Elemental Fae Academy: Book One Read online

  I swore she growled in reply. Or someone did. And then more yelling ensued, but I couldn’t see any of them or anything. The carnage of the windstorm lay dormant beyond my vision. Or perhaps not so quiet. Panic filtered through the air, words I couldn’t understand, and chants.

  I curled into Exos, craving his familiarity, his security. I didn’t want to be drunk anymore, but I couldn’t see beyond the fog of my mind. Everything mingled in shades of blacks that were riddled with sounds.

  I whimpered.

  Lips pressed against my temple. “You’ll be okay.”

  Exos?

  Yes. I snuggled into his heat, his scent, his strength.

  “What happened?” a new voice demanded, one I recognized immediately as my Titus. I couldn’t say when I started thinking of these two men as mine, but I did. They were mine, and I intended to keep them if they let me.

  Their tongues and hands, mmm…

  “Is she drunk?” Titus demanded.

  “Yes, I took her to the bar to celebrate her destruction on Air Quad today. Sorry for not inviting you.” Exos set me on a cloud of amazingness. So, so soft. But not warm enough. I reached for his hand, longing for his heat, and found Titus’s instead. My lips curled, my fire instantly engaged, and I tugged him toward me.

  “Fuck, Claire,” he muttered, collapsing on top of me. Or maybe beside me. I really couldn’t tell, this wave of confusion shadowing my judgment.

  “Yeah, you entertain her there while I go find some water. According to Vox, that’ll help cure this wind tunnel messing with her mind.” Exos sounded amused, which made me giggle. I liked him amused. He had the best smile. Like the sun. Except he rarely showed it. Maybe he lived in a cloud, too. Like me. Because I couldn’t see a damn thing. But I could definitely feel, and I really liked the heat coming from Titus. So muscular. Hard. Hot.

  “You and I are going to have a long talk about your conversational skills, Royal,” Titus growled. “Claire, sweetheart, can you stop—No. Stop that.” He grabbed my wrists, causing me to pout. I wanted to pet him. To revel in his fire.

  No more of this kissing and orgasm crap. I wanted more. To really, truly feel him.

  To fuck… yes!

  “Claire,” he warned. His voice turned to a hiss as I arched into him, signaling with my body what I craved since apparently my mouth no longer worked. Or my eyes.

  What is wrong with my head?

  So fuzzy.

  Oh, but the heat…

  “Claire.” The pain in Titus’s voice had me stilling against him. Had I hurt him in some way? All I wanted was to roll in his flames, to let them bathe over my skin and light my way out of this insane darkness.

  “Here.” Exos was back. My Royal Fae. My spirit half.

  These men were my fae. My Titus and my Exos. Forever mates. Lovers. Oh, but without the fucking. I scowled at that; they really needed to sort this out—

  Oh.

  Cool liquid slipped over my tongue, exciting my nerves and calming me at the same time. I sighed, my head pillowed against Titus, my hands now being held by Exos.

  Sandwiched yet again between two men.

  How had this become my life?

  “Maybe we should invite Vox,” I mused. Wait, had I said that out loud?

  “He’ll be by later,” Exos said softly.

  Yeah, said that out loud.

  Oh, but hey! I had a voice again.

  Still can’t see, though.

  “What the hell is this?” Titus asked as more water slid over my tongue. “Start talking, Exos.”

  “In case it’s not clear, I’ve had a very rough afternoon and I’m not in the mood for your petulant demands.”

  “Oh? I’m sorry. You bring home a very drunk Claire, who seems hell-bent on fucking me, and you’d like me to just accept that. All right. Care to leave while I indulge her?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “No, fuck you. Now tell me what the hell happened.”

  I giggled, their banter amusing the hell out of me. And they kept saying fuck, which was exactly what I wanted to do. But they had some sort of no-fucking rule going on between them that was driving me crazy. Like, how many nights could a girl go to bed naked between two hot men and not get fucked?

  “Try being one of those males and having to rely on your hand for weeks,” Titus growled.

  Oh, I said that out loud… My brow crinkled. No. I didn’t feel bad about it. “I want sex.”

  “Dear Elements, we are not having this conversation in your current state,” Exos snapped.

  “Then busy us both by telling me what the hell happened,” Titus suggested, his tone doing this sexy, deep, demanding thing that made my lady parts tingle. “Claire, stop doing that.”

  Exos sighed. “Here.” He gently began massaging my temples, which sparked glimpses of light in the darkness but didn’t relieve the ache building between my thighs. I’d much rather have his attentions focused elsewhere. I opened my mouth to say just that, when a tongue slid between my lips, eliciting a groan from deep within.

  Which one of them was kissing me?

  Exos, my spirit whispered.

  Yes… I recognized his dominance, his minty taste, his command.

  But rather than excite my nerves and caress the heat building inside, it made me sleepy. Oh, how he drained me. Such a virile, powerful man. I pressed into him, accepting his gift, his presence, his being, and felt my limbs relax.

  Such a soft, fluffy world.

  Warm.

  Safe.

  Mmm.

  Yes, I would sleep. Just for a little bit. And when I woke, hopefully I’d be able to see again.

  Vox

  Exhaustion weighed heavily on me. Dealing with Aerie had been child’s play.

  Professor Helios, however, had been another matter. Once he’d regained consciousness, he’d been hell-bent on seeking justice for his classroom. And Claire had been the focus of his wrath. Thankfully, Exos had whisked her off to the safety of the Spirit Quad before that could happen.

  Of course, now the Royal Fae would have to deal with the repercussions and face the Council. Which meant I’d need to intervene.

  That tornado did not belong to Claire. I felt it in every fiber of my being, and not just because my inner air considered her to be a potential mate.

  Not happening, I told myself for the thousandth time. Helping her I could do. Falling for a woman with two other mates already? No.

  Except all I could think about was how her essence had called to me.

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  Fuck.

  I was mad to even be thinking of her right now. The entire Academy was in an uproar after yet another series of deaths surrounding the Halfling.

  Except this wasn’t her fault.

  “By the Elements,” Sol huffed as he stormed into the Earth Dorms carrying a bag. “Vox, what are you doing here?”

  Yeah, about that…

  I squirmed on Sol’s unforgiving excuse for a couch and glowered at the dusty layers of glass that needed a cleaning. There should have been a beautiful view of the shifting gardens, but Sol sucked at housekeeping.

  “You really need to get a more comfortable couch,” I complained, ignoring his question. “It’s not inviting at all.”

  Sol rolled his eyes and plopped the cloth bag onto the table and began to unfurl it. Steaming, leafy edges of meat pie made my mouth water. Sol tore one of the leaves and broke me off a chunk, handing it to me with a knowing look. “You don’t often mope, Vox. Didn’t see the Halfling today like you’d hoped?”

  I glared at the offering and took a small nibble, not having much of an appetite even though my stomach was roaring for sustenance after the power I’d expensed kicking Aerie’s ass. “Quite the opposite,” I admitted around the small mouthful.

  Sol’s brown eyes raked over me as if noticing for the first time that my usually kempt suit was tattered and torn. “Don’t tell me you were there for the maelstrom?” His eyes widened when I didn’t res
pond. “Elements, Vox, you could have been killed!” He leaned in and lowered his voice, glancing around as though someone might somehow hear us in the room of solid rock. “Was the royal there, too?” He waggled his fingers at me. “Did he mind-control her to do it?”

  I nearly choked on the morsel. “Fuck, Sol. No.”

  Sol distrusted all Spirit Fae, but Exos more than most. I still didn’t know why, but tonight wasn’t the night to ask. Nor did I have the energy to prove his thoughts wrong. It would require talking about what happened with Claire, and I wasn’t ready to face that yet.

  My best friend scoffed at me and wrapped a leaf around a larger chunk of meat, then tore it off with his teeth. He gazed out through the dirtied window, not seeming to care that he couldn’t really see through it. “Well, it won’t matter much either way,” Sol said.

  “Why’s that?”

  He chewed thoughtfully before answering me. “I heard that if there was one more fae death at the Academy, then the Halfling would be expelled and banished to the Spirit Kingdom.” He shrugged. “Not a bad thing, because that bastard royal will go with her and I won’t have to keep tiptoeing around my own damn campus. She has power over all five elements, you know so she would eventually have earth classes.” He shuddered as if horrified by the idea.

  My heart skipped a beat. Banished? Spirit Kingdom?

  No fucking way.

  She’s innocent.

  And fuck if I was going to let anyone send an innocent girl to a damn wasteland.

  I slammed my fist on the table, sending dust flying. “For one, Sol, you don’t fucking tiptoe anywhere. You shake the ground like a beast that can’t be contained.” I held up two fingers. “And secondly, don’t judge someone you’ve never even met. The Halfling is innocent.”

  I didn’t give Sol a chance to digest my outrage. Instead I caught a glimpse of his wide eyes—and perhaps a little hurt in his gaze—before I tore open the front door with a gust of wind and marched out of the Earth Dorms.

  I should have returned to my own quarters, but I found the breeze taking me straight to the Halfling, who I knew would never harm another living soul and didn’t deserve the fae’s wrath.

  Everyone on campus knew she was living in—or rather, banished to—the Spirit Dorms. Now I just had to figure out which room she’d chosen in a wasteland of nothing.

  No one ever encroached on the Spirit Quad, and for good reason. The wasteland looked like a scar across the otherwise beautiful grounds. A stark line grooved out in the dirt where the barriers between majestic energies bordered each other. The lively, shifting rock of the Earth Quad kept its distance from the cold, gray, and lifeless dirt that made up the majority of the Spirit grounds. I drew in a deep breath, as if I could gather my air element inside of me in a protective bubble, before braving a step forward.

  There.

  Ouch.

  Okay, yeah, it hurt. It felt like crossing over from life to death because I wasn’t meant to be on the Spirit Quad. I hadn’t received an invitation, and there wasn’t even the slightest breeze here to make me feel at home.

  Lifeless, colorless buildings wrapped in dead vines boasted what had once been classrooms teeming with bright-minded students. There was, however, one pop of color that stood out against the corpse-like dirt.

  A white flower.

  I leaned down to inspect it and grazed it with my fingertips.

  Claire.

  Another flower marked the path just a few paces down, so I went to it and squinted until I spotted another. Then another still, until I was so deep into the Spirit Quad that I swore I was starting to hear the voices of the dead that had once roamed these grounds.

  Oh, not the dead—that’s a fae.

  I tilted my head to the side and allowed a sliver of my power to carry a breeze to catch the sounds.

  There, the dorms.

  I ventured in without knocking, not because I meant to intrude, but because I was so intent on discovering what kind of fae might be here other than Exos and Claire.

  “You have to fucking do something,” a muscular fae demanded. Auburn locks licked with tiny flames, and embers burned in the fae’s eyes as he challenged the royal that leaned heavily against the wall. He was shirtless, his hair damp, maybe from a recent shower.

  “And you need to calm down,” Exos ordered. He pushed off from the wall and startled me by pinning me with his gaze. “Ah, Vox. Finally, you’re here.” He waved me over as if he’d summoned me here. “Come in and make yourself at home.”

  My eyes widened. I was an Air Fae adept in the skills of stealth. I’d passed every shadowstep and secrecy class with outstanding marks, to the point that I was well on my way as a spy for Air Kingdom if I so wanted, yet the royal had noticed me without any effort at all.

  The Fire Fae glared at me, causing me to reconsider coming here. I recognized him. Everyone on campus would. He was a renowned fighter. A champion. And lethal as fuck. “Well, you heard Exos,” Titus said. “Don’t just stand there, Vox. Join us.”

  Swallowing hard, I entered and awkwardly adjusted my ruined suit. I probably should have changed into something more presentable before venturing over here. “Ah, so, is Claire okay?” I asked.

  Smooth, Vox.

  “Yes, she’s having a nap,” Exos said, then gave Titus a raised brow. “And shouldn’t be left alone, Titus.”

  “Should I expect her to wake up intoxicated? Or did your little mindfuck fix that?”

  Exos narrowed his gaze. “Did you prefer the alternative?”

  Titus growled. “This isn’t working.”

  “I know.”

  “Then fucking do something about it, Your Highness.”

  Exos sighed and ran his fingers through his light hair. “Sorry, Vox. You’ve caught us in a rather heated moment, one Titus can’t seem to let go.” Those last two words were directed at the Fire Fae.

  Titus flipped him off in response.

  Okay, then. I’d clearly interrupted something. “I can come back…”

  “No,” they both said at once.

  “We have to talk about what happened,” Exos added. “About what went wrong.”

  “She didn’t kill anyone,” I blurted out, feeling the weight of their stares. “I mean, I felt it. I’m a mentor, and I can sense energies. The energy that created that maelstrom wasn’t Claire’s.”

  Exos smiled. “I know. But thank you for confirming my suspicions.”

  “Again, that whole communicating thing?” Titus waved between himself and Exos. “Still sucking. Now tell me about these suspicions.”

  “Had you given me a moment earlier instead of throwing a fit, I would have.”

  “Well, fucking tell me now.”

  “Who is the royal here, Titus?” Exos asked, cocking his head to the side. “Me or you?”

  “Oh, this again.” Titus threw his hands up in the air. “Claire is passed-out drunk—from something you’ve still not explained, by the way—and you want to play the superiority game instead of telling me what the hell is going on. Typical.”

  “What’s typical is you losing your temper over nothing.”

  “Nothing?” he repeated, pointing to a door at the end of the room. “That is not nothing.”

  “Aerie sent a target shriek of air into Claire’s mind. Specifically, the frontal lobe, causing temporary, well, incapacitation,” I explained, hoping to dispel some of the tension. “It’s a classic Air Fae attack mechanism. Renders your opponent incomprehensible for an hour or two. Essentially, it makes the victim feel very, very intoxicated.”

  Titus gaped at me while Exos scratched his chin.

  “She’ll be fine,” I added. “Sleeping it off is the best for her.”

  “Who do you think manipulated her spiral?” Exos asked, changing the subject.

  “I don’t know. But I can help you find out.”

  He arched a brow. “How?”

  “By tracking the energy source.” It wouldn’t be hard. After trying to dismantle the mael
strom myself, I had a pretty good understanding of what it felt like. “As I said, I have a knack for sensing energy.” It was what allowed me to help Sol with his affinity for earth.

  “You’re saying you want to help,” Exos translated.

  “I’m saying I can, if you need it.” I wasn’t about to assume a powerful Spirit Fae required my assistance. As he already pointed out, he suspected Claire wasn’t the source of power.

  He nodded, then glanced at Titus. “I think we found our Air Fae.”

  “You’re assuming he can keep up.” Titus folded his arms and looked me over. “You up for the task?”

  “Of tracking the energy source? Yeah.”

  “No.” Titus smirked. “I meant, are you up for the task of managing Claire?”

  “Oh, uh…” I swallowed. “To help manage her air?”

  Titus nodded.

  Exos said nothing, his gaze assessing me.

  “I just came by to tell you it wasn’t her and to offer assistance in tracking down the culprit.” No, that wasn’t entirely true. A part of me had longed to check up on her. But that was just my mentor side requiring me to make sure the student I’d failed earlier today was all right. “However, yes, she needs a mentor.” I’d meant to say that to Exos as well, but the banishing comments from Sol had derailed my focus. All I’d cared about was expressing her innocence so they didn’t send her away.

  Why do I care so much?

  Because she’s innocent.

  Right.

  “She needs you as a mentor,” Exos replied. “You’re a good match for her. I felt it during class. And so you’ll mentor her.”

  He uttered the words as if they were a done deal. “I’ll help you find one,” I offered. “A mentor, I mean.”

  “No need.” Exos turned, walking down the hall. “She already has one, Vox. You.” He paused on the threshold, his blue eyes meeting mine. “Don’t leave. I’m just going to grab some proper clothes for us to hunt in.”

  “But—”

  “And I need to wake up Claire. Give me twenty minutes, Vox.”