Midnight Fae Academy: Book One: A Dark Paranormal Reverse Harem Bully Romance

by Lexi C. Foss

  And the tree behind me withered to dust.

  I gaped at the bright blue flames dancing along my palms, then shivered as they disappeared.

  “What the fuck was that?” a sharp male voice demanded.

  “Her power awakening” was the drawled reply.

  I spun around to find Kolstov glaring at me and Zephyrus leaning against another tree. “I didn’t mean to do that,” I said, a note of pleading in my voice. “I just wanted Shade to release me.”

  “Well, it worked.” Zephyrus seemed amused.

  Kolstov definitely did not share that opinion.

  Neither, it seemed, did Shade as he shoved off the ground to stand at my side. “Touch her, and I’ll fucking destroy you.”

  I blinked, surprised by the protective quality in Shade’s tone. He’d just been taunting me moments ago, refusing to explain anything and kissing me without my permission. Now he wanted to stand up for me? How ridiculous.

  “I’d love to see you try,” Kolstov replied, folding his arms. “You’re handicapped and alone.”

  Shade lifted his arms, revealing the leather cuffs against his wrists. “Oh, you mean these?” The bands disappeared a second later. “Yeah, I deactivated those almost as soon as Chern put them on. But thanks for the accessory.”

  Energy rippled around Kolstov, his expression thunderous. “Do you have a death wish, Death Blood?”

  “Is that meant to be some sort of oxymoron?” Shade asked conversationally. “Because you’ll have to be more direct. I skipped a lot of my language courses throughout the years. Well, those and other classes.”

  “Your arrogance is going to get you killed.”

  Shade grinned. “Is it? Good to know.”

  “Can someone tell me what just happened?” I asked, interrupting their little testosterone-filled fight. “Why did I turn blue?” The fire had since dissipated, but I felt it roaming through my veins, waiting for me to call upon it again.

  “Blue?” Kolstov repeated. “I saw purple.”

  Zephyrus frowned. “It was red to me.”

  The two males shared a glance as Shade looked down at me. “Blue?” he asked softly, his tone different from the one he’d used with the other males.

  “Yeah. Bright blue.”

  “Like a lighter shade?”

  I nodded.

  “Interesting,” he mused, glancing back at Kolstov. “Are we going to have a problem here?”

  “We already have one,” the prince replied on a snarl. “You bit her against her will.”

  “Is that what she said?” he returned, sounding far too entertained. “Well, she might be right. But our laws still make her mine. Fascinating how that works, yes?” His smile was cruel. “It is your family who stands behind those archaic politics, Kolstov. Can’t go breaking the rules now, can we?”

  Kolstov appeared ready to murder Shade.

  But his words were rolling around in my thoughts.

  Kolstov’s family allows the males to claim females in the manner Shade did? Without reprimand? Why?

  “Elemental Fae choose their mates,” I said out loud. “It’s a much better practice. And I will choose mine.”

  Shade chuckled, his expression indulgent. “An adorable thought, but impractical in our world. You already belong to me, Aflora.”

  “I don’t belong to anyone.”

  He grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me to him. “Keep denying it, baby. That makes our dance so much more fun.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before releasing me and refocusing on Kolstov. “So I’ll ask again. Are we going to have a problem here? Because she’s mine and I protect what’s mine.”

  “I don’t need you to protect me,” I corrected him. “I’ve survived a lot worse than this, and I’ll continue to survive, thank you very much.”

  He ignored me.

  As did Kolstov.

  Some sort of strange conversation happening between the two males.

  “It was a minor explosion of power,” Kolstov said after a beat. “She’s safe from reprimand.”

  “Good.” Shade’s shoulders seemed to relax a fraction, suggesting he’d been tenser than I realized.

  “Why would I be reprimanded for protecting myself?” I asked, confused.

  “In a normal situation, you wouldn’t be. But nothing about your circumstances is normal. Any and all signs of you morphing into an abomination will be considered and taken into account by the Council.” Kolstov arched a brow at me. “I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen should they decide you’ve grown too powerful as a result of this mating.”

  I swallowed. Oh.

  “Well, this has been fun,” Shade interjected. “Aflora and I will be going now.”

  Wait, wh—

  “No.” Zephyrus finally pushed off the tree, his expression still bored yet somehow holding an edge. “I’ll escort her back to the Elites, as she’s under my protection.”

  “Yeah? And who protects her from Kolstov should he decide to make a regal decision in regard to her life?” Shade countered.

  “Perhaps that’s something you should have considered before you jeopardized her life for your own selfish need,” Zephyrus returned, avoiding the question. “Let’s go, Aflora.”

  I stared at all three of them and shook my head. “Yeah, no. I’m good. I’ll just escort myself, thank you.” I turned on my heel, heading toward, uh, darkness. Then spun around again, only to find another thick layer of ink painting my vision. Not because Shade was messing with my mind, but because he’d taken us somewhere without a lot of light.

  When I turned around, it was to find three pairs of amused gazes.

  “Lost, sweetheart?” Kolstov prompted.

  My jaw clenched. “Just point me in the right direction.” As soon as I said it, I realized the error in my words.

  Even if they gestured a certain way, I couldn’t trust them to tell me the truth. With my luck, I’d end up in that LethaForest Ella mentioned earlier. Or somewhere worse.

  Gritting my teeth, I caved and refocused on Zephyrus. “Fine. Escort me back.”

  His lips actually twitched as if he approved of my downfall.

  Dick.

  “This way, princess,” he said, gesturing to the path behind him.

  I didn’t reply or look at the other males as I followed the headmaster in silence.

  Maybe Shade and Kolstov would kill each other in my absence.

  One can only dream, I thought. Then grimaced at the realization that everything Shade had done to me tonight had been real.

  And with my luck, he’d probably go much further as soon as I closed my eyes.

  “This world stinks,” I grumbled to myself.

  “Sucks,” Zephyrus corrected. “Or you could say it’s shit.”

  “What?”

  “Consider it a vocabulary lesson,” he tossed over his shoulder. “I am a headmaster, after all.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, you’re a brilliant teacher.”

  For a brief second, he almost appeared entertained by my jibe. But it disappeared a second later behind his usual expression of stoicism. “Do me a favor, Aflora. Try not to explode in class tomorrow. Another display of power like that could be your death sentence.”

  With that, he led me back to Kolstov’s suite without another word.

  Ten minutes later, he left me in the living area, and I felt even more alone than I had every night this week.

  Because his words had served as a not-so-subtle warning, one that told me my life was very much in danger here. Something I already knew, but the reality still stung.

  How could I control a power I knew nothing about?

  And worse, what if I couldn’t control it at all?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Kols

  “Did she wonder how we found her?” I asked as I entered Zeph’s suite without knocking. His gargoyle hadn’t batted an eye, which told me I was welcome.

  Zeph confirmed it by entering the living area with two bottles of beer,
one of which he tossed to me. I caught it by the neck.

  “Aflora was too consumed by her explosion of power to ask questions,” he replied, collapsing into one of the room’s recliners. “If she thinks about it later, she’ll probably assume we followed her from the bonfire.”

  That wouldn’t necessarily be too far from the truth. When her locator jumped positions, I knew something had happened. Tray’s text message confirmed it when he said Shade had used a smoke spell to remove her from the bonfire. The bastard clearly didn’t know how to abide by any rules. Not only had he removed his cuffs—something he should not have been able to do—but he’d also interacted with Aflora after being expressly told to leave her alone.

  “I should report him,” I said out loud, referring to Shade.

  Zeph popped the cap off his beer and took a long swig, his throat working with each swallow. “Wouldn’t do much.”

  Leaning against the wall a few feet away from his chair, I sighed, “I know.” If I reported Shade, they might expel him. Then he’d just lurk around the shadowy edges of campus anyway. “What game is he playing with her?”

  Zeph set his bottle off to the side, his expression thoughtful. I’d almost forgotten about this side of him, what with all the animosity he’d thrown my way these last few months. Part of me hoped our earlier brawl meant we were finally moving forward. The other part of me knew better.

  Things between us would never be the same.

  “You really saw purple flames?” He glanced at me.

  “Yeah, the kind I’d expect from a Death Blood.” They were vibrant and violet flared.

  “Well, I saw red, like the kind of flames you create.”

  We frowned at each other. “And she called them bright blue,” I added. “Which is impossible. No Midnight Fae burn bright blue.”

  “Maybe she meant navy, like the Sangré Bloods?”

  “How the fuck would that even be possible?”

  “No idea. But she’s not exactly normal. Could it be an influence from her elemental power?” Zeph suggested.

  I flicked the top off my bottle and took a long sip while considering that. Then slowly shook my head. “She’s an Earth Fae, not a Fire Fae. The flames are tied to her awakening connection to dark magic.”

  “Suggesting her mating bond with Shade is indeed turning her into an abomination,” Zeph pointed out.

  We both fell silent, me drinking my beer, Zeph swirling his around on the table in that thoughtful way of his.

  “Fuck, this isn’t good,” I finally said. “This isn’t good at all.”

  “Are you going to report it?”

  I nodded. Then I shook my head. “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do. It might still be temporary. Maybe she expelled what little power she has inside her and now she’ll go back to normal.” I heard the lie in my words, saw the confirmation of it written in Zeph’s features.

  “It’s not like you to play the naïve card, Kols.”

  Kols. Not Prince Kolstov or Kolstov, but Kols. He hadn’t used my preferred name in months. I swallowed another sip to keep myself from commenting on it or allowing him to see the glimmer of hope that small word provided.

  We might not be able to go back, but I wasn’t opposed to moving forward.

  Zeph was the one who cut off all ties.

  Not me.

  “I know you want to fuck her, just like you do every other hot, unattainable female to cross your path,” he added, destroying the moment. “But that shouldn’t hold you back from doing what you have to do. Just do the deed and end her afterward.”

  Such a cruel approach. Although, I knew he didn’t mean it that way. Not completely, anyway. Zeph thrived on logic. And to him, feeding the lust before completing the task struck him as practical.

  Except nothing about this assignment was practical.

  “I can’t just kill the last remaining Earth Fae Royal,” I reminded him. “And maybe my approach is naïve, but I need to hope this power mingling will just go away.”

  “Wrong. What you need to do is prepare for the inevitable. Her power is growing. I’ve been watching her all week, and she’s not growing weaker. She’s growing stronger. Almost as if Shade’s bite flipped a switch inside her. Something’s not right, and her little power display tonight proves it.”

  He picked up his bottle and finished it off in a few deep gulps. Then he waved his hand over the glass, refilling it with a muttered spell.

  I pulled up my phone, checking the app linked to Aflora’s tracker, and noted her presence next door. She hadn’t tried to run yet, which actually made me admire her a bit. It implied that she put her people before herself. To return in her current state would thwart the balance. She also wouldn’t be safe there given that the Elemental Fae recently took down an insane abomination. They wouldn’t be all that accepting of her return.

  So maybe it wasn’t so much that she put her people first as it was her survival instinct kicking in.

  Regardless, the intelligence in her decision to stay boosted her appeal in my eyes. Which was exactly the wrong response overall because I could not—and should not—entertain the possibility of fucking Aflora.

  She was a forbidden fruit.

  Off-limits.

  As Zeph already said, unattainable.

  Yet I couldn’t deny the urge to kiss her earlier. I’d also enjoy sticking one to Shade in the process. The asshole had disappeared into a cloud of smoke before I could give him a piece of my mind. However, I felt his residual presence all the way back to my building, suggesting he’d followed Aflora.

  “He seems to care about her,” I mused out loud.

  “Who?”

  “Shade,” I clarified. “He traced after you and Aflora to the Elite Residence.”

  Zeph considered for a second, then lifted a shoulder. “I think he cares more about the bond than he does her. If something happens to her, he’ll be the one living in pain for eternity.”

  “Probably should have thought about that before biting her,” I grumbled.

  “True, but I think there’s a bigger scheme behind it all.” Zeph set his mostly full bottle down and braced his arms on his thighs. “Shade’s a dick, don’t get me wrong, but that fucker doesn’t do anything without a reason.”

  “I don’t know. He seems to do things all the time just to piss everyone else off,” I muttered in reply. “That’s part of what makes him such an ass.”

  “Yeah, but those are small irritants. Taking an Elemental Fae mate—specifically, Aflora—is a catastrophic decision for him and her. Why would he do such a thing? It has to be more than just wanting to piss off his father, or your father, or the Council. He’s up to something.”

  Which brings us full circle, I thought, recalling the way our conversation began about what game Shade was playing and why. “Something tells me we won’t know until his plan unfolds.”

  “Which is precisely why I suggest you say nothing and observe. Let’s see what he does with her.”

  “You want to use the Royal Elemental Fae as bait?”

  He flipped his hands, palms up. “Shade signed her death warrant the second he bit her, and we both know it. This whole observation game is just for the paperwork so they can validate killing her. We might as well figure out what the hell Shade is up to in the process and make use of what little remains of her life.”

  I released a humorless laugh, his words a repeated punch to the gut. “You’re a cold son of a bitch. You know that, right?”

  “I’m thinking defensively. It’s what I do.”

  “Yeah, and while you’re great at it, could you for a moment try to remember that she’s a person, not a pawn?” Technically, she’s a future queen, I corrected myself. Much more important than a pawn.

  “Shade put her in this mess, not me. I could choose to pity her, or I could choose to use her to ensure he never pulls that shit again. I vote for the latter. You should, too.”

  “It’s not black and white, Zeph.”

  “Why
? Because you want to fuck her? Just get your dick wet, sate the need, and move on. It’s what you do best.”

  My jaw ticked at the barbed insult. “Right, and you’re not at all interested in fucking her?” I knew he was, because I’d caught the flare of intrigue in his gaze while looking at her. Oh, he hid it well, but I knew him better than he gave me credit for. A few months apart would never change that.

  Besides, we both had a type, and Aflora checked all our boxes in spades. She also posed one of the biggest challenges I’d ever encountered, mostly because flirting with her was keen to flirting with death. One wrong move and we’d end up on the chopping block right beside her. Which only made her more alluring as a prospect since it added the element of true danger.

  “We’re not talking about this,” Zeph said, his voice deepening.

  My lips quirked up. “You’re right. We don’t need to. I already know you want her. And you brought it up—twice—not me. I’m just throwing the ball back in your court. If you want to share her, just say the words.”

  “Stop.”

  “Why? Because I’ll push your limits?” I taunted. “Because the whole headmaster role adds yet another element of the forbidden to an already intriguing situation?”

  His green irises swirled with embers. I’d either just royally pissed him off or turned him the fuck on. Probably both.

  Zeph enjoyed harsh sex.

  Anger was his aphrodisiac.

  Fighting served as foreplay.

  And we’d fought a lot these last few months, both mentally and physically.

  Our earlier quarrel still simmered between us. He’d gotten in a few good hits, but so had I, and it’d left us both infuriated and a little bruised on the inside. Hence, I’d opted to avoid the bonfire. But the alert on my phone, activated by Aflora’s collar, had sent me to Zeph’s door. Then Tray’s text had forced us both outside.

  Now Zeph and I were alone again.

  Two decades of experience hanging between us.

  Five years of that spent between the sheets with multiple women and occasionally just each other.

  I didn’t date or do girlfriends. Yet Zeph had always been my one constant.

  Until six months ago when we seduced the wrong chick. She’d used the sexual distraction to try to take advantage of me and my power, and she’d caused a lot of damage in the process.