by Lexi C. Foss
“I never agreed to be your date,” he replied coolly. “You made assumptions, and that’s not my problem.” He made to turn away from her, but a screech from her had him cocking a brow. “What now, Ryan?”
“How dare you stand me up!”
“Stand you up?” He laughed. “We don’t belong to each other, remember? You made that very clear three years ago.” He gave her a condescending smile. “If you’ve changed your mind, I’m sorry, but it’s too late. I haven’t been interested in you in quite some time.”
Her mouth actually fell open, her usual spitfire retorts lost to the chatter growing around them.
Well, that’s a fun twist in our evening plans, Ella mused beside me, her lips curling. He’s just publicly shamed her for us.
Oh, and that’s just an appetizer, darling. I had a speech planned that would demolish Ryan’s reputation.
Ella liked the symbolism of me being the one to speak tonight since it’d been Dash all those years ago who’d announced his true intentions to the school. It only seemed appropriate that I do the same tonight in a similar manner, but with very different words.
The music lowered to a dull background sound as two of Darlington Academy’s administrators ascended the stage. Were they present at the Holiday Ball? I asked, an idea forming in my head.
Yep. Ella narrowed her eyes at them. They always look the other way. That night was no different.
Oh, they’ll be taking notice tonight, I promised.
Ella knew what I’d done, even if I never admitted it out loud. Her access to my mind made it impossible to hide things from her. I’d sensed her acceptance of it the moment she learned my intentions, her thoughts almost always in tune with mine.
It was why we made a good team.
I can’t wait to hear your acceptance speech, she purred at me, leading me toward the stage with her hand locked in mine.
When we reached the platform, I grabbed her and kissed her hard on the mouth. When I pulled back, Ryan gave me a knowing look. As though she thought I’d only done that to say goodbye.
I winked at her, allowing her to think whatever she liked, and wrapped my arm around Ella’s shoulders. Meanwhile, Dash positioned himself away from Ryan on the opposite side of the stage. He leveled me with a warning look, one that dared me to misstep.
It further confirmed his feelings for Ella. I thought he was just attracted to her, but after the display in the hall, the way he tried to protect her, I suspected they ran deeper. The way he challenged me now drove that point home.
You had your chance with her, I told him with my eyes. She’s mine now.
Not that he ever posed any real competition.
Ella was fated to be mine from birth. Our souls confirmed it when we bonded, and that connection between us was unbreakable.
She leaned into me, her gaze sparkling. Even if you’re right about his feelings, I’ll never return them.
I know.
Then stop trying to murder him with your eyes. She went to her tippy-toes to brush a kiss over my mouth. I trust you, Trayton Nacht. Now destroy my stepsister, please. I want to go home.
My lips twitched. I almost asked if that meant I could light the bitch on fire, but the ceremony began with crowning the Winter King and Winter Queen.
I really didn’t understand the human obsession with these sorts of titles, but I supposed living in a real royal family skewed my view a bit.
Ella received her crown first and did an excellent job of acting shocked and dismayed, while in her mind she ridiculed the stupid tradition. “As I already have a tiara,” she said, glancing at me, “I’ll just hold this for now until Tray can help me fix my hair.”
“You were already a princess to me, darling,” I replied, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Ryan snorted.
Other people sighed.
The administrators smiled.
Ella returned to my side, her excitement contagious. Her thoughts were underlined with a hint of nerves, reminiscent of past hurts, but she followed each concern with a justification.
Tray won’t hurt me. He’s my mate. This will be fine. Ryan’s going down.
I didn’t reply, preparing myself for the speech I was about to make.
When the administrators called my name, announcing me as Winter King, I glanced at them and ignored their silly crown. It was a cheap plastic knockoff very unlike the tiara I’d placed on Ella earlier tonight. She didn’t know—because I’d hidden it from her—but it was actually a family heirloom interlaced with fae magic.
Her eyes widened as I revealed that to her in my thoughts.
You’re a princess now, I reminded her. Never forget it.
Fairy Guardian, she returned, causing my lips to twitch as I took the microphone.
“Wow. Winter King.” I pretended to ponder that for a moment. “I can’t imagine a more ridiculous title, to be honest. Why the hell would I want to be Winter King of this dreadful place?” My focus shifted to the shocked administrators. “I mean, the things you all allow to happen here is just mind-blowing. Allow me to demonstrate.”
I removed the microphone from the stand before they could take it from me and stepped to the side so I could see both Ella and Ryan.
The latter grinned triumphantly.
Ella, however, held a regal stance that would make my mother—and likely hers as well—proud.
“You know, babe”—I purposely picked a nickname I never used for Ella—“it’s been an interesting few months. All these games.” I shook my head. “I mean, honestly, I’m shocked you fell for it all. You actually think I’d want you? When I can have her?”
Ella flinched, even though I wasn’t talking to her but to Ryan. The words were just too reminiscent of Dash’s speech all those years ago, as I assumed the resulting gasps from the crowd were, too.
“While you’ve been ensnared in my web, I’ve carefully dismantled every facet of your life. All for the promise of bedding you, which is something I never wanted to do.”
“Mr. Nacht,” a feminine voice interjected. Professor Montgomery stood on the side of the stage, her expression livid. “Give me that microphone right now.”
“No, I’m not done.” And there was no way she’d be able to take this from me now. “And while I appreciate you finally growing a conscience and truly standing up for your student, you’re about three years too late. Because let’s be honest, all your previous attempts haven’t been all that successful.” She was also protecting the wrong girl.
Ryan chuckled, the sound vile and cruel. “Keep going,” she encouraged.
“Oh, I intend to.” I smiled brilliantly at her. “When you approached me about seducing your stepsister and asking me to break her heart publicly, I couldn’t have been happier. Because you single-handedly gave me the power to destroy you instead.”
A pin could have dropped at that pronouncement.
And Ryan’s mouth fell open.
Way to dive right in, Ella said into my mind.
No time like the present, I returned.
“You know, I wondered how someone could be so vicious as to offer herself… Oh, wait, no. You promised me a threesome between you and Carmen, right? Yeah, hard pass, sweetheart. Ella satisfies me in ways neither of you could ever begin to comprehend. But back to what I was saying—I tried to figure out how someone could be so cruel to another person, let alone a family member.” I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone. “However, after some digging with Ella, we figured it out.”
My eyes wandered to my mate, searching her features and mind for any kind of distress and finding her perfectly at ease.
So I continued.
“In case it’s not obvious by now—as I know some of you may need these things spelled out for you—Ryan hired me to fuck Ella and dump her in front of the school. Sort of like what happened a few years ago at the Holiday Ball, only worse since my task was to capture her heart. Which I believe I’ve done.” I cocked a brow at my mate.
She
merely smiled, the look coy and secretive.
Devious minx, I accused playfully.
Delectable fairy, she replied.
I nearly sighed out loud. That whole punishment thing lingers in your future, El.
Bring it on, Nacht.
I smirked. “Yes, for those wondering, Ella’s been aware of her stepsister’s intentions for a while now,” I said, holding her gaze and ignoring all the whispers coming from the room, as well as Ryan’s resulting growl.
But movement across the stage had me sending a sliver of magic to ground the administrators, who had begun to shuffle toward me. They’d attribute the sensation to having their limbs locked in shock.
In reality, I’d frozen them.
Because I wasn’t done.
“Ah, here it is.” I made a show of looking at my phone and pulled up the will Ella and I had uncovered recently. Then I cleared my throat to begin reading. After it became obvious what I held in my palm, I paused and looked at Ryan. “Really, there’s a bunch of legal bullshit that I don’t want to bore the audience with. So let’s jump to the important part where Tremaine Cinder—Ella’s father, for those of you not paying attention—declared Isabella Cinder as his sole heir to his fortune. Clarissa Cinder is listed as the legal guardian of the estate, but only effective until Isabella’s eighteenth birthday. Which was when, darling?”
“Roughly five months ago,” she confirmed.
“Yes, which means you own everything.” I feigned shock as I refocused at a fuming Ryan. “Surely you didn’t know?” Then I smiled, dropping the act. “Except we all know you did. And you’ve been trying to beat Ella into submission all these years since learning the truth—that you’d be nothing without your gorgeous, intelligent, cunning stepsister.”
I faced the administrators, adding, “It also means all those checks you’ve been cashing from Clarissa Cinder these last few months—the ones that allow her children to terrorize the halls—were never hers to write.”
Ella smiled. Mic drop.
I smirked. Indeed. That was a human phrase I enjoyed. Although, I was tempted to literally release the microphone. It would make for a lovely sound that would startle the room from their stupor.
“So, Ryan, you’re living in a home you have no rights to, driving a car that isn’t yours, and attending an academy that you could never afford without Ella’s permission. How fascinating that you decided to involve me in your little family drama. All for what? The promise of one night with you. Which brings me back to—how the fuck could you ever think I’d choose you over Isabella?” I looked her over in obvious distaste. “Not even if you paid me, babe.”
“I think that’s enough, Mr. Nacht,” Professor Montgomery tried again.
“I don’t agree, Peggy,” I drawled. “Because, you see, the academy is about to fall under new management. When I told Father how poorly this place is run and the shenanigans allowed in these halls, he put some measures in place—and by that, I mean new ownership.” This was the part I hadn’t outwardly discussed with Ella, but she knew about it through our bond. And while she felt it was a waste of resources, she agreed with my thought process.
Because owning the academy ensured that nothing like this could ever happen again.
It also allowed us to secure her early graduation, something her mother’s inheritance required. Not that Ella really needed the funds after the hefty amount her father had left for her, but it was the principle of the matter at this point. Besides, she deserved her degree after all the shit she’d put up with over the last three and a half years. And I would ensure that she received it without having to set another foot inside that awful place.
Of course, it was about to change drastically.
“I believe the majority of you will be dismissed on Monday,” I added, grinning. “I suggest you work on those resumes tomorrow.” With a contented sigh, I smiled at my mate. “Have I missed anything, darling?”
“No, I think that about wraps it up. Can we go—”
Ryan’s palm nearly connected with Ella’s face, but my mate caught her stepsister’s wrist before she could finish the movement.
And sent the bitch backward several feet with a shock I felt through the bond.
The scream splitting Ryan’s lips made even me cringe.
Ella had zapped her hard.
But to the room, it looked like she’d shoved Ryan. At least, that was what their minds would interpret. Anything else would be too difficult for a mortal mind to believe.
“Do not fucking touch me,” Ella snapped, her voice carrying across the hushed room. “Your reign over my life ended months ago, Ryan. However, mine over yours is just beginning. Because I will be taking back the house and all the assets your mother has stolen from me.”
She stepped forward to stare down at the now cowering female on the floor.
“But don’t worry, sis,” Ella continued. “I’ll be providing you all with an allowance to live on. It’ll be just enough to keep you off the streets until you graduate from public school. Then you can go work and make your own money.”
She held out her hand for mine. “I’m ready to go now.”
I read between the lines.
She didn’t mean back to my home here in Darlington but to the one in the Midnight Fae Realm.
To where we both belonged.
I laced my fingers with hers and used my other hand to return the microphone. “Oh, I’m done,” I said to the room, smiling. “Enjoy your Winter Ball.”
The shock of the room followed us all the way to the door.
As we left without once looking back.
We were done with the present and moving firmly into the future to create our own happily ever after.
Together.
Three and a Half Years Later
“Ugh, your mother is killing me with these gowns.” Every time we spent the summer with his parents, she insisted on dressing me up like a little doll. The woman considered me the daughter she never had, and since Kols refused to accept his mate, I was alone in my torment.
Not that Kols’s mate, Emelyn, would make it any better.
Hell, that bitch would make this worse.
So yeah, I’d choose this fate over her as a sister-in-law any day. She’d put Ryan to shame.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Tray drawled, overhearing my thoughts. “I think they’d pair well locked in a closet. We could add Carmen in for fun, give them all some knives, and watch the bloodshed.”
“For once, I might be on board with your lethal idea.” While I’d essentially taken everything from Ryan and Carmen, they’d yet to acquire an ounce of humanity.
The only good thing that came of it was that they held little influence over others, leaving them to drive each other—and Clarissa—mad. It seemed the general public was safe from them. For now. But I’d continue to watch, and now that I’d mastered most of my talents, I’d use them as needed to keep those bitches in line.
Fortunately, Dash had grown into a rather pleasant guy, his studies at Harvard going well while he held on to a steady girlfriend of over a year now. We didn’t keep in touch, but Tray had kept up with him, prepared to intervene if necessary. But it seemed he’d meant it when he claimed to want to change.
And Charlie, well, he was obsolete now that Anderson Motors filed for bankruptcy.
No one had heard from him in over a year.
And I didn’t care enough to look for him.
Tray caught the zipper at my back to help me out of my dress and kissed my nape. “We’ll be returning to the Academy soon, dove,” he whispered, replying to my complaint about all the gowns.
“Where I’ll be stuck in uniforms,” I drawled, glancing at him over my shoulder. He’d failed to mention that little requirement when telling me about the Academy. It seemed my entire life would be about wearing the same clothes as everyone else.
He smirked. “One more year. Then we’re done.”
The thought of being finished with our studies improved my mo
od immensely. While I still didn’t know where I fit into this world, I was excited to learn my place with Tray by my side. He would join the Council because of his birthright, serving as a second-in-command to his brother—the future king.
Which reminded me… “How was the meeting?” He’d just returned from some sort of urgent discussion. His annoyance flickered through our bond, causing my eyebrows to sail upward. “That bad, huh?”
Tray helped me out of my dress and handed me one of his shirts—which was my chosen sleep attire. “Yeah. It’s bad.”
He pulled off his tie and started unbuttoning his dress shirt before switching to his cuff links. I slid under the sheets as he removed his jacket, and waited for him to take off the rest of his clothes.
Warily, he joined me in just his boxers, his shoulders sagging on a sigh. “Shade bit an Elemental Fae.”
My eyes widened. “What?” I knew a little about their kind. They were divided into sects based on their affinity for earth, air, water, fire, or spirit. And they didn’t need human blood to survive.
“Yeah. And she’s not just any Elemental Fae, but a Royal Earth Fae,” Tray said, running his fingers through his thick hair. “My father is livid.”
“Of course he is.” It was illegal to mate outside of our race. My being a Halfling was the only exception. “What are they going to do?”
“They’re sending her to the Academy.” He glanced at me, and I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever he said next. “And they’ve assigned her to our suite on Elite Quad. Specifically, they want you to share a room with her.”
I blinked. “What? Why?”
“To keep an eye on her until they figure out how to handle the situation,” he muttered. “Look, I’m not thrilled about it, but I prefer it to killing her. Which was the other option on the table.”
“Kill a royal?”
“They’re afraid of how Shade’s bite will influence her powers.” He collapsed beside me on the bed, shaking his head. “That fucking prick. And of course, they’re letting him remain at the Academy, too. He’s under strict orders not to bite her again, but we both know that’s not going to stop him.”