Chapter 20: Night at the Opera

**Warning: Sex scene included in this chapter. It is not pertinent to the story, skip it at your leisure!**

The light from the window bathed the room in a bright glow and Ezra sat up as Rachael began to stir. She had passed out shortly after sex and he nearly toppled on his head as she pulled the covers up around her body hogging the bed. He took it as his signal to leave and moved to the other side of the room since he hadn’t a roommate and slept in the empty bed alone like he normally would.

He threw his legs over the side of the bed and watched as the sun kissed her exposed skin. The honey tone of the light mixed with the perfectly flawless complexion of her skin and caused a stir in his boxers. Ezra squeezed his legs together trying to prevent a case of hard-to-hide morning wood but she did something he found her doing in her sleep all night, moan.

He rolled his eyes in despair and felt his body spring to life completely. Reaching down between his legs he began touching himself hoping maybe to rub it out before his impromptu roommate awakened fully. He blew out a breath and chewed on his bottom lip as he stroked himself faster in time with the soft sighs coming from the other side of the room. 

His low grunts pulled Rachael’s eyes open one at a time and she peered over in his direction as she allowed her pupils to adjust to the brightness within the room. “What the hell are you doing?!” she yelled stopping his body in motion.

Ezra pulled his hand quickly from his boxers accidentally exposing a small part of his dick from behind the cotton underwear. Rachael laughed almost wickedly and sat up. “I knew you were a fucking perv but damn!”

“I’m sorry,” he replied quietly and started for the bathroom.

“Wait!” He turned to look at her and she pulled up from the bed and started towards him. Without hesitation her mouth covered his in a sloppy kiss and she drew his tongue from his mouth and sucked it. Ezra moaned deeply and wrapped his hands around her hips pulling her closer and letting his cock touch her delicate place lightly. 

Giggling she pulled him back towards his bed and threw him to his back. Removing his boxers completely she wasted no time sitting her hot, slick pussy onto his shaft. “Oh fuck!” he choked out as she began rocking her hips on top of him drowning his cock in the glorious warmth of her body. “Oh Rachael yes!”

“Quiet! You’re gonna make me lose my nerve if you keep talking!” He nodded and she leaned forward bouncing herself faster on top of his body. Ezra’s muffled screams of pleasure released in jumbled, unintelligible grunts as he held her down on his stiff prick helping her fuck herself to gratification. Sometimes he didn’t mind being used much like she did last night if it resulted in him being touched by the girl of his dreams.

She flipped him over until his pale frame aligned perfectly on top of hers and he immediately went to work thrusting himself vigorously between her thighs driving her towards her peak. He bit his bottom lip as he watched her perfect bosom flop against her chest with every stroke of his hips. Leaning forward he closed his mouth over one of her hard nipples and moved his tongue gently over the sensitive skin. Rachael gasped and held his head in place enjoying the warmth of his mouth against her flesh. “Mmm yes Ezzie! More!”

He obliged and repeated the action for her left breast, covering it in his saliva just the same and smiling as she lifted his head to kiss him. Surprisingly Rachael found excitement and pleasure in being with Ezra; he was pretty damn good at this. He was considerably larger than Kayne and actually took the time to ensure she had an orgasm before letting himself find relief. But the fact that he was someone she used for her dirty work wasn’t lost on her and she knew after this, he’d do anything she asked of him. Hand jobs had served her well in the past but now letting him inside her body reassured her that much like an obedient hound he would never again refuse her command.

Rachael’s eyes closed and her teeth skipped across her bottom lip trying to muffle the sounds of her passion. From the way her nails dug into his arm and how her muscles were constricting and gripping his cock he knew she was climaxing and coming on him. The already tight confines of her pussy seemed to tighten even more and he groaned loudly. Rachael’s eyes opened in shock as she was filled with a sudden, unexpected warmth between her legs. Ezra stopped moving immediately but his hips involuntarily jerked forward emptying his seed within her. “Oh! Oh no! I think, I think I just came,” he replied nervously and looked down at her.

She warned him last night that if he didn’t pull out beforehand she would rip his cock off and feed it to him. But letting her know he was coming was a hard thing to do when she wanted him to be quiet. And to make matters worse her body gripped his unlike it had the previous night and he found himself climaxing in sync with hers. Ezra peeled his sweaty body off of Rachael’s and rolled to the edge of the bed. 

Afraid to look at her, he got to his feet and hurried towards the bathroom. His hand confirmed what his mouth had already said and he wiped away evidence of his orgasm. He heard her scream though she tried to remain silent so no one would know she was still in his room. He turned on the shower and got inside just as the door to the bathroom swung open revealing her angry face. “You fucking creep! I told you not to do this!”

“Rachael it was an accident I swear I didn’t mean…” She raised a hand silencing him and pushed herself in front of the nozzle of the shower. Lowering the head towards the center of her body she cleaned out the sticky mess he made there complaining loudly as she did.

“I’m gonna have your fucking balls on a plate Ezra! You did this on purpose I just know you did! Well lucky for you I’m on the pill so I won’t have to spring a freak spawn from my womb. My baby maker is reserved for Kayne!” She huffed once more and exited the shower leaving him standing in now cold water to wash in. He finished soaping up and quickly rinsed. 

Turning off the water he could still hear her bitching in the other room and thought about jumping out of the bathroom window and making a run for it. With a laugh at the silliness of the notion, he dried himself and exited towards his room passing a few resident students. Trying desperately to avoid eye contact, Ezra looked through his bureau for clothing but she ensured he pay her attention first. At Rachael’s request he went to check and make sure the hallways were empty so she could get free of his dorm without eyes on her.

“You breathe one word of this to anyone and I’ll tell them you forced yourself on me!”

“But that’s not true Rachael! I offered to walk you to your room and you begged me to bring you here!”

“Regardless! Who do you think they’ll believe? A star student with a bright future or some creepy kid already accused of murder? Not a word Ezra!” And with that she quickly disappeared around the corner and out of his dorm.

“Have you seen this?” Dean Myers growled and threw a newspaper at Smitty as he entered his office. “‘Campus Deemed Unsafe for Students’. Do you see that? That’s what they are saying about us out there and why? I ask you for a simple thing! Keep the business of this University under the radar and what do I get? Headlines that scare away potential students and potential contracts and donators! Was I unclear when I spoke?”

“No Sir, I understood you fully,” Smitty sighed hoping to appease the Dean and lower his ire just a notch.

“Yeah? Then tell me why my phone has been off the hook with…”

“DEAN MYERS!” Sarah called frantically and pushed into his office interrupting his tirade.

“WHAT IS IT?” he yelled in frustration at the disruption and glared at his secretary.

“A student found the body of Professor Steward in his office and the police are now on campus.”

“What? When the hell did this happen?”

“About ten minutes ago.”

“TEN MINUTES? Why the hell am I just hearing about this now?”

“The student that discovered him contacted the police first I was just pulled from the event organizer and hurried here to inform you.”

“Where’s the student now?”

“He’s sitting with police in the private room beside the Student Union. They wanted to separate him and question him about what happened but I asked that they wait for Administrators be present since it happened on campus.” 

“Good! I want to try and keep a lid on this as much as possible. Make sure no one says anything about what happened here until we can figure out just what the hell is going on with all of these recent accidents!” Dean Myers straightened his appearance in the mirror beside his coat rack and started for the door.

He stomped from the door followed quickly by both Sarah and Smitty. Seeing the number of flashing blue lights and officers swarming Kepler Hall he stopped dead in his tracks and growled. “And make sure we keep the press out! Tell them there was a small disturbance with a pipe burst until the police have completed their investigation.”

“Right away Sir I’ll take care of it.” Sarah started towards the fence and the throng of reporters throwing microphones and cameras in the faces of passing students while dozens of flashes of light brightened the area. She sighed trying to figure out the best cover story as she slowly made her approach. I mean really how many burst pipes would Cyprus-Gray see in one year? One thing that was certain whatever was happening on campus would not be kept from the media for very long regardless of Dean Myers’ wish.

“Are you nervous about tonight?” Christina asked watching Jordan finish her hair in the mirror.

“Nervous? I don’t get nervous! I’m excited! I have a solo before and after intermission and one before curtain call. This is going to be great! I worked on a new piece before exams last week and I think everyone will really enjoy it!”

“Where do you find the time?”

“Drugs,” she replied with a coy smile. “I don’t know I’ve always been ruled by my music; it’s my real passion. I can always find a few hours of my day for Betsy.”

“Betsy? You gave your violin a cow’s name?”

“Well it was either that or Chewy and I don’t think she would have appreciated being named after a fictional hairy beast.”

A knock on the door brought Donovan and a large vase of roses. He sat them on the table beside her arm and kissed her cheek lightly so as not to disturb the makeup he noticed she was carefully applying. “You look amazing JB you’ll definitely wow the crowd tonight!”

“Well let’s hope it’s because of my music and not my gorgeous good looks!”

“Ready?” He asked offering her his arm and grabbing the case for her violin with the other. Christina followed the happy couple towards Donovan’s Black Lincoln Navigator. Driving as quickly as he could through the downtown traffic, the trio pulled up to the Wyndham Gates Performing Arts Theatre in the heart of Emerald Cove. He parked and Jordan gave him a quick kiss for luck before rushing off with the other musicians towards the back.

“We should grab our seats I guess.” Pulling a program from the table in front of the double doors, Donovan waited for the attendant to open the door and gladly escorted Christina to their balcony seats. At 8:01pm, The Maestro stepped up to the platform, introduced the orchestra and its main stars and tapped his baton on the podium three times and the music began.

Donovan shifted in his seat and Christina smiled. “You come to all of her performances?”

“Of course; I’m her number one fan. Don’t ask me to tell you what note she plays in or the key of her solo number but I’m here every time cheering her on; quietly of course.”

“That’s very sweet. I’m sure she appreciates the fact that you are.” They listened intently at the Orchestral rendition of Habanera from Carmen as the first act went midway. Christina suddenly felt the urge to use the bathroom and the bouncing she did in the seat beside Donovan wasn’t lost on him.

He laughed and reached for her hand holding it and hoping to take her mind off the urgency of her situation. “You know you should try and go now, at intermission that place will become a zoo,” he leaned over and whispered in her ear. She glanced down at the program and realized they were nearing the ending and intermission was within the next ten minutes.

Sighing she shook her head no, “Jordan’s first solo is coming up.”

“It’s ok, I’m sure she’ll understand if you miss a few minutes of it. Besides she can’t see us from where she’s positioned on stage; it’ll be our little secret.”

Jordan stepped to the center stage and started her first solo. “I’m ok for now Donny. I really don’t want to miss it.” She smiled politely and squeezed his hand producing a thunderous chuckle from his throat that had attendees turning to shush him. He apologized and glanced at her once more but seeing her chewing her bottom lip only made him laugh harder. Donovan leaned over towards his knees to try and keep his laughter as silent as possible while Christina bounced harder in her small seat counting down the end of the solo. 

Jordan ended her solo with a bow and Christina immediately withdrew from her seat and made a beeline towards the bathroom. Finding the line just as long as Donovan said it would be, she clenched her legs together tightly and dropped onto a bench just outside the doors. The Maestro had taken the stage once more to address the audience and let them know where the rest of the show stood. He used intermission as a chance to introduce his talented performers and began with the String Family. Olivia and Jordan as well as a few other Cyprus-Gray students stood and lined up to be introduced. 

Olivia bowed as she walked across the stage in front of the roar of the audience applause. Just as he reached Jordan’s name, a small explosion popped in the left speaker near the top row balcony followed by a strange creaking sound. An overhead lighting beam had been holding up the sound system over the ceiling of the small opera room and once the connection to the speaker gave out, the beam lost its support and started falling. It took a second to realize the large construction device was heading down to the stage and right on top of the Orchestra!

Several members tumbled over the sides of the stage dropping to the floor beneath a safe distance out of the path of the plummeting pillar. “JORDAN MOVE!” Donovan yelled from his seat as he watched in horror as the beam began its collision course towards his girlfriend.

The audience gasped with terror and the Maestro quickly yanked Jordan towards him and away from the falling beam as it landed with a loud crash. Donovan wasted no time rushing down through the aisles to get to his girlfriend. She was huddled in the corner of the front row surrounded by a number of onlookers and musicians and he pulled her into him crushing her against his chest. “Are you ok? Are you alright?”

“Yes, Donny, I’m fine,” she replied out of breath and panicked. Looking up she noticed just how close she had been to being crushed. Olivia moved off of her section and down towards the couple wide eyed and shocked over what had just occurred.

“That was close Jordan! Are you sure you’re ok?” she asked noticing the way her leg was positioned beneath her body. 

She pulled up and took a seat in one of the front row theater chairs and nodded once more. “How did this happen?” Olivia demanded following the route the beam took on its way down. A severed cable just above the balcony position near Donovan and Christina’s box caught her attention and she pointed causing others to follow her gaze. “Someone planned this!”

“What? Why? Who would…?”

“JORDAN! JORDAN!” Christina rushed through the doors of the stage and down the aisle towards her friend. After returning from the bathroom she noticed the commotion and saw the beam cutting through several rows of performers’ chairs. She quickly reached her and wrapped her arms around her shaky friend. “Are you ok?” She asked brushing away strands of hair from her face so she could peer into her eyes.

Receiving the same nod as she’d given the others, Christina found Donovan’s gaze and noted the anger mixed with fear laced within his features. His eyes were fixed on a section of the balcony and his hands had balled into fists at his side. Ignoring his pain for the time being he pulled Jordan into his arms again and squeezed her close. “That was too close,” Donovan whispered against Jordan’s neck as he held her tighter in his arms. “Too damn close!”

Kendra sat rereading the last few paragraphs of her term paper. It wasn’t a masterpiece but what could be considered a masterpiece when dealing with the prison system of foreign countries in comparison to the US. It wasn’t a subject highly broached by many but it was the topic she chose for her final paper. And with the final stroke of a key it was over. She let out a sigh of joy, happy to finally get it all done and ready to hand in before the end of the semester. Not normally one for slacking off, she usually enjoyed working at her own pace. 

Her father had been a great advocate of this. Beating into her head since she was a child that she wouldn’t get anywhere in life without a little hard work. Well the fact that he was one of the most highly esteemed judges in all of Emerald Cove or even the East Coast for that matter spoke volumes to his hard work and dedication. She’d be honored to continue promoting the name Winslow in the legal field once she finished her law degree.

Turning off her computer she noticed the time and withdrew from her seat with a stretch. She had planned a quiet night of boyfriend bashing with Rachael but the fact that it was already 10 and her Kappa Delta Sister had yet to show told her it had been cancelled. Kendra smiled spotting the leather jacket she’d borrowed from Christina sitting on the back of her sofa and put it on. It really was a one of a kind and she was quickly growing fond of it. Starting towards the kitchen she noticed the backdoor of her loft sitting open and with a small ounce of panic grabbed a knife from the stand beside the microwave.

Quietly she moved in the direction of the door checking out the windows as she stepped. “Rachael is that you? You’re late you know? I figured we weren’t doing the movie night as promised and just started on my paper.” Stopping just before the opened door she let her eyes adjust to the darkness of her backyard and listened for any sounds. Her parents had bought her this one bedroom studio home close to them because they thought she would be safe. She didn’t mind having a place of her own away from campus but she hated that it was so close to the heart of downtown. 

On some nights the traffic of the city could get so loud it was distracting even with her windows shut tight to drown out the noise. With a sigh she started forward again and poked her head out the backdoor. “Hello?” Looking towards the overturned trashcan beside the walkway she shook her head and scolded herself for being so scary. She picked the can up and slowly began recovering its contents. 

A rustling sound and that of heavy foot fall drew her gaze and she clenched the knife tighter in her hand and jumped. Kendra turned and looked behind her certain that she’d seen movement just on the other end of the yard. “Is someone there?” She asked in a shaky voice but didn’t give pause for an answer. Moving as quickly as her feet could carry her she reached for her back door and threw herself towards the entryway.

Steely, cold hands with large talons gripped her before she could make it inside and she screamed dropping the blade on the ground. Kendra dug her nails into the ground trying to grab on to anything she could but her attacker was much stronger than she. The animal’s sharp claws ripped into her sides raking through the soft skin leaving deep, bloody furrows behind and another, bloodier scream rolled from her throat. 

She could taste blood on her tongue and tears had already begun pouring from her eyes. “Please! SOMEONE HELP ME!” she yelled in fear but it only seemed to please the monster behind her. It rumbled in pleasure at her whimpers of fear and lifted her in its arms. With as much power as it could muster, the beast slammed Kendra down against the pavement repeatedly until she’d lost her fight and her body went limp. 

Blood splattered against her back door and wall and it howl at the scent of it. The animal leaned forward gripping her neck tightly between its powerful jaws holding her securely. With a quick look around the area, it lifted her once more into its arms and rumbled off towards the woods swinging her prone body lifelessly as it moved.

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