Page 49 of Fortune Academy: Year Two
Well, yeah, living in a secret underground tunnel system on an off-limits side of campus would do that.
“You’re lucky I was here checking up on you,” Hendrik chided Dante, taking a sip of his tea and never leaving my gaze. “You could have told me that you found my pet.”
“She found me,” Dante answered with an emotionless tone to his voice, reminding me of a predator about to strike. “And I didn’t expect her to disable the protective wards I had in place.” He glanced at the wall where the weapons overlooked the room. I finally noticed each one had a fine crack down the center of their blades. He’d had his weapons spelled to protect this room, but whatever power boost I’d gotten from Heaven was enough to break it.
What else was I capable of?
“Why don’t we all just lay the facts out there,” I said, pushing my mug aside before Dante went ape-shit on Hendrik’s ass. “You’re my Virtues. I am drawn to both of you, but when I gave in… I almost killed Dante.” I paused and swallowed the lump in my throat as I matched both their gazes. “Hendrik interrupted and I bonded with him instead.”
There, factual, to the point, nobody can get upset…
Dante’s orange eyes narrowed a fraction.
I wondered if he felt robbed or cheated that I’d bonded with yet another Virtue before him. I mean, I could have bonded with him… but my succubus side was on overdrive right now. It likely would have killed him.
His blunt stare said he was willing to test out his strength against the fatal feed.
Cocky asshole.
“I wish you would have told me who you were, and especially that I was one of your Virtues,” Hendrik said, his black eyes glimmering with excitement. He thoroughly enjoyed the enhanced connection between us like it was a new toy to play with. His cool touch crested through our bond, reminding me that he was always going to be with me now. It both thrilled and terrified me that the powerful Dark Mage would always know where I was.
“Why should I tell you anything?” I asked, crossing my legs to try and stem the throb of need that was coming back to life. “So you could have something else to try and control me with?”
His grin widened, showing teeth. “Because now you really are my pet. We could have bypassed all the foreplay.”
“You mean you’remine,” I shot back. “You’remyVirtue. And you and I have different definitions of foreplay.”
He raised a brow and then whispered a spell. Nothing happened at first, and I was about to call him stupid, or something equally mature, when soft, licking sensations ran up my thigh, going straight for…
“Hendrik!”
He burst out laughing while Dante glowered at the both of us.
“Why don’t you tell us why you’re really here?” Dante growled, his irritation palpable. “I don’t buy it that you were justchecking in on mewhen Lily was…” He cleared his throat. “When Lily decided to return to the Academy.”
Hendrik set his tea down and leaned back in his chair. “You really should have asked how I got that footage on Kaito.” He tilted his head. “For a Hunter, you’re not very bright.”
Dante cursed. “You bugged my place?”
The Dark Mage smiled. “You said it, not me.”
I needed to get between these two before they mauled each other. “What do you want, Hendrik? I came here to talk to Dante and I still intend to do that.” There were so many questions that needed answers and Hendrik was only sidetracking me.
He chuckled. “Are you sure you should be left alone with the Hunter? Unless your goal is to kill him, I should stay put.”
Glowering, I repeated myself. “What do youwant,Hendrik?”
He broke our intense gaze to glance down at the Blood Stone dangling around my neck. It glowed with a healthy supply of warmth, seemingly satisfied with the addition of a new Virtue to my mate-circle. “I knew you were valuable. I just had no idea how valuable until now.” His dark gaze met mine, all mirth leaving him in an instant. “I gave you that stone to fuel the power I need to stop Calamity. I want to avoid my vision from coming to fruition, and I’m not going to rely on a Champion to do it. Especially not if that champion isyou.”
“What vision?” I asked, going with my “when in doubt, play dumb” tactic.
He got up from his chair and circled me, wrapping his hands around my shoulders and squeezing. I didn’t like him standing over me, showing his dominance, but I permitted his touch. I knew now why I had picked him as a Virtue. As the leader of the Dark Mage clan, he was more than powerful enough to indulge the demands of my feed anytime I wanted.
Even now, when his fingers grazed the exposed skin at my neck, I drew in his warmth, my mouth parting with the sweetness of magic and life-force that trickled into my body.
Hendrik flinched when he felt the bite of the feed, but he continued to work my tense muscles in a blatant display of confidence. He wanted me to know that he permitted this, that he would provide me what I needed.
But there would be a price to pay.
