“Elemental Fae choose their mates,” I said out loud. “It’s a much better practice. And I will choose mine.”
Shade chuckled, his expression indulgent. “An adorable thought, but impractical in our world. You already belong to me, Aflora.”
“I don’t belong to anyone.”
He grabbed the back of my neck, pulling me to him. “Keep denying it, baby. That makes our dance so much more fun.” He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before releasing me and refocusing on Kolstov. “So I’ll ask again. Are we going to have a problem here? Because she’s mine and I protect what’s mine.”
“I don’t need you to protect me,” I corrected him. “I’ve survived a lot worse than this, and I’ll continue to survive, thank you very much.”
He ignored me.
As did Kolstov.
Some sort of strange conversation happening between the two males.
“It was a minor explosion of power,” Kolstov said after a beat. “She’s safe from reprimand.”
“Good.” Shade’s shoulders seemed to relax a fraction, suggesting he’d been tenser than I realized.
“Why would I be reprimanded for protecting myself?” I asked, confused.
“In a normal situation, you wouldn’t be. But nothing about your circumstances is normal. Any and all signs of you morphing into an abomination will be considered and taken into account by the Council.” Kolstov arched a brow at me. “I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen should they decide you’ve grown too powerful as a result of this mating.”
I swallowed. Oh.
“Well, this has been fun,” Shade interjected. “Aflora and I will be going now.”
Wait, wh—
“No.” Zephyrus finally pushed off the tree, his expression still bored yet somehow holding an edge. “I’ll escort her back to the Elites, as she’s under my protection.”
“Yeah? And who protects her from Kolstov should he decide to make a regal decision in regard to her life?” Shade countered.
“Perhaps that’s something you should have considered before you jeopardized her life for your own selfish need,” Zephyrus returned, avoiding the question. “Let’s go, Aflora.”
I stared at all three of them and shook my head. “Yeah, no. I’m good. I’ll just escort myself, thank you.” I turned on my heel, heading toward, uh, darkness. Then spun around again, only to find another thick layer of ink painting my vision. Not because Shade was messing with my mind, but because he’d taken us somewhere without a lot of light.
When I turned around, it was to find three pairs of amused gazes.
“Lost, sweetheart?” Kolstov prompted.
My jaw clenched. “Just point me in the right direction.” As soon as I said it, I realized the error in my words.
Even if they gestured a certain way, I couldn’t trust them to tell me the truth. With my luck, I’d end up in that LethaForest Ella mentioned earlier. Or somewhere worse.
Gritting my teeth, I caved and refocused on Zephyrus. “Fine. Escort me back.”
His lips actually twitched as if he approved of my downfall.
Dick.
“This way, princess,” he said, gesturing to the path behind him.
I didn’t reply or look at the other males as I followed the headmaster in silence.
Maybe Shade and Kolstov would kill each other in my absence.
One can only dream, I thought. Then grimaced at the realization that everything Shade had done to me tonight had been real.