Midnight Fae Academy: Book Three: A Dark Why Choose Paranormal Vampire Romance

by Lexi C. Foss

  I blinked, doing my best not to react.

  But I really did not like where this was going.

  “The efforts to find Aflora have proven difficult, and we’ve unfortunately not located her yet. But Chern and Shadow were able to identify the whereabouts of someone else that the Elders have been hunting for over a thousand years.”

  Kols tensed. “Who?”

  “Zenaida,” Malik replied, his golden irises swirling with triumph. “The Warrior Bloods are on their way to take her into custody now. And we intend to present her for justice as our closing act.”

  “Zenaida, as in the former Midnight Fae Queen?” I asked, making sure I understood this announcement correctly.

  “Exactly. The woman who turned her back on us all for her mates. We’ve finally found her.” Malik had given up trying to contain his excitement. Apparently, the act of hunting down a female fae and making a show of her was what got him off at night.

  “I thought she was dead,” I replied, doing my best not to lose my shit. Because what the fuck?

  “So did we all,” Malik said. “And soon, she will be.” He uttered that last part with the glee of a villain looking forward to his next crime.

  Kols forced a smile. “Well done, Father. I’m sure Constantine is thrilled.”

  “He’s off with the Warrior Bloods now, ensuring all goes to plan,” Malik replied. “Well. Best to leave you to it. See you in a few. And do try to be kind to Emelyn tonight. She’ll be your mate soon.”

  He left in a swirl of black, disappearing down the hallway with a hitch in his step that indicated his excitement over the coming events.

  I shut the door and locked it, then turned just as Tray and Ella burst into the room, clearly having been listening through the adjoining door to Tray’s rooms.

  “Did I hear that right?” Tray demanded. Shade gave up the location of his grandmother? And the Warrior Bloods are on their way to capture her and bring her to the party to put her on trial?”

  “A fancy phrase for torture and kill her,” I muttered, knowing exactly what Malik Nacht and the Council intended to do.

  “That’s my highest concern,” Kols said, his focus on the door.

  “Aflora?” Tray guessed. “Is she with Zenaida?”

  “No, she’s with Zakkai. She’s fine.” Kols turned to me. “Zeph. That man was not my father.”

  “What?”

  “The magic around him was all wrong. And my father would never celebrate the trial of a fae in such a public setting. Either he’s been bespelled or someone was wearing his skin. And this?” He held up the speech. “This is not something my father would ever ask me to say.”

  He handed me the speech as though to prove it to me.

  Only three sentences in and I had to agree. “You’re right. This has your grandfather written all over it.”

  “Something’s very wrong,” Kols said.

  I nodded. Aflora? I called, opening our link.

  Silence.

  I frowned and tried again.

  More silence.

  “Aflora’s not answering me,” I said, my brow furrowing. “But our link isn’t closed. It’s… it’s almost like all I hear is static.”

  “Fuck. This isn’t good.” Kols took the note back and slid it into his pants, then began to pace. “Can we try to locate Shade?”

  Normally, I’d laugh at such a ridiculous request. But I was fresh out of amusement at the moment. “I don’t know how to find him.”

  “I don’t either,” Tray added.

  Aflora? I tried for a third time, hoping that maybe I’d just messed up for the first two calls.

  Still nothing.

  “You don’t think she would try to attend the gala, do you?” I asked, thinking out loud.

  Kols stopped to glance at me. “Who? Aflora?”

  “Yes.”

  He snorted and resumed his trek around the room. “Why would she attend?”

  “Why would Zakkai allow her to dream of us every night?” I countered.

  “To make her more agreeable.”

  “Yes, to what end?” I pressed. “We’ve known from the beginning that he’s wanted something from her. That was his reason for allowing her to talk to us. What if attending the Blood Gala was his request?”

  “He’d be insane to come here. The Warrior Bloods are tripled around the border tonight. Not to mention the myriad of wards and spells. He’d die upon arrival.”

  “He’s the Source Architect,” I reminded him. “He can undo all that.”

  “To what purpose? To crash the gala?” Kols started to chuckle at the thought, then slowly came to a halt again. “The Warrior Bloods are looking for Zenaida.” He whirled around to face me. “That means there are fewer guards than usual. Because they’re distracted.”

  “Do you think he’s planning something?”

  “I think if he is, he’s going to have hell to pay for it,” Kols replied. “And that doesn’t explain whatever the hell that just was with my father. Or the fucking speech.”

  True. I palmed the back of my neck, trying to think and coming up blank. “Maybe Shade will be at the gala.”

  “Not likely,” Tray interjected. “He’s never attended before.”

  “If he’s up to something, he’ll be there tonight,” I countered. And that Death Blood was always up to something.

  “Maybe we should go check it out,” Ella suggested. “See what’s happening.”

  “It’s too early,” Kols replied, his shoes wearing a hole in the floor as he paced. “I have to wait for Emelyn to arrive as well.” He uttered that phrase through his teeth, his annoyance palpable.

  He’d tried several times this week to convince his father to allow him to attend alone, but it was no use. Traditions were important to the Nacht family.

  “I could go early,” I said. “Actually, I could go now, then meet up with you after you arrive to fill you in with my findings.”

  It was the best plan I could come up with given everything.

  And the look Kols gave me said he agreed.

  “I’m not giving that speech,” he muttered. “I’d sooner out my mating to you all first.”

  My lips twitched. “I’d enjoy that speech.”

  “Yeah, up until the point the Elders call for our deaths, I’m sure,” he drawled.

  I plucked the pin from the box in my hand, then tossed the container aside and made a show of adorning my Guardian symbol. “I don’t care if it was your father or not. I’m keeping this.”

  “It’s where it belongs,” Kols replied, walking up to me again and grabbing my face between his palms. “Don’t do anything brash.”

  “I don’t do brash.”

  “Not usually, no,” he agreed. “But Aflora has a tendency to encourage us to act out of character.”

  My lips twitched. He wasn’t wrong. “I’ll behave.”

  “Well, now that’s not what I said at all,” he replied, a hint of teasing in his tone. He pressed his lips to mine, which seemed to only accentuate his commentary regarding us acting out of character. Because he never used to be this bold with me. And never in front of others.

  Sure, Tray knew we fucked around.

  But we kept it private.

  And the way Kols was kissing me now was very much the opposite of private.

  It was downright indecent, and I returned the favor by sinking my teeth into his lower lip and drawing blood. His golden irises swirled in response as I laved the wound.

  Then I took a step back before he could repeat the action on my lip.

  We weren’t ready for the final stage yet.

  Not without Aflora.

  “I’ll find you later,” I vowed. “Try not to kill Emelyn while I’m gone.”

  Kols grunted. “I’m not promising anything.”

  I smirked, then I nodded to a bemused Tray. He seemed speechless after the display of affection between me and Kols. Meanwhile, Ella was just grinning like a loon.

  I rolled my eyes and let myse
lf out.

  Aflora, I murmured into the void of our connection. If I find out you’re here, I’m going to bend you over a table and spank your ass, then fuck you raw.

  No reply.

  My jaw ticked.

  I should be able to at least sense her, but I couldn’t hear a damn thing. Almost as though she’d been completely sealed off from me… like when she had the collar around her throat.

  I paused midstep, my eyebrows lifting. Oh, fuck...

  NACHT MANOR GAVE me the chills.

  The snakelike vines, gargoyles, and other dark wildlife roamed the grounds, all with one goal in mind—protect the Nacht family.

  It had taken me thirty minutes to rewire the defensive spells. Aflora had stood silently beside me while I worked, her mind attuned to mine. If anything, it provided us yet another lesson in Quandary magic.

  “Did you memorize everything I just did?” I asked her as we entered the grand hall, having just given our invitations to a nearby Warrior Blood.

  No one took notice of us, not even the two gargoyles at the Warrior Blood’s feet.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “It was fascinating to watch. Is that how…?” She trailed off, her eyes finding mine as she asked a question I couldn’t hear.

  I frowned. “Is that how what?”

  She held my gaze for another beat, then her lips curled down as well. “Can you not, uh, hear me?”

  “I’m hearing you just fine.”

  “No, I mean…” She made a quick gesture at her head.

  Oh. You mean in your mind? I wondered, engaging our link.

  She continued to stare at me.

  Can you not hear me? I asked.

  Nothing.

  “Hmm.” I released her hand to wrap my arm around her back and steered her into the ballroom, not wanting anyone to notice our hesitation.

  She followed my lead, moving effortlessly alongside me through the mass of red-clad and black-clad attendees. It was the same theme every year—women in red, men in black. I would have remarked on how cliché that was for vampire-like fae, but I suspected there was a reason that humans frequently associated the colors with creatures of the night.

  Gold and red decor adorned the walls, as well as a variety of torches and candles. All of them held real fire, as did the chandeliers overhead.

  Gargoyles walked around with trays, offering drinks.

  The tables were finished with black silk.

  And the stage at the front contained a throne in the middle of several other ornate chairs, each one representing a Councilman or a progeny.

  I forced smiles as we meandered along, not stopping to talk to anyone and instead plucking two blood-infused red wines from a passing tray. I handed one to Aflora and kept the other for myself, then led her to one of the tables near the back. Other couples had behaved similarly, everyone wanting to select an optimal seat for tonight’s event.

  Because this was no ordinary gala.

  It was more of a theater production, all meant to honor the current political regime.

  There would be mingling and talking over wine.

  Then a grand entrance from the Midnight Fae Council, including all second-in-command reps and any progenies.

  And then the real party would begin, led by Malik Nacht.

  A tale would be woven through the air, accompanied by magical charades as they acted out the scenes with fiery figments.

  Following the inaccurate portrayal of our history would be toasts and charming words from each power player, the last coming from the Elite Blood King.

  I suspected Prince Kolstov would be forced to speak tonight.

  I couldn’t wait to hear what he had to say about all this, particularly as he’d mated a Quandary Blood this year.

  Aflora cleared her throat, her eyebrow arching. “Why can’t we hear each other?” she asked in a soft voice.

  I set my wine down and reached over to stroke her necklace. “This really is lovely, dear,” I said, hoping she caught the insinuation in my offhanded comment. I wasn’t ignoring her; I was answering her. Or at least providing her with my best guess. We were both wearing power-masking jewelry. It was likely the cause of our inability to hear each other.

  Her brow came down. “Oh.”

  Yeah, she received the message. “I didn’t realize how impactful it would be against your skin,” I added. “It’s really stunning.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, fingering the star pendant, her eyes telling me she received the message loud and clear.

  The message was twofold. First, I hadn’t realized the impact it would have on our link. And second, there were eyes and ears everywhere. So we couldn’t exactly hold a candid conversation here.

  She went to pick up her drink, but I pressed my hand to her wrist, leaning forward to give the contents a sniff. “Oh, I think they used B negative in this one, darling. I know how much you dislike that. Hopefully, we can find a tray with another flavoring.”

  Her eyes rounded as she nearly dropped the glass.

  Yeah, I’d only picked those up for show. Hence the reason I left mine on the table.

  She carefully set hers down beside it, her nose wrinkling as she cleared her throat. “Thank you, sweetheart. I would hate to drink something so sour.”

  My lips twitched. Blood wasn’t sour, but I’d let her have that jab.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I hear B negative can be rather flavorful when paired with red wine,” a deep voice said as a Warrior Blood sat right beside Aflora. The hairs along her arms rose in response, her nipples beading beneath her gown. “Maybe you should try it, sweetheart.”

  Zephyrus’s green eyes narrowed at her before sliding to me, his expression daring me to react.

  I merely shrugged, then eyed the pin on his lapel. “Guardian Zephyrus. Shouldn’t you be with Prince Kolstov, preparing for tonight’s events?”

  “You know, I was,” he drawled, relaxing into his chair. “But he sent me down early to enjoy the scenery. I think he wants me to pick out a snack for tonight.” He dropped his gaze to Aflora’s breasts. “I think I found what I want to eat.”

  She flushed. “That’s rather forward of you to say.”

  “Is it?” he countered, leaning forward to whisper. “I would recognize this body anywhere, pixie flower. But nice dress.” He pulled a card out of his pocket, flicked it through his fingers, and set it on the table. “You have thirty seconds to tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.”

  “Neat trick,” I said, mentally reviewing the enchantment of his conversation-canceling device. To everyone around us, we were just making typical pleasantries. And any bugs would pick up the same. “We’re not here to cause any trouble. I just want Aflora to hear the Nacht family’s view on Quandary Bloods.”

  “That’s fascinating,” he drawled. “Why can’t I hear my mate.”

  “Her necklace is hiding her essence and power from the room, just like my watch is covering mine.” I caught his wrist as he moved to touch her. “Don’t remove it. The second you do, she’ll light up like a damn beacon.” Not my favorite term, but my father was right to use it earlier.

  Zephyrus held my gaze for several seconds, then twisted out of my hold and lowered his hand to his lap. “Kolstov thinks his father is under some sort of spell, or perhaps not even him. And the Warrior Bloods are on their way to grab Zenaida. She’s supposed to be tonight’s culminating act.”

  My eyebrows flew up at that mouthful of information.

  Aflora gasped. “What?” She looked at me, her eyes widening. “We need to tell Shade.”

  “Calm your expression,” I said quickly. “The spell Zephyrus ignited only masks our voices, not our appearances.” And I’d already drawn some attention by grabbing the Guardian’s wrist. Hopefully, they all thought it was just us teasing one another about my date.

  Hell, he’d pretty much announced that he wanted to take her back to Kolstov’s quarters and fuck her without any sort of introduction or preemptive conversation.

 
Fortunately, that matched what I knew of his typical behavior around females. He didn’t mince words or suggestions.

  Aflora schooled her features, impressing me for a brief moment with her ability to feign nonchalance.

  Then the Guardian’s words came back to me.

  “There’s no way they’ve found her,” I said.

  “According to enchanted Malik, Shade provided the—”

  The card on the table sizzled into ash, cutting off Zephyrus’s explanation.

  But it was enough for me to infer what he intended to say.

  Shade gave up his grandmother’s location.

  That wasn’t something he would ever do willingly. Which meant there was another ploy at play here, one I feared Zephyrus had just walked right into.

  If the Council knew about their bonds, they’d use those links to try to provoke Aflora out of hiding. And I’d just waltzed her into the heart of Nacht territory.

  My senses flared to life, assessing our surroundings and zeroing in on Zephyrus’s pin.

  Fucking fae.

  The Guardian had led them right to us. I should have studied him more closely when he sat down and searched him for signs of enchantments.

  Because Aflora wasn’t the beacon. Zephyrus was.

  “We should go,” I said, my words for Aflora.

  “Oh, no. I think you should definitely stay,” a smooth voice said from behind me.

  Zephyrus’s gaze widened, and Aflora stiffened.

  I just shook my head and sighed. “Hello, Constantine.” I’d never had the displeasure of meeting him in person, but I would be able to pick out his voice anywhere.

  “Zakkai,” he returned, taking the chair beside me as several Warrior Bloods appeared out of an enchanted mist to fill the rest of our table.

  Yeah, this wasn’t going to end well.

  What I couldn’t figure out was how they knew we’d attend tonight. I’d been careful with all the wards, and Aflora hadn’t breathed a word of it to—

  Dakota, I realized, her brown hair flashing in my peripheral vision. That fucking bitch.

  She gave me a little wave as though she’d heard me and came to stand behind Constantine, her fingers lightly teasing his shoulders. “Will you be needing anything else?” she asked him.