Tray helped me out of my dress and handed me one of his shirts—which was my chosen sleep attire. “Yeah. It’s bad.”
He pulled off his tie and started unbuttoning his dress shirt before switching to his cuff links. I slid under the sheets as he removed his jacket, and waited for him to take off the rest of his clothes.
Warily, he joined me in just his boxers, his shoulders sagging on a sigh. “Shade bit an Elemental Fae.”
My eyes widened. “What?” I knew a little about their kind. They were divided into sects based on their affinity for earth, air, water, fire, or spirit. And they didn’t need human blood to survive.
“Yeah. And she’s not just any Elemental Fae, but a Royal Earth Fae,” Tray said, running his fingers through his thick hair. “My father is livid.”
“Of course he is.” It was illegal to mate outside of our race. My being a Halfling was the only exception. “What are they going to do?”
“They’re sending her to the Academy.” He glanced at me, and I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever he said next. “And they’ve assigned her to our suite on Elite Quad. Specifically, they want you to share a room with her.”
I blinked. “What? Why?”
“To keep an eye on her until they figure out how to handle the situation,” he muttered. “Look, I’m not thrilled about it, but I prefer it to killing her. Which was the other option on the table.”
“Kill a royal?”
“They’re afraid of how Shade’s bite will influence her powers.” He collapsed beside me on the bed, shaking his head. “That fucking prick. And of course, they’re letting him remain at the Academy, too. He’s under strict orders not to bite her again, but we both know that’s not going to stop him.”
“Have they lost their minds? He should be locked up for doing that to her.”
“They’re giving him the benefit of the doubt for reporting the crime.” Tray’s expression told me how he felt about that. “I suspect he did it on purpose.”
“Why? Why would he do that?”
“Your guess is as good as mine.” He blew out a breath. “So I suppose our final year is going to be an interesting one. They’re moving her to the Academy tonight.”
I frowned. “But classes don’t start for another week.”
“Headmaster Zeph is in charge of introducing her to the grounds and helping her settle.” His dark eyes locked on mine. “Gives us six or seven days to prepare for our inevitable introduction.”
“And I’m supposed to live with her?”
“You’re the only female in our suite,” he explained. “And my dad was pretty clear about her staying near me and Kols for protection.” He lifted onto his elbow and palmed my cheek. “We’ll figure it out, El. The Council just wants us to help her acclimate. That’s all.”
“What if she doesn’t want toacclimate?” I asked, arching a brow.
“Then it’ll be a good thing she has you.” He waggled his brows. “I’ve never met a stronger, more stubborn female in my life. You’ll be her greatest ally within days. I’m sure of it.”
I snorted. “Or we’ll kill each other.” I didn’t get along with many of the fae on campus, which wasn’t surprising considering I grew up without friends. A few of them were okay. Most I avoided because they were either jealous of my mating to Tray or had an issue with my Halfling status. “I suppose we’ll have our rare histories in common.”
What with me being the only one of my kind on campus and her being from another realm entirely.
“That’s the spirit, love,” he murmured, nudging me onto my back and sliding a thigh between my legs. “Now I suggest we spend the next few days losing ourselves in the sheets, as we might not have as many opportunities once we return.”
I narrowed my eyes up at him. “Uh-huh. Because having other people in our suite has stopped us before.”
“Hey, this is a whole new entity. Who knows how this will impact our sex life?” He nuzzled my neck.
“I think you’re just looking for excuses to fool around.”
“I never need an excuse to fool around with you, El,” he whispered against my throat. “Or to bite you. Or to love you. Or to kiss you.” He trailed his lips up to my ear. “Or to fuck you.” His words caused me to arch into him, my body already primed just from his return.
Nearly three years of knowing him and he still enticed me with a mere look. If anything, my attraction to him had only grown over time.
My arms wound around his neck, holding him. “Make love to me, Tray,” I murmured. “Slow and meaningful. At least the first time.” The second could be as rough or intense as he wanted. But for now, I was in the mood to feel our connection, to know how much we loved each other.
