Oberon Academy- The Complete Series

by Wendi Wilson

  “It’s time for your present,” he said.

  Oh my God.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  6

  “Woah, get your mind out of the gutter, Ms. Thorne,” Easton laughed, pushing open his door and dragging me inside. “I didn’t bring you here to ravish you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  I tamped down the twinge of disappointment as I walked farther into the room. Of course, he hadn’t snuck me into his room, on my birthday, to…do…that.

  “Are you disappointed?” he asked, tilting his head to the side as he studied me.

  I scrunched my face, squeezing my eyes closed as I plopped down on his bed, saying “As if you don’t know.”

  He chuckled, and my eyes flew open to meet his. He pinched his lips together, making a big show of erasing the humor from his face. I stuck my tongue out at him, and he shook his head. He turned away from me, reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a small box.

  “I just wanted to give you your birthday present in private,” he said, suddenly looking a little nervous.

  I stared at him with wide eyes, unable to believe what I was seeing. Easton Oberon, unsure of himself? It had to be a trick of the light.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed next to me, and we angled our knees toward each other. Easton handed me the box—a tiny blue velvet thing with a hinged lid. Kind of like the box Shaela’s gift came in, only smaller.

  I bit my lip and lifted the lid. Nestled inside was a ring.

  Blackness swam in at the edges of my vision, and I felt myself sway a little. I sucked in a deep breath, realizing I’d forgotten to breathe. Was it hot in there? Why did I feel so hot?

  “December,” Easton said, snapping me out of my panic.

  I tore my eyes away from the box and met his stare. “What?”

  “Relax. It’s not what you think,” he said, taking the box from me and pulling the ring out.

  He held it up in front of my face so I could see it in the light. The band was a shiny silver, and the setting held a square emerald flanked on either side by small diamonds. It was beautiful. Elegant. Sparkly.

  And definitely way too much for a seventeen-year-old girl he’d been dating for six weeks.

  “And now, you’re panicking again,” Easton deadpanned, picking up my right hand and slipping the ring onto my third finger.

  I felt a rush of magic zip through me and reveled in the pleasant feeling of it for a moment before focusing back on Easton. I gasped, my eyes widening at the sight of him.

  A golden glow emanated from his head and shoulders, sparkling like the sun.

  “What is that?” I breathed.

  “It works,” he said, and the color shifted from gold to a light yellow. “I know it’s unfair that I always know what you’re feeling and you don’t have that same advantage, so I decided to level the playing field.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, shifting my gaze from his halo of sunshine to the ring on my finger.

  “I asked Grandfather to help me put magic in that ring. When you wear it, it allows you to read my aura.”

  My eyes widened and popped back up to meet his. “What does yellow mean?”

  “Happiness, usually. Sometimes relief.”

  “When I first put the ring on, the color was more golden and sparkly, but now it’s a pale yellow,” I said.

  “Gold indicates feelings of hopefulness,” he said. “I was really hoping the ring would work.”

  “This is…amazing,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you.”

  “Happy birthday, December,” he said and pecked me on the lips. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out a notecard and handed it to me. “I wrote down the meanings of all the basic colors, so you can memorize it and not have to ask all the time.”

  I smiled as I took the card from him and scanned it. I couldn’t contain my smile. It was the coolest thing I’d ever owned. Not to mention most expensive.

  My smile dropped and I looked up at him, my eyes hooded. “Is this a real emerald and diamonds?”

  “Of course,” he said. “The magic doesn’t work as well on synthetic stones.”

  “Easton! How much did this cost you?” I cried and started to pull it off. I couldn’t keep it.

  He grabbed my fingers, stopping my frantic movements. He pushed the ring back down over my knuckle and laced his fingers through mine.

  “It’s yours, December. And don’t worry, it didn’t cost me anything.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, looking up from my hand to his face.

  He was surrounded by blue, and a quick glance at my handy notecard told me blue meant worried or afraid. I looked back up and cocked my head to the side, waiting for him to answer.

  His tongue darted out to wet his lips before he said, “It was my mother’s.”

  “Was?”

  I realized that he never talked about his parents. I had no idea where they were, what his relationship was with them, or if they were even alive. God, I sucked.

  “Don’t worry,” he said, “she’s not dead.”

  I heaved a sigh of relief, but something in his expression told me there was more to the story. Then I remembered a conversation we had a while back. He’d mentioned living at the academy his whole life, but had refused to elaborate.

  “She is alive and well, living with my father in our family home,” he continued, a bitterness evident in his tone.

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  “No,” he said. “It’s just me. Anyway, the ring was hers, then she gave it to me. Now I give it to you.”

  His blue color flared brighter, causing me to narrow my eyes in suspicion.

  “Why did she give you a ring that is very obviously made for a girl, Easton?”

  “It was meant to be given to the girl I intend to marry,” he mumbled.

  I fought to free my hand from his so I could snatch the ring off and give it back. But Easton’s grip was too strong, and he held on until all the fight drained out of me.

  “I can’t accept this. You need to save it for your future wife.”

  The blue halo around his head vanished, and in its place appeared a glowing mass, the brightest pink I’d ever seen. It was almost blinding in its intensity, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I was completely mesmerized.

  Until I heard Easton’s next words.

  “And that’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”

  “What?”

  I forced the word out past the lump in my throat where my heart was lodged. My ears must have been playing tricks on me, because I could have sworn Easton had used the L-word.

  “I love you, December,” he repeated. “I love your kind soul. I love your generosity and your selflessness. I love your sense of humor, your fighting spirit, and your determination to always do the right thing.”

  The bright pink aura surrounding him flared and pulsed, telling me the truth of his words. Even without that proof, I would’ve had no choice but to believe him. It was written all over his face, in his eyes, in the touch of his hand against mine.

  The boy loved me.

  “I love you, too,” I blurted out before I could lose my nerve.

  The brightest smile I’d ever seen broke across his face and his grip on my hands tightened. He stared into my eyes, bringing his face a little closer to mine.

  “I already knew that,” he whispered gently. “Your aura has shown me over and over again. But hearing the words means more to me than you know.”

  He kissed me then, a sweet, slow kiss that felt like heaven and home all twisted together. When he pulled away, we locked eyes.

  “That’s why I picked this gift,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb across the ring on my finger. “I wanted you to see in me what I see in you every time we’re together. I wanted you to know, for sure, that my words are genuine. That my feelings are true. Happy birthday, December.”

  “Thank you, Easton. I love it.” />
  “And I love you.”

  Chapter Forty

  7

  When we got back to my party, my lips swollen from kissing Easton until I was near-delirious, I noticed two things at once. First, the ring he gave me only worked for him. I couldn’t see any other auras in the crowded room. I was kind of thankful for that. Knowing what every person around me was feeling would be sure to get overwhelming. I didn’t know how Easton did it.

  And second, Shaela was on the edge of the dance floor, wrapped up in the arms of Charles Everest. My heart sang with happiness as I watched them sway in time with the music, their eyes locked on each other.

  I leaned into Easton, bringing my mouth close to his ear. “What color is Charles’s aura right now?”

  He tilted his head to the side, studying the couple for a moment before answering, “It’s gold with swirls of pink running through it.”

  “So…hopeful, right?”

  He nodded. “With streaks of affection or desire. It’s kind of hard to tell the difference sometimes.”

  I nodded with understanding. As long as there was nothing negative or underhanded going on. I’d have to hurt Charles if his interest was some kind of trick, and I didn’t want to hurt him. I wanted him to show my best friend affection and loyalty. I wanted Shaela to be as happy as I was.

  Which was why I had totally planned a sneak-attack. I was going to wait for the right moment and somehow throw those two together. Literally. I knew it wasn’t the best plan, but I also knew if I shoved them together, Shaela would have to talk to him.

  Then Tiana went and took care of it for me. Priceless.

  As we watched, Shaela turned her head to look in our direction. She smiled at me and Easton, waggling her eyebrows. Charles’s head dipped, and he pressed his lips to her temple. I nearly swooned and, by the looks of it, so did Shaela.

  She looked at him, and their eyes locked. Ever so slowly, Charles moved in, and I silently cheered him on. His lips touched hers briefly before pulling back an inch. When she didn’t protest or pull away, he kissed her again as his arms tightened around her waist.

  “Oh yeah, full on desire now,” Easton said, laughing as he pulled me out onto the dance floor.

  As he took me in his arms, I caught Shaela’s eye over his shoulder. I raised my eyebrows at her and she returned the expression, a happy pink glow lighting up her face. I winked at her and she smiled before turning her attention back to the guy in her arms.

  “Are you happy?” Easton asked, and I felt like he meant more than just my feelings in that very moment.

  “Yes,” I said. “I am happy.”

  He twirled me around as the song changed to one with a faster beat. We broke apart to dance to the rhythm, or at least, Easton did. I did my own thing, feeling the beat in my soul and not caring if I looked ridiculous or not. I was happy, and that was all that mattered in that moment.

  Shaela and Charles joined us, and we all danced together. We partied until I felt like I was about to fall over. I told Shaela I was tired, and Easton offered to walk me to my room. I smiled and accepted, and was rewarded with the glow of his yellow aura. Happiness.

  It had been fading from yellow to pink and back again all night, only changing to orange once when Tiana had approached us to spit some venom. I couldn’t even hear what she was saying over the music and, honestly, I didn’t give a shit. So instead of trying to decipher her words, I’d slipped the card from my pocket and peeked at the list to see what an orange aura meant. It indicated annoyance which, of course, gave me immense satisfaction.

  Easton asked me about it on our walk back to the room.

  “What was going on with you when Tiana came over to harass us?” he asked as we walked hand-in-hand down the corridor.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, usually when she is anywhere near you, your aura shows negative emotion—anger, frustration, loathing. But when I looked over at you tonight, your aura was a bright purplish-pink, almost violet.”

  “What does that color mean?” I asked.

  “Well, it’s not an exact science. You know what pink means. Purple usually indicates emotions related to satisfaction—approval, agreement, pride. That sort of thing.”

  “When Tiana came near us, your aura changed to orange.”

  “Ah,” he said, smiling. “And my annoyance with her made you happy?”

  I shrugged, saying, “I know it sounds petty, but she’s so beautiful. And I know you used to date her.”

  Easton pulled me to a stop.

  “I see Shaela has been filling you in,” he said, his smile not wavering. “I dated her—if you can even call it that—for two minutes in seventh grade.”

  “I know,” I replied. “That’s what Shaela said. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s gorgeous, and rich, and comes from a good family.” I held his gaze for a moment before adding, “And she doesn’t have a drop of Zephyr blood in her.”

  “None of that matters to me, December.”

  “I know,” I said, pretending like it really didn’t matter to me either, “but it still felt good to see you being as annoyed by her as I am.”

  He chuckled and we started back down the hall. When we reached the room I shared with Shaela, I leaned back against the door and pulled Easton into a hug. Our hug turned into a kiss, which quickly escalated into another heavy make-out session until he broke away, his chest heaving with each breath he took.

  Then he looked at me, the bright pink of his aura reflecting in his icy blue eyes. The sight had my heart skipping a beat as it tried to escape my chest. God, I loved him.

  His aura flashed to purple—satisfaction—before turning pink once more. I realized that my own aura must’ve betrayed my thoughts, flaring pink as I contemplated my feelings for him.

  “Good night, December.”

  “Good night, Easton.”

  He turned to leave, but swung back around after a few steps, saying, “And December?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Merry Christmas.”

  I smiled, saying, “Merry Christmas.”

  He turned back and headed down the hall, whistling a cheery tune that echoed off the walls. I opened my door and leaned inside, flicking on the light switch. I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes wide with disbelief.

  There was a tree in the room.

  And not just any tree. It was a Christmas tree.

  Multi-colored lights twinkled in a random pattern, reflecting off the many glass balls hanging from the branches. My eyes welled with tears as I watched the lights blink on and off. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

  “Why’s the door op—ooh, pretty!”

  Shaela’s voice broke me out of my stupor, and I spun around to face her.

  “Did you do this?” I asked, my voice cracking as the tears overflowed and trailed down my face.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Why are you crying?”

  I brushed the tears away with the back of my hand and sniffed loudly, followed by a chuckle. I was such a sap.

  “It’s just…this is my first Christmas tree. I’ve never even seen one before. Who did this? Oh my God, did someone cut down a tree?”

  Those last words came out in a rush of panic. Cutting down trees was a crime. We could go to jail just for having it in our room. We’d be considered an accessory after the fact.

  “December,” Shaela said, her voice firm. “Calm down. It’s in a pot. Nobody cut anything down.”

  I bent over and peeked underneath the lowest branches, realizing she was right. I breathed a sigh of relief before my eyes landed on two green and gold wrapped presents resting on the floor. I picked one up, flipping open the small card attached to the top.

  “To Shaela. From Easton,” I read before my eyes shot up to meet hers. “Easton did this for us.”

  “Easton did this for you,” she clarified. “Gimme. Gimme.”

  She held out her hands for the present. I handed it over before bending over
to pick up the other one. Shaela was already tearing into the paper covering hers as I flipped up the card on mine.

  Merry Christmas, December. I love you, Easton.

  I could feel my blood pressure rising as my heart pounded in my ears. Easton had planned the entire evening out. He had to have snuck in and put up the tree after I left for the party. That’s why I couldn’t find him, at first. He already gave me the gorgeous ring on my right hand, a family heirloom no less, and had magic infused into it so I could see his aura and know how he really felt. And he told me he loved me.

  Best. Birthday. Ever.

  Shaela squealed. I joined her on her bed and looked at the small, water-filled globe in her hands. It was a glass ball fixed to a wooden base. Shaela shook it and small, white flakes swirled around a small figurine of a blond faery with moss-green wings.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked, holding it up in front of my face.

  “It looks just like you,” I said, smiling.

  “Who knew Easton Oberon was so sweet?” she asked. “Open yours.”

  I pulled the card off and set it on the bed beside me before tearing into the paper, knowing Shaela would pout if I tried to open it slowly. I had it halfway off when Shaela’s hand slapped down on top of mine.

  “What is that?” she yelled, grabbing my hand and pulling it closer to her face. “Are you engaged?”

  I laughed at her horrified expression. “No, you dork.” I pulled my hand back and gazed at the emerald ring. “This is my birthday present from Easton.”

  “Is that a real emerald? It looks expensive.”

  She waggled her eyebrows at me and I chuckled.

  “It is and it didn’t cost him anything. It’s a family heirloom.”

  “Seriously?” she asked, her eyes growing large.

  “Yep. I tried to give it back, but he wouldn’t let me. It’s supposed to go to his future wife.”

  “Holy shit, D.”