Page 15 of Midnight Fae Academy: Book Three

“Uh, yes?” He’d crafted a land mine in my head… and sent me back in time?

“Because of the bite?” His lips pinched to the side. “I already told you that I don’t want to do it. But Dad said I have to. It’s the best way to protect you in case something happens.”

“I don’t understand.”

He blew out a breath and entered my room with a shuffle of his feet, the movement clumsy. Probably because he was pretending to be a child.

Except, as he moved past a mirror, I caught a glimpse of myself and gasped at my young appearance. Holy fae! He’d turned me into a kid, too! “How old am I?”

“Huh?” He looked at me and scratched his head. “Seven?”

My eyes widened. “What?” This was the year my parents died. Did he intend to torment me by making me relive it with this kid version of himself at my side?

“Look, I know. This sucks so bad. But Dad says it’s only temporary. And I’ll protect you, Flora. I always do.” He flashed me a boyish grin with dimples on the sides, and a giggle clawed at my chest. Not one I wanted to release, but the body I possessed was apparently amused.

His smile grew as the giggle escaped. What is happening to me? And why is he calling me Flora?

“See, I knew you weren’t really upset,” he teased. “Do you want to go play with the flowers outside before dinner?”

My mom’s garden.

I looked at the door, then at the mirror again, and back at Zakkai.

We were in some sort of memory loop. Except he’d morphed it somehow by being here. I wanted to hate him for it, but it’d been so long since I’d dreamt of my mother’s flowers and their beautiful scents.

I could indulge in just a few minutes, right?

It was my head—therefore, my rules.

I nodded. “Yes.”

His grin seemed to reach his ears as he hopped around to lead me through the halls of my old home. My parents stood in the kitchen, their tones hushed as we entered. A man who resembled an older Zakkai stood with them, his expression emotionless.

“Aflora,” my mother said, frowning at my dress. “That’s not the outfit I laid out for you this morning.”

Her words nagged at me, a memory forming unbidden in my mind. She’d said this to me before… but when?

“Carmella,” my father murmured. “She can wear whatever she wants for tonight.”

My mother glanced at him, then sighed. “Yes, yes, of course.”

“We’re going outside to play with flowers,” Zakkai announced, sounding proud.

His father—or I assumed the older Zakkai look-alike was his dad—grunted. “You’re not an Earth Fae, Kai.”

“I know, but Flora is. And she likes flowers.” He beamed at me. “And stars.”

Why did this all feel so familiar? I’d never lived this moment before, and yet, I knew what my mother was about to say.

“There’s no time for playing in the garden tonight,” she said, right on cue. “We’ve talked about this.”

Some of the light seemed to die in Zakkai’s eyes. “I just thought… maybe… we could play first.”

“We’re not here to play, Kai,” his father said, the sternness in his voice making me flinch.

“Easy, Laki,” my dad murmured, walking up to place a hand on my head. “They’re just kids.”

“Who are about to bond like adults,” my mother added under her breath.

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