shirt and was entirely focussed on his food, and then a sudden, booming voice distracted her, making her jump in shock.
“Attention students!” The voice reverberated through the room, projected by a microphone.
They peered out of their booth, watching as a group of officials strode into the hall, wheeling what looked like a projector on a small stand.
“If you could all give us your attention for a few moments, we have a special announcement that concerns all of you.”
It was a woman speaking: a brunette in a navy suit, her fringe sweeping over her face in a harsh fashion. “An incident has been brought to our attention,” the woman continued, stepping into the centre of the room as the other officials set up the projector, casting a light over the back wall of the dining hall.
Moses caught Isobel around the waist, lifting her out of the booth and setting her on her feet again as the other Alphas slid out, gathering around her.