by G. K. DeRosa
A gust of wind came from nowhere, forcing my eyes to squeeze shut. I felt Zeus’s head snap back too as if the wind had slapped him. What the heck? My eyes reopened in time to see Apollo crossing the finish line, winning by a nose.
The crowd went wild, clapping and chanting in a language I didn’t recognize. But I did catch the name being repeated—Prince Drake. My shoulders slumped forward as Zeus slowed, the tremors of his labored breath and thundering heart vibrating beneath the saddle. Beyond the finish line, a vast lush field had appeared floating in the middle of the stadium. I made Zeus trot around in a circle to slow his heart rate, his beautiful wings flapping leisurely at his sides.
As the rest of my class crossed the finish line, they gathered around Drake to congratulate him. I chewed on my lower lip as I neared. I was being a sore loser, and I knew it. But I’d been so close. If it hadn’t been for that random gust of wind, we would’ve won. I was sure of it. A dark voice in the back of my mind whispered traitorously, maybe it hadn’t been so random.
“Luna! Oh my gods! You almost won.” Cinder and Bella trotted up, a huge smile engraved in my roomie’s face. She looked as fresh as a daisy, every single hair perfectly in place.
I hadn’t even been able to run my hand through the wicked knots tangling my locks. “Yeah, almost,” I muttered.
She sidled up next to me and smacked me on the shoulder. “That was the first time you’ve ever ridden Zeus, and you got second place! That’s incredible. Imagine what will happen next time after you’ve had some time to practice.”
A big smile parted my lips. I hadn’t even thought of that. “Thanks, Cinder. You’re right as usual. How’d you guys do?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, about half way down the pack, but Ash and Phoenix did really well. They came in a little after you.”
I scanned the dense mass of students, which had now mixed with the crowd spilling down from the bleachers. Drake and Ash were in the center with the remaining Seven huddling around them. I hadn’t even seen how Raine or Aeria had done, but by the sour expressions puckering their faces, I’d guess not great.
Raine caught me staring and wiggled her fingers at me, scowling. A puff of air flew at my face, making me blink. What the heck? An evil grin split her perfect lips before she turned away and began pawing at Drake.
Had Raine been the reason I lost? Did she twirl her little fingers and whip up that gust of wind making Zeus falter?
“What’s wrong?” asked Cinder. “The vein on your forehead looks like it’s about to explode.”
I slapped my hand over my brow and frowned. “I think Raine sabotaged the race. Right before we got to the finish line, this freak wind blew by. It distracted Zeus and I closed my eyes. When I reopened them, Drake had won.”
She glanced over at The Seven, her dark brows tightly knitted. “It wouldn’t surprise me. Raine always gets what she wants. And if she wanted Drake to win, she definitely could’ve made it happen.”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Raine who was now all over Drake, cooing and gushing. Anger bubbled up in my veins. “That little bi—witch!”
“Hey, hey, potty mouth, we don’t use that language here at Darkhen.” Ryder appeared from amid the masses, wearing his trademark smirk. Cinder shot me a wink and waggled her brows at me before turning away to join the rest of our class.
I bit my tongue holding back the flurry of curses I wanted to throw at the conniving little witch who’d cost me the win.
“What’s wrong? You should be celebrating your near victory.”
I wanted to shout about Raine’s sabotage, but I had zero proof. The last thing I needed was for Ryder to think I was a sore loser. So I slapped a smile on my face and hoped it looked convincing. “Nothing. Everything’s fine.”
He held his hand out, and I slid off Zeus, my legs a little wobbly when they hit the ground. His hands shot up to my shoulders to steady me, and the unexpected contact sent little sparks up and down my arms. A delicious tremor raced up my spine, and I shuddered.
Why did he always have that weird effect on me? And more importantly, did he feel it too?
My eyes lifted to his, but the impenetrable darkness was unreadable.
“You good?”
“Great. I should be celebrating, right?” I grabbed Zeus’s reins, a part of me wondering if I’d ever be able to mount the beast again without King Elrian’s help. “I should probably get him back to the barn and hose him down. He worked his butt off today.”
“You two looked incredible out there. You certainly got everyone’s attention—especially the Winter Court attendees.”
Somehow, I wasn’t sure that was necessarily a good thing. I dropped Zeus’s reins and let him munch on some grass.
“You won’t be Darkhen Academy’s little human secret for long, not the way news travels in the Fae realm.” The crease between his brows deepened as if he wasn’t pleased about that.
My thoughts turned to the conversation with Cillian I’d overheard. I had so many questions that I couldn’t ask without divulging I’d been eavesdropping. What was going on with these attacks in the human world and what did I have to do with any of it?
“By the way,” he added, “Kimmie-Jayne wanted to surprise you today by coming, but something came up in Draeko and she and Fenix couldn’t make it.”
“Thanks. I didn’t realize you two still kept in touch.” I tried to squash down the twinge of jealousy bubbling up to the surface. So they’d dated? So he’d practically admitted to being in love with her? She was married now and… And this whole thing was stupid anyway. I could never be with him—not while I attended Darkblood and he was a teacher here.
“We have been speaking more since you arrived.” His voice yanked me away from my inner rambling. “She likes to be kept up to date on your advancements.” He raked a hand through his dark hair, mussing it up in the most unbelievably sexy way. I bit my lower lip to keep from saying something stupid, and his gaze dropped to my lips. They remained locked there for a never-ending moment, and heat pooled in my lower half. A low growl reverberated in Ryder’s chest, and vivid yellow flashed across his irises.
I swallowed hard, and he cleared his throat as he ran his hand over his face. When he blinked, his eyes were back to normal once again. “Anyway, speaking of your training, I’ll give you a pass for this evening. We can pick back up tomorrow since from the looks of it, you guys have some celebrating to do.”
Right on cue, Cinder approached with Alissa and Maxi on either side of her. “Big party at the Fae dorm tonight.” Her voice dripped with excitement. “And our whole class is invited. Drake specifically asked to make sure you’d be there.”
My cheeks heated, the feel of Ryder’s eyes boring into the side of my face more intense than the scorching summer sun. “Whatever, he just wants to make sure I’m there so he can gloat about beating me.”
“Well, I don’t care what the reason is,” said Maxi. “I just know I’m going to be there.”
“So are you coming or what?” Cinder asked, slipping her arm through mine. “It’s going to be your first Darkhen party!”
I laughed, her effervescing excitement contagious. “Well then, how can I say no to that?”
Ryder stepped forward, his muscley arms stretched across his chest, the swirling tattoos poking out from beneath his t-shirt. “I’ll let you ladies get to the partying. Don’t forget to take care of your unipegs first.” With a heart-stopping smile, he sauntered away. I couldn’t keep my gaze from trailing after him—his broad shoulders beneath that tight black t-shirt slimming down to a tapered waist, and that butt… I could watch it walking away from me all day.
“Come on, lover girl.” Cinder tugged on my arm with a mischievous grin I decided to ignore. Grabbing Zeus’s reins, I followed her and Bella back toward the stables.
Chapter 16
The raging beats vibrated the entire hallway of the seventh floor—the Fae floor. I followed closely behind Cinder, tugging down my leather skirt. I
t rode farther up my butt with every step. I should’ve known better than to let my roommate pick out my clothes for the evening, but she’d insisted. Getting invited to a Fae party was a huge deal, and according to her, it was necessary we played the part.
It was my one and only party skirt. I’d worn it to a club with Jay one night in Brooklyn and had been too scared to drink or even move for fear of spilling something on it. It had taken me an entire summer of working at Dunkin’ Donuts to afford it.
And now, here I was wearing it to my first supernatural dorm party. It had disaster written all over it.
The corridor opened up into a large common area, about twice the size of the one on the dragon floor. Two humongous flat screen TVs sat on either end of the space with plush leather couches lining the center. I’d heard the Fae got preferential treatment, but this was the first time I’d seen it. A sprawling bar had been set up in the corner, and I recognized the dark-haired Fae male playing bartender from my Potions and Poisons class. I’d been so focused on passing my classes since I’d arrived at Darkhen that I’d completely forgotten there was no legal drinking age in Azar. I was planning on remedying that situation tonight. I didn’t think I could hang with a bunch of stuck up faeries without a little liquid courage.
We passed under a pale blue banner hung across the archway with the faery crest emblazoned in the corners, and Champions written in big bold letters.
Ugh. I rolled my eyes as I followed Cinder, Alissa and Maxi toward the nearest vacant couch. Hundreds of twinkling stars were strung up from the dark rafters, bathing the spacious room in soft, lustrous light. I stared up at them as we sat, their shimmering light calling to me. My eyes widened as they focused in closer. What? Tiny iridescent flapping wings caught my eye—hundreds of teeny pixies flew over our heads.
“Pretty cool, huh?” Drake appeared with Ash, Raf and Triston in tow.
Allisa and Maxi’s jaws dropped in unison as their wide eyes traveled over the notorious males of The Seven. Out of their academy uniforms and in dark jeans and fitted shirts, they were pretty hot. Especially all standing together like that, exuding dark power. It pooled around them like their very presence demanded it. I’d never felt it as strongly before—maybe it was because they were all together or maybe it was my magic starting to pick up on others’ energy.
“Oh yeah,” said Maxi.
“Super cool,” added Alissa.
“So are they like your Fae servants or something?” I ticked my head toward the ceiling. I’d heard that the Fae royals and high lords and ladies treated the rest of the lower realm dwellers like trash.
Cinder’s elbow jabbed me in the gut, but I didn’t back down, fixing my gaze on the ice prince. I was feeling feisty tonight. I’d seen how they’d been treated on Hitched.
“Not exactly,” Drake growled. “The pixies are more like hired help.”
A moment of heavy silence ensued, and I could almost see the hate rolling off my girlfriends aimed in my direction. They were thrilled to have been invited, and I was ruining their fun. Why was I being so hostile? Maybe I was being a sore loser.
I opened my mouth to say something clever, but Ash cut me off. “Can I get anyone a drink? I know I could use one.” He ran his hand through his dirty-blonde hair, a cute twinkle lighting up his green irises. He was decidedly my favorite of The Seven.
“I’m right behind you, cuz,” said Cinder. Maxi and Alissa popped up right behind her. Before following the guys, my roomie turned back around, and whispered over her shoulder, “Play nice, Luna.”
I shrugged. “I can’t make any promises.”
Raf and Triston followed after the girls, leaving me alone with the mercurial Drake. I never knew what to expect from the guy. One minute he was a complete jerk and the other he was attempting polite conversation and hanging out with me at a party I felt I had no place at.
He folded onto the couch beside me, sipping from a fancy goblet. The deep lavender liquid shimmered through the glass, catching my eye. The swanky crystal flute was nothing like what drinks were served in at college parties back home.
“What is that stuff anyway?” I asked. A floral scent swirled in the air, seeming to emanate from the mysterious beverage.
“Faery wine.” His brow perked up into a mischievous arch. “You want a taste?”
A blur of rumors twirled through my mind about not drinking or eating anything faery-related. But were those true or only a part of the fairy tales?
I squashed the errant thoughts, remembering Cinder’s parting words. I could play nice. This was a party after all, and I was supposed to be having fun, right? “Sure,” I finally answered.
He handed me the ornate goblet, an uncharacteristic smile pulling at his lips. I lifted the cool glass to my mouth, and the fragrant scent wafted up my nose. “Only take a little, I’m not sure of the effects it’ll have on a half-blood.”
And there he went calling me names. Just for that I chugged down a big swallow.
“Whoa, whoa, take it easy there.” He snatched the glass away from me as the sweet, chilly liquid slid down my throat.
“Wow, that’s incredible.” I licked my lips cherishing every last drop. “What’s it made of?”
“It’s a fruit that only grows in the Winter realm, kind of like one of your human berries but it’s lavender in color and much sweeter. It’s said to have some mind-altering properties but not in small doses.”
My eyes bulged out of my head. “Like hallucinogenic as in drugs? Are you trying to drug me, your Highness?” I hiccupped the last word out and giggled.
“You’ll be fine. Even with that big gulp you took.” He shook his head. “Do you like to do things just to spite me?”
“Maybe.” My voice took on an unexpected sing-song tone. Sh—shnickers this stuff worked fast.
Drake’s gaze lifted over my shoulder, and the momentary giddiness vanished when I followed his sightline. Raine and Aeria sauntered over, their resident mean girl sneers darkening their beautiful faces.
Raine slid onto the couch beside Drake, and Aeria dropped down next to me. “Oh, Drakey, you better watch out. Your exclusive Fae parties won’t stay that way for long if you keep inviting all the riffraff.” The witch’s electric green irises pierced my flesh, a wave of heat rising up my neck.
Aeria tittered on the other side of me, her giggle like musical notes. I turned to her to avoid Raine’s scathing glare, and my eyes were caught by the neon blue of her cascading hair. It was the most unique hue I’d ever seen, and I was fairly certain it didn’t come out of a bottle. If she weren’t such a B, I would’ve loved to ask her my million questions about sirens and the ocean realm.
Raine continued to whisper with Drake, an annoying cackle bursting free every few moments. Ugh. I didn’t think I could sit here and watch this for much longer. Drake’s goblet on the table caught my eye. It called to me, the shimmering purple liquid begging to be consumed.
I reached for it, but Aeria’s delicate hand smacked my arm. “Hey, what the hell?”
“It’s not a good idea, human,” she warned, taking a sip from her own fancy glass. “That Fae wine is powerful. I don’t even touch the stuff.”
“Drake said I could.” Man, I sounded like an annoying child.
Her slender shoulders lifted, bouncing her soft waves of curls. “Do whatever you want, but you’ll be the one paying for it in the morning.”
Why would Aeria be nice to me? My paranoid mind considered the implications. She probably didn’t want me to have fun. That wine was the most delicious beverage I’d ever tasted. I glanced over at Raine and Drake. She was practically sitting on his lap, her tongue down his ear as she continued to whisper.
What in the realms were they talking about? And were they like a thing? I’d never noticed them acting overly friendly before. Raine’s eyes found mine over Drake’s shoulder, and she nibbled on his ear.
Oh, vomit. I shot up to my feet and grabbed the goblet before anyone noticed. I needed to find Cinder or I was so
out of there. Taking another big gulp, I searched the room for my friends. Judging by the beautiful, lithe forms littering the space, it really was an almost all-Fae party. Why did Drake invite me anyway?
The thumping beats of the bass vibrated my eardrums as I moved through the crowd. I recognized a few Fae here and there from my classes, but none I wanted to talk to. I sucked down another delicious sip, the elaborate goblet in my hand starting to get heavy. Bodies writhed around me, dancing to the DJ’s electrifying beats. My body longed to move too, the exotic rhythms taking over my hips. I swayed to the music as I moved through a group of beautiful Fae males, and a hand landed on my waist. Spinning around ready to slap someone, I found a pair of familiar green eyes.
“Ash!” I threw my arms around his neck. Not sure where the overly exuberant gesture came from.
“Hey, Luna girl. Did you get lost?”
“Yeah, sort of. Where are Cinder and the others?”
He scanned the crowd, biting his lower lip. “Not sure. They’re around here somewhere. Want to dance?”
I already had my arms wrapped around his neck, so why not? Finishing off my drink, I dropped it off on the nearest table. Man, that stuff was way too good. Licking my lips, I let my body take over as I moved to the intoxicating beats. Ash’s arms snaked around my waist and drew me closer. Then he released me, spinning me around in a circle. I threw my arms in the air and laughed as the room twirled around me.
I hadn’t expected the dragon shifter to be such a good dancer. At the next spin, I landed in someone else’s arms. Arms I never thought would be around me. Drake’s icy lilac eyes bored into me as he pulled me into his chest. “You stole my drink, didn’t you?” His lip curled into a smirk.
“Nope. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He leaned close, his frosty breath skimming my ear. “Liar. I can smell it on your breath.”