32. Aflora
A Month Later
I sat at the counter,watching as Zeph cooked an orc steak on the grill pan.
Zakkai stood near him, his brow furrowed. “Is it supposed to be purple like that?”
“Sometimes,” I replied. “It can be blue, too.”
His nose crinkled. “How appetizing.”
“It is,” I insisted, my stomach growling in anticipation as Zeph flipped the steak over.
Kols and Shade were at the table sharing some pasta dish they’d just picked up in Rome. Because my Elite Blood mate was obsessed with Italian food, something I’d learned over the last month in this realm.
We’d spent most of our weeks here in Shade’s home on the cliffs, indulging in our bonds and enjoying a much-needed break from Midnight Fae life.
However, Shade and Zakkai had left a few times to “tie up loose ends.” Which I translated to mean meeting with Lucifer, meeting with Zen, and generally supervising the former Councilmen.
They’d also tracked down Dakota, as she’d been missing from the ascension ritual. I wasn’t sure what they’d done to her, but I’d felt her life strand sever from the source. Which told me she was dead. I just didn’t ask how, because I preferred not to know.
And Kols had gone back home twice to see Tray and his parents. He and his father were still on uncomfortable terms, but at least they were talking. Tray had also moved out with Ella, and they were residing in Massachusetts right now at the Nacht Estates.
I intended to go visit them next week, as I missed them.
But for now, I was content to just be here. Relaxing. Living. And preparing for our next steps.
Which was pretty straightforward—we needed a new Midnight Fae Council.
While most of the Councilmen had been under Constantine’s control, it remained to be seen how long they’d been suffering from his power trip. They’d also lost the faith of Midnight Fae kind. As had the Elders. Even those like Kols’s great-grandfather, who had been put into a magically induced coma by Constantine, were no longer trusted.
Therefore, we were proposing a new Council and allocating advisory positions to take over for the former Elders.
“Have you spoken to Tadmir about Stiggis and Cordelia?” I asked Shade.
He finished swallowing his bite of food and nodded. “Yeah, he’s still talking to them about the Council. I think he wants them to shadow him for a bit first since neither of them was ever really prepared to take over. Well, Stiggis was to an extent, but not Cordelia. And I think she might be the better option.”
“She’s certainly more even-keeled than her brother,” Zeph agreed. “Minus losing her shit over your infidelity.”
Shade snorted. “It was an arranged marriage front that gave me access to Tadmir.”
“I don’t think the poor girl saw it that way,” Zeph drawled. “Hence my questioning her ability to be on the Council. Anyone who loses their mind over you is clearly not stable.”
“Don’t mind him,” Kols said, setting down his fork and reaching for his beer. “He’s just sour that you won’t suck his cock.”
“And he wonders why I won’t,” Shade muttered.
My Warrior Blood mate glowered while Zakkai grinned, entertained by their bickering. “Well, I think Cordelia has potential,” Zeph said. “But I’m disappointed that Tray won’t join.”
“He doesn’t want to have anything to do with Midnight Fae politics right now after they almost killed his mate,” Kols replied, glancing at me. “I can’t say I blame him.”
“We’ll give him time.” Which was what I’d said earlier this week when Kols had delivered the news about his twin turning down the Council position. “Change doesn’t happen overnight, which is why we have a mix of ages and expertise on the Council.”
Shade’s mom had agreed to join, so long as Shade sat with her. She was a timid woman after being kept in the dark for a thousand years. But we would be patient and work with her on reform.
Zen had also turned down a position, stating she had other obligations to the Hell Fae King to fulfill first. But she’d agreed to act as an advisor so long as we ventured to the Hell Fae realm to visit her.
Kols’s father would serve as an Elder, but a well-watched one.
And Vadim had agreed to an Elder position as well.
“What are we going to do about Svart and Chern?” I asked, referring to the Warrior Blood and Sangré Blood Councilmen.
Zakkai was the clear choice for the Quandary Blood position, with Laki as his Second. Kols had taken the Elite Blood leadership role—where he would wait until Tray either agreed to take over or perhaps join as his Second-in-Command. And Shade had agreed to the Death Blood mantle, with his mother serving as his Second.
All of us looked expectantly at Zeph.
Who proceeded to say, “No,” for the thousandth time.
I sighed. “You’re a clear choice for the Warrior Blood Councilman position, and you know it.”
“I have a duty to guard my queen, not play politician. So no.”
My lips pinched to the side as I glanced at Kols. So stubborn.
Tell me about it, he replied. We might need Shade to suck his cock after all.
I laughed out loud, causing them all to look at me.
Kols merely smirked.
I cleared my throat and acted as though I hadn’t just snorted a laugh in front of all of them, and refocused on the Councilmen discussion.
But Zeph was adamantly against joining.
So we started going through other names and making a list of whom to visit. Chern was on our potentially trust list. He hadn’t been consumed by Constantine’s power, but he also hadn’t been for his plans at all. He’d apparently voted down several of the Council decisions but had been ignored in favor of the majority.
What concerned me was that they claimed those decisions had been unanimous.
So either he was lying—huge possibility—or Constantine had lied—also a huge possibility.
Regardless, we were watching him. And he couldn’t remain on the Council.
“We don’t have to figure it out today,” Zeph said, sliding a plate of orc steak with a side of berries my way. “That’s the beauty of time.”
“At least in this path,” Shade interjected.
A few of us smiled at him, then silence filled the dining area as we all ate our respective meals. Zeph had apparently made beef steaks for himself and Zakkai, which, gross. Their penchant for eating animals in this realm was seriously unnerving.
I’d sooner try a stonepecker.
Shuddering, I cut off a piece of orc and brought it to my lips as a commotion sounded outside near the in-ground pool.
Zakkai groaned as Zimney howled. “Your fucking snake is going to drown one of these days,” he said, looking at Zeph.
“He sees your beast as an equal and just wants to play,” Zeph returned. “I’m not going to stop him.”
More splashing sounded, followed by Clove chittering as she chastised the animals for roughhousing.
Draco swooped in through a window to huddle on Shade’s shoulder, his bat wings vibrating with irritation.
Then Kols’s crow landed on the windowsill with an expectant look.
I studied them all and shook my head.
This was my life now, filled with crazy familiars, stubborn alpha mates, and a future with no end date.
Zeph’s irises smoldered as he caught my gaze, his mind prodding mine and hearing my thoughts.
Which meant I could hear his and the plans he had for me later in the garden.
He kept making all these jokes about seeds and growth.
Each time, I rolled my eyes, but inside, his puns spoke to my Earth Fae heart.
Yeah, this wasn’t a bad life at all.
Actually, it was a pretty amazing one. Surrounded by beautiful men. Protective familiars. Magical spells. And bonds built to withstand eternity.
My heart blossomed with joy as my thighs clenched with anticipation.
Earth Fae were all about creating and joy.
And I couldn’t think of anything or anyone who brought me more joy than my four handsome mates.
You have five minutes to finish that, Zeph told me. Then I want to play a game of “hide the snake in the garden.”
I looked at him. Well, good. Because I could use a little seed.
He smiled. I’ll give you more than a little, pixie flower.
I can’t wait, I whispered back to him.
And I meant it willingly.
Who needed orc steak when I had four ready and willing mates to fill me up?
I stood up and waved a spell that disintegrated my clothes. “Come and get me,” I said, taking off for the garden with a chorus of growls in my wake.
Definitely an amazing life,I thought, grinning when the first of them caught me just as I reached the flower bed. One I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
Now I knew what it was like to wake from a nightmare and be fully immersed in a dream.
A dream built to last for an eternity.
With four sexy Midnight Fae mates.
And a future that was entirely our own.
No more meddling. No more games. Just me and my mates. For the rest of time.
Thank you for reading Midnight Fae Academy. This story and world captured a piece of my heart. The voices were so powerful, and the world captivated me in a way few others have. And now Aflora has finally received the happily-ever-after she deserved. I couldn’t be more thrilled for her and her mates, and I hope you loved them as much as I do. 3
You might be wondering what’s next in the fae universe… The epilogue that follows will answer this and much more. Enjoy.