Page 27 of Gemini Hunted (Dark Witch Academy #5)

Mal shakes her head like she can’t cope with her brother and his love life right now (understandable) and rootles around in the first aid kit belted to her waist. With a small sound of triumph, she extracts a plastic vial of acetaminophen and scrambles up.

We all watch in bemusement while she slips a bottle of water from her well-stocked backpack, shakes out a couple of tablets, and firmly instructs Draco to take them.

He grumbles at her, then swallows the pills dry, like the grumpy Neanderthal he clearly is.

Mal tugs Jae gently to her side as well and holds his hand tightly, which seems to help with his wolf. Watching the three of them interact, I’m starting to realize shy Mallory McSnicker is every bit as much the queen of her small harem as I am the queen of mine.

Maybe it’s not so hard after all to imagine her as the Seelie Queen.

Under her pale face, her color is rising as she watches her brother cuddle the Dark Fae King.

“Then there’s the part about you being gone four years .” For the first time I can ever recall, Mallory’s meek and mannerly First Girl voice is rising. “Without a single word to anyone. God, I read a poem at your funeral. We all thought you were dead , Ash.”

“Bit of a dick move, that,” Ronin mutters, with a chiding look at Ash, who meets it with his own level stare.

Ugh.

I was honestly hoping Ash and Ronin were maybe getting past that stage.

But those two still swipe at each other (which is something like Problem 912 in our harem’s growing list). While Vasili blames Zephyr for Zephyr’s agonizing estrangement from Ronin, Ash has always blamed Ronin.

By now, we’re all gathered around the looming shitstorm near Draco’s pillar. Neo scoops the kitten gently from her carrier and trots over with her creamy innocence curled, alert and blinking, in the crook of his arm.

V eyes the kitten and edges away.

Meanwhile, under Mal’s accusing stare, Ash is starting to look kinda hounded.

Zephyr gives the room a sidelong smirk and steps in. “For his long silence, I will take the blame. Ash couldn’t pass beyond the Avalon portal. After all, your prince was my captive… and my concubine. I largely kept him chained to my bed.”

“Whoa.” Draco rolls his shoulders and kneads the back of his neck with a wince. “TMI. Mal’s his kid sister. She doesn’t need to know that shit.”

Hopefully Mal thinks Zephyr’s being facetious.

Since I happen to know Zephyr does have chains in his bedroom and uses them, and since everyone in our polycule knows Ash is a born submissive and consensually submits to Zephyr, I’m pretty sure Zephyr is being literal.

At this point, I figure I better step in before that grouchy mafia bully of Mal’s gets annoyed enough to take another swing at Zephyr.

Because next time, I’m not gonna be as forgiving.

“Lemme see if I got this straight.” I plant myself between the two parties to keep everyone civil.

Max growls and bristles at my shoulder like a hostile watchdog.

“Draco attacked Zephyr out of some effed-up impulse to protect Mal. Draco must’ve figured all that bad blood between the Dark and the Light Fae, like the genocidal history and all, was playing out.

The way Mal thought it was, back when Zephyr took Ash. ”

“Can you blame her?” Draco grumbles. “If that shit was voluntary, dude shoulda sent an email or something, for real.”

“You think we got internet bennies in Avalon?” Ash exchanges a fond look with Zephyr. “Heck, that joint isn’t even electrified.”

“The thing is,” I say firmly, before we all get off track again, “Ash is, like, a prisoner of love. He’s with Zephyr—with all of us—totally willingly. He’s part of my harem. That means he’ll be one of my kings.”

Then I play my trump card. “He’s even gonna be a visiting prof here next semester.”

Confronted with this academic newsflash, First Girl Mallory looks torn between disbelief and delight. She tucks a stray copper curl behind her ear and darts her brother an intent look. “Is that true? What subject are you teaching?”

“Yeah, sure. Potions prof. I hear the school needs one.” Ash hitches his big shoulders in a shrug that flexes the biceps under the bloody vine-and-thorns tattoo—Zephyr’s tat—which twines around Ash’s upper arm. “Plus I’ll teach a new elective. Healing Arts for Witches 101. We’ll see how it goes.”

What he means is, we’ll see how it works having him and Zephyr sharing a roof and a bed with the rest of my harem on a full-time basis.

Needless to say, I’m all in on this plan. I’m grateful as fuck to him and Lucius for coming up with it.

And determined as hell to make the plan succeed.

“Look. We finally finished trying to kill each other or what?” Ronin shoves his hands in his pockets and looks darkly at Draco. In turn, the Icelander aims a wary glance at Vasili (who lingers, silent but terrifying, near Ronin).

Finally, Draco jerks his chin in a surly nod.

“Brilliant.” Ronin sounds less than thrilled, but we’re linked, he knows what I’ve just decided we need, and he’s going with it. “You lot still want to be our allies in the Dean’s Challenge or not?”

Jae, who’s fully human again with Mallory holding his hand, hisses in a breath. Mal leans into him, exchanges a speaking look with Draco, then opens her mouth.

Before she can get a word out, the rapid patter of galloping paws on stone spins us all toward the door. A massive timber wolf, shaggy with gray and chestnut fur, explodes through the doorway at a dead run. Instantly, Jae Labête lunges forward with a bark of challenge.

But this is a wolf I know.

Even if Jae (who’s running purely on werewolf instinct) apparently doesn’t.

Before we can plunge into yet another mortal combat sitch, the galloping wolf rises on his hind legs. In mid-stride, his fur dwindles, his muzzle flattens, and his torso lengthens. A blinding flash of light makes us all squint.

When my vision clears, a fully human Lucius is running toward us.

Naked.

Mallory has two seconds to look startled and scandalized at the sight of my naked headmaster before Draco covers her eyes with a muttered curse. Jae pulls up in mid-lunge and retracts his fangs with a grimace.

Normally, Lucius does not parade around naked in front of his students (I mean, the ones who aren’t in our polycule and whom he’s therefore not fucking). He’s really modest for a shifter, and very conscious of things like decorum and propriety that the rest of us mostly ignore.

Which is why the sight of our headmaster loping toward us, mother naked with dick dangling, fires me with a spurt of instant alarm.

“Was it truly necessary,” he gasps, coming to a halt directly before me and hunching over to catch his breath, “for you to summon lightning?”

“Yeah, I know.” I heave a sigh. “Might as well hire a blimp to tell the whole island Zara is here. Sorry about that, Lucius.”

Ronin tucks up behind Max and rummages through the pack our dragon is carrying for Lucius’ spare clothes.

With an abashed look at Mal and her guys, Lucius plucks his trousers out of Ronin’s hand, exchanges a quick scenting rub with Max to calm our excited dragon, then turns away modestly to button himself into his pants.

Zephyr’s single eye narrows on the door Lucius just ran through. “Lucius Aries. Are you pursued?”

“I don’t believe anyone has spotted me specifically. But the entire island witnessed Zara’s lightning.” Lucius sweeps his wild mane of chestnut curls into a decorous ponytail and turns to face us. Before my eyes, he’s morphing from savage wolf to the sober headmaster who keeps us all safe.

“And now,” Lucius finishes grimly, “they’re coming.”

Max growls and plants himself squarely between me and the door, even as Draco does the same with Mallory. As soon as Lucius zipped his fly, the Icelander stopped trying to cover her eyes.

“Who is coming?” my dragon says fiercely.

Lucius closes his starched shirt over his hairy chest and buttons himself swiftly to the chin. Bemused, I wonder if he’s going to don a tie.

“Either we were seen sailing into the harbor,” Lucius frowns, “or the others picked up your scent in the woods. Either way, the pack was already in the vicinity when Zara summoned lightning.”

“Pack?” My skin prickles with alarm. My voice thickens and goes resonant with electricity.

Lucius locks onto my wide eyes. He’d normally hug me for reassurance, but he’s more reserved in front of other students.

Stiffly, he inclines his head. “I fear a sizable pack of shifters is headed straight for this domus , Ms. Gemini.”

“Like, multiple shifters?” Neo pushes his glasses up his nose and frowns. “Would Cleo and her team leave the Vault unguarded?”

“No way.” I’m already shaking my head. “She set that trap and she knows we gotta walk into it. She wouldn’t have any problem waiting to spring it. She’s not the impatient type.”

“Not like some,” Ronin mutters with a sidelong grin at me.

Despite whatever’s headed toward us, the smolder in his amber eyes makes me warm. He’s not one of the guys who’s particularly trying to knock me up. But he was the very first of my warlocks, and we have our own special thing.

I lace a hand through his hot fingers (because, very appropriately, he’s a fire sign) and tug him to my side. Ronin wraps a possessive arm around my waist, claims my mouth with a scorching kiss that tastes like sin and whiskey, and gives me the lick of contact I crave.

Meanwhile, Mallory snatches up her backpack and reactivates her flashlight. The slender cylinder snicks on in a businesslike way.

When my head clears from Ronin’s kiss, my gaze veers back to Lucius. “We don’t have that many shifters on this island, Teach. If that, uh, pack isn’t Cleo’s, then whose are they?”

“Rather unfortunately, your pursuers don’t appear to be students at all.” Lucius does indeed pluck a burgundy silk tie from Max’s pack and deftly knots it around his neck. I guess he wants to be properly attired when we have to fight. (I mean, until he shifts. Then, once again, he’ll be nakey.)