The Terrible Gift (Empath Found Book 1)

by Colette Rhodes

  “Unicorns are badass,” I agreed. A white and silver outfit would look awesome with her pink hair too. “Is there a theme?”

  “We always wear creature-themed costumes to masques, magical or non-magical creatures,” Marlen explained.

  “Oh, that sounds fun. I guess we should schedule that shopping trip soon, B?”

  “Most definitely,” Briallen agreed. “For what it’s worth, I vote dragon for your costume. Maybe a homage to fire will do it...” she muttered under her breath and I chose to ignore her. Hopefully Bryn and Saffir would complete their mating soon, Briallen was never going to let this go.

  Fi

  Marlen and Leigh were on guard duty together the following night, so Briallen, Aderyn, and I planned a girls-only dinner in the commons. We commandeered our usual table by the wall, as far away from the main dinner crowd as I could discreetly manage. There was still some lingering curiosity from the message on the grass so I was trying to keep my head down, particularly in the commons.

  We’d long since finished dinner and were relaxing at the table, exchanging stories and tasting different flavors of tea. The girls had noticed the face I pulled whenever Marlen brought me blackcurrant tea and had made it their mission to find one I liked. So far, peppermint was winning. It was as close as I was going to get in Avalon to my beloved peppermint latte. We joked around as I sampled them all, but my laughter died on my tongue as Bryn and Saffir walked into the commons together, arms wrapped around each other.

  I’d never had to actively avoid Bryn before. He’d always done a bang-up job of avoiding me. Unfortunately, now he seemed to be popping up everywhere like he was trying to rub the pain of the rejected mating pull in my face. Every time I saw him, all I could see was his hand on Saffir’s ass, his grip on her hair, his mouth on hers. It made me feel stabby.

  Those feelings were always followed by rage at myself because why should I care what stupid Bryn did anyway? After all, mating was a choice, as Briallen so often reminded me.

  Briallen followed my gaze across the room and narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "Nope, this is an idiot-free night. Let's finish our tea in your cabin instead."

  "I am on board with that plan," I agreed, getting up from my seat. I didn't want to run away, but removing myself from the situation was the best way to show Bryn that he wasn’t going to get a rise out of me. Besides, I would be less tempted to blast Saffir through a wall if I wasn't in the room. She had years more experience with magic than me and could probably drown me with her water affinity with a flick of her wrist.

  We headed back to my cabin and tucked up on the floor in my cabin with cups of peppermint tea and knit blankets tucked around our legs while I lit the fire in the cast iron stove and sent in small gusts of air magic to get it hot.

  “Fi, didn’t you want to know more about the other inhabitants of Avalon?” Briallen asked.

  “The little human girl in me really wants to know more about dragons and mermaids,” I admitted as I reached for my satchel to pull out my slate board and pencil. These lessons about Avalon with Briallen and Aderyn may be unofficial, but I didn’t mess around when it came to knowledge. Knowing what else inhabited this realm seemed like critical information.

  “What about unicorns?” Aderyn laughed.

  “Are you screwing with me?” I asked seriously and Aderyn frowned.

  “Not at all. You didn’t know we had unicorns in Avalon?” Briallen asked.

  “You said you wanted a unicorn costume for the masque but I assumed they were mythical creatures. How has no one mentioned this?” I exclaimed. I’d never been a horse girl but I’d make an exception for a freaking unicorn.

  Briallen laughed. “Well they are super rare. Or maybe not so much rare as secretive? They live in remote areas and keep to themselves. They don’t have an interest in making protection deals with fae like the griffins do.”

  “Okay, what about dragons?” I asked, furiously scribbling on my slate board as Briallen and Aderyn sipped on their tea.

  “Dragons are shifters. They have a humanoid form, though much taller and bulkier than the average human. They have elemental magic too, though it’s less refined than fae magic. But they can also shift into 50-foot, fire-breathing beasts so best not to get on their bad side,” Briallen said. “They live in isolated, mountain areas that are only accessible by flight. They keep to themselves, I think they have a bit of a superiority complex.”

  I snorted at that. As if the fae didn’t have a superiority complex.

  “They have their own Dragon Council but also sit on the Avalon Assembly, along with fae, mermaids, giants, goblins and centaurs. That’s the majority of races represented,” Aderyn went on.

  “Goblins?! What are they like?” I exclaimed, thinking of grumpy, wrinkled bankers.

  Aderyn and Briallen both grimaced. “Fairly unpleasant to deal with, but they’re the biggest group of merchants in Avalon so you’ll definitely come across them. They’re very shrewd, you’ve got to keep your wits about you when you’re dealing with them.”

  “What about the Assembly? What does it do?” I asked eagerly, getting excited about all the new topics I was adding to my research list.

  “Keep the peace between the races, mostly. Solve territorial disputes, monitor the portals, that kind of thing. The Councils are responsible for their own citizens but the Assembly handles any crossovers. For example, the Fae Council would deal with disputes between fae and dole out punishment accordingly, but if a fae attacked a centaur, they would be put on trial by the Assembly and thrown into the dungeons. Or executed,” Briallen said with a shrug as if the death sentence was an everyday occurrence. Maybe it was.

  “I’ve never been particularly interested in politics but this is fascinating. If it wasn’t so late, I’d ditch you both here and go to the library,” I admitted.

  “Good to know you value our company, Fi,” Briallen said with a laugh.

  “Maybe hold off on the obsessive research until tomorrow,” Aderyn added with a wink. “I’m going to leave you to analyze everything you’ve learned in peace, I need sleep.”

  “I second that,” Briallen agreed, standing.

  I walked them both to the door and we hugged before exchanging goodnights. Girlfriends had been difficult for me to keep in my former life. Either I’d move away or they’d get freaked out by my intuitive nature, or sick of my excuses when my migraines flared up. Having Briallen and Aderyn in my life eased an ache in me I hadn’t realized was there.

  I went to sleep with a smile on my face, grateful for the many amazing ways in which my life had changed, and dreaming about underwater fortresses and fire breathing dragons.

  ◆◆◆

  I walked to my second-year air mastery class the next day full of nervous excitement. I loved the challenge of pushing my magic and my control.

  I’d always loved learning but never really had the opportunity to excel. Spending hours with raging teenage human emotions battering at me gave me a migraine and no motivation to study.

  I hadn’t experienced migraines like that since I arrived in Avalon. Either the fae had less turbulent emotions, my magic was helping me, or it was easier because there weren’t hormonal young teenagers at the Academy. I definitely wasn’t making any progress with the mental shields that Gwyneira had me working on.

  The other perk of my air mastery class was more time with Arthus. Where I felt possessive and playful with Marlen — and furious around Bryn — Arthus had a dominating presence that made me want to roll over like a dog and let him rub my belly. There was a beast under all that self-control, and it felt like my subconscious was warning me not to challenge the biggest fish in the pond. I don’t know how I felt so assertive around Marlen and so submissive around Arthus. Maybe that’s why I needed so many mates. Not for my magic. For my sex drive and all my personalities.

  In today’s air mastery class, we were outside working on hovering heavy items. Apparently it was a building block for when we would eventually be a
ble to use our air magic to hover ourselves. I was giddy at the thought — it wasn’t quite flying but I’d take it.

  It was fortunate we had to work up to it because I’d have broken my neck by now if we started with our own bodies. I got my boulder into the air multiple times but it landed with a deafening thump after a few seconds each time.

  Arthus appeared silently behind me, watching me work silently for a few minutes. Just his presence sent a wave of desire through me, the mating pull filling me with need.

  “You’re using your air to pull the boulder up,” he said in his low seductive voice, as his air magic swirled around the top of my dress, lightly tugging my already aching nipples upwards. I gasped softly at the sensation.

  “It’s an impressive show of raw power but you’re burning magic and have less control. Try channeling your magic underneath the boulder, lifting it into the air, then creating a current underneath it to hold it steady,” Arthus murmured, and I felt his magic start twining around my feet, moving gently up my legs and swirling between my thighs. I bit down hard on my lip to stop myself from moaning out loud.

  Holy air magic, Arthus did not play fair.

  I looked up in time to catch his smug smirk as he walked away, leaving me a turned on, distracted hot mess.

  ◆◆◆

  I had a break for lunch after my air-mastery class and I was feeling keyed up as hell. I paused on my way to the commons, contemplating whether I should go to the commons for food or back to my cabin to get myself off in the shower. I needed to get rid of some of this crazy tension. Godsdamn Arthus and his teasing.

  Distracted by my dilemma, I didn’t notice the mating pull until Marlen wrapped his arms around me from behind, squeezing my middle in greeting.

  “What has you thinking so hard, my little foxglove?” he said into my hair where his face was buried.

  I chewed on my lower lip, debating whether or not it was poor form to tell Marlen that another guy had got me worked up. Fae were all about the sex though right? Surely it would be fine? Deciding that saying nothing might be better, I turned in his arms to face him and started pushing him back into the treeline. Marlen’s brows raised and his surprise skittered across my skin. He continued to let me move him though. He was much stronger than me and could definitely have stopped us if he wanted to.

  When we were a few feet from the main path and suitably hidden, I backed myself up against a tree and yanked Marlen towards me by his shirt collar. Winding my hand through his hair, I pulled his ear down to my mouth and gently bit his ear lobe.

  “I need to come,” I breathed into his ear.

  “Gods,” Marlen choked out. “How ready are you?” he asked, hand already drifting under my dress to check for himself.

  “So fucking ready,” I said, swatting his hand away so I could yank my panties down. I wasn’t going to waste any time, I was ready to go and already testing the limits of my exhibitionism.

  Marlen quickly caught on, tugging his hard and ready cock out of his trousers and lifting one of my legs to wrap around his waist. I pulled my dress out of the way and he impaled me in one smooth moment as I bit down hard on his bicep to keep quiet. Marlen’s grip tightened on my thigh, his other hand wrapping around the back of my head, tangling in my hair so he could pull me forward for a frenzied kiss. Our tongues battled as he roughly slammed into me, the bark scraping uncomfortably at my back but it felt way too good to stop now.

  My hands pulled at Marlen’s shirt, nails clawing at him, desperate for more, for everything. I leaned forward enough to suck on his neck, replacing the marks that had faded and he rewarded me by pulling back further and slamming into me so hard I felt like I was seeing stars. I could feel him beginning to tense and wanting to get there with him, I reached down and rubbed circles around my most sensitive nerves, relishing the way Marlen’s eyes widened and nostrils flared as he watched.

  “You’re so godsdamned sexy, foxglove,” Marlen groaned.

  “Less talking,” I panted, body wound so tight with need my limbs were trembling. “More fucking.”

  Marlen’s grip tightened as he thrust into me harder, capturing my moans in a punishing kiss. I came so hard, my knees wobbled and my vision went black for a few seconds. Marlen never let me go, continuing to ride me hard through my spectacular orgasm until he found his own release, leaning his head in the crook of my neck as he spilled inside me.

  "So," Marlen panted. "Do you want to tell me what Arthus did in that air mastery class to get you so worked up?"

  I laughed breathlessly because of course he had figured out why I was so worked up. There wasn’t even a hint of jealousy from him either, just pure satisfaction. I took deep breaths, trying to get enough oxygen in my lungs to respond when I noticed the second mating pull that had been burning in my chest, that I’d ignored in favor of chasing my orgasm.

  Looking over Marlen’s shoulder, I caught the briefest glimpse of blue-black hair as the second mating pull faded away. How long had Bryn been standing there?

  ◆◆◆

  I approached my first tutoring session the following night with Arthus feeling more than a little apprehensive. The mating pull felt like it was twisting and coiling in my chest as I moved closer to the training area, eager to pull Arthus and me together. Rationally, I remembered what Marlen had said about Arthus not getting close to anyone and how he had probably been hunted for his wings. Despite his flirtations during class, I wasn’t going to assume he wanted to get close to me. I had one hell of a crush on him but if sex was as far as it ever went, I could live with that.

  “Ffion, glad you could make it.” Gods, his voice was like liquid sex. This was going to be harder than I thought. His burst of lust wasn’t helping.

  “Thank you for taking the time to tutor me. I imagine you have plenty of places you’d rather spend your evening.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” The corner of his lip kicked up into the sexiest half-smile; it took my breath away.

  He had a dimple. If he kept throwing dimples at me, I was going to have to track down Marlen again after my tutoring session. Was it weird to get turned on by one guy then act on it with another guy? Maybe not for the fae. Still weird for me.

  "Your control is impressive, given that you're new to all of this. However, by the second year, most air mastery students have greater precision, so that's what we'll be working on."

  I didn't sense any judgment from Arthus; he seemed like he genuinely wanted to help me get caught up. I watched with interest as he set up a small but elaborate obstacle course on the desk to float a feather through. The gaps were even closer than when Master Drysi set them up for me during class, and I raised a questioning brow at Arthus.

  He tossed a lazy smirk at me, and I wondered how the same expression looked so tempting on Arthus and so infuriating on Bryn.

  "I'm not interested in coddling you, Ffion. I have been tasked with bringing your skills up to the second-year level, and I intend to do so."

  I looked at him dubiously, and he gave me a reassuring smile. "For what it's worth, I am confident you will be able to master this."

  It was worth a lot actually, but it felt a juvenile to admit that.

  If my progress was slower than Arthus anticipated, he never let on. His emotions were calm and steady, and he was endlessly patient with me. After two hours of practice, my feather was traveling through the entire obstacle, guided by my air magic. I had room for improvement — it definitely hit the sides a few times — but it was a step in the right direction.

  “Let’s take a break,” Arthus announced, handing me a glass of water.

  I flopped down onto the ground rather ungracefully. Arthus was definitely a taskmaster. I felt more wiped after two hours training with him than I did after a full day of classes. Arthus wasn’t letting me off the hook the way some of the masters did. He knew I was capable of more, and he was determined to get me there. I respected him for it. And sort of hated him for it too.

  Arthus took a
seat on the floor next to me. Right next to me. The mating pull did a little happy dance in my chest.

  “So, the word on campus is that you grew up in Albion, and no idea you were fae. That’s an unusual background story.” It probably should have rubbed me the wrong way the way he laid it all out there, but he delivered his statement with his usual factual calmness, and his emotions felt curious rather than judgmental.

  “Was there a question in there?” I teased and was rewarded with another one of those glorious little half-smiles.

  “No,” he replied slowly. “I guess I’m trying to figure you out. Fae gossip, but it’s rarely the full story.” I felt a wave of bitterness emanating from him.

  “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience,” I said cautiously. Arthus hadn’t really given much away on a personal level yet, and I didn’t want to scare him off, but I did want to get to know him better. Even though I wasn’t interested in pursuing him or anyone else as a mate. I mean, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t.

  99% sure.

  67% sure.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard things about me?”

  “Uh, that you have wings?”

  “And?”

  “And that you’ve never pursued a mating pull before? Which is totally understandable, it’s a big deal, and I definitely hate the assumption that just because you feel a pull towards someone, you should explore it,” I babbled nervously, my face feeling like it was on fire.

  He cocked a brow and gave me a tiny half-smile, showing off that devastating dimple again. I could feel his amusement. If he thought I was insane, he was polite enough to not mention it.

  “Both of those are correct. Having a rare gift like wings can be… taxing. I need to be on guard constantly to make sure I don’t make myself vulnerable to people who would take advantage of me.”

  “I understand how that feels,” I said softly, and I felt his curiosity spike sharply. “I’m not ready to talk about what my gift is just yet, but I can relate to having coveted magic. Trust becomes a rare commodity,” I muttered, thinking of Bryn and Gwyneira and lingering doubts I had about them.