11. Aflora
Five daysof reading and I still didn’t understand how dark magic worked. It felt unnatural and wrong, like I had to access an inappropriate part of myself to activate my abilities.
Because I don’t belong here, I thought for the millionth time.
Not being able to ignite the Midnight Fae influence inside me was probably a good thing. It meant this forced bond with Shade wouldn’t amount to much. Maybe it would disappear soon.
When I suggested that hopeful sentiment to Zephyrus yesterday, he’d remained as stoic as ever, never giving anything away.
He was the worst teacher in all the fae kingdoms and totally unapologetic about it.
Obviously, neither of us wanted to be here. Which gave us something in common. Not that it brought us any closer.
No, Zephyrus was a closed book.
And I didn’t try to pry him open.
Instead, I spent most of my time reading alone in my new room. When my stomach complained, either I joined him for meals in the living area or we walked to the cafeteria. At some point he’d gone shopping, or perhaps had food delivered, some of which were items I recognized. However, most were human meals.
Ugh.
My insides still crawled from the breakfast he’d forced upon me. Eggs with cheese and onions. An omelet, he’d called it.
Gross.
I preferred to label it as torture, but I ate the monstrosity because he refused to make anything else, and my wand didn’t want to cooperate. Turns out, his whole lecture about magic requiring energy was right. The less I ate, the worse I performed.
While part of me preferred not to be able to access the dark powers, the other part of me recognized that I needed the magic to survive in this world.
Because yeah, Midnight Fae Academy was proving to have a dangerous campus. Not only were those snakelike vines watching my every move, but I also had all types of wildlife eyeing me with curiosity. And I learned pretty fast that none of the plants or animals in this realm were kind.
My shoulder winced with the reminder of the fire gnat I met last night.
Not a pretty lightning bug, but a beast with sharp teeth and a fiery after-bite.
Zephyrus had watched the entire thing with a bored expression, not once helping me. When I demanded to know why, he merely shrugged and said, “It won’t kill you.”
Just thinking about it brought a scowl to my face. Again.
Headmaster Zephyrus served as proof that beauty on the outside did not equate to beauty on the inside. Because his exterior sure was gorgeous, but inside him lived a dark, unhelpful jackass of a man who considered me more of a burden than a project.
Well, fine. He could take his uncooperative behavior and shove it up his muscular butt. Not that I’d spent a lot of time admiring said butt. Or thinking about how many hours he had to clock at the gym to maintain such a fit physique.
Right, so that was a lie. But not many Elemental Fae were warriors, so Zephyrus’s fighter build intrigued me a little. Strong didn’t seem like an adequate enough adjective for him. He practically oozed power from his pores without even trying. Kind of like Kolstov, but in a different way.
With a shake of my head, I pushed away thoughts of the two males and focused on the textbook in my lap. It explained Midnight Fae hierarchy and all the bloodlines. Zephyrus had told me there were only five, but according to my book, there were actually six types of Midnight Fae.
I spent yesterday reading up on the Elite Bloods and Kolstov’s family legacy as the oldest royals of that line. As primary conduits for the dark-magic source, Elite Bloods were considered the most powerful of Midnight Fae kind, hence their leadership over all the others.
The Warrior Bloods were particularly gifted in physical strength and agility, allowing them to serve as Guardians of the Elite Bloods. Ergo, Zephyrus’s role. What I still didn’t understand was why he’d been relegated to the Academy when his family had a long-standing history of protecting the Nachts. From what I’d read, him being here was a demotion of epic proportions. If he wasn’t such a jerk, I’d ask him.
Opening my book, I started reading up on the next bloodline.
The Death Bloods.
Shadow’s family served as the monarchs, with Aswad as the current king. Their powers were linked to necromancy and the harsher sides of dark magic. It seemed they also maintained access to the source, but in a much different way, through the art of?—
A crash inside the suite jolted me upright and off the bed.
The sound of feminine laughter followed.
I frowned. Zephyrus had mentioned that students would be moving back in today. Something about a bonfire kickoff later tonight. Apparently, it was the thing to do. I’d considered using the massive distraction on campus as a potential time to escape, but I had nowhere to go.
The fact that Claire hadn’t reached out to me yet confirmed the Elemental Fae Council’s fear in having me return. Given what recently happened in that realm, I understood. The last notion they would want to entertain at the moment was a potential hybrid Elemental-Midnight Fae.
Except I didn’t feel any different.
Other than the fact that I couldn’t access my earth.
I really hoped Sol and Claire were holding the source together in my absence. They were the only others in existence who could access earth magic in a similar way to me. Their connections weren’t as strong as mine but should be enough to help the Earth Fae maintain their powers.
Blowing out a breath, I started reading again, when male voices trickled down the hallway.
Kolstov, I thought, recognizing the deep tone.
A knock sounded at my door, followed by, “That’s my five-second warning, princess. Try not to be naked again.”
I glowered at the door. “Dick,” I muttered, putting my book off to the side and standing just as he followed through on his five-second promise.
His bright gold irises slid over my shirt and jeans, amusement shining in his depths. “I’m almost disappointed to find you clothed.”
Uh-huh. “Well, I am disappointed that you’re back,” I returned, adding a saccharine smile at the end.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I missed you too, sweetheart.”
I rolled my eyes. “I bet.”
“Stop flirting and introduce us.” The smooth voice came from the hallway just as a male joined Kolstov in the doorway. I recognized him from my textbook.
“Trayton Nacht,” I said. “Huh. So the photos really do update in real time.” I’d wondered that when the images kept shifting around last night, some sort of magic allowing them to update with each passing moment.
“Have you been studying already?” Kolstov asked, a teasing note to his voice. “I suppose you did have a lot to catch up on.”
Not this again. “Yeah, I’ve had some time in solitary this week to read, and since my wand doesn’t work, I decided to study the different bloodlines instead.”
He leaned against my doorway, arching a haughty brow. “Learn anything interesting?”
“Yeah, the Death Bloods have more intriguing powers than the Elite Bloods.” I’d read in the texts that the two types of Midnight Fae had been at war for centuries, and Kolstov’s darkening expression confirmed it.
Score one for Aflora,I thought, smirking inside.
“I suppose you’re obligated to say that as the illegally chosen mate of the future Death Blood Monarch. Pity you couldn’t have been claimed by a worthier bloodline.”
And Kolstov evens the match by volleying an equally hurtful statement back at Aflora, my mental voice added, killing my inner victory lap. “Like yours?” I countered. “No, thanks.”
“Don’t knock it ’til you try it, baby,” he drawled.
Trayton shook his head. “Stop flirting with our new roommate.”
“That’s like telling Kols to stop breathing.” A petite female popped up at Trayton’s side, her white-blonde head barely clearing his shoulder. Her bright blue eyes met mine. “I’m Ella. Let me know if these two assholes are bothering you, and I’ll set them straight.”
Trayton gave her an indulgent grin as he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Yeah? Tell me how you plan to do that.”
“Now who’s flirting?” Kolstov put in.
“Oh, I’m not flirting.” Trayton faced Ella and started to back her up against a wall. “We’re way past our flirting stage.”
Ella snorted as she grabbed his lean hips. “Always so romantic.”
“You love me anyway.”
“Do I?” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Sometimes I don’t know why.”
“And you chose the room beside theirs,” Kolstov murmured to me, having entered my space. He glanced around with a curious gaze. “It’s boring as fuck in here.”
“I’m sorry. Was I supposed to decorate?” I asked, batting my eyes. “Because I missed that memo.”
He pulled out his wand. “Allow me to help.”
I grabbed his wrist before he could wave it around. “No. I don’t plan to stay long.”
“Yeah?” He stared down at me with those piercing irises, causing my breath to catch in my throat.
Why were all the Midnight Fae so good-looking? Even his brother was a sight to behold.
“Where do you plan on going?” Kolstov asked softly, taking a step closer.
I didn’t release his wrist, even though I probably should have. But his nearness had me frozen before him. His rich, masculine scent swathing me in a cloud of intoxicating male.
“I…” I trailed off, my throat constricting tightly.
His gaze dropped to my lips. I licked them on impulse, my mouth going dry. Something about Kolstov called to my inner fae. His power was a worthy mate to my earth essence, only because we both possessed royal bloodlines. I’d felt it when our energy danced in the living area a few days ago.
But he wasn’t an Elemental Fae and therefore not truly an ideal match.
Even if my instincts said otherwise.
“Hmm, I think you do want a taste,” Kolstov whispered, his free hand going to my hip. “If you’re good, maybe I’ll allow?—”
“Why is my new suite next to yours?” Zephyrus demanded from the doorway. “The whole purpose of this new assignment, according to your father, is to provide students with my superior knowledge. Students, being Warrior Bloods, not Elite Bloods.”
Kolstov released me, his wrist easily leaving my grasp as he spun around, giving me his back. “We both know it’s a temporary assignment.”
“My living next to you? Or my playing the role of teacher?” The bitterness in Zephyrus’s tone matched his expression.
“The latter.”
“Right. Because you plan to fix it when you become king.”
“Are we really going to have this argument again?” Kolstov suddenly sounded tired. “Come on, Zeph. You know why this happened.”
The headmaster’s eyes narrowed for a long moment before he turned and left without another word.
Kolstov sighed, following him. “You can keep punishing me all you want. It won’t stop me from?—”
“Don’t,” Zephyrus interjected. “Just. Don’t.”
“Then stop being a dick” was the reply.
“Fuck you.”
A crashing sound made me jump. I poked my head around the door just in time to see Trayton leaving a freshly kissed Ella behind in the hallway. She blinked after him, then glanced at me. “Welcome to the Nacht family drama. Never a dull moment.”
Sounds of a scuffle came from the living room, which suggested the guys were fighting. An image of Zephyrus pinning Kolstov entered my mind, provoked by the first time I’d seen them together.
Zephyrus struck me as the stronger of the two, but I’d tasted a glimpse of Kolstov’s power, and yeah, they were definitely evenly matched.
“Don’t worry. Tray will make sure they don’t destroy anything too valuable,” Ella said, moving past me into the room. She glanced around, much like Kolstov had. “Boring maybe, but I get it. You don’t want to be here. Shade’s a fucking prick for biting you.”
My lips twitched. Finally, someone who gets it.
She faced me, adding, “My mate at least introduced me to the Midnight Fae realm before biting me.”
“Introduced you?” I repeated, her statement confusing me. “You mean you weren’t born here?”
“I’m a Halfling,” she informed me, then paused as if waiting for a reaction.
“So you grew up in the Human Realm.” It was a guess based on her earlier claim about entering the realm.
“I did.” The challenge in her tone confused me.
“Did you know you were part fae?”
“No, not until Tray told me.”
My eyebrows rose. “Well, that must have been quite a shock.”
“Yeah, I imagine it’s similar to being bitten against your will and forced to attend an Academy in another realm.” She glanced at the book on my bed and smirked. “Ah, the Midnight Fae factions. What chapter are you on?”
“I just started reading about the Death Bloods.”
She nodded. “Want a crash course in the bloodlines? It’ll be faster than reading that boring thing.”
“You’re offering to teach me?” I shook my head at how stupid that sounded out loud. “Sorry, the others haven’t been very… helpful.” Technically, Zephyrus had tried a little. And Kolstov, well, he was just being a pompous ass about me not studying Midnight Fae kind while growing up.
Ella snorted and collapsed onto the edge of my bed. “Kolstov’s a bit preoccupied with his future, and Zephyrus is, uh, not teacher material.”
“Yet he’s a headmaster.”
“Yeah, he’s going to make our lives hell this year,” Ella muttered. “Anyway, enough about that. What you need is a quick overview, something I’m very equipped to provide considering I had to learn all this myself recently.” She patted the bed beside her. “I promise I don’t bite. All my blood intake is through food.”
I gaped at her, the comment so tongue in cheek that it took me off guard.
Which caused her to laugh. “Your expression is priceless and probably similar to mine when Tray first told me about Midnight Fae drinking blood. Oh, but that reminds me. Lesson number one: Don’t call them vampires. They hate that.”
“Yeah, Kolstov may have mentioned that after I called him a bloodsucker.”
Her lips twitched. “Bet he loved that.”
“Not so much.”
She laughed. “Well, don’t let him bother you. He’s a womanizing jackass, but deep down, he has a heart. You just have to really dig to find it.”
I finally joined her on the bed, feeling somewhat at ease for the first time in almost a week. Something about Ella relaxed me. Maybe it was her calm demeanor or, more likely, her frank assessments. I enjoyed her candor and her politeness.
She didn’t judge me for not knowing everything about the Midnight Fae.
And I appreciated it more than she could know.
“Okay, so let me break this down for you,” she said, tucking one leg underneath her while the other bounced off the side of the bed. “There are five main bloodlines. You know the names?”
I nodded. “Death Bloods, Elite Bloods, Sangré Bloods, Warrior Bloods, and Malefic Bloods.”
“Do you know what they do?”
“I’ve only read that Elite Bloods maintain the central source of dark magic and Death Bloods access the harshest resources from a different entry point. They prefer lethal magic and dabble in necromancy.” I picked up the book. “One thing I don’t really get is how they access the source indirectly. That was the part I was reading when you all arrived.”
Ella picked up the book and tossed it to the side. “Yeah, no. Trust me, you want the verbal lesson, not the text one. All bloodlines access dark-magic sources, but the Elites have the most access, which is why they’re considered royalty. They’re the strongest. All those black lines pulsating on Kols’s neck and arms, leading to his heart? Yeah, that’s the source transferring reign to him one stroke of power at a time. Scary shit, if you ask me.”
I had noticed the writhing inky vines along his neck and hands but didn’t realize they stretched up his arms. “Is it permanent?” I wondered out loud.
“No. Apparently, it disappears after he ascends.” She shrugged. “I guess we’ll see. Anyway, the Death Bloods access the darkest sections of the source. They literally thrive on Death Magic. So, like necromancy, as you said. It’s rumored they’re just as powerful as the Elite Bloods, which explains why Malik and Aswad hate each other.”
The two reigning monarchs, I thought, recognizing the names.
“Then there are the Warrior Bloods, like Zeph, who specialize in defensive magic. They’re usually carved out of stone in the sense that they are all hard lines, muscular, athletic, and stoic as fuck. So if Zeph was a dick this week, don’t take it personally. They’re all like that. And he’s particularly moody after having been removed from Kols’s personal guard. The whole headmaster position is a demotion of sorts.”
“And why did that happen?” I asked.
Ella’s lips twisted to the side. “Uh, so, Kols and Zeph… they like to share women. And let’s just say, they shared the wrong one. Things went to hell from there.”
“They both fell in love with her?” I guessed.
Ella laughed loudly and shook her head. “Oh, God no. Nothing like that. Kols? Love? That’s like a bad joke.” She shook her head, her shoulders vibrating from suppressed laughter. “But yeah, nothing like that. Anyway, the Sangré Bloods are next. Their power lies in intelligence. They’re pretty much wizards when it comes to playing chess.” She pointed to the collar around my neck. “That was developed by a Sangré Blood. I can tell by the power swirling around it.”
Her not-so-subtle change of subject back to our lesson left me curious about the truth between Zephyrus and Kolstov, but I allowed her to continue.
“So the Sangré Bloods are highly intellectual,” I inferred.
“Yep. You’ll be able to identify them by their bald heads. They draw these patterns on their skin, and the more intense the design, the more powerful the fae. It’s sort of their way of showing off, or that’s the way I see it, anyway. The Warrior Bloods wear their muscles and scars, the Sangré Bloods paint beautiful patterns on their heads, the Elite Bloods dress in expensive jewels and robes, and the Death Bloods love their skull shit.”
“Sounds… charming.”
She scoffed. “Yeah. Shade is the lead asshat on campus, but trust me, the rest of them are just as dark as he is.”
“Great. I can’t wait,” I deadpanned.
Her lips curled. “I like you. As much as I know you don’t want to stay, I’m looking forward to having your around for a bit. You can help me keep Tray and Kols in line.”
“Yeah, I doubt they’ll listen to me at all.”
“Oh, I’ll teach you my ways,” Ella promised. “You’ll see. We can tame them together.”
I doubted that but smiled anyway. “So what about the Malefic Bloods?”
“Ah, yes, the final of the five. The Malefic Bloods specialize in offensive magic. They’re like the polar opposite of the Warrior Bloods. The latter defends, the former prefers spells that create damage. When I first learned all this, I called them the malicious ones, to help remember that their magic is dangerous and often intentionally cruel.”
Right. Avoid that sect of Midnight Fae, I noted to myself. “Is there a way to tell them all apart? I mean, the Sangré Bloods will be obvious, from what you’ve said. What about the others?”
Her blue eyes captured mine, a grin forming in their depths. “Actually, how about we continue this lesson tonight during the bonfire. That way, I can show you more than tell you.”
“Zephyrus mentioned the bonfire.”
“Yeah, it’s an annual tradition,” she replied, bouncing off my bed. “It’s actually pretty fun. But a word of advice? Don’t drink the beezlepunch. You’ll regret it.” She started toward the door. “I’m going to make some sandwiches if you want any. I’m sure the idiots will be starved from throwing all that magic around. Feel free to join us whenever you’re ready.”