Page 2 of Stone Cold

It had never been like this with any of the other heirs.

Two days ago, one of my brothers mentioned that the woman who smelled like fish and rising bread, the same one from my angel’s room, was with a man. The same one she goes to every night, and they were both ganging up on her. On my Angel. My brother told me that the man was picking on her, pulling her hair and kept trying to hold her hand. Then he cornered her against the wall, pinning her, when the foul smelling woman stormed over and hit my sweet dark fairy across the face. I could feel something brewing deep in my chest that I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Rage.

A deep, crimson rage was surging through the veins of my marble form. These mere mortals dared touch what doesn’t belong to them. I was perched above her room as the sun went down. Once the darkness blanketed over me, I leaned down, listening. I was thankful that it was dark, my wings and hornsweren’t too visible, unless it was a full moon, then it was practically daylight out. I peaked below the roof, looking in her room. She was taking off her dress, and I knew I should look away.

Master always told me I should respect any woman, no matter what they did, but I couldn’t look away. The fabric delicately flitted over her legs and up her lush body. She turned, facing the window as she pulled it over her head. I could feel myself growing hard, something that had never happened before. I didn’t know what to do with it, but the way the wind blew the cloth over me, it felt nice. I watched as she walked into her bathroom. I moved to the connecting room to see if the rotten woman was in or over at her lover’s. I couldn’t smell her, so I moved back to my angel’s room. I climbed down the wall, entering into her room, hiding in the vaulted ceiling.

A few minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom in nothing but a fluffy white towel, her white hair dripping down her back. I couldn’t help the growl that reverberated in my chest. I don’t think she heard, too distracted by her thoughts. She dropped her towel, staring at herself in the mirror, a vacant look in her eyes as she scanned her body head to toe. A pang of something struck my chest, I wasn’t sure what, but I didn’t like it or how it made me feel. I waited, hoping she would fall asleep, but she lay awake, curled on her bed like it was a nest.

I waited, and just when I thought I’d have to give up, or use my powers to get out of her room before sunrise. I closed my eyes, ready to recite the spell, when I heard, and smelt, her. My eyes glinted, feeling myself harden even further. She let out little whimpers, her face contorted in pleasure. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen before. I reached one hand down, stroking myself, matching her pace. She moved the covers off her, exposing herself to me, her hand between herlegs. One hand pinched her nipple as she moaned, her breathing becoming erratic.

I began to stroke myself harder, faster as she moaned, crying out in ecstasy. Her body stilled as her breathing evened out, pulling the covers back over her. I heard her mutter as her eyes closed.

“I’m better than those two. I am fierce. I am the heir.”

I felt stars behind my eyes, something shooting out of me, dripping down onto her bed. I made my way out of her room silently, gently closing her bedroom window. I perched above her window, tired but satisfied.

Two

Annette’s POV

It had been rough since starting at Bartholomew University. My brothers, Ambrose and Anders, older by minutes, had found their mates a few weeks ago and had been practically MIA since. I was left to deal with my bullies, Bambi the bimbo and Gavin the Gooch because he was somewhere between a prick and an asshole, basically on my own. And the fact that I’m basically human, against her human self, and his shifter self.

Location, location, location.

His Royal Goochness had approached me early this morning in one of the only classes I had with him that his fiance Bambi the Bimbo wasn’t in with us. He slid into the seat right next to me, his Jester and Court of Clowns flocking around him, and effectively, me. I was a bigger girl. I have five-ten, a size fourteen, I wasbigby Fae standards, but I wasn’t fat. I just took care of myself, ate healthy, worked out with some of the best in the business. It was part of my training as the heir of The Society. I had to be able to defend myself against a mirage of unexpected threats. I had spent years being trained by some of the world’s top assassins in hand to hand combat, poisonings, and thousands of ways to kill someone. Most of which didn’t require me to lift more than a finger. I was toned, tough, and curvy like some beautifully written calligraphy.

I knew I was good looking with my long, snow white hair like my father’s, pairing perfectly with my creamy skin. My eyes a striking shade of blue and my lips a pale pink, my ears had a slight point to them, making me look slightly elvish. They were our cousins, in related species, but they were rare.

I had innocent looks with curves for days, and looked great in a body con dress and heels as well as athleisure wear. I knew that the Gooch Douche didn’t like what he saw when he looked at his fiancé. She was the stereotypical “beautiful girl”, all blonde hair, thin body, and breasts that jutted out like they were medically engineered onto her front because the rest of the body didn’t match. The way his eyes lingered when he saw me, the way he searched every room when he walked in, I knew he wanted me. He stalked into every room and hall like his animal was looking for me, needing me. He had made it no secret since the beginning of the semester, all the while I was content on staying to myself.

I liked to watch people, observe things for myself, figure out who someone was before deciding if they were worth my time. Most supernaturals here knew who we were, they knew our status, and they wanted to make connections at every turn. It was exhausting, but I think because they also knew I was heir to The Society, they left me alone. But I preferred it that way. I had to call my father not too long ago to alert him to a surge in natural forces.

My father, King of Fae, had passed all of his Fae traits, including greater auras and powers to my brothers, while only giving me white hair, the ability to sense what others were, looking as ethereal as my brothers, and wings that all Fae children got, even the ones who took after their human parent more. Other than only those few features, I was completely human. I was a special case, and theonly technicalitythat had ever been permitted to be the head of The Society. My father was the head currently, again, on a technicality.

When my mother, Avenida, my father’s mate, passed away two years ago, I still had not yet graduated from Bartholomew University, as was stipulated in the bylaws, for all heirs of The Society before taking over. Mother was always off byherself too. She told me once when I asked her about it, “When you’re quiet, and listen, you learn more about others and their intentions.” And she was right. I sat back and watched, making it my mission to stay out of the spotlight. With this being my first year, it seemed that everyone knew about me and my brothers. Even though my brothers were by far more popular, especially with the ladies, a few knew of me. Most of them were of the supernatural variety, giving slight bows as they went.

The Young Lords and Lady Del le Fleur, Royalty of the Fae, as we were known to the supernaturals at school. I was fine with letting my brothers take the spotlight, preferring to stay hidden in the shadows. It was more comfortable under the cloak of darkness. I was able to hide, be someone else, someone brave, someone fearless, someone worthy of the Fae blood that ran through my veins. It was about the only way you knew I was Fae, other than the facial features. I never brought out my wings, I never tried to see if I had other powers, not after the seer said I would be mostly human, and the stone man would protect me. I partially hated that I wouldn’t have any chance of being more than human.

In the light of day, the darkness, the bad-ass-ery of it all, seemed to fade. Having never attended a regular school before, this was a lot to take in for my brothers and me.

I stupidly, naively, wanted it to be like in the movies. When the new girl becomes popular, best friends with her roommate, and gets the handsome guy, living happily ever after. So far, none of that had even come close to happening. My roommate was Bambi the Bimbo who bullied me every chance she got in the privacy of our shared living room, and in hallways or the shadows of the garden. She ignored me in front of others, attempting to maintain the image of angelic. Basically, she kept the bitchiness wherever she didn’t have to flaunt her ugly to everyone. I was way too comfortable with my lot already tobecome popular, and the only guy who showed an interest in me was Gavin the Gooch.

I wasn’t sure I wanted his attention, let alone his affection.

He was annoying in his methods, an immature child who had never been told no before and it showed. Blatantly in the way he pulled my hair, tried to copy my work, tried to talk to me when the professor was teaching, he was always trying to bump into me, or touch me somehow and claim that it was just an accident. I hated the feel of his skin on me, his touch against me. I hated everything about it. It felt wrong.

My father was the longest reigning fae in the last five hundred years, while also simultaneously running The Society in my place, until I could assume the role in another three years. I was going to be taking classes year round to finish early. I wanted, and needed, to get my father out of the position he was in. It looked greedy, and power hungry, the kind of Fae he always tried not to be, which went against his nature.

My brothers, being young for Fae, were still in that greedy, overindulgent phase of their lives. I feel like I aged ten years in the last two, since Mom died. Since Anders and Ambrose went off the rails a little. Since Dad closed himself off. Since I was just getting through. Now I had to deal with these two…people. I knew Bambi was human, but Gavin, His Royal Goochness, was a lion. He would be stuck as Beta, taking over the family’s company while his older brother took over as alpha of his pride.

One who acted like a petulant child, who wanted a toy, but didn’t want others to know he wanted to play with it. So he acted out. Not that I would ever do anything with someone who wasn’t someone I had a connection with. And an engaged man who picked on women, was not it. At all.

Then there was the other person, the scorned fiance. Jealous, angry, and petty, all misplaced feelings because I was doing nothing to encourage the crush that jerk had for me, but the crazy broad wouldn’t believe it. In fact, if she had to know, I stone walled him every chance I got. I wouldn’t talk to him, or even acknowledge his presence. I acted like I had my earbuds in between classes, and during class I was working hard to take notes and ignore him sitting next to me in every class, being that annoying space between prick and asshole. I also had the displeasure of getting glared at by Bimbo Bambi on his other side in all his other classes.

Only the last week or so had the pathetic and elementary attempts at flirting been getting worse. The guy simply could not take a hint. It was like two plus two did not equal four to him.