CHAPTER 13
Aelys
“You did what?” Nancy cries out, outraged.
“Merlin, Nance, keep it down! Go tell the whole school while you’re at it!” I huff, exasperated by her inability to be discreet.
“Sorry, sorry. But you almost slept with him after he cheated on you. And you're a virgin! You can't let him have you that easily,” she mumbles.
“I know,” I whine.
I put my head in my hands and sigh heavily. I'm angry at myself for letting him get to me like this. For God's sake, as my cousin reminded me, I'm a virgin ! I rub my face in frustration and push my hair back over my shoulders.
“What do I do, Nance? I still have to marry him and give him a child… I’m going to have to give in at some point…”
I finish my sentence, the implication clear. No matter what happens between Mattheo and me, or even our reluctance, we're going to have to sleep together at some point. My cousin sits down next to me, and I rest my head on her shoulder with yet another sigh, letting her gently stroke my hair.
“Well, you told him you could play that game too, didn't you?”
I nod so she adds: “My suggestion? Find a hot guy and get laid.”
My head snaps up as my eyes widen in shock.
Is she joking?
She giggles and shrugs innocently.
“Well, what? You're going to have to lose your virginity if you want to have this child. After everything Mattheo did to you in such a short time, do you really want him to be the one to deflower you?”
I bite my lower lip nervously, wondering if this is a good idea. What if the Dark Mage found out I'd been having an affair with another guy before marrying his son, to whom I'm already engaged? It would probably be considered treason and I'd get killed.
Yeah, that's not really a good idea, huh...
“I can't do this, Nance... He'd kill me,” I sigh, avoiding her gaze.
She immediately understands who I'm talking about and sighs in resignation while nodding her head in agreement. Then her eyebrows furrow as she seems to be thinking intensely about something.
“What if you don't go any further than foreplay? Let the guy give you a few hickeys so Mattheo can see them and realize you won't let him play with you anymore. That should be enough to get back at him. Right?”
My eyebrows raise as I consider her idea. It's not such a bad idea. Mattheo will be pissed, and I'll get my revenge. It's cheating, but less serious than what my fiancé did. The problem is, no one will agree to do such a thing knowing who my fiancé is.
“We'll never find anyone willing to do that,” I finally reply.
“Tom,” she shrugs as if it's obvious.
My eyes widen and my mouth drops open in shock as I stare at her in disbelief.
“You want me to cheat on Mattheo with his own brother?”
“Okay, let's not look at it like that,” she begins in a measured voice. “Just tell yourself you're going to kiss him and let him give you a few hickeys, nothing more. And admit it, he's more likely to stay alive once Mattheo finds out. I mean, he won't kill his own brother.”
I blink, incredulous at her reasoning. Is she serious?
Firstly, Mattheo might not kill him, but he'd definitely hurt him for touching me.
And second, it would be playing with Tom's feelings for me.
She was right: he likes me. The looks he gave me last night at the party and the kiss we shared proved it. He's my friend. I can't do this to him.
Right?
“So what do you think?”
My cousin's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
I hesitate for a few more seconds before sighing heavily, knowing there is no other solution.
Fucked for fucked…
“All right. We'll ask him if he's up for it. But if he says no, we'll forget it, okay?”
She lets out a squeal of excitement and grabs my hand, dragging me out of her dorm before I can even protest. I ask her where she's taking us, but she doesn't answer and continues to pull me out of building F. I tense up when she enters building G and I finally realize where we're going.
I didn't think she would make me do it right away!
Before I can stop her, she stops in front of dorm number 210 and knocks on the door. It opens shortly after and blue eyes glance at my cousin in confusion before settling on me and softening.
“Girls? Is everything okay?” He asks worriedly, scanning us for any injuries, though his gaze lingers longer on me than on Nancy.
The latter smiled at him broadly and innocently before pushing him away and entering his dorm, dragging me behind her.
“Well, go ahead and make yourself at home, Hewloc,” he mutters, chuckling.
He closes the door and faces us, crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for one of us to speak. My eyes are still wide with shock, and I look at Nancy, silently begging her to talk or get me out of here.
I'm not sure.
She smirks before focusing on Tom. He raises a questioning eyebrow, encouraging her to say what she has to say.
“We need a favor, Tommy boy. Oh don't worry, you'll like it!” She adds, rolling her eyes at his dark gaze.
“What kind of favor?” He questions, eyeing my cousin suspiciously.
At least he has an instinct for self-preservation against my harpy cousin…
“You should kiss Aelys and give her a hickey or two,” she shrugs as if she'd just asked him the weather.
Tom's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets at her words, and I look down at my feet in embarrassment, blushing like a peony. He tries to speak but can't seem to find the right words and my cousin giggles in amusement.
“Relax, this is just to get back at your asshole brother. He fucked another girl last night,” she explains.
I glance at Tom from under my eyelashes and see the surprise leave his face and anger take its place. His gaze falls on me, his eyes soften slightly and then he sighs.
“Do you want me to do it, darling? I won't agree to do it if you're not 100% on board with the idea.”
Nancy claps her hands, a victorious smile on her red lips as she backs toward the door. “Well, I'll let you talk about it and maybe move on with the plan. Bye!”
I glare at her as she winks at me and closes the door behind her as she practically runs out of the dorm. I sigh, avoiding meeting Tom's piercing gaze.
“Darling, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. Nancy always has completely crazy ideas, you know how she is,” he rolls his eyes.
I laugh, nodding my head. She's crazy, but she's right. I have to make Mattheo regret what he did to me. Well, at least get back at him in kind of the same way. I lift my chin, trying to appear confident, while Tom watches me closely, his eyes soft but worried.
“He's started a game, and I want to play too.
I want to show him I'm done with his bullshit. But first, I want to clarify something,” I sigh, looking out the window, watching the leaves dance in the cool September wind.
I clear my throat before continuing. “It doesn't mean anything, Tom.
I care about you, but not like this. I'm sorry…”
I hear him move, and soon enough, I feel his hand cup my cheek before forcing me to look at him in a gentle but firm gesture. He smiles and his thumb tenderly caresses my cheek.
“I know, darling. You’re not mine and you never will be,” he sighs softly before resting his forehead against mine and closing his eyes.
“I’ve made peace with that. I know you’re attracted to my brother and I don’t blame you,” he murmurs.
“Your soul is too pure, too gentle. You already care about him because you want to see the good in him. I hope you find it.”
He sighs again before pulling away slightly, his irises search me carefully. “Are you sure you want to do this, darling?”
I bite my lower lip nervously before nodding softly, and his lips meet mine in a tender kiss.
They are soft and move quickly against mine.
He licks my lower lip, silently asking for entrance, and I let him in.
His tongue meets mine, and the kiss becomes more passionate.
He pours out all of his feelings for me, and I know he's doing it as a way to let me go, knowing he should move on after this kiss because I'm not his and never will be, like he said.
My hands find his hair and tug on the black curls, making him moan into my mouth and deepen the kiss even more. His hands move down to my thighs and he lifts me up, letting me wrap my legs around his waist. I can feel his erection against me and I want more, but I know it's a bad idea.
He gently places me on his bed, his body positioning itself above mine without breaking the kiss. Soon the need for air becomes too great and he leaves my lips, trailing his down my jaw and then to my neck.
I moan softly when I feel his tongue caress my skin and his teeth nibble at me.
He begins to suck on my skin, leaving a hickey forming there.
He moves to another spot on my neck and begins to make another before pulling back, resting his forehead against mine again as he gasps.
His blue eyes meet mine before he closes them, and we stay that way for a moment until he lies down next to me and pulls me closer, holding me in his arms.
I let him, knowing he needs it to let me go later, but also because I feel safe in his embrace. We stay like that for a while, in silence, just enjoying each other's presence.
The questions about his father that keep burning on my tongue, become too hard to hold back.
“Tom?”
He hums softly, letting me know he's all ears. I nervously play with the fabric of his shirt and bite my lower lip. His hand comes to stop mine, intertwining our fingers in a silent show of support. So I gather my courage.
“Do you know why your father wants Principal O'Connor or his protégé Henry Dawson dead?”
He stiffens, and I expect him not to answer. However, he surprises me when his voice resonates, low but raspy.
“My father despises fairies and non-magical beings. The only ones who deserve to live in his eyes are wizards and shapeshifters. To him, they are the most powerful magical creatures. The supreme beings. He sees others as weak, unworthy of using magic and of existing.”
He pauses, and I shiver as his hand rests on my scalp, his long fingers tenderly stroking my hair. I nod, letting him know I knew this information. My father instilled these beliefs in me as well, though I don't hate fairies and non-magic’s enough to want them all dead.
“O'Connor believes that every living thing deserves to live, regardless of species.
They more or less have always been rivals, but it got worse when my father was seduced by dark magic and promised to return the world to witches and shapeshifters.
O'Connor swore an oath to stop him, no matter the cost. So my father swore an oath to destroy him first.”
I nod, understanding the Master's motives a little better. But one thing remains unknown to me.
“And Dawson?”
“He's O'Connor's little protégé. I don't know why, but according to my father, he's training him to continue what he started. Like my father does with Mattheo.”
His heir...
As if reading my thoughts, Tom nods.
“I heard my father say that Dawson's magic was powerful. He doesn't know how powerful, but he knows he must eliminate him before O'Connor has time to complete his training and thus unlock his full potential.”
“They're both equally dangerous,” I understand. “If the Master wants to ensure his success, he must eliminate the leaders of the rebellion…”
Tom nods again. Silence falls between us as I digest this information. At least I better understand the importance of the task the Master has entrusted to me. However, I still can't understand why I was chosen to marry Mattheo.
From what I know, my father is a loyal follower of the Master and has been since the beginning. However, he is not one of his most powerful assets. Father is a powerful sorcerer, but not as powerful as the Master's dark knights. Those who are part of his very inner circle.
My brow furrows as my supposed shapeshifter heritage comes back to my mind. I don't know if it's true, but I can't deny the superhuman strength I possessed when I fought off Mattheo earlier. I don't know where it came from, and it's never happened to me before.
So my father hid my true nature from me: half-witch, half-shifter. Does the Dark Mage know? Is this why I was chosen to marry Mattheo? Because I am the perfect symbol of what Darkvis idolizes?
So many questions and so few answers... I close my eyes, chasing away the headache I feel coming on. I'll write a letter to my father demanding answers. In the meantime, I intend to enjoy this moment of respite in Tom's arms, as he still tenderly strokes my hair.