20. Aflora
Several weeksof classes sped by without incident, mostly because I locked myself away in my room constantly to study. I had a lifetime of material to read in order to catch up in all my courses.
Death Magic class.
Warrior Magic class.
Elite Magic class.
Defense Without Magic class.
Break day.
Break day.
Midnight Fae Politics—the only class I seemed to be doing all right in, thanks to Ella’s tutoring.
Malefic Magic class—my least favorite.
Independent study day—ugh.
Break day.
Break day.
Break day.
Today, I had another independent study day with Zeph. Who was a complete ass and way too hands-on for my liking. Mostly because he inspired thoughts that weren’t appropriate. Especially when he pinned me to the mat or to the wall. I occasionally caught a glimmer of interest in his gaze, but it always disappeared before I could confirm it. Which meant I probably made it up in my daydreams.
Who could blame me with my nightly sexual escapades? If it wasn’t Shade in my head, it was Kols. Causing me to heat up every time I went near the Midnight Prince. So I was pretty much in a constant state of red because he rarely left my side, always helping me in every class and ensuring my magic stayed in check.
Shade, however, seemed to be leaving me alone. Mostly because he kept skipping class. It annoyed the daylights out of me because I needed him in Death Magic class and he rarely showed up, forcing me to navigate the halls and spells by myself. When I asked him about it in my dreams, he kissed me to silence the conversation.
The only positive was that it forced me to be independent and to learn on my own. A benefit and a curse because I had no idea if I was doing anything correctly. I just went with my gut.
My legs buckled beneath me as Zeph swept his foot in an arc that sent me ass-first onto the mat. “You’re distracted,” he accused. “Do you think I want to spend my time babysitting you? Either show up or get the fuck out of my gym.”
“Your gym?” I huffed, pushing myself back up to a standing position. “Are you finally embracing your headmaster role?”
He snorted and changed the subject. “Show me what you learned in Malefic Magic class yesterday.”
I knew he was going to demand that.
After weeks of sparring with him during several class days and on a handful of break days, I’d begun learning his expectations. He wanted me to apply every lesson to my sparring. Not only did he want me to master control of my power, but he also wanted me to be able to use it defensively.
Or offensively in this case.
Steeling my spine, I held out my hand and murmured the conjuring spell we learned yesterday. Ice picks formed around us almost immediately, all aimed at Zeph. His lips actually twitched as he batted them away with a quick defense spell. “Good. Again.”
I repeated the incantation.
He destroyed it a second later.
“Once more.”
Narrowing my eyes, I decided to throw him off guard and called up a different spell that I’d read about in my books last night. It was from the next chapter and involved fire. A dangerous move considering my history with the element, but my cerulean flames remained in check as a parade of black embers encircled Zeph.
His eyebrows shot up just enough to confirm I had surprised him. In the next breath, he uttered words that dispelled my creation. “Cute,” he muttered. “At least I know you can read.”
The jibe made me roll my eyes at him. “I’m not an ignoramus.”
He considered me for a long moment. “No. You’re not.”
“Careful, Zeph. That was almost a compliment.” I always called him Headmaster or Zephyrus around others, but I’d taken to using his nickname when in private. He never corrected me, so I took that as his way of allowing it.
“Well, you seem to be taking well to Malefic Magic, so let’s try some more defensive moves. Maybe it’ll help you not get your ass kicked next week.”
“Praise tied to an insult,” I mused. “There’s the Zeph I’ve come to adore.”
He glared at me. “Stop talking and start focusing.”
“I am focused.”
“Then knock me down.”
I sighed. “Sure.” We both knew I couldn’t. Not only did he have, like, twelve inches of height on me, but he was also solid muscle and an expert defender. Hitting him was akin to punching a wall. Making him budge even an inch proved impossible every time we did this exercise.
But I’d try anyway because he demanded it.
Using a technique he taught last week in Warrior Magic class, I tried to circle around to his back to knock out his knees.
He moved with me, his arms folded, his expression bored.
Gritting my teeth, I tried the leg sweep he used on me a few minutes ago.
And nothing.
Not even a flinch.
It actually hurt me more than it probably hurt him.
So I ran around behind him and jumped on his back, my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Hanging out,” I said, my forearms locking around his throat. “When you get tired of holding me up here, you’ll fall.”
“You weigh practically nothing,” he gritted out, his head twisting in a futile effort to see me. “Get down.”
“No.”
“This isn’t useful at all.” He sounded livid, which only made me cling to him more. Pissing him off had become a favorite pastime of mine. He was a dick to me, so I paid him back in kind. “Seriously, let go.”
I placed my chin on his shoulder and sighed. “I think I’ll just stay here until you fall down.”
His resulting growl vibrated my chest through the thin fabric of our shirts. He’d worn another of those sleeveless ones that showed off his arms. It was about the only thing I looked forward to on our sparring days. Oh, and his gray sweatpants. I rather liked those as well.
“Aflora, you have three seconds before I remove you, and you’re not going to like how I do it,” he warned.
I yawned. “Do your worst, Teach.” Probably not the wisest move to goad my instructor, but he didn’t scare me. Maybe I’d adopted too carefree an attitude while attending the Academy. My life was still very much in danger, and I took that seriously—hence my endless study hours—yet I had to let go sometimes. And for whatever reason, those times seemed to occur when around Zeph.
And in my dreams with Kols and Shade.
These three men left me?—
“Oof,” I breathed as my back hit the sparring mat and Zeph sprawled out on top of me, locking my wrists over my head.
I hadn’t even felt him move, just suddenly went airborne as he spun me around in a move that should not have been possible.
“Brat,” he muttered, his hips pinning mine to the floor.
“Maybe,” I managed to say, the word coming out on a winded exhale, thanks to the roughness of my landing. “But I got you”—I inhaled sharply to replenish my lungs—“on the floor.”
His irises swirled with dark green, reminding me of the lush forests back home. I nearly sighed, loving that smoldering look and longing to see a real tree again. The dark magic continued to grow while my access to my primary gift remained just out of reach, although lately I’d felt it flaring on occasion, as if begging me to connect to the source.
Kols told me last week that he’d met with Exos while on a break day and learned that Sol had taken up the mantle of managing the source for me in my absence.
I was both pleased and saddened by that news. Pleased because the male I loved like a brother needed to embrace his earth more, and I’d finally provided him with the push he required to do so. But the act saddened me as well because it meant the Elemental Earth Fae were seeking a way to survive without me.
It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t lead them as an abomination. Yet that didn’t stop me from wanting to try.
Kols believed I grew up with my Quandary Blood powers and that Shade’s bite had just provided me with an excuse to access them. Or perhaps my presence at the Academy was what had truly awakened them.
Except I’d used them before when I stopped Elana.
“What put that puzzling look in your eyes?” Zeph asked, reminding me of his presence on top of me. Not that I’d forgotten. His woodsy scent and hard, masculine body were difficult to ignore.
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
I gave him a look. “Because you never lie to me?”
He actually appeared affronted by the statement. “Actually, I haven’t. Everything I’ve told you from the beginning has been truthful. We both know you’re not going to survive here. It’s just a matter of time. It makes my efforts futile, but at least I tried.”
I laughed humorously. “You really have a way with words, Zeph.” However, he was right. He always spoke his mind around me, never avoiding the truth. That didn’t mean I could trust him, but I could at least rely on him to give it to me straight.
“You’re avoiding my question. What were you thinking about?”
“Why do you want to know?” I countered.
“Humor me.”
I suspected he meant that literally, as he often found entertainment in my comments. This would no doubt be the same. “I was thinking about Sol taking control of the earth source and how I’m happy for him but sad for me. As an abomination, I can’t properly lead my people, no matter how badly I may want to.”
Zeph considered me for a long moment and released my wrists to balance himself on his elbows on either side of my head. It effectively caged me beneath him in a decidedly intimate manner that he didn’t seem to notice. “Do you know why abominations are killed on sight?”
“Yes. They’re evil.”
He arched a brow. “Are they?” he asked softly, his gaze dropping to my lips. “Are you evil, Aflora? Or have our Councils trained us to fear what we don’t understand?”
I swallowed, the warmth from his body seeping into mine, bringing us closer with each breath. A forbidden desire to kiss him entered my thoughts even while I considered his words. “I don’t feel evil,” I whispered.
“I don’t think you’re evil either,” he agreed, his voice just as quiet, our conversation one we shouldn’t be having. “I believe abominations are destroyed because our Councils fear their power. They claim it will disturb the source balance, but I think what they really mean is that it will disturb their balance.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked as his eyes met mine once more.
“I don’t know.” He started playing with a loose strand of my dark hair, his long finger coiling it around the end. “Something about you makes me want to protect you. I keep fighting the instinct, yet you pull me right back in. It’s a puzzle I can’t solve, but I suspect it’s linked to your power. Quandary Bloods are considered the most lethal of our kind. Yet, again, I wonder if that label was created by the Council out of fear, not practicality.”
He pressed his forehead to mine, inhaling deep and sighing against my lips.
“You’re improving admirably,” he added, his words nearly silent. Then he fractured the moment by rolling off of me and landing deftly on his feet in one of his expert moves. “Class dismissed, Aflora. I’ll see you in a few days.”
My heart pounded in my chest as he walked away, my breathing ragged from both his words and his nearness.
If my power doesn’t kill me, these males will, I thought, unable to move. I felt hot and cold and so incredibly turned on.
And my dreams tonight would only make it worse.