Page 54 of Fortune Fae Academy
“Gina, my dear. You’re positively radiant,” he said. His words dripped with honeyed charm that sent shivers down my spine.
He pointedly looked at my throat and my fingers draped over my collarbone to find, even in my Astral form, the control collar lingering there with cool heat.
I took a step back, but the air around Amell crackled with dangerous energy. The Web bowed with his presence, as if bowing to a powerful entity that knew how to subdue its wild tendencies.
“What do you want, Amell?” I asked as I twirled the strands of the Web around my fingers. He wasn’t the only one who could be convincing.
I didn’t care if I wore some stupid collar. I had just bonded with not one buttwoAlphas. Dust rippled from my soul and flowed through the strands, strengthening them.
I didn’t think he had as much control over me as he imagined.
His grin widened, revealing two sharp and dangerous fangs. “I want us to be on the same side. My experiment is over, you see. It’ll take me time to analyze all the data.” He tilted his head as if admiring me.
I wore a silver dress in my Astral state. It was one the Web itself had crafted for me and it hugged my curves in traditional Omega fashion.
It was a display of my power and my place as Omega of my mate-circle. If Seif were here, he’d wipe that grin right off Amell’s face.
I guarded that thought against my Alphas because I probably had twenty seconds left. Their growls rumbled against the walls of my flesh, luring me back to them.
“Stop it,”I chided them.“I will let you know if I need help.”
To my surprise, they backed off.
Finally,I thought.I’m getting through to them.
Given a reprieve from my Alphas’ growls—for now—I gripped the strands of the Web that led to the place Amell guarded. The piece of my soul I required was right behind him, nestled in a dark space illuminated with a soft, pulsing glow.
A heart beat.
Myheart beat.
The flashing pattern increased with the rush of blood roaring in my ears and I willed myself to calm down.
Amell chuckled. “It’s time to return to the Academy, Gina. You and your entire mate-circle are under my protection. I swear it.”
I scoffed at his offer. “Protection?We don’t want your so-called protection. I watched you sit idly by while Godrick lost his head. Even if I believed you, I know you’re not capable.”
Amell didn’t seem perturbed by my response. “Godrick holds no value to me except in death. You, on the other hand, are very precious. And I assure you, Roderik wants you alive just as much as I do.”
I bet he does,I thought with a growl.
A growl that was echoed by my Alphas. Not because they were listening, but because their instincts demanded that Ireturn to my body, likely so they could Tunnel me the fuck out of here.
I wasn’t leaving without that piece of my soul, though, and not even an Elder could convince me to back down now.
“So return to the Academy, Gina, like a good little Omega. Obedience is rewarded.”
Fury swelled in my chest. “No,” I snarled.
The Elder’s catlike eyes narrowed, and for a moment, his charismatic facade slipped away. The loss of his mask revealed cruelty and ancient darkness that sent chills down my spine.
If evil had a face, it would be Amell’s.
Before I could react, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small device.
A wave of dread washed over me as he pressed a button, sending a holographic projection materializing above the silver pool of power.
The image was not one I’d expected.
