Page 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

NOVA

M y eyes track behind Tai to the roaring fire that’s reaching a new cluster of trees, their tall trunks engulfed in seconds. The crackling roar is deafening, drowning out everything but the pounding of my pulse in my ears. Smoke rises in thick, black plumes, choking the air and stinging my eyes. My magic screams beneath my skin, volatile, feeding the blaze instead of quelling it.

“Stop,” I whisper, tears streaming down my face. “Please, stop.”

But it doesn’t. It won’t. And as the fire rages on, I realize with a sinking dread that I have no idea how to fix this.

The fire spreads like a living thing, devouring everything it touches. Trees groan and crack as flames climb higher, licking at the branches and sending a rain of embers into the smoke-choked sky.

Tai doesn’t waste time with blame. His focus shifts immediately to the fire, his eyes narrowing as he assesses the scope of the damage, or where the fuck to start. The fire blazes louder, the roar of the flames swallowing everything else as they close in around us.

“Fang!” I call, panic spiking as I remember she’d taken off into the trees earlier. My wolf growls in frustration, clawing at my control as the situation spirals further out of hand.

“She’ll be fine. She’s the one who brought me to you,” Tai reassures me as he helps me to my feet. “Right now, we need to stop this.”

I swallow hard, nodding as I swipe at the tears streaking my face. “How?”

He glances at me, his expression grim. “I need more magic.”

I freeze, my heart lurching as his meaning sinks in. The last thing I want is my wolf taking control again. “You want me to?—”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to do it, but you’re going to need to go get help otherwise,” he cuts in, his tone firm but not unkind. “This fire isn’t stopping on its own, and after dealing with the rogue, and then the ritual to stabilize your hormones, I’m on fumes. I need you to make a choice now, before the fire reaches campus.”

My stomach twists at the thought of feeding him again, especially now, when my emotions were just a tangled mess, and my wolf is more likely to take control. I could run for help, but I don’t want to leave him alone to fight the chaos I caused. The fire rages on, each second bringing it closer to total devastation. So I nod, swallowing back my nerves.

I can do this.

I’m Novaleigh fucking Drake, and if I’ve got to get my personal guard off to save thousands of lives, this is a hardship I’m happy to bear.

My knees hit the forest floor as Tai’s startled eyes track my movement. I grin up at him. “Don’t be getting shy now.” It’s all bravado because I’m freaking out a bit, doing this here, with him, the guy I’ve had a crush on since I reached maturity.

In the middle of a forest fire.

My fingers fumble on his belt buckle as he drags his attention to a giant tree crashing behind me. The heat licks at my back, urging me on as I undo the loop and zipper. He hisses as I free his already hard length, then realize I should probably pull his boxers and pants down.

Because of course I’m already fucking this up.

Tai gently lifts my chin, his eyes meeting mine. "Hey, it's alright. We've got this." His reassurance steadies my nerves, and I nod, determination renewed.

The fire’s roar fills my ears, nearly drowning out his heavy breathing.

I tug his pants and boxers down in one swift motion, then turn my attention to his impressive erection. It’s pierced.

Because of course it is.

I hadn’t noticed it at the hospital.

There’s a large metal hoop at the end of it, and I drag my thumb across it. I’ll marvel at this later, when we’re not about to catch my school on fire.

Leaning forward, I tentatively lick the tip, savoring the taste of his arousal. Tai groans, his fingers threading through my hair as I take him deeper into my mouth.

His pupils blow wide, and he groans, shuttering his eyes for a moment before he releases my head and he pulls water magic between his hands, directing it at the fire.

Water sprays at my hair as I bob at his length. My tongue swirls around his shaft as I take him deeper, hollowing my cheeks. The intense heat from the encroaching flames makes sweat drip down my back.

His breaths come fast and ragged above me as he struggles to maintain control, dividing his focus between the pleasure I'm giving him and bending the water to battle the inferno.

His hips jerk forward, and he lets out a choked moan, his concentration on the magic wavering for a moment.

I double my efforts, driven by a primal need to taste him, to feel him lose control. My hand grips the base of his cock as I work him with lips and tongue, finding a rhythm he seems to enjoy.

His magic surges, and out of my peripheral vision, he pulls the snow from the surrounding land, directing it towards the base of the fire, depositing it in a thick blanket over the underbrush. Steam hisses and billows as the snow rapidly melts and evaporates in the intense heat.

Tai groans, his muscles tensing as he pours more power into subduing the flames.

I feel him throb and pulse in my mouth, growing even harder. He's close, I can tell. Moaning around his length, I take him as deep as I can, fighting my gag reflex. My other hand reaches up to gently roll his balls.

"Fuck, I'm gonna ..." Tai gasps out a warning, his fingers tightening in my hair as his hips buck forward. I brace myself, taking him deep into my throat as he finds his release with a guttural moan. Hot spurts of his seed coat my tongue, and I swallow it down eagerly, savoring the sweet flavor. Incubus come.

Above me, Tai shudders and gasps, his magic flaring wildly as the intense pleasure overwhelms him. The wall of snow he was controlling loses cohesion and falls to the ground. But the momentary lapse doesn't matter—the fire has been reduced to smolders.

I climb to my feet, spinning around to witness the aftermath of our desperate efforts as I drag the back of my hand across my mouth. Tendrils of smoke rise lazily from charred branches and underbrush, but the ravenous flames have been quelled, leaving behind a swath of blackened, snow-covered forest.

Tai pulls his boxers up with his pants, chest heaving as he catches his breath. A sheen of sweat glistens on his forehead. He meets my eyes, still glazed with a lingering haze of euphoria, and he pulls me into his arms.

We’re keeping him, too. He smells so good. He can be our beta!

Stay the fuck out of my head.

It’s our head, genius. I am you, and you are me.

Tai’s words drag me out of my back-and-forth with my wolf. “Are you alright?” He murmurs against my neck, nuzzling me without putting his lips on my skin.

I nod against his chest, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing.

"I'm fine," I whisper, reveling in the warmth of his embrace. "That was amazing. You were amazing."

Tai chuckles softly. "I think you're the amazing one. I couldn't have done it without your ... motivation."

Hearing the smirk in his voice, I glance up at the amusement dancing in his beautiful brown eyes. I playfully smack his chest.

“You’re okay?” he murmurs.

“It’s scary how quickly my mind jumped to ending it all.”

His throat bobs before he rests his chin on the top of my head, crushing me to his chest. “You ever feel like that again, you tell me, and I’ll fix things. Your first month of shifting can leave you feeling pretty volatile, at least until your heat comes in.”

“Okay,” I whisper, and he pulls back to look at me.

“And earlier? Are you alright?”

I scowl at him. “We’re never talking about that again.”

“Just to clarify, the part where you’re a wolf fae, or the part where you practically mauled the biggest asshole on campus?”

"Both," I growl, pulling back further to glare at him. But there's no real heat behind it. How can I stay mad when Tai is looking at me with such tenderness and understanding?

He brushes a stray lock of hair from my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “You’ll need an alpha.”

My heart clenches painfully in my chest. Neither he nor Callum are alphas. Very few fae orders have knots outside of wolves, and I don’t see myself settling with an orc, a centaur, a troll, or a minotaur.

I shake my head. “I’d rather go to a fucking heat clinic than ever let Sylus fucking Creed near me with his knot.”

The scent of smoke wafts my way when a strong gust of wind blows, mingling with the smell of burned wood.

Tai's brow furrows with concern. "A heat clinic? Absolutely not. I won't let you subject yourself to that." His arms tighten around me protectively.

“There are shots! And pills! I don’t have to go through a heat.” I pull back to stare up at him. That’s about the only thing I remember from the cursory overview we had during our campus tour. I didn’t think I’d need to know it. Hoped I wouldn’t, anyway.

“And those aren’t even guaranteed to work, Nova. You fuck with your body’s natural processes and worse case scenario, it could kill you. Best case scenario, it’d mess with your hormones for good,” he argues. “Just today they had a protest to ban the use of them on Luporia. Next week they’ve got one here!”

I drop my hands. “That’s how it is, huh? You take what you want, and now I’m just someone else’s problem?”

Tai’s expression shifts to one of hurt and disbelief. “How could you even think that?” He tugs me against him, our bodies flush. His warm palms cup my face in his hands, eyes searching mine. “You think I’m some sorry sucker?” He chuckles. “I’m so far fucking gone for you, and all I want to do is kiss you, mate you, and run away with you.” He shakes his head.

Yes, he can mate us. He is ours. The urge to crane my neck intensifies as my wolf pushes at the forefront of my control.

“Y-you want to … mate me?” I whisper, my heart hammering against its cage. “Is that your plan? Make sure you don’t get reassigned once I no longer need a bodyguard?”

I expect him to scoff, to roll his eyes, maybe even tease me for jumping to conclusions.

But the look he gives me? It isn’t amusement.

It isn’t annoyance.

It’s hurt .

Like I just drove a blade between his ribs.

His hands tighten against my jaw, his warmth branding me, keeping me from looking away. His throat bobs, but when he finally speaks, his voice is raw, aching. "How could you even say that?"

Guilt churns in my stomach, but I shove it down, refusing to let myself feel it. Pushing him away is safer.

He exhales, his grip flexing, like he's fighting the urge to shake some sense into me. "You think this is about duty?" His voice drops, thick with emotion. "Nova, I want to mate you because I want you. Because I’ve always wanted you."

His forehead presses against mine, his next words a whisper between us. "I want the whole realm to know I belong to you." His thumbs stroke the curve of my jaw, soft and reverent, belying the rough edge of his tone. "They can try to keep us apart, but it doesn’t change what I feel. Doesn’t change that I’m already yours."

“Then I must go to a heat clinic,” I whisper. “Pills, shots, or knots, those are my options. I don’t want to form a relationship with a fucking alpha.”

I never want an alpha like the one who made me.

Tai's brows furrow, a flash of pain crossing his features. “You’d rather risk your life, or let a stranger rut you?”

I turn my head to the sky, watching the small wisps of smoke still dancing across the moons. “It’s better than being tied to a monster masquerading as an alpha.” No matter how much my wolf loves the idea. I wrap my arms around his neck, resting my head on his chest while I survey the charred forest beside us, cringing at what my out-of-control emotions led me to do.

It’s bad enough I turned out to be like him and not my mom. I would’ve loved to have been a luna fae, though glowing all the time would be really annoying.

Tai rests his chin against the top of my head. “Now that you have magic, your heat will come next.”

“When?” I whisper.

I feel him shake his head. “No idea. You’d have to speak with a professor, or someone at the clinic.” He gestures to the ground around us. “Let me clean this up, and then we can head back to the dorm.”

He moves past me, his boots squelching against the sodden ground as he inspects the damage. The scorched remains of trees stand as blackened skeletons against the night sky, their once-proud branches reduced to brittle, ash-covered fragments. Snow no longer blankets this part of the forest. Instead, the ground is a patchwork of melted slush, churned mud, and steaming puddles where the fire’s heat licked the earth clean.

He raises his hands, the glow of his magic illuminating his face before his shadows lash out, snuffing the light. The runes he typically uses are absent—he doesn’t need them this time. Lust-fueled energy pulses from him in waves, the heat of it heady. The first surge of his magic sweeps outward, rippling across the forest floor like a slow-moving tide.

Patches of scorched earth begin to shift, grass trying to regrow but faltering halfway. Small saplings push up through the mud, only to curl inward as if retreating. He curses softly under his breath, the sound more of frustration than anger, and doubles his efforts.

“Do you think anyone from campus saw the fire?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t even see the blaze until I’d gone around the bend. I smelled it, though.”

I glance towards campus, worrying my lip. Sure, the fire is out, but we’ve destroyed tons of old growth.

My attention swings back to Tai as a tree stump near the center of the destruction shudders as his magic attempts to coax life back into it. The outer bark reforms, smooth and pale, but the deeper damage resists, and the wood cracks loudly before splitting in two. He groans, his shoulders slumping as he steadies himself against the effort.

“This isn’t going to work,” he mutters, sweat beading on his forehead despite the cold. His magic falters, the glow dimming. He exhales, dragging a hand through his damp hair. “I’ve got enough to stabilize it, but not fix it. Not tonight.”

I frown. “Your magic drains so fast now. What’s going on?”

I watch him as he crouches, his fingers brushing against the darkened soil. Another small surge of magic flows into the ground, coaxing stubborn patches of moss and ferns to sprout amid the devastation. It’s not much, but it’s something—a temporary bandage for a wound far too large to heal all at once.

“I don’t know.” He puffs out his cheeks in defeat. “Been like this since we moved to campus. Maybe it’s something to do with their wards.”

“It’s not like this mountain sees much vegetation other than giant evergreens, maybe you can just call on some snow?”

Tai braces a hand on the ground as he turns to stare at me like I’ve grown three heads. “And what do you suppose I should do about all of the trees that are missing?” He grins back at me.

I shrug, feeling a bit sheepish under his amused gaze. “Maybe you can tell them I set the fire on purpose?”

He rises, dusting off his hand as he saunters towards me. “And then what?”

“They’ll kick me out, and we can run away together.”

His eyes soften, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “Nova …” He reaches out, brushing a damp strand of hair from my face with gentle fingers. “You know we can’t do that.”

I lean into his touch, my heart aching with the truth in his words. I want this. More than I can admit. “We could go to Earth, leave it all behind. Start over somewhere new, where no one knows us or what we can do.”

The idea takes root so fast it nearly knocks the breath from me. It’s reckless. Impossible. But gods, I want it.

A life where I’m just Nova. No fae politics. No expectations. No fate tying me to a monster’s legacy. Just me and them—Tai and Callum—free from everything that keeps us apart.

My fingers tighten in his shirt. “We don’t have to stay here.” The words come out hoarse, edged with something too raw to hide. We don’t have to be what they want us to be.

But even as I say it, doubt slithers in. Running has never been an answer, just a temporary escape. And I don’t even know if Callum would leave, if Tai would come.

Still, the thought lingers, curling around my ribs like something that could be real if I just reached for it. His hand rests against my cheek, his thumb tracing the curve of my jaw. “And what of your family?”

I slap my hand over his mouth, my palm brushing against the curve of his smirk but not enough to flatten against his lips, never against his lips. His eyes glint with amusement, the kind that makes me want to either laugh or shove him—probably both. “Shh,” I say, leaning closer, as if to emphasize the seriousness of my demand. “You’re ruining it. I’m moping and complaining, and you’re being all rational. Stop that.”

His warm breath fans against my hand, and the corners of his eyes crinkle ever so slightly. I feel the vibration of a muffled chuckle beneath my palm, and it only makes me press harder against his cheeks, my cupped fingers curling to block whatever teasing remark I know is itching to escape.

He raises a brow, the picture of innocent defiance, as if to say, What? I’m not doing anything.

I narrow my eyes at him, trying to hold back my own smile. "I'm serious, Tai. Just let me have my moment of dramatic, unrealistic fantasizing, okay?"

He nods solemnly, but I can still see the mirth dancing in his eyes. I slowly lower my hand, ready to slap it back if he dares to utter another word of reason.

His eyes drift back to the scarred landscape. “I’ll have to come back once I’ve recharged. This’ll hold for now, but it’s going to take time.”

“Maybe you can be at the clinic during my heat so you can recharge your magic?”

He pulls back, grinning down at me. “Pretty sure that’s not allowed.”

“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s consensual, and you’d still be my beta.” The thought sends a pang through me, my mind drifting to another I’d also love to have as a beta—a handsome red-haired human I still need to make things right with.

Yes, yes, yes, he’s ours.

Shut it.

Tai smirks. “You making me pack, baby?”

I roll my eyes at his teasing tone, even as a shiver runs through me. “It would be a way around you having to leave once I’ve gained control of my magic.”

He stills, and his expression grows serious again as he cups my face in his large hands. "I would be honored to be your beta, in any capacity you'll have me. But I don't want you to settle for me out of convenience or necessity. I want you to choose me because it's what your heart desires."

I frown. “When have I ever given you the impression I want you out of convenience or necessity?”

“You did only kiss me because you had to.” He raises a brow.

I huff a laugh. “Since the moment I picked you out of the lineup of potential guards, I wanted you.”

His eyes widen at my confession, thumbs gently caressing my cheeks. “That so, Princess? Are you sure it wasn’t because of the way I can wield a sword?”

I’ll never forget watching the display he put on for me. He was in traditional attire that day—bare-chested except for a fur-lined wrap slung over one shoulder. Shadows coiled around his sword, mingling with arcs of flame as he danced through the sparring yard with impossible grace. I remember how the heat pricked my skin, how the flash of firelight caught every carved line of his body.

I stood there, mesmerized by the lethal beauty of it all, my heart pounding so hard I swore he must have heard it. In that moment, I realized he was more than just a guard—he was a force of nature, capable of wielding both magic and steel in ways I’d never imagined.

And yeah, maybe that was part of why I picked him. Because watching him command the impossible made my blood race in a way I couldn’t explain. Because no matter how dangerous he was, I wanted him on my side—and, if I were honest, in my bed.

Heat flushes my cheeks at the memory. I meet his stare again, breath unsteady, remembering how that same intensity now focuses entirely on me.

“For an incubus fae, you’d think you could’ve scented the arousal from where you were at.”

He shakes his head, a smile tugging at his lips. “It was competing with half the fucking lineup when you strutted onto the courtyard with your hair piled on top of your head, tight shorts on, and a low-cut tank top barely containing your curves. We nearly combusted on the spot.” He clears his throat, his erection trapped between us. “Every male in that courtyard wanted a piece of you.”

“But I only wanted you,” I whisper, leaning into him. “Aren’t you glad I picked you?” I smirk up at him, pleased by his admission.

His eyes turn molten. “More than you know.” His voice drops lower as he leans in.

Snow begins to fall, soft flakes drifting down and dusting Tai’s dark hair. I reach up and brush them away, my fingers lingering in the damp strands.

“Think we’ll get away with you sleeping in my bed tonight?” I murmur, my breath ghosting across his lips.

“As long as Sylus isn’t up when we get back in.” Tai's mouth quirks into a mischievous grin. "And if he is? I'm sure we could come up with a convincing excuse."

I laugh softly, my fingers still tangled in his hair. "Oh really? Like what?"

He leans in closer, his warm breath mingling with mine. "Like ... I was guarding you extra closely. Can't be too careful with the High Princess of the Fae."

"Mmm, very diligent of you." I brush my lips against his cheek, careful not to touch his mouth. "And what if he sees us tangled up together come morning?”

“One way to find out.”