15. Kols
Shade met me outside,his expression giving nothing away as I carried a naked and replete Aflora toward him.
Several Midnight Fae had gathered around the area, the energy radiating from the building behind me an electric spire everyone had sensed. Aflora had detonated four times over the last few hours, the first three during combat and the final one during sex.
I hadn’t witnessed the others, only the fourth.
And it’d been a sight to behold.
But she would not approve of everyone looking upon her now in this state, something I whispered into Shade’s mind as I approached.
He responded by wrapping us both up in a black cloak and shadowing us to a meadow bathed in moonlight. I frowned, glancing around.
“It’s my place, the one I keep taking Aflora to,” he explained. “Still within the paradigm, but not on Academy grounds.” He cocked his head. “I’ll show you.” He led the way toward a tree… and stepped through it.
With a raised brow, I followed and found myself in a modest room with a big bed, a living area, and a small kitchen. “Ah, this is where you’ve lived when not on campus, too.” I could tell because it smelled like him. Which meant he stayed here often.
He shrugged. “My grandmother is nearby. I visited enough over the years that she decided I needed my own place.” He started toward the bed but passed it on his way to a set of double doors. “I think she also foresaw my desire to share a private space with Aflora, but I really don’t want to think about what prompted that vision.”
I smirked. “We all know what prompted it.”
“Yeah, like I said, that doesn’t mean I want to think about it.” He disappeared through the doors.
I trailed behind him, pausing on the threshold as he bent over a large bathtub—that was the size of a small pool—rimmed with marble benches for seating and a stone exterior for decoration. He turned on the water, then tested it with his hand before clicking a button that increased the flow of water and stopped it from draining.
Aflora remained unconscious against me while he worked, completely oblivious to the salts and scents he added to perfect the bath.
It took nearly fifteen minutes, his work studious and meticulously planned.
When he finished, he stripped off his clothes.
Then he stepped into the water and sank down into it before turning on the soft purr of the jets. He didn’t turn off the faucet, but it changed to a more subtle flow, the drain seeming to work in tandem with the incoming water. It appeared to be cycling somehow, which made it ideal for bathing because the bath would continue to refresh itself.
Give her to me,he whispered into my mind, holding out his arms for her.
I walked over to do as he asked, mostly because it was clear he intended for me to join them. The tub could have fit Aflora and all her mates, making it ideal for whatever he had in mind.
I removed my button-down shirt, slacks, and shoes in the closet beside the bathroom. Then I returned to join Aflora and Shade in the tub.
He had her head on his shoulder, his arms around her to ensure she stayed above the water.
“There’s a comb over there,” he said softly, gesturing with his chin to some of the supplies he’d set beside the tub. I hadn’t caught all the items he’d grabbed, but noted now that they were all things meant to help cleanse and care for Aflora.
I picked up the item he’d mentioned and used it to brush through her knotted strands.
The jets kept the water warm and moving, the scents all relaxing and obviously meant for healing.
Aflora slowly came to while I drew the comb through her dark hair, her eyes going to Shade and then to me. She stretched her legs a little, then lifted her head to give me better access to her strands.
No words were spoken, just emotion as she let us take care of her.
We all knew what had happened, how Zakkai and Zeph had joined inside her. I’d detailed it to Shade while I’d watched, wanting him to know what they were doing to Aflora and how she was taking it.
He’d been concerned at first—as had I—but I’d trusted Zakkai and Zeph not to truly hurt her. And they hadn’t. If anything, they’d taken her to new heights.
It’d been strange to see Zeph with another man, but I’d felt his emotions the whole time. He hadn’t been with Zakkai out of love or desire, but out of a need to prove to Aflora that he accepted all her mates.
It’d been their way of ensuring trust within our circle.
I’d accepted that.
As had Shade.
“How are you feeling?” he asked Aflora after several minutes of soft silence.
She didn’t answer for a moment, her focus on stretching her legs and arms once more as she languidly lounged against him. “Relaxed,” she said. “Used, in a good way. Sore.”
I set the comb down and picked up some bodywash that Shade had procured. It would dissolve into the bath, but with the way the jets seemed to work, it’d cycle through and replenish with clean water.
Aflora allowed me to run the soap over her arms and along her torso, down to her legs. It wasn’t as precise as a shower, but it worked, and it gave me an excuse to check her thoroughly for bruising and any pain points.
She didn’t flinch at all, her body seeming to be utterly relaxed between us.
I sensed her reaching out to check on Zeph and Zakkai, her lips curling slightly at finding them passed out.
Well, I assumed they were both asleep, anyway, because I could sense Zeph resting contentedly. He and Zakkai had been in charge of most of Aflora’s physical training, leaving both males more exhausted than me and Shade.
I’d led more of the open dialogue on what Constantine might plan, providing as much background and detail of my own trials as possible. I’d also instructed her on how to listen to the source, something she seemed to be doing more and more. Today’s episode was certainly proof of that—or at least, it’d been the first time I’d seen her accept power directly from the source itself.
Shade had assisted her in other ways, mostly teaching her escape mechanisms and helping her to master shadowing.
He kissed her cheek as she moved off his lap to sit between us. Then she sighed as her head fell back. “This bathtub is better than spritemead.”
I chuckled at her drunk-like comment.
Shade merely smiled. “Glad you approve, little rose.”
“Definitely approve,” she murmured, her legs lifting to kick slightly. “This has to be a Water Fae’s wet dream.” She snorted a laugh at her own joke, then covered her mouth as she giggled.
“I’ll have to send Cyrus notes,” I drawled. The Water Fae King would certainly enjoy playing in a tub like this. Although, I suspected he already had one.
Aflora giggled again, then slipped off her bench with a true laugh. Shade grabbed her arm to pull her back up onto the seat between us, and she shook out her wet hair with a happy sound that made my lips curl.
“You’re quite fun while drunk on sex,” I informed her, my palm going to her thigh to hold her in place beside me.
She stilled. Then her hand went to mine to draw it higher. I glanced sideways at her, grinning when I found her peeking at me through a curtain of dark, damp strands. Her pupils were blown wide, her plump lips begging to be kissed.
Even after all that she’d been through with Zakkai and Zeph, she still craved more.
That was what the dark source could do—it revitalized and recharged, providing ample energy to the one wielding the direct link. And she had the earth source inside her, too.
I cupped her tenderly between her legs, watching her expression as I drew my finger through her slit. She rested against me in response, her eyes closing.
Is she swollen? Shade asked, his icy gaze locked on her face.
I dipped a finger inside her and shook my head. No, she feels like she always does. Wet and ready. I leaned in to kiss her mouth, wanting to taste her. She opened for me, her tongue dancing with mine as I stroked her beneath the water.
Her hand rested on my wrist, her nails digging into my skin to encourage my movements. Then she released me and reached for Shade, pulling him to her and kissing him thoroughly.
He languidly indulged her, his palm on her thigh in a similar location to mine moments ago.
I nibbled her neck, my tongue skimming her pulse. It was steady and slow, her movements relaxed.
After her fevered experience with Zakkai and Zeph, it was clear she wanted something a little less hectic. Something more tender and sensual, and Shade and I were more than willing to give her that.
Whatever she wanted or needed, we’d provide.
Even if it was just holding her while she slept.
She shifted away from me to straddle Shade, her arms circling his neck as she continued to engage him in a tender kiss. Not hot or intense, just filled with emotion and love. I felt the emotions thriving through our bond, her contentment to just exist and hold him, her gratitude over everything he’d sacrificed, and her desire to worship him the way he always worshipped her.
She angled her hips to take him inside her, a soft moan parting her full lips as he filled her to the hilt. Then she pulled her mouth from his and focused on me.
“Kols,” she whispered, begging me to come closer with her passion-filled gaze. She held out her hand for me as well, ensuring I understood what she wanted.
I drifted toward them in the water, my lips finding hers on impulse as I pressed my palm to her lower back to push her back into Shade. She gasped against me, his hips sliding up at the same time, filling her once more. The water made us all buoyant, creating a languorous rhythm between them.
Her lips left mine to travel down my neck, where she nibbled my pulse.
Then I locked gazes with Shade, his irises smoldering as she rocked against him. His arousal touched our bond, his need an icy kiss to my senses.
I’d never really felt his desire.
He’d always hidden it from me before.
But I sensed it now, our bond wide open and accepting.
Aflora’s teeth sank into my neck, drawing a surprised hiss from my chest. Then she swallowed my essence on a groan, her body seemingly possessed by dark magic.
She’s learning to embrace her Midnight Fae inclinations, I thought at Shade.
Yes, he agreed, his palm lifting to cup the back of her head. She’s finally realizing who she is.
Our queen.
Our queen, he echoed on a groan as she righted herself, my blood painting her lips.
He stared up at her through hooded eyes, his hunger spiking through our bond.
Then he pulled her down to lick my essence from her mouth, strengthening our connection to the next level.
It was impulsive.
Yet right.
And it sent a shock wave through my system.
“Take me to bed,” Aflora whispered against his mouth. “I want you both to take me to bed.”