by Lexi C. Foss
It was surreal sitting here after everything I’d learned over the weekend.
Fae are real.
Tray drinks blood.
Tray kisses like a god.
I shivered at the memory of his hands roaming up and down my sides and the way his thigh had lodged between mine as I pressed up against him. My experience wasn’t vast. Dash had kissed me a few times, pawed at my boobs outside my clothes, and grabbed my ass on several occasions. Nothing exciting and certainly not like what Tray had done to me.
“Daydreaming about me, dove?” Tray asked as he sauntered toward the back of the classroom. He’d been busy shooting the shit with Charlie near the classroom door—a task I was sure he’d despised, yet somehow pulled off with an easy smile the whole time.
I batted my eyelashes up at Tray as he stopped in front of me. “I am, actually. I just stabbed you through the heart and it was glorious.”
A few students chuckled around us, the human sheep always eavesdropping.
“You wound me, Cindersoot,” he drawled, collapsing into his chair.
“If only it were real,” I returned.
We’d decided our best play was to feign hatred and animosity toward each other after what went down at Homecoming. Ryan would love the idea that Tray had to work to earn my heart—because breaking it in the end would be all the sweeter.
“Oh, it was real,” he replied, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Every lick, moan, and kiss, darling dove.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, you kissed me at the dance. Big deal.”
“You seemed to think so.” His irises smoldered as he looked me over. “I bet you’d kiss me again under the right circumstances.”
My lips twitched because, yeah, I’d totally let him kiss me again under pretty much any circumstance. But out loud I replied, “Sure. At night. While you’re dreaming.”
He winked at me. “We’ll be doing a lot more than kissing in my dreams, dove.”
“And you’ll be endlessly dying in mine, dick.”
Professor Montgomery chose that moment to enter, her focus immediately falling on me. “Miss Cinder, language!”
“This project you’ve assigned is impossible, Professor Montgomery,” Tray said, wasting no time. “She won’t even agree to meet with me for the project despite my offering endless hours for the interview.”
I coughed out a laugh. “Excuse me, but I recall you saying you were busy every night last week.”
“I don’t recall any such claim,” he replied, his attention on the teacher. “How am I supposed to finish my first assignment with a partner who refuses to work with me?”
She set her bag on her desk, her expression one that said she truly hated Mondays. Or maybe it was her students she despised. Or just us.
“Is that true, Miss Cinder?” she demanded. “Are you refusing to be accommodating to our new student?”
“I’ve witnessed it firsthand,” Charlie put in unhelpfully. “Tray asked her nicely last week to spend time after school for an hour, and she told him to go to hell. Apologies for the language.”
Tray lifted a shoulder, neither confirming nor denying the accusation.
I knew this was all part of our ploy, but Jesus. Could he have chosen a different avenue for our bickering? One that didn’t impact my grade point average.
“I did no such thing,” I stated truthfully. “He demanded I go to Homecoming with him to work on our project.” Yeah, just saying that out loud, I heard how ridiculous it sounded. And Montgomery’s expression said she’d heard it, too.
“Well, since both of you seem unable to accommodate the other, how about a week of after-school detention to work out your differences and your project?” she suggested, arching a brow.
Shit.
Clarissa was not going to like that. Not one bit.
I never received detention. Ever.
“Great, I’m glad that’s settled,” Professor Montgomery said, not giving us time to argue. “I’ll see you both promptly after last period. Bring your notebooks.”
Awesome, I thought with a mental huff. Thanks, Tray.
This plan of his had better be worth it. Because if I just accepted detention for no benefit whatsoever, he’d have hell to pay.
I waited impatiently for Montgomery to carry out her lecture, desperately wanting to pull Tray aside to demand an explanation. But as soon as the bell rang, he disappeared with the other students into the hallway and left me glaring after him.
Yeah, that went well.
I continued through my next few classes, irritated and confused and decidedly pissed off. So when Tray yanked me into a vacant classroom just before lunch, I rounded on him. “What the hell are you doing?” I demanded.
“This.” He grabbed my face between his palms and pushed me up against the wall beside the locked door, his mouth claiming mine.
I melted on instinct, my insides turning to mush.
Because Tray’s lips? They were heaven.
My fingers wove through his hair, my body arching into his, needing to feel the heat of his body against every inch of my own. He was becoming my addiction—wrong and oh-so right. I shouldn’t enjoy this, should demand he explain the detention plan, but I couldn’t get a word in with his tongue in my mouth.
By the time he released me, I was panting in the best way, my skin overheated and tight.
“You look gorgeous,” he whispered, running his nose across my cheekbone. “I’ll see you in swim class.”
“Wait.” I caught his wrist before he could leave, tugging him back. “Why detention?”
“Gives us an excuse to see each other. Don’t worry; I plan to enchant Montgomery so we can talk freely.” He pressed his lips to my temple. “Then I’ll come by your place after to help with anything you need, as I’m sure the step-monster will have a list of overdue chores for you.”
When he said things like this, it became far too evident that he knew me better than I knew him. And considering we just met a week ago, that shouldn’t be the case. “How do you know that about Clarissa?”
“Because the Council has kept tabs on you for years, Ella. I was given an entire file about you before arriving.” He palmed my cheek. “I need to get to lunch. We’ll talk more later.”
“I want to see the file” were my first words after Tray knocked Montgomery out with a spell. She snored softly from her position at the desk, her head tipped back in a way that would leave her with a neck cramp later. Part of me wanted to go readjust her position. Then I recalled how quickly she’d acted earlier in assigning me detention when she was the reason I had to work with Tray to begin with.
Yeah, she more than deserved a neck cramp.
“Of course,” Tray said in response to my demand to see the file. “I’ll bring it over tonight.”
I blinked. “You will?”
He shrugged. “I’ll answer whatever you want to know, Ella. And that includes sharing the details I have on your past.”
“Oh.” For some reason, I’d expected him to fight me on this. “Er, thanks.” I flipped open my notebook, then closed it. “So what are we doing now?” Because interviewing him seemed frivolous at this point. Although, I would need some details for the assignment. “Do you have a file on your cover for the Human Realm?”
“I have some legal documents, if you want to see them. But as far as everyone knows, I moved here to live with my recluse of an uncle while my parents gallivant around the world on a yearlong adventure. They just couldn’t wait until I graduated.” He lifted a shoulder. “Pretty simple, really. My father is a finance firm investor from London, and my mother is a debutante from Chicago. They own FAE Enterprises. Which, if you google it, is a real company. And yes, my parents actually do own it. But they have humans who oversee the board.”
“Wait, why?”
“Because we’re Midnight Fae, darling. We commonly interact with mortals.”
“To feed,” I translated.
He dipped his chin in affirmation. “Yes. Many
of my kind have covers in the Human Realm. It helps explain our constant appearances. But we vary our interests throughout the world, so that way our feeding is spread out as well. My father has dominion over the United Kingdom and the East Coast of the United States. Anyone from a royal line—which we call Elite Magic—can feed in those areas. Aswad—a ruling monarch of the necromancy side—owns the southern United States. Thus, anyone with Death Magic can play down there, and so on.”
There was a lot of information in that statement.
So much so that I didn’t know where to start.
“Uh, okay.” I cleared my throat. “There are different types of magic within the Midnight Fae?” That seemed a reasonable place to begin.
He nodded. “There are several. Elite Magic, Death Magic, Blood Magic, Warrior Magic, and Malefic Magic are the primary sects. The Academy is actually divided based on those sections. I’ll reside on the Elite Quad with Kols in the fall. It’s also where you’ll live, if you join us.”
“At the Academy, you mean.”
Another nod.
“Because my mom was a royal?” I asked, clarifying.
“She was an Elite Magic user, yes.” He leaned his elbows on the desk, his seat directly across from mine. “Our Midnight Fae line is closest to the heart of our darker element. It’s why we’re considered Elite—we harbor the most power of all our kind. But the other sects have their own powers and abilities. Death Magic, for example, is what humans call necromancy.”
“They call upon the dead,” I whispered, shivering.
“Among other things, yeah.” He brushed his fingers through his hair, sighing. “There’s a lot for me to explain, but what’s most important is for us to tap into your gifts.”
“Assuming I have them.”
“You do.” Tray sounded certain, as if there couldn’t possibly be an alternative. “Give me your hand. I want to show you something.”
“Uh, okay.” I obliged, curious.
He clasped my wrist with one hand while using his finger of the other to draw a line of tingling energy across the fleshy surface of my palm. I quivered at the heated embers racing across my skin, the blue sparks dancing in a hypnotic pattern.
“That’s how I know,” he murmured, his lips tugging at the corner. “My magic recognizes you as a conduit—which marks you as a fae.”
“What would that do on a human?”
Tray lifted a shoulder. “It’d burn them.”
I snatched my hand back. “You did that knowing it might hurt me?”
He chuckled. “I did that knowing it wouldn’t hurt you, El. You’re a Halfling. I sensed it in you the night we met, and it’s still very much there. We just need to figure out why your talent is hiding and break it free.”
“Okay, first, you and your nicknames are just…” I trailed off, shaking my head. Isabella. Ella. El. Dove. Darling. Sweetheart. Ugh. “And second, how do you propose we do that, dear Fairy Guardian?”
“Fairy Guardian?” he repeated.
“Would you prefer I call you Mr. Nicknames?” I offered. “Because I can roll with that as well.”
He snorted. “Tray is fine.”
“As is Ella.”
He scratched his jaw, considering. “What about Ella Bella?”
“How about no?” I countered.
His lips curled. “You’re making me want to kiss you again, Ella.”
“We’re supposed to be learning right now, Tray.”
“Oh, it would definitely be a learning experience. Trust me.”
I lifted my eyes heavenward. “We are never going to find my hidden fae talents if all you want to do is make out with me.”
“On the contrary, I might be able to ignite them with a few thorough orgasms. Shall we test the theory and find out?”
I gave him a look. “Seriously, fae or human, all boys think about is sex.”
“I’m a man, not a boy,” he clarified. “And what’s wrong with that? Sex is fun.”
Meaning he was experienced.
Which, yeah, I sort of knew that based on the way he kissed. But knowing he’d fooled around before had my stomach cramping for a multitude of reasons.
Not only had he been with other girls, but he’d also have expectations.
Expectations I might not be able to live up to with my lack of sexual know-how.
Why am I even thinking about this?
We had far more important things to focus on. Like my powers. And revenge. And my uncertain future.
“Tell me more about Midnight Fae Academy,” I said, needing a new topic.
Fortunately, he conceded and dropped the other one.
Thirty minutes later, I had a thorough understanding of the Academy. “So it’s like a university for fae.” He’d mentioned dorms, finals, course schedules, professors, and even intramural sports. “Except there’s only one available, not a whole smorgasbord of choices.”
“It’s also not voluntary,” he added. “All Midnight Fae from twenty to twenty-four years old are mandated to attend.”
“Oh.” That sounded a bit ominous. “Even Halflings?”
“Yes.”
“So I won’t have a choice?”
“Not without Council intervention, no.” He cleared his throat. “But it’s where you belong, Ella. Your aging will begin to slow in the next year or so, and when your powers finally manifest, you’ll want to be around your own kind for training. There’s no reason not to enroll.”
“Unless I want to go to a human university,” I pointed out, folding my arms and leaning back into my chair.
“Sure, but why would you do that?”
“Maybe I want to at least have the choice,” I countered.
He gave me a look that said he knew I was just being difficult. My life goal was to escape, and he’d offered me the opportunity on a pedestal. Why would I reject it?
“Okay, let’s say I go.” I held up my hand to stop him from commenting on my loose agreement. “What if I can’t access my powers? How will that impact my enrollment?”
“It’ll prove problematic,” he confirmed. “Which is why we’re going to focus on releasing them.”
Chapter Fifteen
Tray
One Month Later
I sat in my usual booth, my brother across from me, enjoying a bucket of his favorite flavor of wings. But I couldn’t stomach mine. “I’ve tried everything, Kols. Nothing is working.”
We’d attempted all the tricks I’d learned as a kid, even a few I’d read about in a variety of dark-magic books. With each trial, Ella grew more agitated, her belief in her lack of powers growing by the day.
But I knew they were in her somewhere.
I just couldn’t figure out the key to unlocking them.
Kols wiped off his hands with a napkin, his manners as formal as ever despite the messy meal. “I’m telling you, T. Just bite her.”
Flames flickered across my hands on the table, my patience at an all-time low. “That’s your solution to everything, isn’t it?”
“Have you tried it?” he countered.
“Of course not. It’ll initiate the mating bond.” Oh, fae could bite humans as often as they desired without any side effects—assuming they didn’t drink too much, of course. But biting a fae with a desirable bloodline? Yeah, that created an eternal promise, one the females of our species were bound to regardless of their willingness.
I didn’t want to do that to Ella.
Even if the Council required it.
“You’re going to have to bite her eventually,” Kols pointed out. “So why not start now and see what happens?”
“Sure. The second you bite Emelyn, I’ll bite Ella.”
He scowled. “The two are not mutually exclusive.”
I arched a brow. “So you’re saying you don’t want to bite Emelyn yet?”
“Fuck you. You know I don’t.” He shuddered, the mention of his betrothed always a surefire way to sour his mood. Our parents had designated the match over a decade ago,
forcing our families to bond throughout the years.
Emelyn Jyn made Ryan look like a tender princess.
“It’s different for you and Ella,” Kols added. “You actually like your chosen mate.”
My lips curled. “Oh, I more than like her.” Keeping my hands off her had been quite the challenge these last few weeks. I wanted to give her time to learn to trust me and to adjust to her new reality. The way she kissed me grew increasingly eager, confirming our mutually deepening feelings. But we weren’t quite there yet.
Unlocking her power seemed to be the key.
Kols took a long sip of his water and set it to the side. “All right, so you think her gifts are wrapped up in this abusive childhood, right?”
I nodded.
“Why not take one or two of those obstacles down and see what happens,” he suggested. “Maybe it’ll loosen her up a little.”
It was something to consider. I just didn’t know how to do that without ruining the long-term game. We had the entire Darlington crew right where we wanted them—believing I was her new tormentor and suitor. Ryan and Carmen were in heaven watching our back-and-forth play, wondering how I would pull this off in the long run.
It meant I had to talk to them frequently.
But at least it kept Ella safe from their torment.
“I’ll consider that option,” I eventually replied, meaning it. We could always take down Dash or Charlie first, but it would have to be subtle.
“I stand by option number one, T. Bite her.”
With a theatrical sigh, I pulled out my wallet to toss some bills on the table. “Right, well, you’ve been very helpful,” I drawled, standing.
He waggled his brows. “Feeling thirsty?”
Yes. I hadn’t fed my darker urges enough over the last month and needed to change that tonight. “What gave me away?” I asked. “The eyes?”
“And your mood.” He added some money to the table and stood as well. “Actually, I could use a bite. So I’ll join you.”
“Suit yourself. I was just going to a local bar.”
“I have a much better location in mind,” he replied. “Come with me, little brother. I know just what you need.”