8. Aflora
“I have a supply list,”Zephyrus said as we left Kolstov’s suite the following evening. The Midnight Prince was nowhere in sight, and I suspected I wouldn’t be seeing him again until next week.
Assuming I’m still here. I sighed, shaking my head. Who am I kidding? Of course I’ll be here.
The Earth Fae relied on me to uphold the connection to the earth source, which meant blocking any and all dangers. Including myself. And I couldn’t deny that the potential binding of my abilities to Shade jeopardized my ability to lead.
What if he can access my elemental gifts?I wondered, following Zephyrus down the stairs. “Does my collar keep Shade from tapping into my earth source?” I asked out loud. “Or is he wearing one, too?” The thought of that actually had my lips twitching. Oh, I really hope they collared him…
Zephyrus paused to glare at me. “Were you over there daydreaming while I’ve been speaking?”
I grimaced. He had been talking. And, uh, yeah, I’d not heard a word of it after his supply list comment.
The look he gave me confirmed that the answer was written across my face and he didn’t approve. His hand wrapped around my throat, his opposite palm going to my hip, as he pushed me up against the wall. My feet awkwardly found purchase on one stair, holding me upright while he captured my gaze with a lethal stare.
“When I speak, you listen. Understand?”
I swallowed. He stood over a foot taller than me, just like Kolstov. And Zephyrus also possessed the muscles of a man who had spent most of his life hardening his exterior.
Warrior Blood, I recalled from our earlier conversation. While I didn’t know the complete definition, I could garner the importance of that distinction. Along with his comments about being a Guardian.
MyGuardian.
This was not a male to piss off, and yet… “Do you manhandle all your students in this manner?” I asked him, tilting my head to the side.
His chest crowded mine, and his thighs—holy crap, those thighs!—pressed me harder into the wall. “I don’t know. I haven’t started my new job yet. Ask me again next week.”
“You’re a new professor?”
“Headmaster,” he corrected. “And yes, it’s a recently assigned post.” His tone held a note of bitterness to it.
“What was your previous post?”
“Why are you so chatty today?” His grip tightened around my neck. “I think I preferred your moping from last night.”
“I was not moping,” I gritted out, my eyes narrowing. “Let me go.”
“Make me.”
“This is not proper behavior for a professor.”
“Headmaster,” he corrected again. “And I haven’t technically started yet. Right now, I’m just your Guardian. Which means you’ll do whatever I tell you to do, whenever I tell you to do it.”
“And you make that point by strangling me?”
His lips curled into a cruel smile. “Trust me, this is nothing compared to what I can do.”
I believed him. Yet, for whatever reason, I didn’t fear him. His callous exterior presented an ominous front, his cold green eyes just as harsh as the rest of him, but my instincts told me to push back.
“I might be weaker with this cuff around my neck, but I’m still a Royal Fae. That said, I apologize for daydreaming. I was thinking about how my bloodline is tied to Shade and wondered if that means he can access my gifts, too. If he can tap into the earth source, I have much larger problems than buying books or school uniforms.” Which I guessed was part of his list.
A glimmer of respect brightened his emerald orbs. He released me and stepped back, his cloak billowing around his ankles. The lapels were laced with green ink that sparkled beneath the firelight. I studied them, wondering what they meant, when Zephyrus turned on his heel and continued down the stairs.
“The collar around your neck should prevent him from accessing your elemental gifts. It acts as a door, and when it’s clasped, that door is shut and blocks your soul from accessing the elements. Which means Shade is also locked out.” He reached the bottom level and glanced up at me. “Satisfied?”
“Now you’re starting to sound more like a professor,” I quipped, giving him a smile. “Thank you, Headmaster.”
His pupils flared, heat momentarily sparking in the emerald depths. “Hmm” was all he said before turning again and leading the way outside.
Rather than lead the way toward the main gates, he took a left that directed us into the heart of the campus. Fire flickered on lampposts, gently lighting the charcoal-stoned paths. Obsidian bricks and other types of rock provided the foundation for the buildings, and gothic arches and stained glass lent the scene a palatial appeal that I had to admit was quite pretty.
Burning thwomps and other foreign plants graced the grounds, including black flowers that reminded me of roses and a series of purple-laced ivy that glowed with fiery bugs.
I bent to get a better look, only to be yanked back by Zephyrus. “Don’t.”
“Why?” I asked, studying the buzzing insects. “They remind me of pixies.”
“Fire gnats are disgusting little jackasses who bite. Don’t provoke them.” Zephyrus released me. “Our wildlife isn’t like yours. We coexist because we have to, not because we want to. So trust me, you do not want to touch anything in this realm. Especially not those.”
I shivered at the warning, then gasped as a phoenix landed not three feet away from us. Its massive wings billowed in the flames, the eyes predatory.
“Case in point,” Zephyrus muttered. “Fuck off.” His words seemed to be for the bird, not for me.
The beautiful creature tilted its head, his red irises focused and intelligent. A curious little caw left its throat, causing my lips to curl. Oh, I had no doubt this being was dangerous, but I could respect its gorgeous existence. Not that I had any intention of feeding the bird or stroking it. I knew better than that.
Just as I knew not to disturb the fire gnats.
Admiring nature didn’t require any sort of interference.
“You’re stunning,” I praised.
The phoenix preened as if it understood, his wings expanding to show off the variety of colorful flames.
Zephyrus stepped in between us, cutting off my view, and flapped his cloak in warning at the handsome being. “I won’t tell you again. Fuck. Off.”
A hiss of sound preceded the phoenix’s departure, leaving me in awe of the way it swooped across the grounds to a nearby burning thwomp.
“Let’s get something straight,” Zephyrus said, facing me once more. “As your assigned Guardian, my duty is to keep you alive. To do that, I need you to obey my every word. Let’s start with this: do not provoke the wildlife.”
I bristled at his tone. “I wasn’t provoking him.”
“Don’t engage with the wildlife,” he amended.
“That’s like telling me not to breathe.”
“Then hold your fucking breath,” he snapped, causing me to flinch. He cursed and turned away. “Let’s go. This list is burning a literal hole in my pocket, and I want this over and done with.”
“Yes, sir,” I muttered.
“Better,” he replied as he continued down the path past a gazebo overlaid with more of that violet ivy. I wasn’t given much time to admire the architecture, his long legs leading us into a clearing filled with lava rock instead of grass. My eyebrows lifted at the bizarre textures. Then my lips parted as the ground shifted.
Not rocks.
Animals.
Zephyrus cleared his throat, his hands on his hips, as he glowered at the writhing swarm of birdlike creatures.
Oh my…
They all activated at once, their wings flickering to life and blooming with thin, sharp edges. The air around them pulsated with magic, their chattering beaks and crackling feathers grinding against the wind.
Zephyrus pressed his palm to my lower back, pushing me into the center of the flocking mass. I lifted my arms to shield my face, terrified of being cut by their jagged points. However, they resembled feathers against my skin.
I peeked through my forearms to find us being swarmed by crow-like birds. Black eyes, black beaks, black feathers. Not rocks.
“What in the…?” I trailed off as a keypad appeared.
This is a portal.
Zephyrus acted before I could catch the movements, his fingers flying over the destination code too fast for me to catch. Not that escape was much of an option for me right now, but having a backup plan couldn’t hurt.
The obsidian flurry swam around us, forming a ribbon of solid ink that had me stepping closer to Zephyrus. His palm against my lower back slid to my hip in response—a protective move that didn’t go unnoticed for either of us because his gaze seized mine as soon as it happened.
Intensity built between us.
Or maybe it was the aura of the transfer shifting us through space.
I couldn’t say, but it escalated my heartbeat. His masculine scent invaded my pores, the minty aftershave he wore an intoxicating blanket that swathed me in his Midnight Fae essence.
All to disappear in a blink as we landed in a closet filled with cloaks.
Zephyrus released me immediately, his long fingers flying upward to unfasten the knot at his neck. He added his cape to the others, drawing my attention to the orderly fashion of the interior. Everything was color-coded by the ink etched into the trim of each formal robe.
Dark purple.
Maroon.
Forest green—Zephyrus’s location.
Navy.
And solid black.
“What do they represent?” I asked softly, reaching out to stroke the soft textures.
Zephyrus caught my wrist, yanking me back. “Don’t. They’re charmed to only recognize their master.” He seemed to consider. “Actually, no, it’s a good teaching moment. Try to grab mine.” He gestured to it as if I wasn’t aware of where he’d just hung it up.
I narrowed my gaze. “I think I’m good, thanks.”
“It won’t hurt,” he promised. Not that I believed him. “Just zaps a little.”
“And that’s all I need to know,” I replied, heading for what I thought might be the door.
His arm snaked around my waist, yanking me backward. “What part of ‘follow my lead’ don’t you get?”
“You never told me to follow you,” I pointed out, glancing up at him. “And stop manhandling me.”
“Stop acting impulsively,” he returned, yanking me around in the other direction to face a mirror. “We’re going this way. The door just leads to other portals.” His grip tightened. “And don’t even think about exploring them. I will hunt you down, and you will not like the consequences.”
“Wow, your faith in me is charming.”
He met my gaze in the mirror, one arm still wrapped like a vise around my waist. “I don’t have faith in anyone but myself, Aflora. You would be wise to adopt a similar armor.” With that, he shoved me through the glass—which gave way just like the entrance to Kolstov’s suite at the Academy—and stepped through behind me.
Zephyrus ran his fingers through his thick mane of dark brown hair, the edges taunting his round ears. “Right. This way.” He linked his fingers through mine, pulling me alongside him down a sidewalk littered with Midnight Fae.
Wow,I thought, in awe of the shops and busy atmosphere. It reminded me of strolling through the Human Realm, particularly New York City, except the buildings weren’t nearly tall enough. Only four or five stories at most, but their glass exteriors were very modern.
Everyone wore business attire, allowing Zephyrus to fit in with his suit. My skirt and blouse from my date-gone-wrong barely passed the fashion test, but it beat wearing Kolstov’s clothes.
“Here,” Zephyrus said, pulling me toward a random building with the name AcaWard scrawled over the windows.
Clearly, the Midnight Fae didn’t believe in doors. They just had enchanted thresholds. Because one moment the chaotic sounds of the outside world bustled around my ears, then in the next moment, we were surrounded by the warm tunes of the interior.
An endless array of outfits stretched out on racks before us. Most lined the walls in rows that climbed all the way up to the ceiling. I frowned up at them, wondering how one retrieved clothing from way up there.
Probably with a wand.
At least it proved to be an efficient use of space.
“Hello, hello,” a female voice chimed. “Welcome to AcaWard. How can we help you?”
I glanced around, frowning when no one appeared. Was someone watching us on a camera and talking over a speaker system?
“Aflora needs at least seven Academy-sanctioned outfits, undergarments, and some casual wear. You are to charge the items to the Nacht account.” Zephyrus slipped an envelope from his pocket with his free hand, holding it in the air. “All the details required are in here.”
The note vanished, causing my eyes to widen.
“I’ll return in an hour to retrieve her.” He looked down at me. “We’ve already discussed what will happen should you try to flee. I don’t recommend it.”
With that, he released me and stepped backward through the glass to disappear in the throng outside.
“Wait—” I tried to follow him out, but the glass didn’t give and instead smacked me in the forehead. “Ow!” I rubbed my head, irritated by my inability to leave the shop and offended by it sealing the door on me.
An array of voices erupted around me, all chattering at once.
“Hmm, yes, new clothes are needed. Indeed, indeed.”
“A cloak, too.”
“Don’t forget a wand.”
“Oh! Have you seen the new Academy skirts? I’m thinking black and red, to match the Nacht line.”
“Royal, yes. Let’s look at these notes. Hmm, hmm, more than seven, clearly. Too many courses.”
“Shall we mix it with a touch of light blue? To match her pretty eyes?”
“Oh, is she cerulean? Haven’t seen one of those in centuries.”
“With hints of red, I see.”
“How fascinating.”
I spun around, searching for the source of the feminine tones, but found myself utterly alone in the shop.
“This way, this way,” one of them said.
I felt the nudge against my backside. Then gaped as an invisible something grabbed my shirt to tow me forward. “Why can’t I see you?” I demanded.
Tinkling laughs served as their reply.
Then they began to comment on my appearance, noting the quality of my dark hair, my clear skin, and my tiny waist.
When one of them touched my breasts, I scowled. “Show yourselves.”
More tinkling.
And then they closed me in a ten-by-ten room with a mirror and three walls. No exit.
I tried walking through each barrier but found myself trapped.
Then clothes began to appear on a magical rack behind me.
“Try, try, try!” they all sang in unison.
When they started to unbutton my blouse, I whirled around and batted their figment hands away. “I will undress and dress myself, thank you.”
“Oh, feisty fun,” one of them murmured.
“Yes, yes. She demands privacy. We’ll go.”
“Try them all, love! And pick all your favorites. The note says all expenses are covered.”
“Enjoy!”
They blew invisible kisses through the air, the sound caressing my cheeks in an unwelcome wave. I wiped them off with a gag, then froze as silence fell around me.
I counted to twenty before I let my shoulders fall in relief.
Finally.
At least thirty outfits waited on the rack, as well as a dozen or so shoes.
I ran my fingers along each shirt and skirt, noting the fine quality. As an Earth Fae, I always enjoyed making my own clothes from nature. But that wasn’t an option here. I needed outfits that helped me assimilate to this realm. The more I blended in, the less people would notice me. And that would become important for my eventual departure.
Assuming I found a way to escape. In addition to a place to run to.
Sighing, I resigned myself to my current fate once more. Might as well pick some outfits that suited my tastes. Besides, all the expenses were covered, right?
Nacht account, Zephyrus had said. I recognized the family name as the one Kolstov belonged to. Which meant he, or maybe his father, was paying for all of this.
My lips curled.
While I’d prefer Shade foot the bill for getting me into this mess, I couldn’t deny feeling a little bit of glee knowing my wardrobe spending spree would be billed directly to my primary captor.
Seven outfits?
No, surely he meant seventeen.
And a dozen or so casual ones as well.
“Ladies,” I called out, glancing around and waiting.
“Yes, Miss Aflora?” one of the figments cooed.
“I’m going to need at least three times this selection,” I said. “And don’t forget undergarments, socks, and more shoes. Oh, and wands.”
A chittering sound followed, the gleeful noise echoing in the chamber. “Oh, yes, as the madam requires!”
The room expanded around me, an entire row of clothing appearing as if waiting for my very command. A glass case followed, wands gleaming inside.
Yes, this would do.
I rubbed my hands together.
You all want me to stay here for the indefinite future? Fine. But I’ll be staying in style.
I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. “Thanks for the new wardrobe, Midnight Prince,” I whispered, hoping somehow that message reached his pompous ears.
Zephyrus said I had an hour?
Well, I’d take three.
“Ladies, let’s get started,” I mused to the magical beings. This is going to be fun.