by Rachel Angel
She stared blankly at him.
“You want me to spare his life, but there’s no need to spare mine?” He got off the bed and stood staring down at her. “So, it’s him, not me that you choose. Is that it?”
“Come back here, Kingsley,” Harley pleaded. “You know that’s not true. I want both of you to live.”
“Well, since the wheels are already in motion and this war is going to happen, I seriously doubt that both of us will walk away from this alive. War is a fickle thing. It doesn’t spare a life just because it is loved.”
“We can stop this,” Harley said, suddenly realizing that it was all so simple. “Kingsley, the reason we weren’t attacked by the student body of Fallen Fae and the Dean when your father signed an alliance with Spring instead of Fall was because of Oak. He is the one who told the Dean that if we were harmed The Kingdom of Wood would stop being an ally for Fall, and side with Spring. It was because of The Kingdom of Wood and Oak, that we are still standing and alive. He saved us, Kingsley. And you’re willing to kill him in return?”
Kingsley looked at her with a skeptical gaze. “Really? Oak did that for us?”
“Yes. What we need to do now is find a way to put an end to the agreement between the Dean of the Academy and The Kingdom of Woods. And we need to do it now. Right now.”
“How do you propose we do that?”
“By dropping out,” she said plainly.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No. We have to leave the Academy. We have to go to the dean and de-list.”
“I don’t like it. Harley, I wanted to go back to the Academy when the war was over. I want to finish what I started. Don’t you?”
“Not if it means that you or Oak could die in some meaningless war. Not if Woods is forced to remain allied with Fall and they both go against Spring and Sea. Hell, both of you could die in this war.”
Kingsley sat back on the bed beside her, the turmoil of the situation plain on his face.
“I want you to live, Kingsley.” She kissed his forehead and reached out to stroke his chest, her hand slowly traveling down under the towel to his groin. “I want you to live a long, long life.”
“It’s starting to sound as if you love me… just a little.”
She smiled. “I guess… just a little.” She winked at him and continued to stroke him, bringing his cock to a full erection.
“I can accept that,” he said with difficulty as his arousal took over. He leaned over her, pushing her into the pillows as he kissed her.
His body crushed hers while his towel fell off, leaving his erection pushed against her thigh. With just a few gentle motions, she was completely freed of her silk robe, her skin making delicious contact with his.
“I want to love you forever,” he murmured into her ear. He gently pried her thighs apart and nestled his hard cock deep inside her.
Making love to him filled her with so many emotions. Her deep affection for him, her fear for him, her desire to save him.
As they climaxed, reaching that ultimate pleasure together, tears inexplicably filled her eyes as she desperately clung to him.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered into her ear. “I’ll do it.”
“What?” she whispered back.
“I’ll go back to the Academy with you. I’ll do whatever you say.”
Harley pulled back to look at him, her tears now flowing freely down her cheek. “Really?” she said with a weak, uncertain smile. “We’ll go tell the dean that we’re leaving?”
Kingsley nodded. “Sure. It’s worth a try.”
Chapter 10
The following morning, Kingsley brought Harley a huge breakfast of eggs, ham, pancakes and a blueberry muffin, all accompanied by a strong pot of coffee.
“Wow,” Harley said as she sat up in bed.
Kingsley set the tray over her lap.
“This is a feast fit for a king,” Harley said.
“Or a princess.”
Smiling, she picked up the fork and tasted the eggs. “Did you cook this?” she said.
He shook his head. “I’d like to take credit for it, but, no.”
“And why aren’t you eating?”
“I had breakfast downstairs while you were still sleeping.”
“How long have you been up?”
“A little over an hour. I wanted to get ready for our return to the Academy.”
Harley was relieved to hear him say that. She’d feared that he might change his mind. Eager to be on their way, she quickly finished her breakfast and got out of bed.
“Great,” she said looking around. “With my clothes in tatters, what am I supposed to wear?”
Kingsley walked over to the dresser and placed his hand on a small pile of folded clothes. “You have a pair of jeans here and a few shirts to choose from.”
Smiling, she walked to the pile of clothes, picked out a dark blue shirt and the jeans and got dressed.
“Ready?” he said. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
She nodded. “Absolutely.”
They left the palace and slipped back to the Academy. As they reached the central mall, Harley turned to Kingsley.
“Do you think she’ll be in her office?” she said. “The place looks deserted.”
Aside from a janitor who was lugging out two garbage cans and another worker washing the windows, there was no one around.
“We’ll have to go and see.”
As they headed in the direction of the administrative building, Harley prayed that they would catch the dean in her office. If not, she had no idea where to go in search of her.
“Hey,” Kingsley called out, looking towards the dorms. “Is that Red and Zed over there?”
Harley turned to where Kingsley pointed and saw the twins heading toward them.
“Where are you guys off to?” Harley said as the twins nearly passed by without stopping.
Then she noticed the swords in their hands.
“Good timing,” Red called out. “I think we could use a little help.”
“Shit,” Harley muttered.
Kingsley quickly conjured up his fae sword.
“You can do it,” Zed said to Harley.
Harley concentrated. She didn’t want to let them down. She thought hard, and focused on the weapon she wanted to see in her hand. In her mind’s eye she saw the fae sword from The Kingdom of Spring. She could see it; a beautiful gleaming gold sword with harlequin hearts etched along the blade. The hilt radiated with a warm glowing light while the handle was encrusted with the beautiful Spring brooch her mother, The Queen of Spring had given her.
She opened her eyes, and there it was, just as she had imagined it. It was a magnificent weapon, not only visually, but it was light in her hand, but sturdy and well-balanced.
“Wow,” Zed said, looking at her.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Harley said, admiring her sword.
“No. You,” Zed said. “Look at you.”
Harley looked down to find that she was covered with golden armor. Raising her arms up to get a better look, she turned trying to see all of the glorious armor.
“Wow,” she said. “I didn’t see that coming. I only tried to conjure up the sword.”
“Man,” Red said. “You look hot. I’ve never seen anyone in armor look as sexy as you do right now.”
“I guess it shouldn’t come as a surprise,” Zed said. “After all, you look hot in everything you put on, and hotter still when you put on nothing at all.”
Harley smiled.
“Come on,” Red said. “We need to get to the administrative building.”
“Since meeting you,” Kingsley said to Harley as they followed the twins, “I’ve wondered why I was so instantly and desperately drawn to you. Obviously, there was your striking beauty, but I knew there had to be more to it than that. And now I know. You truly are the Princess of Spring.” His proud gaze traveled over the armor that fit
her like a glove. “Look at the fabulous magic you’ve acquired. All your hard work is paying off. I can’t tell you how proud I am of you.”
As Harley walked beside Kingsley, she was surprised by her agility. She thought the armor would weigh her down, slow her down. She thought that it would hinder her movements and make it uncomfortable. Instead, she felt stronger than ever. The armor felt like a second skin. It felt like it belonged; like it had always been there.
“Looks like you really are the fae that the prophecy talked about,” Zed said, looking back at her.
Harley looked at him. “Prophecy? What prophecy?”
“Yeah,” Kingsley said. “What are you talking about?”
“When we were kids,” Red said breathlessly as they hurried to the administrative building. “Mom talked about a fae who would be born with the most powerful magic the faery realm had ever known. And the thing is that this fae would not even know it.”
“It was all folklore as far as we were concerned,” Zed added. “She would tell us about this powerful fae just as she would tell us about any other fable. We never thought it was true.”
“And we certainly never thought that we’d be standing here talking to that very same fae.”
Harley’s eyes widened with surprise and she brought her hand to her chest. “Me? Are you saying that I am this fabled fae?”
Red nodded. “I think that’s why my mother went out of her way to find you and to make sure that you were admitted to the Academy. She gave you a full scholarship in the hopes that it would be an offer you couldn’t refuse.”
“And thankfully, you didn’t.” Zed added. “You did just as she’d hoped. You enrolled and you’ve proven to be an even more determined student than she had anticipated.”
“For a long time,” Red said, “we wondered why our mother was so intent on building this Academy. I mean, we knew it was a good idea. We knew that training and educating young faes from the Faery Realms was important. It also helped to build loyalty to The Kingdom of Fall. But we didn’t fully understand the importance of it.”
“Nor did we understand the need to have it outside of Vegas.”
“But now, it’s all too clear. It was all for you.”
“So that’s why I was brought here,” Harley said, unsure how she felt about it.
“Mother was right in bringing you here,” Zed said.
“And Mother needs our help,” Red added as they arrived at the steps to the building where his mother worked. “And she needs it now.”
With every ounce of her being taking on the role of warrior princess, Harley felt right at home. The Faery Realm was her home, and defending it was her duty.
“Do we know who we’re going in there to fight?” Harley said as they entered the building.”
“A Dark Fae Wizard,” Zed said.
“Do we know if there have already been casualties?”
“No,” Red said as he led them down the corridor. “Thankfully all the students and most of the staff are gone for the remainder of the summer.”
“We just got an urgent message from the dean that there had been a breach on campus,” Zed said.
“Remember when you were attacked in your room?” Red said.
Harley nodded and noticed the alarm on Kingsley’s face, but he said nothing.
“That was just the shadow of a dark fae from the Dark Realms.”
“Just a shadow?” Harley said with disbelief. “But it was so powerful. Without the help of magic, I couldn’t even fight it off. I can’t imagine just how strong it must be when it is more than just the shadow.”
“How could this breach have happened?” Kingsley said.
“We’re certain it was Cici and Ashley,” Zed said.
“Holy shit,” Kingsley let out. “I think you’re right. Those macaroons.” He looked at Harley. “The ones they gave you. The ones that you ate. The macaroons had a spell that led you to the Dark Realms. Damn it! They opened the portal. They allowed dark faes to enter the Academy. Even worse, to enter the human realm.”
“They took advantage of the fact that you’re human,” Red said. “They actually tricked you into allowing the Dark Realm to enter the human realm.”
“Me?” Harley said with disbelief. “They did this through me?”
“Exactly,” Zed said. “You’re the only fae who is partly human, and only humans can allow dark faes to enter the human realm.”
“When we first met you, we thought you were completely human. In fact, Cici and Ashley encouraged us to believe just that. That way they were able to turn us against you; make us believe that you were the enemy.”
“I guess once they learned that you were part human they devised a plan and they used you. They knew that they would never succeed with any of us. We’re full-blooded faes which makes it impossible for us to allow any dark faes here.”
“But what about Cici and Ashely?” Harley said. “How did they get into the Academy? I mean, they’re dark faes, right?”
Zed nodded.
“We all thought they were light faes from The Kingdom of Fall,” Red said. “That is until the cafeteria incidence when you took your revenge on them. Your spell revealed their true identities. You exposed them for the dark faes they really are.”
“We suspect that someone else, someone with human blood, must have let them in,” Zed said. “We don’t know. It may have been last year. It may have been ten years ago. Who knows who they glamoured themselves as over the years? Who knows what they’ve been before finally becoming college girls?”
“The dark fae had not appeared in the human realms before so they must have slipped in under the glamoured fae realm of Fallen Fae Academy,” Kingsley said. “Remember, Fallen Fae Academy is also mostly in the Faery Realm, but glamoured into the human world. When Harley was let in, it made the Academy truly part of the human world.”
“Our mother,” Red said, “used magic to seal the Dark Realm from entering our Academy. She was actually a protector against the Dark Fae from the human world.”
They finally arrived at the dean’s door. “Here we are. Ready to rush in?”
They all nodded.
“We need to destroy this Dark Fae before it decides to attack the human world.”
He pushed the door open and they hurried in.
Harley was horrified by the sight that awaited them. The dean was up against the wall trying to fight off a tall dark figure that seemed to be all shadows.
“By my powers,” the dean called out. “Let the seal against the dark forces to the realm of humans be resealed.”
The shadow snarled and leaned in closer.
“By my powers,” the dean said, her voice firmer and more urgent. “Let the seal against the dark forces to the realm of humans be resealed!”
The shadow shifted, leaning into her and the dean finally saw Harley and the guys.
“No!” the dean shouted. “Take her away!”
Confused, Harley looked at Zed and Red.
“Hurry! Take her away from here,” the dean said. “You have to keep her safe.”
Why me? Harley thought. Why was the dean urging the guys to keep her safe?
Just then, the figure turned to them. Harley gasped as she faced the shadowed figure. Its face was like jagged black slate, and its eyes gleamed and eerie red. There was nothing human about him, nor did he look like any fae she’d ever seen.
It was like looking at a monstrously ugly shadow come to life, and the ugly shadow was looking hungrily at Harley. It snarled, a strange inhuman sound that sent a shiver down her spine. With a strange hobbled gait, it approached her.
“Get her out!” the dean shouted as she dove to catch the shadow’s leg, slowing his progress. “Go! I’ll hold him.”
The shadow shuffled closer.
“Go! Go to your father. He’ll explain everything.”
But when the ugly shadow turned to unleash its wrath on their mother, the twins charged it, swinging their swords.
“Don’t
fight him,” the dean called out, struggling to hold on to the shadow’s leg. “It’s useless.”
She was right. Their swords just sliced through the air. It was like fighting a puff of smoke.
“What’s going on?” Zed said.
“Through my magical powers, I can hold him. He is real in my hands. But he’s just a shadow to you. There’s no way you can attain him.”
The shadow kicked the dean in the mouth, and she struggled to hang on. Blood poured from her mouth and nose.
“Get her out!”
Harley, mesmerized by the shadow, stood frozen in her spot. Kingsley grabbed her and pulled her to the door, but he wasn’t fast enough.
Within seconds, the strange being flew to Harley and instantly had his hand around her throat. Fighting for air, Harley’s eyes bulged out and panic took hold of her heart. Her hands gripped the creature’s claw, trying to pry it off her as she fought for her next breath.
Chaos surrounded her as Kingsley, Zed and Red all tried to pry the thing off her, but their hands simply slipped through him.
Unable to breath, Harley fought to remain conscious. Seeing how helpless the guys were in the face of this creature, and the dean now lying limp on the floor, she knew she had to fight him off her or he would kill her.
She looked down at the claw clamped on her throat then noticed her hand over the claw. She could feel it. Its strange skin was cold, hard, and damp.
Unlike the guys who just grasped air, Harley was able to touch the creature. That meant she had the ability, just like the dean, to fight him.
Releasing her hold of him, she lowered her hand and reached for her sword. Despite her limited freedom of movement, she was able to swing enough to slash the shadow in the leg, sending the creature crying and momentarily releasing its hold of her.
The red eyes intensified, eyeing her with murderous rage.
“Come on,” Harley said. She was vaguely aware of the guys around her, watching.
“She can physically touch him,” Zed said in amazement.
The shadow lunged for her, and Harley sliced her sword through his shoulder. She fought him, fought him hard. She remembered all the tricks the guys had taught her. How to be ready. How to rely on her instincts. How to develop her own strategies. She swung her sword and the tip left a large gash in the shadow’s chest. Despite the injury, the creature jumped to the side, flipped in the air and landed behind her. Before she could turn around, it wrapped its jagged and rough arm around her neck, choking her.