Midnight Fae Academy #3 by Lexi C. Foss

I studiedmyself in the mirror, frowning at the bright blonde ringlets falling to my shoulders. I had green eyes to go with them, and a deep red dress cut low across my chest and fitted at my waist.

“Do you have a fetish for Winter Fae?” I wondered out loud as Zakkai entered in a tuxedo, his hair dark and cropped short on his head. “I look like a Royal Elf.” Minus the ears. He’d rounded my pointed tips to match his.

He ran his sapphire eyes—a startling color change from his usual silver blue—over me and smirked. “You look nothing like a Royal Elf.” He stepped behind me, his arm wrapping around my waist as he set his chin on my shoulder. “You’re stunning, star.”

I glanced down at my cleavage. “You’re only saying that because you upsized my boobs and put them in this very uncomfortable top.” They were practically overflowing, almost indecently.

He followed my gaze, his pupils flaring as he whispered a spell to return my breasts to their normal size. “Better?” he asked softly.

I swallowed, the intimacy of his hold and nearness causing my heart to skip several beats before I whispered, “Yes. Thank you.”

He kissed my neck and released me. “For the record, you’re gorgeous no matter what you wear or how you look.”

I felt his sincerity through the bond and thought the same about his own appearance. He pulled off the short, dark hair and sapphire-eye look rather well. He’d also altered his face a bit, giving himself a rounder chin and thinner eyebrows. My face was more angular with several freckles on my cheeks and nose.

We looked completely different.

But I could feel the enchantment writhing across my skin like a live wire, my true self lurking beneath and waiting to be revealed.

Zakkai buttoned his suit jacket just as someone knocked at the door. He stepped toward it and greeted his father with, “We’ll be fine, Dad.”

“Famous last words,” Laki replied.

The tall male stepped into the room in a pair of charcoal dress pants and a white button-down shirt. No tie. This style of dress seemed to be his preferred attire. I rarely saw him in anything else.

“Have you come to argue some more?” Zakkai asked as he slid my wand into his jacket pocket. He still claimed it was his, but the magical strands responded to me, not him. Ergo, my wand.

His father slid his hands into his pockets. “No. You’ve made it clear that you have no desire to listen to reason.”

“As I recall, you took me to a Blood Gala after my eighteenth birthday, saying it would provide me with perspective. I’m doing the same for Aflora.”

Laki’s gaze slid over my dress before returning to his son. “She’s a beacon, Kai. They’ll recognize her power.”

Zakkai walked over to his dresser to retrieve a small jewelry box. He opened it to reveal a gold necklace with a diamond star pendant hanging from the end. “May I?” he asked, approaching me with the necklace.

“Will it be like the collar?”

“Sort of, but no.” He held it up for me to inspect. It looked like an ordinary chain. I touched the metal, expecting it to zap me, yet I felt nothing.

“Okay,” I said slowly and gathered all my wayward curls into my hands, exposing my neck.

Zakkai gently drew the chain around my throat, allowing the pendant to hang along my breastbone, and clasped the chain at my nape. “How does it feel?”

“Like a necklace,” I whispered.

“Dad?”

Laki pursed his lip. “The beacon of power has dimmed.”

Zakkai grinned. “This will hide your mating bonds as well.” He showed me a watch on his wrist. “Just like this is hiding my link to you, in addition to dulling my power.”

I frowned down at the beautiful charm. “But I don’t feel any different.”

“Good. That means my spell worked.” He stepped to my side, his attention on his father. “Anything else, Dad?”

“It’s a risk.”

“So was taking me seven years ago,” Zakkai murmured. “She needs to see this just like I did.”

“Our duty to Aflora was to keep her safe, Kai. This is the opposite of safe.”

“As was letting her be bitten by Shade and taken to the Academy,” Zakkai retorted. “Yet you deemed that an acceptable risk despite my protests to the contrary. At least I gave her a choice in this instance.”

His comment jogged a memory, one where Shade indicated that someone had sent him to me. Something about how he had warned Shade that I would be beautiful.

I never did find out whom Shade was referring to. Had it been Zakkai or someone else?

The Midnight Fae Council had told Shade to bite me. But knowing Shade, he’d only complied because he wanted to.

Which left me wondering who really told him to bite me initially. And why.

Shade, I said softly, mentally knocking on the door he’d created. I could push through it, but I preferred him to answer willingly.

However, he didn’t this time, his mind oddly quiet.

I was about to try again when Zakkai linked his fingers through mine, distracting me. “Ready?”

“Yes,” I replied. None of my mates knew I was attending tonight. I’d kept Zakkai’s confidence in exchange for my ability to dream-walk without his interference. He’d upheld his part of the bargain, so I would now uphold my part of it.

These last two weeks—or that was my estimation of the time, anyway—had been eye-opening and engaging. Zakkai had spent almost all of his time teaching me more about Quandary magic while also explaining various points in Midnight Fae history. He was patient and disciplined. Kind yet stern. And a walking riddle who somehow managed to explain everything while explaining nothing at the same time.

We shared a bed each night, where he allowed me to play with my other mates in my mind. Not sexually, really. None of them were comfortable doing anything in front of Zakkai. He’d also kept his hands mostly to himself, aside from a few touches here and there.

Like tonight when he’d wrapped his arms around me from behind. He showed affection without making me uncomfortable. And he never demanded anything from me in return.

Our fantasies had been the same. He’d always provided me with pleasure without asking for reciprocation.

It left me feeling conflicted. I should hate him. He’d bonded me as a child and left. And yet, he’d been a child, too. None of it had ever been our choice. He was supposed to undo it now but refused. However, I suspected that if I demanded it, he would eventually allow me to break the bond.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted that or not.

So I allowed him to steer me toward the door. His father’s behavior more or less confirmed that Zakkai had nothing nefarious planned for tonight. Of course, it could all be an act, a notion I held in the back of my mind as we stepped out into the hallway.

“Be careful, Kai,” his father said. “You, too, Aflora.” His tone held a touch of emotion when he spoke my name, one that flickered in his gaze—there and gone in a second.

“I’ll keep her safe,” Zakkai replied. “Just as I always have.”

His father dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “I’ll be waiting up for an update.”

“I know.” Zakkai reached out to touch his father’s shoulder in an almost comforting gesture, then he used his opposite hand—which still held mine—to gently tug me along beside him down the hall.

We took a similar path as we did the other day when going to meet Shade. I hadn’t spoken to my Death Blood mate since, his connection closed and quiet. I tried again now, wanting to ask him about the biting, but he still didn’t answer, making me frown.

“What’s wrong?” Zakkai asked as the magical hallway appeared before us, granting us access to the portal near the end.

I didn’t immediately reply, unsure of how to phrase my concern.

But as he pulled me close inside the portal, he used his finger on my chin to draw my gaze up to him. “Aflora, tell me what’s wrong.” He didn’t punch in the code, instead holding me inside the cocoon of his body heat, his dark blue eyes possessing his familiar intensity. It seemed no spell could hide that look.

I cleared my throat. “I… I’m thinking about Shade. I’ve not spoken to him since we saw him the other night. And I wanted to ask him something.”

“Ask him what?” Zakkai asked softly, his thumb tracing my jaw.

“The Council told him to bite me,” I whispered. “But he once told me that someone had warned him about me. And I was wondering…” I trailed off, biting my lip. Then I decided to just go for it. Either he told me the truth or he deflected. What would it hurt to ask? “Well, I was wondering if that someone was you.”

“I see,” he replied, his touch drifting to my hair before wrapping around the back of my neck. “Shade and I have known each other for a long time. But I didn’t tell him to bite you. The Council did. And I suspect my uncle Tadmir played a hand in this as well.”

“Who is Tadmir?” I asked, searching his gaze. “I mean, I know he’s your uncle, but I’ve not met him.”

“He’s a Midnight Fae Councilman,” Zakkai replied.

My brow furrowed. “What? How? If he’s related to you, then isn’t he a…?”

“Quandary Blood?” Zakkai suggested for me, his lips curling. “Yes, partly. He’s my mother’s half brother. They shared a Quandary Blood mother. But his father was a Paradox Fae.”

I blinked. “An abomination.”

“Yes. One who can rewrite power, which is how he’s currently parading around as a Malefic Blood. He mated into the royal line and took the mantle from his mate—because women aren’t allowed on the Council.”

“So… so… he took the Councilman position from her by mating into her bloodline and using his Quandary Blood abilities to rewrite his magic to, uh, match? And everyone thinks he’s a pure Malefic Blood?” I wanted to make sure I understand that convoluted piece of history.

“Yes, that’s right,” he replied. “And what’s more, he did all this before Constantine initiated his quest to destroy Quandary Bloods. Which tells me he knew all this was going to happen and used his Paradox Fae abilities to jump back in time to alter history.”

“That’s… wow. I’m not sure what to say to that,” I admitted.

“He’s played the long game,” Zakkai murmured, his thumb brushing my pulse. “Which is why I’m not surprised he’s working with Shade. He’s clearly seen something unfold that he wishes to change. And so, I suspect he’s the real reason Shade agreed to bite you.”

“But you knew he was going to bite me.”

“Yes.” His eyes clouded over with a darker emotion. “My father informed me of the plan after a Councilman, maybe even an Elder, or perhaps Tadmir, had told him about the Council’s intent for Shade to bite you. He wanted it to come to fruition and told me to cooperate. As I wasn’t the Source Architect yet, I had no choice but to do as he said.”

I swallowed, speechless.

My entire future had been stolen from me via a handful of events where I was given no say in the matter. All because my parents had decided to help the Quandary Bloods.

No. Not that.

It was all because Constantine Nacht ignited a genocide among the Midnight Fae. My parents had done what they felt was right—they protected lives. And it’d crafted a path for me, one entangling me in a war I was never meant to be a part of.

Or maybe it’d always been my destiny to be bonded to four Midnight Fae. The center of a conflict. An Earth Fae who favored vitality amid a sea of violence.

“Shade and I have a long history,” Zakkai said softly, drawing me from my thoughts. “When I found out the Council’s intentions, I went to him and demanded he protect you. He already knew all about you because I’d told him about you when we were younger—when I was still recovering from the spell that separated us. That was actually how I first met Shade. He found me in a ball on the floor and asked me what the hell I was doing.”

He huffed a laugh at the memory, one I would have shared, except I didn’t feel humored by any of this.

“I told him all about you. Said you were beautiful, loved flowers, and talked about how much I missed our friendship. He’d nodded solemnly in understanding, then said he knew what it was like to have others demand actions that hurt.”

He fell silent for a moment, his amusement vanishing as his gaze took on a faraway gleam.

“We weren’t exactly friends after that, but we understood each other in a unique way that has carried throughout the years,” he continued. “I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him biting you, but I’ll admit that I preferred him over anyone and everyone else.”

There were others?I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t find my voice.

And he wasn’t done talking.

“Shade’s always known you were mine. However, he fully mated you anyway. I’m not exactly surprised by that. He’s defiant by nature. But I also know it goes much deeper for him than that.” He pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes closing. “It goes much deeper than that for me, too.”

“You warned him I would be beautiful,” I whispered, recalling Shade’s words that day.

“No, I told him you were beautiful. I must have said it a thousand times when I was younger. I told him all about your flowers, your love of life, and how beautiful you were. It’d been a childlike comment at the time, because I meant you were a beautiful person. Now I would call you stunning.”

He lifted his forehead from mine, his eyes opening as he slid his gaze over me.

“Even with the spell, I can still see you, Aflora. And you take my breath away every time, even with the blonde curls and green eyes. You’re still my Flora beneath it all. My bright star. I’ll never see anyone else but you.”

A lump formed in my throat, my mind conflicted on how to respond. It was such a moving story, and yet, so incredibly wrong.

They’d all made so many decisions about my life, removing all my choices.

However, I also understood those decisions.

And if I were to truly evaluate them, to decide for myself, I wasn’t sure how much my choices would have varied from the outcome. Perhaps, initially, I would have fought for a different outcome, but knowing what I did now, I couldn’t see another path for me to have walked down.

It seemed like years ago that I sat in that cafe waiting for Glacier to arrive. I was no longer that delicate flower, pining after a boy who didn’t value my worth.

Now I stood in the arms of a man who had given up so much to protect me.

If this was all a ruse, it was a very convincing lie. Because I could feel his emotions in our bond, his sincerity a warm sensation creeping through my veins and going directly to my heart.

There were no words for me to say.

No accusations or rants.

I could fight him forever, hate him for deciding all this on my behalf, or I could choose to recognize how many of his choices had been stolen from him as well. I could choose to admire how he’s dealt with all the weight on his shoulders. I could choose to forgive him for his actions. I could choose to trust him. I could choose to embrace him.

I curled my fingers around his arms, feeling his heat and masculinity through the soft silk of his jacket. And then I went up onto my toes to press my lips to his, making the choice to kiss him. Making the choice to grant him a piece of my heart. Making the choice to allow this moment between us to grow. Making the choice to accept our intertwined fate.

It wasn’t perfect.

It wasn’t a fairy tale.

It wasn’t even kind.

But it seemed right.

I choose to believe you, I told him with my lips, kissing him gently. I choose to accept us.

He wrapped his arm around my lower back, his opposite hand still against my neck, and he returned my embrace, his tongue sliding into my mouth to find mine.

His essence swirled around me, his power an addictive flavor I wanted to revel in for all of eternity. My soul rejoiced, life thriving inside me as he awakened a dormant part of my spirit.

My long-lost mate.

My Kai.

I clung to him, indulging in the heat and prosperity of our connection. Then sighed as the kiss slowly came to an end.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered against my mouth. “But if we continue this, we’ll never get to the Blood Gala, and I owe you the truth, Aflora. You have to see everything to understand our destiny.”

I nodded, agreeing with his intentions. “Promise me you won’t harm anyone.”

“I promise I won’t harm anyone without provocation,” he countered, capturing my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “If anyone means to harm us, I will retaliate.”

That seemed fair, so I conceded with another dip of my chin. “I accept that.”

He smiled. “Good.” He brushed his lips against mine once more. “Now hold on to me. We’re going to portal-jump several times to cover our tracks.”