Chapter 0006

I lie in the foreign bed with the old house creaking and popping. My eyes burn with a mix of anger and sorrow that I'm stuck in this place where I don't belong.

A feeling like someone grasps my shoulder makes me leap up, I bang my head on the headboard. I look around. There's no one in my room but me. With my heart still beating triple-time, I lay back down, tucking my covers up to my chin. A whisper dances across my forehead and I rub at the spot. My mind dredging up all kinds of scenarios. I'm sure it's all from stress, tiredness, and wanting to be back home.

So I close my eyes. I try to force myself to sleep, but I'm so exhausted from the trip and stress that it doesn't take much and I drift off at some point.

* * *

A man is holding me. Kissing me so passionately that I moan, clutching his shoulders. The scent of honeysuckle and musk fills my nostrils. I kiss him back, my hands reaching up to cup his face. His hair over his upper lip tickles me and I frown. Lance doesn't have a mustache.

The man moves his lips to my neck, murmuring something I can't make out. His cool breath against my skin sends shivers of pleasure rippling through me.

His hands are cool against my hot flesh as he trails his palms down my arms and across my stomach. An ache builds inside of me. His touch just under my breasts unravels me. I grasp ahold of his shoulders, desperate to hang on. His lips brush mine, his fingers tangle into my hair, tilting my head back and deepening the kiss.

I grind my hips against his, wanting so much more. His body feels heavy against mine. His muscles feel lean under my fingertips as I trace the outline of him. I try to open my eyes, to see him, but I can't.

The bed shifts slightly as he pulls back from my lips.

"Don't leave me yet," he whispers. His accent is slightly lilted and I can't quite place it other than it sounds proper.

He starts kissing me on my neck, then along my jawline and down my neck.

I shiver. My mind turning to mush as I arch into him. My breaths quicken. This dream feeling so real that I can't stop. Don't want this fantasy to end. It excites and frightens me at the same time. What if this isn't a dream? I am in a supernatural school, after all.

My specter's kisses pause. Can he sense my mood? The change in the air between us now crackles with tension. What about Lance? He is my boyfriend and here I am making out with a dream lover?

He breaks this kiss with a hiss, his addictive weight suddenly gone and I feel the loss so strongly that I let out a gasp. My lips still tingle from his kiss. I sit up in bed, glancing around the small dorm room.

It is quiet and dark. My covers are askew but nothing else is amiss. I lift my fingertips to my mouth, still feeling warmth and pressure there.

Had it all been a dream? Slowly, I lie back down, forcing myself to push away the heat pooling between my legs and crave the lust-filled fantasy to return.

I turn, pressing my head into the pillow, and let out a frustrated scream.

Bad enough I have to be in this school. Now I'm having sexual dreams too? I force my mind back on Lance, picturing his sideways smile and touch. But for the rest of the night, sleep eludes me. My mind and body are haunted by the want of another's touch. Of someone who I'm sure must have been conjured up in my mind because of the paranoia of being in this academy.

***

The next morning, I rub my bleary eyes. I spent most of the night tossing and turning because of the intense dream. Even the little sleep I did manage, didn't bring back the guy with the amazing kisses. Part of me is relieved, but a bigger part feels the loss and emptiness as if I've hollowed out part of my heart.