Page 31 of A Curse So Cruel (Fated Mates of Shadowbone Academy #1)

Chapter Twenty

~ Thane ~

“ S o, our little mystery survived her first night and her first day,” Galen muses, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back on the couch. Raith lounges beside him, and I sit in an armchair close by. Knox stands at the window overlooking the forest.

Knox’s scent still lingers on me, but that’s nothing new to Raith and Galen.

There was a time when Knox and I often shared women, enjoying their company as well as each other’s, but after he found our mate, and she died…

well, everything changed. Knox lost all interest in other women.

I never met our mate, but Knox hasn’t been the same since her death. Neither has Raith.

I think of the new arrival to Shadowbone. Shade, her name is. After physical training earlier in the day, she remained in my mind, haunting me. I could still feel her small, fragile body in my arms. Could still remember the sweetening of her scent as my palm had cracked against her tight ass.

Fuck. After the class, I couldn’t concentrate.

I’ve never carried a student. Never tolerated weakness in my classes, but this human disarms me.

She’s stronger than she likes to admit, and I get the feeling it will take some effort to get her to see that.

Despite her pathetic pleas, when I saw her on that ground I didn’t see weakness.

All I saw was the girl who belongs to me sprawled on the dirt, her cheeks flushed.

I longed to bring her to Knox so we could enjoy her together, but I knew that wouldn’t end well.

She’s too inexperienced and fragile. So when the class ended, I went to Knox alone.

He didn’t question me when I turned up unexpected in his room.

One look, and he knew what I needed. What we both needed.

But as my cock thrust into Knox, there she was.

I scented the little human the moment she walked through that pathway, and I know Knox did too.

Neither of us stopped. And she didn’t leave.

Her delicious scent grew stronger as she watched us, and I breathed her in as I fucked Knox harder.

It had taken all my effort not to grab her and pull her onto that bed with us.

To stop myself from positioning her beside Knox so I could fuck them both until the three of us were a shuddering mess.

But Knox wasn’t ready for that, and when her gasp echoed in my ears, I let myself come undone.

And then she was gone.

Going by the magic I had sensed, Lankin had dragged her back to class.

My lips twitch as I think of her watching us.

She shouldn’t have been able to create a pathway to our private rooms. If it were up to me, I would punish her for it and ease my need and hers in the process.

But if Knox wants us to stay away from her, I’ll respect his wishes.

Leaning back, I rest my arms behind my head.

“We can’t keep fighting this,” Galen says with a dangerous look in his eyes. “We can’t deny Shade is connected to us. I could barely concentrate in class, and going by the rumors…” his gaze slides to me, “it sounds like Thane couldn’t either.”

“She wouldn’t run,” I rumble, as if that explains everything.

“Yes, so I’ve heard,” Galen drawls on the verge of laughter. “So you decided to carry her instead.”

Raith is the only one who looks surprised. “Thane would never carry a student.”

“Correction,” Galen says, lifting a finger into the air. “Thane would never have carried a student before. ”

Knox already knows what I did, but his expression darkens all the same. “We haven’t ruled her out as a spy,” he says coldly. “And even if she’s not, we can’t afford any distractions. Not now.”

“She’s already a distraction,” Galen counters. “At least let us fuck her so I won’t have blue balls all the time.”

Knox whirls on him. “And what if she is our mate? What then? You know what our future holds.” His expression is fierce, and there’s a long stretch of silence.

I think of the prediction the oracle made. A part of the prophecy that has been kept well-hidden from the students. “If she is our mate, we have bigger problems than her simply being a distraction,” I rumble.

“Exactly,” Knox agrees. “So for now, let’s not add to the shit pile we’re already dealing with.”

Raith’s jaw tenses. “What is it now?”

Knox faces the window again. “I’ve received word from Queen Krosia.”

This isn’t news to me, but the other two stiffen.

“And what the fuck does she want?” Raith asks, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

“There was another attack yesterday,” Knox reports.

Raith and Galen curse.

Galen lifts his chin. “Where?”

“At the edges of Blackwood,” Knox replies. “We lost at least a dozen warriors.”

Raith curses again, and he scrubs a hand over his face. “Xera and the others?”

“Alive,” I confirm, remembering what Knox had told me earlier when I had the same question.

Raith and Galen both relax a little, and I think of Xera and the other five. The other six original warriors who came to the shadow realm when we did. It has been too long since we’ve seen each other.

“This is why we should be out there,” Raith growls in frustration, lifting to his feet. “We should be fighting the battle alongside them. We’ve been here for centuries .”

“We all know how long it’s been,” I rumble.

“And we know why we’re here,” Knox adds.

“Yeah, it’s called exile,” Raith mutters.

“It’s war,” Knox counters. “It’s strategy.”

“That’s bullshit. We’re here because of that damned oracle and his predictions,” Raith replies gruffly. “The prophecy was bad enough, but then he had to keep talkin’.”

I think of the prophecy that was spoken to us on our first day in the shadow realm.

The last lines echo in my head: For without you…

there will be no times at all. There can be no mistaking the message in those words.

It’s the reason we all chose to stay in the shadow realm.

Because if we didn’t, everything would come to an end.

Why the attacks have started becoming more recent of late, is a mystery, but everything indicates that the dark entities are planning something.

For the first time in centuries, they’re becoming more organized, and that doesn’t bode well for us.

As for the oracles other predictions…well, I don’t disagree with the queen’s orders.

“We need to keep training shadow warriors,” I say. “We’re the only ones stopping the Xalgrith from sweeping across the realms.”

“Yes, we know,” Galen mutters.

Ignoring him, I look at Knox expectantly, waiting for him to share the rest of the news. Galen and Raith follow my gaze.

“Let me guess,” Galen drawls. “There’s more?”

“Queen Krosia wants to visit the academy,” Knox replies.

Galen uncrosses his legs. “What the devil?”

“She wants to see our top students. The ones who should be graduating this year,” Knox explains, though it’s clear he’s not happy about it. “She wants to see if they can graduate early.”

I can’t stop my scowl. We were friends with Krosia once. But like many who come to this realm, over the years she has changed, and lately, meetings with the queen have become…tense.

“And when will we have the pleasure of her company?” Galen asks.

Knox turns to us and lets out a long breath through his nose.

“She wouldn’t say. Could be days. It could be weeks.

In any case, this is another example of why we can’t afford to be distracted.

Warriors are dying and graduates are needed now more than ever.

We must ensure our students are ready before they’re sent out there, or their blood will be on our hands. ”

Everything Knox is saying makes sense, but instead of focusing on the other students, I can only think of one specific student.

Shade. I imagine the queen taking her before she’s ready and sending her to the front lines.

There, she would face off against the Xalgrith—dark beings who would be unlike anything she could imagine.

The idea fills me with rage, and I feel Rinoc inquire through our bond.

He’s busy in the forest, and I’m quick to clamp down on my anger so I don’t worry him.

“I’m not arguing, but I have a counterproposal,” Galen says. “We should figure out who Shade is before the queen comes. There must be a reason she’s affecting us like this, and if we’re going to focus, we need to find out why. If she is our mate and the queen finds her here…” he trails off.

“We need to know, Knox,” I rumble. “We need to find out what we’re dealing with.”

This time Knox stays silent.

“The only way to be sure if she’s our mate is if someone beds her,” Raith says, his eyes eager. “And I volunteer as damn tribute.”

Galen rolls his eyes. “And why should you have all the fun?”

“This is a mistake,” Knox mutters, and he slips into a mass of shadows, disappearing from the room.