The room continues on and on, making me almost certain that it’s spelled to be that way, but why? There’s nothing to see down here. Why would they take the time to spell this space if they don’t use it? Just then, an idea comes to mind. It might be glamoured. There could be something right in front of my face that I’m not seeing. To the untrained eye, there’s nothing but dust down here, yet to those powerful enough, it holds a great secret. Without Rowan, I can’t see through it, can I?
Adrian’s words come to mind, close your eyes, connect with your elements.
I do so and focus on all of my elements, calling them down into that cavern within myself, where we had originally become acquainted with one another. They appear weakly glowing like lightbulbs on their last legs. The only element that looks well enough to help me is spirit, and I could guess that it’s dark Lucians doing. Being around any Lucian, real or fake, gives me strength.
What do I do to see through glamour? Help me.
My elements swirl around me silently, lazily. At first, none of them respond to my pleas. Then, slowly, air glides up to me and straight through my chest, making me gasp and throw open my eyes. Light sparkling air magic films over my vision. A white film lifts all of the shadows from every corner of the room, and my fae light glows brightly in response. The room is never-ending as I thought, stretching so far into the distance that I can’t see where it leads. But that’s not what my eyes focus on.
In the middle of the room is the largest creature I’ve ever seen in my life. The being takes up the better part of the room closest to the stairs and would be the size of a small townhouse when standing. It’s curled up like a cat, sleeping in one massive ball of fur and talons. While the body looks like a cat or a lion, it has three heads. The middle head is that of a lioness, sleek with massive incisors sticking out of either side of its mouth. The two outside heads are animals I don’t understand but look almost like a dragon and a goat. From literature I’ve read, and every Greek mythology lesson I’ve ever had, this creature appears to be a Chimera.
A three-headed beast with a thirst for bloodshed and violence. It shimmers in the light of my air magic appearing to be something out of a fairytale. This is too much. Why in the hell is this thing on academy grounds? For some type of war training exercise? Do the fae even fight with these creatures? I have no way to know. It shifts in its sleep, making me jump out of my skin. I circle it, trying to see if it’s guarding anything while at the same time praying that it isn’t. If this thing has Rowan, I’m not sure I’ll be able to get him back.
Its front paws are empty of containers or bags, and so are its hind legs. Unless it’s lying on it, the creature has no special charms or globes with Rowan’s soul inside. I check its neck for a collar or necklace holding a charm with no luck. All it has on its person is fur, which makes me both grateful and wary at the same time. It’s not chained down or kept in a cage. It must have been brought here via the tunnel as there’s no way it would have fit down the stairs.
Leaving it to sleep, I double-check the surrounding shelves and chests to no avail. Rowan isn’t down here. I huff out an exasperated breath as I turn, only to find the Chimera’s yellow eyes open and staring right at me. A cold sweat breaks out along my spine, and I back up until my calves bump against the chest I had just opened. The beast doesn’t move, only flicks its tail back and forth. My breath comes out in little panting gasps as I attempt to think up a plan. Nothing comes, so I wing it.
“You’re a nice kitty, right? A good cat?” I coo as I circle the creature and move toward the door.
It moves with me, forever watching me as I make slow, deliberate movements in order not to spook it. It tilts its head to one side as if studying me. Or trying to figure out if I’m meaty enough to be its next meal. I don’t want to find out which is right. I’m only two side steps away from the staircase when it stands up to its full height, the glamour of the space seeming the shift the ceiling to accommodate it. It’s just as large as I had imagined.
I coo again, “Sweet kitty, nice kitty cat. Right? You’re a good girl.”
Apparently, the thing is a girl as it jumps around a little at the praise. Almost as if it’s a real house cat. A stressed, shocked laugh bubbles out of my throat, making me clap my hands over it. The creature narrows its eyes as it moves closer, paralyzing me in fear. My elements respond to the threat and surge through me to get me moving, forcing my legs to move when I didn’t think I could. I sprint toward the door and hear the heavy footfalls of the creature behind me, excitedly chasing down its prey. Taking the stairs two at a time, I’m able to get to the first turn before the Chimera makes it to the bottom. It peers up at me with one big yellow eye, blinking innocently as if it only wanted to play. It makes a noise between the purring of a cat and the braying of a goat.
Shivers of fear wrack my body as I stumble out of its view and up the stairs. I slam the metal door behind in the lobby and fall against it, panting heavily. The sound echoes through the space, and I curse myself for not being quieter. But no one comes running at the sound, so I slide my tired body to the floor and put my face in my hands, trying not to cry. The other academy never had giant man-eating creatures or fae that can literally suck the life right out of you. Don’t get me wrong, it was strange but never scary. This place is just scary. The dark aura over everything, paired with the realization of what that black mist was that coated me in the clearing back home, makes me want to find my way out of here immediately. There’s something wrong with having the power to shrivel up other living things and take their life force. Any fae can kill someone, but not like that.
More hysterical laughter comes out, and I snort into my hands, trying to hold it back. This situation is so different than what I was doing a month ago that it’s comical. I’m in a dark, ominous world filled with death magic and giant mythical creatures that can kill me in one blow. Oh, and I’m surrounded by fae that might look like people I know but aren’t. The thought sends me into a large fit of laughter that echoes around the lobby.
I stand and stumble toward the doors while giggling, and a distant part of myself is alarmed by the psychotic break I seem to be having. As I’m not in my right mind, my elements guide me back toward the dorm and help me to go inside quietly with no laughing. Lucian’s door is still closed, but in my deranged state, I open it and pad into the room. It spins, and my breathing comes fast and hard, making me clamp a hand over my mouth again. My body sways from weakness, and my spirit cries out for sustenance due to being away from both Rowan and Lucian for too long already.
This Lucian will work, right?
Even looking at him makes me feel better, so maybe I’ll just do that. Seeing the dark magic today scared me to a point where I’m not sure I can connect with these men in the same way I did with the others. I lean against the door frame looking at him. He stirs, sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. His violet eyes burn through the darkness, sending a warm feeling through my chest. At least he has the same eyes, my spirit seems to sigh.
He says groggily, “Tiana? Do you need something?”
His voice is thick with sleep, and I shrug. It wouldn’t hurt to lie with him just this once, right? Just to replenish my magic well in order to have the strength needed to keep looking for Rowan night after night. He can do that for me. My head swims, and I grip the door jamb more tightly. I’m not thinking straight, I’m so tired and magic hungry. Is this wrong? My elements surge around inside me like pinballs, sending my vision spiraling. My spirit whispers, you must.
My feet carried me to the edge of the bed, and I sink into it, looking at dark Lucian in indecision. He’s watching me carefully, worry etched into his expression. What I say here might give me up, so I simply lean against him, savoring the immediate relief he gives me. His spirit wraps around my body as if on instinct and gives me the energy I’m craving. It’s so soothing that I lie my head against his bare chest. One of his arms comes up around my shoulders to assist in holding me aloft.
He whispers, “Are you alright?” I blink up at him and am once again stunned at how similar he is to the real Lucian when bathed in moonlight.
“I. . .” I pause, trying not to mess this up, “I need you, your energy.”
He looks away as red stains his cheeks. He’s embarrassed! The light Lucian had never extruded anything but the utter confidence of a king. Maybe this Lucian isn’t a king yet? He motions for me to move, and as I do, he lifts up the covers, allowing me under them. Underneath he’s only in boxers.
It makes my cheeks flush in return, and I lie facing away from him. He pulls me against his chest and clasps his arm around the front of my body. Calming, healing energy courses down my back into my toes. He brings up one leg to put over mine, and the heavy weight of him is reassuring. I send spirit energy back to him, wrapping him in a nourishing, slightly needy, blanket.
He whispers in my ear, “Is this all that you need?”
His heady tone sends shivers of raw pleasure down my back, and I have to force myself not to turn around. His hard erection is pressing into my back, and I almost groan when he tilts his hips into me. This isn’t the real Lucian. This isn’t my Lucian. I repeat the mantra within myself over and over. This Lucian doesn’t seem hesitant to do sexual things with me, or perhaps he isn’t well versed in denying himself pleasure. Either way, I have to be the one to resist, which isn’t good for me. That’s never been my strong suit.
I whisper, trying not to show how turned on I am. “Yes, thank you.”
His disappointment is evident when his spirit shudders slightly before continuing to stroke my own. We both fell silent and focused on soothing each other rather than seducing. My eyes drift shut, and I fall into a deep sleep.
***
My eyes flutter open to see dark Lucian and I lying in bed, holding one another. I’m perched on the dresser, looking down at my sleeping body. What is this? Some strange out of body experience? I look down at myself to see that I’m made of magic in a similar way to what Rowan looked like outside of my body.
“This is the bond, don’t worry. I called you here. Annie told us where you were taken. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to save you.”
I glance up to see Lucian, who is also a magic form, leaning against the opposite wall. He’s not looking at me, his eyes are on his doppelganger holding me. How strange it must be to see that and know that it isn’t him. The sight of dark Lucian pressed so close against me makes me cringe, and I look back at my Lucian. He’s watching my reaction, violet eyes large and fathomless.
“It’s not what you think, I don’t feel anything for him. My magical well is severely depleted, and he’s the only one who can keep me alive until I find Rowan.”
He raises one eyebrow, “Saying you feel nothing for him is like saying you feel nothing for me. We are two sides of the same coin, different yet distinctly similar. And before you say anything else, I understand. It’s nothing sexual, and it’s not about love. It’s about survival until we may come and save you.”
I shrink back, “Then why do you sound so mad?”
His eyes flash, “While I understand why, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. It feels like your slipping through our fingers like water, and soon, you won’t remember us at all in your confusion.”
“No one is going anywhere. I’ll come back, but I have to find Rowan first.”
He steps closer, “Why do you keep saying that? Where did he go?”
I gesture to the man in the bed, “They stole his soul from me, and they’re holding it captive somewhere on campus. I have to find it, return him to my body somehow, and then use the strength given back to me to flee. They don’t know that I’m aware of my surroundings. They think they’ve fooled me.” I paused, looking him in the eye, meaningfully, “They haven’t.”
Lucian refuses to look at the bed again and moves to stand between my legs, “You are stronger than you know, Tiana. You can escape on your own. Please, come back to me.”
“You know I can’t leave Rowan in the hands of these people.”
Our foreheads touch as we lean into one another, and we both gasp at the magic to magic contact. It burns through me, filling my well far faster than the man in the bed had been. He pulls me flush against him, and I wrap my legs around his waist while tangling my hands in his hair. His arms circle me, pulling me in tightly. Our mouths crash together, and the room explodes with light so blinding that I have to keep my eyes closed.
He breathes, “I missed you, I miss you now.”
His hands trail down my sides and grip my shirt, lifting it over my head in one smooth movement. Once he throws it to the ground, it disappears in a shower of light. He continues kissing me and takes his own shirt off in between. We grind against one another, feeling the familiar undeniable passion surge through us. My bra dematerialized next, and his mouth closes over my nipple, making me cry out and grip the edges of the dresser. Through my haze of lust, I see my body in the bed arch against dark Lucian, and he pulls me closer, running a hand down my thigh in his sleep.
I feel it here, and I look at the Lucian in front of me while panting heavily, wildly. His eyes hold midnight promise as he drops to his knees. A king who kneels for no one and nothing, kneeling before me. The thought of it sends a warm feeling of pleasure through me, and I throw my head back against the mirror. My sleeping form lays her head against that Lucian’s shoulder, still arching into him. He wraps one leg around her body, pulling her seductively closer. For a moment, I have the good sense to realize that what we’re doing here might send dark Lucian the wrong message, but then Lucian’s mouth closes over my sex, and I’m lost.
“Ah!” I cry, gripping his hair.
The connection between us sparks and pops like an electrical fire. Once he coaxes an orgasm from me, he rises from the floor and kisses me. The taste of my own pleasure floods my mouth, and I moan into him. He smiles against my lips before moving to leave a seductive trail down my exposed neck.
“Is this okay, do you wish to slow down?”
By the way the words came out, he would be devastated if I say no. He continues to kiss me territorially, lazily. It feels so good that a hum of pleasure goes through my chest. My eyes flicker to the bed and widen at the sight before me. My physical form is locked in an intimate embrace with dark Lucian, allowing him to kiss her as I’m allowing light Lucian to do to me. If we continue here, will my sleeping form do the same? It sends a shiver through me. I don’t want to be mated to dark Lucian, or light Lucian, at least not yet.
I murmur, “What happened to tempting the mating bond?”
He pulls back and looks me in the eyes, smiling. “This is strictly physical. In this space, our souls can do as they please with no repercussions.”
His words send a flood of relief through me so strong that I grip him tightly with my legs, causing his erection to pose right at my entrance. He watches me closely, and I nod before kissing him slowly and deliberately. He sheathes himself within me, and I cry out, loving the feel of him. Our lips crash together again as he pounds into me, punishing the dresser by slamming it into the wall. I ride the wave of pleasure, calling out Lucian’s name in a passion induced frenzy.
He bites my lip hard as I cum, and wraps me up in a tight embrace, releasing his wound up pleasure as well. We pant together, feeling our spirit wrapping around us liberally, happily. He sighs, smiling at me. His eyes blaze with renewed violet light. I grasp his face with my hands and kiss him sweetly one last time before getting off of the dresser. For a few minutes, he helped me to forget that Rowan is gone and that my soul is incomplete without him.
Gah! Why am I thinking about Rowan minutes after having passionate sex with Lucian? It’s what I’ve wanted since meeting him, even if that makes me a bit of a horn dog. I glance at him and am once again greeted by his glorious body. He’s so chiseled that he could cut glass, and I mean, what girl wouldn’t want to have sex with such a perfect male? If Rowan were here, he’d tell me that I’m messed up. I roll my eyes at my inne
r monologue.
When I look at Lucian again, he’s staring at the bed in abject horror. My physical form is still in the same passionate embrace, fingers curled in dark Lucians hair with her head thrown back in ecstasy. His tongue is exploring the column of her throat, but her clothes are still on for which I’m grateful.
Lucian looks at me, “Does this not bother you? You barely know him.”
I shrug. “It’s not his fault, that’s been happening since we began doing sexual things together. My real form is reacting to what my soul is feeling here, and the only real person there is him. It’s innocent, so far.”
“Yeah? And what are you going to tell him when you wake up?”
I shrug. “That it was a moment of weakness, and it won’t be happening again.”
He raises one eyebrow, “Hm, so that’s what you tell all the men, huh?”
My cheeks flush, and I curse Damon for spilling the beans. “No! And he shouldn’t have told you that. It was private.”
“Not when we’re all brothers, sweetheart. We share everything, and as this is a competition for your heart, he wanted to brag a little.”
I narrow my eyes. “What? Is that why you came here and had sex with me? To one-up him?”
He rushes to me, pulling me into a sweet embrace. “Of course not, and you know that. You can feel that. I’m sorry, and I promise to keep our sexual pleasures private.”
I sigh, “That’s all I ask.”
The sun peaks into the window of the dorm, and dark Lucian stirs, opening his eyes slightly. They widen at the suggestive pose he’s in over my body, and a cute boyish blush spreads across his face. It makes me laugh, and Lucian beside me smiles into my hair.
High Fae Academy - Year Two: Paranormal Fae Romance Page 2