"Oh, I'm a mess right now, inside out"
The two weeks after the attack of the Shadow Creature had passed in a blur of exhaustion and discomfort.
Physically, Rose was doing well. She could no longer feel the stinging of the wounds and the frequent visits to the infirmary had paid off as the claw marks on her arms had healed completely.
The bite marks on her shoulder though had left thin little white scars, but they were barely visible. The skin there was a little sensitive, but Professor Harvey had assured her that would vanish too eventually, so she didn't complain.
Mentally however, she was still struggling a bit. The Shadow Creature haunted her dreams, preventing her from getting a good night's rest. The nightmares often caused her to wake up in a cold sweat, panic thrumming through her body and her limbs shaking.
After Stella and Rose had managed to defeat the monster, a team of specialists had arrived. It wasn't a coincidence; headmistress Dowling had picked up on traces of dark magic just outside the barrier and had set them the task to investigate.
The traces of dark magic were probably left by the person who'd altered the course of their teleportation, and who'd summoned the monster, but they hadn't managed to catch the culprit.
As Riven was amongst the group of specialists that had been sent out, he was the one who'd found Rose lying wounded on the ground. She could vaguely remember hearing his voice and the feeling of his warm embrace as he scooped her up in his arms, but most of it was just a blur.
He'd brought her to the infirmary and had stayed the whole night through as Rose had to be monitored closely because of her injuries. She had been glad to wake up to a familiar face, and he'd informed her about everything that had happened after she'd passed out.
Rose had been sad to hear they hadn't captured the person responsible, but that sadness was overpowered by the news that Stella was okay. Unlike Rose, she hadn't suffered any injuries.
After getting her up to speed, Riven had urged her to rest, and that's what she did. For two weeks. But today, she'd decided she'd had enough of resting.
A birthday party was being planned for Ethan, and Rose had managed to convince her friends to let her help with the decorations. Riven on the other hand, didn't come around so easily.
"Why are you so stubborn?" he complained for the tenth time as Rose turned the knob to the classroom that was now functioning as party venue.
"I'm not being stubborn," Rose argued back. She put the bag with garlands and balloons she was carrying down on a large table standing in the back of the room. "I'm doing fine, and I want to help."
She could hear an exasperated sigh leave his lips, and her mouth curved into a smile as she felt his arms wrapping around her from behind.
"I know you're having trouble sleeping," he said softly as he gingerly placed a kiss on her injured shoulder. "I'm just worried about you."
Rose inhaled sharply as he pulled the fabric of her shirt aside to examine the bite marks there.
"Does it still hurt?"
Yes. "No."
He let out a scoff. "Don't lie to me."
"It isn't exactly a lie," she mumbled before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Physically, it doesn't hurt so bad. But the memories that resurface every time I'm reminded of the scars are difficult to get rid of."
"I'm so sorry I didn't get to you earlier."
His voice was low and hoarse as he let out the words, and soft kisses were placed all over the thin white scars.
"Don't say that," she chided him, but it came out more like a breathy whisper as his touch was messing with her mind again.
She quickly wriggled out of his grasp in an attempt to get a hold of herself, and her hands reached for the bag she'd just placed on the table.
"Stella and I had it handled, for the greater part at least, and we can't change what happened," she said as she pulled out a pack of party garments. "What we can do is get this room ready for Ethan's birthday."
Riven groaned before closing the distance between them again in one long stride. He was quick to cup her face with both hands as his lips hovered just above hers.
His actions surprised her, and she gasped slightly as the back of her legs came into contact with the table behind her.
"Babe, I'm a warrior," he whispered as he lowered his head and placed a kiss just above her collarbone.
Had the skin there always been this sensitive?
One hand had travelled down to her waist while the other was buried in her hair, and his eyes seemed to search for hers as he continued.
"I'm 180 pounds of muscle, trained for battle, and you really want to use my skills for decorating?"
He leaned in again and left a trail of kisses from the corner of her mouth to the base of her neck.
He was driving her crazy. Her body felt like it was on fire, and her head rolled back involuntarily in a desperate attempt to give him more access.
"Mhmm," was all she managed to get out as jolts of electricity left a tingling sensation every time his lips came down.
The hand on her waist was now used to press their bodies together, and her thoughts seemed to turn into liquid with every carefully planted touch to her skin.
"You don't seem too sure."
Another kiss.
She could hear the words leave his lips, but somehow they had lost meaning as her mind failed to make sense of them.
Her face was flushed, and her legs had gone wobbly. If it wasn't for his arm holding her tightly against him, she would've been on the floor already.
"Well?" he urged as she didn't respond. "Are you?"
Another kiss.
Am I what? She thought as she tried to get her brain to function properly again. She shut her eyes in order to focus, and vaguely remembered what they were supposed to be doing right now.
"Yes, I am, " she affirmed, though it sounded more like a whine.
"You are what?"
Another kiss.
He knew exactly what he was doing. His voice velvety and smooth, his hands wandering over her body. He was trying to get her to cave. Was she going to?
"Riv," she let out frustratedly.
She didn't know whether she was frustrated because she wanted him to stop or because his mouth wasn't on hers yet. Either way, Riven just kept on teasing her, placing feather light kisses just beneath her ear, and never meeting her lips properly.
Her head was swooning, her thoughts a jumbled mess. But she didn't care. He had invaded all her senses, and now there was only him. She exhaled shakily as his hands trailed down to her thighs before lifting her onto the table, legs on either side of him.
She could feel her heart hammering in her chest in anticipation of his next move, but she would never find out as the door to the classroom suddenly swung open with a loud bang.
She quickly shoved against Riven's chest and whirled herself off the table, cheeks burning and eyes wide in embarrassment. Or maybe it was shock? Shock because she'd let herself get carried away like that in a very public classroom.
Mortification, she concluded silently in her head. She was mortified.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" a girl rushed out as she threw up a hand to cover her eyes.
Rose didn't know what was worse; the fact that she knew this girl or the fact that this girl had to block out the sight of Riven and her tangled up together.
'It's okay, Darcy!" Rose squeaked out, her voice high-pitched as Riven simultaneously cast his eyes upward in annoyance while mouthing a very frustrated 'Fuck off'. She was glad Darcy couldn't see his face.
"We were just preparing for Ethan's birthday party," Rose said as she shifted uncomfortably. "Putting up decorations and stuff."
Well, as you saw, we were actually making out, but same thing really, her subconsciousness stubbornly added which she tried to ignore.
"Yes, as you can tell, we're busy—" Riven started, but Rose was quick to cut him off before he had the chance to offend Darcy for the second time.
"You should drop by tonight," she suggested. "Might be a nice way to get to know some people."
Darcy looked hesitant, but as Rose sent her a beaming smile, she seemed convinced. "Sure," she said before starting to back out of the room. "Well, I'll leave you to it, then," she added awkwardly. "To the decorating, I mean."
The door fell shut with a soft click as Darcy walked out into the hallway, and Rose released a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Darcy might've agreed just to get out of there as quickly as possible, but she was just glad some of the awkward tension had left the room.
"Why would you do that?" Riven asked.
Rose noticed something that resembled vexation spiking his tone, and she was surprised to find that the urge to glare at him was almost overwhelming. "Do what?"
"Invite her."
Rose couldn't help but let out a little laugh somewhere between disbelief and insanity. "She caught us kissing in the back of a classroom, which I'm totally uncomfortable with if you hadn't noticed already, and you're fretting over me inviting her to a birthday party?"
One hand flew up to run through her hair in frustration, and she was sure a sour look was plain on her face.
To her annoyance, Riven just took her in his arms, pulling her close. She contemplated wriggling out of his grasp again, but as he let out a hearty laugh, she just buried her face in the crook of his neck. Letting him comfort her was better than arguing anyway.
"It wasn't that bad," he said as his fingers traced circles on her back. "It definitely could've been worse."
As Rose let out a loud groan in reaction to his words, he continued. "I just think there's something off about her."
"Off how?"
"I don't know. It's just a feeling. What was she even doing here? And the way she barged into the room?"
"Hmm," Rose hummed dismissively. She was still too shaken up by what had happened to think of anything else right now. "Let's just finish decorating. Preferably with a lot of distance between us."
-
By nightfall, the decorated classroom was bustling with students dancing and drinking. The party had been going for a few hours, and Rose's body was aching with exhaustion.
Even though she didn't want to admit it, she knew she hadn't healed completely yet, and the throbbing of her shoulder was a painful reminder.
The only thing making it a little bit more bearable was the big smile on Ethan's face, and so, Rose kept her mouth shut to avoid dampening the mood.
The room felt uncomfortably warm, and she craved a glass of water. She heaved a sigh as she managed to pry Riven's arm from around her waist and got him to let her go get a drink on her own. He was drunk.
While swerving though the dancing students, she decided to pay a visit to the bathroom. She quickly made her way over to the sink, and the cool water running over her wrists made her feel slightly better.
After filling her cup with water, she returned to the party, but before she could reach her friends, someone grabbed hold of her arm.
"Rose! So glad you could make it."
Beatrix.
The bitterness in her voice told Rose otherwise. I doubt it, she thought, but didn't say. Instead, she just threw her the best fake smile she could muster up.
Thinking that was the end of the one-sided conversation, she spun around on her heels, but Beatrix put her hand on her shoulder to prevent her from walking away.
Her fingers dug mercilessly into her injured flesh, and Rose tried her hardest to ignore the sharp pain cursing through her body. A small yelp escaped her lips, and she prayed furiously that the sound was swallowed by the loud music, but by the satisfied grin on Beatrix's face, she knew better.
"I heard what happened to you. So awful."
Her voice was cruel and mocking, and the urge to light her on fire was tempting. Knowing she would never do something like that, Rose just settled for glaring at her.
"What do you want Beatrix?" she snapped.
"Oh, I don't want anything. But I'm glad to see you wandering around again." The smug smile on her face gave Rose an uneasy feeling which only grew as she continued. "Sad that Riven didn't show up earlier. Maybe he was just too busy getting his attention elsewhere."
Rose was confused by her remark, but as her eyes darted over to where Beatrix was looking at, it clicked. She spotted Darcy standing with Riven. They were laughing, but it wasn't anything suspicious.
"You can stop trying to drive a wedge between us. It isn't working."
"Are you sure?"
Beatrix raised a defiant eyebrow, and as Rose glanced in Riven's direction again, she noticed Darcy's hand lingering on his arm. The first sliver of doubt entered her, and she tried to ignore the painful jab in her chest.
However, it didn't take long before her doubt was replaced by relief as she watched Riven brush Darcy's hand away. As if he could feel her gaze on him, he turned his head. Their eyes locked for the briefest moment, but as Beatrix spoke up again, her attention was drawn back to the air-fairy standing in front of her.
"You know he's not the loyal type," she said, the iciness in her voice a sheer contrast to the overly sweet smile she wore on her face. "But, then again, you're oblivious to a lot of things."
The words she'd chosen, the way her voice sounded, it spiked Rose's interest and a chill rippled through her. Whatever she was getting at, it wasn't anything good.
"What are you talking about?"
Rose had to resist the urge to step back as Beatrix leaned in. Instead, she straightened her spine in an effort to look unaffected by her close presence.
"The spiders, Rose," Beatrix sighed as if it was obvious. "They're here because of you."
***
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