Page 37 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)

Elias

I ’m not sure if any of us slept that night. Each time I woke up, someone was either sucking my cock or riding it. The night was a haze of lust, magic, and the taste of cum. And when morning finally came, I was somehow more exhilarated and full of energy than I had ever been.

I slipped out of bed before the others stirred, careful not to wake the tangle of limbs and contentment that was my three mates.

Through our bonds, I could feel their deep, satisfied sleep.

Caden was curled against Wild’s back, and Wild was sprawled across Atlas’s chest, all of them radiating the kind of peace that only came after complete surrender.

The mansion seemed different this morning, warmer somehow.

As if our magical joining had awakened something within its ancient walls.

The ethereal servants glided past me with what I could have sworn were knowing smiles on their translucent faces.

I made my way down to the kitchen, following the scent of fresh coffee and something sweet baking.

My body should have been exhausted after last night’s activities, but instead I felt charged with power, my magic humming just beneath my skin. Each step I took sent little sparks of blue energy dancing across the floor, my magic responding to my heightened emotional state.

The kitchen was empty of people but full of activity, spoons stirring themselves in bowls, pastries rising in the oven without heat, fruits arranging themselves in artistic patterns on floating platters.

I poured myself a cup of coffee from a pot that tipped obligingly in my direction and leaned against the counter, savoring the quiet moment.

“You’re up early,” came a voice from the doorway.

I turned to find one of the ethereal servants, the one who seemed oddly more substantial than the others, watching me with curious, silvery eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep,” I replied, taking a sip of my coffee. “Too much on my mind.”

The servant drifted closer, its form shimmering like moonlight on water. “The mansion felt the tetrad’s completion last night. All four points connected as one. It’s been... a very long time since these walls witnessed a union between souls.”

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, but there was no judgment in the servant’s tone, only a kind of reverent wonder.

“Lydia?” I asked gently. “Her and the other two were the last ones here. I’m sure this place has been… dead without them.”

The servant nodded. “Yes. This mansion has been quiet for many years. Some of the other servants started to fade, and I feared that I, too, would disappear with time. But you and your companions, you have brought life back to this place.”

I smiled, hearing the relief in the servant’s voice. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course, sir. Anything.”

“Why are you so much more… I don’t know… put together than the other servants?” I took another sip of my coffee. “Are you a homunculus or something more advanced? Or are you just older than the others?”

The servant’s form flickered, becoming more solid for a moment before settling back into its usual translucent state. “I am... what remains of someone who once lived here. The others are true constructs, born from magic and purpose. But I was something else once, long ago.”

My coffee cup paused halfway to my lips. “You’re a ghost?”

“Not quite,” the servant said with what might have been a smile.

“When the mansion was created, certain fragments were bound to the mansion’s foundations to keep it stable.

We became guardians, caretakers, ensuring the sanctuary would never truly be empty.

” The being’s silvery eyes grew distant.

“I was Lydia’s bond mate, her third in the triad at the beginning.

When she and Sorrel left the mansion at last, I was bound to remain behind.

But they visited now and then before they… passed on.”

“Does… Does that mean?—”

“Yes,” the servant nodded. “I am a fragment of Thorne, the dryad bound to Lydia and Sorrel. And your family’s namesake, I believe.”

The coffee cup slipped from my nerveless fingers, clattering against the stone floor as the implications hit me like a physical blow. Through our bonds, I felt my mates stirring upstairs, my shock rippling through our connections and disturbing their sleep.

“Thorne,” I whispered, staring at the ethereal being with new understanding. “You… You’ve been here the whole time? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because you needed to form your bond without my intervention,” he replied. “I’ve made sure the house changes to meet your needs, kept the servants in line, and reinforced the wards when you were attacked the first time by the Purity Front.”

“That was you?!” I scoffed. “I thought the house just did it on its own!”

He smiled and I swore I could just make out the green edges of his skin.

“It was me. I wanted to be helpful and keep you on the path, but not become a crutch for you and the others to lean on. Forming a bond like yours isn’t something I could teach you anyway.

You had to find out for yourselves, to want it to happen without my intervention. ”

I sank into a chair, my mind reeling as I processed this revelation. The ethereal servant, Thorne, my grandmother’s bond mate, moved to clean up the spilled coffee with a gesture, the liquid and ceramic shards floating obediently into the air before vanishing.

“You’ve been waiting for us for a long time, haven’t you?” I asked.

Thorne nodded slowly. “It’s been decades since Lydia and Sorrel left this place. And time in the Veil is… strange .”

“I’m sorry,” I said automatically.

“Don’t be,” he smiled. “This was my choice. I wanted to be part of the mansion, to be here to help whoever would come next to fulfil the prophecy Lydia told. We knew another celestial alignment would come eventually that brought a bonded triad back to the mansion. But I never expected there to be four of you.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled, unable to help myself. “We didn’t expect that either. Atlas… well, he was sort of an accident.”

Thorne’s translucent form shifted, becoming momentarily more solid as he laughed, a sound like wind chimes and rustling leaves.

“There are no accidents in magic, young Elias. Only patterns we haven’t yet recognized.”

I felt the others stirring more insistently through our bonds now, their consciousness reaching for mine with sleepy curiosity. Wild’s emerald energy was the most alert, already tinged with mischief and questions about where I’d gone.

“They’re waking up,” I said, glancing toward the ceiling.

“Yes,” Thorne nodded, his silvery eyes crinkling at the corners. “I can feel them too, through the mansion’s awareness. Your tetrad bond has strengthened the entire sanctuary. The walls themselves resonate with your connection.”

“Will you tell them who you are?” I asked, already imagining Wild’s reaction to discovering we had a dryad ghost watching over us, especially after last night’s activities.

Thorne’s form wavered slightly. “In time. For now, I believe you have more pressing matters to attend to. The trap you’ve set is already drawing attention. I’ve felt disturbances along the outer boundaries of the Veil.”

My stomach tightened. “They’re coming, aren’t they? The Purity Front.”

“Yes,” Thorne confirmed, his expression growing solemn. “And they’re bringing something powerful with them. Something that shouldn’t exist in this realm.”

Before I could ask what he meant, Wild’s voice called down the hallway.

“Elias? Where are you hiding, beautiful?”

I turned toward the doorway just as Wild appeared, wearing nothing but a pair of borrowed sleep pants that hung low on his hips.

His copper hair was deliciously disheveled, and faint marks from last night still decorated his neck and collarbone.

Through our soul bond, I felt his pleasure at finding me, mixed with lingering satisfaction from our night together.

“There you are,” he said, his green eyes brightening when he spotted me. “The bed got cold without you.”

He paused, noticing the servant behind me. When I turned to face Thorne, his presence had diminished. Now he looked no different than the other servants. Without a word, he simply bowed and left the room.

“I… was getting coffee,” I said, thinking of the cup I’d shattered all over the floor that I never got to drink. “And breakfast. I’m starving after last night.”

“Me too,” Wild smirked, walking over and wrapping his arms around my waist. He pulled me close, planting several kisses down my neck and collarbone. “Last night was… wild ,” he grinned.

“That was the worst pun I’ve ever heard,” I groaned, though I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. Through our bond, I felt Wild’s satisfaction at my reaction, the playful energy that was so quintessentially him flowing between us.

“You love it,” he replied, nipping at my earlobe. “And you love me.”

“I do,” I admitted, turning to face him fully. I cupped his face in my hands, struck once again by how beautiful he was in the morning light. “More than I ever thought possible.”

Wild’s expression softened, his usual mischief giving way to something more vulnerable. Through our soul bond, I felt the depth of his feelings, still new and overwhelming for someone who’d spent his life avoiding real connections.

“So,” he said, glancing around the kitchen, “who were you talking to just now? That servant seemed... different.”

I hesitated, uncertain whether to share what I’d just learned. Before I could decide, the sound of footsteps announced Atlas and Caden’s arrival. They entered the kitchen together, both looking remarkably refreshed despite our activities the previous night.

“Morning,” Atlas rumbled, his golden eyes scanning the room with his usual protective vigilance. Through our tetrad bond, I felt his contentment mingled with a new openness that hadn’t been there before.

Caden moved immediately to the coffee pot, which obligingly poured him a cup without being touched. “Did you sleep at all?” he asked me, his magic reaching out through our connection to check my well-being.

“Not much,” I admitted, “but I feel... stronger somehow. Like our connection last night did more than just satisfy our physical needs.”

Atlas nodded, leaning against the counter. “The tetrad bond feels different this morning. More stable. More complete.”

“That’s because it is,” I said, making a split-second decision to share what I’d learned.

“I just had a conversation with one of the ethereal servants. They let me know that the mansion is far stronger now that our bond is completed. Apparently our… fuckfest last night affected the house as well. The wards are stronger now.” I paused, everyone nodding because they felt the strength of our connection too. “And they gave me a warning.”

“A warning?” Atlas growled, his fierce protectiveness filling the bond. “What’s wrong?”

“The Purity Front is coming,” I said, watching as all three of their expressions hardened. “The servant said they’ve detected disturbances at the outer boundaries of the Veil. And apparently, they’re bringing something with them… something that shouldn’t exist in this realm.”

Wild’s playfulness vanished instantly, his emerald magic crackling across his skin. “Something that shouldn’t exist? That could be anything from a demonic entity to a corrupted artifact.”

“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Caden murmured, his blue eyes darkening with concern. “They must be desperate if they’re willing to breach the laws of magical containment.”

Atlas pushed away from the counter, his body tensing as if preparing for immediate battle. “How much time do we have?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, running a hand through my hair. “The servant didn’t say. But I get the feeling it’s not long. They could be here today.”

The kitchen fell silent as we all processed this information.

Through our tetrad bond, I could feel each of their reactions.

Wild’s chaotic energy spiked with anticipation, Atlas’s protective instincts flared like a shield around all of us, and Caden’s steady resolve flowed like an underground river.

“Well,” Wild finally said, a dangerous smile curling his lips, “at least we know our trap worked.”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Atlas grunted, though I detected a hint of admiration in his tone.

Caden moved to the window, peering out at the illusory misty seascape surrounding the mansion. “We should prepare. Last night’s... activities... strengthened our bond, but we need to be ready for whatever they’re bringing.”

I nodded, my magic already categorizing potential threats and countermeasures.

“The servant seemed genuinely concerned about whatever they’re bringing.

And if something worries a being that’s been bound to this mansion for decades, we should take it seriously.

” I paused, taking a deep shaky breath. “I don’t want last night to be our… to be our last.”

All three of my bonded mates came to my side without hesitation. Wild was first, his arms wrapped around me so we were pressed skin to skin. Caden worked his way in next, his lips pressed to my neck affectionately. And Atlas was last, surrounding us all with his massive muscular arms.

“It won’t be our last,” Wild said. “That I can promise. We’ll beat the Purity Front, or we’ll escape with our lives. But I’m not letting anything happen to you, Elias. To any of you.”

Warm agreement surged through the bond, filling me from head to toe.

I felt tears come to my eyes as I felt not just Wild’s love, but Caden and Atlas’s too.

I leaned into their touch, savoring the warmth surrounding me from all sides.

All I’d ever wanted were friends, a chosen family I could call my own.

And here I was with the most perfect men I’d ever met in my life.

My voice was barely a whisper when it finally escaped my lips.

“I love you all. So much.”