Page 87 of Bitten By the Fae

His resulting growl vibrated my chest through the thin fabric of our shirts. He’d worn another of those sleeveless ones that showed off his arms. It was about the only thing I looked forward to on our sparring days. Oh, and his gray sweatpants. I rather liked those as well.

“Aflora, you have three seconds before I remove you, and you’re not going to like how I do it,” he warned.

I yawned. “Do your worst, Teach.” Probably not the wisest move to goad my instructor, but he didn’t scare me. Maybe I’d adopted too carefree an attitude while attending the Academy. My life was still very much in danger, and I took that seriously—hence my endless study hours—yet I had to let go sometimes. And for whatever reason, those times seemed to occur when around Zeph.

And in my dreams with Kols and Shade.

These three men left me?—

“Oof,” I breathed as my back hit the sparring mat and Zeph sprawled out on top of me, locking my wrists over my head.

I hadn’t even felt him move, just suddenly went airborne as he spun me around in a move that should not have been possible.

“Brat,” he muttered, his hips pinning mine to the floor.

“Maybe,” I managed to say, the word coming out on a winded exhale, thanks to the roughness of my landing. “But I got you”—I inhaled sharply to replenish my lungs—“on the floor.”

His irises swirled with dark green, reminding me of the lush forests back home. I nearly sighed, loving that smoldering look and longing to see a real tree again. The dark magic continued to grow while my access to my primary gift remained just out of reach, although lately I’d felt it flaring on occasion, as if begging me to connect to the source.

Kols told me last week that he’d met with Exos while on a break day and learned that Sol had taken up the mantle of managing the source for me in my absence.

I was both pleased and saddened by that news. Pleased because the male I loved like a brother needed to embrace his earth more, and I’d finally provided him with the push he required to do so. But the act saddened me as well because it meant the Elemental Earth Fae were seeking a way to survive without me.

It was the right thing to do. I couldn’t lead them as an abomination. Yet that didn’t stop me from wanting to try.

Kols believed I grew up with my Quandary Blood powers and that Shade’s bite had just provided me with an excuse to access them. Or perhaps my presence at the Academy was what had truly awakened them.

Except I’d used them before when I stopped Elana.

“What put that puzzling look in your eyes?” Zeph asked, reminding me of his presence on top of me. Not that I’d forgotten. His woodsy scent and hard, masculine body were difficult to ignore.

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

I gave him a look. “Because you never lie to me?”

He actually appeared affronted by the statement. “Actually, I haven’t. Everything I’ve told you from the beginning has been truthful. We both know you’re not going to survive here. It’s just a matter of time. It makes my efforts futile, but at least I tried.”

I laughed humorously. “You really have a way with words, Zeph.” However, he was right. He always spoke his mind around me, never avoiding the truth. That didn’t mean I could trust him, but I could at least rely on him to give it to me straight.

“You’re avoiding my question. What were you thinking about?”

“Why do you want to know?” I countered.

“Humor me.”

I suspected he meant that literally, as he often found entertainment in my comments. This would no doubt be the same. “I was thinking about Sol taking control of the earth source and how I’m happy for him but sad for me. As an abomination, I can’t properly lead my people, no matter how badly I may want to.”

Zeph considered me for a long moment and released my wrists to balance himself on his elbows on either side of my head. It effectively caged me beneath him in a decidedly intimate manner that he didn’t seem to notice. “Do you know why abominations are killed on sight?”

“Yes. They’re evil.”

He arched a brow. “Are they?” he asked softly, his gaze dropping to my lips. “Are you evil, Aflora? Or have our Councils trained us to fear what we don’t understand?”

I swallowed, the warmth from his body seeping into mine, bringing us closer with each breath. A forbidden desire to kiss him entered my thoughts even while I considered his words. “I don’t feel evil,” I whispered.

“I don’t think you’re evil either,” he agreed, his voice just as quiet, our conversation one we shouldn’t be having. “I believeabominations are destroyed because our Councils fear their power. They claim it will disturb the source balance, but I think what they really mean is that it will disturbtheirbalance.”