Page 78 of Bitten By the Fae
I could practically hear Zeph in my head telling me to use her as bait, to determine exactly how far Shade planned to go.
That plan seemed more practical with every inhale, and not just because it would grant me answers. It would also allow me to keep this beautiful creature alive for as long as possible. I stillcouldn’t have her, especially now that I knew what kind of power she seemed to be harvesting in her blood. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have a little fun, right?
“We’re going to keep this secret between us for now,” I told Aflora, nuzzling my nose gently against hers. “But it means you need to do exactly what I tell you in regard to your growing talents. Understood?”
“Why would you do that for me?”
“Because I’m not done with you yet,” I admitted on a whisper, my lips brushing the corner of her mouth.
Dangerous. Very dangerous.
But, oh, it felt good.
Toogood.
This female was an ideal mate in every way. Or that was what my instincts told me.
However, my mind knew otherwise.
I’d made a mistake months ago of following my dick into a bad situation. I wouldn’t be allowing that to happen again, no matter how much it hurt to stop this little game.
Which was precisely why I rolled off of her and onto my back, my body tense with the need to do a lot more than chastely kiss her. “Now would be a good time for you to leave,” I said, my jaw clenching with each word. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
Aflora seemed to pause, but I couldn’t risk looking at her. Because if I saw even a single ounce of desire reflected in her gaze, I’d do a hell of a lot more than taste the edge of her mouth.
While I adored stretching my limits and testing my resolve, something told me this female would destroy all my maintained control.
Worse, I’d welcome it.
As the door softly shut behind her, all I wanted was to go after her, push her up against the wall, and devour her entirely.
And allow her to do the same right back to me.
“A Quandary Blood,”I mused.
The news didn’t surprise me. I had suspected it when we all saw different colors in her fire. That was a trademark Quandary Blood trait, a way to complicate their magic.
“I wonder what kind of wand the figments gave her at AcaWard.” I never actually looked at it, but I imagined it held traces of her heritage. “Have you asked to see it yet?”
Kols shook his head, his expression tired. “I was too focused on keeping her magic under control in Elite Class today. Emelyn has decided Aflora is a fun target for practicing her mean-girl bullshit, which put Aflora in an immediately defensive position.” He sighed, relaxing into my couch, and lifted a bottle of beer to his lips.
At this rate, we were going to go through my entire stash our first week. Good thing we had two break days coming up. Just had to get through another class tomorrow first, then I could pop into the Human Realm to pick up more. Except it would be on Kols’s dime. He came from money. I did not.
“We could ask for her wand now,” I suggested. “She’s next door, right?”
Kols took a long swallow, his golden irises flaring in a way I recognized. It told me what he was going to say before the words left his lips. “I need a break before I do something stupid.”
“Like fuck her?”
“Yeah, exactly like that.” His gaze narrowed at me. “And don’t tell me you’re immune from the pull. We may not have played together in a few months, but I know your type. You want her just as badly as I do.”
I lifted a shoulder. “It’s not going to happen.”
“I know. Now, if only my dick could get the message, we’d be on the same page.”
“Your dick always did get you into trouble,” I muttered.Technically, us, I corrected. His dick always gotusinto trouble.
He set his bottle down on the coffee table and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Yeah, if you need to blame me for what went down with Dakota, then do it. But I need your help here, man. This is a big fucking deal. If Shade mated her becausehe knows what she is, then there’s a lot more going on here than just an act of rebellion.”
