by Marie Mistry
“Aww,” I cooed as I stroked the fabric.
“Those are your present from Doughnut.” Jin smiled and, as if on cue, his pet rat peeped over the top of the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt. “Mine is underneath.”
I stroked Doughnut's tiny head. “Thank you, little guy,” I said, before moving the soft fabric aside.
Underneath were four thin strips of paper with posh writing on them. “Seven Star Spa?” I read aloud, recognising the name of the high-end demon-only spa in London.
“I thought you and your friends might want a ladies' day out.” He shrugged as though it wasn't a big deal. “It's probably exhausting dealing with seven men all the time and your third year will be hard work. You deserve to be pampered.”
I hugged him, careful not to squash Doughnut in the process. “That sounds perfect.”
The others let me snuggle him for a while but it still wasn't long before Aeron was kidnapping me, pulling me into his lap with a kiss to my forehead.
He presented his gift to me without a word and I ripped open the paper to reveal a sleek, modern-looking camera. Underneath was a beautiful, beaded scrapbook.
“It's battery powered so it will work at Vice,” Aeron said, his hands running lightly through my sea-tangled hair. “There are extra batteries in the bottom of the box. You can give me the memory card when it's full and I'll be able to print your photos since professors have access to electricity … I just thought you might like to have some memories of your time at college.”
I grinned, lifted the camera and turned it toward us. “Selfie with me?”
He kissed my head and obediently smiled. But when I turned the camera around, the display showed he'd given me bunny ears. I rolled my eyes but grinned anyway. “I'm going to have so much fun with this.” I knew I was going to end up using the camera a lot because he was right. I had always worried that I wouldn't have anything to remember my time at Vice and now, with his gift, Aeron had changed that.
Daron was next and he wordlessly accepted me into his arms, passing me a wrapped parcel that was the size of a book, but lighter and more rigid.
Curiously, I started carefully tearing the paper, revealing a simple, but elegant, green leather jewellery box. When he passed me a tiny key, I slid it into the locking mechanism, and clicked it open. Inside were rows of rings, too large for anyone to wear on their finger but the perfect size if you happened to like accessorising your horns. Each one was unique and must have been custom-made to ensure they were the correct size. There were some with stones inlaid, ones with thick bands and others with thin, dainty ones. Some came in pairs, with chains dangling between them, and others had dangling charms.
I looked up at him in awe because they were all too perfect, too unique, to be something he'd bought.
“I made them,” he confessed, almost as if he was embarrassed to confirm what I'd been thinking. “I called the metals out of the earth and shaped them with my gift. And Bane helped find the gems with his gift … If you don't like them—”
I pulled his face down to my level and kissed him into silence, pouring how much I loved him into the kiss, willing him to feel it down our mating bond. “I adore them,” I reassured him, once our lips parted. “Will you put one on me?”
His gentle smile warmed me from the inside out. “Of course.”
He deftly selected a silver one with a dangling, gem-encrusted butterfly, slipping it out of the box and gently pushing it over my horn. His fingers caressed the surface of my lower horn, making my sex clench with need. His touch lingered for long moments after he'd put the ring on me and I smiled. Even though I couldn't see the it, I could still feel the butterfly skimming the side of my head behind my ear.
“You have one last mate,” he reminded me, pressing a parting kiss to my lips before he lifted me and deposited me in Bane's lap.
My Greed mate stilled as soon as our skin touched. I wiggled to get comfortable and our mating bond fizzled at the contact. I wasn't so sure that my being on Bane's lap was such a good idea, judging by the looks he was receiving from the rest of my mates, but when I looked back at Daron, he just winked at me.
“You both deserve happiness,” he insisted down our bond. “And the others will follow your lead, so don't worry about them.”
Bane cleared his throat and passed me a long, thin box, wrapped with a pretty, red bow.
I hadn't expected him to get me anything. I knew that with his father in hiding, and his mother a servant, he was the least financially gifted of all my mates. He'd helped so much with Daron and Kain's gifts, that I'd assumed he was simply sharing their gifts to me.
I accepted the box slowly.
“I know it's not much…” He trailed off, then cleared his throat again. “I thought, maybe, you should have something to know how I feel.”
His lips snapped closed on the last word and I smiled shyly. “Can I open it?”
He nodded once, the tension in his expression telling me more than his words could. He was clearly worried that I wouldn't like whatever he'd gotten me but he didn't need to worry about that. As sad as it was, even when I'd thought he was with Lucinda, my whole being had craved him as much as it did my other mates. With the bond between us open at last, and every secret he had out in the open, I had a horrible suspicion that it would be all too easy to forgive him.
I slipped the ribbon from the box and pulled off the lid to find five tiny, corked glass phials. They were roughly acorn-sized with pointed tips and necklace chains attached to the corks. Inside each one was a minuscule amount of soil and microscopic stones, with perfect, miniature flowers growing from it. He'd turned each phial into a living terrarium on a scale so small, he must have spent hours with his gift to do it.
And I got it, instantly, because Bane and I shared a knowledge of what flowers meant. He'd given me a story of us but written in a language that only we would understand.
The first miniature terrarium was a single blooming blue rose, just like the ones he'd grown on my windowsill that first year. Blue roses meant a longing for the unattainable and for so long, I'd burned the ones on my windowsill because I hated the distance he kept putting between us. The second phial held a mixture of miniature white tulips and purple hyacinths, meaning sorrow and a wish for forgiveness, which must have been whilst he was feigning interest in Lucinda. In the one next to it were daisies and white chrysanthemums, which symbolised a pledge of loyalty and his vow never to betray me again. I stroked that one gently before moving on to the blue irises and snowdrops, symbolic of hope. But the phial next to them—the last terrarium in the box—was the one that caught my attention. Twelve perfect, tiny, red roses bloomed in a perfect heart shape that would never have existed in nature. A dozen red roses was the simplest meaning of all, the one even someone who didn't like flowers would understand … 'I love you.'
I smiled softly but I knew I wasn't there yet with Bane. There was too much history to be gotten over so quickly. Even though I logically understood that he'd been trying to protect me, my heart was still bruised. So, I left that one in the box and carefully picked out the one with the irises and snowdrops instead.
“Put it on me?” I whispered, holding it out.
He smiled softly, the tension leaving his features when he realised I didn't hate them. His large fingers made surprisingly deft work of the tiny clasp and I dutifully held my hair out of the way for him to secure it around my neck.
I wasn't prepared for the tiny, chaste kiss to my throat that he gave me after.
“One day, I'll prove myself to you and you'll trust me again,” he promised, low and quiet against my ear. “When that day comes, will you wear the red one for me?”
I nodded. “They're beautiful.”
“They're nothing compared to you.” His ears reddened when he realised how corny his words were and I grinned at his embarrassment.
Nelly saved him from my teasing with a loud yell. “The cake!” she said, nudging Daron with a grin.
Daron shot Kai
n a look and, almost instantly, a two-tiered cake landed in his waiting arms. My jaw dropped as I looked at it. It was a naked cake, decorated with artfully-sliced fresh strawberries and pink icing. As I watched, exactly twenty-two candles burst to life before me and everyone around me launched into a hilariously bad, tuneless rendition of 'Happy Birthday.'
“Make a wish, Birthday Girl,” Daron encouraged, once the awful singing had ceased.
I closed my eyes and blew.
“What did you wish for?” Kain asked, almost as soon as I'd opened my eyes.
Jin punched his shoulder lightly before I could reply. “Don't be an idiot. You know she can't tell you or it won't come true.”
Chapter 4
The party wound down, waning into a relaxed, natural end that I still wanted to protest. I didn't want to leave, didn't want to face what came next, even as I understood the inevitability of it. Night was falling around us and, no matter how lovely the beach was, it would soon become too cold to stay.
When Enzo and Kain took us all back to Vice, I changed quickly into the familiar Vice uniform, before following the twins and Aeron to the gatehouse to say goodbye.
While we'd been at the beach, the porters had taken the fourth-year students' things from the Carnal Tower and unloaded them into their waiting cars. Now, from where I was standing, I could see Blaze and his security team, diligently ensuring that only the fourth years left the grounds.
When they next entered Vice, Aeron would be my professor and Lulu, a researcher, whilst Nelly would be working for me. Our dynamic is changing, I thought with a twinge of worry and grief, as I watched them examine their luggage.
It was hard, knowing that this was the last time we'd all be together as students but I was surrounded by people who loved me. Beside me were Kain, Jin, Bane and Leonie, Bane's mother. Having them with me made it all seem a little more bearable. And knowing Aeron and the twins would be back, in whatever capacity, helped.
Though Aeron and Lulu would be moving into the teachers' rooms on the upper floors of the main castle in September, they had to leave the college until the new college year began. Aeron and Nelly were going to stay at the newly renovated Carazor Estate, which felt further away than ever—there, Nelly would remain, while Aeron would return. Kain had used his money to buy them a plain, unremarkable Ford Focus for the journey and the sight of it made me bite my lip.
For the time being, Lulu was moving in with Hadrian and Dorian and the look on her face when her eyes fell on her waiting mates softened the sense of loss I was feeling. For her, this was a happily ever after where she moved in with her mates.
Before they left, Lulu and Nelly pulled me into a fierce group hug. There were no dry eyes as we made teary promises to keep in touch before Lulu disappeared into her mates' waiting car. Aeron barely waited for the engine to start before he kissed me, filling my nose with his coffee and sandalwood scent as he took over my mouth and senses. His tongue moved against mine with a kind of desperation that I felt in my soul, possessing me so deeply that I wasn't sure where he ended and I began. The tenderness of the kiss did nothing to blunt the depth of my sadness as he stepped away, gave his brother and stepmother brief hugs and the others quick, farewell nods.
Aeron held the door open for Nelly before walking around to his own side. Our eyes caught the second before he ducked into the vehicle and I felt the pang of reluctance within him down the mating bond. This was his first time living anywhere outside of Vice since he was ten years old…
But he didn't even seem worried about that as he closed the door and turned on the engine.
It seemed even my jovial Pride mate couldn't summon a smile as the cars pulled away, following the line of other vehicles. “I'm actually going to miss that asshole,” Kain admitted glumly.
“I'll miss them all,” I whispered, as a single drop of moisture escaped my eye.
It didn't make it halfway down my cheek before Jin was there, wiping it away with his thumb. “Don't cry, Pet.”
I smiled sadly and stepped closer till we were chest to chest, soaking up his warmth and the comforting fresh smell of him. He embraced me wordlessly, brushing my forehead with a feather soft kiss. I wasn't surprised when Kain came around behind me, surrounding me, our mating bonds humming in contentment at the contact.
“It's only for a little while, Sunshine. And when Professor Aeron returns in September, I promise to help you find as many ways as possible to drive him insane.”
The smile on my face was genuine and I couldn't help but relax into the two of them. I was dimly aware of Bane and his mother leaving quietly, leaving me alone with my Sloth and Pride mates.
“How about you let me distract you?” Jin suggested, his fingertips lightly caressing the sides of my arms. “Have you ever ice skated before, Pet?”
I looked up at him in surprise. “I used to go as a child…” Figure skating was one of the few hobbies my mother had enjoyed doing with me, but as we'd drifted apart, we'd gone less and less. Now, with my wings playing with my balance, I wasn't sure I'd be anywhere near as good as I once was.
“Perfect.” Jin led me back toward the moat and Kain followed with a grin on his face.
I watched in fascination as we reached the water and Jin leaned down, touching it with his flattened palm. Ice spread outward in a wave, reaching the other side of the bank with a gentle sigh. I couldn't help but be impressed by Jin's power as he sat on the grass and directed his cryokinesis again, this time forming perfect ice blades on the bottoms of his boots.
Kain pulled me down beside him. As similar blades formed on my feet, I was grateful for my plain, comfortable boots. Jin was already on the ice without waiting for us, racing across it with a strange, otherworldly grace that made me want to just sit and watch him for hours.
Kain was less impressed and snorted under his breath as he offered me a hand up. “He's always such a show off. Come on, Sunshine, let's go and knock him on his butt.”
I hesitated, my wings flaring with anticipation as he pulled me to my feet. Clamping down on the urge to flap them, I forced them stiffly against my back before taking the first gliding step onto the ice.
I'd forgotten how much I missed it. After a few, wobbly first steps, where I clung to Kain for support, I began to feel myself fall back into the familiar sensation of blade gliding against ice.
Jin's improvised skates felt different to the ones I was used to but I adjusted quicker than I expected to. Even Onyx and Ivory joined in, sliding around on the slippery surface with bare feet as they tried to push one another over. They alternated between flying and sliding and, every now and then, my wings flared slightly as well, unconsciously, as if imploring me to try the same.
Kain and I made a game of trying to catch Jin but neither of us got very far. My Sloth mate was like a butterfly, flitting around the ice as though he was born to do so. In a way, I suppose he was because manipulating ice was his gift. But watching the smooth lines his lithe body made as he moved made something in me perk up with desire.
Kain gave up first, his thousand-watt smile still in place, despite admitting defeat. He playfully rolled his eyes at Jin before climbing back up the bank of the moat, Ivory following him curiously. When I went to follow them, Kain winked and shooed me back to Jin.
“You need him tonight, not me,” he whispered, as he dissolved his skates with pyrokinesis. There was no jealousy or sadness along our mating bond, just acceptance.
He was always doing things like that, I realised. He'd renovated my family estate, paid for my first ballgown and distracted everyone from staring at me when I'd made the first-year students go through their showings. Even now, when I was obviously hurting from missing Aeron and the twins, he sent me into the arms of his friend because Jin was the one who could soothe my aching heart the easiest.
“Thank you for always taking care of me.” My words felt insignificant by themselves, so I followed them along the bond with a psychic kiss.
“It's what I'm here for,
Sunshine.” He turned and disappeared into the darkness, just as Jin's arms encircled me from behind.
My Sloth mate grasped my hands and pulled me back on the ice, skin cool against mine, as he led me around. Soon enough, I was a part of the dance I'd been admiring earlier, floating around in his arms as he set the pace. All my thoughts of Kain, Aeron and the twins were banished by the focus required to keep up with him, which had probably been Jin's intention.
But all those thoughts came rushing back the instant we stepped onto the grassy bank and the ice melted back into the moat behind us. I looked at the Carnal Tower in the distance with a sense of foreboding. “I don't know if I want to go back in there tonight. It will be too strange without them there.”
Jin flashed me a swift, sad smile. “Come and see my room then? It seems a bit weird that you've seen Daron's and Aeron's but not mine.”
Doughnut peeped out of Jin's pocket and I could swear that the rat was willing me to say 'yes.' I reached out to stroke the little rodent's furry head and Jin reached into his other pocket to hand me a raisin. Doughnut took the offering from my fingers as soon as I held it out, his tiny paws holding it as he sniffed.
“Okay," I said, smiling. "Lead the way, I guess.”
Jin took my hand and led me across the bridge and under the portcullis of the gatehouse. The Idle Tower, where the Sloth students lived, was the closest to the Gatehouse. From the outside, it looked the same as any of the others but I knew the inside would be different.
I wasn't prepared for just how different.
I felt as though I'd walked into a bohemian paradise. Each wall was white but, at random intervals, huge, colourful mandalas and stylised animals had been painted. The floor was taken up almost entirely by the plushest sofas and comfiest armchairs I had ever seen. Every surface invited someone to sit down and not move for hours. Dotted between were low coffee tables with surprisingly tasteful tie-dye cloths covering them. Ferns and plants peeked out from corners, giving areas of the room a secluded feel.
