The Trials: Bodies in the Library
Part Three of 'The Trials' expanded fic.
Plot Summary: Theo and Jane meet at library to work on the first trial. The tension between them comes to a head as Theo takes their relationship a step further, leaving them both reeling.
Pairing: Theo Deschamps x Jane Warfield/Reader (note: reader-insert friendly! Jane's physical description kept very vague.)
Content: fighting feelings, lust, soft mdom/prompting, physical contact, neck kissing, pinning, grinding, suddenly interrupted/almost caught
Can be read alongside listening to The Trials on Quinn.
Additional credit: Tyler McCall - original writer of The Trials audiobook.
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Saturday morning had hit Jane like a cold hard slap. She’d dragged herself out of bed into a ruggedly chill morning with heavy legs and an even heavier head. She didn’t usually have more than a glass of wine, but she’d definitely needed the martinis to deal with Theo, in the end. She dressed slowly, pinning her hair up in a high bun. They had a lot to get through today. At least she would probably know by the end of it whether it had just been the alcohol warming her last night.
Jane waited for nine o’clock outside the library, leaning on a thick oak tree adjacent to the courtyard. Crisp orange leaves danced around her feet in the morning breeze. She sighed and stepped on one of them, the crunch waking her up in a satisfying way. Time to focus. No more…distractions. No more heat. No more misplaced hunger.
She walked towards the front doors and checked her reflection in the glass. She wore a white, long sleeved blouse with a skinny silk bow around the collar, paired with a black skirt. Sheer stockings wrapped her legs and her feet donned a pair of maroon loafers with a small black heel. She shrugged. She liked it. Yet she could already hear him in her mind…”office attire.” She rolled her eyes, pushing open the doors. The smell of heavy books, dust, and silence filled her nose. It was instantly calming to her, an embrace.
Theo almost ran across the street as he hurried toward the library entrance. He was not going to give her the satisfaction of him being late once again. He grumbled softly to himself, as if ten minutes was even late. God, how proper and punctual could someone be? At a certain point it just became unrealistic, right? He ran his fingers through his hair, smoothing its soft waves down after the assault of the morning breeze. Time to focus. Just as he’d told himself a million times on the way here.
He stepped inside. Jane twirled around on the spot at the sound of the heavy door and his Oxford footsteps landing across the hard floor. He was covered in his usual dark coat, thrown over the top of a relaxed white shirt and light, khaki-grey trousers. Theo raised his hand, waving once with a casual smile. Jane half smiled back.
“Good morning, Theo.” Jane said, with a halted kind of politeness. She had already discussed the kind of books they needed with the old, meek woman at the front desk. She relayed her information to him, who looked the exact opposite of enthusiastic.
“So the librarian said all the texts you’ll need are in the back room?” he asked, his eyebrows rising. “I didn’t even know the library had a back room.” He added in a whisper. Jane ignored the prickling on the back of her neck that crept up at the sound of his gravelly, hushed voice.
She scoffed. “I’m surprised you even knew what a library was, like in general.”
Theo frowned slightly. “Hey. I’ll have you know I’ve been in this library plenty of times.” He protested. “Probably would’ve come more if I’d known there was a back room.” He added playfully.
Jane stared straight ahead as they walked, their steps echoing slightly.
“Would’ve been a great place to hook up with someone.” He grinned, trying her. God, teasing her was coming to him like second nature now. He loved it.
“Jane. You can laugh, that was a joke.” Theo encouraged. She looked sideways at him, unimpressed.
“Unless… I’ll be honest,” He paused, weighing the risk of his next statement. Totally worth it, he decided. “You seem like the kind of person who harbours secret fantasies of having sex in a pile of books.”
Jane exhaled pointedly. Why should he get away with teasing her for however long they were going to end up here? “Aw, so now you’re wondering what I fantasize about? Would you like a play by play?” She asked thickly.
Theo backtracked immediately. “What? No, no of course not. I don’t care what you fantasize about. Seriously does your particular model of robot not come with a humour chip installed or what’s the deal there?” He asked sardonically.
Jane rolled her eyes. Jesus, the amount of times this man made her roll her eyes, she was surprised they weren’t permanently affixed up into her forehead.
She went back to blanking him, reaching for the door to the back room. It creaked open in protest, the thick scent of undisturbed dust greeting them. Jane hadn’t been in here that many times, actually. She couldn’t imagine it got a lot of visitors. Theo stepped in behind her, pulling an old brass chain that hung beside the door. It clinked, and a dim light flooded the room.
The room itself was large and oval-shaped, with a few steps that led down inside. The walls were all curved, complete bookshelves from floor to ceiling. Theo guessed they must have been ten feet high, probably more. A couple of ladders on tracks rested on the shelves, unused for probably years. There were a few locked glass display cases housing old, rare books, barely visible through the layer of dust on top. A few old but elegant looking armchairs sat spaced around the room, piles of abandoned books stacked at their legs. An old, disused fireplace was dead and cold, with a thick layer of dust on the mantle. A couple of centuries-old, worn globes stood on either end of the room.
Theo whistled, taken aback.
“Wow, first of all they should send someone back here to clean more often.” He said softly, running his finger over the fireplace mantle. “Second, there must be hundreds of books back here. I can’t even read the titles on half the spines they’re so faded.” He complained, staring up at the walls.
Jane scanned the shelves steadily. Theo was still assessing the room. He bent down and blew the cover of a lone book, a small cloud billowing up from it.
“I mean, that one there looks like it’ll fall apart the moment we touch it.” He nodded towards the book he’d just inspected. “How are we even supposed to find…?”
Jane looked at him with a patronising expression before snapping her fingers loudly. Books began to fly off shelves in irregular fashion up and down the walls, leaving their places with light thwips which pierced the otherwise quiet room. The books arranged themselves in front of them, hanging in the air proudly, like they’d finally been picked.
“Woah. I do not remember learning that spell.” Theo said, eyes wide, eyebrows hovering.
“Well I’d be surprised if you did, seeing as I invented it.” Jane smirked. This was her domain, she wasn’t going to give him the upper hand in magic here.
Theo gazed down at her, unable to hide that he was impressed. “You invented a spell…that would simultaneously scan dozens of books for the desired key words and sort them for you?”
Jane shrugged and gestured vaguely, like it was old news to her that this sort of magic could be utilised.
Theo let out a small breathy laugh. “Of course you did.” He said, his voice dropping an octave. His eyes darted down to the bow around her collar. Jane wasn’t sure if he was mocking her or not, but his voice made her dig her heels in again.
“I mean, it was a lot easier than having to sort books and reading material manually. That alone used to take hours. That’s valuable research time wasted.” Jane offered.
“I suppose that explains all your success in the research department.” Theo concluded.
Jane glared at him. “Is that all I have to thank?” She asked sharply.
He rolled his eyes and shifted his weight. “Yeah, yeah, and you work very hard, whatever.” He stepped further into the room, scanning the books that still hung in the air in front of them.
Jane was looking at each one intently, deciding where to begin.
Theo sighed. “Should we get started?” He reached randomly for one of the books, its weight dropping into his hand. “I wasn’t exactly dreaming of spending my Saturday in a library with you.” He complained.
Jane’s eyes tracked his hand as he gripped the book. Her eyes fell to his fingers again, long and slender, clad with silver rings. She eyed faded tattoos on two of his fingers. She’d never noticed those before. Not that it mattered. They were here to research. She exhaled and grabbed a book. The rest floated gently down onto the fireplace mantle, waiting their turn like they were sentient.
Theo grunted as he dropped down into one of the armchairs, its faded red upholstery letting out a small, dusty puff. He exhaled, irritated, wafting it away with his hand.
Jane slid down into an armchair adjacent to him, crossing her legs and leaning back into the oddly shaped frame. It felt medieval. Who was shaped for this kind of backrest? She sighed. Oh well. She’d studied in weirder places. Although, not with weirder company. Theo Deschamps? He felt so out of place in here with her. She glanced over at him. The soft waves of his hair were falling across his ears slightly as he inspected his book. Focus. She thought, turning her attention to her own book.
The long quiet that blanketed the room was only disturbed intermittently. The crisp turning of pages, Theo’s pointed sighs, and the sound of their steps as they took turns retrieving different books. Occasionally, a muffled conversation outside, or the jingle of the librarian’s keys as she passed the door made them both look up.
But there was something else that hung in the air around them. The silence had tension. Teeth.
Jane’s mind wandered again and again as she flipped through her books. She’d focus, lock in, be on the cusp of an idea. And then…he’d move. Shift his weight. Cough. Exhale. Her eyes betrayed her each time. Flickering over to him, lingering on him longer and longer every time they did. He’d thrown his coat off in protest of his boredom – it lay crumpled against the floor near his feet. His sleeves were halfway rolled up, the smooth lines of his forearm muscles exposed. Jane’s eyes had traced them automatically from his wrists, absentmindedly searching out more.
Then, he’d undone his top few buttons and laid back lazily in his armchair. Was he trying to get a reaction? Or was he just this irritating naturally? It was late autumn, and the fireplace was dead. He couldn’t be that warm in here. She felt like she was shivering. Jane tried to ignore him. But her eyes found Theo’s chest anyway. Glimpses of his smooth, muscular plains staring back at her dangerously. Each time her eyes strayed, she dug her heels in, forcing her eyes back to her book. Her stomach flipped every time Theo whined softly at his boredom, or grunted at a passage in his book. She realised she had no idea what she’d even been reading for the past hour.
Theo had tried to break up the silence with the odd cough, the odd exhale. Tried to get Jane to say anything. He was bored out of his mind. But Jane wasn’t budging. She didn’t say a word. He flicked through his books reluctantly, taking in sentences here and there, but in truth he was thoroughly distracted. Every time Jane stood up and crossed the room his eyes trailed after her. Trailed after her legs, wrapped in those sheer stockings. The graceful line of her neck as she poured over book covers. The way she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ears as she did so. The way her skirt sat on her waist, hugging her. How she was content to sit in this silence for hours, maddeningly.
He’d tried throwing his coat on the floor in a huff, and she’d barely looked up. He’d laid back in his chair, making it creak loudly. She didn’t seem to notice. He knew what they were here for. What he was here for. His plan, his place on the Black Ravens. He knew that. But the thought seemed far away.
His body knew something else. The static coming off of her, slowly rising through the air as they sat there. The moth that fluttered in his stomach when his eyes found her jaw and followed it to her lips, pursed in concentration. The urge he felt to-
Theo threw his book down loudly. “Well I was right. This is a great room to hook up with someone in. No one has come back besides us for hours.”
Jane looked at him sideways, not lifting her head.
“Though there are places on my body I’m sure I wouldn’t want to find this dust later…” he continued jokingly, running a finger along the arm rest.
She lifted her whole head now, glaring at him, unimpressed.
“Oh come on that was funny.” Theo protested, rolling his eyes. The top of his chest flashed at Jane as he leaned forward over his knees. Her eyes darted to it for a split second too long. He caught it, his lips parting slightly. Shit- she thought.
He slid his tongue over his teeth, thinking. Jane cleared her throat, gazing back down at her book.
Theo tapped his foot. “This is extremely boring. Archaeological surveys from dead societies? Building records from 2 centuries ago? I’m falling asleep over here. Seriously are you not bored?”
Jane shook her head, eyes still on the page, not having taken in a single word since he started talking.
He grunted in defeat, leaning back in his chair again. “Huh, well then you’re either a very good liar or you have a high pain tolerance, because I’d personally rather get a root canal than keep looking at these books.” She flipped through the pages and shrugged, acting indifferent.
“Then again…” Theo said, his voice dropping. “I guess you did always love this nerdy stuff in school.”
“By that you mean…?” Jane cracked, glaring over at him, her eyes narrowing.
“You’re probably used to spending the weekends with the driest possible reading… I bet your idea of fun is like…” He paused. A half smile crawled up the corner of his mouth. “Crime and Punishment?” He added, grinning.
Frustration flashed across Jane’s face. She stood up out of her chair swiftly, turning away from him and pacing back over to the books. Was she just a walking joke to him?
Theo sighed, watching her. “God I’ve tried everything to get you to crack and nothing. You don’t laugh at my jokes, you don’t get riled up if I’m an asshole to you…”
She ignored him once again, flipping through another book at the mantle.
“You don’t even have the decency to pretend to be shocked when I proposed we work together.” His voice lowered again, enough to send a current through her spine. “There has to be something that makes you drop this perfect façade.”
Jane looked over at Theo. He was slowly rising out of his chair, looking right into her eyes, head tilted slightly like she was a dressed up question he desperately needed to answer.
“Why are you trying so hard to make that happen?” Jane questioned him.
His voice was low, insistent. “It’s infuriating…” he said in a hushed tone. He moved towards her, slow steps echoing all the way up to the ceiling.
A bright playfulness sat under his irises. The corner of his mouth flicked upward. Jane’s eyes settled on his lips of their own accord. They were full and smooth. Inviting. Cut it out. She told herself sternly.
“I don’t know why I need to get under your skin so badly…but I do.” Theo continued softly. Jane swallowed, digging her heels in. That damn voice, it lit her up like a firework. She looked back down at the books.
Theo’s head tilted down, searching out her eyes. “No one can be this prim and even-keeled all the time Jane, it’s not possible.” He said even slower, closer to her now.
Jane opened one of the books and began rustling through it, feigning busyness. In truth she didn’t even know what book she was looking at. It could’ve been an instruction manual for playing the trumpet for all she knew. Every ounce of her attention was on Theo. His voice, his steps. Her nerve endings screaming beneath her skin. And he could sense it.
Theo took one last step towards her. He was so close she could feel the warmth radiating off of him. She could smell his cologne. Masculine and earthy, with a hint of vanilla. It seemed to burn away the scent of the dust she had been inhaling all morning. She exhaled him, shutting her eyes as if she could will him out of this room, out of existence. As if she could will her feelings away.
He stopped, leaning his elbow casually on the mantle. “Eventually you just have to… explode.” He hadn’t planned this. He didn’t know where he was going with this when he got up. All he knew was this magnetism he couldn’t shake.
Jane slammed the book shut at the word. Her hands were shaking slightly. Not in anger, not in irritation. It was…hunger. Hot hunger, the kind she had tried to force away since the bar last night. The kind that she didn’t want to bow to. Her lips parted, searching for words, but none came.
Theo could feel the way she was lit up. The static clung to him. “Don’t you ever get tired of being perfectly in control all the time?” He asked softly.
“I don’t know what you mean, Theo.” Jane gave in, her words strained. Her fingers gripped the book rigidly.
“Don’t you… ah.” Theo let out a soft, playful laugh, noticing the stiffness in her grasp. “I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out sooner…” he said, his voice a gentle whisper now.
Jane’s eyes betrayed her, glancing sideways, landing on his neck. They trawled slowly downwards to his chest again, settling on his exposed skin.
“Figured out what?” Jane asked, eyes remaining on his chest for a moment. She swallowed hard, attempting to look indifferent, but she was failing miserably. Theo searched her face inquisitively.
“Well, I have a hunch that maybe in the right context, you actually love giving up control.” Theo said softly. He felt that urge again, the urge to touch her face. His fingers tingled mercilessly, his breath sat heavy in his chest. His eyes traced her neckline, landing on that silk bow again.
“The way you took directions from me last night in the bar… It was a dead giveaway.” he whispered, thick with seduction.
Jane’s eyes met his. Theo’s lips were open slightly in question, waiting for confirmation even though he knew he was right. And so did she. His stomach flipped as his hand moved towards her automatically, the urge overwhelming him. His long, slender fingers met her chin, gently tilting it up towards his face. Her breath caught at his touch. His fingers felt sturdy, confident. Like they were single-handedly keeping her head on her neck.
Theo gazed down her face, eyes trailing to her neck again. He could see her pulse jumping wildly beneath her skin.
“I bet, that if kissed your throat…” he paused, eyes darting back up to hers. “Right…there.” His hand reached across, grazing ever so slightly against her pulse point. “Where your pulse is, I would find your heart rate is through the roof.”
Jane’s heart stopped for a split second, her eyes blinking slowly without meaning to. This was dangerous, reckless. Stupid. She could shut this down. But his eyes… the way his chest rose and fell… his touch on her throat…
She tried to dig her heels into the floor, but they felt like rubber. It was useless. “I-I don’t…” she stuttered, struggling. “I don’t think so. I feel fine.”
“Ah,” Theo muttered with a soft laugh. “You don’t think so?” He already knew the answer, he didn’t have to search for it. He could feel the way her body was responding to him. A current ran hot from her pulse, into his fingertips. It was lighting him up. He could feel her façade withering away at his touch.
He smiled gently, eyes heavy. “You must’ve forgotten that I have very keen powers of physical perception…” he reminded her, his eyebrows flickering upwards. Shit. She thought again. Of course she couldn’t hide from him. Her heart hammered harder.
“It was one of the few ways I dominated you.” He whispered. She closed her eyes slowly again, inhaling at the word.
“Mmm… Dominated?” She repeated, barely audible, her head tilting back.
“Ah,” Theo said, eyes lighting up. She’d liked that. “I was going to say in sensory magic class but I can tell where your mind is at and Jane…” He paused, silence enveloping them for a moment. He leant further towards her neck, voice hot in her ear, taking in her scent. “You’d be shocked at how many ways I can dominate someone.” He growled.
Jane’s breath hitched caught again. “You’re wrong, about my heart.” she managed, trying desperately to hold on to any thread of control. It was futile. “My heart rate is just fine. See for you yourself.” She lied, badly.
Theo shut his eyes. He was overtaken by her smell, her warmth. “Okay, I will if you insist. Prove me wrong?” The question was barely a whisper. He pressed his lips against the side of her neck gently. Not forceful, but testing. He kissed once, slowly, lips parted, inhaling the taste of her skin. Divine. He thought to himself. He could’ve stayed here forever.
Jane’s pulse kicked against his lips. Theo could feel her heart beat thumping through him rapidly like a drum. He exhaled slowly, his hot breath on her.
“Liar…” he growled through his teeth. Jane whimpered almost inaudibly, the tension of the entire morning leaving her. “If your heart was beating any faster I could hear it in the next room…” Theo inhaled. He wanted more, but he brought his face back out to hers, staring down into her eyes intensely.
“The very idea that I’m in complete control right now thrills you, doesn’t it?” He murmured. Jane stared back into his eyes, drowning in them. Her neck was begging for more, her upper thighs were clenching around her.
Theo slipped his hand around the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair, his other hand reaching for her waist. He stepped forward, guiding her backwards until she was flush against one of the walls. The spines of books lay against her back. He held her there steadily, thumb tracing circles on the side of her neck. Their eyes were locked together in a kind of dance, searching each other.
“I bet you’ve never been with someone who knew what you wanted…Who knew what to do with you.” He breathed. Heat pooled low in her stomach. “I bet you’ve only been with people who treated you like some delicate perfect doll…” Theo teased her face with his, dragging slowly past her mouth, their lips almost touching.
“You’re right.” Jane breathed, frustrated. “Like I would break, like I was fragile.”
Theo smiled, his eyes heavy. “Something to be treated with caution?” He mused. “People who waited for direction from you, and only ever used a soft, careful touch?” His fingers pressed into her neck a little more.
Jane exhaled. He was right. Nobody had ever known how to touch her, how to kiss her how she wanted. No one had ever made her come undone.
He stared back down at her neck. “But that’s not what you want at all, is it? No…” his voice was a growl wrapped in velvet.
“No.” Jane whimpered simply, squeezing her eyes shut.
Theo moved his face into her neck again, his voice low in her ear. “You want to be told what to do. You want someone who knows you can take a little more.” He murmured. “You want to be someone’s good girl…” he growled.
“Fuck.” Jane breathed. It was meant to be a thought. She felt a slow, warm wetness slip between her thighs.
Theo was on fire with static, he could feel himself growing hard against his pants. “Ah,” he laughed softly. “How did I know that would work for you?” Jane turned her head into his, breathing in the smell of his hair, his skin.
“Someone’s good girl…” he whispered, “who can prove just how well she can take direction… And I bet you could, couldn’t you Jane?” Theo’s heart hammered. He’d never felt anyone respond to him quite like she was.
The heat inside Jane was overflowing. Her hands moved, finding Theo’s waist, grappling at his shirt, unable to be still any longer. “Ah.” he laughed softly again, “Oh my god Jane, you’re trembling.” he said, feeling her hands shaking, his shirt caught in her fingers.
Theo’s desire was a tense, crawling thing, snaking through his belly slowly. He wanted to be even closer to her. To touch all of her, to taste all of her. “May I try something?” He prompted lowly. “If you hate it I give you permission to kick me.” The corner of his mouth curved up, remembering the bar last night. Jane nodded, breathless. “I need to hear you say it please,” he said.
“Yes, do it.” She whispered back.
He took his hand from the back of her neck, softly collecting both of her hands from his waist. “Alright…” he breathed. “Let’s try pinning your wrists above your head…like this.” He grunted, lifting her hands up over her head, pinning her to the wall with one hand in a smooth motion. His eyes were dark with hunger, his lips open, tempting her.
Jane’s breath hitched, her chest bowing outwards. Blood rushed to her cheeks. She didn’t feel dominated, or forced. She felt safe, held. Like he’d understood that she was choosing this, even though he felt so in control.
“Oh, you look so flushed, Jane.” Theo teased. “Are you feeling alright?”
Jane searched his eyes, her head tilted back like an invitation. “I-I don’t think I am,” she stuttered. “You should check again.” She said, craning her head back more, exposing the tender spot on her neck that called out so desperately to Theo.
“Oh. You think I should check your pulse again? Alright...” he welcomed it, leaning down into her neck again, his full lips pushing against her skin, harder this time. He flicked his tongue out, tasting her. Jane couldn’t resist it any longer. A moan escaped her lips, and it wasn’t quiet.
Theo’s hardness twitched at the sound she made, his eyes rolled up. “Hmm...” he smiled, face still buried in her neck. “Jane, this is a library… you can’t moan like that in here.” He pulled his head away with great effort. “I would expect more from you of all people.” Theo’s hand tightened around her wrists, his body so close to hers now. He knew what she wanted. He could feel it prickling under his skin.
“You only get what you want if you can be quiet…” he commanded. His free hand gripped the curve of her waist. “Should I try again?”
“Please…” She breathed into him, chest heaving rapidly.
“Please...” he repeated, growling. “I like that. Well if you think you’re up to it...” His mouth found her neck once more, lips meeting it with unmistakable force. His tongue flicked out again, tasting her. His teeth scraped across her skin so fleetingly she could’ve imagined it.
Jane quivered under his mouth. Her upper thighs clenched around her again. Her underwear was slick, clinging to her. Theo breathed into her neck, she tasted divine. Beautiful. He thought to himself.
“That’s a good girl.” He murmured, eyes shut, her heat enveloping him. His fingers were slowly pulling up the side of her shirt, seeking out her skin. “Now just one more adjustment I’d like to try, if you’re alright with it?” he said, moving his face out of her neck again, searching hers for permission.
Jane nodded, a whispered “anything…” escaping her lips.
Theo bit his bottom lip. “Spread your legs, just a little bit for me.” He instructed. Jane moved immediately, widening her legs slightly in invitation.
“Good.” Theo murmured, looking down at them. “And what would happen if I just…” he grunted quietly, moving his leg forward and tucking his thigh in between hers.
“…slip my thigh between your legs? Let it rest right…” His thigh pressed against her maddeningly. “There.” He said seductively, staring into her eyes. A barely audible whimper escaped Jane’s lips, she could feel the heat of his thigh, so close, teasing her, the fabric of her skirt bunched up around his leg.
He read her reaction. “I know, close enough to relive just a liiittle bit of that tension…but not nearly what you want, is it?” Theo teased. He bent his head back down near her ear. “What you need?” He asked.
“Theo…” Jane breathed, her body doing the talking for her.
“That’s because I can’t just touch you without making you work for it. Good girls have to earn it.” He growled, sending a current through her. She felt another surge of warm wetness between her legs, her thighs trembling. “A good girl would ask politely for what she needed…” he whispered through his teeth, prompting her.
Jane whimpered softly again. “I need… I need you to touch me Theo.” She breathed, eyes closed, feeling the warmth of his thigh.
“Wow.” Theo chuckled softly. “Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been fucked properly in your life?” His eyebrows flicked upwards. He could feel the heat from between her legs through his pants, like a flame against his skin. His hardness twitched hungrily against his belt.
“I think you can’t tell that I haven’t.” Jane said with a breathy sigh. She gazed up at his perfect mouth, his blue eyes piercing hers.
“No, I didn’t think so.” He agreed. “Hmm… such a shame.” He exhaled heavily and put his lips torturously close to hers. He leant into her further, pressing his body against her. Jane’s breath escaped her as she groaned. She could feel how hard he was, pressing against her lower belly.
Theo grunted softly at the sensation. “Just imagine…” he said. “If you let me have my way with you, I would spread you open and feast upon you until you begged me to stop.”
Jane moaned quietly again, her chest bowing up towards him.
“I wouldn’t be happy until you came so many times you forgot your own name. I wouldn’t even think about fucking you until then.” Theo could feel how intensely she was trembling beneath him. He pressed his body even closer against her, tightening his grip on her wrists. His head bowed to her neck again, searching out her delicate skin.
Jane’s eyebrows furrowed, her eyes closed. She imagined him on his knees, head between her legs, tongue circling her, his long, slender fingers exploring her. She imagined her hands tangled in his hair, pulling. She was overcome. Her hips shifted, grinding down softly on Theo’s thigh, her lower stomach grazing against his hardness. She could feel properly how slick she was now, her wetness soaking through to her stockings as she moved against him.
Theo inhaled sharply, his eyes dark. “I can feel you trying to move your hips Jane.” Her hands reached up, gathering his shirt at his waist again, pulling him further into her. Their chests lay against each other, heartbeats kicking rapidly between them.
“Look at you.” He teased mercilessly, “So needy for me that you’re grinding down on my thigh.” He glanced down at her hips moving rhythmically against him. Every inch of him ached for her, she was so warm. He pressed his thigh into her with more pressure, making her breath catch.
“If I slipped my hand between your legs, would you already be soaking wet for me?” He mused. His fingers tingled almost painfully at the thought.
“Theo…” Jane whimpered. She was so tightly wound, she could come undone from just grinding down on him like this. She imagined his fingers circling her, pushing into her. “I think you should find out.” She said, almost begging.
“Hmm.” he growled lowly, “I think you’re right, maybe I should find out.” He moved his body back slightly, creating room. His hand moved urgently down to her leg, pushing up the fabric of her skirt further. He traced slowly up her thighs, wrapped in those sheer stockings. He sighed heavily, feeling her against his hands. Perfect. His fingers squeezed at her hungrily as they explored upwards, seeking her slick heat. Theo’s breathing was rapid, his other hand tight on her wrists. His lips and tongue kissed gently at her neck. Jane moaned, her hips sliding down towards Theo’s hand, guiding him. His fingers had just found her warmth, just briefly brushed against it, when…
The door swung open aggressively with a violent bang. Jane gasped loudly, jolting with fright. Theo dropped her wrists at once, backing away from her swiftly. She clenched her fists at her side, lips curling over her teeth. The moment between them dissolved rapidly, leaving a hollow space where there had just been a torturous heat. Theo spun around quickly towards the door. Jane turned into the shelf behind her, pretending to search for a book. She swiftly smoothed out her skirt. Her face was flushed, neck wet from where Theo’s mouth had been just seconds ago. She wiped it with the back of her hand, pretending to rub her neck casually.
Gregory had barged into the room and stopped abruptly at the top of the steps, eyebrows aloft in their direction. Theo cleared his throat loudly and inhaled. “Ah. Gregory. Hey man.” He said, strained and breathless.
Gregory’s eyes were wide. They darted over to Jane, tracking her as she acted like she was sorting random books casually. His eyes were glued to her face for a moment, the flushed pink fading but still visible. “Am I… interrupting something?” He asked suspiciously.
Theo was standing oddly, leaning on one hand on a nearby side table, hips bent slightly. “No - no you’re not interrupting anything. Jane and I were just, uh...” he stuttered.
“Working on the first clue, that’s all.” Jane said, her composure had returned, cheeks a normal colour.
“Yes that’s right, researching the first clue. I think we’ve got…” Theo glanced at Jane. Her hair was slightly askew, strands falling out. She was still soft and flustered underneath her composed expression.
Theo grimaced. “Ah, Sorry Gregory one second, um, just let me speak with Jane.” He said, turning towards her. She saw why - he was adjusting himself subtly, still half hard. She glanced down. “Ah.” She said simply, curling her lips over her teeth to hide her smile.
Theo straightened up, eyebrows together in frustration. “Of course he’d show up.” He whispered, deflated.
“It’s okay, Theo. I think we have all we need here.” Jane said quietly. She knew that was only true of the research, as she still felt her heart thumping. She gestured a piece of parchment at him that she’d taken notes on earlier. “I’ve got it.” She added lowly, hushed so Gregory wouldn’t hear.
Theo’s eyes widened. “Oh, you figured it out already? Alright, let’s get out of here before he can take advantage of our research.” Jane raised an eyebrow at him accusingly. “Fine, your research.” Theo surrendered.
Jane nodded approvingly. She snapped her fingers, sending all of their books and scrolls flying smoothly back to their empty spots on the shelves. Small scrapings of dust fell from the mantle as they moved.
Theo turned back to Gregory, standing up straight now, having regained his own composure. He stepped smoothly toward the armchairs and gathered up his coat, swinging it over his shoulders. Jane smiled politely at Gregory, whose eyes had barely left her since he entered the room.
“Well Gregory,” Theo started. “Uh, hate to run but we didn’t find anything here, and we’re going to go and try something else.” He said, with a shrug. “Best of luck, buddy.” He patted Gregory on the arm once with a condescending smile.
Jane and Theo slid up the steps past him. He was still eyeing them suspiciously. They closed the old door behind them, walking silently for a few moments, the only sound coming from their tandem steps.
It was too quiet. Jane gripped her parchment like it was the only thing keeping her on the ground. Theo cleared his throat. He had to say something.
“God I hate that guy.” He scoffed. “He gives me the creeps.” He looked sideways at her. “Don’t pretend you don’t think so too.”
“He’s… odd. But harmless” Jane offered. Her head was swimming, trying to form coherent thoughts.
“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you frankly…” Theo’s eyes slid over her face, hair still askew. She raised an eyebrow. “Well, you know what I mean.” He added.
She did know what he meant. But Gregory wasn’t someone that had ever been, or would ever be on her radar, let alone anywhere near it. Was Theo suddenly… jealous? She shook her head slightly. What was that?? Only last week Theo and I could barely have a cordial conversation at the recruitment meeting. And only minutes ago we were… Her neck tingled slightly where he had kissed her as she thought to herself, eyebrows tight together.
Theo’s words snapped her out of her lingering confusion. “Anyway, shall we?” Jane looked up at him. He was calm and collected, like always. Like nothing had happened. She decided matching his energy was the best course of action right now.
“We need to go back to the McKittrick, actually. Not for a martini this time.” Jane said. Although that would help… She thought to herself. She handed Theo the parchment, slightly crumpled from her grip. He shook it out. She’d traced a rough blueprint of the McKittrick on it and scrawled a small drawing of a trident inside a room towards the back entrance.
She’d noted down the first clue above it:
“From water’s bitter edge to deep below, seek the life that lies far from the shallows.”
Theo raised an eyebrow, confused. Jane sighed. He hadn’t read a thing in there, had he?
“Water with a bitter edge - the McKittrick used to be well known for brewing a signature, bitter ale. Hundreds of years ago.” She explained. Theo nodded slowly. “Seek the life that lies far from the shallows - well that’s easy. Atlantis.” She stared up at him.
His face was blank, waiting for her. “The lost city of the deep?” She prompted, rolling her eyes. Theo grinned. This was going to be easy, with her brain behind it. “You know where we need to go so you lead the way.” He said, shrugging.
They made their way outside the library entrance, stepping around to the side, out of general sight. They timed their teleportation inconspicuously with a large gust of wind, vanishing with a snap and a woosh.
They appeared with a thud in a dark, cold room. Underground. Theo shivered, rubbing his hands together. Jane snapped her fingers, a light appearing in front of them. She directed it up to the ceiling where it hung with a hum, illuminating the room softly.
Theo’s eyes adjusted slowly, clocking where they were. “The cellar of the McKittrick? Seems a bit obvious for the Black Ravens, but alright. What are we looking for?” He asked.
“Was it not obvious from the clue and the blueprint?” Jane sighed quietly. “I found the trident image drawn into an old map of the McKittrick, probably centuries old. You know, symbolic of Atlantis? They have to have Atlantis water down here. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” Jane said. She sounded kind of irritated, but Theo could see a light in her eyes, she was quietly excited.
He whistled, impressed. “You really think they’ve got a bottle of water from Atlantis in here?”
“Mmhm, we just have to find it now.” She said, scanning the room.
“Those are incredibly hard to come by these days. Where would they even keep something like that?” Theo mused.
“Well we have to start somewhere. It’s got to be in here. I don’t know exactly where but…” She trailed off, scanning the room, the lighting casting shadows through old hanging cobwebs. “Like a hidden cupboard or something maybe.” Jane shrugged, slowly walking around the walls.
“A hidden cupboard? How mysterious of them.” Theo teased. He paced around, spotting a pile of dusty, haphazardly stacked boxes in a dark corner. “Alright, let’s dig through these boxes and see what we can find?” He suggested.
“Sure, go ahead. I’ll keep checking the walls for any odd looking panels.” Jane said, not looking in Theo’s direction. She waved her hand vaguely as if to dismiss him. For a few moments they worked silently, Jane’s hands tracing over the walls lightly, Theo moving old boxes around the place.
“Wait, Jane, over here. This floorboard has an oddly perfect hole in it.” Theo said excitedly. “I bet I could fit just my finger in there and…” he queried, biting his lip. He crouched down, and slid his finger into the wooden floorboard, hooking it. With a grunt he pulled it up. Old cobwebs stretched out from beneath it and broke off as he laid the floorboard back on a hidden hinge.
Inside the hollow floor space sat a gilded box with an open top, tarnished and ancient looking. Eight, medium sized ornate bottles sat within it on a deep blue velvet fabric, perfectly lined up.
“Wow, okay.” Theo said. “And there’s exactly eight bottles.” Jane leant down to inspect them. The water inside was still and clear, glistening with an ethereal sheen. “Do you know how much these would go for on the open market?” Theo continued, astonished. “This must be millions of dollars of Atlantis water just sitting, hidden in the cellar of the McKittrick.”
Jane’s fingers reached, brushing over one of the bottles. The glass was clean, as if it physically repelled dust and cobwebs. “I was right…” She said softly. She shook her head. “I mean, of course I was right, it’s not like it was difficult. But why Atlantis water? What does that have to do with the trials, the Black Ravens? Why did they want us to find this?” She wondered aloud, half to herself, half to Theo.
He looked over at her. She looked so pretty musing, the soft light hitting her face, her loose hair falling. He forced his eyes back to the bottles. “Should we, um…” He gestured at them.
“Take them all?” She asked, one eyebrow rising. “No, I don’t think so. There’s one for each of us. Whoever doesn’t retrieve one, well they won’t move on.” She said simply. “We don’t need to take them all to progress to the next trial.”
Theo nodded. “No. You’re right. Let’s just grab the ones we need and get out of here. We’re clearly the first ones to find them anyway, so we have a head start.” He smiled, retrieving two bottles which clinked together delicately as he lifted them.
“Just to be sure though…” He closed the hatch and slid the boxes back over top of it, stacking them, completely obscuring the small hole in the floorboard. “There we are.” He stood up, handing Jane one of the bottles. He exhaled triumphantly. “Right so… that’s the first trial done. Nothing for us to do until we get the second clue I suppose.”
The air suddenly seemed thick in the room as they stood in silence for a moment. Jane glanced up at Theo momentarily, her eyes finding his mouth. The cellar was so quiet, so secluded. So…private. What if he just…
No. She flicked her eyes away, back to her bottle, clearing her throat casually. Theo sensed the weight in the air. He didn’t want to push her. “Alright well, let’s just plan to be in touch then, yeah?” He offered. No strings, no threads. A way out of today for both of them. He needed to breathe some fresh air anyway, clear his head.
Jane nodded, not looking at him. “Sure. We’ll uh, speak soon I suppose.” She shrugged.
“Great, okay. See you later then.” Theo replied casually. He half smiled at her, but she kept her eyes locked on the bottle. He acknowledged it as her farewell, snapping his fingers and vanishing swiftly with another woosh.
Jane sighed, her head dropping. She squeezed the bridge of her nose. Her head felt messier than ever. She dismissed the ball of light with a wave, plunging the cellar into darkness, and snapped her fingers, vanishing.
Theo appeared in his living room suddenly. He threw his coat over the back of the sofa, looking down at his bottle. Even with its gilded stopper and it’s ornate glass, even with it’s shimmering, ethereal contents – it didn’t come close to being the most beautiful thing he’d seen today. And that irked him. He walked to the kitchen, and placed it carefully on the bench top near his other fragile glassware. Shaped whiskey glasses, a crystalline decanter. He couldn’t fully appreciate the bottle while his head swam like this, an ungodly mess.
How had they ended up against the shelves like that? His lips on her neck, tasting her, the way she felt against him, how it had lit him up the static of a storm. When they had been sitting in the silence, when he wasn’t trying to fill it with endless teasing and arrogance, he’d finally noticed her properly. Had he always been so blind? How had he never seen her before? The elegant line of her neck, her bright eyes. The softness to her hair, the shape of her hands. The way her perfect control was just a cover, a shield. He understood now, why Ben and the others had thought she was so beautiful in college. All he could see back then, maybe even right up to today, had been himself.
This was a bad idea, something that could easily and swiftly jeopardise his chance for the Black Ravens. “Ah, idiot.” Theo sighed aloud. He grunted, running his hands through his soft waves of hair. “Ugh. What was that? I mean what was I thinking? Pinning Jane Warfield up like that, calling her a good girl? God she was so…” He exhaled, remembering.
He continued talking to no one. “It must be the stress. I mean she’s always gotten under my skin, so it’s inevitable that the pressure of the trials would make me act out in weird ways towards her.” He tried to rationalise. “It-it’s nothing. It’s a w-weird blip. And now, I’m talking to myself - great!” He exhaled heavily. “Get it together Deschamps…I need a drink.” He conceded. He poured himself a whiskey, neat, and trawled slowly over to the sofa. He sat down in a huff, swishing his glass, resting his head on his fist.
Something caught his eye. A small rolled up scroll sat neatly on top of his shiny fireplace mantle. He approached it cautiously, catching sight of the flying raven on the wax seal. “Wait, what? The second clue?” Theo asked himself. How did they know that he’d completed the first trial already? They must’ve had surveillance inside the McKittrick. Good thing he had behaved down there. How did they even get inside my house? He wondered, scanning his surroundings. He opened it tentatively.
It’s a map…of the Pacific Northwest. He scoffed. Long-distance teleportation? Well, that’ll be easy. He mused. He immediately thought of Jane, surely she’d received this as well. Could she go that far? I guess I should call Jane. He thought to himself, sighing. But, not tonight. That’s a problem for tomorrow’s Theo…
Jane stood in her bathroom, leaning over the sink. She ran the faucet, warm this time. She couldn’t stop shivering. She warmed her hands under it and exhaled, lifting her head to look at herself in the mirror. She stared at her neck, the strands of hair that’d fallen out brushing against it. She couldn’t stop feeling Theo’s phantom touch, it was as if it was etched onto her like a tattoo. She shut the tap off. Nothing a good hot shower can’t fix. She hoped.The hot water from the shower hit her like a welcome embrace. She stood directly under it, letting it run right over her head and face, letting it pour down her neck like she wanted to wash him off. In truth… she didn’t know what she wanted. He started it. She thought, frustrated. Why did he have to do that, why did he have to make this so… messy? She had been perfectly content with her stolen glances, content with hiding behind herself and focusing on what mattered – the Black Ravens.
God he was so… arrogant. Did he think that he could just hold her like that, touch her, without even knowing her, and she’d surrender? Jane growled out loud. She was angry at him. Angry at herself, because it was true. Because she did surrender so easily, because she wanted to. Was this his real plan, when they met at the McKittrick? To charm her, make her feel needy, distract her from the trials? She shut off the water slowly, standing in the shower for a moment, cold air creeping in. The cogs were turning in her head, clicking into place slowly. That had to be it. What other reason would Theo Deschamps have? He didn’t know her, he never cared to. He’d never paid her any notice before. He revelled in mocking her, teasing her. He’d so often acted like there was something wrong with her, something he disapproved of, like she didn’t belong in his world.
Jane lay in bed that night, and every night which followed that week, trying to deduce from every angle. No other option made logical sense. He had to be deceiving her. When had he ever earned anything outright? He’s using me. Using me to win, distracting me so I’ll let him. And then, it all made sense. The realisation hit her like a train.
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Disc: everything not included in 'The Trials' audiobooks was written by me.
