by Wendi Wilson
I needed time. Time to come up with a non-violent way to get the girls to leave me alone. I took a step backward. My back brushed against Easton’s hard chest and his arms circled around my waist. One hand slipped under the hem of my shirt to press against my stomach as he moved in closer, locking our bodies together.
His open mouth pressed against the side of my neck, and my fingers delved into his white-blonde hair, gripping it tight. Even though I knew his actions were a statement, reminding Tiana that he, quite literally, had my back, tingles of pleasure ran down my spine and a heat built inside me.
Tiana huffed with displeasure, her blonde hair arcing around her as she spun on a heel and stalked away. Aubrey stared at us for a few more seconds, the gleam in her eyes calculating and her lips pressed into a thin, white line. Without word or gesture, she turned and hurried after her queen bee.
“You taste divine,” Easton whispered, his hot breath fanning my skin before he released me and took a step back.
I turned to face him, a smile lifting the corners of my mouth. He shot me a conspiratorial wink, and I shook my head.
“Thanks for the back-up, but I could have handled them.”
One of his perfectly sculpted white brows lifted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, I didn’t doubt it for a second. I just wanted to have a little fun.”
“Uh, huh,” I said, my tone disbelieving.
“Okay,” he admitted, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, “maybe I was a little worried.”
“Worried about what? That I’d lose control and rain fire down on their asses?” I asked, my head tilted to one side.
“No. Not that,” he said. “I know you have control now and wouldn’t let that happen. It’s what you’d intentionally do that had me worried. Tiana was right. The council is looking for a reason to condemn you, and Finn’s protection can only go so far.”
“I know that. And I’m being careful. I won’t give Tiana Avery the pleasure of seeing me get booted out of my home.”
A bell rang, signaling the end of class. I stood beside Easton, my eyes tracking Tiana’s and Aubrey’s movements as they disappeared into the locker room. Determination filled me, spiking even higher as Easton’s hand slipped into mine.
Oberon Academy was my home. Cris, Easton, Shaela, and Charles, my family. I would not be ripped away from them.
But I wasn’t going to sit back and take abuse either. I’d had too much of that in my previous life. I’d find a balance, a way to protect myself without raising the ire of the Sylph council.
I just needed a plan.
CHAPTER 15
“I need to talk to you.”
Dad closed the door behind me as I strode into his office with that statement and began pacing the carpet. He leaned against the wood panel and watched me silently, waiting for me to wind myself down and get to the point. I stopped pacing and faced him, one foot tapping the floor in agitation.
“What happened?” he asked, concern etched across his face as he stepped away from the door, moving toward me with slow, measured steps.
“Tiana,” I spat.
“What has she done now?” he asked on a sigh.
“She brought to my attention that I am second in line to be the Zephyr queen.”
His face paled as he stared at me, his mouth opening and closing like he was searching for some denial. Or some reassuring words to make me feel better.
What came out was not what I was expecting or hoping for.
“First, actually.”
“What?” I asked, my brain not comprehending his answer.
“You are next in line for the throne,” he explained, his words heavy.
My eye twitched and I shook my head.
“What?” I repeated, the word sharp as a knife.
“Why don’t we sit down and I’ll explain?”
“I don’t want to sit,” I snapped.
He huffed out a breath and pressed his fingertips into his eyes. He squared his shoulders and his Glamoured-blue eyes were filled with determination as they met mine.
“I officially abdicated my claim to the throne, December. When I left my mother’s side, I knew I’d never go back. She would use my absence in her favor, clinging to the power longer than she should or appointing someone she could control to take my place until I returned.”
He crinkled his fingers into air quotes with those last two words. I knew he was right. Sebille would have lied to her people.
“By rejecting the crown,” he continued, “I rejected my mother. I hoped to cast doubt into the minds of the people. To make them realize that it was time for change—for Sebille’s reign to come to an end. But their belief in her and her mission to take over the planet is strong. They saw me as the traitor and washed their hands of me.”
“So…”
“So,” he finished for me, “should anything happen to my mother, the crown would go to you, as her only viable descendant.”
“She really is going to kill me,” I murmured, plopping back into the chair he’d tried to get me to sit in earlier.
He perched on the edge of the chair opposite, sliding it closer. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and locked eyes with me.
“She is not going to kill you. With our powers combined, she can’t touch you.”
“And she knows it, Dad. All she has to do is tear us apart, and I’ll be fair game.”
“Nothing will tear us apart,” he vowed. “I swear it, December. I will never leave you.”
I LEFT HIM AFTER THAT, telling him I wasn’t really up for our regular training session. He let me go without argument, knowing I needed some time to come to terms with his news.
I went straight to Easton’s room and rapped my knuckles against his door, praying he was inside. I heard footsteps just before his door swung open. His face lit up with a bright smile when he saw it was me.
“Can I come in?” I asked, my tired voice wiping the smile right off his face.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, moving to the side and waving me through the door.
“I’m not second-in-line for the crown,” I said, my tone bland and dejected.
“What do you mean?” he asked, closing the door and moving to stand in front of me.
“I’m not second,” I repeated. “I’m first.”
His eyes flew wide and I rushed to explain everything my father had told me. Afterward, a few beats of silence hung between us while he processed what I’d told him. Then he looked at me, his eyes glassy with emotion.
“You’ll be queen,” he breathed.
“Yeah,” I replied, keeping my volume low to match his. “A lot sooner than we thought.”
His hands snapped out and grabbed my upper arms, his grip firm but not painful. His eyes were wide with excitement as the words poured from his mouth.
“Don’t you see what this means? You’ll take over once Sebille is gone and the Earth will be safe. There was always a fear that, when we managed to take her down, her child would step in, share her same beliefs, and continue with her plan of world domination. You are the end of that plan, December.”
“Cris would never,” I objected.
“We know that, now,” he said. “But the point is moot. He abdicated, just like my mother. You could feasibly be queen before you even graduate Oberon Academy. My grandfather has been preparing me for his imminent retirement.” He pulled me into his chest, so close our noses brushed against each other and whispered, “You and I could change the world. Together.”
Then his lips were crushing mine, his tongue working its magic to make my knees buckle. Easton’s strong arms swept me up and he carried me to his bed, where he laid me down and covered me with his weight in one smooth movement, never breaking our kiss.
My hand groped at his back, my movements feverish with need. Need to feel every inch of him. Need to have him feel what I was feeling. Need to forget our crazy world and my not-so-distant-future role in it.
My fingers grippe
d the hem of his shirt and yanked it upward. Easton pulled away for a millisecond, just long enough to rip the offending article over his head and toss it to the floor. Then his mouth was back on mine, hot and hungry.
My fingertips trailed against his bare skin, dancing over the ridges and planes of his back before moving to his chest. I pressed my palm to his skin and felt his heart beating out a staccato rhythm that matched the pulse of blood pumping through my own veins. A growl vibrated against my hand as his mouth broke away from mine and pressed kisses along my jawline to my throat.
My hands slipped into his hair, my fingers gripping the blonde strands to hold him there as his mouth worshipped my skin. Heat built up inside me and I began to squirm, my hips bucking beneath him.
I needed more.
Despite the way our bodies were plastered together, there was too much space between us. Too much air. Too many clothes.
I lifted my feet and locked my legs around his hips, tightening their grip until I could feel his hardness brush against my most sensitive area. The thin workout pants I’d put on before leaving my room were no hindrance to the touch. A shock of pleasure rippled through me and I shuddered. Using my grip on his hair, I pulled his mouth back to mine and kissed him feverishly.
More.
That singular thought played through my head on repeat. I wanted more. I needed more.
Easton broke our kiss and braced his weight on his arms. My body froze as I stared into the light blue depths of his eyes. They were filled with love, yet tinged with regret.
“I want you,” he said. “So bad I can hardly think straight. But not like this.”
He reached behind him and unlocked my ankles before rolling to his side, taking me with him. He brushed his lips against mine, light as a feather, before pulling back with a soft smile.
“I love you,” he whispered, “and I want our first time to be perfect. Not because we’re stressed out and need an escape.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but no words came out. He was right. I didn’t want to look back years later and remember that I lost my virginity because I found out I was to be the queen of the Zephyrs and I needed stress relief.
I snapped my mouth shut and nodded while trying to hide my disappointment. As nervous as the prospect made me, Easton drove my hormones wild and my body craved him.
“There are other things we could do,” he whispered, a devilish gleam in his eyes, “that could be just as…satisfying.”
My nerves jumped under my skin as I sucked in a sharp breath. Easton kissed his way from my neck to navel, then lower. My first instinct was to stop him, but then a deeper, more primal instinct took over and I was out of my mind with equal parts need and pleasure.
His touch was unsure at first, building in pressure and intensity as his confidence grew with each of my moans and growls. His hands and his mouth worshipped my body, taking me to new heights before shattering me into a billion tiny pieces.
I died a deathless death and he breathed new life into me.
I was reborn, no longer a nervous, abused, and abandoned orphan. I was a woman. I was his woman.
His queen.
CHAPTER 16
“Who is the ultimate judge of what is right and what is wrong?”
Professor Goodman’s words made my eyes roll back, and I barely contained a sigh of disgust. I cut my eyes toward Shaela, who sat with her chin propped on one hand, a soft smile playing on her lips as she stared at her grandfather. A pit of dread sat heavy in my stomach. I was losing her. I could feel it in my bones.
Our conversation had been stilted and awkward when I returned from Easton’s room the night before. I had wanted to talk to her about what happened with him, but she’d put off an air of unapproachability, so I simply said goodnight and went to bed.
By the time I woke up, she was gone.
“As Sylphs,” Puck continued when no one offered an opinion to answer his question, “we know we are right. It’s wrong to subjugate the humans. It’s wrong to curb their free will and we should come to their defense, doing whatever we can to stop it.”
I caught several heads nodding in agreement to his statements. He paused for a second, letting that sink in, then tilted his head as he held up a finger.
“But the Zephyrs know they’re right, too. They know that letting humans do as they want will only destroy the planet further. They can’t help it. A desire for progress and the pursuit of innovation are part of their natures. The wonders they create, the scientific breakthroughs and all the testing that goes into them create pollution that damages the Earth and its atmosphere. Their desire to procreate leads to overpopulation, which leads to more waste. Keeping them under a tight tether is the only way to curb their natural impulses.”
Shock rippled through me as I raised my hand. When Puck nodded in my direction, the words exploded out of me harsher than I intended.
“Are you saying the Zephyrs should institute some kind of population control? How would they even do that? Use magic to make humans infertile?”
“I am not offering my own opinion, Ms. Thorne,” he said, his eyes narrowing at my outburst. “I simply stated what I believe to be the Zephyr train of thought. As for the means, there are any number of ways they could incorporate control over human conception rates. They do, after all, control the food and water.”
The implications terrified me. If the Zephyrs could hide something in the food to make the humans barren, what else could they do? Where would it end? They could very well poison the consumable resources and kill them all.
We had to do something to stop them.
“Do you really think they would do that?” Shaela asked, her voice holding a note of negativity.
It was the first time since her grandfather arrived that she hadn’t seemed completely enamored by him. A bolt of hope shot through my chest, making me catch my breath.
“I don’t really know, my dear,” he replied, his expression turning soft and somewhat dreamy. “I am simply speculating.”
Her own expression softened and she smiled at him with nod. The hope drained right out of me. Easton must have been watching my aura because his fingers brushed against my shoulder in a comforting caress.
“So,” Puck continued, “if both factions of Fae believe themselves to be in the right with opposing views, who is to judge what the absolute truth is?”
“Maybe the Sylphs and the Zephyrs are both wrong and right. Maybe we need to come together and form a compromise. Meet in the middle,” Easton offered.
Easton really believed that, once he was king and I was queen, we’d find a way to make the two races live in some sort of harmony. We’d find a peaceful solution that worked for everyone—the Sylphs, the Zephyrs, and the humans.
“In a perfect world, that would be an ideal solution, Mr. Oberon,” Professor Goodman replied, his tone slightly scoffing, “but unrealistic. The divide between Sylphids and Zephyrs is too wide, too deep, and too unsurmountable. One must conquer the other. I’m afraid it is the only way.”
In my peripheral vision, I caught Shaela nodding in agreement with her grandfather. Anger boiled through me as I turned to stare at her slack expression, her wide, glassy eyes paying rapt attention to his every word. He had her wrapped around his little finger, and it made my stomach turn.
“So, which side do you have loyalty toward?” I spat, my anger pushing the words out past my lips.
Puck stared at me for a few moments, his gaze thoughtful like I was some puzzle he was trying to piece together. Then he waved a hand in the air with a flourish.
“Why, the Sylphs, of course.”
Our gazes locked for several seconds. I tried to see past their blue-green depths, into his mind and his heart so I could determine the truth. While I was convinced most of what came out of his mouth were lies and manipulations, I could sense no dishonesty despite the flippant way he delivered the statement.
I was more confused than ever.
For the rest of the hour, I attemp
ted to break the Glamour I thought Puck was using to hide his true aura from Easton. I would have tried to break his hold over Shaela, but I had to say the words where she could hear them and, if it didn’t work, she’d be angrier than ever with me.
So I turned slightly in my seat and whispered commands to Easton about seeing Puck’s true colors, and Easton just shook his head each time I tried. Either my magic didn’t work that way, or Puck was controlling his emotions, not hiding them.
After class, Shaela cornered me in the hallway. She was obviously distressed, her brow wrinkled and her lips turned down into a frown.
“Why do you always have to challenge everything he says?” she demanded.
My head jerked back from shock at her hostility.
“Why do you accept his every word without question?” I countered.
I could feel Easton’s presence behind me, but he didn’t interfere. Charles strolled toward us, the smile dropping from his face as he sensed the tension in the air.
“Maybe you should listen to him, December,” she said, spitting my name like a curse. “He’s been around long enough to know what he’s talking about.”
“It’s not his knowledge that I question, Shae,” I said, softening my voice in an attempt to get through to her. “It’s his intentions.”
“Oh, that’s rich, coming from the future queen of the Zephyrs, hiding out in a Sylph school where she’ll learn all our secrets before taking them back to her new kingdom.”
She could have slapped me across the face and the shock and pain wouldn’t rival that which those words caused. I felt the blood drain from my face as the murmur of voices around us faded into a droning buzz. I breathed hard, yet not getting enough oxygen and the edges of my visions blurred into blackness.
How could she say such a thing to me? Did she really believe that?
I watched in horror as she grabbed Charles’s hand and dragged him away without another word. No apology. No regret.
Easton’s arms came around me and I burrowed into his chest, my tears spilling over and wetting his shirt. He whispered words of comfort into my ear—promises that everything would be okay, assertions that Shaela was confused and truly loved me, that she’d never believe such a thing of me without Puck’s undue influence.