Chapter 43

Aelia

Oh, gods no, anyone but him.

An entourage of shadows slipped up the floating staircase an instant before their dark master appeared. I paused on the step, my hands on the one below while my behind remained on an upper level, sticking up in an absolutely mortifying position.

Our eyes locked, and Reign's dark chuckle sent fire raging from the depths of my belly and across my cheeks. "What in the name of Noxus are you doing, princess?"

"Oh, you know, I thought what better way to end a perfect night than to crawl down a staircase?"

He crept closer, then crouched on a step a few down from mine. His shadows curled around me, welcoming me into their icy embrace. One slipped beneath my arm, forcing a giggle. My palm slid off the step, and I hurtled down the slippery slope, straight for Reign.

I crashed into his unyielding form, sending us both airborne. His arms wrapped around my body, then his shadows bolstered the protective shield of his muscled torso as we rolled and rolled, seemingly forever. One of those wraith-like tendrils shot out and snaked around the banister, finally hauling us to a stop.

Oh, Raysa, help me. As if my head hadn't been spinning enough before. Pushing free of Reign's embrace, I crawled to the edge of the step and spewed the lingering contents of my stomach across the glass stairway.

"I've got you, princess." Reign's arm curled around my waist as he gathered my wild locks with his free hand.

My stomach heaved again, and embarrassment burned every inch of my skin. When nothing else remained, Reign pulled me up into his lap. I lay my head back and nestled it perfectly in the crook of his shoulder. It was as if that soft space on his flawlessly muscled form was made just for me.

"Gods, I'm so embarrassed," I muttered weakly.

"Don't be."

I could have sworn I caught a faint smile on his perfect lips, but I could have imagined it, as I was fairly certain I was now seeing double. Mmm, two Reigns… Now that almost made this all worth it.

"How much did you drink at that party?"

"Only two glasses. It wasn't my fault. Oriah poisoned my wine with misthorn root because I kiss—" I snapped my jaw shut before my loose lips got me into more trouble.

Reign's entire body tensed around me and his shadows began to vibrate. The rage was so palpable it was suffocating. His aura flashed a bottomless onyx and his fingers tightened at my hip. I hadn't even realized they were there until his grip grew punishing.

"You kissed Heaton?" he growled.

For Fae's sake, how did he guess it was him?

I tried to turn in his arms, to see his expression more fully, but he kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. That icy mask crawled across his countenance, and gods, I wanted to smack myself for being so stupid. "It didn't mean anything?—"

"It always means something, Aelia," he gritted out, the tenor of his voice flat and completely devoid of emotion.

"So what if it had meant something?" A sudden burst of irritation eclipsed the embarrassment. Reign and I had been tiptoeing around this thing between us all term, and I was simply exhausted. "You rejected me. You made it perfectly clear nothing could happen between us, so you expect me to stay away from every other male?"

"Yes," he ground out.

I spun around in his lap to face him, despite the fierce whirl that scrambled my mind at the movement. "That's not fair. You are the most exasperating male I have ever met. You tell me we cannot be together and then you say something like that?"

A hard line slashed across his lips, his midnight eyes flashing. "Fate may deny me the right to possess you now, but make no mistake, Aelia—you belong to me. And I will be damned if I let another male lay claim to what is mine."

All the air evacuated my lungs in a move so swift it felt as if my entire chest would cave in. "How… how can you say things like that?"

"Because I am exhausted of fighting this, and even the fetters of my restraint have their limits."

Those endlessly profound, inky pools of darkness latched onto mine, and the tempest of emotions that lingered beneath the surface pulsed between us like a living, breathing thing. Shadows curled around my neck, then danced across my lips, the faint caress more powerful than any male's touch.

"Let's go to my room." My voice was rough and breathless. I barely recognized it as my own.

Reign slowly shook his head, his lower lip caught between his teeth. "We can't…"

"Why?"

"Because you will hate me after."

"I won't," I blurted. Stars, I sounded desperate. Not to mention the fact that I had just vomited and was in terrible need of a shower.

A vein pulsed across Reign's forehead, and I could practically see the internal torment carved into his brow. Gods, he wanted this as much as I did. How was that possible? The realization had me giddy, my breaths coming in haggard pants as my heart danced out a happy jig.

I thought I'd felt something before, but this… I'd never had this confirmation. "Please, Reign…" I whispered.

His head slowly dipped, the move nearly imperceptible, as if his internal struggle had reached some sort of climax. He cradled me against his firm chest and lifted me up as he stood. His eager footfalls cracked across the glass steps as he ascended the staircase. Wait a minute… Ascended?

As if he'd read my flustered thoughts, a grin slowly spread across his lips.

"I was going the wrong way, wasn't I?"

"Yes, princess. Your dormitory is on the eighth floor, so you needed to go up the stairs, not down."

I wanted to cry. Then again, if I'd gone in the correct direction to begin with, maybe I never would have encountered Reign. Fate was a fickle beast.

Reign's pervasive shadows morphed into massive wings and we soared up the remaining levels, then across the hallway of the eighth floor, the walls blurring around us. My stomach somersaulted at each thrust of his wings.

When we finally reached my door, Reign jerked to a halt and again my stomach lurched. He waved his hand over the protective rune and the lock clicked. That's right, the bastard had given himself personal access to my dorm from the moment I'd arrived. He whipped the door open, we pitched forward, and my hold over my delicate insides crumbled.

Oh, no, please not again.

As we crossed the threshold, another wave of nausea hit, and I barely wriggled free of Reign's hold in time to race to the water closet.

* * *

A persistent thrumming across my temples forced my weary lids open. Glancing around the room, the familiar canopy of vines coalesced over my bed. I swallowed the dryness from my throat as memories of the night before flashed across my hazy vision.

Oh, goddess, Reign.

"Good morning, princess." The rough edge to his tone had my entire body snapping to attention, and all grogginess instantly vanished.

Rolling over, I dragged my hand through my knot of disheveled hair before facing him. Reign was sprawled out on the chair beside my bed, his massive form dwarfing the tiny seat. Had he really spent the entire night here?

I hazarded a quick peek over my shoulder at Rue's bed, which remained untouched from the night before. I hoped she'd had a fun night out with Sy's friend from Burn team.

"How do you feel?" Reign's question interrupted my wandering thoughts.

"Pretty awful," I murmured, pressing my fingers to my temples.

"You managed to rest peacefully through the night, so I'd venture to say the worst is over. The effects of misthorn root can last for days, but it seems to have already burned right out of your system."

I nodded slowly, afraid to aggravate my precarious state.

"They must not have doused your drink with much of it, or?—"

"Let me guess, you have another theory to test?"

A smirk flashed across his scruffy jaw, and I was instantly transported to the night before, to the warmth of his body, the fierce desire in his eyes. He had finally given in. If it weren't for my stomach's upheaval, who knew what would have happened between us? "I always have theories where you're concerned, princess."

"Theories, but nothing in practice."

"No, I'm afraid not."

And just like that, I knew the moment was gone. Last night had been a fluke, a flash of weakness between us both that we dared not repeat.

"Well, if you are quite all right, I must prepare for my classes. Not all of us have the day off." He slowly stood, and perhaps I'd imagined it, but I could have sworn he was reluctant to leave.

I'd nearly forgotten the day off was only for Flare Squad. Reign had a whole slew of other students to attend to.

He ticked his head at the pale wooden table beside my bed. "I left you a glass of water and some biscuits. If you manage to hold that down, you can try for something of more substance in the next hour or so."

"Tha—" I cut myself off before finishing the words. "You know…"

His head dipped sharply before he marched to the door. Every nerve in my being screamed at me to stop him, to beg him to stay and force the truth of his feelings out. His confession played through my mind on repeat. Fate may deny me the right to possess you now, but make no mistake, Aelia—you belong to me. And I will be damned if I let another male lay claim to what is mine.

What in the stars did that mean?

"Reign," I blurted as he stood just inside the threshold, lingering.

He spun around, and those midnight orbs chased to mine.

With the intensity of their gaze, I floundered for a long moment before I steeled my nerves. "Do you think things could be different between us one day?"

"Only the gods know, Aelia." A rueful smile parted his lips before he whirled out, slamming the door behind him.

Hot tears burned my eyes, a mix of exhaustion and frustration forcing them to the surface. Why did it always end up the same with us? Pulling the covers back over my head, I curled into the silky sheets. At least I could spend the entire day wallowing in self-pity in the comfort of my bed.

Or perhaps, I shouldn't waste the opportunity to test some of own theories. Pushing myself up, I reached for the dagger I kept tucked away in my nightstand. The cool metal hilt brushed my palm and I ran my finger across the crystal embedded in the intricate design. A swirl of light followed the movement of my fingertip.

Again, my thoughts flickered to the night before, to the blast of energy that had nearly taken Ariadne and Oriah's heads off. How in Fae's sake had I managed that? I wanted nothing more than to ask Reign, but putting some distance between us would be the wise thing to do. At least for the day, anyway. Before I knew it, we'd be whisked off to the Shadow Fae lands for the Shadows Whisper trial?—

Wait a second! The Shadow Fae bloom… its poison had been ravaging my system when I'd managed that burst of rais. What if Reign's theory was right? Whatever was blocking my powers was dampened by the misthorn root and allowed my rais to erupt.

This was good… very good. I simply had to find a way to diminish the effects of the block without poisoning myself every time. This was how I'd pass the trials.

Tossing back the coverlet, I slid to the edge of the mattress, ignoring the persistent pounding in my temples. Perhaps, I'd have to make a quick stop at the healer first.

The door swung open and my roommate bounded inside, a beaming smile plastered on her face.

"Well, it appears someone had a good night." I tossed her a wink as I pushed myself out of bed.

"I did," she crooned before flinging herself onto my mattress with a dramatic sigh. "Devin is just so swoony." I laughed, the sound vibrating through my skull and only intensifying the shooting pain. I must have winced because Rue's giddy expression soured. "Are you okay? What happened to you last night? Heaton said you left early."

I nodded, gnawing on my lower lip. I had no idea how my friend would react to news of the kiss. I hated the idea of jeopardizing our friendship, but I also preferred for her to hear the truth from me.

"You didn't hear anything?"

She shook her head. "Heaton was oddly tight-lipped about the whole thing."

I groaned and flopped back down on the mattress beside her. "I did something really stupid, Rue. I honestly don't know what I was thinking. He just looked so sad, and I kissed him?—"

"You kissed Heaton?" she squealed.

"It was just a peck… or at least, it was supposed to be. I didn't realize he liked me that way, and then Oriah must have seen…"

"Oh, goddess."

"She and Ariadne poisoned my wine, and I ended up on the floor crawling back to our room?—"

"Oh, Aelia! Why didn't you come get me?" She wrapped her slender arm around my shoulder and pulled me into her side. "That sounds awful."

I debated telling her about Reign coming to my rescue but decided to leave that part out for now. Everything between us seemed like one enormous secret and if I let out even the smallest detail, the dam would erupt.

"I couldn't very well crawl back into the party. That would have absolutely made Oriah's night."

"And Belmore's." A giggle burst through my friend's lips before she could smother it.

"I suppose it was pretty funny now that I look back on it." At the time, I was completely mortified.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Better, but I could use a draught for my headache."

She sprang from the bed and darted toward the door before I'd gotten the entire sentence out. "I will run to the healer to get it for you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you last night, Aelia. But once you're feeling better, we can spend all day locked up in our chambers eating bon bons, and I'll regale you with my sexploits with Devin."

I nearly choked on a laugh as my friend twirled around in a happy circle. "That sounds absolutely perfect."