My mouth curled into a wicked grin.
Well, this is fucking perfect.
I needed a pack of supplies, and this way, I wouldn’t have to go looking around for them.
Merrick’s path took him almost directly beneath where I clung to the tree trunk about fifteen feet above the ground. I tried to move as quietly as possible, sending my magic down to the soles of my boots and back up to my fingers again, renewing my hold on the strange bark.
When Merrick passed below me, I pushed away from the tree trunk, using my arms and legs to propel myself through the air as I released my magic sticky-hands. I landed directly on the blond mage’s back, tackling him in a forceful hit.
“What the—”
He didn’t get the full sentence out before we hit the ground hard.
We rolled across the dense underbrush, finally splitting apart and each slamming into one of the nearby tree trunks. We both jumped to our feet, staring at each other angrily. Of course, my stare was a bit more triumphant, and I could feel a grin stretching my face.
Merrick growled and threw a ball of magic straight at me. I dove to the right a half-second before it hit me.
As his magic slammed into the trunk of the tree, I threw a long magic rope from my hands toward a branch above him. Making sure the rope was securely wound around the branch, I yanked as hard as I could. His gorgeous amber eyes went wide, and he jumped to the side before the branch cracked in half and came barreling toward him.
But he wasn’t fast enough.
He missed the brunt of the impact, but the massive limb still hit him hard, stunning him temporarily. Springing into action, I jumped on him, sending out another magical rope to wrap around his arms. As he struggled and unleashed a stream of curses, I slid my hands down the straps and clicked both of them, letting the pack fall to the ground.
“You’re always underestimating me. Maybe this’ll be the last time you make that mistake,” I murmured, dropping my head to speak low in his ear.
I was straddling his body, sitting on his lower back, and I felt his body shudder in response to my words. An answering heat flushed through my body, and I gritted my teeth in irritation.
Dammit.
Why did we affect each other so strongly? I hated that even in a moment like this, the chemistry between us made me respond to his nearness with a surge of arousal.
I had a sudden vivid image of the other much more enjoyable reasons for us to roll around on the ground, and it took all my self-control not to grind my hips against him, seeking some friction against my suddenly throbbing clit.
“Did I underestimate you, Aria?”
His voice was soft and seductive, as if he knew exactly what was going through my mind and was tempting me to act on my wild, insane fantasies.
Nope. Not falling for your fucking tricks this time, you asshole.
I’d learned that lesson the hard way on my first day at Magic Blessed Academy. And if he thought I was going to give him a chance to make a fool of me like that again, he really was an idiot.
It would be even stupider here, where I’d be risking a lot more than a walk of shame through the school hallways.
“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about that while you’re stuck here in the jungle, won’t you?”
I chuckled as I jumped off and grabbed the pack from the ground, then slung it over my shoulders.
He glared at me angrily but didn’t say a word, just watched me walk into the woods. I jogged as far as I could with my magic still attached and then let it fade away, knowing it would turn him loose. But I had a several-minute head start, and he was likely still dazed from the tree branch that’d smacked into him.
A triumphant feeling flooded my heart, and a savage grin stretched my lips.
Ha! I had won.
By stealing Merrick’s pack, I had ensured my own survival for at least a little while longer.
The roar of something wild echoed through the forest, slowing my steps for a moment. I came to a stop and looked back the way I had come from. A small twinge of guilt fluttered in my chest, and I rubbed at my sternum absently, trying to banish the sensation.
I felt almost bad for leaving Merrick behind. But I couldn’t. I had to keep going.