If I forgot everything and everyone—Vulthus, Olwen, Thorsten, Lily—and stayed in the moment, maybe I could feel peace too. Sadness descended onto me, because even as my mind quieted, I knew this was a brief reprieve. My life had improved in the sense that I was no longer running or hiding, but fighting back. Yet, this way of life meant always being in a warzone.
I wanted to enjoy nature and bask in life’s simple things. Ride a horse, see the Grand Canyon, do a cross country road trip. I wanted to do things that everyone thought were basic, like fall in love, have a boring, but safe relationship, have friends with normal problems. Not focus on survival all the time, play games, and be tangled up in endless machinations.
A twig crunched from my left. I tensed and snapped my gaze to it. My heart hammered, but not from fear, and I didn’t bother summoning an ice weapon. Even before I saw his blue eyes, I knew it was him. Slowly, he emerged from behind a pair of trees.
“How do you get up here?” I asked.
The corners of Thorsten’s lips ticked upward, and there was excitement and pride in his face, yet also hesitation.
“The only way up is to fly,” I continued. “Can you fly, Thorsten?” He shouldn’t be able to, given how newly made he was, and yet, I had seen stranger things. “Can you?” This was his final chance. If he wanted me to trust him, he had to trust me. Fully. No more hiding. No more secrets.
“Yes, I’ve been working on my flying.”
I nodded, warmth blooming in my chest. Maybe things could really be different now that I was out of Nocturnal Academy. “Do you still work for Lady Cardinal?”
He shook his head. “My contract is over. I’m living with Griffin now and running errands for him.”
“Am I one of your errands?”
He sat down on the boulder next to me, so close that his scent of bergamot and sandalwood enveloped me. Earthy with a hint of fresh citrus. Gosh, how I had missed that. Was this weak of me? Or was this weakness necessary? Was it the only thing that stood between me becoming a heartless killing machine?
“You are most definitely not one of my errands.” Thorsten’s low, smooth voice washed over me like a balm. “Steinberg would be furious if he knew I’m seeing you. He has been explicit about me not hanging out around any fae.”
“Why are you going against his wishes?”
Thorsten’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “At first, I told myself it was because I needed to make sure that you were all right. I felt so guilty after—”
“After reducing me to nothing? After laughing at me? You were crueler than the rest of them!” The tender feelings within me fled to reveal a volcano of anger underneath. “Why do you keep playing nice than turning into the biggest ass ever? Does that turn you on? Is this your sickness?”
“Onyx,” he breathed and hung his head low, hiding his face with his hands. The way he said my name with so much tenderness, laced with longing, took the wind out of my sails. When he looked back up at me, his arctic eyes drilled into me. “I had to make you stay away. I had to ensure that you left the academy, that you didn’t hesitate because of me.”
A dry laugh burst from my lips. “Do you think me that stupid that I would put physical attraction over my life?”
Hurt flashed across his face, and a tingle of wicked satisfaction ran up my spine. Good, I wanted him to know what rejection felt like.
“I never thought you were stupid, but you’re incredibly unpredictable. The only thing I’m sure of is that when you’re pissed off, you’ll follow through on your goal.”
I swallowed hard. “You didn’t piss me off. You stabbed me in the back. You took a hammer to my heart.”
Thorsten nodded slowly. “You’re right. I was an idiot. I’m sorry. All I could think about was getting you out.” He brushed a hand through his blond strands. “After Mei almost succeeded in showing the video of us to Vulthus, I nearly lost it. I imagined what they’d do to you if they found out. I wasn’t worth the risk. What we had wasn’t worth the price of your life.”
I bit my lip. “And yet, after getting me out, after pushing me away, you came back. Why? I’ve moved on. I don’t need you.”
Thorsten opened, then closed his mouth. “You’re right. It was selfish. I should’ve stayed away after making sure you were fine.” He rose and turned away.
I jumped to my feet and grabbed his elbow. His gaze traveled from my hand on his arm up to my eyes, then dropped to my lips. The air crackled with electricity. My body burned with need. My brain told me this would become my undoing, but my heart screamed that if I didn’t do this now, I’d never see him again. I didn’t want to fight for my life only to sleepwalk through it. I wanted to experience it all.
My hands seized his neck, and I pulled him down. My lips crashed against his, and his tongue slid into my mouth. My breath turned labored as tingles of pleasure darted through my body, lighting a path to my very core. I hooked my leg around his while he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer.
Everything melted away until it was just him and me, our bodies pressed against each other with only a thin layer of clothes between us. I rubbed myself against him, needing more, so much more of him. His mouth found my neck, and I threw my head back in ecstasy, not in the least bit afraid even as his fangs grazed my skin. But instead of biting down, he continued kissing my neck, licking it, soft and gentle. I pulled away from him. “You’re holding back. We’re not at the academy anymore.” As messed up as it was, I wanted him to bite me.
He gave me a rueful smile. “I’m not going to drink your blood until you’re ready.”
“Don’t I get to decide that?” I took a step back to see his face better. “If you see me as broken or weak, you better tell me now.” I didn’t want his pity. I would only be with him if I was his equal.
His eyes sparked. “Onyx, you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”
“Then why—”
“Because when I drink from you it won’t be out of lust or need, it will be to claim you as mine.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t say more, heat rushing into my cheeks. Was he saying he’d only bite me when we slept together?
Thorsten balled his fists and gritted his jaw. “At the bidding ball, when Vulthus bit you, it was a different bite from the bites you’ve experienced before.”
My hand flew to the now smooth skin on my neck. “It was more painful and intense.”
“It was a binding contract.”
I swallowed hard. “So, I’m still his?”
Thorsten nodded. “Being around your father’s magic weakened Vulthus’s scent on you, but it still lingers.”
“Can others smell that I’m his?”
He shook his head. “Not unless they get very close to you. The claiming bite is meant to keep other vampires away.”
I rubbed my neck as my stomach turned. “How do I make it go away?”
“It will only go away completely when Vulthus dies.”
My nostrils flared. “Don’t worry. I plan to end his miserable existence very soon.”
Thorsten’s eyebrows pulled together. “Is that what your father promised you? Revenge?”
I hesitated. One kiss, and I was about to spill everything? No. I wouldn’t trust Thorsten this easily. “Why are you able to be here? The fae magic should repel you.”
Thorsten nodded. “Yes. I can feel it. It’s worse around the house, and very intense at the front entrance.”
“Yet you managed to fly up the mountain. How?”
Thorsten gave me a resigned look. “Why don’t you ask your father how his magic barrier works? Maybe that will give you a bit more confidence in me. I’ll see you soon.” He levitated and my jaw dropped. Then he shot into the sky, disappearing amongst the stars.
I stood with my mouth gaping wide open. Thorsten could fly, and he had practically told me that he would fight for me. But why? He was a Steinberg. He could have anyone. Why me? It had to be the thrill of the chase, the forbiddenness of it.
He
doesn’t care about you, my brain whispered.
But my heart screamed, Give him a chance.
More confused than ever, I pivoted and headed back toward the fortress. Tomorrow would be another day, and maybe then, I’d gain some clarity.
13
Onyx
Thorsten’s kiss chased me into my dreams, shooting pleasant tingles of electricity through my core, making me weak with need. I tried to keep Thorsten out and rebuild the walls of my fortress. The bricks kept falling as I tried to stack them one on top of the other. I worked hard and fast, but the bricks kept tumbling, crushing and suffocating me. Loud thuds sounded with each one that fell. Bang. Bang. Bang.
I woke, confused. I was in my canopy bed in my bedroom and everything looked calm, yet the banging continued.
“Onyx,” Atticus called from the other side of my closed door. “You must rise! His Majesty wants to see you in the study immediately.”
Oh. Atticus’s knocking was the sound of the bricks falling. “Give me a few minutes!” Trying to blink away the sleepiness, I pushed open my closed curtains to find near darkness behind them. It wasn’t even properly dawn. If Atticus was getting me up this early, something was going on.
My chest constricted. Did Olwen know that I had talked with Thorsten and kissed him yesterday? Dread curled in my gut like a snake as I dressed. Why did I continue taking huge risks? Would I never learn my lesson? Combing my hair, I went over and over Atticus’s words, trying to glean some meaning, but there was none.
I squared my shoulders and headed for the door. I was a warrior and warriors didn’t tremble in the face of authority.
Atticus escorted me to the study in silence, the same one where Olwen had met with Vulthus right after my escape. Instead of sitting as he usually did, Olwen was pacing around the room, fingering different books. His absentmindedness and restlessness worried me more than his anger would have. If the King of the Winter Court was worried, we were in deep trouble.
Atticus closed the door behind me, sealing me in. I remained silent, waiting for Olwen to speak. He returned the book back on its shelf and slowly paced around the table with his arms behind his back. “Onyx. I was just notified that Petra has escaped from the vampires’ dungeons at Nocturnal Academy.”
I stepped back and swallowed. Petra? I had almost forgotten about the three-hundred-year-old Summer princess, who had come to Nocturnal Academy to avenge her brother’s death—a death that I had caused.
“How? The vampires must’ve kept her in iron and have top security.” I didn’t know how the dungeons worked exactly, but I knew they were a cruel place. Peony had come out of them too skinny, and her punishment had been light and only lasted a few weeks.
Olwen’s forehead turned into a deep frown. “Petra is very powerful, rumored to be the favored child of the Summer Court. Perhaps she fooled a vampire. Perhaps her magic was simply able to overcome her binds. As prideful as they are, the vampires are not giving too many details about her escape. They only informed me out of courtesy due to our long partnership and because they hope I can help them catch our common enemy.” He motioned for me to sit, but my feet remained rooted to the ground. Petra would be coming for me with everything she had to avenge herself and her brother.
Olwen sat down at his table, not saying anything, but calmly staring at me, making it clear that he wouldn’t continue until I obeyed his order.
I forced my feet to move and sank into the armchair. “Do they know where she went?” Maybe after enduring the dungeons, Petra would flee home. No. Petra was too angry and too haughty to give up her mission to avenge Preston.
“The vampires are searching for her. I have offered my help. The Summer Court has been getting away with too much. Those greedy bastards have stolen our lands and our futures.” His voice rose and quaked with anger. “They have dared to kill my women and my royal heirs!” Olwen slammed his fist down on the table. This was the first time I had seen him lose his cool, and even though it was terrifying, it was good to know that he too had hot buttons. Also, his anger was justified. The Summer Court had wronged him. That was probably one of the reasons he had chosen to work with the vampires all these years ago. Any beings that punished Summer fae were friends of his. Immediately, I breathed away the horrible thought. No, he was here to ensure his children were safe.
“What are we going to do?” I asked, trying to suppress the tremble in my voice.
“I have sent guards out to join the search for Petra. She will likely try to return to the faeland to bring back reinforcements.” He let those words hang as his eyebrows drew together.
I shuddered. Then I thought of how Preston had needed to travel between worlds. There was a fairy ring, a ring of mushrooms, in the garden at Nocturnal Academy and even he, a fae prince, needed a full moon to open a portal there. Petra should be bound to the same conditions. “When is the full moon?”
“In a week’s time. We don’t have long to prevent her from going home. She will bring others like her here if she suspects you are my child.” He sighed. “From what you told me, she suspected it all along. I’m certain her suspicions were confirmed when you managed to trick her into revealing her real identity.”
“We can’t let Petra cross through the portal. We need to find her.”
“Yes. However, with all the vampires searching for her, you need to stay here during the nighttime. During the day, you are to go with Atticus and destroy any fae rings you can find around Denver. My other warriors will be nearby doing the same. Atticus will be able to summon them within minutes if you cross paths with Petra.”
It was easy to distract myself from thoughts of Thorsten as Atticus and I visited every wooded park in Denver during the daytime, searching for any rings of mushrooms that Petra could use to open portals soon. Whenever we found one, we stomped out the mushrooms, and thus, destroyed the ring.
Despite our progress, I worried. Petra would avoid the built-up parts of the city thanks to the iron, but the surrounding mountains and wilderness was another story. We couldn’t search every inch of the forest for mushroom rings. There simply wasn’t enough time.
“Who’s searching the mountains?” I asked Atticus as we stopped for our lunch break. Atticus ordered us both super grain salads and ate them in the sedan to stay out of sight. Even though we were both wearing hats to hide our pointy ears, we couldn’t be too careful.
“The vampires, mainly.” Atticus chewed on a bite of quinoa and winced. Being inside cars for a long time seemed to bother him even though he wasn’t in direct contact with the iron. I wished I had my driver’s license and could at least help him with the driving.
“Their sense of smell will be of great help,” Atticus continued. “However, they have a lot of territory to cover, and if Petra is smart, she will stick to the city at night and the wilderness during the day.”
What if our combined efforts weren’t be enough to find her in time? At least, the vamps were scared of retaliation from the Summer Court, too. I finished my salad as Atticus started the car, blinked sleep from his eyes, and drove us toward the other side of town where there were a few more parks we had to visit. I realized we were driving past my old neighborhood, and an odd surge of homesickness washed over me as I eyed my apartment complex. Was Mom still there? I hoped not. I hoped she had gotten out. Was my old home the first place the vamps had searched after my escape? Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had eyes and ears on it, in case I decided to return, which was a very stupid idea. I had no business missing Mom or our past. That part of my life was done when she’d sold me out.
A few streets later, I spotted a tall, blonde female walking down an alley. I jolted, thinking it was Petra, but there were a lot of blond women in Denver.
“Back up,” I told Atticus. “I just saw someone who looks like Petra.”
He made a U-turn and followed my directions to the alley, but the blond woman was gone. “It’s unlikely Petra would hang out around this area of town,” Atticus said.
Panic surged into my chest. “I’m calling Olwen. My mum and I used to live here.”
I dialed Olwen’s number, and he picked up immediately. “Have you sighted our target?”
“Maybe.” I told Olwen the street and the address of the nearest building. Then I choked out, “My mother lives nearby. Petra might be after her.”
“I have not seen your mother in eighteen years,” Olwen said very matter-of-factly.
My heart dropped. He was done with her. She no longer mattered to him. She had played her part—got pregnant, gave birth, and kept me alive. I should be done with her too, yet I still cared even after she sold me out. I didn’t wish her dead. Mom might’ve taken money for me, but she was desperate, and desperate people did stupid things. I just had to look at me and Thorsten to know that.
“Olwen,” I said, leveling my voice to hide the rage surging into my chest. “She gave birth to me, so I think she might need protection in exchange. Fair is fair. We can’t let the Summer Court know that they can walk all over us. We have to let them know that they can’t take from us anymore.”
I knew I’d said the right words when Olwen paused, then sighed. “Very well. You have a good point. The Summer Court has gotten away with too much already. Your mother may be human, but she’s still one of my women. I will send a few guards to take her to a safe house. Now, return to the mansion immediately.”
The ride back to the mansion was spent in painful silence. Poor Atticus grew pale and his hands trembled as he gripped the steering wheel. Short drives didn’t seem to bother him too much, but he’d been in the car most of the day and the iron exposure was getting to him.
I kept waiting for my phone to ring and Olwen to tell me that my mom was safe, but that didn’t happen. Even when I rushed through the front door, Olwen was not there to tell me if Mom had been found alive in her apartment or not. He was off, probably doing another search.
The Nocturnal and Fae Prison Academy Boxset [A Complete Paranormal and Fantasy Series Boxset] Page 50