Chapter 8: Cassandra

I watched Dash sleep and wondered what things would be like at the end of the school year. Would we even make it to the end of the year? Things were not going to plan as we had yet to find any of the relic pieces. In my soul I could feel Edius' powers growing. No one else mentioned feeling the same, but I had no doubt we were running out of time.

The others had gone out to explore and try to meet other students. We really needed everyone on our side if we were going to defeat Edius. We could lead the way, but we needed the entire academy pulling its weight and being vigilant. Oliver had told me the previous night he knew if it came down to killing his father to save the world, then that was what had to happen. He understood things clearer and assured me there was nothing to be concerned about when it came to his loyalty toward me.

I turned to my back and yawned. It wasn't often we got the opportunity to take a midday nap with all hell breaking loose. I thought about a trip to the beach and laying out in the sun, drinking until I found myself buried in a long nap. God, what I wouldn't do for a vacation.

"What do you have on your mind?"

"Thought you were sleeping?" I tucked my hands beneath my head and looked at the ceiling. "You really do need your beauty sleep."

Dash chuckled. "I can't argue that." He pulled the covers down, revealing both our naked bodies. Of the four guys his body was the leanest, most fit. I would never tell him, but he truly had the form and looks of a god. Someday a sculptor would be making statues of him.

He turned onto his side and faced me, gently running his fingers over my bare stomach. "I dreamed about you last night," I said.

"Sexual I hope." Dash's typical reply. Yeah, the guy wanted it all the time, but when you found a man who treated you as well as he treated me, you'd give it to him. He'd never have a reason to go somewhere else. "You going to tell me about it? Was it just you and me? Did I sweep you off your feet and the two of us head off into the sunset?"

"That's very romantic." I turned on my side and moved my leg over his, his cock growing hard against my stomach. "It was just you and me." He moved his lips to mine, his scruffy chin rough against mine. I didn't mind his scruff at all, and when he actually let it grow out, I had to admit it felt deliciously wonderful between my thighs. "We'd defeated Eduis a few days earlier, and the five of us decided to head down to Machu Picchu. The others walked ahead of us on the trail while we joked and talked. We noticed a shimmering to our right. It looked like a billion crystals sparkling."

Dash put his hand on my hip, moving it back to squeeze my ass. He brought me forward, his warm skin against mine. I adored his eyes when they glimmered. "Continue." His fingers moved between my cheeks, and I moaned. "Should I stop teasing you?"

I shook my head and composed myself. He wouldn't have stopped even if I wanted him to. "We came into a small clearing where we found a waterfall emptying into a small pool of water." I placed my hand against Dash's face and gently stroked his cheek, madly in love with the man. I needed that time with him. They each had a way of making me forget all the terrible things going on around us. Dash's sense of humor, sexiness, and bravado were all endearing qualities. I thought he knew I loved those things and figured that was why he went out of his way to keep me amused.

"We striped and waded into the water," he said.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Continue."

"The water was the perfect temperature, and as you wrapped me in your arms, I fell in love with you all over again. It was like the water rejuvenated us and gave us a new beginning." I shifted my body so that the head of his cock was between my legs. Surprisingly, he didn't push forward.

"I moved you under the waterfall," he said. "You know, being the romantic guy I am."

"And you moved your mouth to my nipples." I moved my hips forward, but he still fought the urge to take me.

"My feet could touch bottom which helped me lift you higher."

I looked at him with suspicious eyes. "And then you lowered me onto you."

"And I made love to you beneath the quiet, gentle flow of the waterfall." He smiled. "All we were missing were rainbows and unicorns."

I held his face in my hand. "You've been dream hopping. How'd you do it?"

"Ever since we got here, my awareness of things have grown. While you slept, I began searching your soul, thinking I'd run into some kind of barrier."

"I remember that while I was sleeping. It was like you knocked on the door of my mind, and I let you in, thinking it was part of the dream."

Dash nodded. "As your powers grow, so do ours. As your connection to us grows, so does ours to you."

"The others know they can enter my dreams the way you did?"

"None of them have mentioned it. And I've not said anything to anyone else about doing it." He smiled. "You know, there's something I don't say enough to you, Cass."

"That I'm an awesome lover?"

Dash chuckled. "Yeah, there's that. But seriously. I don't tell you I love you enough. The words are easy enough to say. I just haven't said them the way I should." He moved over me, resting his elbows next to my shoulders. The head of his cock eased inside me and stopped. I wasn't even sure if he knew he had done so. "I love you, Cass."

"I love you, Dash." I reached between us and stroked him with my hand before letting him move inside me.

He made love to me slowly, his eyes never wavering from mine, watching me until we both climaxed, the excitement in his eyes incredible to watch. He kissed me deeply and then went to shower, leaving me to curl up in the covers. Quick, yes. Satisfying, yes. I watched his ass as he climbed into the shower, the muscles flexing, his legs lean and hard.

I fully expected the other guys to barge into the room, but everything remained quiet. I was suspicious that Dash had set the whole thing up for himself. And if he had, that was okay.

Dash left thirty minutes later, telling me he needed to catch up with the guys, sharing a long, hot kiss before leaving. I showered and headed outside, still somehow feeling Dash inside me. Part of me wanted to find him and take him back to the room and have some more fun.

I walked behind the dorm and entered the garden area, finding Aeden in his favorite lotus position, his eyes closed, his body several feet off the ground. The strength and peace on his face was an indication of just how much work he put into his magic. Magic was as much part of him as his heart was.

"No need to walk lightly," he said. "I know everything going on around me and throughout the campus."

My face turned red.

"Yeah, even that. When there's an energy spike, I can feel it in the air."

"Sorry about that. I didn't know."

Aeden chuckled. "There's no need to be sorry, and believe me, I don't do it on purpose. It just happens. How is everyone holding up?"

"The guys are out trying to drum up support. We want everyone to be on the same page when disaster strikes. We've thought about getting everyone together and giving a pep talk. Rally the troops." I sat on the bench opposite Aeden. "None of us really understand why or how it has all come down to us, a bunch of young adults. I think that's the biggest mystery for us."

"We can't stop what destiny has planned for us, Cass. I don't know why you've been called either. I just know I have to do what I can to help you and your magic." He opened his eyes and then turned his hands, so his palms were facing up. "Now is a good time to teach you further. You still have plenty to learn."

"I never thanked you for taking on the task of training me. I know I have a reputation that follows me like a storm cloud."

"I'm not concerned about what you've done in the past, Cass. I'm here to take care of you in the present and make sure you have a future."

He closed his eyes again, and I watched in awe like a child watching a circus performance. Aeden's hands began to glow and as the glowing changed colors, spheres about the size of softballs appeared. I recognized the first five colors he juggled, and then the five spheres stopped in mid-air. Aeden brought his hands together and then, as he pulled them apart, a black sphere appeared above his hands.

Aeden opened his eyes and watched the black sphere. "You have a question, Cassandra?"

"You practice dark magic as well?"

"How do you control the light if you do not know how to control the dark?"