Chapter Fifteen
Aelia
“Did you see their faces?” Symon chuckled around a heaping bite of lamb stew as we sat around the banquet table in the dining hall. “They had no idea what our little Kin could do.” He grinned at me indulgently.
“Let’s hope they never see the full extent of it,” I muttered in return.
Rue leaned closer, hunching over the table as she whispered, “But you seem to be well in control of your powers, right, A?”
I nodded. “I have been.” Surprisingly, so.
It was as if returning to Luce had severed the ties to my grandfather.
Or again, it could have been Reign and the intensifying cuorem.
The more we made love, the closer we became, the stronger our bond grew.
I was certain soon it would be enough to overpower Helroth’s hold.
And perhaps, the Night King knew it too.
In fact, I often wondered if that was why he’d struck that night when the cuorem was still new and fragile.
But how would he have known we’d completed the bond? Unless Liora had told him.
I eyed Reign’s other acquisition at the end of the table. She sat beside Belmore and Ariadne, chatting away.
Rue must have followed my line of sight because a grunt of disgust pursed her lips. “I still can’t believe Ruhl and her…” She gagged, forcing a giggle to tumble out.
“Oh, stop it. She’s gorgeous,” Sy cut in. “Why wouldn’t he want her?”
“Because there’s just something wrong about her.” Rue’s nostrils flared as if she could sniff out the truth somehow. “Don’t you agree, A?”
“There’s definitely something off. I just can’t quite put my finger on it.”
“You two are crazy.”
“And you’re just blinded by lust,” Rue shot back.
“Speaking of…” Symon’s gaze lifted over my friend’s shoulder as Devin strode through the doors of the dining hall. In the past few nights since my return to the academy, I’d had our dorm to myself… well, Reign and I, anyway.
“I’m so happy things are going well between the two of you,” I whispered before he reached our table.
“Yes, everything’s wonderful.” A silly grin curled my friend’s lips.
“It seems as if I’m the only sorry bastard stuck without a mate.” His gaze flickered to Liora once again.
“Don’t you dare,” I hissed.
“What? It would only be sex, little Kin. You know my heart will forever belong to you and your formerly perfectly rounded ears.”
Rolling my eyes, I dug my elbow into my friend’s side. “Can’t you find someone else? Please! Anyone but Liora.”
He huffed out a breath. “Fine…”
“Cheers to that,” Rue and I breathed in unison just as Devin reached our table.
He dropped a kiss to the top of Rue’s head, and a rosy hue blanketed her cheeks. Raysa, they were cute together. I’d never seen my best friend so flustered over a male, and it made my heart happy.
Devin folded into the seat beside her, then filched a roasted potato wedge from her plate and popped it into his mouth. “So, what are we chatting about?”
The three of us exchanged conspiratorial glances before Rue waved a dismissive hand. “Nothing important.”
“It’s definitely time for a subject change,” Sy mumbled around another bite.
“I think I have something interesting for us to discuss.” Liora materialized over my friend’s shoulder, flashing an eager smile. “I heard the infamous Bacchanalia is happening tonight in Arcanum.” She waggled her light brows, and my stomach heaved.
Had she heard about the Shadow Fae party from Ruhl? He wasn’t still speaking to her, was he?
Rue clapped her hands, a sharp squeal squeezing through her teeth. “This is perfect! If you all recall, the fabled event is legendary across the academy and beyond.”
“You can’t be serious,” I blurted. “Do none of you remember what happened last time we snuck over there?” I peered at each one of my friends, Liora included.
Both she and Rue had consumed questionable potions and had been unconscious for some portion of the evening.
Not to mention the fact that it had been the ill-fated night in which I’d been captured by Helroth.
“That wasn’t a real Bacchanalia.” Rue waved a dismissive hand. “Only a tiny taste. Besides, it’ll be different this time, A,” she continued, “Reign can come with us.”
I nearly choked on a laugh. As if my broody mate would ever agree to a night of unsanctioned, wanton revelry across the Luminoc.
The moment I stepped inside the dark ballroom of Arcanum Citadel, the air changed. It crackled, wild and thick with nox, perfumed smoke, and something else... something darker. Lust. Power. Chaos. This was no ordinary celebration. This was a true Bacchanalia.
And I was walking straight into it, fingers laced with my cuoré’s, the Shadow and Light of us drawing stares like moths to flame.
Anyone with eyes could see he was more than my mentor and I more than his student.
But tonight, apparently, Reign didn’t care.
He wanted everyone to know I was his. I could feel the possessive surge through our bond, his barely restrained emotions coiled tight beneath his skin.
Gilded sconces burned low, casting molten shadows on the black marble walls.
Scarlet and amethyst orbs drifted lazily above the crowd, pulsing with each beat of the haunting music.
Velvet drapes hung like liquid blood, hiding alcoves where moans and bodies tangled in equal measure.
The entire place was drenched in hedonism.
The cuorem pulsed to life at my core, ignited by the scent of sex in the air. I squeezed my thighs together to quell the sudden burst of heat.
Rue gasped beside me. “Oh, gods, I want to live here.”
Devin was already pulling her toward a glittering bar made of onyx and bone. Symon grinned as he downed something that glowed green, eyes sparkling with mischief— where he’d gotten a drink so quickly, I had no idea. And Liora had vanished into the shadows soon after we’d arrived, of course.
I glanced up at Reign. He hated everything about this. I didn’t even need the cuorem to know that.
The only reason he’d agreed to come at all was Malakar. He hoped to skulk away to the headmaster’s office and steal into his mind to determine his true intentions regarding the joint training sessions.
Reign’s jaw was tight, his shadows even tighter. They curled around his shoulders like wary sentries, reacting to the proximity of so much unbound power. His fingers never once loosened from mine.
“Relax,” I murmured, brushing my thumb across his knuckles. “I’m not going to get seduced by a Shadow Fae drunk on too much absinthe.”
His shadows flared, just slightly. “You assume I’m worried about you falling for someone else?”
“Aren’t you?”
“No,” he said, voice low and dark as obsidian. “I’m worried about the bodies I’ll leave behind if anyone touches you. In any capacity.”
I laughed. Gods, he was lethal and ridiculous. But truthfully, I didn’t entirely disagree with his assessment.
Everywhere we walked, eyes followed. Whispers trailed. They all recognized me, even here, deep in the heart of Arcanum, the girl who should’ve been dead.
And Reign? They believed they knew exactly who he was. The banished, disgraced Shadow Fae professor who’d betrayed his own kind to serve the Light at the Conservatory.
The tension thickened as we passed through the main hall toward the onyx fountain spilling spiced wine into a shallow pool surrounded by velvet cushions and bodies that writhed like smoke.
A flicker of dark shadows caught my eye, and I spun around.
Ruhl.
He lounged against a stone column, goblet in hand and hair loose around his face, with a smear of lipstick still fresh on his throat. The instant he saw me, he froze. The goblet slipped from his fingers and shattered at his feet.
Reign mumbled a curse beside me, but still we moved toward his brother.
“Aelia,” Ruhl murmured once we’d reached him, voice caught somewhere between surprise and disbelief.
“Ruhl,” I replied, even as Reign’s hand tightened around my own.
The Shadow heir pushed off the column, staggering slightly—as he had the last time I’d seen him—his eyes flicking from my face to our joined hands, as if he could somehow sense the ethereal cuorem between us. And despised it.
The anger that flared in his expression wasn’t subtle. “You’re here,” he said hollowly. “Why?”
“My friends forced me to come,” I replied, tilting my chin toward them.
“And you, brother?” He ticked his head at Reign. “What could possibly bring you to this depraved gathering?”
“I had my own reasons.”
“I bet you did.” A smirk tipped up the corners of his mouth. His eyes burned, but his voice came out cool as he regarded me. “And what’s the verdict? Is the infamous Bacchanalia all you could have imagined and more?”
I smirked right back. “I’ve seen better orgies.”
A choked laugh escaped Symon nearby. I hadn’t even realized he’d been listening as he guzzled down another potion—where was he getting them? This one was a vibrant purple in hue. Raysa, that would not turn out well.
Reign didn’t move, but I could feel the shadows curling tighter around his spine, his nox and his raging jealousy held only by the thinnest thread of self-control.
“Enjoy your evening, then. I know I will relish mine.” Ruhl looked like he wanted to say more, but he just shook his head and turned away, vanishing into a dark corner of the chamber without another word.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding as soon as he disappeared.
“Are you alright?” Reign asked.
I nodded. “I just hate the tension between us. Between all of us.”
“You know I nearly threw my brother through that blasted column, right?”
“I do,” I said, brushing my shoulder against his. “That’s why I didn’t let go of your hand.”
Before Reign could reply, Devin and Rue reappeared, my best friend holding two glowing drinks and zero inhibitions remaining.
“Did we just witness a passive-aggressive standoff between two handsome princes over a female in a den of pure debauchery? Because that’s peak academia drama, and I am so here for it. ”
I groaned, but I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips. Even in a dark lair of orgies and shadows, she could lighten the mood.
“Go find Malakar,” I whispered to Reign.
“As if I would ever leave you alone in this place.” His lip curled in disgust.
“I won’t be alone. I’ll have Rue, Devin and Symon with me.” I ticked my head at my friends, who were now taking turns pouring vials of colorful liquids down each other’s throats.
He grunted, following my line of sight. “That’s not in the least bit comforting, starlight.”
“Just go, Reign. Otherwise, this entire night will have been a complete waste of our time.”
His hand lingered on my waist, eyes locking with mine one last time. “I don’t like this,” he said quietly, shadows licking at his boots.
I threw him a devilish smile. “Which part? The music, the drinks, or the naked Fae dancing on the table behind you?”
His jaw clenched. “All of it.”
I reached up on my tiptoes, brushing my lips across his cheek. Through the bond, I could feel his control fraying. “Hurry back, professor. Or I might end up dancing too.”
A deep growl rumbled in his throat. “Not funny.”
“Then go,” I whispered in his ear. “Before I give you a real reason not to leave.”
“Fine,” he growled before a shadow peeled off his cloak and curled around the back of my neck. My umbral bodyguard. The tiny hairs at my nape stood at attention, minute nerve endings flaring at its icy touch. “Behave yourself.”
“Always.” I pressed a quick kiss to his mouth this time. “And hurry back. After all this sin and seduction unfolding around us, I find myself hungering for my mate.”
Another growl vibrated low in his throat, nostrils flaring. “Oh, princess, you always know exactly what to say to drive me absolutely wild.” He remained rooted to the spot, midnight orbs fixed to mine.
Before I lost all control myself and dragged my cuoré into our own dark corner to have my way with him, I nudged him toward the door. “Go, and for the love of Raysa, be quick.”