8. Kols
KOLS
I glareddown at the message from Emelyn, not in the mood to deal with her bullshit. Alas, I had no choice but to appease the bitch. I couldn’t risk her finding out I mate-bonded Aflora. Not because I cared about Emelyn’s emotional reaction—which, I imagined, would be violent considering I was supposed to mate her, not Aflora—but because I knew Emelyn would go straight to her father with the information.
And he would go to my father.
Sighing, I typed out a response regarding her outfit question and hit Send. Then added, Not that we’re going together. Because no, we were not attending the Blood Gala as a couple.
Talk to your father, she replied. He’s the one mandating we make a public appearance, Prince.
I rolled my eyes because I heard the derisive snort on the end of that sentence. Consider it done. We’re not going.
Good, she shot back.
Good, I repeated at her.
Then I put my phone down on the coffee table and ran my fingers through my hair. “Fuck,” I muttered, exhausted. My father had been trying to force my hand with Emelyn Jyn for several years. Neither of us was keen on the arrangement, nor did we have much say in it.
Her father, Lima, was Malik Nacht’s right-hand man. They’d established the agreement between our families years ago, deciding that crossing the birth lines would produce one hell of an heir.
Sure, Emelyn and I would create a powerful child.
But that required us to fuck, which would never happen.
She despised me almost as much as I despised her. And there was only one female I wanted in my bed right now—the one walking through the door with my brother and his mate. Mmm, I loved her legs in that skirt and boots combo. But I didn’t particularly care for the wary expression upon finding me sitting in the living area.
Aflora was not going to forgive me easily. I hadn’t betrayed her trust, at least not intentionally. However, her blue eyes said I’d destroyed every bridge we’d built, landing me near the top of her dislike list.
I cleared my throat and stood. “Your packages arrived and have been put away.”
“By you?” she asked, sounding displeased at the prospect.
“Yes, but you can reorganize however you want.”
She lifted her chin a notch upward, lengthening her regal neck. “I will.”
Yep. Definitely not going to forgive me anytime soon.
Tray cleared his throat before I could reply, not that I really had a response. “Aflora, sing again.”
My brow furrowed at the bizarre request. “What?”
“Quiet,” he snapped at me, focusing on my gorgeous mate instead. “Sing again.”
She cleared her throat. “It’s just a ballad my mom taught me.”
He nodded. “And I want Kols to hear it. Please.”
Uh…I looked at Ella for an explanation, but her concerned gaze was on Aflora. My mate twisted her hands in front of her and cleared her throat. Then she began to hum, and I swore my heart stopped at the hypnotic sound.
I gaped at her, amazed by the sweet notes leaving her mouth. Ballad was an understatement. Aflora resembled a siren, her voice tugging at my very soul.
Mine, I thought. This beautiful creature is mine.
Except she hated me at the moment.
We weren’t supposed to be together.
And our little mating quad might end up killing us all in the end.
Minor details.
I nearly snorted at my mental gymnastics, only Tray’s intense expression caught my attention. He was trying to tell me something with his gaze. I frowned, not understanding.
Aflora was a gifted singer. So what?
Except then her words began to register.
The ancient language she spoke was one I’d only heard in whispers throughout my upbringing. It was an ancient dialect of Midnight Fae that supposedly died with the Quandary Bloods.
The Council had maintained hints of the spells in our historical documents. Particularly, the most violent of potential enchantments.
Which was what she uttered now—a string of promises to realign the source through an incantation only Quandary Bloods understood. It sounded so hypnotically beautiful coming from her mouth. I could almost feel myself slipping into her thrall, willing her to carry out the threat lurking behind her bewitching melody.
“Aflora,” I breathed, stepping toward her as if to pull her into my arms.
But then the music stopped, and her blue eyes clouded over in distrust, her own feet carrying her backward and into Ella’s side.
I blinked. Right. Tray and Ella didn’t know about my attachment to Aflora. And I needed to keep it that way to protect them, because if they found out about what happened the other night, they’d be forced to speak to the Council or face severe punishments for conspiring to hide us.
This whole thing was a fucking mess.
“Who taught you that song?” Tray demanded, his dark gaze hard.
Aflora swallowed. “My mother did, many years ago.”
Tray glanced at me, his brown brow cocked upward. I stared back at him, telling him with my expression that I’d handle it. This was my job, not his. I’d go to Exos and Cyrus, see if they could give me some history on her background. The Earth Fae she grew up with was part of their mating circle. Maybe he’d know something useful.
“How could Aflora know a forbidden song about the realignment of power?” Ella asked, telling me that Tray had explained what the song meant before they arrived. Great. I hoped he was at least quiet about it.
“Maybe her mother heard it from someone,” I suggested, thinking on my feet. “And she didn’t understand the meaning, so she hummed it to Aflora as a little girl. The Elemental Fae wouldn’t recognize it, so her mother wouldn’t have thought much of it.”
“Sure. That’s one theory,” Tray said, still looking at me.
I dared him with my gaze to voice another. The tick in his jaw told me he wanted to, but not in front of Ella and Aflora. Likely because his speculation would be damning to my mate. Not that he knew we’d mated.
Well, he suspected it.
While he hadn’t expressly admitted it, I knew he was aware that I’d slept with Aflora. My twin had taken one look at the aftermath of her room, glowered at me, and stalked off. There was really only one thing that could have made me react like that, and it’d come from a very emotional place, brought on by sleeping with Aflora.
I only hoped he didn’t suspect the bond, or we’d be in a world of hurt. Not because I didn’t trust him, but because he’d end up risking himself and Ella to protect my actions. And I couldn’t let him suffer on my behalf.
I cleared my throat. “Look. It’s been a long fucking night. Hell, it’s been a long fucking week. We can worry about the song later. Just… don’t hum or repeat the words in public, yeah?” That part was directed at Aflora.
She nodded in reply, then pulled her cloak around her like a blanket. Or maybe she considered it a shield. Regardless, there wasn’t much we could do right now. I explained that to Tray with another look, one he conceded to with a nod.
Then I refocused on Aflora. “Come on. I want to show you what I did to your room.” I didn’t wait for her to acknowledge my request, just turned and headed to the hallway off to the left of the living area.
I passed the study area, guest room, and Tray’s quarters and paused at Aflora’s upgraded door. She appeared a minute later, her shoulders bowed a little as she met me alone in the corridor. Ella had probably told her to yell if I caused any trouble.
Given the tension in the air, that wouldn’t take much.
With a whispered spell, I called for the new key I’d created earlier and sent it to hover in front of her. Her blue irises swirled with power as she studied it. “What’s this?”
“Your key,” I told her. “It’s programmed to recognize your magic. I tied it to your wand, which is on your bed inside.”
“Why do I need a key?”
“Because I put a lock on your door, and that”—I gestured to the ornate metal rotating in the air between us—“is the only thing that can open it.”
Her ebony lashes flickered. “You made me a lock?”
“Yes.”
“One you can’t override?” She sounded disbelieving.
“Yes,” I repeated. “I never should have said it was my room. An excuse won’t make up for it, so instead, all I’ll say is I’m sorry and I hope you’ll accept my apology in the form of reinforced privacy.”
She gaped at me. “You’re apologizing?”
“Yes,” I said for a third time.
“Really?”
“Do you want me to go onto my knees, too?” I asked her. “Beg a little?”
Her lips twitched. “Actually?—”
“No.” The only way I’d kneel for her was if she spread her legs and welcomed my tongue between her thighs. I allowed her to see that knowledge in my gaze, the very real fire burning inside me just for her. My mate.
Fuck, that was going to take some getting used to.
Yet I couldn’t deny how right it felt between us. Maybe because of her Elemental Fae influence. We were level-three bonded, which, in her world, made it pretty fucking permanent. As did my bite as a Midnight Fae.
Yeah, Aflora and I were tied together indefinitely.
Whether we liked it or not.
Her vibrant eyes held mine for a beat, then she swallowed and grabbed the key to try it in the door. Magic hummed around us, the mechanism searching out Aflora’s identity before allowing her entry. “It’s similar to a gargoyle but without the added nuisance,” I explained softly.
“What happens if I misplace the key?” she asked as the wood whispered open.
“There’s a spell you can use to call it to you, like the one I just recited.” I spoke the incantation again, this time slower, and she murmured it back to me, which caused her key to jump out of the door and hover in front of her face again.
She smiled at it. “That’s handy.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
Her amusement dimmed a little, whether at my words or the thought of entering her room, I wasn’t sure. But I suspected it was the latter when she steeled her spine and stepped through the threshold. I waited by the entrance, not wanting to disrupt her perusal of the room.
She set her key on the nightstand, admired the new bed, draped her cloak over the blue comforter—the same shade as her eyes—and then focused on the shimmering magic near her window.
I waited for her reaction, unsure of what she’d think of the enhancement. “What is this?” she asked, squatting down beside the makeshift pot.
“It’s, uh, a gift,” I replied, palming the back of my neck. “Our flowers and general vegetation are a bit different here, but Mistress Marigold said this will bloom with a fairy plant if properly cared for. And so, I bought you one.” It seemed lame now, like some sort of lackluster apology present. But it’d felt right when I was working on redecorating the room.
“Mistress Marigold?” Aflora glanced at me. “Who’s that?”
“One of the Academy caretakers.” I swallowed the lump growing in my throat, irritated by its presence. Since when did I feel nervous around females?
Ridiculous.
With a shake of my head, I focused on my surroundings instead of on Aflora.
“Mistress Marigold is in charge of the residence halls. After I finished cleaning everything up in here, I consulted with her on ways to make it a little more Elemental Fae friendly. She suggested the plant. So I ordered it. But if you don’t like it, I can take it back. Actually, if there’s anything you don’t like, just let me know. I’ll return it. This is your space. You choose.”
And, wow, since when did I fucking ramble?
This chick was giving me a headache just by existing.
I winced. Yeah. Not the best thought. Right. “I’m going to bed,” I announced. Some sleep would help me sort out my behavior. Maybe a hand job, too. With thoughts of Aflora.
Ah, fuck. Just the notion of it had me hardening in my pants. This mating business sucks!
“Kols!” she called after me. I’d already gotten to the door of my room, my feet carrying me away from her as if I were running from a fire.
I paused and didn’t look at her. “Yeah?”
“Thank you,” she whispered, the two words making me cringe.
I didn’t do this for her gratitude. I did this because… well, I couldn’t say why I went through all the trouble I did today other than I wanted to make it up to her. An apology of sorts to right a handful of wrongs. And I doubted I’d even achieved that. But at least she seemed to like it.
Rather than reply, I just nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and disappeared into my quarters.
I needed some sleep.
Tomorrow, I’d dig into her past.
Starting by meeting with a pair of Elemental Fae Kings.
I sent a notification off to Cyrus, knowing it might be a few hours before he caught it. His kind weren’t as big into technology as Midnight Fae, but someone would pass along my request.
Then we’d chat.
Likely in the Human Realm.
At least I’d get some much-needed blood. Sex, not so much.
I winced and picked up my phone again and shot Zeph a text. Celibacy isn’t my thing.
His response arrived a minute later. No shit.
Come over. He would know why I sent the text.
Just as I understood his response. Be there in five.
Playing with each other didn’t break any mating rules, particularly as we were all set in this quad together. Besides, if Aflora wanted to come over and join us, we’d both be game. But something told me it would be a while before she’d even consider the opportunity.
Which meant we would just need to work that much harder to convince her.
I always did adore a challenge, especially a forbidden one. As did Zeph. Together we’d break her resolve. Not just in her dreams, but also in her bed, with our mouths and tongues and hands. Until she couldn’t stand the thought of breathing without us. And then we’d truly make her ours.
Because fuck the consequences.
Aflora was already mine.