by Lexi C. Foss
He uttered a spell and waved his thick branch of a wand, and the world righted around me as he sent me back to my chair with some sort of floating spell. I tried to bat it away, uncomfortable with the inky presence coating my being, but it disappeared as soon as my butt hit the seat.
Shade was not provided the same treatment.
He merely collapsed beside his desk into a lazy sprawl befitting a king.
I hated him.
Loathed him.
Could not stand the mere sight of him.
And now I was stuck with him as a mate and as a class partner.
This year could not get any worse.
Chapter Fifteen
Aflora
I lied.
This year could absolutely get worse.
As I found myself literally bound to Shade’s side in Headmaster Irwin’s version of detention, all I wanted to do was die. But we had an essay to write—together. He’d joined our hands with some sort of magical pen that required our agreement on the words for it to work.
The topic? Define partnership.
I gritted my teeth as Shade tried to write something about partnership falling to the stronger of the pair to lead.
When the script vanished, he sighed and glared down at me.
“You try.”
“Screw you,” I tossed back.
“He won’t let us leave until we’re done.”
“Then I guess we’re living here now.” A childish thing to say, but there was absolutely no way I could work with this monster. “You only have yourself to blame, really. Not like I asked you to bite me.”
He snorted. “Are we back to that old argument already?”
“It’s not old,” I countered. “It’s very fresh and new and wrong.”
His arm flexed against mine, the rope tying his left limb to my right limb tightening with the movement. There was another band of magic around our torsos, gluing my right side to his left side. Every time he breathed, I felt the strap pull against my chest.
This would have been intimate with anyone else.
With Shade, it only made me want to kill him.
But we were forbidden from drawing our wands.
Not that I knew how to use mine anyway. Today’s class had consisted of a series of insane tasks involving conjuring deathly objects like skulls and bones and hearts.
As Shade had predicted, I failed every task.
Mostly because I refused to try. Playing with the dead went against every principle I possessed as an Earth Fae. I conjured life, not death.
Shade, however, excelled in a frightening manner. Each spell he uttered resulted in perfection, his aura an essential cloak of darkness. If only I could turn him into a ghost and make him disappear.
“Look, if I promise to tutor you, will you stop acting like a brat?” he asked, his genuine tone almost comical.
Except his words had me seeing in shades of red.
“You are the absolute last fae in all the realms I’d seek tutoring from. And I am not acting like a brat.”
“That entire statement was the definition of brat, Aflora,” he replied, sounding tired. “I’m the best conjurer in this Academy. Hell, I’m one of the best, period. Saying no to my tutoring offer is both impractical and stupid. You’re only denying me because you’re mad at me. Hence, brat-like behavior.”
“Well, excuse me for being a little miffed by our current predicament. You put me here.”
“And what’s done is already done. It’s how we use the past to move forward that defines us, and so far, you’re not impressing me.”
“Aw, well then, it’s a good thing I’m not trying to impress you, Shade,” I replied sweetly, batting my eyes.
His jaw popped from clenching his teeth, the first sign of frustration I’d ever seen in him. “We need to finish this damn assignment, Aflora. Unless you intend to join me in more intimate locations like the bathroom or the shower.” His gaze dropped to the top button of my blouse. “Actually, that sounds like a beautiful plan. Shall we go?”
I tried to elbow him but couldn’t, thanks to the binds.
Instead, I growled at him low in my throat. “Not happening.”
His lips twitched as he bent to press his mouth against my ear. “That’s not what you say in your dreams, little rose.”
I gasped and tried to face him, only to be yanked right back into his side by the powerful spell. “You are in my head!”
“No, I’m in your blood.” He kissed my neck before I had a chance to realize his intention, then nipped my pulse. “You’re mine, princess. Forever. Now either work with me or let’s go play in bed.”
“Never.”
“Stop lying to yourself,” he said softly. “I know how you really feel and so do you. The sooner we get past this brutal courtship period, the better. Because I’m dying to fuck you.”
“Shade!”
“What?” he demanded, his blue eyes glowing with power. “Would you rather I lie, too? Pretend my cock isn’t hard as granite right now from your flowery perfume and seductive curves?” He snorted. “And I don’t even like flowers. Yet all I can think about is exploring your petal-soft skin and dipping my tongue into your damp pussy. Because let’s be honest, we both know you’re wet. I can smell it, Aflora.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor, his crude words doing things to me that they most certainly shouldn’t.
And with Headmaster Irwin lurking in the other room.
Oh, Mother Earth, save me from this cruelly handsome fae!
“Mmm, and now it’s intensifying,” he mused, leaning in to nibble my neck once more. “Did Glacier not speak to you like this, baby? With intention and lust-filled promises?”
I shivered, his nearness messing with my mind.
Until his words fully registered.
Glacier. I couldn’t recall ever mentioning my boyfriend’s name. Well, ex-boyfriend technically. He never prioritized our time together, our last missed date being the final straw for a lot of reasons. Not least of all because of Shade kidnapping me.
“How do you know about Glacier?” I asked, my voice taking on a husky quality I pretended not to notice.
“I know everything about you, Aflora,” he whispered into my ear. “You’ve been mine for longer than you know.”
“What does that even mean?” All these cryptic words about a fate he seemed to know everything about were driving me crazy. “Why did you bite me?”
“Because I was told to,” he replied against my jaw, his free hand coming up to cup my face.
I allowed him to guide my mouth to his, only because I was too flustered to stop him. And a small part of me wanted to taste him again, to feel the caress of his lips against mine.
Because Shade knew how to kiss.
Really, really kiss.
His tongue mastered mine in a single move, silencing the conversation between us while providing me with a distraction I didn’t realize I craved.
He had this bizarre hold over me, one that drove logic out the window and replaced it with mind-numbing need.
In this state, I longed for another bite. Not that I’d admit it out loud. Although, something told me I didn’t have to. Shade claimed to be in my blood, but that somehow linked to my mind. I could feel him infiltrating every square inch of me, taking over my existence with his own.
“I hate what you’re doing to me,” I admitted on a whisper, my attempt to pull back thwarted by his hand sliding into my hair and holding me in place.
“Your racing pulse and arousal say otherwise,” he replied, taking my mouth once more.
His earlier kiss paled in comparison to this one. He’d gone easy on me before. Now he demanded submission with each stroke of his tongue, his grip falling to my nape, where he squeezed and held me in place for his domination.
The binding around us seemed to slacken a little.
His arm moving against mine.
But I was too busy trying to keep up with the assault on my mouth to consider what else
was happening.
He’d stolen my ability to breathe, his lips turning violent in a way I should hate. Yet my legs clenched in reply. My abdomen coiled. And the intimate parts of me wept for attention.
Wet didn’t begin to cover it. Why was this turning me on so completely? Because of our bond? Another spell? Or did I enjoy this love-and-hate pull between us?
I whimpered, conflicted.
My mind loathed this male.
Whereas my body succumbed to his every touch, almost as if he’d trained me in my dreams to respond this way.
His lips curled against mine. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” he asked softly, causing my brow to crumple.
“What?”
He brushed his mouth against my cheek before settling back into his chair. “We’re done,” he called out.
I blinked at him.
Then down at the paper he’d written while kissing me.
It disappeared before I could read it, and Headmaster Irwin appeared in the doorway holding the essay. His surprised expression told me whatever it said was not what he expected and probably not something I’d agree to at all. Shade had done something to override the lesson, in addition to kissing the life out of me.
“Very well,” Headmaster Irwin said, releasing us from his bonds. “I expect better behavior during our next session.” That last bit was aimed at me before he disappeared into a cloud of smoke.
Shade stood and stretched, his impressive bulge inches from my face.
He wasn’t lying about the hard part.
“My tutoring offer still stands for whenever you decide to consider logic over emotion,” Shade said, then caught my chin and lifted my gaze to his. “As does my shower and bed offer.” With a wink, he turned toward the door. “I suggest you follow me, little rose. Or you’ll end up lost in the building until the students start arriving tomorrow, which will throw off your schedule completely.”
He disappeared through the glowing doorway, not giving me a second to gather my thoughts or my things.
Except they were all gone.
Headmaster Irwin had passed out a class text and notebook during the class, along with pens. The others had left with them. But mine were nowhere to be found.
I chased after Shade and found him waiting against the wall, his books and mine tucked under his arm. “How…?”
“As I said, conjuring is my specialty.” He canted his head, causing his dark hair to fall over his forehead and into one eye. “They’ll be in your room when you get back. Consider it my version of an olive branch. Accept it at your own peril.”
He didn’t allow me to reply, merely continued down the corridor. I stayed close to his side, pausing when he did to allow the walls to shift. Then breathed a sigh of relief the second we exited into the dark evening.
Until I found Zephyrus waiting with a scowl beside the gargoyle.
“What the fuck took you so long?” he demanded, scowling first at me and then at Shade.
“Detention,” Shade replied. “She attacked me with green fire. Impressive, really, but does make me wonder where she’s getting that Warrior Blood influence from.” He cocked a brow at the headmaster. “Any ideas?”
I frowned at Shade. “It wasn’t green. It was blue. And you deserved it.”
“I think you might be color-blind, babe. Maybe we’ll check that out later.” He tossed a grin over his shoulder, apparently deciding this conversation was over despite his question to Zephyrus. “See you in your dreams tonight, little rose.”
“Stay out of my head!”
“Blood, baby,” he reminded me, the words a whisper against my ear despite the distance his legs had put between us.
I batted at the vacant space, trying to get rid of whatever residual presence or spell he’d left in his wake. And found Zephyrus staring at me with an arched brow. “Blue fire?”
“Yeah, blue.”
“Can you show me?” he asked.
Sighing, I held out my hand, calling the power to my fingertips. And of course, nothing happened. “I think Shade sucked out all my energy for today,” I muttered.
Zephyrus considered me for a long moment, then nodded. “Perhaps tomorrow, then. We’re late for the dining area anyway, and you need to eat.”
“Is it your job to feed me now?” I wondered out loud.
“No. I just want you to survive,” he replied. “Follow me if you feel the same way.”
Unable to fight that logic, I did what he asked.
Ate a disgusting humanlike dinner in silence.
And found my books waiting for me on my bed when I returned to my room. Beside them was a black rose and a note that read: Sweet dreams.
Chapter Sixteen
Aflora
Day two of my schedule centered around Warrior Class.
Because apparently Midnight Fae enjoyed fighting.
At least the wardrobe worked for me—stretchy black pants, a T-shirt, and my hair thrown up into a ponytail. I even had on tennis shoes. All the guys were similarly dressed, including Kols and Shade. Only the Malefic Bloods wore black T-shirts instead of white.
“You were right,” I said to Ella. “The different types are becoming easier to identify.” The Sangré Bloods were the easiest with their colorful heads, then the Malefic Bloods because of their penchant for obsidian. The Death Bloods I recognized because of class yesterday, and the Elite Bloods seemed to be gravitating toward Kolstov.
The Warrior Bloods weren’t in this class because it was defense basics and they would slaughter us all. Or that was how Ella explained it, anyway.
Regardless, I was ready for a physical course. I had a lot of pent-up annoyance to burn, thanks to Shade’s mental gymnastics last night. He’d taunted me with his tongue over and over, never letting me orgasm, and I woke up panting and hot and very frustrated.
His smirk now told me he knew it, too.
“I can’t tell if you want to fuck him or kill him,” Ella remarked, following my glower to the source of my anger.
“Kill,” I said. “Definitely kill.” I tugged on my collar, irritated by its presence. I’d give anything to be able to create a tree and use its branches to smash the willow stump’s head into the ground.
Of course, it’d probably be a burning thwomp.
Uh, yeah, I didn’t want to play with those again.
A hush fell over the students as Zephyrus appeared in a pair of loose pants and a sleeveless shirt. He didn’t acknowledge me or Kolstov, just picked up a thick wooden stick from the ground, gave it a twirl, and ignited both ends with green flames.
“You all know who I am. You all know why you’re here. Defensive magic is a key part of your continued education. But I’m not going to waste your time teaching you spells from a book you can read. Instead, we’re going to practice them. However, before I can assign you to groups, I need to assess your skills. So today will be about what you know and what you can handle.”
Ella and I shared a glance.
I was pretty sure what group I’d be assigned to.
“We’ll go for old-fashioned duels with winner and loser circuits. I’ve already assigned your first pairings.” He snapped his fingers, and names began scrolling through the air in emerald script crafted from fire.
“Ha. Well, our friendship was short-lived,” Ella remarked, pointing to our pairing. “You’d better bring more than flowers to this fight, earth chick. I’ve been practicing with Tray.” She wiggled fingers lined with dark red magic, her gaze taunting in a playful manner.
Her teasing warmed me slightly, making me relax just a bit.
Until the first fight began.
Vibrant sparks flew through the air as physical attacks were blocked with defensive spells.
Defensive spells I didn’t know.
“Uh, this is going to be a really short fight,” I told Ella.
She smirked. “I know. But I promise to go easy on you. Trust me, I was a newbie not too long ago. I get it. We can review some common defenses tonight
or during one of our break days.”
I nodded absently, my focus falling to Shade as he stepped into the ring with a lanky Malefic Blood. The male narrowed his gaze. “I’m so glad we’re paired, Shadow. I’ve been dying to kick your ass all week for disgracing my sister.”
“Is that what she told you?” Shade mused.
“That would require her to be able to speak, which—”
“Stop flirting and get to it,” Zephyrus said, interrupting the Malefic Blood.
“Gladly,” the lanky male replied, a sharp, translucent blade appearing in his hand.
I jumped as he charged Shade in a whirl of power, his aim going right for the other male’s heart. It was a brutal attack, one clearly meant to kill.
But Shade sidestepped with ease, stirring a dark cloud in his wake and wrapping it around the other male’s throat. “If you want to play like that, then properly challenge me,” he said sharply, yanking on the hold and bringing the male to his knees.
“Enough,” Zephyrus snapped.
Shade released the male with a little wave of his hand and shrugged. “Stiggis started it.”
“Bastard!” The Malefic Blood flew through the air toward Shade, additional weapons falling into his hands, but he ran headfirst into a wall of magic and bounced backward to collapse to the ground.
My eyes widened as Zephyrus put away his wand, the block disappearing with it. “Chig, take this idiot to the medic.”
“Yes, sir,” another Malefic Blood said, his body width twice the size as that of the male on the ground. He lifted the unconscious man and tossed him over his shoulder as if he weighed nothing, then headed off the field.
“I’ll move you into the winner’s circle, Shade. But I expect to see defensive magic in your next match.” Zephyrus dismissed him before he could comment and gestured for the next pairing to come forward.
Which was Kols and a petite female wearing a wicked smile. “Ready, future lover?” she asked him, her catlike eyes glowing red with power.
“If you think I’m going to go easy on you, Emelyn, then think again.”
Her resulting laugh reminded me of nails on a chalkboard, her expression nowhere near amused or kind in any way. She flipped her long black braid over her shoulder and fell into a fighter’s stance. “I’ve been practicing.”