13. Kols
“Didshe wonder how we found her?” I asked as I entered Zeph’s suite without knocking. His gargoyle hadn’t batted an eye, which told me I was welcome.
Zeph confirmed it by entering the living area with two bottles of beer, one of which he tossed to me. I caught it by the neck.
“Aflora was too consumed by her explosion of power to ask questions,” he replied, collapsing into one of the room’s recliners. “If she thinks about it later, she’ll probably assume we followed her from the bonfire.”
That wouldn’t necessarily be too far from the truth. When her locator jumped positions, I knew something had happened. Tray’s text message confirmed it when he said Shade had used a smoke spell to remove her from the bonfire. The bastard clearly didn’t know how to abide by any rules. Not only had he removed his cuffs—something he should not have been able to do—but he’d also interacted with Aflora after being expressly told to leave her alone.
“I should report him,” I said out loud, referring to Shade.
Zeph popped the cap off his beer and took a long swig, his throat working with each swallow. “Wouldn’t do much.”
Leaning against the wall a few feet away from his chair, I sighed, “I know.” If I reported Shade, they might expel him. Then he’d just lurk around the shadowy edges of campus anyway. “What game is he playing with her?”
Zeph set his bottle off to the side, his expression thoughtful. I’d almost forgotten about this side of him, what with all the animosity he’d thrown my way these last few months. Part of me hoped our earlier brawl meant we were finally moving forward. The other part of me knew better.
Things between us would never be the same.
“You really saw purple flames?” He glanced at me.
“Yeah, the kind I’d expect from a Death Blood.” They were vibrant and violet flared.
“Well, I saw red, like the kind of flames you create.”
We frowned at each other. “And she called them bright blue,” I added. “Which is impossible. No Midnight Fae burn bright blue.”
“Maybe she meant navy, like the Sangré Bloods?”
“How the fuck would that even be possible?”
“No idea. But she’s not exactly normal. Could it be an influence from her elemental power?” Zeph suggested.
I flicked the top off my bottle and took a long sip while considering that. Then slowly shook my head. “She’s an Earth Fae, not a Fire Fae. The flames are tied to her awakening connection to dark magic.”
“Suggesting her mating bond with Shade is indeed turning her into an abomination,” Zeph pointed out.
We both fell silent, me drinking my beer, Zeph swirling his around on the table in that thoughtful way of his.
“Fuck, this isn’t good,” I finally said. “This isn’t good at all.”
“Are you going to report it?”
I nodded. Then I shook my head. “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do. It might still be temporary. Maybe she expelled what little power she has inside her and now she’ll go back to normal.” I heard the lie in my words, saw the confirmation of it written in Zeph’s features.
“It’s not like you to play the na?ve card, Kols.”
Kols. Not Prince Kolstov or Kolstov, but Kols. He hadn’t used my preferred name in months. I swallowed another sip to keep myself from commenting on it or allowing him to see the glimmer of hope that small word provided.
We might not be able to go back, but I wasn’t opposed to moving forward.
Zeph was the one who cut off all ties.
Not me.
“I know you want to fuck her, just like you do every other hot, unattainable female to cross your path,” he added, destroying the moment. “But that shouldn’t hold you back from doing what you have to do. Just do the deed and end her afterward.”
Such a cruel approach. Although, I knew he didn’t mean it that way. Not completely, anyway. Zeph thrived on logic. And to him, feeding the lust before completing the task struck him as practical.
Except nothing about this assignment was practical.
“I can’t just kill the last remaining Earth Fae Royal,” I reminded him. “And maybe my approach is na?ve, but I need to hope this power mingling will just go away.”
“Wrong. What you need to do is prepare for the inevitable. Her power is growing. I’ve been watching her all week, and she’s not growing weaker. She’s growing stronger. Almost as if Shade’s bite flipped a switch inside her. Something’s not right, and her little power display tonight proves it.”
He picked up his bottle and finished it off in a few deep gulps. Then he waved his hand over the glass, refilling it with a muttered spell.
I pulled up my phone, checking the app linked to Aflora’s tracker, and noted her presence next door. She hadn’t tried to run yet, which actually made me admire her a bit. It implied that she put her people before herself. To return in her current state would thwart the balance. She also wouldn’t be safe there given that the Elemental Fae recently took down an insane abomination. They wouldn’t be all that accepting of her return.
So maybe it wasn’t so much that she put her people first as it was her survival instinct kicking in.
Regardless, the intelligence in her decision to stay boosted her appeal in my eyes. Which was exactly the wrong response overall because I could not—and should not—entertain the possibility of fucking Aflora.
She was a forbidden fruit.
Off-limits.
As Zeph already said, unattainable.
Yet I couldn’t deny the urge to kiss her earlier. I’d also enjoy sticking one to Shade in the process. The asshole had disappeared into a cloud of smoke before I could give him a piece of my mind. However, I felt his residual presence all the way back to my building, suggesting he’d followed Aflora.
“He seems to care about her,” I mused out loud.
“Who?”
“Shade,” I clarified. “He traced after you and Aflora to the Elite Residence.”
Zeph considered for a second, then lifted a shoulder. “I think he cares more about the bond than he does her. If something happens to her, he’ll be the one living in pain for eternity.”
“Probably should have thought about that before biting her,” I grumbled.
“True, but I think there’s a bigger scheme behind it all.” Zeph set his mostly full bottle down and braced his arms on his thighs. “Shade’s a dick, don’t get me wrong, but that fucker doesn’t do anything without a reason.”
“I don’t know. He seems to do things all the time just to piss everyone else off,” I muttered in reply. “That’s part of what makes him such an ass.”
“Yeah, but those are small irritants. Taking an Elemental Fae mate—specifically, Aflora—is a catastrophic decision for him and her. Why would he do such a thing? It has to be more than just wanting to piss off his father, or your father, or the Council. He’s up to something.”
Which brings us full circle, I thought, recalling the way our conversation began about what game Shade was playing and why. “Something tells me we won’t know until his plan unfolds.”
“Which is precisely why I suggest you say nothing and observe. Let’s see what he does with her.”
“You want to use the Royal Elemental Fae as bait?”
He flipped his hands, palms up. “Shade signed her death warrant the second he bit her, and we both know it. This whole observation game is just for the paperwork so they can validate killing her. We might as well figure out what the hell Shade is up to in the process and make use of what little remains of her life.”
I released a humorless laugh, his words a repeated punch to the gut. “You’re a cold son of a bitch. You know that, right?”
“I’m thinking defensively. It’s what I do.”
“Yeah, and while you’re great at it, could you for a moment try to remember that she’s a person, not a pawn?” Technically, she’s a future queen, I corrected myself. Much more important than a pawn.
“Shade put her in this mess, not me. I could choose to pity her, or I could choose to use her to ensure he never pulls that shit again. I vote for the latter. You should, too.”
“It’s not black and white, Zeph.”
“Why? Because you want to fuck her? Just get your dick wet, sate the need, and move on. It’s what you do best.”
My jaw ticked at the barbed insult. “Right, and you’re not at all interested in fucking her?” I knew he was, because I’d caught the flare of intrigue in his gaze while looking at her. Oh, he hid it well, but I knew him better than he gave me credit for. A few months apart would never change that.
Besides, we both had a type, and Aflora checked all our boxes in spades. She also posed one of the biggest challenges I’d ever encountered, mostly because flirting with her was akin to flirting with death. One wrong move and we’d end up on the chopping block right beside her. Which only made her more alluring as a prospect since it added the element of true danger.
“We’re not talking about this,” Zeph said, his voice deepening.
My lips quirked up. “You’re right. We don’t need to. I already know you want her. And you brought it up—twice—not me. I’m just throwing the ball back in your court. If you want to share her, just say the words.”
“Stop.”
“Why? Because I’ll push your limits?” I taunted. “Because the whole headmaster role adds yet another element of the forbidden to an already intriguing situation?”
His green irises swirled with embers. I’d either just royally pissed him off or turned him the fuck on. Probably both.
Zeph enjoyed harsh sex.
Anger was his aphrodisiac.
Fighting served as foreplay.
And we’d fought a lot these last few months, both mentally and physically.
Our earlier quarrel still simmered between us. He’d gotten in a few good hits, but so had I, and it’d left us both infuriated and a little bruised on the inside. Hence, I’d opted to avoid the bonfire. But the alert on my phone, activated by Aflora’s collar, had sent me to Zeph’s door. Then Tray’s text had forced us both outside.
Now Zeph and I were alone again.
Two decades of experience hanging between us.
Five years of that spent between the sheets with multiple women and occasionally just each other.
I didn’t date or do girlfriends. Yet Zeph had always been my one constant.
Until six months ago when we seduced the wrong chick. She’d used the sexual distraction to try to take advantage of me and my power, and she’d caused a lot of damage in the process.
Needless to say, my father had not approved of the outcome or Zeph’s inability to “properly protect me.”
And here we were.
“I need you to leave,” Zeph finally said, his hands balled into fists. “Now.”
“No.” What we needed to do was have this out once and for all. Six months of this bullshit was long enough. “What do you want me to do, Zeph? Apologize again? Promise you I’ll fix it? Because I’ve already done both of those things. What more can I do? You want me to suck your cock all night? Let you take me up the ass? Go seduce Aflora for us both? Find a human that fits nicely between us? Tell me what I need to do to fix this.”
“You can’t fucking fix it. You let me take the fall for your choice.”
“I told my father that I picked her and invited her into our bed. He blamed you for not vetting her. Which, yeah, is sort of your job as my Guardian.”
His gaze narrowed. “He denounced me in front of the fucking kingdom over a fuckup we both shared equal blame for.”
I flinched at the memory of my father’s cruelty. Because yeah, he’d been a major dick over the whole issue. Then turned around and told me to grow the fuck up. “We both suffered that day.”
“Yet you’ll still ascend, and I’ll remain here as a headmaster. And don’t tell me you’re going to change that. I don’t want any favors from you.”
“You’re my best friend, jackass. It’s not a favor. It’s a reality. No one can replace you as my Guardian. I refuse.”
His lips curled into a harsh grin. “Yeah, well, I can and will refuse the assignment.”
I matched his grin with one of my own. “You can try, Zeph. But we both know my word will be law.”
“Which makes you just like him,” he retorted. “You must be so proud.”
Fuck, I hated when Zeph took on the asshole act. “I’m not my father.”
“Then prove it and stop threatening to force others into positions they don’t want to be in.”
The bottle almost slipped from my fingers, his words hitting home. “You really don’t want to be my Guardian anymore.” Not a question, but a statement. “All because of one fucked-up experience?”
“It was more than a fucked-up experience, and you know it. We were reckless and stupid, and lives were lost in the process when that bitch borrowed your access to the source. How can you not feel guilty about that?”
My lips opened and then closed. Because I suddenly understood.
This wasn’t about punishing me but about punishing himself for a failure he felt responsible for.
“Those women died because of Dakota, not because of you or me.”
“You really are na?ve if you believe that. It’s your duty to the Midnight Fae realm to protect that access, and you didn’t. Just as it was my duty to protect you from harm, and I failed when I let that bitch into your bed.” He pushed off his chair and rolled his neck. “I’m done for the night. It’s your turn to play babysitter. I’m going for a run.”
“Zeph—”
“No.” He cut me off with a thunderous expression. “I’m done, Kolstov. Absolutely and resolutely. It’s time for you to believe that and move on.” He pushed past me, heading toward the door and not once looking back or even asking me to leave. Instead, he left, his angry aura burning the air in his wake.
But for the first time in months, I knew why.
He wasn’t mad at me.
He was mad at himself.
No, he was mad at us. For all the damage we’d caused. And while I understood the guilt and responsibility for what had happened, I also knew dwelling on the past fixed nothing.
Instead, I’d learned from the experience.
I rarely fucked Midnight Fae before the event, and now, I never would.
Only humans.
And I intended for it to remain that way, even after I mated Emelyn.
I shuddered at the thought of her and our intertwined destinies. Not fucking her would be the easiest task of my life.
Unlike Aflora…
I pulled out my phone again, noting she was still next door. Probably in bed. It’d be far too easy to join her and use her as a distraction from my growing frustration.
Except, with her increasing powers, it was possible she could also access my source.
Which firmly placed her in the will never happen pile, where she belonged.
“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.
I set my bottle down in Zeph’s sink and gripped the counter.
I could really use an outlet of relief right about now. Rather than fuck around like I’d intended to this last week, I’d spent the majority of my time with Cyrus and Exos—two Elemental Fae Kings—talking about Aflora. They were adamant that I protect her, stating she wasn’t just a Royal Fae but also a friend of their Claire. Which meant any harm befalling the beautiful princess would put me on the shit list of a queen and her two kings. Not to mention her other three mates.
Talk about a rock and a hard place,I thought, sighing. Right, well, standing in Zeph’s kitchen wasn’t going to do anything for me. Knowing him, he wouldn’t be back tonight.
I’d work on him more tomorrow.
Because, while I agreed with his bait idea, we needed something more solid that allowed us to keep Aflora safe.
Even if her death was indeed inevitable.