I couldn’t discern up from down, right from wrong, or passion from hate. Shade’s lips were at my neck, his kiss far too tender for my liking. I’d prefer his bite so I could hate him more. Only, he held me with worship in his touch, his warm body wrapped around me in a false blanket of protection.
“I hate you,” I whispered, my eyes wet. “I hate you. I hate you. I hate you.”
“I know,” he replied softly. “I hate myself, too.” He nuzzled my throat, sighing. “I’m not supposed to be here, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m not okay,” I told him, shuddering. “Not okay at all.”
He kissed my jaw before pulling back to meet my gaze. “You’re strong, little rose,” he said softly, the new nickname underlined in a deep caress. “We’ll both be okay in the end. You’ll see.” He pressed his lips to mine once more as he carried me to the chair. Lowering me into it, he hovered over me with a sinful look. “I need to go before Guardian Zephyrus finishes his spell. But I’ll see you again soon. In your dreams.”
Shade vanished into a cloud of smoke that seemed to take up the entire room, his existence touching every article of clothing and all the walls, until all I could see was darkness.
“Aflora!” Zephyrus’s furious voice slapped me across the face, jolting me from the chair. He stood before me with a livid expression, his wand in his hand.
I frowned at him, then whirled around the unfamiliar room.Wait…I glanced down to find myself fully clothed and wrapped up in a cloak like a blanket.
My skirt looked brand new, my blouse fully buttoned, and I even had on knee-high boots.
I blinked. “What…?”
“A sleep enchantment,” Zephyrus hissed. “That little prick.” He shook his head, a curse falling from his full lips. “He’s circumventing the rules with mind play. I’d be impressed if he wasn’t breaking a hundred protocols to do it.”
“So he wasn’t… That didn’t… I…” My cheeks heated, unable to finish. My damp panties were the only thing on me that matched my supposed dream. So either I’d woken up turned on or I’d orgasmed in my sleep.
Which meant Zephyrus had probably seen it.
Oh, Mother Earth…Warmth touched every inch of my being at the thought of what he’d witnessed.
Fortunately, he didn’t seem all that keen to mention it.
“We’re done shopping,” he said instead, turning on a wave of superiority, an array of bags forming around him. “I assume that’s your cape of choice. Same with the wand. The other items will be in your wardrobe by the time we get back.” He glanced at my boots and skirt. “A little schoolgirl for our trip back, but I doubt anyone will notice. Let’s go.”
“Wait, what wand?” I asked. “I didn’t pick one.”
“Check your pocket, Aflora. One already picked you.”
I patted the side of my cape, my eyes widening. “They do that?”
He just gave me a flat look and gestured with his chin toward a mirror. Assuming he meant for me to walk through it, I did and found myself in the cloakroom once more.
My cape billowed around me as I twisted in a sharp circle. “How…?”
“You have so much to learn about our world,” Zephyrus replied as he retrieved his cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders with a flourish. “Also, a wand isn’t a magical being. It’s an extension of our power.”
With a wave of his hand, a keypad appeared, and he punched in a code that I caught this time. Of course, it was to the place I didn’t really want to go, so not all that helpful.
“We use them as a conduit,” he continued, his arm sliding around my shoulders to hold me close while the portal began to whirl around us. “As I said, it’s an extension of your power. It helps you focus on a single book on a shelf rather than an entire collection.”
Cawing pierced my skull as the crows took over, welcoming us back to the Academy grounds.
In minutes, they were back to their rocky forms, dotting the courtyard.
Flames ignited along the paths again, illuminating the otherwise quiet campus.
“When do students start to arrive?” I asked as he led the way back to Kolstov’s building.
“Some are already here but keeping to themselves. The majority will return in five days’ time to attend the annual autumn bonfire.” He flicked his wrist, sending the bags ahead in a train that moved toward the residence. “Let’s take a tour before heading back. We can stop by the cafeteria as well and grab something to eat.”
My stomach grumbled at the idea, agreeing.
