Crucible and the Crown (Misfits of Magic Book 3)

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Micah wasn’t sure whether to laugh or curse.

He couldn’t believe he found himself strung up for a second time in the same day, but there he was, a supernatural popsicle with only his head sticking out of the ice. He wasn’t mad about it, though. Actually, he was damn proud of the way his mate had flung such strong magic at him.

His mate.

How the fuck had that happened?

One second, he’d been walking through the portal in the Hell Realm into a frozen wonderland, and the next, he’d heard the sounds of magical combat ringing out. When he’d glanced over at the fae battling it out, something had shifted inside of him the moment he caught sight of a female with long white-blonde hair.

It had felt like his entire world had been altered in that instant, narrowing down to focus on that one perfect being. With icy blue eyes, pointed ears, and ethereal features, she was a beautiful fae, but most of them were. She, however, was truly spectacular. Her face, form, and how strong and skilled she was left him utterly enraptured.

And she was all his.

His warrior, his fae goddess, his mate.

Before he could think it through, his wings burst from his back, and he launched himself into the air. As he flew toward her, that invisible bond between them grew stronger and more defined. It was as if a thousand strands of fate had wrapped themselves around him, drawing him closer to her.

He could see that she was holding her own against her much bigger opponent. It didn’t seem like she needed to be rescued, but Micah couldn’t wait. He’d needed to go help her. Hell, he wanted to personally destroy the bastard she was fighting. To tear him limb from limb and then set his remains on fire for daring to attack her. Stealing her kill would be disrespectful, but Micah couldn’t stop himself.

But she had.

The strength of her magical attack had surprised him, though he had to admit he’d been distracted by the sheer beauty of her. He’d thought she was magnificent before, but up close, she was even more breathtaking. He could have immediately broken himself out of the ice, but he would remain where he was if it helped put her at ease.

Fucking hell, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

And when she jumped in front of him to protect him, his heart had been completely and utterly lost to her.

He watched her strike an impressive blow on the male he now recognized as one of the fae princes. And when that bit knocked Elyon back several steps, Micah sighed in appreciation. His mate was beauty in motion. The way she moved was as graceful as the flowing water she controlled. He still wanted to join in the fight, but he was content to simply remain where he was and enjoy the show…for now.

Without taking his gaze from her, he noticed Braxton and Sapphire walk over to stand beside his ice cage. Micah and Braxton were good friends with the siren-succubus hybrid. They had known each other for years and had arranged to go to school together since it would be more fun for all of them to suffer together.

But Micah had never expected to find his mate the moment he’d stepped on campus.

Attending Aegis Academy had suddenly become the best decision he’d ever made.

“Why am I not surprised to see it’s that fucker Elyon causing trouble again,” Braxton said, his voice filled with disgust.

“You know him?” Sapphire asked.

“Yeah, we do. He’s a prince in the Summer Kingdom,” Micah explained. “I wish Rams would just kill that asshole.”

“Give it time.” Braxton glanced over and lifted a brow. “Want me to get you out of there?”

“Hell, no. I’ve been burned by your devil fire once already today. That was enough for me. I can get myself out, thank you very much.”

Sapphire huffed out a little laugh. “Were you two sparring earlier?”

“No, my dad had Micah chained up in his throne room.”

“Ah.”

“So, are you going to free yourself or what?” Braxton asked. “Or do you like freezing your balls off?”

“But what if this is some sort of strange fae mating ritual I don’t know about?” Micah asked, unable to pull his gaze away from the icy blonde fae who was busy kicking some serious ass.

Both of the fae had strong magic, although she was much more controlled. Micah could tell that she wasn’t really trying to hurt the male, just teach him a lesson. He believed it was a mistake to drag the fight out and not just end it.

Braxton snorted. “She isn’t trying to mate you, you idiot. She is trying to freeze you to death.”

“Only because I surprised her, then she defended me,” Micah growled back. “And she is.”

“She is what?”

“My mate.”

“Well, fuck,” was Braxton’s only response.

“Congratulations,” Sapphire said with a brilliant smile. “Jackie is great. I really like her.”

Braxton shot him a look. “She’s a princess.”

“Fucking hell, she’s royal?” Micah groaned.

Laughing, Braxton said, “Welcome to the club, cousin. We’ve got crowns and a shit ton of issues.”

Micah started to curse at him, but the words got caught in his throat as the male got a lucky hit past Jackie’s guard, and a fireball singed her cheek. He immediately let out a pulse of magic and shattered the ice into tiny pieces that fell to the frost-covered ground like diamonds. Using his wings, he flew forward, and a few seconds later, he had his hand wrapped around Elyon’s throat.

Flapping his wings in a slow, lazy rhythm, Micah rose up into the air. He watched impassively as he slowly choked the life out of the bastard who had dared to leave a mark on his mate’s cheek. When Elyon’s face began to turn a lovely shade of purple, he said, “You deserve to die for that.”

“You need to release him.”

That order had come from his mate, who was staring up at him with her hands braced on her hips and a little frown on her face.

“Why?” And it had better be a good reason.

“He is a prince.”

Nope, he already knew that, and it wasn’t a good enough reason for him. “And?”

Jackie found that for some inexplicable reason, his response made her want to laugh. While she would love to just let him snap Elyon’s neck so she never had to see him again, she didn’t want to deal with the fallout.

“Elyon is the eldest Prince of the Summer Kingdom, while I am the eldest Princess of the Winter Kingdom. His death would mean war.”

“But he hurt you,” he hissed, as if that was more important than a civil war.

That declaration almost made Jackie’s heart skip a beat.

She’d felt the same way earlier when she’d thought Elyon would harm her dark angel, but she hadn’t expected him to feel the same way. She was the defender. The protector. Having someone want to go to war for her simply because she’d been injured made her feel like he’d just declared his love for her.

It sounded crazy, but it was true.

That was the way it was between mates.

As flattering as that was, she couldn’t let that happen. Too many people would be hurt if the Winter Kingdom went to war with the Summer Kingdom. That had been made clear from previous conflicts throughout the Fae Realm’s history.

Besides, she didn’t want to taint the splendor of meeting her mate with an unnecessary death.

“I’m fine. See?”

Using her magic, she healed the mark on her cheek until she felt it completely disappear. She felt his bold blue gaze like a physical caress on her skin as he searched for any trace of her previous injury. While she wasn’t as talented a healer as her brother or her mother, Jackie’s skills were adequate enough to handle small wounds such as the burn on her cheek.

Unceremoniously, the dark angel dropped Elyon. He hit the ground with a satisfying thud and began coughing and gasping for air. Andrea walked over to join them, standing close to Jackie’s side while the dark angel retracted his wings as he gracefully landed on his feet.

“The other two?” Jackie asked softly.

“Knocked unconscious by the Prince of Hell.” Andrea nodded toward the other male standing with Sapphire.

Relief flooded through Jackie. So, her mate was not Braxton Lightbringer Angelis. She didn’t know him, so she had no personal objections to him. Still, it would have been a pain in the ass dealing with her being Queen of the Winter Kingdom while he was set to take over an entire realm.

“Well, cousin. Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” Braxton said with a hint of humor.

Even though his name was not on the official list of new students, she deduced that he was Micah Volt, a dark angel-metal mage hybrid. Cousin and best friend to Braxton, and nephew to the King of Hell. Micah was known for being an entrepreneur who made unbreakable weapons and gorgeous one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. For fae’s sake, she even had one of his prized creations in her own collection.

As he started toward her, she moved to meet him halfway. While she might have seemed calm as she walked toward him, she was far from it. Her body was almost shaking with the energy surging within her. Now that the fight was over, her adrenaline rush was morphing into a completely different high. A darker, more dangerous surge of unfamiliar emotions. It was making her feel out of control, something she usually hated, but she wasn’t upset about it at the moment.

The fae called what she was experiencing a mating thrall, though other races might have had a different name for it. The thrall didn’t always happen when supernatural mates met, but when it did, the emotional overload was almost too strong to deny.

Her loss of control seemed like a fitting punishment for almost injuring her mate earlier. She’d iced him before she had known who he was to her, but that didn’t matter. It was still an unforgivable act in her mind, so suffering through a barrage of uncomfortable emotions was the least she could do to atone for her mistake.

Every cell in her body was calling out to him, telling her to claim him before anything else could happen. She wanted him. Needed him more than she wanted her next breath. Her entire universe had narrowed down to her dark angel, and nothing else mattered besides being with him. She knew she was about to make a complete fool of herself, but she couldn’t help it.

Sighing, she simply accepted her fate.

Micah offered her a smile that seemed to light up his bold blue eyes. “Hi, I’m—”

“Mine,” she said a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck. “You’re my mate.”

Then, she lifted up onto her toes and crushed her mouth against his.

His lips were so soft, and she felt a flare of magic arch between them as she fused their mouths together. She took advantage of his surprised groan and slipped her tongue past his parted lips. The taste of him made her moan in pleasure, but it wasn’t enough.

She wanted more.

Thankfully, he didn’t fight her. Instead, his arms wrapped around her waist, drawing her close as he lifted her right off her feet. Whether it was by instinct or a conscious decision, she didn’t care. Feeling his hard body pressed against hers made her need flare brighter, and she wasted no time teleporting them back to the bedroom in her suite located in the dark tower.

It was irresponsible to leave everyone behind without a care, but being with her mate took precedence over everything else. If that was reckless of her, so be it. Then again, everyone had to know that she and Micah were mates by now, so no one should be surprised that they had left together.

She didn’t have to worry about the new students since she knew Dillion and Andrea would handle getting them settled for her. They would also make sure Elyon and his friends didn’t cause any more trouble. That was if they could persuade Braxton and Sapphire to let the other fae go.

But none of that mattered right now.

Jackie was aware she should say something. To actually try to have a conversation with her mate. Hell, she hadn’t even given him a chance to introduce himself before she had jumped on him. But she couldn’t make herself break the kiss. She’d never dared to touch a male before. Some fae did before they found their mate, but she had been determined to wait. She was glad she had because she’d never experienced this type of pleasure before and sharing it with her mate made it even more special.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him deeper, letting out a breathless moan when his large hands moved down to cup her ass. He squeezed and kneaded her flesh through the thin material of her pants as he carried her toward the closest wall and slammed her back against it. As he ground himself against her, she felt the thick, hard length of his erection rubbing against her. As the friction increased, pleasure exploded in her core. It spread out, radiating through her entire body as she came in a quick, surprising release.

Micah felt white-hot lust surge through his bloodstream while his mate rocked her hips against him as she came. He drank down her gasping cries, unwilling to stop kissing her through her release. The taste of her was addicting, creating a desperate ache for her that he knew would never be sated.

He was hard and aching as his cock strained against the confines of his jeans. He wanted to sink himself inside of her. To feel her come again while he was buried deep. He wanted it so fucking bad that he was practically shaking from holding himself back from just using his magic to remove their clothes.

He might be from the Hell Realm, but he knew he should at least introduce himself before he got naked with her. Fucking hell, his parents had taught him some manners, even if he chose to ignore most of it. But first, he would have to rein in his lust to actually get his brain to start working again.