35. Summer
Chapter Thirty-Five
Summer
I shake my head. “That isn’t possible.” I had done my own research into the light fae.
It is true that I possess all the characteristics of a light fae from the little information I could find, but I was unable to come up with a viable way it could be possible.
I’m only twenty-eight. Faerie was destroyed hundreds of years ago, and the light fae have been extinct since then.
“I’d like to test something.” He waves his hand, and a portal forms in the middle of the living room. “Come,” he says, and steps through the portal, not bothering to look back to see if I am following.
I sigh and step through. Why the hell not?
At least when I am with someone else, I don’t have to put up with him.
I find myself in a large empty field, and I stop to look around.
A whisper of a breeze winds around me, easing the heat of the sun.
It looks like a training ground, and I can tell it is well used, the field trampled flat.
The grass is worn and yellow but feels spongy beneath my feet.
I bet it makes for an easier landing if you are being thrown about or fall during training.
Wherever we are, it is the perfect temperature for working out.
The portal snaps shut behind me with a loud crack, and I jump in surprise.
Headmaster Emrys walks away from me, stopping about fifteen feet out.
He opens his hand, and a small black box lands on his palm.
Lines of deep purple veins streak the dark surface, pulsing as if it has a living, beating heart.
Power radiates from it, and mine responds, coiling inside me.
It’s the same surge that used to happen when I was around dark fae.
I thought I’d worked on this enough that it was no longer a problem, but this raw power claws down my spine.
The headmaster throws a ball of magenta power at me, and I recognize it as pure, chaotic fae magic.
As it gets closer, my body reacts, my power surging through me, and my own violet ball of power forms in my palms.
His magic collides with mine in an explosion of sparks, light and dark power shattering.
The runes on my skin glow, ready to be used on what my power is interpreting as a threat.
The magical flare-up is suddenly ousted, and the headmaster is standing right in front of me, holding what looks like a charred ball of lead in his hand.
He tilts his hand, and it thunks heavily and uselessly onto the soft ground.
I pant, a bead of sweat sliding down my forehead. The power still roils within me, but it’s slowing. My body feels beaten and broken.
“You are light fae,” he says matter-of-factly. “The last. The only.”
It’s all I can do to stare at him, my head and body a mess.
“I’m sorry,” he says, scanning my face. “This is not a destiny I would wish on any student.”
“I have to get back,” I say, and look away, unsure what to do with that.
He surprises me by placing his hand on my shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Miss Tuatha De Daanan,” he says, and then waits until I meet his gaze.
“There is also good news.” His lips twitch into a half smile, making him look younger and less intimidating.
“A light fae has the power to challenge the devil himself.”
My brows knit. “Why?”
“Because he has never fought one, and there is tremendous power in being the unexpected adversary.”
I nod and brush my fingers over Connor’s halo, feeling for that small dent that offers me a slice of comfort.
“We will keep Mr. Morningstar safe,” the headmaster says, and I hear the portal open behind me.
The halo hums comfortingly, and I step back through the portal, the headmaster following me.
“Being the last of your kind is an isolating business,” he says.
I shrug. “I never fit in with the fae, anyway. This isn’t any more isolating. Plus, at least now I know why.”
He nods. “I am no longer affiliated with the Sorcerer’s Guild, and have not been for a long while.
This is something I am familiar with,” he says.
I frown, filing that information away for later.
The Sorcerer’s Guild is not something you just leave.
“Being different from one’s kind cuts deeper when the species is led by your father,” he continues.
I nod. “I can imagine.” Though not really, because I have no idea what it is like to have a true parent, and even less of an idea what it would take to leave them.
“But I made myself into a threat. One that even the freshest-faced sorcerers would not dare challenge.”
My core heats a little at his words, at the danger behind them.
He looks at me, his gaze burning into mine. “And you will do the same.”
I clear my throat and look away. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll make time for you to train with me during the week.”
“Thank you, sir,” I say, still not looking at him, his dominance beating at me.
“Are you up for the challenge, Miss Tuatha De Daanan?” he asks, and I am compelled to lift my gaze to meet his. “You must devote yourself to this. There can be no half measures.”
“I will do whatever it takes to protect Rafe,” I say, looking into his mercurial eyes, something dark and powerful stirring within me.
His lips curl into a menacing smile. “I thought that might be your answer,” he says with a lift of his chin, pride coating his words. “I’ll add some more wards, and we will begin soon.”
After the headmaster leaves, I check on Alice and Rafe before heading straight for the library.
I wander through the stacks, letting the silence soothe me as I collect the books.
I’ve found two and have a third balanced open on top, trying to read the faded text.
A strong hand wraps around my wrist, and I gasp, dropping the heavy tomes on the floor as I’m pulled into the shadows.
“I told you we aren’t finished,” the stranger hisses into my ear.
“What the fuck do you want?”
He spins us so my body is sandwiched between his body and the wall. “Watch the way you speak to me, little fae.”
I glare up at him. My breathing is shallow, but I am determined to maintain my cool stare .
“What happened with Lucifer?” he asks, and there is something akin to concern in his voice.
“That, like every single aspect of my life, is none of your business,” I growl.
His jaw feathers a little in frustration, and my gaze threatens to get stuck there, tracing the sharp line I can see even in his amorphous form. “You are my business, as you know.”
“I stopped being your business the second you threatened my relationship,” I whisper, though I’m not sure why. Don’t I want someone to discover us? To be safe and in a more populated area of the library where he can’t get to me?
His hand slams against the wall above my head, and I feel the force of the blow vibrate against my back. “Do not put words in my mouth,” he snarls.
I stare up at him defiantly, my anger refusing to allow me to be intimidated. “ You will never be Summer Morningstar ,” I growl. “Remember that?” I ask with such vitriol that I practically spit the words at him.
“And you consider that a threat?” His voice changes to a purr, a seductive lilt. “When I threaten you, princess, you’ll know it.”
I try to suppress the shiver that creeps down my spine, not wanting him to see the pleasure that his dark words and the low rumble in his voice elicit.
He leans closer, his face a breath from mine. “Now, answer my question,” he croons.
I press onto my tiptoes and lean toward him.
If he were corporeal, our lips would almost be touching.
“Get fucked,” I whisper, and let the anger I’ve been keeping at bay surge forward.
A ball of power forms in my palm, and a rune on my wrist glows brightly.
I worked on this one with him in mind, just in case I needed to get away from him.
I slam my hand against his chest, and he curses when he is forced back a couple of steps.
The second he is off me, I push away from the wall and run, but I only make it a few steps before crashing into a wall of solid air in the middle of the aisle.
Dazed, I slide to the floor, listening to his even, unhurried steps as he approaches.
“Someone’s been studying?.?.?.” he drawls, crossing his arms and looming over me.
I glare up at him, and he crouches in front of me, pinching my chin hard. “You want your eyes to show how much you hate me, but they don’t. ”
“You only say that because you don’t actually know me. You think you can read me, but that just proves you can’t.” All I need is for someone to come around the corner and see me here, and then he’ll leave.
He lifts me from the floor and presses me against the invisible wall. I can hear his smirk as he leans in, hovering his lips beside my ear. “Did you enjoy my taste, little fae?”
My lips tingle with the memory, and my mouth waters.
He presses and grinds his hips against my stomach, letting me feel how hard he is.
“Want more?” he says, taunting me with a low laugh.
It’s maybe the most sinful noise I’ve ever heard.
“I can imagine how fucking delicious your pussy would taste on my lips and tongue. Your arousal sliding down my throat as I devour you, ruin you.”
“That will never happen.” Well, fuck. Even I can hear how my voice shakes, making the words sound as weak as my resolve.
He laughs again. “Liar,” he says, nipping the tip of my ear. The bastard chuckles when I shudder and arch into him, unable to hold back a moan.
“Sensitive, princess?” he asks, flicking his tongue along the curved shell.
“Fuck you,” I manage to grate out, but again, it sounds more like a moan.
“You will.”
He vanishes into thin air, and the wall behind me turns to nothing. I fall against the bookshelves, gripping tightly to keep myself from ending up on the floor again.