by Kendal Davis
I extricated myself from his arms, hating the way I felt cold and alone only a second later.
Varic looked stern as he studied my eyes. “You must stay at Fae Academy. You know that, right? Everything depends on it.”
I felt a chill run through me. “You mean because I have to let them train me to use my powers so I don’t kill again? I’m not sure that being here is teaching me anything. Nobody’s training me. I sit there in class and don’t come away with anything that I can do.”
“You used your powers this evening.”
Chagrined, I pursed my lips. I’d thought we had a connection, but he was only here to taunt me about the little scene I’d made. “You don’t have to remind me.” I held out my right palm to show him, rubbing at it as I did. “Look, I need help with this. It looks like I got some of Lara’s spell on me, and now I can’t get it off.”
When he saw my hand, his eyes widened. “That’s impossible,” he murmured. “You can’t be manifesting the Darkness already. We need more time.”
“I’m not dark. Why do I have to keep telling you all?” Tears pricked the backs of my eyes. Glancing down at my hand, I felt shame grow within me. The center of my palm had faint streaks of black that radiated outwards. No matter how hard I rubbed at my skin, the marks didn’t come off.
Varic sneered at me, no longer the kind man I’d glimpsed only minutes ago. “You won’t be able to get that off your skin. It is the mark of your magic’s taint. That is what you have brought to Fae Academy.” He glared at me in disgust. “I can’t believe I even thought of acting on our bond. It will be more challenging than I thought to touch you like that.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t have another chance for it,” I snarled. “I’d never trust you to be civil for more than five minutes at a time.”
I got the last word. But he turned away first. As I was closing my bedroom door with a touch too much force, he had already walked away from me.
Chapter 12: Varic
If only that had been the end of it. Part of me would have been happy to never see the mortal woman again. But there was another part of me that called out for her presence constantly.
When we had physical education in the nude, that part was noticeable to all, unless I used a spell to mask the effect. Fortunately, we all did that. It was a precious part of our fae culture to take our exercise in the nude, but that didn’t mean that we invited everybody into our personal business. All adult fae used a glamor to conceal arousal at inappropriate times. The etiquette of naked gym most definitely included magic that allowed us each our privacy.
Every morning, all the students of Fae Academy met on the huge lawn in front of the school. In the crisp early sunshine, we dedicated our physical forms to our spirit selves. The life of a fae revolved around the connection between our fleshly bodies and our magic. As we improved one, we improved the other.
Since her first day, Arabella had arrived at gym class at the last possible moment, looking as if she was fighting the urge to cover herself. This morning, her cheeks were pink with embarrassment, but she managed it. Even after several weeks of classes, she still had a hard time with this.
I could feel it from our magical bond, just as I could sense all her feelings.
I knew she was struggling at Fae Academy. But I could not bring myself to help her.
The Sisters led us in a round of stretching exercises, then we moved on to hand-to-hand combat. It took me only a tiny nudge of our teacher’s mind to make sure I was paired with Arabella. The Sister who taught us physical education was Acharis, who had always considered me a favorite.
Who was I kidding? All three of us princes were everybody’s favorites. We were royalty, after all. We had been chosen at birth, and everyone in our land knew it. It was hard sometimes to remember that I hadn’t always been a student at Fae Academy. Before I’d been called up to take my place here, I’d lived as a scholar. I was trained in fair assessment of information. That made it even harder for me to admit to myself that Arabella wasn’t at all what we’d expected.
Arabella looked askance at me as we took our places on our mat on the green lawn. “Varic, why do you keep making us be partners?” She sounded even more disheartened than yesterday. “Obviously, you don’t approve of me, so why keep making sure I know it?”
“What makes you think it is my doing?” I asked mildly. As I spoke, I couldn’t help but run my gaze over her nakedness. It took only a quick thought to check that my glamor was in place. It was very improper to have sexual thoughts during combat instruction. If I hadn’t used magic to disguise it, my erection would have been visible to all.
I suspected that all three of us princes were glad of their spells of obfuscation right now. Hell, maybe all the male students were.
Arabella was luscious. Where the women of the fae were slim and ethereal, she had all the roundness and lushness of the mortal world. She was so beautiful that she made me pant with wanting her.
But she could never know it. I stoked my anger always, keeping it as a barrier between us.
As Acharis led us all in different combat moves, I relaxed into the pleasure of being with Arabella. Of touching her. My hands slid across her back as we worked on a new grip.
“I know you like me, deep down,” she said in a sudden rush. “Even if you think I shouldn’t be here.”
“I keep telling you, Fae Academy is the only safe place for you right now. You can’t leave yet. Not when your wild magic is awakening, and while we still need you.” I was standing behind her, holding her at the waist.
On the lawn next to us, Frost was in a similar position with a tall fae woman. Lustre was all the way at the other end of the line, avoiding Arabella entirely. He had lived a more aristocratic life than Frost and I, and he had a certain haughtiness about him that he liked us to know about. He would deign to interact with her only on his own terms.
“See?” Arabella moved her firm ass against me, turning her hips in a little flourish. She was irrepressible. Even though her life here was difficult, she was still full of sass. “You do want me here. I can feel it.”
I tightened my grip on her. “Arabella, you should not be aware of that. Not with your blocked abilities.” I murmured into her ear as I pressed myself against her back. “All three of us Princes want you here. We just don’t know what to do with you.”
“You mean because you don’t know why you’re attracted to me?”
“We knew that we would be. It is in the prophecy. But we still don’t know how powerful you are. Nobody has ever seen a mortal with fae powers like you. Even if we know how it happened, we don’t yet know the effects.”
She stiffened. “How would you know how I got my powers? Even I don’t know that. And what prophecy?”
We whirled apart as Acharis issued more instructions. When we came together again, it was in a seated embrace. Each of us had our legs crossed in front of us, but we both knew it would take only a small movement to join our hips, sliding against each other. The tension was palpable.
Something about our proximity made Arabella smile again. “I can’t believe you all do this without clothes. Seems like more of a distraction than anything. Don’t these other couples feel hot for each other?” She wrinkled her nose with a laugh. “Kind of a weird group activity.”
I was glad for the distraction. She was right. Doing this with her was driving me insane with desire. “No fae would find this remotely sexual. That is highly inappropriate. This is a moment for worshipping the body, the physical container for our fae magic.”
Her hand moved slightly. “I think you do feel something.” Her eyes danced as she grinned at me.
“No, it’s not possible for you to be aware of that.” I’d never been in this awkward position before. “You shouldn’t be able to...There’s a spell…” I allowed my words to trail off foolishly as I realized what she was doing. After weeks of no progress, she was finally becoming aware of the currents of magic that surrounded us all. “Do you know wha
t you’re doing right now?” I asked her.
“Sure, I’m wrapped up in a naked embrace with a guy I hardly know.” She smiled ruefully at how it sounded.
“No, I mean, you are able to see through my spell. The one concealing my body’s response to you.” I was trying to be formal to deflect my embarrassment, but the more I thought about it, the more my cock hardened.
Acharis called a rest time, causing the other couples to move apart to stretch or talk quietly. Gladly, I sat back a little from Arabella. She was getting more perceptive every minute.
Gaining confidence from what she’d done, she smiled brightly. “I think I can almost see through the glamor you’ve cast. That’s right, I listen to the Sisters in class,” she said defensively. “Why are you so sure you don’t want me to see it?”
“This kind of talk is not allowed right now.” I tried to sound masterful, rather than pious. I didn’t want her to think I was boring. That I was nothing more than a scholar. What if she liked Frost or Lustre better than me? No, that could never happen. We were a triad of princes, selected solely to be of benefit to her. I had to trust the bond between us.
She took a different tack. “All right. Will you promise to tell me something, if I stop checking out your hot bod?”
I nodded, enjoying her company despite myself.
“Lara tells me about you three princes when we sit together at dinner sometimes. She said that you were each chosen for your talents. But I can’t figure out what they are.”
“Of course not,” I said gruffly. “You haven’t been able to perceive any of our magic. That is why the fae cannot accept you.” You don’t belong here.
“So just tell me,” she sighed. “I’m still trying my best to figure this place out, and you three are the center of power here.”
I did not tell her that she was. Or, rather, that she would be soon.
“It is simple,” I answered. “We were chosen at birth. The Council selected Frost for his loyalty and his icy self-control. He was a soldier for many years. Lustre’s strength is his fire, his confidence, which he has kept honed in high fae society. And my particular talent is my devotion to knowledge. I was a renowned earth mage before you came to our land.”
She was shaking her head. “None of that makes sense to me. First off, those are personality traits, not magical powers. And secondly, why did you all stop what you were doing when I got here?”
I reached out to enfold her small hand with my larger one. “We had to come to Fae Academy when you did, to help you. That is our role.” Her raised eyebrows made it clear that she didn’t think we had done much of a job. “And of course it makes sense that our magic is reflected in our spirits. The elements of the fae world converge in our hearts to make us what we are. Thus, that is what we are capable of wielding, when we focus our magic with our Voices.”
“The music really is beautiful to hear,” she conceded. “The songs of this place run through me now. It’s like I can hear them all the time, in addition to the ones I came with.”
“That is the purpose of the crystalline structure of the school. It holds on to the sounds we make when we raise our powers in song. It is a repository of sorts.”
When Acharis called the end of the rest time, we had no more time to talk. Gym class continued on until the sun was high in the sky. The fae students finally bowed to the slender, silver-haired teacher as she dismissed us. All the fae were slick with sweat from our exercise, but not one of the women attracted my attention as a man. This was not the time for that. Instead, each of us had purified our spirits with our devotion to the work.
Arabella, as always, was the exception. She was mouth-wateringly beautiful as she used her towel to dab her glistening cheeks. Her curves were all I could think about.
And she was anything but pure.
When the rest of the class went back into the school to shower and dress again, I caught Arabella by the elbow. She didn’t pull away. Perhaps all the time we’d just spent entwined together in our exercise had let her become more comfortable with me. That had been my plan for weeks, but to little effect.
Today would be different.
“Do you want to go for a walk with us?” I indicated Frost as he came up behind her. He moved with purpose, like the soldier he was.
Arabella cocked her head, considering. “You mean, right now? In the nude?” She held her hands awkwardly against her midriff, as if she was trying not to feel self-conscious.
Frost ran a finger along the back of her neck, touching her lightly, but as if he were making a promise for later. “Yes. I’ve been watching you. All through class. Are you still caught up in your human notions of physical modesty?”
She went pink, but she met his eyes. “Is that a dare of some sort? It sounds like you want to see how far I’ll go to fit in with fae customs. I’ve already told you all that I’m willing to try. Look. I’ll even go for a naked walk around the school with you two.” She brushed her pale hair back from her face with resolve. “As long as you promise that you aren’t going to get all handsy with me.”
I kept my spell of concealment in place, as I knew Frost was doing. “We would never go against your wishes, Arabella. I can promise you that.” I tried to catch Lustre’s eye as he left, but he refused to be drawn in.
So be it. Two of us princes together would still have an impact on resolving Arabella’s blocked magic.
She was awakening.
Chapter 13: Arabella
I fell easily into step with Frost and Varic. The imperious soldier whom I’d met on that first night I’d fallen into this new life was on my left. And Varic, the self-confessed scholar whom I could tell overthought every single thing in his life, was on my right.
I’d expected to feel shy about the fact that we were strolling together without clothes, but after all these weeks with the fae, I was getting pretty good at adapting. The reality of it was that I was more aroused than I’d ever been in my life.
I turned to Varic as we followed the winding path that took us around the beautiful, rambling school. Behind the building was a forest whose gloominess was in stark contrast to the brightness of the Academy. “Are we allowed to just walk off like this?”
Varic answered simply. “We are the princes. You could never get into trouble for being with us.”
Frost smiled wickedly at me. “That does not mean that we ourselves are harmless, though.” As he walked, his muscles rippled, still shining from the workout.
“I wouldn’t ever call you that.” He’d meant it as a joke, but all I could think of was the human woman who had lost her life because of Frost’s presence at Montview. I felt my lips tighten.
“Wait, Arabella. I didn’t mean it like that.” For the first time since I’d met him, Frost looked apologetic. He’d caught the sense of the memory from our connection.
“It’s ok,” I answered stiffly. “I’m getting used to the idea of what happened. It’s hard for me to get my head around the idea that I’m the dangerous one. You know, when I can’t work any magic at all.”
Varic, always fair, joined in. “That’s not actually true. You are improving. Being here at Fae Academy is releasing your gift. More to the point, spending time with us, with your princes, is what has the greatest effect on you.” Modest he was not.
I nodded, encouraged by his assessment. “I can almost feel it. Lara won’t let me touch another one of her creations, and that’s probably for the best. But I almost understand what the Sisters are teaching now.”
“It sounds like nonsense until you can feel the currents of magic.” Frost nodded companionably. “I remember that from when I was very small.”
I slowed my step as Prince Varic stopped under an enormous apple tree. “That’s what’s so hard for me. All of the fae are so far ahead of me. You’ve been able to sense the magic within the music forever.”
Varic picked a red apple from a low branch. “Didn’t you hear me in class? You are making progress. You saw through my glamor just now
.” His sparkling eyes met mine as he took a bite from the apple.
Frost snorted. “I noticed that.” His eyes on me were filled with lust. “It was hard to be right next to the two of you and not be able to join in. When I noticed what Arabella was doing with her hands, I wished I had convinced Acharis to make her my partner.”
“Is that why the two of you are being nice to me right now? You’re hoping for a hand job in the woods?” Bravado made me speak my mind, even if it sounded crude out loud.
“No, not at all.” Frost was vehement. “We are not here because we need anything from you. It is our purpose to help you. Don’t you see that? You are the one who needs us.”
Now it was my turn to snicker in amusement. “I’m not sure that you guys know how it looks when you are constantly coming on to me. I get it, I am different from the other women here, and maybe you think you can push me around.” My smile faded as I said it aloud. “But you can’t. I’m just here to study. I’m not interested in being your exotic mortal distraction.”
Varic had been leaning against the tree as he ate his apple. Now he stepped forward so that he was close enough to slip his hand around my waist. His lips as they brushed against mine were still sweet from the fruit. My awareness of his manhood against me was acute.
“If you let us, we will help you reach within yourself and release your magic. That’s why we brought you here today. We can see that you are coming into your powers.” Varic’s tone was low and promising. “Let your arousal work for you.”
I still scoffed. It was my only defense against these strange times. “Come on. I can see that you are both hot for me. Sure, anybody could see that. You fae are so weird. All you think about is sex, and then you try to tell me that being around each other naked isn’t supposed to turn you on? Of course it did.”