High Fae Academy - Year Three: Paranormal Fae Romance

by Kaylin Peyerk

  “Is that what you believe?” Rowan mumbles with his eyes still closed.

  “Yes, it is what I know.”

  He opens his eyes, and I don't think the color will ever not take my breath away. He cups my cheek and pulls me down, planting a kiss across my lips. Spirit energy flows through me from the touch and I sigh as we pull apart. He smiles blissfully before yanking me down to lie across him, and our limbs tangle together as I fall.

  “No one knows what happened. Are you sure you want to leave for the Water Kingdom today? You can take the day to heal, even kick me out if you need me to go.”

  The sweet moment shatters and I push off his chest to get out of bed. “Yes, I want to leave for the Water Kingdom today. Out of all the kings, Adrian's father will be the easiest to discuss this with. Water is calming, soothing. If anything, it's exactly what I need after a day like yesterday, wouldn't you say? I'm confident that will be in-and-out and then we will be ready to march toward the dark fae kingdom as a unified front.”

  His eyes follow me as I rush around the room, pulling on clothes, not bothering to shower. I can almost feel his thoughts puncturing mine. Rowan doesn't think I am of sound mind right now. That might even be true, but what I'm doing right now, what we're working for, is bigger than me. So we have to leave for the Water Kingdom today and no later. We're on track to meet our one-month goal, and I won't let my personal feelings get in the way of that.

  “If you say so.”

  I throw a pair of pants at him. “Yes, I do say so. Now get dressed. Adrian is punctual; he's probably already there. I don't wanna make him wait.”

  ***

  As I predicted, Adrian already has the horses ready to go when we arrive. Except there are no saddles, no bags of food, and no canteens for water. I raise my brows at him as I walk around the animals, trying to see where he laid the supplies.

  “Where is everything?” I ask.

  “We're not bringing anything, we're riding bareback.”

  “What? I barely learned how to ride up in a saddle over the past three weeks and you're telling me that I need to ride bareback now?”

  That statement makes a laugh slip out of his chest. “You'll be fine, Tiana. It's not too much different, you just need to be vigilant.”

  Rowan lifts me onto the back of my horse, and I pat her neck affectionately for all that she's done for me over the past few weeks. She snorts, not impressed with my praise. Adrian chuckles again and hands the mare a carrot which she munches on happily. The men swing upon their own horses easily, as if they've done it a thousand times before, and they probably have. Without any special sendoff, Adrian leads the way to the Water Kingdom which is west of the academy.

  We’re only thirty minutes into the bareback ride and my ass is toast. At the very least, it makes me forget about any mental sadness or troubles I'm having because it hurts so damn bad. The agony of it makes me throw a resentful glance in Adrian's direction. Rowan glances at me, a comical look on his face. He doesn't dare laugh, though, the warning clearly shining through my own expression.

  “Remind me why we're doing this?” I groan.

  Adrian looked back at me when his eyebrow raised. “Doing what? Bringing peace to all realms? Or simply riding bareback?”

  “Both!” I complain loudly.

  The two men chuckle at that, enjoying my pain. “Water fae live differently than any other fae court. I am the only one in my family to participate in the war. It is my duty as a master of the academy to do so, but my father has refused to allow the Water Kingdom to have anything to do with it. He is a man of both peace and conviction. That is the difference between the earth king and my father.”

  “All right, while I can respect that, why does that have anything to do with riding bareback?”

  Now you're just complaining to hear yourself complain.

  Shut up!

  “The Water Kingdom is a place of simplicity. We use nothing other than what nature has already provided us. You have to convey that you're in tune with the water if you want my father to pledge allegiance to you. And while I've seen how well you can control water, I'm not sure that you understand it. To really understand water, you begin to grasp its healing properties, and what it truly means to be at peace.”

  “I'd love to know what it truly means to be at peace,” I mumble.

  “Then you are going to the right place,” Adrian replies.

  A deep blush fans across my face at the realization that he had heard what I said. Rowan says nothing to this, and when I glance toward him, he's facing forward, not looking at me. Does he believe that he's the source of my unrest? And if he does, is it wrong? No, but it's not the way that he thinks.

  The distress I'm feeling, and have been feeling for a long time now, is all about my romantic relationships. In the human world, it's looked down upon to have more than one consensual partner. At least most of the time. To suddenly learn that I had five potential mates took me to the edge a bit. I had to use the last three months to walk myself back from it. To look at it logically, even if love is illogical.

  The thought makes me glance at Rowan again, and I can see that he's peeking at me out of the corner of his eye. He's been so hesitant to share his feelings with me, but I can understand it. Every time he even tries to call me beautiful, I lash out at him. I almost want to promise that it won't be like that anymore. Lucien won't always be in the back of my mind hovering like a second conscience. But will that be true? Will he immediately evaporate from my feelings and thoughts after one conversation of telling him it's over?

  It can't be that easy. Hell, I already know that it's not. If what I felt last night was any indication, I'll be feeling shitty for a while. Because my happiness would kill him. Or maybe I'm giving his love for me too much weight.

  You're not.

  My eyes shoot to Rowan, but he's back to looking straight ahead.

  What do you mean?

  All of them went through it, granted, many of them at a much lesser level. As soon as your potential mate is in the room, you long for them. It is a connection so instantaneous that it takes your breath away, as I'm sure you know. To learn that the love of your life has someone else that's vying for the attention is soul-crushing. There's not a single one of those masters that hadn't felt it.

  God, that almost makes me sound like a womanizer. Is that the word for it?

  No, but I see what you're saying and it's not true. You are simply a woman in a unique situation. Every single one of them knew exactly what they were in for when it all started. You can choose to push away a mate. You can choose not to foster that attraction. What do you think Rai did?

  Oh, I just figured that he wasn't all that interested.

  He chose not to be. He rejected the initial connection which any of them could have done. Stop going around and around in circles within yourself looking for easy answers. You won't find them.

  That's morbid.

  That's life.

  He looks at me then, making meaningful eye contact, his eyes glowing gold. Rowan might be right when he says that there's no easy explanation for what's happened to me. It's controlled by a force that I can't even begin to understand, and the sooner I realize that, the sooner I'll be at peace. He slows his horse and grasps my hand in a strong grip. I know exactly what he means by it, and I'm glad that he doesn't say it out loud.

  I am here for you. I am yours.

  ***

  The farther we go into the Water Kingdom, the more it looks like the Amazon rainforest. And while I suspected something of this nature, I didn't expect the horrendous second-skin heat. It's nearly unbearable. I'm fanning my face for the fiftieth time when Rowan finally bursts out laughing, pointing at me.

  I scowl. “What? It's sweltering here! How are you not sweating?”

  “I don't know, maybe because I'm full fae.”

  Adrian shrugs. “It's most likely because he has all five elemental souls. I've brought Rai here before and he hated it as well. He couldn't stand
to be in our climate for more than a day.”

  “How much farther to the Water Kingdom court?” I plead.

  He turns to give me a withering look. “How long did it take to get to the other courts from the academy?”

  “About two days, including sleeping time.” I begrudgingly admit.

  “All of the courts are the exact same distance from the academy for peace purposes. You know this, so stop asking.”

  Rowan rubs my shoulder while chuckling. “Oh, cut her some slack, sometimes the humans are just weaker than us.”

  This statement really sets both of the males off, and I grit my teeth. “Now you're just trying to piss me off!”

  “Is it working?” asks Adrian.

  “No,” I snap.

  “For some reason I think you're lying,” Rowan replies.

  I roll my eyes and grip the mane of my horse, my body still aching from the waist down. If we don't stop soon, the rubbing against my thighs will whittle away any muscle I have left. It turns out that there's nothing worse than having thick thighs while riding a horse.

  Thick thighs save lives, Rowan remarks, a smug smile on his face.

  Where in the hell did you even learn that expression?

  I told you that I've been in your head for far longer than we've been acquainted. I've heard Annie tell you that more than once.

  Well, never say it again, it sounds wrong coming from your mouth.

  But it came from my head.

  Now you're just being a smart ass.

  Adrian speeds his horse up in front of us to a steady trot and we follow suit. What could he be doing? The path looks the same and has been straight and narrow for miles. Does he see something that I don't? He has an eager look on his face as if something is just up ahead.

  “What are you so excited about?” I ask.

  “I have just what you need up ahead.”

  “Air conditioning?”

  “Now who's being a smart ass?” Rowan quips.

  Before Adrian can respond to our bickering, a sparkling lake comes into view. It reminds me of the body of water Octavius brought me to in the Earth Kingdom, yet much larger. Waves lap at the shore and several birds in all ranges of color flit between trees along the edges. My horse speeds up without me having to urge her, and all of us race toward the bank. This almost seems like one of those hot fever dreams you have in the middle of the desert. I'll have to touch it to know that it's truly real.

  My mare kneels down at the edge of the Lake and begins lapping at the waves coming into the shore. It makes it much easier for me to slide off on wobbling, rigid legs. Rowan is there to steadily lead me toward where Adrian is kneeling a few paces away. Our hands intertwine and I lean my head against him. He doesn't protest the action, instead sending comforting spirit energy through his arm into mine.

  “This is exactly what I needed!” I exclaim.

  “I told you, didn't I?” Adrian says, smiling.

  My boots come off first as I rush toward the water, giddy laughter flowing in my wake. My skin is itching to feel the cool water after being sticky with sweat. I let my toes sink into the sand at the edge while I bend down to roll up my pants along the bottom of my knees. The water laps between my toes and I sigh. I can't believe it's still crystal cold in this type of weather.

  “It's spelled for travelers,” Adrian says, reading my mind.

  “Really?” That makes sense.

  He shrugs. “My father wanted people to know that they had hit the halfway point to his castle. Just so they wouldn't turn back, or they would take a dip and leave.”

  I wade to the water up to my shins and cup some in my hands to splash on my face. The others follow me and run cool water along the back of their necks as the horses drink their fill. Taking a chance, I glanced at the men again to see that their skin is indeed dry. Not a single drop of sweat runs down their arms or soaks the back of their tunics. Jealousy spikes in my chest. Maybe it really is because I'm half-human.

  After thoroughly cooling down, we all take a seat at the edge, leaving our feet in the water. Rowan tangles his fingertips with mine, teasing them in the sand. It brings a small smile to my lips. He knows the exact gesture for feeling that I need, almost instantly. Maybe it's because he knows all of my thoughts as soon as I think them.

  You do know that I can't hear every single one of your thoughts, right?

  I look at him with surprise. What? Then what do you hear?

  It's a subconscious thing. It's like you're shouting down the void and whatever you decide to shout is what I hear.

  Shouting down what? I'm not actively shouting anything at you.

  He taps the side of his head. You do. You just don't realize it. Your brain is open because you were never taught to close it.

  What? And fae children are?

  Pretty much. But my brother told me, or rather, taught me.

  We lapse back into silence as Adrian stands to ready the horses again, signaling that we have to get a move on. So the connection I share with Rowan isn't that different from what Lucien and I had in terms of silent communication. If I put up the wall of spirit around my thoughts, would Rowan be able to see through it?

  Before I can ask, he surges to his feet to help Adrian gather the horses around us. If he knew, would he have answered? Or is this something that I didn't shout down the void? I shake my head. Every day there are more questions than there are answers. Maybe that's the reason why I'm really wary of mating with anyone. I feel like my story isn't finished, or that there are missing pages. Vital details that can drastically alter my perception.

  “You ready, Tiana?” Rowan asks, holding out his hand to me.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  This fae kingdom is the most untouched out of all five. This rain forest has been growing and thriving for decades without fae intervention. Don't get me wrong, the fae have a very different definition of what domestication means than the human realm does. They might mean that they control the animal population and remove small boroughs of trees to make rooms for housing. Humans mean eradicating species of animals and completely bulldozing plots of land to make room for cities.

  The Water Kingdom appears to have not been touched, at least most of it hasn't according to Adrian. Their tribe of people is closely knit around the capital. He said that we will be traveling through cities through most of the morning until we reach the castle at the center. Almost the entire population of water resides in small clusters around the water king's castle, afraid of the wildlife outside of their comfort zone.

  That's why it's not safe for us to stop our journey for long. Adrian only allows a short break to drink and eat, all the while his eyes dart from side to side anxiously. Rowan seems unconcerned by the possibility of attack, but he's always like that. There isn't much that scares a true fae king. At least that's what he's told me before.

  The sun had set long ago, and I'm struggling to keep my chin off my chest. I don't think I've ever been this tired, riding a horse bareback while sweating at least 2 gallons of water out of my body has taken all my strength. Who knew I could be beat by a mere climate rather than the fae around me? At that, I heard a slight chuckle come from next to me, and I glower in Rowan's direction even if I can't see him through the dark.

  Giving up, I lay my body along the mare's neck, sprawling out so that I will not fall off. For the next hour or so, I doze off, gently floating in and out of consciousness. At any little sound, I jump awake, heeding Adrian's warning to stay alert. There's nothing worse than sitting in a daze, neither sleep nor awake. I turn my head toward Rowan.

  “How much longer?” I whisper.

  He points. “Not much farther until we're into the edges of the city. Look.”

  Lifting up my heavy head, I glance at the valley below us and gasp in awe. Down a steep and embankment is the beginning of a sprawling territory. Beyond that, on the other side is a vast ocean, completely bordering half of their society. The castle is directly on the
beach, and still looks to be at least half a day's travel from here. And while the nightlife of the city is beautiful from this perch on top of the hill, my chest still deflates the amount of riding we have left to do.

  “I'm really starting to regret destroying those portals,” I mutter.

  Adrian chuckles before steering his horse down the side of the hill. “You and me both. Now sleep for a little while, you're safe as we move through the city at night. My father's reach spans all the way to the borders.”

  “Thank God,” I say.

  ***

  However many hours later, the sun peeking through my eyelids forces me awake. I blink open my eyes to find that we're moseying slowly through the city streets, and many civilians are watching us as we pass. Many of them murmur and point when I sit up on my horse, wiping the side of my mouth. I'm embarrassed when drool comes away. How many people had seen their supposed Queen of the Fae drooling on her horse as we moved toward the castle?

  Rowan shoves my shoulder. “Oh, stop that! You look marvelous when you sleep.”

  I give him a look of exasperation. “Marvelous? Hardly.”

  Adrian falls back to walk his horse on my other side. “She's right, Rowan, she looked ghastly.”

  The two of them burst out laughing and I threw my hands into the air at their childishness. No matter what master we're traveling with, Rowan always seems to team up with them against me for incessant teasing. I don't usually mind because it makes me laugh too, but it is best not to do it in front of all the people watching right now.

  The thought makes me glance around, and I'm once again taken aback by how similar every one of a fae elemental race looks. Most of them have chocolate brown hair, caramel skin from long hours in the sun, and ocean blue eyes. Their beauty reminds me of any merman or mermaid I've ever seen in mythology books. Actually, I think while tapping my chin, they look more like sirens. Mythical creatures so beautiful and alluring that they'll drag you to your death while you smile.