I hated that Raven was going to meet my mom this way. It was so public and would result in a lot more attention than I wanted.
Last year on parent’s day, I’d managed to get my mom to agree to a tour and breakfast without all the fanfare of the parent’s dinner.
I felt bad for Raven. She didn’t have any parents coming to this and I knew it would be harder on her. Plus, there was my mother to endure.
“Should we get going?” my mother asked from the chair in the corner of my room.
She looked so out of place there. My room wasn’t anything like the opulence she was usually surrounded by. I kept things simple here. Basic furniture, simple fixtures. I didn’t like all the grandeur that accompanied life in the mansion I’d grown up in. Though, I suppose that just made me another whiny rich kid. Like everyone else here.
Expect Raven.
I didn’t like talking about my past with her. One, because my mother was intimidating and two, because I knew she’d had a rough childhood. I hated that she’d been through so much while the rest of us never had to lift a finger. It wasn’t right. Especially given that her parents held enough clout to get her tuition covered.
“Yeah,” I pulled my blazer on and turned to my mom, “Raven will meet us at the cafeteria.”
“Oh yes, dinner at the cafeteria. Adorable.”
“You’re the one who wanted to experience parent’s day,” I reminded her.
“Mostly because I want to meet this girl who has you wrapped around her little finger.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s unusual for an incubus to be so focused on one partner. I’m not sure I like it.”
I still hadn’t told my mom that Raven was my mate. I was hoping she’d love Raven and find her as endearing as I did and not sense the bond between us. It was a gamble but it was better than having my mom go in already prepared to hate her.
“Just wait till you get to know her,” I said. “Besides, it’s not like she’d care if I was with others. She’s seeing other males.”
My mother lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? Yet you feel obligated to her alone?”
“I told you, it’s still new and she’s super hot,” I said. “Besides, I did get it on with her and a wolf shifter a few weeks back.”
My mom’s shoulders seemed to relax at that statement. I had to be the only student here reassuring his mother about his life choices by talking about how much sex I was having. While I knew the other supernaturals here were pretty open about sex, for us, it was part of life.
My mom was a succubus so she also fed off of sexual energy to fuel her magic. It was part of why I wasn’t sure who my real father was. I’d met the three men who were the most likely candidates, and they were all involved in our lives, but it was a different kind of family.
I didn’t call any of them dad, but I knew I could count on any of them to have my back. And we all shared the same table at holidays. Then my mom and one or all of them would retreat to her room and I would get the fuck out of the house before I had to hear anything.
It wasn’t until I started leaving the underworld, and visiting other realms, that I realized just how different I was.
“She’s meeting us at the cafeteria?” my mom asked as I closed the door behind us.
“Yes,” I said. “Her room is in the shifter dorm and it’s not my favorite place to go.”
“Why is she with the shifters? I thought you said she was a mage?”
“Honestly, I still don’t know why she’s down there.” It was something I’d wondered from time to time but it never made much of a difference overall. I didn’t like going in the mage dorms, either.
“Her parents must have done something to piss off the other mages,” my mother said.
“You think? I always heard how great they were.”
“It’s not like it matters to us, but some of those mages are still stuck in the fourteenth century,” my mother said.
I rolled my eyes, not looking forward to another lecture about the good old days. You could only hear about how glorious it was living during the Black Death so many times.
“You know, back then mages were feared but not like us demons,” my mother said. “Oh, no. All we had to do was bare our teeth and the humans went running. Now they just want to fuck us. I remember the good old days. Before Twilight made having sex with monsters so cool.”
“I know, mom, I know,” I said, trying to zone her out.
As we neared the cafeteria, I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw Raven. She was in her school uniform as we all were for this event, but she’d never made it look as good as it did tonight.
She was in a sleek black pencil skirt and a tight button up white shirt with the red tie hanging down over the buttons. A black short sleeve sweater made her look like the stereotypical sexy librarian. And I was in desperate need of checking out some books.
She’d applied some makeup and wore her long red hair straight down her back. She looked good enough to eat.
“You must be Raven,” my mother said, stopping in front of her.
“Hi, I mean, hello, yes, I’m Raven. And you are Ms. Drake?” Raven seemed nervous and I nearly groaned as she sucked her lower lip in between her teeth. She had the sexiest nervous traits ever.
“Yes, Ms. Drake, or Princess Arianna, whatever you prefer.”
“Oh, um.” She glanced to me, her eyes begging for me to interfere.
“Mom, please,” I said. “Do we need the titles?”
“You are the only one in hell who doesn’t like the titles,” she said with a sigh. “If it makes you feel better, you can call me Arianna.”
“Ms. Drake is fine,” Raven said.
“Let’s grab a table,” I said.
My mother took my arm and I led her into the room, wishing I was holding Raven instead. I wanted to know what she was thinking and feeling. I wanted to be inside her head right now. But I also had to play the dutiful son. The more attention I gave my mom, the less time she’d have to ask questions or assess the magic that connected me to Raven.
The cafeteria was festive tonight for the occasion. All of the tables were covered in white tablecloths and the usual round plastic seats were replaced with real chairs.
Instead of the normal cafeteria line with the kind ladies in their hairnets, two long buffet tables with a variety of food lined the back wall.
Most of the tables were already full, including the back table I usually sat at with Raven and our shifter friends. I knew that wouldn’t go over well with my mother tonight.
I led us through the room to an empty table and pulled out the chair for my mom. Raven was already seated before I could do the same for her. She’d left an empty chair between herself and my mom. Smart.
One of the cafeteria ladies stopped by our table with a pitcher of water and filled the glasses. “Look at you two all cleaned up.”
“They are a handsome couple,” my mom said, forcing one of her signature fake smiles on her face.
This meal could not be over fast enough.
8
Raven
Luka’s mom was terrifying if only in the way she carried herself. Like Luka, she was tall and lean with a graceful build. Her fair hair and soft features made her look like a goddess carved from marble.
Now I knew where Luka got his good looks.
Her blonde hair was pinned up in a neat twist on the back of her head and she looked perfectly put together in a black dress with her pointed stilettos. She was a knockout and she was quite possibly now my style icon. I wished I could pull off her look.
I smirked, knowing if I tried to wear those shoes, I’d be flat on my face before we even reached the table.
Luka pulled out the chair for his mom and I quickly settled in one chair away, making it so Luka would need to be next to her. I knew this dinner was supposed to be for me to get to know her but there was no way I was sitting next to her.
“I’ll save our seats if you two want to go get food,” I suggested.
“Nonsens
e,” Ms. Drake said. “Luka will wait. Ladies first, isn’t that right, son?”
“Always,” he said, flashing a wide grin.
“Alright,” I pushed back my chair, “let’s grab some dinner.”
My stomach grumbled as I walked toward the buffet. I’d been so distracted during tea with Ms. Obscura that I hardly ate anything. Now that there was food in sight, I was starving.
“Tell me, Raven,” Ms. Drake said, passing me a plate. “How long have you and my son been fucking?”
Well, we were starting the TMI conversation early tonight. It seemed to be an ongoing trend with my mate’s parents. “Well, we have been friends since my first day here and we got closer during that time.”
She scooped mashed potatoes on her plate. “Save me the Puritanical human views on sex.”
She passed me the spoon. “You’ve been fucking for, what a couple of months now?”
“I guess so,” I said, adding mashed potatoes to my plate. “I didn’t write down the exact date.”
“Thank gods for that,” she said. “I was worried you’d be a clingy one. Especially since you two seem to have formed a mating bond.”
My face heated and I knew I’d gone crimson. Shit. That was the one thing I had talked about with Luka. He didn’t want his mom knowing about our bond.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him that I know,” she said. “But his magic flared as soon as he saw you and he gave the whole thing away. You, on the other hand, kept your control. There might be hope for you. That and the whole fae thing.”
“Word travels fast,” I mumbled.
She filled up her plate with more food and stopped at the end of the line. “Word?”
“About the time magic and all of that,” I said, figuring she’d heard it all.
“Oh no, I wasn’t talking about that. I was taking about your father.”
My eyes widened as I stared at her in surprise. Did she just say what I thought she said?
She grabbed a roll of silverware and walked back toward the table.
Coming to my senses, I grabbed my own silverware and hustled back to the table. This time, I took the spot next to her rather than sitting by Luka.
“Did you just say my father?” I asked.
“What’s going on here?” Luka asked.
His mother turned to him. “Your turn to get your food, dear.”
Luka frowned, but stood and walked away from the table. I didn’t even watch him go. My attention was already back on his mom.
Earlier today, I’d learned a little about my mother but I never thought I’d get anything more about my father aside from a few old photos and some memories of him in school from Ms. Obscura.
“Did you know him?” I asked.
“Of course, I did,” she said. “His family was one of the first to open trade routes between our realm and theirs.”
“I didn’t know that,” I said.
“Of course not,” she said. “They don’t teach anything about fae history anymore. Not since they made it illegal to open any portals to their realm. It was a great loss for us, but the alliances with this realm were worth more than our alliances to Faerie. It wasn’t worth a war, that’s for sure.”
I stared at her, trying to process everything she’d just said. Had she just said my father was fae? Like not just a trickle of fae blood, like full on fae?
She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “The food is still pretty good here.”
“Are you sure it was my father’s family?” I asked.
“Of course. He was very young when I met him and it was only once, but I met with his family from time to time. Last I heard, he’d moved here before they closed the portals. The fae age much slower than us, which could explain how he ended up here and met your mom.”
“Wait, fae, like full fae?” I asked, my heart racing.
“What did I miss?” Luka asked, settling down next to me.
I turned to look at him, my brow furrowed with concern. This information was changing everything I’d attached to my identity in the last few months. I’d finally come to terms with being a mage and with having some fae blood. But if what she was saying was correct, I was half fae. That wasn’t the same thing.
I knew so little about the fae, but I knew it was a big deal. I knew it changed things.
“What is it?” Luka asked.
“Your mom met my dad once,” I said.
“No way,” he said. “That’s really great.”
My lower lip trembled.
“It’s not great?” He looked from me to his mom. “What is going on here?”
“She didn’t know her father was fae.”
“Raven, you knew you were part fae,” he said.
“Yeah, a tiny bit. Not half. And I didn’t know that my family was from another realm.” My chest felt tight. What if I still had family? What if they were in that realm?
“Hey,” Luka took my hand in his, “whatever this means, it doesn’t change anything about you or who you are.”
“That’s not quite true,” Ms. Drake said. “In fact, it changes everything about her.”
“Not helping, mom,” Luka said.
“How?” I asked, looking at Ms. Drake.
“Well, for starters, your magic isn’t the same as normal mage magic, I’m sure. You should be training a little differently than they are because you have access to both the elemental magic of the mages of this realm, and the fae magic of that realm.”
I didn’t fully understand but the first thing that came to mind was the blue flame I’d made in the past. The twins seemed perplexed by it. They weren’t sure why I did it. I wondered if that was one way my magic was different.
“So if my father stayed here when they closed the gates, do you know what happened to the rest of my family?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I suppose they stayed in Faerie. They were very high up in the ranks there. I’m not sure of how they do things, but they were of some importance. Possibly even royalty.”
My throat bobbed. I wanted to know more but I knew it was possible this was all I would get from her. “Do you know anything else?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can tell you that we enjoyed their company any time they came through for negotiations or for trade. For what it’s worth, they were good and compassionate and they loved their people.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“You’ll have to visit us soon,” she said. “We have a whole room of fae items that we were gifted over the years. I’m sure you’d find them fascinating.”
“I’d love that,” I said, surprised at my quick response. I’d gone from dreading this meeting to accepting an invitation to visit a princess of hell - in hell.
This was such a weird day.
9
Raven
After the whirlwind weekend of meeting everyone’s parents, I was grateful for the routine of classes.
Why did it have to be gym? Of all the classes I was stuck with here, gym was by far the worst.
I tried not to wince at the sight of Coach Miller in his way too tight tank top. His muscles were extra bulgey today. Probably due to whatever he was doing to prep for some body building competition. He also looked tanner. But not in a good, healthy way. In an orange way. It was gross. On so many levels.
“It’s a new semester and for some of you, it’ll be your last.” He grinned at us. “A few of you will pass the trials.”
He stopped in front of me and I held my breath and forced myself not to blink as he stared me down. “Some of you will die in the trials.”
Luka’s hand brushed against mine. It was subtle, but I instantly felt reassured. Thank god he was here with me. Even when the coach moved us into groups based on gender, at least I knew Luka was nearby. I’d started to realize that just being in his proximity made me feel calmer.
“So my job is to get you all ready,” he said.
“What if we’re not taking the trials this semester?” A vampire named Marcus aske
d.
He was right next to Violet. I smirked as she lifted a judgmental eyebrow and took a step away from the offender. We all knew that this was easier if we just kept our mouths shut and let the coach talk.
If we got lucky, he’d talk for the whole period. When you interrupted him, you ran the risk of him sending you straight for laps. Or worse, burpees.
I joined my classmates in glaring at the vampire. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his hip popped in a sassy way. I had only had one conversation with him and now I was remembering why. He came across as someone who thought he was better than the rest of us.
“Mr. Valiou, you are not taking the trials because you failed the practice trials. Were it not for the enormous amount of money your parents donated each year, you’d get your ass kicked out of here. If it were up to me, you’d have to take the trials. And you’d be dead.”
Marcus pouted and I shook my head. It was hard to watch.
“Alright everyone, since Marcus is so unprepared for the trials, I think we’ll make the workout even harder today.”
Everyone groaned. Someone slapped Marcus upside the head and Coach Miller looked away as if he hadn’t seen it.
“What do you think it’s going to be?” I whispered to Luka.
“Something terrible,” he said.
“Class, I want you to meet our newest addition to the gym.” Coach Miller took a few steps away from where we were gathered and gestured toward a massive set of stairs. They went up about two flights in height, came to a small platform, then went down on the other side.
“You’ll all be running the stairs until the bell rings. If anyone walks, they’ll join me after dinner tonight to run stairs until they throw up.”
Shit. Just when I thought running and burpees was the worst he could throw at us.
We all turned toward the stairs and shuffled our way there. Nobody was in a rush to get started. Stupid Marcus.
“Marcus, you’re first. You set the pace and if you fall below, you’ll be the first to join me tonight,” Coach Miller said.
I fell into line right behind Luka, dreading the next forty-five minutes.
Academy of the Elites: Fated Magic Page 4