Midnight Fae Academy #3 by Lexi C. Foss

Magic curledaround me in a cocoon of color.

Purple.

Green.

Cerulean.

A splash of red.

I reveled in it, soaking up the energy my soul so badly needed, while also prodding at my renewed connection to earth. It smelled fresh and sweet, the source a welcome hive of sunshine that warmed my skin.

Beautiful, I thought, twirling in my bed of flowers and inhaling all the fresh scents. It rejuvenated my depleted spirit. Yet I couldn’t recall how or why this rejuvenation was needed.

Strange.

Oh, but the sun! I missed the sun.

I paused. Why do I miss such a vital element of life? I tapped my lip, whirling around a little slower now, trying to determine what felt so off about this place.

It reminded me of something.

A safe place.

A meadow of flowers with a home hidden in a tree.

Shade, I breathed, sighing as violet energy flared around me. Sadness overwhelmed me, a sense of betrayal lurking beneath the waves of energy.

“Aflora…” My name came to me on a breeze, the deep, masculine tones reminding me of a Warrior Blood.

Zeph, I thought, my heart skipping a beat. Oh, yes. Zeph.

But he wasn’t in my meadow. Only his green magic flickered around me, the dark hue reminding me of a forest of evergreens. My lips kicked up at the thought, the scent of his woodsy cologne touching my senses.

I followed the trail created by his masculine presence, searching… searching… searching.

Only, a trickle of purple light gave me pause. Shade.

His minty aftershave swirled around me, beckoning me toward a darker section at the edge of the meadow. I hadn’t noticed it before, the sun having lit up all the corners earlier in the day.

Hmm, something wasn’t quite right about this little nook.

But his presence grew with each step, his shadowy energy seducing my inner fae.

Dark magic.

I curled a cerulean strand around it, testing the tendril of smoke, and smiled as he tugged back.

Come dance with me, little rose, he was saying. Or that was how I interpreted the invitation, anyway.

My bare feet brushed the last hint of sunny grass before I stepped through the dark threshold into Kols’s Academy bedroom.

I blinked, startled by the shift. Then gaped at the three shirtless men in Kols’s bed.

“This must be a dream,” I whispered to myself, noting their chiseled features and gorgeous faces.

Kols with his auburn locks of thick hair and golden irises.

Zeph with his dark strands and forest-green eyes.

And Shade with that perpetual smirk and icy gaze. He sat against the bedpost at the foot of the bed, his legs clad in a pair of black boxers.

Kols and Zeph were against the headboard, the silky sheets low on their hips and leaving a suggestion of nudity below.

I glanced down to find myself similarly dressed in a threadbare tank top and boy shorts, nothing else. My lips twisted in consideration. “I’m usually naked in our dreams.”

“We’re trying not to distract the purpose of this dream,” Zeph said.

“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “Well, you all are…” I waved a hand at their bare chests and cleared my throat again. “Sorry. What’s the purpose of what now?”

Kols chuckled. “I think she’s fine, Zeph.”

“Come here, pixie flower,” my Warrior Blood mate demanded, holding out his arm.

Normally, I’d balk at him, but I really wanted to comply this time. So I shuffled toward the bed and crawled on top of him to steal a much-needed hug. Although, I couldn’t remember why I wanted one. And touching him had my eyes welling up with tears.

I buried my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling his familiar scent, and shuddered against him.

“I don’t think she’s fine at all,” he said, his arms closing around me in an embrace underlined in heat and power.

Safe,I thought. I feel safe here.

Among my mates.

Except, it wasn’t real. This was all in my head, and that caused my heart to ache with a sense of acute loss. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I admitted, swallowing thickly. “I… I… feel… I feel so sad.”

“He’s enchanted her mind,” Shade murmured, his voice low. “I can see the bands of his magic threaded through her thoughts.”

“He?” I repeated. “He who?”

“Zakkai,” Zeph said, palming my cheeks to pull my gaze to his. “He’s taken you to a paradigm. I could feel your pain. Did he hurt you?”

“P-paradigm?” I recognized that term. But I couldn’t define it. Just as I knew Zakkai, yet his description remained just out of reach. “This…” I trailed off, frowning.

Everything was so dreamy and perfect and pretty.

My mates were mostly naked.

Mmm, I wanted to lick them all.

Wait,I thought, shaking my head. That’s not right.

I’d gone from… from something… to… Did they all have to be so distracting? “You all need clothes.”

Kols reached for me, the inky lines along his arms writhing with hypnotic power. Zeph released my face, his hands dropping to my hips. I glanced down, noting how I straddled his thighs.

Why am I wearing clothes? I wondered, biting my lip. That’s not the point of dreams. I should be naked. But didn’t I just tell them…?

I flinched as Kols’s palm met my cheek. His skin burned against mine, his power a shock wave that yanked a gasp from my throat. “Oh!” I arched upward and nearly fell, but Zeph’s hand landed on my lower back, holding me steady.

Energy hummed through me, magic warring deep inside my soul.

I closed my eyes, falling into the black hole of whirling energy, searching for the cause of the disturbance.

Red and cerulean battled.

Beautiful colors.

So bright and vibrant.

Only, they were trying to destroy one another.

No, no, couldn’t have that. They were too pretty to harm each other.

I plucked at them, tugging the two cords apart, and shoved them to separate recesses of my soul, then jolted awake on Zeph’s lap once more.

He was shouting.

Kols had fallen off the bed, and Shade was trying to help him up.

I frowned. “What happened?”

“Zakkai,” Zeph snarled the name.

I blinked, then gasped. “He wants to kill Kols!”

“No shit,” Shade snapped, his sharp tone startling me. He never spoke to me like that.

And considering how we’d left things, he should be groveling. “You gave me to Zakkai,” I said slowly, everything coming back to me in a siege of insanity. That part wasn’t important. I needed to tell them about his intentions for Kols. Except, hold on, I already did.

“Are you all right?” Zeph asked, cupping my cheeks once more. “I need to know you’re okay. I could feel your pain.”

“My pain?” I repeated, trying to pull away to look at Kols, but Zeph held me steady.

“Aflora, did Zakkai hurt you?”

“No,” I replied, frowning. “No, Dakota did.”

His eyebrows flew upward. “Dakota?”

“Some Elite Blood,” I said. “She hit me with a horrible spell. It… it paralyzed me. Zakkai made her stop. Then he took me back… to sleep… in his room.” I glanced around as the dream started to blur. “Zeph, he wants to kill Kols.” I tried to grab him to ensure he understood, but my hand went through him.

“Aflora!”

“Zeph!” I cried out, lunging for him. “He wants to kill Kols!”

He caught me by the waist as I nearly tumbled to the floor and yanked me back up onto the bed. I curled into his lap, shivering. “I don’t know where I am,” I whispered. “I don’t know where he’s keeping me, but there are mountains and sunshine.”

I glanced up, a plea for him to find me lining my lips, only his eyes had turned a silver blue. And his dark hair now fell in white waves around his shoulders.

Zakkai.

My limbs froze. My heart stopped beating. My eyes went wide.

He knew about my dream.

He knew what I’d betrayed.

Oh, flowers, I’m a dead fae…

His lips curled. “I’m not going to punish you for loyalty, Aflora,” he whispered, cupping my cheek and pressing his lips to my temple. “I actually quite admire that trait in you.” He tucked me against his bare chest, the heat of his skin seeming to thaw some of the ice coating my veins.

He… he didn’t feel mad.

Maybe he was hiding it? Playing some sort of mental game again? Did he have more memories of mine to alter?

“The memories are real,” he said softly. “I spent the first ten years of my life with your family, seven of those years with you. We were best friends, Aflora.”

I shook my head, denying every word. “You put those memories there.”

“I didn’t. But I did remove them initially.” He sighed, his gaze taking on a faraway gleam. “We knew the Elders had discovered our location in the Elemental Fae realm, and it was only a matter of time before they came for us. My dad tried to convince your parents to run, but they refused because it would have meant leaving the earth source behind.”

He fell silent for a moment, his expression radiating a pain I could sense through our bond. It pinched my heart, causing my eyes to prickle with tears. Not because it hurt, but because I hurt for him.

“We compromised with the bond.” He cleared his throat, his voice lower, and huskier with emotion. “Then I erased all your memories of me and my dad to protect you from the Elders. It was quite literally the worst day of my life. The agony of removing all those moments, to know my mate wouldn’t know me, was a task no ten-year-old should ever have to endure. But I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or put your life at risk. The latter was an unacceptable fate.”

I recalled the memory of seeing him on the ground, writhing in torment as magic whirled through the air. “Your dad told you to be a man.” The words came out on a whisper, my mind fracturing beneath the image engraved in my memory.

Zakkai grunted. “One of his favorite phrases from my childhood. Pretty sure he still wants to tell me that sometimes.”

I shook my head.

It’s not real.

Don’t believe his lies.

But itfeels real.

I couldn’t find any evidence of tampering inside my mind. Which was strange because he’d clearly done something.

“All I did was finish unraveling the spell,” he said. “You started the process with your song. I finished it with the web. It seemed like the easiest way to convince you of the truth, except you still don’t believe me.”

“Sort of hard to believe someone who keeps playing mental games with me,” I muttered.

“Fair,” he agreed, his hand drawing up and down my spine. “But the fact remains that we used to be best friends. You were my Flora, and I was your Kai. We went everywhere together.” His lips curled, and he slowly shook his head. “That sometimes feels like a former life. I don’t even remember that boy anymore.”

I studied his profile, noting the sincerity in his features. Part of me wanted to believe him, but I knew better than to fall for his story this quickly. However, while he appeared to be in the mood to provide details, I decided a question wouldn’t hurt our situation.

“If you’re not that boy, then who are you?”

He considered me for a long moment. So long that I thought he intended to ignore me, or perhaps respond with another riddle.

Instead, he reached out to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, then brushed his knuckles down the side of my neck. “I’m a being of vengeance,” he said softly, his gaze following his touch as he traced my collarbone with the back of his hand. “I want justice for what’s been done to Quandary Bloods. Justice for your parents. A new reign to right the wrongs of the Elite.”

“A new reign?”

“Mmm.” His gaze returned to mine. “Have you not considered what it could look like?”

“Honestly, I’ve just been trying to survive.”

He nodded. “Yes. I understand that more than you know.” He dropped his hand to my hip, his body relaxed beneath mine. “Do you approve of how the Council operates today?”

“I assume you mean the Midnight Fae Council.”

“Yes. I’m referring to the male-driven hierarchy where females are expected to bow and just accept their place. Do you approve?”

“Of course I don’t. When Shade bit me, they wouldn’t even let me participate in my own trial. They said my betrothed had to speak on my behalf.”

He smirked. “It’s ridiculous, right? I mean, I prefer logic, but I also understand the role sentiment plays in decisions. Yet Constantine Nacht has created a dictatorship based on harsh resolves alone, without any care as to how it impacts anyone else.”

“Constantine Nacht is the cause?” I asked. “Kols’s grandfather?”

“He’s the one who enacted all the changes a little over a millennium ago. All because he feared feminine emotion.” Zakkai rolled his eyes. “Has Shade told you the story about Zenaida? How she chose to follow her heart instead of duty? Because she’s the cause for all this. Or rather, she’s the scapegoat the Council uses for their hierarchical decision.”

“He told me how Constantine Nacht made an example of her. She went into hiding with her mates after he gave the order to eradicate Quandary Bloods.”

Zakkai nodded. “Yes. And Shade’s father assumed the Death Blood throne instead of his mother because Constantine declared women unfit to lead.” He rolled his eyes again. “It was all a ploy to establish his crude hierarchy. From what my father has said, Constantine has always considered females to be the weaker gender since only males can mate via their bite.”

“Elemental Fae require mutual agreement for mating.”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, his lips curling. “You chose Kolstov.”

“I did.” I wasn’t going to deny it. “You can’t kill him.”

“He’s a Nacht, Aflora. They all have to die for the power to be rightfully restored.”

“But he didn’t do anything wrong. His grandfather did. You can’t punish him for another man’s sins.”

“Actually, I can. Their familial line has tainted Midnight Fae kind for over a thousand years. Those seeking retribution require the eradication of the Nacht bloodline. And I intend to fulfill that eradication.”

“That makes you no better than Constantine,” I argued. “He attempted to slay an entire race over prejudice. Your kill list might be shorter, but you’re still planning to take innocent lives.”

“It’s a sacrifice we must endure for justice.”

“I won’t let you kill Kolstov.”

He sighed. “When the time comes, you won’t have a choice, Aflora. But”—he pressed his finger to my lips before I could snap a comeback at him—“I will agree to consider your side if you agree to consider mine.”

I frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“I want you to give me a chance to explain this war to you, to show you why the Nacht family needs to pay for their sins. And in return, I’ll also consider your point of view.”

I narrowed my eyes.

Obviously, I didn’t believe he would ever uphold his side of that agreement. Just as I knew that I would never agree to him hurting Kols. However, his confidence had me wondering what trick lurked up his sleeve.

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

He smiled. “I want you to attend the Blood Gala with me.”

The Blood Gala?

That was the event Emelyn had mentioned in Warrior Magic class before all hell broke loose.

Fae, when was that? Just yesterday? The day before? I blinked. My sense of time was a mess, thanks to the endless hours of sunshine—which still poured in from the balcony windows of Zakkai’s room—and all the bizarre dreams.

I shook my head, trying to clear it.

“You decline?” Zakkai asked, frowning. “I’m not planning to do anything at the event. I just want you to observe the societal event and give me your thoughts afterward.”

“I was shaking my head in confusion,” I admitted, biting my lip. “You want my opinion?”

“I want to teach you,” he corrected softly. “And to do that, I need to show you how the Midnight Fae operate.”

“At a gala?” I uttered the words slowly, not fully understanding how a fancy party would explain anything to me about Midnight Fae.

“The Blood Gala,” he said.

“Okay. But how will a gala change my mind about Kols?”

“It’s not about Kolstov, Aflora. It’s about purpose.”

“I… I’m not clear on what you mean.”

He considered for a moment before saying, “The Blood Gala is a political affair.”

“Yeah, I get that part.”

“No, I don’t think you do,” he murmured, his eyes catching and holding mine.

My heart skipped a beat. “Okay.” It came out on a whisper. Because the intensity in his gaze told me that I wasn’t going to like whatever he intended to say next.

“Aflora, the Blood Gala is an annual event that celebrates the death of the Quandary Bloods. It’s hosted by the Nacht family, and the sole purpose is for them to gloat over all the blood they’ve spilled. That is what I want you to observe.”