Page 13 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Wild

“ I think this is the first time I’ve been to a class on time,” I grinned as we stepped up to Professor Blackwood’s private study.

Elias rolled his eyes, but I could feel his amusement rippling through our connection. “A historic moment indeed. Should we commemorate it somehow? Perhaps a plaque?”

“Don’t encourage him,” Caden muttered, though his lips twitched with a suppressed smile. “He’s insufferable enough as it is.”

I placed a hand over my heart in mock offense. “Me? Insufferable? I’m a delight.”

The three of us had been nearly inseparable since the attack two weeks ago.

Not that we had much choice. Our triune bond had only strengthened after our display of wild magic in the courtyard.

The pendants now seemed permanently fused to our skin, visible only to us but constantly humming with shared energy.

Elias reached for the door, his fingers brushing mine as we both moved at the same time.

A jolt of electricity passed between us, making us both freeze momentarily.

These accidental touches had become both more frequent and more intense, each one sending a cascade of sensations through our bond that none of us quite knew how to handle.

“Sorry,” he murmured, pulling back to let me open the door instead.

“Don’t be,” I whispered, just low enough for him to hear.

The dynamic between us had shifted dramatically since that night in the infirmary.

Elias was still uptight, still frustratingly proper most of the time, but there were moments, fleeting, precious moments, when his carefully constructed walls would slip, and I’d catch glimpses of the person beneath.

Someone curious, passionate, and far more complex than the perfect Thorne heir he pretended to be.

It was driving me… well, wild .

Professor Blackwood looked up from her desk as we entered, her silver-streaked hair pulled back in its usual severe bun. “Ah, gentlemen. Right on time. Please, sit.”

We arranged ourselves in the now-familiar triangle of chairs before her desk. I sprawled in mine as always, while Elias sat ramrod straight and Caden settled somewhere in between, his posture relaxed but attentive.

“I’ve found something,” Professor Blackwood announced without preamble, placing an ancient-looking leather-bound book on her desk. “It took some... unorthodox research methods, but I believe this text contains information about your grandmother, Mr. Thorne.”

Elias leaned forward, his excitement pulsing through our bond. “What did you discover?”

“Lydia Thorne wasn’t just acquainted with the Briar Hall family,” she said, opening the book to a marked page.

“She was part of a secret magical research group that included members of both the Seelie Court and several prominent witch families. They were studying the very thing that’s happened to you three, triune bonds. ”

I watched as Elias reached into his bag, pulling out a small leatherbound journal with yellowed pages.

“This is my grandmother’s journal,” he said, holding it out to the professor.

“Some of it I can read, but most of the magic in here… is strange to me. I’ve been trying to decipher it since we started all this, but I haven’t gotten anywhere. ”

Professor Blackwood’s eyes widened as she took the journal, her fingers tracing the worn leather with reverence. “This is extraordinary. Lydia’s personal grimoire... I never thought I’d see it.”

I leaned forward, my usual sprawl tightening with curiosity. “So, what’s the deal with triune bonds? Are we talking about some ancient threesome magic or what?”

Elias shot me a withering look, but I could feel his own curiosity pulsing through our connection.

“Not exactly, Mr. Briar Hall,” Professor Blackwood said, though her lips twitched slightly. “According to these texts, triune bonds were once considered the highest form of magical collaboration. A perfect balance of energies. Structure, chaos, and growth.”

“That’s us,” Caden said quietly. “Elias is structure, Wild is chaos, and I’m...”

“Growth,” I finished, nudging him with my shoulder. “Plant boy.”

Professor Blackwood nodded, flipping through Lydia’s journal with careful fingers. “Precisely. In ancient times, before the magical realms were fully separated, these bonds were cultivated deliberately to maintain balance between worlds.”

“But why were they hunted down?” Elias asked, his voice tight with tension I could feel rippling through our connection.

Professor Blackwood’s expression darkened.

“Power, Mr. Thorne. The combined magic of a triune bond threatens those who wish to maintain strict hierarchies between magical communities.” She tapped a page in Lydia’s journal.

“Your grandmother was researching ways to restore these bonds, to heal the rifts between realms.”

“And my father’s group, whatever it was back then, wanted to stop her,” Elias said, his shoulders slumping slightly.

“Not just stop her,” Professor Blackwood said grimly. “According to these records, they tried to eliminate her research entirely. And they nearly succeeded.”

I reached out instinctively, my fingers brushing against Elias’s knee. The contact sent a surge of comfort through our bond, and I felt his gratitude wash back over me.

“So what happened?” Caden asked, leaning forward. “To Lydia and her research group?”

Professor Blackwood glanced between us, hesitation evident in her expression. “They attempted to form a triune bond themselves. Lydia, a fae noble from Briar Hall named Sorrel, and a dryad scholar called Thorne.”

“Wait,” I interrupted, my pulse quickening. “Sorrel of Briar Hall? That was my great-uncle.”

Elias’s head snapped toward me, his brown eyes wide. “And Thorne is my family name.”

“But you said the dryad’s name was Thorne,” Caden pointed out, confusion creasing his brow.

Professor Blackwood nodded slowly. “Yes. It appears that some family histories have been... deliberately obscured. The dryad Thorne wasn’t related to your family, Elias. He took that name later, after the bond attempt.”

“So, what happened to them?” I pressed, feeling Elias’s shock reverberate through our connection. “Did their bond work?”

Professor Blackwood’s fingers traced the aged paper of Lydia’s journal. “Partially. The texts suggest they achieved a temporary connection, powerful enough to demonstrate the potential of what they were researching. But before they could stabilize it fully, they were attacked.”

“By the Purity Front,” Elias said quietly, his emotions churning with a mixture of anger and shame that I could feel as clearly as my own.

“By its predecessor, yes,” Professor Blackwood confirmed. “The attack separated them physically, which, as you three now know, can be extremely dangerous for those sharing a magical bond.”

Caden winced, no doubt remembering how close I’d come to magical burnout when I’d stormed away from Elias. “Did they survive?”

“Lydia and Sorrel did,” Professor Blackwood said, her voice softening. “The dryad Thorne sacrificed himself to create an escape for them, channeling all the power of their partial bond into a shield that allowed the others to flee.”

I felt Elias’s grief hit me like a physical blow, though it wasn’t for someone he’d ever known. It was for the truth that had been hidden from him, for the history erased from his family’s records.

“And afterward?” Elias asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Lydia returned to her family, eventually marrying the man who would become your grandfather,” Professor Blackwood explained gently. “But according to this journal, she never abandoned her research. She continued in secret, preparing for a time when the work could be completed.”

“By us,” I said, the realization dawning suddenly. “She knew this would happen again.”

Professor Blackwood nodded slowly. “I believe she hoped it would. That’s why she left her journal and artifacts for you to find, Elias.”

“But why now?” Caden asked. “Why us specifically?”

“The stars,” Elias muttered, flipping through his grandmother’s journal to a page marked with celestial charts. “There’s a convergence happening this year. The same alignment that occurred when they attempted their bond.”

Professor Blackwood looked impressed. “You’ve been studying her work more carefully than I realized, Mr. Thorne.”

“I’ve been trying to understand,” Elias admitted, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “Some nights I can almost hear her voice when I read her words.”

“Wait!” I shouted, surprising even myself. “A celestial alignment? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

Everyone in the room turned to stare at me, clearly waiting for an explanation for my outburst.

“Fucking Sage!” I said, turning to Caden. “My parents' advisor, remember?”

“You’ve mentioned her before,” he said, his brows furrowed.

“That old bitch has been making weird predictions since I was a kid,” I continued.

“I’ve always just brushed them off. But this year, before I came back to school, she said something odd.

” I leaned back in my chair, looking up at the ceiling as I tried to recall her words.

“ This year, you’ll find what you’ve been searching for.

Your place in this world. When the stars align, you’ll find yourself as part of something larger.

Three hearts, one storm, and a power that will change the world.

” I turned my gaze back down, finding them all staring once more.

“Do you think she actually knew what was going to happen?”

Elias’s eyes widened. “That’s... unusually specific for a prophecy.”

“Sage isn’t just any advisor,” I explained, running a hand through my hair. “She’s ancient, like older-than-dirt ancient. Some say she was around when the realms first separated.”

Professor Blackwood set down Lydia’s journal with careful hands. “The fae are known for their prophetic abilities, especially the elder ones. If this Sage made such a prediction, we should take it seriously.”

Caden leaned forward, his blue eyes intense. “Three hearts, one storm... that has to be us. The triune bond.”

“But what about the power that will change the world part?” I asked, feeling uncomfortable with the weight of destiny suddenly pressing down on my shoulders. “I didn’t sign up to be some magical messiah. I just want to graduate and get the hell away from my parents’ expectations.”

Through our bond, I felt Elias’s agreement pulse strongly, though outwardly he maintained his composure. Only the slight tightening of his jaw betrayed his discomfort.

“Perhaps that’s precisely why the three of you were chosen,” Professor Blackwood said thoughtfully. “None of you fit neatly into the boxes others have created for you.”

“But you gave us the pendants,” I retorted. “Are you in on this bullshit?”

Professor Blackwood sighed. “I wish I could claim to be that powerful, but this was purely a coincidence.” She paused for a moment.

“Or destiny, I suppose. I’ve been applying for use of the Resonance Stones from the Elder Council for years.

This was the first time my application was approved and only because they thought you three were good candidates. ”

“So, what now?” Elias asked, his fingers absently tracing the outline of his pendant beneath his shirt. “The Purity Front is still out there, and if they know about this bond?—”

“They’ll come for us again,” Caden finished grimly.

Professor Blackwood stood, moving to a cabinet behind her desk.

“Now, we prepare. The bond you three share is still developing, still unstable. What you did in the courtyard was powerful, but dangerous.” She withdrew a large spellbook with spell crafting materials tucked between the pages.

“In order to control the power, you must practice .”

I couldn’t help but grin at the prospect. “Now you’re talking my language. I’ve been dying to see what else we can do together. I hate the theoretical stuff, anyway.”

Elias shifted uncomfortably in his chair, and I felt his familiar mixture of excitement and terror pulse through our connection. “What kind of practice are we talking about exactly?”

Professor Blackwood opened the spellbook, revealing pages covered in intricate diagrams and symbols that seemed to shift and move when I looked at them directly. “Synchronized casting. Learning to blend your individual magical signatures into something cohesive rather than simply overwhelming.”

“Like what we did during the attack, but controlled,” Caden said, understanding dawning in his voice.

“Precisely. What you accomplished that night was raw instinct and desperation. Powerful, yes, but completely uncontrolled. You could have killed yourselves.” Professor Blackwood’s tone was stern. “If you’re going to survive what’s coming, you need to master this bond properly.”

I leaned forward to get a better look at the diagrams, accidentally brushing against Elias’s shoulder. The contact sent a familiar jolt of electricity through both of us once more, and I noticed his breath catch slightly.

“Sorry,” I murmured, but I didn’t pull away immediately. Neither did he.

Professor Blackwood cleared her throat pointedly. “Which brings me to another matter we need to discuss. The physical component of your bond.”

“Physical component?” Elias’s voice pitched higher, and his face flushed that delicious shade of pink I was becoming addicted to.

“Triune bonds aren’t just magical, gentlemen.

They’re emotional and physical as well.” Professor Blackwood’s expression remained professionally neutral, but I caught a hint of amusement in her eyes.

“The attraction you’re all feeling toward each other isn’t a side effect.

It’s an integral part of the connection. ”

Caden groaned, burying his face in his hands. “Atlas is going to love hearing about this.”

“Actually,” Professor Blackwood continued, “Mr. Faolan’s inclusion in your... dynamic... may be beneficial. Werewolf pack bonds share some similarities with triune bonds. His presence could help stabilize the connection.”

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “Are you seriously suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“I’m suggesting that fighting the natural progression of your bond could be more dangerous than embracing it,” she replied calmly. “Sexual energy is one of the most powerful forces in magic. Channeled properly, it could strengthen your connection exponentially.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I could feel Elias’s mortification radiating through our bond so strongly it was making my own cheeks burn. Caden looked like he wanted to disappear into the floor.

“So let me get this straight,” I said, because someone had to break the tension. “You’re telling us that to save the world, we actually need to have a magical foursome?”

“That’s a crude oversimplification,” the professor said, her lips curling into a slight grin. “But accurate.”

“Oh my god…” Caden sighed.

Elias just groaned.

But I couldn’t help smiling. “Fuck yes .”