Page 76 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

Cyrus and Exos just smiled.

“Why would there be rules about a textbook?” I wondered out loud.

The three of them laughed, Exos’s arm wrapping around my shoulders to pull me in for a hug. “Fae politics, princess,” he murmured. “Dark magic is purely Midnight Fae. Just as we own the elements.”

“But sometimes you have to break the rules,” Cyrus drawled.

“And I’d say now is one of those times,” Exos agreed. “When can we get the book?”

“Tomorrow,” Kols replied, his gaze drifting out to the club. “I’ll be busy tonight.”

Right. Vampire. Nightclub. Sort of cliché, but also appropriate. “So are we done?” I asked. Because as hot as he was, I really didn’t want to see him snacking on humans.

“So eager to get us home,” Exos teased, his lips trailing up my neck. “Do you want us to share you again, princess?” The words were spoken against my ear, causing my stomach to twist in anticipation and my cheeks to heat.

Cyrus smiled from across the table, clearly aware of what his brother had just said.

Fortunately, Kols appeared too busy scoping out his next meal to pay attention to us. “Right, well, I’ll be in touch,” he said, pushing away from the table. His gold eyes met mine, twinkling with mischief. “I would tell you to have a nice evening, Claire, but I can already see Exos and Cyrus have it covered. So I’ll just say, lovely to meet you, gorgeous. Enjoy.”

Exos

“So do you two often venture to the Human Realm to meet up with other fae?” Claire asked as we escorted her to a well-known New York City portal.

She’d been rather disappointed by the uneventful transport, stating she thought it would be magical with fairy dust or pixies or some crazy flying horse. Instead, it was an elevator in an older building with a special keypad that teleported us between the realms at will.

“Not often,” Cyrus replied, his arm draped across her shoulders. I’d given her my jacket, wanting to cover her shoulders and protect her from the cool New York air. It was winter, after all. And she’d worn one of her usual dresses with knee-high boots instead of a sweater and a coat. Fortunately, she had her fire to keep her warm, but she seemed to appreciate the chivalrous act as she hugged my jacket around her.

“But you seem to know the other fae well,” she said slowly. “Like Gina.”

My lips quirked up. “Jealous, Claire?” I teased, kissing her on the neck before opening the door to the building we needed.

“No.” Her answer was quick. Too quick.

I shared an amused glance with Cyrus and gave him a look that said, You tell her.

“She’s an old friend,” he explained. “And not that kind of friend, Claire. Fucking a Fortune Fae would not be enjoyable. She’d know all my moves before I made them.”

A laugh leapt from my throat as I nodded in agreement. “He’s right. Takes all the surprise out of it.” I nipped at my mate’s neck again, pressing my chest to her back and wrapping my arm around her waist. “Just think how boring last night would have been had you already known what was going to happen, Claire.”

She shuddered, her body melting into mine. “I… That wouldn’t be…” She swallowed, her weight collapsing into me even more. “Yes.”

I chuckled against her throat as Cyrus mused, “That wasn’t a complete sentence, little queen.” He pressed the button for the elevator in the lobby. “But I’ll allow it.”

“As for us visiting the human world, it’s infrequent. But as Royal Fae, we are well acquainted with the others. It’s how we know Kols and Gina. Their families hold status in their respective fae kingdoms, and occasionally, we are required to meet for social functions.”

“To maintain the balance,” Cyrus added.

“Exactly,” I agreed. There was still so much Claire didn’t understand about the supernatural world, the laws that governed us all, how we cohabited in peace, and our long histories of times where we didn’t maintain that perpetual peace. We were just so wrapped up in the current problems within the Elemental Realm that we hadn’t had a moment to talk about the others. But Kols and Gina, they both had their troubles within their own ranks. Just as the numerous other types of

fae did.

We all just chose to mostly focus on ourselves, only coming together when needed.

The elevator chimed, and Cyrus entered the sequence of numbers required to return us to the Academy as I ushered Claire into the waiting car.

“Can you mist from here?” she asked.

Cyrus considered it as he joined us, just as the doors closed. “I can mist anywhere, but between realms is harder. Within our elemental home, I’m closest to our source. It’s easier. Here, it would require a lot of effort that I’d prefer not to expend because who knows when I might need my magic.”

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