Page 61 of Bitten By the Fae
I pulled out my phone again, noting she was still next door. Probably in bed. It’d be far too easy to join her and use her as a distraction from my growing frustration.
Except, with her increasing powers, it was possible she could also access my source.
Which firmly placed her in thewill never happenpile, where she belonged.
“Fuck,” I muttered, rubbing a hand over my face.
I set my bottle down in Zeph’s sink and gripped the counter.
I could really use an outlet of relief right about now. Rather than fuck around like I’d intended to this last week, I’d spent the majority of my time with Cyrus and Exos—two Elemental Fae Kings—talking about Aflora. They were adamant that I protect her, stating she wasn’t just a Royal Fae but also a friend of their Claire. Which meant any harm befalling the beautiful princess would put me on the shit list of a queen and her two kings. Not to mention her other three mates.
Talk about a rock and a hard place,I thought, sighing. Right, well, standing in Zeph’s kitchen wasn’t going to do anything for me. Knowing him, he wouldn’t be back tonight.
I’d work on him more tomorrow.
Because, while I agreed with his bait idea, we needed something more solid that allowed us to keep Aflora safe.
Even if her death was indeed inevitable.
“All right,this is where I leave you,” Ella said, stopping in front of an ominous-looking building with tall, black, moving spires. Well, not moving, exactly. More like the vines wrapped around it were moving.
Because of the snakes.
I suppressed a shudder.
“You just go up to the gargoyle there, give your name, and he’ll allow you to pass,” Ella added, gesturing to a snarling stone statue a few feet away.
“Yeah, he looks friendly,” I muttered.
Ella snorted a laugh. “They’re all like that. They think they own the campus.” She started to walk away backward while saying, “I don’t recommend kicking one. I made that mistake early on, and it tried to eat my foot off. Annoying little assholes, if you ask me.” She shrugged and turned away with a wave. “Good luck.”
I wrapped my cloak tighter around me as if it were a blanket rather than a piece of my Academy wardrobe. The jabbing of my wand in the inner pocket made it impossible to forget the true purpose.
Nibbling my lip, I wandered up to the gargoyle and said, “I’m Aflora of the Elemental Earth Fae.”
Two pinpoints of bright red scanned over my outfit, the unfriendly expression turning even meaner. “Your energy signature is a puzzling mix of magic—part Royal, part Midnight Fae.” The grating of stones deepened the being’s voice, giving it a harsh quality that made me flinch.
“I have a class in here today for death magic,” I told it. “If you would please allow me entry, I’ll be on my way.”
“Such a polite one. So abnormal. Just like your magic. You’re a bit of a quandary, aren’t you?” Those sharp points of red light met my gaze. “This is not the course or field for you.”
“Just let her through, Sir Schmahl,” Shade said as he materialized beside me. “As my chosen mate, she has Death Blood running through her veins. This is an appropriate course for her, even if she’s too weak to handle it.”
“Too weak?” I countered, focusing on the willow stump to my left. “I’m not weak.”
“We’ll see, won’t we, love?” He refocused on the bristling gargoyle. “Come on, Sir Schmahl. You know you want to see the outcome of this little test just as badly as I do. It’ll be fun to watch her fail, won’t it?”
“Hmm, yes. Yes, she will fail,” the gargoyle agreed.
“Seriously?” I gaped between them both. “Bullying me on my first day of classes? How charming.” It didn’t escape my notice how many times I’d called Shadecharmingin a sarcastic sense.
“No bullying, just speaking practically,” Shade replied, his dimples flashing. “What do you say, Sir Schmahl? Are you up for a bit of rebellious fun?”
“If she dies, I am not responsible” was the gargoyle’s dark reply.
The door swung open beside him, showcasing a tunnel lined with torches.Great. The inside matched the ominous exterior.
Shade pressed his palm to my lower back, giving me a nudge. “Don’t worry, Sir Schmahl. I’ll clean up any messes she creates.”
