by Lexi C. Foss
Needless to say, my father had not approved of the outcome or Zeph’s inability to “properly protect me.”
And here we were.
“I need you to leave,” Zeph finally said, his hands balled into fists. “Now.”
“No.” What we needed to do was have this out once and for all. Six months of this bullshit was long enough. “What do you want me to do, Zeph? Apologize again? Promise you I’ll fix it? Because I’ve already done both of those things. What more can I do? You want me to suck your cock all night? Let you take me up the ass? Go seduce Aflora for us both? Find a human that fits nicely between us? Tell me what I need to do to fix this.”
“You can’t fucking fix it. You let me take the fall for your choice.”
“I told my father that I picked her and invited her into our bed. He blamed you for not vetting her. Which, yeah, is sort of your job as my Guardian.”
His gaze narrowed. “He denounced me in front of the fucking kingdom over a fuckup we both shared equal blame for.”
I flinched at the memory of my father’s cruelty. Because yeah, he’d been a major dick over the whole issue. Then turned around and told me to grow the fuck up. “We both suffered that day.”
“Yet you’ll still ascend, and I’ll remain here as a headmaster. And don’t tell me you’re going to change that. I don’t want any favors from you.”
“You’re my best friend, jackass. It’s not a favor. It’s a reality. No one can replace you as my Guardian. I refuse.”
His lips curled into a harsh grin. “Yeah, well, I can and will refuse the assignment.”
I matched his grin with one of my own. “You can try, Zeph. But we both know my word will be law.”
“Which makes you just like him,” he retorted. “You must be so proud.”
Fuck, I hated when Zeph took on the asshole act. “I’m not my father.”
“Then prove it and stop threatening to force others into positions they don’t want to be in.”
The bottle almost slipped from my fingers, his words hitting home. “You really don’t want to be my Guardian anymore.” Not a question, but a statement. “All because of one fucked-up experience?”
“It was more than a fucked-up experience, and you know it. We were reckless and stupid, and lives were lost in the process when that bitch borrowed your access to the source. How can you not feel guilty about that?”
My lips opened and then closed. Because I suddenly understood.
This wasn’t about punishing me but about punishing himself for a failure he felt responsible for.
“Those women died because of Dakota, not because of you or me.”
“You really are naïve if you believe that. It’s your duty to the Midnight Fae realm to protect that access, and you didn’t. Just as it was my duty to protect you from harm, and I failed when I let that bitch into your bed.” He pushed off his chair and rolled his neck. “I’m done for the night. It’s your turn to play babysitter. I’m going for a run.”
“Zeph—”
“No.” He cut me off with a thunderous expression. “I’m done, Kolstov. Absolutely and resolutely. It’s time for you to believe that and move on.” He pushed past me, heading toward the door and not once looking back or even asking me to leave. Instead, he left, his angry aura burning the air in his wake.
But for the first time in months, I knew why.
He wasn’t mad at me.
He was mad at himself.
No, he was mad at us. For all the damage we’d caused. And while I understood the guilt and responsibility for what had happened, I also knew dwelling on the past fixed nothing.
Instead, I’d learned from the experience.
I rarely fucked Midnight Fae before the event, and now, I never would.
Only humans.
And I intended for it to remain that way, even after I mated Emelyn.
I shuddered at the thought of her and our intertwined destinies. Not fucking her would be the easiest task of my life.
Unlike Aflora…
I pulled out my phone again, noting she was still next door. Probably in bed. It’d be far too easy to join her and use her as a distraction from my growing frustration.
Except, with her increasing powers, it was possible she could also access my source.
Which firmly placed her in the will never happen pile, where she belonged.
“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.
I set my bottle down in Zeph’s sink and gripped the counter.
I could really use an outlet of relief right about now. Rather than fuck around like I’d intended to this last week, I’d spent the majority of my time with Cyrus and Exos—two Elemental Fae Kings—talking about Aflora. They were adamant that I protect her, stating she wasn’t just a Royal Fae but also a friend of their Claire. Which meant any harm befalling the beautiful princess would put me on the shit list of a queen and her two kings. Not to mention her other three mates.
Talk about a rock and a hard place, I thought, sighing. Right, well, standing in Zeph’s kitchen wasn’t going to do anything for me. Knowing him, he wouldn’t be back tonight.
I’d work on him more tomorrow.
Because, while I agreed with his bait idea, we needed something more solid that allowed us to keep Aflora safe.
Even if her death was indeed inevitable.
Chapter Fourteen
Aflora
“All right, this is where I leave you,” Ella said, stopping in front of an ominous-looking building with tall, black, moving spires. Well, not moving, exactly. More like the vines wrapped around it were moving.
Because of the snakes.
I suppressed a shudder.
“You just go up to the gargoyle there, give your name, and he’ll allow you to pass,” Ella added, gesturing to a snarling stone statue a few feet away.
“Yeah, he looks friendly,” I muttered.
Ella snorted a laugh. “They’re all like that. They think they own the campus.” She started to walk away backward while saying, “I don’t recommend kicking one. I made that mistake early on, and it tried to eat my foot off. Annoying little assholes, if you ask me.” She shrugged and turned away with a wave. “Good luck.”
I wrapped my cloak tighter around me as if it were a blanket rather than a piece of my Academy wardrobe. The jabbing of my wand in the inner pocket made it impossible to forget the true purpose.
Nibbling my lip, I wandered up to the gargoyle and said, “I’m Aflora of the Elemental Earth Fae.”
Two pinpoints of bright red scanned over my outfit, the unfriendly expression turning even meaner. “Your energy signature is a puzzling mix of magic—part Royal, part Midnight Fae.” The grating of stones deepened the being’s voice, giving it a harsh quality that made me flinch.
“I have a class in here today for death magic,” I told it. “If you would please allow me entry, I’ll be on my way.”
“Such a polite one. So abnormal. Just like your magic. You’re a bit of a quandary, aren’t you?” Those sharp points of red light met my gaze. “This is not the course or field for you.”
“Just let her through, Sir Schmahl,” Shade said as he materialized beside me. “As my chosen mate, she has Death Blood running through her veins. This is an appropriate course for her, even if she’s too weak to handle it.”
“Too weak?” I countered, focusing on the willow stump to my left. “I’m not weak.”
“We’ll see, won’t we, love?” He refocused on the bristling gargoyle. “Come on, Sir Schmahl. You know you want to see the outcome of this little test just as badly as I do. It’ll be fun to watch her fail, won’t it?”
“Hmm, yes. Yes, she will fail,” the gargoyle agreed.
“Seriously?” I gaped between them both. “Bullying me on my first day of classes? How charming.” It didn’t escape my notice how many times I’d called Shade charming in a sarcastic sense.
“No bullying, just speaking practically,” Shade replied, his dimples flashing.
“What do you say, Sir Schmahl? Are you up for a bit of rebellious fun?”
“If she dies, I am not responsible” was the gargoyle’s dark reply.
The door swung open beside him, showcasing a tunnel lined with torches. Great. The inside matched the ominous exterior.
Shade pressed his palm to my lower back, giving me a nudge. “Don’t worry, Sir Schmahl. I’ll clean up any messes she creates.”
A snort followed that comment. Or maybe it was just the gargoyle shifting positions. I couldn’t really say, the sounds the being made hard to decipher.
“Come along, pet,” Shade whispered against my ear. “I’ll escort you to the lecture hall.”
I bristled but didn’t argue. Mostly because I had no idea where we were going. The schedule Zephyrus had given me didn’t list room numbers, just buildings. And on our tours this week, he said nothing about where to go once inside each castle-like structure.
Shade’s warmth seeped through my cloak, his peppermint scent swirling around me in a wave of refreshment. Every inhale increased my alertness, waking me up to this new world of Midnight Fae while also soothing me in a way it shouldn’t.
It’s the bite, I told myself. He’s hypnotized my blood.
“The halls change,” he said, his hand moving to my hip to stop me from taking another step. It placed his arm around my lower back in a decidedly intimate manner. When I tried to move away, his grasp tightened. “Hold on.”
“Stop manhandling—”
Shifting rocks cut off my statement, freezing me in place as the corridor warped into a new dimension of dungeon-esque walls. My throat went dry at the windowless wooden doors and the flames crawling along the different torches.
“Every student creates a different path,” Shade explained softly. “Our age dictates what course we should take and leads to the appropriate classroom. You can see ours outlined in purple fire down there.” He pointed ahead to the violet glow.
“Are all the buildings like this?” Because if they were, this was going to be a very long week of finding my courses.
“There are similarities, but every subject has its own nuances. Defensive arts, for example, requires you to battle a figment to enter. Your experience and skill are determined by how well you do, and you’re placed accordingly. So I suspect you’ll be in a beginner-level Warrior Blood course.” He winked down at me.
I scowled. “You know nothing about my abilities. And it’s not my fault your Council handicapped me.” I pointed to my collar, then recalled his statement last night about his cuffs. “Wait—”
“Oh, no. I know where you’re going, and no, I won’t help you remove it. Prove your own worth and figure it out yourself. I have faith in your failure, baby.”
Ugh! “You’re such an ignorant, impossible jerk of a willow stump!”
He laughed loudly, shaking his head. “I can’t take you seriously with words like that, Aflora. Try calling me an asshole and we’ll talk.”
“How about I call you a bloodsucker instead?” I threw at him, livid by his callousness and hot and cold behavior. “A manipulative, impulsive bloodsucker who uses cruelty as a flirtation tool.”
His smirk died. “Careful.”
“Or what?”
“Or you’ll piss off every Midnight Fae in this building. That term isn’t one we allow here.”
I scoffed at that. “Well, it’s what you are, so I’m not sure why you’d shy away from it. Bloodsucker.”
He studied me for a long moment, his evil grin returning. “You know what? I changed my mind. Go ahead and use that term. Let’s see what happens.”
With that, he turned and headed toward our supposed class. It was probably a pitfall directly into hell, yet I followed him anyway.
And paused on the threshold when I found a normal-looking lecture hall inside with desks and chairs and windows that overlooked a courtyard of burning thwomp trees.
This place was like a riddle. The hallway resembled an underground cavern meant for criminals, and this room reminded me of something from a human college campus. There was even a chalkboard at the front.
I stepped inside, half expecting it to morph into a nightmare, but nothing changed.
Shade had taken a seat amidst a group of students, their expressions filled with adoration as they spoke to him.
He must save his “charming” act for me, not the others.
Or maybe they enjoyed that side of him.
I sat on the opposite side of the room, keeping him in my peripheral vision while assuring an ample amount of distance.
As more students entered, they greeted him with a variety of weird handshakes, some bumping his fist, and all took seats near him, leaving me very alone. Which was fine. I preferred it that way.
At least until they started glancing at me and whispering things to him that made him chuckle.
I narrowed my eyes. This game of his had proven to be very dangerous, mostly because I didn’t know how to properly play it. He bit me, seduced me, pretended to protect me last night, and guided me today, all the while issuing insults, and now it appeared he was making jokes about me.
Were they taking bets on how quickly I would fail?
Well, I’d just have to prove them all wrong.
Except I had no idea what I was doing or how to use my wand.
And the choker around my neck resembled a noose.
Shade’s words echoed in my mind. “Prove your own worth and figure it out yourself. I have faith in your failure, baby.”
Pompous jackwad, I thought at him now. His goading fueled a fire inside me, one that blended with the cerulean energy I’d created last night. I felt it humming beneath my skin, having not quite died even while I slept. As if it now belonged despite the foreign sensation of its presence.
I studied my fingers, half expecting to see them glowing, when a loud crash at the front of the room sent my focus upright.
A burly male appeared from a cloud of smoke, his cape flapping around him like bat wings. An appropriate entrance considering his small head. It didn’t quite fit his robust physique. Not fat, so much as solid. His neck bulged with strength, his thighs the size of my waist. And he had to stand at least a foot taller than me.
He reminded me a bit of Sol, causing my heart to skip a beat in my chest. Not in the way it used to when I had a crush on him, but in a familial way. The male had practically raised me with his mother’s help. And his sister had been my best friend before she died.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
A distant memory when faced with my current reality.
Which included a pacing giant at the base of the classroom, his hands holding a scroll. Everyone had gone quiet, waiting for him to speak.
A pair of midnight irises scanned the room, landing on me.
Here we go.
But rather than say anything, he shrugged and went back to his scroll. The parchment went up in bright purple flames a moment later, and he clapped his hands. “Welcome to Advanced Conjuring. Most of you are familiar with my teaching methods. For those of you who are not, I prefer pair teaching. Now, get your wands ready and we can begin.”
All the students pulled out their conduit tools, so I did the same.
“You know the spell,” he added. “Well, maybe not.” That last statement was for me, something he confirmed when he met my gaze. “When I count to three, wave your wand in a crisscross pattern three times and say Sharikana.”
I nodded to display my understanding, but he’d already looked away.
“And go,” he said.
Echoes of the spell chanted from around the room, and I quickly followed suit, only to startle as energy zipped around me. A lasso of sorts formed around my wrist, the magical substance roped directly to Shade across the room.
His lips curled and he blew me a kiss.
I tried to yank myself away from him, which only tightened the connection and sent a piercing whistle through the air.
Cringing, I ducked into my desk and nearly
dropped my wand.
Then felt Shade’s subtle tug back. A taunt. And it shoved me right over the cliff into a puddle of fury.
Angling my wand at him, I snapped, “Let me go.”
Which did absolutely nothing other than amuse him.
So I sent a blast of blue fire down the rope, directly to his wrist.
He jumped out of his chair, dropped his wand, and wrapped his hand around the flaming line. This time I fell out of my chair when he yanked.
I screamed and sent another blast of my cerulean magic at him, until the link severed.
And a raging professor stood before me. “Have you lost your damn mind, girl?!”
Yes, I thought at him, wiping my hands against my black skirt and fixing my white blouse. “He lassoed me,” I explained dumbly. Because he had to have seen that, right?
“Because that’s the purpose of the spell!” the professor roared. “Pair magic.” He gestured around the class, indicating the ropes tying other students together. “Your magic chose his magic. Then you tried to burn him up with your power, which is not acceptable behavior for my class.”
My jaw hit the floor. “My magic chose his?” That was impossible. I would never in a million years choose that willow stump!
Another realization struck me just as quickly. My spell worked. Oh, this can’t be a good sign. It’s supposed to stop, not start working.
Pixie sticks, this was bad. Very bad.
Shade stood a few feet away, his entertainment over our situation clear in his icy gaze. “Perhaps we should try again, Headmaster Irwin? It seems Aflora isn’t interested in being my partner for the year.”
The robust male spun on his heel. “The spell cannot just be undone, Shadow. She’s your partner, and you will learn to work together. Starting in detention after we’re done here today.”
“Detention,” I repeated, familiar with the term but never having experienced it.
“Yes. Where you will work on pair-bonding exercises until I’m satisfied you understand the purpose of teamwork.”