Page 72 of Bitten By the Fae
Apparently,bloodsuckinghad lost its damning effect from yesterday, leaving me as the butt of his joke yet again. “Fine. You’re a fucking asshole,” I told him, the words tasting wrong in my mouth.
And of course, they only amused him more. “Oh, I do like that word from your lips, little rose. Sayfuckagain.”
I threw my hands up in the air and turned to Zephyrus. “Can you make him leave?”
“It would be a waste of a command. Shade doesn’t follow rules.”
“Indeed, I don’t,” the Death Blood confirmed. “Besides, I’m here for your protection against the angry mob outside. If Kols can’t calm them all down, we’re going to have a fight on our hands. And I’m not ready to lose you yet.”
“Don’t feign selflessness.” Zephyrus folded his arms, causing the muscles to clench and flex in the process. “We both know you just want to avoid the pain of losing a mate.”
“I never claimed otherwise,” Shade replied casually. “But my reasoning is neither here nor there. I’m here to protect her, and protect her, I shall.”
“Or I could just create another ball ofceruleanflames,” I muttered, not really meaning it.
“Do, and I’ll kill you myself,” Zeph warned.
A chill swept down my spine at the truth in those words.
His green eyes glowed with sincerity, too.
I swallowed and nodded. “Then maybe you could use this time to teach me how to control it.”
“I’m going to need more than a few minutes for that lesson.” He considered me for a long moment. “But I’ll talk to Kols about your schedule. I think your independent study should be reevaluated and scheduled with me. You’re going to need all the defensive-magic help you can get after that little display out there.”
Shade nodded, his agreement clear.
Something told me my reply wouldn’t matter, so I remained quiet and waited instead.
What felt like hours later, Kols joined us once more, his expression wary. “Ella’s fine. Tray’s irritated, but understanding. And the others, well, let’s just say Aflora hasn’t made any friends.”
Not like I had any here anyway, I thought sourly.
“No one is escalating the issue, but I had to agree to enhance her collar with more power restrictions,” he added.
Zeph’s chocolate-colored eyebrow inched upward. “How are you going to do that?”
“I have no idea.” He looked at me. “For now, I need you to stay in the suite. No going to the cafeteria. No socializing.”
“What about class tomorrow?” I asked.
“You’ll be with me, so that’ll be fine. But going forward, we need a better device to keep your powers in check.”
So, a tighter leash. Awesome.
I sighed. “All right.” While I hated the prospect of it, I understood the reason behind it. If my powers continued at thisrate, I might actually hurt someone, and then I’d never be able to live with myself. Restraint made sense. I’d rather bear the pain myself than inflict it on another.
“You’re not going to fight me on it?” Kols asked, his expression surprised.
I shook my head, swallowing. “I know what an abomination can do, Prince Kolstov. If that’s truly what I’m becoming, restraint is a requirement.” My shoulders fell as I looked toward the door. “If you lead me back to the suite, I’ll stay there until you tell me otherwise.”
Because escape was never going to be an option at this rate.
Not with the fire still licking a hot path beneath my skin, begging to be unleashed.
The power inside me seemed to be searching for an outlet, a way to explode. There had to be a way to temper it. Because if not… I shivered, refusing to consider that outcome.
I will survive this, I promised myself.Somehow.
