by Lexi C. Foss
Shade
I hid in the shadows, watching Aflora’s lips curl as she slept. Kols and Zeph were passed out on either side of her, oblivious to her dreams.
But I knew.
I sensed his presence inside her, the dark power thriving through her veins. It’d been growing all week, culminating in tonight’s events, and would continue to seduce her until fate forced her to make a choice.
It was only a matter of time before he came for her. I’d just hoped to have a better hold on her heart before it happened. However, her song had called for him in the village, the haunting melody carrying a spell with it that she hadn’t understood.
Tray and Kols had been just as oblivious.
Similar to how Kols and Zeph were now.
I wanted to tell them, to shake them awake and point at the magical essence hovering over Aflora. But they wouldn’t even be able to see it, let alone believe me.
Hell, they’d probably lose themselves to a fit of rage at realizing I was in the Royal Prince’s bedroom without permission. But this entire situation went beyond the formalities of our society.
If we weren’t careful, Zakkai would win.
My fists curled, failure a nagging sensation that churned in my abdomen.
This wasn’t over.
Not yet.
She could still choose us.
I just hoped that when she did, it wouldn’t be too late.
The darkness eventually lifted, the powerful fae releasing his hold on Aflora’s dreams and dissolving into nothingness. I watched her for a beat, debating on entertaining a date in her mind, but her sigh of contentment had me stepping away from her, not forward.
She needed rest.
We’d play another day.
And I had business to tend to.
I cloaked myself in smoke, using it to pull me through time and space to the LethaForest where Kyros stood waiting for me in his trademark leather jacket and jeans.
“Huh. I timed you to arrive thirty seconds from now,” he drawled in welcome. “I guess you were a bit less preoccupied with your pretty flower than I anticipated.”
I rolled my eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“So eager,” he taunted, pushing away from the tree, the sword against his hip flaring with violet flames. “All right, my shadowy friend. We’ll start in New Orleans, as I have a few idiots to question there first. Then we’ll move on to Dallas.”
I narrowed my gaze. “How long is this going to take?”
“How many times did we work through that whole bonds-realignment discussion with you and your mates?” he countered, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “Five? Six? No, seven times. So I think seven days’ payment is more than kind on my part, really.”
“Yeah, minus me having to go in and wipe the gargoyle’s memory after the fact,” I retorted, still irritated by that not-so-minor mishap in our arrangement.
Kyros’s head tipped back on a laugh, his amusement at my expense evident. He sort of reminded me of Ajax a little in muscular size and angular features. They also both had the same thick black hair that always fell into their eyes no matter what they did. However, Kyros had tattoos from his neck all the way to his fingertips, covering every inch of his torso, while Ajax just had the lip ring.
That was the difference between Paradox Fae and Midnight Fae—our bodies healed all wounds, including those inflicted by colorful needles. Meanwhile, Paradox Fae could be injured and remain injured. Although, they carried around magical time-wielding swords that allowed them to fix themselves by falling into the past, so it evened out in the end. Mostly.
“That little bastard was so pissed,” Kyros mused, wiping tears away from his near-black eyes.
“Yeah. Ha.” I folded my arms. “New Orleans?”
He grinned. “Yep.”
“Then hold on. It’s going to be a smoky ride.”
He latched onto my forearm, and I began my journey to the Human Realm to raise the dead.
Kyros made me help him for all seven fucking days, the bastard only allowing me to sneak back to campus a handful of times to check on Aflora and her other mates. Fortunately, they seemed to be getting along just fine.
Although, I sensed her distress at my continued absence—a fact she made evident now with her expression upon seeing me in my seat in our Advanced Conjuring class.
Her eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in annoyance.
Yeah, I was in trouble.
Luckily, I had an excuse. “Hi, little rose,” I murmured as she slid into the seat beside me. “How was your week?”
“Fine,” she replied, then grimaced at the word she’d used to describe a week of intense sexual activity. Because that was how she’d spent her time outside of class and during her free days—exploring with Zeph and Kols. From what I could tell, they hadn’t bitten her again; they were just playing and introducing her to their preferences, which were a bit darker than mine.
Zeph, specifically.
He had a penchant for bondage. Fortunately for him, Aflora didn’t mind. She also didn’t seem to mind that Zeph and Kols enjoyed sexual activities with each other—something they’d demonstrated for her thoroughly last night.
Her cheeks flushed as if she was recalling the memory now, her tongue slipping out to dampen her lips. “Where have you been all week?” she blurted out, her face darkening to a pretty red shade. “Sorry, I mean, uh…”
“You’re allowed to ask me where I’ve been,” I told her softly. “I’m your mate, Aflora.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me you’d be gone?”
“Would you like me to let you know in the future if I intend to leave the Academy?” I asked her, genuinely curious.
“Um, only if you want to.”
“There are a lot of things I want,” I admitted, catching her gaze.
“Ain’t that the truth,” Ajax muttered as he arrived to claim the chair on the other side of me.
I held out my fist for him to bump, the way we usually greeted each other. His knock was a bit harder today, telling me what kind of mood he was in.
No doubt a result of his latest rendezvous with a certain female who was deemed off-limits to him. It seemed we both had a proclivity for picking women we shouldn’t want.
“You and Kyros have fun this week?” he asked me, not at all concerned by Aflora listening on my other side.
“Fun is not the word I’d choose,” I said, cringing at the number of ghosts I’d spoken to this week on the Paradox Fae’s behalf. “But I’m out of his debt again.”
Ajax grunted. “Maybe you should stop asking him for favors.”
“I wish that were possible,” I replied, knowing full well I’d need to use him again, and soon. “But he’s a useful ally to have.”
“Most Paradox Fae are,” he agreed, causing Aflora’s eyebrows to shoot upward.
“You’ve been dealing with a time-dweller?” She seemed both impressed and mortified. “They’re tricksters.”
“I’m very aware,” I drawled, shifting my attention to Headmaster Irwin as he arrived. He ignored the class in favor of taking in the freshly renovated surroundings. The Council had restored the Death Blood building with an abundance of power shortly after its destruction, but the magical kinks were still working themselves out.
The gargoyles were having a field day trying to keep order within the building. Students continued to find themselves lost or in the wrong place, snake vines were uprooted and trapped, and a horde of fire gnats had been released from Headmaster Jericho’s lab.
I would have been entertained by the chaos if I hadn’t known who had caused it.
My mood soured at the thought of Zakkai, mostly because I knew Aflora had dreamt of him every day this week again. Was that what caused the hint of guilt in her eyes now? Or was it related to her bedroom gymnastics with Zeph and Kols?
“What did you do all week?” I asked her, curious to see how she’d reply.
“I, uh, studied a lot,” she offered,
her cheeks revealing that was a lie.
Well, not entirely.
“Zeph is a thorough headmaster, hmm?” I couldn’t help teasing her, and the horrified expression she gave me in return said it was worth it.
“I… I mean… I don’t…” She cleared her throat, her beautiful eyes conveying an intoxicating mixture of apology and annoyance that made me smile.
“Yes, very thorough indeed,” I murmured, winking at her.
Headmaster Irwin chose that moment to begin class, leaving Aflora blushing beside me and unable to reply.
I smirked, amused.
“Today, we are going to practice psychometry,” Headmaster Irwin announced. “As you all know, objects have histories, just like souls. But sometimes, calling up the past of an item is harder than that of a person.” He used his wand to produce a box with a slit on the top. “Everyone will pick something from this box at random, then work with your partner to decipher the story behind the item.”
The container floated to his desk at the center of the room, landing with a flourish amid a stack of papers and spreading them everywhere like confetti.
“I’ll go first,” he continued, sauntering up to his creation and sticking his hand inside. The older Midnight Fae pulled out a watch that belonged in the Human Realm more than in this one and held it up for all of us to see.
Ajax snorted beside me.
I agreed with his sentiments completely.
What a colossal waste of time, truly. Our building was attacked a week ago, and Headmaster Irwin wanted to teach us all how to look at objects. We should be focused on defensive spells, such as calling up former warrior spirits to help protect our school. But everyone was too busy acting as though we hadn’t been attacked last week.
Ridiculous.
At least Kols seemed to be favored as innocent by those on campus. If only the Council had the same faith in him as all the younger Midnight Fae had.
Prats, I thought, not at all impressed by our governing structure—a fact my father very well knew. As did my mother.
“Guess I need to go partner with Janice,” Ajax muttered, drawing my attention to the shifting chairs. “Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need it,” I replied. “She does.” It was no secret that the Death Blood female had the hots for my best friend. Unfortunately for her, he preferred another fae—one he shouldn’t.
Ajax twirled his lip ring with his tongue, then heaved a sigh. “You’re a dick.”
“I know.” I smiled at him. “Yet you hang out with me anyway. What does that say about you?”
“I prefer bad company,” he drawled, his amusement palpable as he gathered his things and headed for the petite, dark-haired female waiting for him with stars in her eyes.
Aflora cleared her throat beside me. “Are you going to get the item, or am I?” she asked.
As I’d totally blanked out on the demonstration, I suggested she go first so I could see what spell we were supposed to utter. There were several related to psychometry, and I had no idea which one Headmaster Irwin had chosen for us to explore today.
My mate left her chair, her skirt distracting me as she moved.
Such a fine ass.
Long legs.
Mmm, I liked the little boots she chose today, too. Yeah, I’d let her leave those on while I took her against the wall.
But the blouse could stand to lose a few buttons. And I much preferred her in this outfit without the undergarments. I had nothing against silk and lace; I just wanted to see her tits through the thin white fabric.
A crass consideration, but it’d been a long fucking week of watching without touching.
And I really wanted to touch her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, standing in front of me with a rock in her hand.
I glanced down at it. “That’s what you picked from the box?”
She shrugged. “It was the first thing that fit in my hand.”
My lips twitched. I’d happily give her something else for her hand, but it might not fit, as she put it.
“Seriously, why are you looking at me like that?” she demanded.
I stood so I could step into her personal space. Then I leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Because I’m thinking about all the things I’d like to teach you with my tongue.”
She stopped breathing.
I kissed her throat—right above her collar—and lifted my head to gaze down at her. “Now let’s get this assignment done so I can play with you properly.”
She shivered, her pupils flaring. Her lips formed an O without sound, then she swallowed.
Seconds passed.
Then our moment was destroyed by Headmaster Irwin clearing his throat. The entire room had emptied around us. “Get to work,” he snapped.
I frowned. “Where did everyone go?”
Aflora sighed. “Did you listen at all when he gave instructions?”
“No, I had other things on my mind.” I allowed her to hear the innuendo in my tone and enjoyed her resulting blush.
Then she shook her head, grabbed her things, and said, “Follow me.”
“Happily,” I agreed, picking up my only notebook and trailing after her into the hallway. “Please tell me we’re going to find a dark corner to make out in.”
She scoffed at me, leading me out of the building and into the night rather than to a quiet room without windows where I could devour her. “Headmaster Irwin told us to spread out and find a safe place to practice so our spells don’t overlap. Then we’re supposed to report back with our findings.”
“Well, that’s much more boring than the idea I had in my head,” I admitted, disappointed.
“I bet,” she replied, but I caught the flicker of amusement in her features. “How about over there?” She pointed to a bench beside the building, directly across from a new dragon statue guarded by two gargoyles. One of the Death Bloods had probably put them there to protect the building from another attack. It wouldn’t help, but they wouldn’t know that.
“Shade?” Aflora prompted.
Right. She wanted to know if we could sit there.
So I heaved a shoulder. “Sure. Why not?”
“Good.” She plopped down on the charcoal blades decorating the paved path rather than on the bench, then set the rock on the ground.
I glanced between her and the bench but decided to join her on the ground, because why not? She was an Earth Fae, after all. She probably preferred the grasslike substance more than a metal seat. So I indulged my little rose by sitting beside her with my legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.
“What spell did Headmaster Irwin tell us to use?” I asked her.
“You really weren’t paying attention at all,” she muttered.
“Nope.” I stared at her mouth. “As I said, I had other things on my mind.” I couldn’t remember what those things were now, but I was reasonably certain they had something to do with her delectable assets. Zeph and Kols had played with her all week, while I’d barely touched her since the night she’d slept in my bed.
“Focus, Shade.”
“I’m very focused, Aflora.”
She huffed out a breath, but I caught the lingering amusement in her expression. She liked my teasing, which was good because I intended to tease her a hell of a lot more.
I reached out to brush her long black strands over her shoulder. Kols had been allowing her to sleep without her collar in his room, just as he removed his own band. I’d studied how he removed the mechanism the other night, just in case I needed to replicate the action. It was tempting to do so now, simply to expose her pretty throat, but I didn’t want to risk anyone sensing her bonds to Kols and Zeph.
They weren’t gifted enough to hide their links.
Unlike certain other fae.
“All right, princess. Show me what we’re doing,” I said, dropping my gaze from her mouth to the rock on the ground. Aflora already had her wand out, her lips moving over the spell without sayin
g it out loud. When she seemed confident in her words, she waved her wand over the rock and uttered the incantation aloud.
Perfect form. Perfect spell. Perfect female.
The way her eyes fluttered closed confirmed she’d executed the assignment accurately and was now deep in the history of the rock. I went back onto my elbows to wait. Depending on how much that little stone had to say, we could be here for a while.
I dipped my head back to admire the moon overhead, my thoughts starting to drift to more intriguing topics, when Aflora began to shake beside me. Frowning, I sat up. “Aflora?”
She didn’t reply, her teeth beginning to chatter as if she were freezing. I touched her arm and cursed at the droplets of ice water covering her skin.
“Aflora!” I snapped at her.
Nothing.
Just more shaking.
And then she collapsed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Aflora
Several Minutes Earlier
“Arie Anni Tarikh Nuk,” I said, drawing a star in the air over the rock.
Energy hummed around me as the spell activated, drawing me into a world of heat and despair. I flinched at the sudden change, my lips parting on a scream that didn’t escape.
Where am I? I wondered, spinning in a circle and frowning as the Academy unfolded around me.
A raven clucked overhead.
Students giggled as they gossiped in the corner beside the Death Blood Education Building entrance.
“How did I…?” I trailed off, whirling around once more and searching for Shade.
He was gone.
I blinked.
Had he left me in the middle of our assignment? It would be just like him, as he seemed to have a penchant for disappearing. What business did he have with a Paradox Fae, anyway?
I blew out a breath and shook my head.
Oh well. Now, where did my books go?
I took a step forward, only to be snapped backward by some invisible force. My brow furrowed. “What…?”
Then my feet began to walk, as if I were possessed by someone else.
“What’s happening?” I demanded. Only then did I realize my voice wasn’t resonating and my lips weren’t actually moving.