We still hadn’t discussed that day in class when Raph killed Clove. I’d been in a mood, and it seemed right at the time to teach her a lesson about familiars and etiquette.
And yeah, that hadn’t gone as planned.
She practically hated me after that.
“I mean in regard to the present she brought you,” I amended quickly. “I want to make sure she’s not enchanted or under the influence of another fae.”
Aflora frowned at me. “You think someone cast a spell on her?”
“Why else would she bring you the stonepecker?” I countered.
My little mate didn’t speak for a moment, her expression going from confused to wary. “What do you have to do to her to determine if she’s been enchanted?”
I sighed. “I’m not going to hurt her, Aflora.”
Her eyes told me she didn’t believe me. “Okay.”
Right. I’d have to prove it to her, then. “Are you done in here, or do you have other things to straighten up?”
“It’s mostly good, I guess,” she replied, noting the rumpled bedding, skewed rugs, and ripped blinds.
I called forth a third figment and told her to tidy up the mess.
Aflora’s eyebrows lifted. “Why didn’t you just show me how to do that?”
“Because the other spells provided a teaching moment.”
“Since when do you like to teach?” she asked, her gaze holding a touch of humor that lightened the atmosphere a little between us.
“Never,” I admitted. “But I don’t mind teaching you.” It was the truth, but I didn’t expect her to accept it. Rather than wait around for another of those distrusting looks, I said, “Come on. Let’s go have a chat with Clove.”
“A chat,” she repeated with notable sarcasm. “Sure.”
“I’ve been an ass and you don’t trust me. That’s fine.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her to me, my lips going to her ear. “But keep it up and I’ll torment you for the rest of the evening and day with my tongue.”
“You do that in my dreams already,” she pointed out even while her cheeks blossomed into a beautiful shade of pink. “Nothing new there.”
“Mmm.” I drew my nose across her pretty flush until my lips hovered a scant breath away from hers. “Who said anything about dreams?” I pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth—the only place I’d allowed myself to truly kiss her outside of her mind. “I’m in your room, Aflora. Right now. Right here. None of this is a dream, and I will absolutely tease you with my tongue on that freshly made bed. Just say the word, pixie flower.”
She shivered, her arousal scenting the air in a sultry aroma I longed to taste.
But I wanted to prove myself first.
And for that, I needed Clove.
With a lingering kiss to the same place as before, I released her, grabbed her hand, and tugged her into the hallway without another word.
If we stayed in her room for a second longer, I’d forget all about my task and make undressing Aflora my sole priority. But she wasn’t ready yet, and I refused to push her more than I already had.
“You still have your wand, right?” I asked her.
She waved it in response, her knuckles white from clasping the end of it so harshly.
I smirked, understanding why. She’d been teased all week and desired a climax, one I would give her if things went well later.
Clove hadn’t moved from her perch on the recliner, her feathers smoothed back and her eyes alert. She watched me with a similar wariness to her master’s, confirming everything I already knew about Aflora’s confidence in me.
“Raph isn’t here,” I assured both of them. “Last I saw him, he was sleeping in my closet on a bed of shirts he’d taken off the racks.” He was a dick like that and enjoyed creating nests out of my clean clothes.