23. Kols
“What the fuck?”I demanded in a low voice, stepping into Zeph’s path to keep him from pursuing Aflora. After that little display of jackassery, the dick clearly needed a moment to breathe before he made the situation worse.
“Move,” he ordered me.
“No.”
His green orbs flashed with emerald fire, his shoulders tensed for a fight.
I arched a brow, daring him to hit me. Class or not, I’d happily duel him in front of the entire school. Even if it meant having my ass handed to me. Anything to protect Aflora from more of Zeph’s bad mood. “You could have at least told her that familiars can’t really die.” Well, unless the owner died, too. Then the familiar passed as well.
A muscle ticked in his jaw as he looked over my shoulder in the direction she’d gone. “She needs to learn.”
“Is that how you justify what you just did to her?” I wondered out loud. “Fascinating.”
“I taught her a lesson she needed to learn.”
“And what was that exactly? That she can’t trust you?”
“Yes. Nor should she rely on me.”
I shook my head. “Something tells me that lesson was more for you than it was for her,” I muttered, turning around.
“Where the fuck are you going?”
“To fix the pretty little flower you just ripped apart,” I tossed back at him.
“Class isn’t over yet.”
“Then fail me,” I retorted.
“Don’t tempt me, Your Highness.”
I ignored him and followed Aflora’s energy signature toward the Elite Residence. Zeph could kiss my left nut. Then spar with Shade, assuming the Death Blood bothered sticking around. He’d probably disappeared at his earliest chance, choosing to skip class rather than attend. Given Zeph’s behavior today, I wouldn’t blame anyone from jumping ship and telling the headmaster to fuck off.
Dick, I thought, irritated all over again. When I saw Raph, Zeph’s pet snake, ripping into Aflora’s falcon, I nearly intervened. But then Shade’s damn bat went after Night, and nobody messed with my familiar.
Sensing my unease, Night settled on my shoulder, his black wings brushing my neck in a sign of affection. We’d met years ago when I first learned how to conjure him, as would be the case with most Midnight Fae. But Aflora would be brand new to the bond created with the protector spell, which only made what Zeph did that much worse.
“You can help me give her a demonstration, Night,” I told my crow. “Then I’ll release you to the wild once more.” Most Midnight Fae had a relationship with their familiars where they only called upon them in time of need, or in this case, during a course discussion. They were considered a defensive arm, mostly used in combat. But I suspected Aflora wouldn’t feel that way about her falcon.
I entered my suite, noted the stillness of the living area, and went straight for her room. She hadn’t bothered closing her door, just went to her bed and curled up in a ball to stare out the window.
After everything she’d endured, this exercise had been the one to fracture her strength. Knowing that had my hands curling into fists at my sides, my irritation at Zeph mounting by the second. He’d taken this strong, beautiful creature and belittled her to a ball of sorrow. All because of his own emotions over his losing control around her.
My crow cawed, startling Aflora into a seated position, her blue eyes filled with hope.
Only to die when she found me in the hallway. Her focus went to Night on my shoulder, her expression clouding over. She returned her gaze to the window, her shoulders caving inward in a way I recognized immediately. Usually, that sort of response would send me running. But I stepped forward instead to sit beside her on the bed.
She trembled in response, her quiet sadness piercing the air and prickling my heart.
“You can bring him back,” I informed her softly, referring to her falcon. He’d started stirring around the time I’d stepped into Zeph’s path, which meant the beast would be back to full health soon. “Just use the same spell, and he’ll find his way up here. It just might take a few minutes to get through all the doors. Sir Kristoff will let him through since he’s tied to your essence.”
“I don’t want a new familiar,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“It won’t be a new familiar. We only get one.”
She shook her head, her cheeks glistening with fresh tears. “Zeph killed her.”
Her?I thought, frowning. I hadn’t gotten a good look at the falcon, but Aflora would know better than I would. Just as she would be able to sense that the bond still thrived if she went looking for it.
Night flew off my shoulder to perch on her nightstand, taking my mental cue through our connection.
“Aflora,” I murmured, sliding my arm around her shoulders. It was an awkward angle with her legs tucked partially beneath her, but she melted into my side, her body curling into mine as a single tear slipped from her eye.
“I thought the squawk...” She trailed off, her shoulders beginning to shake.
I followed her train of thought. “You thought Night was your falcon.” I didn’t bother pointing out that falcons didn’t sound the same at all. Her heart didn’t know the difference because Zeph had broken it with his cruelty.
“I’m sorry. This is... I’m being...”
“A familiar creates an unbreakable bond with its host,” I whispered, my lips brushing her temple. “That’s why you felt the pain from your falcon, sweetheart. But I promise you he, or rather she, is fine. A familiar can’t die unless his or her owner dies. Zeph was an asshole for not telling you that.”
Well, he was an asshole for a lot of things.
I gave her a reassuring squeeze and added, “Our familiars are created with the protector spell, meaning your falcon was born from the incantation. She’s tied to your existence, so she’ll always regenerate for as long as you’re alive.” Which, if I had it my way, would be for a very long time.
I swept her hair over her shoulder to palm the back of her neck and forced her to meet my gaze once more.
“Say Ahaminee,” I told her. “You don’t need your wand, just the spell.” It was a more advanced phrase than the one her textbook would have taught her initially, one I only knew because of my unique upbringing.
Becoming King of the Midnight Fae required a certain amount of defense instruction early on in my life. While I learned some things at the Academy, I mostly attended as a formality or a rite of passage.
Aflora studied me for a long moment as if debating whether or not to put her faith in me. I allowed her the time to consider her alternatives. She either believed me or she didn’t.
“There’s only one way to know the truth,” I whispered, catching the distrust in her gaze. I couldn’t blame her for being wary. While I might have gone out of my way to help her these last two months, it wasn’t all out of the goodness of my heart. I wanted her to survive for a multitude of reasons, one of which existed in my pants.
Hence our frequent dream sessions.
Which worsened my cravings for her rather than satisfying them, as tasting her only made me want to experience reality with her that much more.
“Ahaminee,” Aflora said, incredulity written into her tone and features. But there was enough power tied to it for the incantation to work. I felt the spell shimmering over the air, reaching out for her creation and beckoning her to join us.
When nothing immediately happened, Aflora’s gaze narrowed in suspicion. “It’s not a trick,” I promised her. “Just be patient.”
Her jaw clenched, but she gave me a stiff nod, choosing to believe me for a little bit longer.
I released her neck to stroke my hand up and down her back, lending her my strength in the process and caressing the energy vibrating around her aura.
It was a dangerous game to allow my power to mingle with hers. An intimacy I shouldn’t grant her. One that would infuriate the entire Council if they ever found out. Yet it came so naturally to me that I couldn’t stop it, my connection to dark magic thriving when in her presence because of our mating potential.
She relaxed considerably, her expression softening. “What are you doing?” she asked, her pupils dilating.
“Something I shouldn’t be doing,” I murmured, my fingertips trailing up to her throat to brush her quickening pulse.
She leaned into my touch, her eyes falling half-closed. “Why does it feel so good?”
“Because it’s meant to soothe you.” My thumb traced her jaw, my gaze tracking the movement. She had such soft skin, reminding me of a flower petal. Her lips were soft, too. Or I imagined them to be in our shared dreams. They looked soft now, plump and ripe. I licked my own, my mind wandering to a place it shouldn’t as I increased the intimacy of our connection.
She shivered, the power humming between us in synchronization. It’d be so easy for her to reach out, to take a sliver of my access to the source, but she didn’t. She merely basked in the glow, her eyes now fully closed in contentment.
Until a cooing sound caused them to spring open in surprise. Our link weakened as her focus went to the falcon swooping in from the hallway, her expression opening in excitement and pure joy. “Clove!”
Aflora’s familiar landed on the bed and shook out its feathers before peering menacingly my way.
Night cawed out a warning, but I sent a blast of security through our link, calming the animal before it picked a fight with the much larger bird. I wasn’t concerned about Night’s success—I knew he would win, as he always did—but I just didn’t want a repeat of the experience outside.
The falcon shifted closer to Aflora, its black eyes on me the entire time.
“I’m not a threat to your fae,” I informed the bird, lifting my hand for inspection. Not that it helped.
Familiars were resolutely protective of their owners, refusing to submit even to a Royal Fae of my caliber.
“The first rule you need to learn is how to communicate with your familiar via the bond you formed at the time of creation,” I said softly, careful not to provoke any emotions from her that might inspire retaliation from her new pet. “For example, I’m currently reassuring Night that you and Clove are not a threat to us. You should do the same for your falcon.”
“How do I do that?” she asked.
“Here, I’ll show you.” I slowly covered her hand with my own and opened our connection to begin a new tutorial on familiars and how to control them.
We covered a variety of spells all meant for calling our familiars to us. I also gave her some hints on how to properly defend herself and Clove when needed and even went into a handful of offensive incantations.
A hint of danger niggled at the back of my mind throughout our entire exchange, the notion that the method of my instruction posed significant risk to the crown, but Aflora never once tried to push, only using our link to learn and improve her own skills.
It took several hours, our familiars watching and bonding the entire time.
By the time we were finished, Aflora had propped herself up against her headboard, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles, with me right beside her. She wore the most satisfied grin, her blue eyes sparkling with life once more and confirming I’d more than completed the task of improving her mood.
She sighed in contentment as her falcon preened between us, its large wings feathered outward in a display of black and white. Aflora stroked the tips, her lips twitching. “You know you’re pretty, don’t you?”
“I do, yes,” I replied, fully aware she meant the compliment for the bird but accepting it for myself as well.
Aflora laughed and shook her head. “You’re so modest, Kols.”
“Extremely.” I waggled my brows at her. “We both know I’m attractive.”
“Do we?” She scratched her jaw, her gaze appraising me slowly. “Hmm, I guess you’re all right.”
“All right?” I repeated, arching one eyebrow. “Is your vision failing?”
She snorted, her carefree attitude warming me inside.
Because I did that.
Iput that smile on her kissable lips.
Iimproved her day.
And it pleased me to no end to see her resulting happiness now.
She held my gaze, her smile slipping into something more heated as she considered me with a growing seriousness. “You’re more than all right,” she whispered, her tongue slipping out to dampen her lips. “You’re very much more.”
“More what?” I asked her, aware of the risky tightrope we both stood upon and daring to take a step forward. “Much more what?”
She angled toward me, her palm falling to the small space on the mattress between us. “Handsome,” she whispered, her glimmering blue eyes falling to my mouth.
“Just handsome?” I asked, leaning into her magnetic pull.
She swallowed, her hooded gaze lifting to mine. “More than handsome.” She brought her hand to my cheek, her opposite one still situated between us. “You’re gorgeous, Kolstov.”
“No.” I cupped the back of her neck, angling her head to the exact place I wanted it, my lips very nearly brushing hers. “You’re the one who is gorgeous, Aflora,” I corrected her. “Fucking irresistible.”
She shuddered, her sweet breath a kiss I could no longer deny. I captured her mouth on her next inhale, my tongue sliding in to duel with hers a hairsbreadth of a second later, and our worlds came crashing down together in unison.
I felt the intrusion deep inside, the rightness of our embrace locking us together in an intimacy that would never end.
She was beneath me in the next moment, my hips settling between hers as I pinned her to the bed. Months of foreplay between our minds led to this, our bodies coming together like two magnets that had finally removed the barrier between us.
That barrier was a reality I felt slipping away.
Cascading us both into a dangerous oblivion neither of us could deny.
“Aflora,” I murmured, my teeth skimming her lower lip.
I should stop this.
Should roll off the bed and walk out the door.
But fuck if my body would listen to my mind.
There’d been ample opportunities for her to access my power. Why would she do it now?
Because you’re distracted, a dark part of me reminded.
Only, she appeared just as distracted beneath me with her eyes closed, her body arching up into mine, seeking more.
I kissed a path down her neck, my incisors achingly close to her seductive pulse.
No, I told myself, quivering deep within. That’s not for you.
Oh, but the rest of her I could taste. Could lick. Could nibble. Could explore.
“Tell me to stop,” I whispered, my hands on the hem of her shirt, clenching harshly against the fabric. “Tell me to leave.”
She shook her head, her little pants of need music to my ears. “I’ve dreamt of this so many times,” she admitted, her voice breathy and so fucking sexy. “I want you, Kols. I know... I know the risk. I know this is wrong. I know we shouldn’t.” She groaned, her nails biting into the back of my neck as she caught my gaze. “But I need to know this. Please.”