Who says it’s fake?
I do, I replied, trailing after his essence again down the hall. It led me to another stone corridor lined with doors.
A few Midnight Fae mingled, all pausing to stare at me with widening eyes.
I ignored them, holding my head high, and allowed my cloak to billow in my wake. No sense in making friends. I didn’t plan to be here long.
A pair of double doors stood closed at the end of the hall, the edges lined in Zakkai’s energy. I sent a blast of magic against the center to blow the doors open, then walked through the threshold with the sole intention of finding the man playing in my head.
Only, a room of Midnight Fae paused mid-bite to gape at my rather forward entry.
They were all framed by windows overlooking the mountain, their tables evenly spaced in a cafeteria-style setting with Zakkai at the front of the room.
He sat beside Laki—if that was even his name—and several other fae. All of them stared at me as I approached, the chatter turning to whispers.
I ignored them all, my focus on my mate. He’d changed into a button-down shirt and tie, his white hair loose and wild around his broad shoulders.
The picture of sin.
He even had a glass of red wine—likely spiked with blood—to finish off his vampiric appearance. He sipped from the rim as his silver-blue eyes ran over me in clear appreciation. Then he set the glass down as the brunette beside him leaned over to whisper in his ear. It was an unmistakably intimate gesture that she strengthened by sliding her hand under the table, presumably to rest on his thigh.
I studied her familiar features with a frown.
Dakota, I recalled. She’d referred to me as a queen.
And from what I inferred by her current body language, she was very friendly with my king. My heart raced at the notion, my eyes narrowing as a result.
She had to know Zakkai was my mate.
Except he intended to break our bond, so maybe she didn’t care.
I shouldn’t care either.
However, part of me wanted to march over there and remove her hand from Zakkai’s leg. A ridiculous instinct, considering I didn’t even want him to be my mate.
I already had three; I didn’t need a fourth. This was just temporary. If he wanted to make flowers with that dark-haired Elite Blood, then so be it. I’d much prefer to just kill him anyway.
Have you come to play? he asked into my mind, his head cocking to the side—the side that was noticeably away from Dakota.
That’s interesting, I thought, ignoring his question.
Her full lips pursed as she straightened, her dark eyes flicking to me. “Nice of you to finally join us,” she said, removing her hand from Zakkai’s thigh to place it on the back of his chair in a decidedly proprietary move.
He didn’t seem to notice or care—likely because she touched him often—and instead smiled at me. “I see you decided on Academy attire. Does that mean you want a lesson?”
A hum of conversation flowed behind me, a hint of excitement touching the air.
“Last I checked, classes with you weren’t part of my curriculum. I think I’ll stick with the itinerary Kols provided, thanks.”
His grin widened. “Oh, but there’s so much I can teach you,” he said, his voice a sinful caress that seemed to imply so many meanings to his phrase.
“Kai,” his father said, a hint of caution in his tone.
“One moment,” he replied, his eyes twinkling with wicked intent. “I’m indulging our queen.”
“I’m not your queen.” I folded my arms. “You’re not Elemental Fae.”
“No, we’re not,” he agreed. “But you are most definitely my queen.” He pushed his chair back, knocking Dakota’s hand from it without ceremony. She quickly pulled her arm in, her lips flicking downward in brief annoyance before flattening into a straight, emotionless line.