Midnight Fae Academy: Book Three: A Dark Why Choose Paranormal Vampire Romance

by Lexi C. Foss

  He resumed his pacing again, his shoulders tense.

  Helplessness was not a good look on him. I felt it, too, but I’d grown up in a world where I had no say in my future. Everything had been mapped out for me before I took my first breath. I’d just been walking the path ever since, following each directive to the letter.

  And for what?

  To find out I stood at the front lines of a war I thought ended over a thousand years ago. Not only that, but they expected me to fight as well. To kill. To harness the source power and use it to assassinate those who technically created it.

  Fuck. “I need a distraction,” I said, looking around. “We need a distraction.” Everything around us was going up in flames, and we were sitting in the corner with our hands behind our backs, watching it all burn.

  I stood again, stepping right into Zeph as he moved forward midstride. His irises flared with power. He wanted to hurt something. I could see that need lurking in his gaze.

  “Use me,” I told him. “Take it out on me.”

  “No.”

  “Do it, Zeph.” I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and grabbed his hip with my opposite palm. “Destroy me.”

  “No.”

  “Stubborn dick,” I said, crushing my mouth against his.

  He threaded his fingers through my hair, yanking hard to pull me away, but I sank my teeth into his lower lip to hold on.

  He growled.

  I growled back.

  It was either this or we sparred, and the latter would destroy a lot of shit.

  This would at least provide us with a necessary release.

  My name rolled off his tongue, the warning clear.

  I accepted it as a challenge and kissed him again. This time he bit me, drawing my blood. It should have given me pause, forced me to stop, but instead I fed the essence into his mouth with my tongue and tightened my grip on his nape.

  He snarled in response, my blood providing the boost of power I knew he craved.

  As my Guardian, he could bite me as often as he wanted. Imbibing my essence had been a key part of his fealty bond when we were younger.

  But there was one thing I’d never done—I’d never bitten him back.

  It would snap a mating bond into place, one that would further tie us together for eternity. My incisors ached to do just that.

  Because why the fuck not? If Shade could bond me, then I could bond with Zeph. We were already vowed to one another anyway. Might as well take it to the next level.

  I captured his gaze, then sank my teeth into his bottom lip again, this time hard enough to make him bleed.

  His eyes widened. “Kols…”

  I made a show of licking the wound and swallowing, eliciting a sharp gasp from him. I’d shocked him. Fuck, I’d shocked myself.

  This was reckless.

  Crude.

  So fucking wrong.

  But I didn’t give a damn.

  He shook his head in disbelief, his eyes wide with a myriad of emotions. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

  I shrugged. I’d already ruined everything, so why not create my own inferno to burn in? “Kiss me,” I demanded.

  “No.”

  “Fuck, Zeph.” I sucked his lip into my mouth, laving the wound and holding his gaze as I did it.

  His nostrils flared.

  So I repeated the action.

  Then I created a new wound, biting him again, and he hissed in response. “Kolstov.”

  “Zephyrus,” I returned. “Shall I go for a third? I mean, why not at this point, right?”

  His nostrils flared, his chest heaving against mine. Then he tightened his grip in my hair and yanked me into a kiss underlined in feral energy. I groaned, the taste of him addictive and perfect and sweetened by Aflora’s essence.

  I could sense her in him, her energy an addictive flavor I missed with every ounce of my soul.

  Her life thrummed through me as I swallowed more of Zeph’s blood. I could feel her inside me, as though she blessed our union with her presence.

  Except she wasn’t here.

  And I missed her.

  “Tell her what we’re doing,” I groaned as Zeph walked me backward to the bed. “Tell her.”

  “I already have,” he replied, his fingers still in my hair, his lips brushing mine. “She can feel it.”

  “What is she saying?”

  “It’s making her hot.” He smiled with the words, then trailed his tongue along my lower lip. “She wishes she were here.”

  “I wish she were here, too,” I admitted.

  “Get on the bed, Kols. Lose the boxers.” The command in his tone was one I wanted to counter, but I knew he needed the control right now.

  I’d told him to take it out on me, to use me. And the look in his eyes told me he was going to do exactly that.

  So I followed his command to the letter, kicking off my black boxer briefs and sliding onto the center of the bed. He grabbed the lube from my nightstand and tossed it to me. I caught it in my fist, then arched a brow at him, waiting.

  His jaw ticked.

  He usually preferred my mouth, but I sensed his need for something else tonight.

  “She can feel the new connection,” Zeph said.

  “Is she okay with it?”

  “Yes.” He knelt on the bed. “She didn’t realize Shade had bitten you, but she sees it now. She says she feels closer to you.”

  “I feel closer to her, too,” I admitted, my gaze dropping to his dick. The fabric barely contained him, his boxers stretched tight across his hardening length.

  “I’m going to fuck you,” he said, his voice dark with unhindered emotion.

  “I know.”

  “I’m not going to be nice about it.”

  I smiled. “I know.”

  “Get up on your knees.”

  IF YOU WERE HERE RIGHT NOW, I’d make you suck Kols’s cock, I said into Aflora’s mind. He’s hard as fuck, pixie flower. Even has a little bit of cum on the tip for you to lick off.

  I reached beneath him to swipe at the moisture with my thumb, then brought it to my lips.

  Aflora moaned through my thoughts as I described his essence to her in exquisite detail. Zephyrus...

  Yes?

  You’re making me want to… to do things to myself.

  Then touch yourself, I said. “Aflora wishes you were in her mouth right now,” I told Kols. “Next time we’re together, I want her to suck you off while I fuck you.”

  His shaft visibly pulsed with the words as I settled onto my knees behind him. He looked good like this, up on all fours before me. I leaned forward to press a kiss to his spine, aware that this wasn’t his favorite position.

  But he was doing this for me.

  To give me an outlet.

  To provide me with a semblance of control.

  Thank you, I said with my mouth, kissing his back again as I stroked my hand up and down his outer thigh. Then I switched focus in my mind, engaging the connection that Aflora had left open these last few days. I could sense her guarding it, waiting for Zakkai to potentially abuse it, but so far, he’d remained out of my head and out of our connection.

  Are you touching yourself, Aflora? I asked her as I retrieved the lube from the bed. Kols shivered as I popped the cap. I squeezed a little into my hand, then reached around to stroke his shaft, teasing him. I’m touching Kols, I added softly. He’s groaning quite loudly.

  I gave him a little twist on the end, catching more of the precum in my hand.

  Then I applied the lube to the crease of his ass and dropped the container onto the bed.

  Aflora, I hummed. I’m starting to prepare Kols’s ass for my cock. He’s almost as tight as your cunt.

  She breathed something incoherent into my mind, making me smile. It was almost like she was with us, her excitement vibrating our bond.

  What are you doing, pixie flower? Are you fingering yourself while I finger-fuck Kols?

  “What’s she saying?” he asked,
groaning as I applied a little more pressure with a scissoring motion inside him.

  “She’s playing with herself,” I said, sensing her mounting pleasure. “She’s mimicking my pace with her own hand.”

  “Fuck.” He arched as I gave him a harsher pump, his skin flushing with his restraint.

  “Don’t you dare come,” I said, repeating the words in my mind to Aflora. “I know it’s been a while, but we’re prolonging this.”

  “Dick,” Kols muttered.

  I squeezed his shaft. “Yes,” I agreed, shoving my fingers deeper into him, preparing him for the inevitable.

  Tell me where you are, Aflora. What you’re doing. Describe it to me.

  I could feel her swallowing in response, her heat a welcome embrace through our connection. I’m in the shower, she whispered, as though afraid of getting caught. I’m… I’m up against the wall. My legs keep threatening to buckle.

  Where are your hands?

  One is holding me up, she replied, her voice husky and so damn sweet. The other is between my legs.

  Doing what, pixie flower? I want all the details. How many fingers are you using?

  Two, she admitted.

  Make it three, I said, adding a third digit to Kols’s ass.

  He clamped down around me in response, so I tugged on his cock a little to loosen him up. “I warned you that I wouldn’t be nice.”

  “I. Know.” He ground out the words, his body tense and hot. I leaned down to kiss his spine again, unable to hold back the gratitude in my touch. He was sacrificing a lot in this position, allowing me all the power and essentially bowing to me when it should be the other way around.

  I tried to ease my pace a little, but he growled, aware of my intent.

  “Don’t you fucking dare,” he said. “Give me everything, Zeph. We both know I can take it.”

  “You can,” I agreed, removing my fingers to tug down my boxers. “I hope you’re ready.”

  “I am.”

  He wasn’t.

  Not quite.

  But he wouldn’t fight me on this. It’d been too long for all of us, and with Aflora’s panting in my mind and Kols’s sacrifice below, I was gone to the moment. I aligned myself with his hips and thrust inside, eliciting a hiss of pain from Kols that quickly turned into a groan as I reached around him again to pump his cock.

  I draped myself over him, needing his touch, his warmth, his soul.

  Then I grasped his hip with my other hand and began to move.

  I detailed it all to Aflora in my mind, telling her my pace, describing Kols’s responding sounds, told her we were sweating and fucking with a raw intensity that threatened to destroy us all.

  She had three fingers insides her tight sheath, mimicking the motion, her little moans music through our bond.

  “She’s close,” I told Kols.

  “So am I,” he groaned, his arousal throbbing against my palm in agreement.

  “Not yet.” I wanted us to unravel together, to reignite the threads of our bonds and rekindle the dying flame between us.

  Perhaps it was all in my mind—a consequence of our distance.

  But I needed this shared moment to renew the hope inside me.

  Zeph, Aflora moaned. Please. I need to come.

  Oh, her voice was perfect. That refreshing kiss of fate I needed inside to tug me over the edge as Kols clamped down around me, urging me to fuck him harder and faster.

  The two of them together shoved me to the precipice of oblivion, causing me to nearly lose sight of our goal. But my determination snapped into place, reining me in just long enough to say, “Now.”

  Heat swarmed through my veins as Aflora detonated in my mind, then Kols jolted beneath me, his orgasm spilling into my palm and forcing me to fall over the cliff with him into a heart-stopping climax.

  Reality escaped me.

  Oblivion welcomed me.

  The fucking stars brightened for me.

  And for one fantastic moment, everything was perfect, as it should be, the three of us lost to the throes of passion in unison with one another.

  I fucking miss you, Aflora, I said, falling onto Kols, my energy depleted, my soul calming for the first time this week.

  I miss you both, too, she replied as I rolled Kols onto his side to spoon in the bed. He trembled, his back to my chest, and I held him through the aftermath of our brutality. I kissed his shoulder and his neck, whispered gratitude in his ear, and stroked his abdomen.

  Submitting didn’t come naturally to him.

  And I wanted him to know that I understood and cherished the gift.

  He’d bitten me. Twice. Forced me to fuck him. Knowing it was what I needed to be able to finally relax. “I don’t deserve you,” I told him softly, kissing the sensitive spot of his neck. “But I’ll never stop trying to be good enough for you.”

  He shook his head. “You’ve always been good enough for me, Zeph. For Aflora, too.”

  I could sense her humming in agreement, her mind somehow having caught our conversation. Or maybe I’d played it back to her. I couldn’t tell anymore. We were all so connected, so bonded, that I gave up trying to understand the nuances of our connections.

  Instead, I allowed the security of that link to lull me into sleep.

  With Kols in my arms.

  Aflora in my mind.

  And warmth thriving in my heart.

  I PRESSED my cheek to the cold tile of the shower, my legs trembling from the power of the orgasm that had just threatened to consume my entire soul.

  Zeph had quieted, his thoughts turning to sleep.

  I was supposed to be preparing for another day of training with Zakkai, and I could barely walk. The release hadn’t been enough. Not after everything he’d said and done in my mind.

  Kols and Zeph were always hot together, but their bond had intensified everything somehow.

  I couldn’t believe they’d bitten each other.

  And Shade? When had he bitten Kols? Why had he bitten him? That didn’t seem like the Death Blood at all. They hated each other.

  I swallowed, shaking my head, and turned off the water. Then I slumped against the wall. “Fae,” I breathed, my heart racing in my chest. That’d been an intense ride, and I hadn’t even been there.

  It took several more breaths for me to find enough courage to move.

  I wrapped myself in a towel, then stepped out of the bathroom into Zakkai’s room.

  To find him lounging on the bed in a pair of jeans and a fitted black sweater, his expression knowing. “Have a nice shower, Aflora?” he asked, his silver-blue gaze sparkling.

  I cleared my throat. “It was adequate,” I replied, my voice huskier than I intended.

  “Only adequate?” He arched a brow. “That makes me wonder what you sound like when you’re truly satisfied, then.”

  My cheeks heated. I hadn’t exactly held back in the shower, too lost to the moment to remember his presence just outside the door.

  “It also leads me to believe that I was only ‘adequate’ in our previous dreams. Perhaps I need more practice.”

  “I’m sure Dakota would be happy to oblige,” I replied as I went to pick up my wand. The words just sort of slipped from my mouth, the Elite Blood an annoyance lurking in my mind.

  She was everywhere.

  At lunch.

  At dinner.

  Showing up during my training sessions with Zakkai.

  She’d apologized early on, saying I’d frightened her with my power. It was an utter wallop berry, one I refused to swallow. Because nothing about her struck me as genuine.

  Zakkai smirked. “Oh, she’s offered several times. But she’s not my type.”

  “Pretty, powerful, and willing?” I replied before murmuring a spell to exchange my towel for a skirt and blouse combo. I added boots next and then another collar of green, red, and purple strands.

  “I love watching you enchant your wardrobe,” he said, his eyes running over me. “I only wish you’d magic them onto the
bed, then put them on slowly for my benefit. It’s not like I haven’t already seen you naked countless times.”

  “Then you shouldn’t mind missing this opportunity.” I finished my ensemble with a cloak and slid my wand inside while he watched. “What lesson are you teaching me today?”

  “Hopefully one with my mouth.”

  It seemed he had a one-track mind. Just like my other mates. “Spells usually require oral skills, yes,” I told him, smiling. “So I do hope you’ll use your mouth and voice.”

  “Maybe I’ll growl instead, right against your clit,” he countered, rolling off the bed and sauntering toward me on bare feet.

  It was a distinctly sexy look with his long white hair loose around his shoulders, framing his dark sweater that led to fitted jeans.

  So casual.

  At home.

  Comfortable.

  He cupped my cheek with his palm, his skin hot against mine. “My offer remains, Aflora. Just let me know when you have use for my mouth, and it’s yours for as long as you want it.” He leaned in to brush his lips against mine. “As for today’s lesson, we’re going outside. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

  He slipped his hand into my cloak to retrieve my wand and used it to give himself a pair of brown boots and a leather jacket. Then he returned it to my pocket with a wink.

  “Let’s go.” He turned, expecting me to follow.

  Which I did because he’d said one of my favorite words. Outside.

  I’d been dying to explore the exterior of this castle, but I hadn’t been able to find a single door. And whenever I wandered too far away from Zakkai, a spell lassoed my waist and yanked me back to his side.

  We wandered through the labyrinth of stone-and-glass hallways, my eyes drifting over the torches and exterior the whole time. It really was beautiful here. Unique, too. The flames danced along the walls like a strand of lights, their underlying color a cerulean blue. Doors sporadically appeared—all with proper handles and no gargoyles—and the windows seemed to be strategically placed to allow for maximum viewing potential of the outdoors.

  “Where exactly are we?” I wondered out loud as the wall shifted before us to reveal a secret staircase that hadn’t been there seconds ago. I frowned at it. “How did you…?” I trailed off, my lips parting as the flames danced downward to illuminate the stone steps along the floor.