High Fae Academy - Year One: Fae Paranormal Romance

by Kaylin Peyerk

  And he may be the most breathtaking man I've ever seen in my life.

  He has midnight black hair that's cropped closely to his head, but it has a sexy swoop falling down near his eyes. The long cloak he's wearing reminds me of vampires you read about from the Middle Ages and covers any other clothing he may be wearing. But his eyes, oh his eyes, are an impossible violet color that shine outward as if showing his soul to the entire world.

  Damon sputters, "I'm sorry, it was my fault. She hasn't been informed about the details of our situation yet. I took advantage. . ."

  The stranger cuts him off with a scathing look and states flatly, "Clearly. How about you go back to our brothers and tell them of my arrival and I'll take Tiana inside to get her properly clothed." My embarrassment only grows when he glances at me again, a look of disdain on his face.

  Damon only nods, gives me a wincing smile, and walks quickly in the opposite direction. Almost as if he's afraid of the stranger before me. Should I be? The man is looking after Damon, shaking his head. For the first time I notice the two bags by his feet. Is this the spirit master who I'm supposed to live with? God, just looking at him sends me into a spiraling pit of desire and I should feel anything but that. What is wrong with me that I can't keep my hands off these men?

  "It's because you're magic is calling for a mate. And unfortunately all of my brothers, including me, are compatible," He turns to me while sliding his hands into his pockets, "The reaction is a carnal need to mate with the one who your magic indicates is worthy. But you can only mate once with one male or female fae. And once you mate your powers are combined and shared, so it is not a decision to take lightly. Certainly not one to give away on the wall of the spirit fae dorm wearing only a towel."

  I slink down the wall from the force of his chastisement. Can he read my mind? How was I supposed to know any of that? And I wasn't accepting some type of mating bond, was I? I only wanted to kiss him and if I'm honest with myself, make love to him. Damon is sinfully good-looking, as are the rest his apparent brothers, including the one in front of me. But I'm not looking for a relationship right now, let alone a lifelong mating bond. Maybe I'm a slut for wanting sexual release with one of these males, but who is this guy to judge that?

  My voice is small, "I'm going to go put on some clothes."

  I go inside before he can say anything else soul crushing. Dashing into my room, I shut the door behind me and let the towel drop to the floor. Instead of wearing my uniform I put on a pair of soft blue jeans and a simple black tee shirt. I pace back and forth for some time after that, debating whether I should go out into the common room.

  That guy seems to have an obvious dislike for me even if he admitted that we're compatible for mating. Ugh, why did that have to be my first impression on him? He's going to be my teacher for the spirit affinity, and lord knows I need it. Those feelings I had today when meeting my spirit for the first time were rough.

  The male asks from the common room, "Rough how?"

  I bang open the door and scowl at him, "Stop doing that!"

  He's lounging on the couch, one knee crossed over the other, and a book in one hand. He tilts his head to the side, studying me, which caused his hair to fall into his eyes. It makes an involuntary shiver course down my spine.

  "Stop what?" He sets his book down on the side table and leans his forearms on his knees. Everything this man does seems to be both deliberate and sexy at the same time. It infuriates me even more.

  "Reading my mind!" I almost shout at him.

  He smirks, "You flatter me, however, I do not possess the ability to read minds. But I can communicate telepathically with people who wish to. You've been shouting your thoughts at me ever since we met."

  I pace back and forth in front of him, "I don't want to shout my thoughts at you! Tell me how to stop it."

  He stands, "Fine. You can do so in one of two ways. Just imagine a wall going up around your mind made of the thickest marble. Or you can consciously hold a spirit block around your mind which I don't think you're capable of yet."

  He's right of course, so I imagine the wall and hold it in place. I hope this works because I can't stand having this guy in my head. We stand there, me glaring and him smirking, for a few heated moments before I turn on my heel and stomp toward the door. I can feel him following behind me at a leisurely pace.

  "What are you even doing here so early? I heard you weren't going to be here for another week or two."

  He reaches past me to pull open the door, brushing my arm in the process. I hate to admit that it made my heart flutter, but I can't help it. Every time I look into his eyes I'm all of a sudden leaning into him, desiring to smell him, taste him. It makes me feel so confused and pissed off at the same time.

  "If you must know, my outside affairs we're done long ago. I was scouting abroad for a few weeks and my families aware of my actions. My brothers' responsibilities lie within this academy while mine are of a different nature. I'm only required to be here when there is a student for me to teach. So here I am."

  I put my hands on my hips, "Oh, so you're just lying around while the rest of us fight your war for you?"

  He flashes a quick, almost condescending, grin before walking ahead of me. I'm glad he's leading the way because I have no idea where his brothers eat dinner. God, even his walk makes him look like an ass. Swaggering around like that must take effort, a kind that I simply don't care for. At least that's what I tell myself.

  "Your incredible dislike for me is intriguing. You don't even know my name."

  He lifts a hand over one shoulder, beckoning me to catch up to him. I do so, and walk side by side with him, almost struggling to keep up. Even though I'm relatively tall this guy towers over me by a good foot. If I thought Adrian was the tallest then I was sorely mistaken.

  "Fine, I'll take the bait. What's your name?"

  He chuckles, "My name is Lucian, thank you for asking. I believe we made a bad first impression upon each other. Would you care to start over?"

  I look side long at him, trying to figure out how old he could be. His dialect is stricter than what his brothers’ use, almost like he's spoken this way for a long time.

  "Sure, but you’re on probation," He smiles briefly down at me before looking ahead again, "So you're the heir of the house of Spirit?"

  He shakes his head, "No, I am different from my brothers. I am the king of the spirit kingdom and have been for some time. That's why my duties lie elsewhere."

  Oh my god! I yelled at the king of spirit! Will I get in trouble for that? How in the world was I supposed to know? And I accused him of sitting on his ass while we all fought his war! Shame burns in my chest, not allowing me to even look in his direction. Despite me not loving this situation I was forced into, that gives me no right to yell at a king.

  "I'm very sorry about yelling earlier."

  He shrugs, but doesn't respond. We walk into a tall white building together still in complete silence. The air is so tense and awkward that I almost physically cringe. He presses the call button for the elevator and gestures with a flourish once the doors ding open. I move in first and stand-off to the side while Lucian chooses our floor.

  Halfway to the top I just can't bear the silence any longer, "So, how old are you anyway?" I immediately cover my mouth with one hand in horror. Gods, that's both an inappropriate question to ask my teacher and an insult all wrapped into one.

  He turns to me, raising his eyebrows, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm around seven hundred years old give or take a few years. How old are you?"

  "Uh, I'm only twenty-one," I say while rubbing the back of my neck.

  He doesn't say anything else, just stares at me with a strange look of interest on his face. I can't say that I blame him for trying to understand my motives. I've been nothing but rude and nasty to him since we met. For some reason this man is both alluring and infuriating to me. Maybe it's because he's just so damn arrogant, or at the very least comes off that way.
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  "You are an enigma Tiana. You have so much power stored inside you that craves release, yet you refuse to allow it to do so. That's part of why you're so attracted to my brothers and I. So maybe you'd stop thinking about how much you want to punch me and kiss me at the same time if you'd just let your powers out a little." I haul my mental shields in place again and clench my fists at my sides. Damn him to hell!

  "Whatever, just please stop talking now."

  He smirks at me before turning to face forward again. When the elevator opens up he strolls out into a large open floor plan apartment. The heavenly smell of pasta wafts toward us from the dining area. The four other masters are sitting at the table scooping food on their plates and chatting easily. I wonder how long they've all been together. Are the rest of them as old as Lucian?

  With that thought I can't help but glance at him again. His strong shoulders flex as he pulls out a chair for me before taking a seat on the other side of the table. A gentleman and a hot centuries old fae? How am I supposed to survive training with these alluring men? My eyes fall to his soft lips again to find them smirking. God! I did it again! I quickly look away and start filling my plate with food to distract myself.

  Orin looks at me then, "So? How was your first day?"

  All of them turn to me with interested expressions, except for Damon, as he still looks a little embarrassed. He seems to keep glancing nervously toward Lucian. Maybe he's waiting for him to announce our heated moment in front of everyone. My cheeks burn at the thought. I really hope he doesn't do that. My eyes flit to Lucian as well, only to see him pushing his food around his plate, looking bored.

  "To be honest it was a bit exhausting. But I'm hoping I'll get the hang of it once I learn more about my elements." Orin nods, smiling encouragingly. It makes the little love plant in my chest blossom toward him as if soaking up the sun.

  Adrian speaks up, "I'm sure it will come more easily to you after meeting your elements today. However, they did seem a bit neglected to me. Maybe that's why you're exhausted. They might be punishing you for ignoring them for so long."

  Ugh, I didn't realize that my elements were actual souls within me, each of them with their own desires and needs. But I can sense them now, demanding release and training. My elements are especially active around the five people at this table. Lucian said it was because each of the elements has a pull toward each master. But he also said that fae mate for life. I'm not sure I'm ready for something like that. I'm only twenty-one after all. But the amount of sexual tension in this room is making me crazy.

  For a while the men speak about normal things and leave me to my thoughts. I'm grateful for that. This entire experience so far is overwhelming. But I can't help but study the one master that I haven't officially met yet. The air master has light, almost white, long hair and ice blue eyes. His skin is fairer than the others, making him shine in a way the other masters do not.

  I blurt out, "What's your name?" Everyone stops speaking and swivels to look at me. Lucian raises that irritating eyebrow of his and I scowl in his direction. His smile only grows wider in response. The others watch the exchange I'm sure.

  The fair man replies, "I'm sorry, how rude of me. My name is Rai. I'm the master of wind and storms. It's nice to finally meet you Tiana." I nod and look away, embarrassed as everyone stares at me. For the rest of the meal I'm silent. The guys speak about normal things like schedules and the fourth year students they're mentoring. Lucian is also silent, only sipping on a glass of wine and observing his family. My exhaustion is at an all-time high by the time we finish with dinner and move to the living room. Lucian and I sit on a loveseat together and our thighs brush lightly, making me blush. He doesn't react to my blush or our thighs touching which is both disappointing and makes me feel like a little girl with a crush.

  I try not to focus on the male brushing against me by making conversation with the others. I tell them about my human based life and what it was like to live as if I'm normal. They tell me about their jobs here and how it helps both the human world and the supernatural one.

  Training fae to become the best people they can be seems to be fulfilling for these men. They don't mention training anyone for the war. They state that they guide young fae and elementals into their power and help them to learn about themselves. At least their intentions seem clearer than I had originally thought.

  My tiredness forces me to retreat within myself and I glance at Lucian's shoulder. Would he be mad if I leaned my head against him? At that moment he throws his head back, laughing. It makes me smile. I barely know him, but at the same time we already have this easy relationship that appears real. It's probably because spirit is a unique element that creates deeper bonds.

  At least that's what I tell myself because no one else has ever made me as comfortable in my own skin as him. So instead of questioning myself further I fall against him, closing my eyes.

  Chapter 7

  I wake up with a start to the sound of my alarm. Apparently I had made it back to my bed at the end of the night, but I'm not alone. Lucian is at my back, cradling me against his warm chest. While I want to pull away from this man that I barely know, he's also pumping soothing energy into me that feels divine. He shifts in his sleep, pulling me closer to him. It makes my inner woman swoon. Ugh, these men are not making it easy to focus on learning.

  With a heavy sigh I haul myself out of bed and dress for the day. When I'm in the kitchen munching on a piece of toast Lucian staggers in. He's shirtless which I hadn't noticed earlier and it makes my face flame. And his hair is mushed with sleep. After making sure my mental shield is up I think, Gods he's so beautiful. He slumps onto a stool in the kitchen bar.

  "You look like the living dead. Not a morning person?"

  He glowers at me and uses one had to summon the coffee pot. It floated toward him and poured him a cup. I marvel at the control he has over his powers. It has a light purple tint to it similar to his eye color. He took one sip and heaved out a contented, almost benevolent, sigh. The action makes me giggle softly. His lips lift into a slight smile.

  "No, I am not a morning person nor have I ever been. Gods, why do they make the students get up so early?"

  He doesn't mention the fact that he slept in my bed instead of his last night. It doesn't even seem to be a big deal to him. Is that a fae tradition to sleep together like that? It did feel really nice to be in his arms. I felt safe and content in a way I've never felt while lying in bed with a man. This is so confusing.

  "I don't know, but I have to go. I'll see you later for our training session. Should I just come back here?"

  He nods and waves me out, still slumping over his coffee cup.

  ***

  My morning classes fly by with no further incidents regarding Del. She's been giving me some room after we had beaten each other up yesterday. At battle combat we move through exercises as a class rather than spar anyway. To be honest I'd rather go at it with her again than watch the instructors do it. By the end of class I'm bored out of my mind and hungry for lunch. Cyrena rushes up to me in the hall with her group of friends. We move in a wave toward the lunch area, everyone chattering incessantly.

  Cyrena bumps her hips into mine as we move along the buffet table, "What's up buttercup? I heard that Del left you alone today. That's good," I shrug, so she surges on, "I wanted to let you know that there's a party coming up this Friday. A bunch of air dorm kids are throwing a party in the quad around nine. You should come."

  Dropping my tray down on our table, I reply, "Are you sure they will want me there? Everyone around her acts like I have the plague."

  Hal pipes up, "It's only because people are afraid of things they don't understand. If you come out and be friendly they'll warm up to you!" Cyrena nods while scooting closer to him. A cute blush spreads across his face in response.

  The romances I see around me are way less intense than what I seem to have with the masters. Is Hal Cyrena's soul mate? Looking between the two of them makes m
e doubt it. Their desire seems sweet and innocent while mine feels all-consuming and sex crazed. Like if I let myself fall for one of the masters I will no longer be who I am now. Maybe they do feel what I feel toward the men around me and I just don't know it. The amount of unanswered questions I have about the fae world is making my head spin.

  "Fine, I'll come. I might bring Lucian though as a human shield." Everyone at the table laughs, but Cyrena raises one eyebrow at me, "What?"

  "Who's Lucian? Some hot secret lover? What house does he belong to?" She wiggles her eyebrows, "Oh! Oh! I bet he's a fire fae, you seem like the secretly sexy type." Secretly sexy? I wrinkle my nose at the notion. Is she trying to say I'm a closet sex addict?

  "What? No! Lucian is the spirit master. He lives with me in the spirit dorm. He's honestly one of the few people here that makes me not feel uncomfortable. . ." I trail off as the table goes silent.