The Plague Doctor: The Paranormal University Files: Skylar, Year 3

by Savage, Vivienne

  I took her in my arms, hugging her tight. “You won’t. You could never forget that now that you’ve learned it. Fate happens for a reason, right? The Heartflame chose me because it knew I’d keep it safe for you. Which means maybe it was destined for you to be born to a human parent and raised in this mortal realm. Maybe…it was time to learn how to relate to humanity.”

  “I’ll forget.”

  “You won’t forget. Give yourself more credit. Do fae ever forget anything? Do they forget the wrongs committed? Do they forget favors owed? Grudges?”

  Her sniffles quieted. “No.”

  “Then you won’t forget the lessons humanity has taught you. I love you so much, and I have every faith in you ruling the faerie realm alongside Oberon as fate intended, with fresh eyes and a new understanding. Teach him, Lia.”

  “What if he can’t be taught?”

  “You’ve known him for centuries. What do you think Oberon will do?”

  Lia paused, and then her quiet chuckle warmed my throat. “He’ll listen to whatever I say.”

  “See? You know him. You don’t have to return to Tir na Nog forever.”

  “I don’t?”

  “Who are you, Lia?”

  “I’m Titania.”

  “And who is Titania?”

  “Queen of Tir na Nog.”

  “And what does a queen do?”

  After a moment she straightened and lifted her chin from my shoulder. “She makes her own rules.”

  “You’re damn right she does.”

  Lia giggled. “Queen Liadan has a nice ring to it.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” I grinned at her, then glanced at the window when the air shifted, tingling with magical energy. A presence arrived on the porch.

  “He’s here. He…” Lia sucked in a breath. “I think he senses my moods. I know he does, because I sensed his when I refused him. I hurt him so badly, Sky, and I didn’t mean to. I was just—I was confused and afraid.”

  “Then talk to him. Tell him that. He already knows it, but tell him. That’s all you have to do, remember? Tell him everything you’ve said to me.”

  Lia nodded.

  I lingered long enough to dry her face then I left her room and went downstairs to find the King of the Summer Court standing with his back to our front door.

  Oberon turned to face me, jaw clenched and eyes shrouded in pain. “Should I leave?” he asked in a quiet voice. “I thought…” He shook his head. “It seemed she was ready, but then my arrival upset her.”

  “It did, but not for the reason you’re thinking. Go ahead. I promise it’s safe.”

  “Thank you.” He stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

  While he was inside, I finally whipped out my phone and touched the microphone button on the messaging app, babbling out everything that had transpired but condensed down to fifteen seconds.

  “Sebastian is gonna be okay, and the Kostas have him in their hands now, but then Oberon showed up with his retainer for Lia, and she hurt him—but not on purpose—but they’re talking now and everything should be okay. See you later, love you.” I sent the voice text to Gabriel.

  Thirty seconds later, I received one message back. “Holy shit. I’ll let you handle that then. Love you, too.”

  I waited on the porch in Lia’s swing with my eyes closed. One of our alchemist neighbors wandered over.

  “I heard Lia is Titania.”

  “Yeah.” I tensed, waiting for the overreaction.

  Instead, Tammy took a hit off a hand-rolled cigarette I suspected was laced with pixieweed, and nodded. “Cool. That’s cool. Tell her I said congrats.” Then she wandered away.

  Finally, a sensible reaction from someone. It gave me hope that Lia could finish out the rest of the year without being constantly swarmed.

  I took the time to respond to texts from Pilar, Holly, and my other friends, glancing up when the door opened again.

  Liadan walked out, hand in hand with the king. My heart did a happy thump in my chest at the sight of them both glowing with warmth and joy.

  “Well?” I asked. “Was I right?”

  “Entirely,” Lia said, raising her chin to grin at me. “I’m going to remain at PNRU and continue my classes. I like it here. I like learning about the human world and seeing the campus through the eyes of a student.”

  “And I shall rule Tir na Nog alone during the school term,” Oberon said in a gentle voice, “with her input as needed.” He turned his head and kissed Lia’s brow, closing his eyes.

  Watching them made my eyes tear up. I blinked rapidly a few times until the burning faded.

  “I’ll spend Christmas at home with my family, but when summer comes, I’ll spend time in Tir na Nog.”

  “Where I shall show you everything. However, for the moment I must part from you both. Someone has made it known that my inaction is undeserving of my title.” He grimaced, stepped away, and vanished in a sizzling plume of flame.

  “What was that about?”

  “I told him he’s an asshole for doing nothing to help the zombie outbreak at the other hospitals. He’s taking Dain and Eldan to assist.”

  “Ha!”

  “We don’t have to do the work for the humans, but when they are in genuine need, we should provide by showing our love in actions, not mere words.”

  Already, I liked this new Titania.

  Then again, I loved her for the person she’d been before her Ascension.

  “I’m glad he listened to you. They need fae assistance out there.”

  “I’m glad he listened too. I…I’m so lucky, Sky. Part of me can’t believe he’s mine,” she admitted. “And then the other part of me, the part that’s missed him, is so glad to be reunited. My memories are so uncertain. So many things I want to do.” Her cheeks flushed. “But he’s a stranger.”

  “Oberon won’t mind if you take it slow.”

  “Oh, we will.” Her mouth curved into a devilish smile. “The first dozen times maybe.”

  I laughed and squeezed her tight. It wasn’t even the end of the year yet, but it already felt like it was.

  My holiday honeymoon with Gabriel couldn’t come soon enough.

  31

  Demands

  Sebastian spent the better part of a week in the hospital recuperating and proving he’d made a full recovery. The Kostas used the antibodies in his blood to create a definitive cure, not that many survivors aside from Billie were around to use it. Still, we all felt better knowing it existed in the event a zombie had escaped notice, or if the Plague Doctor’s accomplice waited to resume his grisly work.

  We still hadn’t found Tricia. If they’d been working together, it was possible she had the plague on hand, a terrifying thought I didn’t want to think about. The Hidden Court could do a lot of damage with a bio-weapon.

  Still, the biggest news on campus was Titania. Most of us still couldn’t believe Lia had Ascended to the royal throne.

  “I thought for sure it was Pilar. She had that whole royal bearing thing down already,” Gabriel muttered as we curled up together on the sofa, Ama nestled on my lap.

  “Me too!”

  “You must have suspected, though, otherwise things would have gone a whole different way in the maternity ward.”

  I shuddered to even think about the possibilities. “In that moment, I just knew. Looking back, it all makes sense. Lia’s dreams and amping empath abilities. The way she was always looking at Oberon.” Another thought occurred to me and I perked. “It also explains all those flowers!”

  “I actually thought they were gifts to Lia from Dain.”

  “Huh?”

  “I sorta thought he was dating Lia,” Gabriel admitted. “I busted him once outside the townhouse last year.”

  “What?”

  “Oh yeah. He looked guilty about it too. Looked at me and said, ‘not a word, or I’ll turn you into a naked chicken.’ Then he left.” Gabriel paused. “I really hope he was bluffing.”

  “You said
more than ‘a word’ and this is long after the fact, so you’re safe. We’ll foil his vengeance with fae logic when he comes after you.”

  “Thank God—wait, when?”

  We laughed and resumed watching our show, but Gabe’s suspicions kept knocking around my brain. It made me think back to a few odd encounters earlier in the semester.

  “You know…I think you were on the right track.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Lia and Pilar both received flowers last year, but they weren’t from the same admirer. And I caught Dain near the townhouse too. So, if Lia’s flowers were from Oberon, then maybe the reason Dain has been hanging around is because he’s been dating Pilar on the sly. It’d explain her upbeat attitude lately.”

  “Not gonna lie, I totally thought she was banging Holden.”

  “Me too!”

  The idea of Pilar and Dain together actually made me happy. Not because Dain was a faerie lord, but because he was a cool guy and my friend deserved to be happy. Somehow, I’d have to let her know that she didn’t need to hide the fact from the rest of us.

  Ama flapped her wings a few times and then nipped my fingers until I scratched her face and the top of her head. Her eyes slid shut in bliss.

  I loved my family. I loved my friends. And I had just a month of school left before embarking on a vacation—no, a honeymoon—with Gabriel. We’d all decided, with Dain’s blessing, to postpone our jaunt through the Emerald Vale until spring when the valley would be at its peak. He’d just grinned at me and said it was a very good time.

  I took that as a clue that no one would die in the meantime and foil our plans.

  “Are we leaving Ama with your brother while we’re in Bangkok?”

  “Hrm… Ama, are you okay with staying here?”

  She cocked her head, eyeing us. I expected her to scream in denial, but she fluffed her little body and bobbed her head. “Privacy!”

  Sweet magic Jesus. She finally respected our relationship—

  “Baby brother?” she asked, pairing those ugly, petrifying words with her cute voice.

  Gabriel froze. “Uh, no, Ama. We won’t be doing that.”

  “Baby sister!” she screamed, at an eardrum-popping decibel level.

  “No, Ama. No babies,” I said.

  “Baby sister!” How was it louder? Gabe’s neighbors probably heard that one.

  I raised her on my index finger and kissed her beak. “When we’re ready, Ama, and not a day sooner. I promise one day you’ll get a little sibling.”

  “One day?” She tilted her head again.

  “One day. But right now, I want to have a great time with you and Gabriel. Babies are smelly, and they cry a lot at night.”

  “I help.”

  “I believe you. But let’s just enjoy being a family as we are for now.”

  She eyed me for a time, fluffed her feathers, then clambered down from my hand and onto my chest in what I assumed was her version of a hug.

  I cuddled her and enjoyed her warmth, Gabe’s kisses, and those tender moments when watching them interact was really like watching a father and daughter.

  I may not have had my glow anymore, but I had something better.

  I had family.

  I had the love of friends and wonderful mentors.

  And I had three semesters left until my dreams came true.

  Gabriel and I made our own fate.

  * * *

  I hope you guys enjoyed the fourth installment of PNRU: Skylar! One book remains in this series, and we just can’t wait to wrap everything up. Sky and Gabriel will return this winter in The Puppet Master.

  Other Books by Vivienne

  If you loved the hell out of this and want to read another romance with fantasy elements, check Domino’s series, Daughter of Fortune.

  For fantasy romance with mermaids and the like, read Kingdom in the Sea.

  Fairy Tale Retellings

  Beauty and the Beast

  Red and the Wolf

  Goldilocks and the Bear

  Belle and the Pirate

  Zarina and the Djinn

  Rapunzel and the Griffin Prince

  Fantasy Romance

  Fantasy and Dragons

  All That Glitters

  Sci-Fi Romance

  Super Sexy Aliens, Cyborgs, Psychics.

  Reverse Harem Romance

  Three Greek gods, one reincarnated modern goddess

  Divine Ambrosia

  Divine Rival

  Paranormal University

  College has never been this exciting. Or hot.

  The Hidden Court

  The Scary Godmother

  Birds of a Feather

  Dragons

  Loved by the Dragon

  Smitten: Dawn of the Dragons #2

  Crush on a Dragon: Dawn of the Dragons #3

  God of Mischief: Dawn of the Dragons #4

  Military Shifters

  Hot and Wild military alphas

  The Right to Bear Arms (Book #1)

  Let Us Prey (Book #2)

  The Purr-fect Soldier (Book #3)

  Old Dog New Tricks (Book #4)

  Texas Pride (Book #5)

  A Man of Many Talons

  Impractical Magic

  Impractical Magic

  Better Than Hex (Impractical Magic #2)

  Blood Heiress

  Blood Kissed

  Werewolves of San Antonio

  Training the Alpha

  Mythological Creatures

  Making Waves

  Epic Fantasy by Dominique Kristine

  Shadows for a Princess

  A princess who would rather die than wed. A warrior priest who would rather kill than see her harmed. A kingdom of shadows and treachery that threatens them both...

  * * *

  At the age of twenty-eight, Princess Ysolde Westbrook is a spinster duchess, the adopted daughter of Hindera's eccentric monarch. Commoners love their benevolent leader, but the kingdom's gentry take offense to the outsider among them. Amid noble plots and demands for her to marry a local aristocrat, an assassination attempt places her life in peril--if she will not have one of them for a husband, they would sooner see her dead.

  Finding allies in strangers with powerful gifts and even darker secrets, Ysolde must learn what it means to lead and find her own inner strengths. Whether or not she survives the tangled web of treason will determine the fate of her duchy, the royal family, and the kingdom she loves.

  About the Author

  Vivienne Savage is the pen name of two best friends who write together. One works as a nurse in a rural healthcare home in Texas and the other is a U.S. Navy veteran. Both are mothers to two darling boys and two amazing girls.

  All of their work varies in steam level, so pop by the VS website for details on which series is right for you!

  For more information

  www.viviennesavage.com

  vivi@viviennesavage.com