7. ~Talon~

7

~Talon~

What the hell had happened?

First, I’d woken up no longer in Alena’s room, but tucked up in the bed of the spare room I’d been assigned when we’d come to stay here in Alena’s family home.

I hadn’t spent much time in it since we’d been here. And definitely not over the last week or so where we’d all pretty much been camping out in Alena’s bedroom having a sex marathon. One that seemed to have finally reached the finish line, given that I’d found myself back in my room.

I never would have ever imagined needing a break from fucking, but I’d been absolutely exhausted. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d even hydrated properly or eaten a full meal, instead of the protein bars that Alena had been conjuring. I’d mostly been subsisting on them and a whole lot of cum.

Yeah, it had gotten pretty dirty.

All right, a lot dirty.

Being what I was and who I was, I was always full of so much fiery passion, just one touch away from being ready to fuck. But now I was all fucked out.

Shit, I couldn’t believe it.

I’d actually reveled in taking a nice warm shower without getting off in the process. Just the simple nature of it, of having a moment to myself to relax and just be had been amazing.

After savoring that, I’d dressed, then headed out to see how I’d ended up waking up alone.

And that was when I’d seen the mess all around Alena’s room and in the surrounding area outside. Decimated walls, bloodstains and cum all over the floor, the hardwood floor even torn up in places, the dresser inside her room broken and yet another wall damaged with a massive dent in it.

Had that happened while I’d still been in there?

I wasn’t honestly surprised I’d slept through it, if it had gone down then, I’d been so exhausted, I could’ve slept through fucking anything.

I looked to see Alena alone in her bed all tucked up like I’d been and sound asleep.

She actually looked peaceful.

That hadn’t happened at all since we’d been here.

And the last week, she’d just been go-go-go with the fucking.

Well, not just the fucking. There’d been a whole lot of affection too.

She’d basically been all over the three of us non-stop.

At first, we’d all been reveling in it.

But then it had taken a turn, getting really fucking intense.

We’d decided to let it run its course, because she’d obviously needed it, needed us right up close and all over her really badly.

And I guess it had come to a natural end last night.

Right when I’d been wiped.

Good timing then.

I headed downstairs, knowing Alena needed her sleep.

It was so quiet in the house, especially considering it was the afternoon and not the early hours of the morning or anything.

I made my way through the many rooms in the house, so many living rooms and studies and what-not, and I finally heard some noise as I approached the mammoth kitchen.

As I reached it, I peered through to see Orpheus sitting at the kitchen table sipping from a mug of coffee while he had his phone pressed to his ear.

“It’s coming through loud and clear, believe me,” he spoke down the line. “No, there won’t be any blowback from him. He won’t touch this. Dicey situation doesn’t quite cover it, but do what you have to do. That’s all any of us can do in the current climate. Yes. Until then.”

He hung up and blew out a breath as he pushed his phone across the table, like it was currently tainted for him after that conversation. “Fucking shortsighted fools.”

“What was all that about?” I asked, walking into the room.

His head shot up as he took me in.

The surprise all over his face gave way to a smile as he took me in freshly showered and dressed. “Don’t you look all bright-eyed and bushy tailed,” he teased. “I’m glad you were able to get some much-needed rest, baby bird.”

“Bushy tailed,” I chuckled to myself. “That would look hella weird when I’m in phoenix form.”

“It certainly would.” He gestured to the fridge. “I made you a plate of fruit in there. Have at it. There are even your favored nectarines.”

“Whoa, made it? Not conjured it?”

He lifted a shoulder. “I had some time.” He murmured under his breath. “Finally.”

I walked to the fridge and opened it, finding a large plate piled high with a whole lot of fruits—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sliced nectarines, sliced oranges, even kiwi.

As I took it out and walked to the kitchen table where he was sipping at his coffee, affecting a casual air that really didn’t go with the whole intense Dark Prince thing he had going on, that combined with him actually doing a chore—making breakfast—the mundane, non-magical way, had suspicion sparking.

I slid his phone back to him and he caught it in his free hand, then stowed it away in his blazer pocket, wearing his studded vibrant-purple one this time with a pair of black leather pants that did him a hell of a lot of justice.

I leaned in and kissed his cheek and he turned into it, nuzzling against me for a moment, before I took a seat beside him and started eagerly digging into my fruit plate.

“Where’s X?” I asked, between stuffing my face.

“Currently out front by the courtyard erecting a ward.”

I frowned. “Elliot put up a ward and, being extra paranoid given everything that’s happened lately, you reinforced it with your dark magic.”

“He needed a magical workout and it takes a great deal of power to erect a ward of this nature, so I let him do his thing. Before this, he was experimenting with spells from his old grimoire of days’ past. And before that he was vamp-speeding all over the house and the grounds within the ward.” Off my startled look, he explained, “He was incredibly wired. He ingested a lot of Alena’s blood.”

“Ah, so that’s how this break came about. It didn’t come to a natural end after all.”

“No. I had to fuck her to within an inch of her life and even that wasn’t enough, so I had X drain her.”

“Shit. Well, that explains all the damage upstairs.”

He nodded. “I’ll fix it when she wakes up.”

“How long do you think she’s gonna be out?”

“Another few hours.”

“She’s not gonna be happy about what you did to get her to rest.”

“I’m sure.”

“Fuck, Ore. This is gonna be a whole thing.”

He leaned forward, telling me, “You were so exhausted and desperate for a break from all the intensity that you didn’t come in here complaining that you were left to sleep alone last night. In fact, I’d wager than you actually relished the alone time. And you hate alone time as a rule. You don’t like to sleep alone. You spent more time in my bed at the Academy than in your own. That’s how bad things had gotten.”

I rubbed my hand over my head. “Yeah, I know. Just… the way it was done.”

“What else would you have had me do? She wasn’t slowing down, wasn’t calming down. She even challenged me sexually, Talon. Me. Even fucking her through the wall wasn’t enough. I unleashed on her, I hurt her, and she still wanted more.”

“Holy shit.” I slumped back in my chair. “Do you think it’s the grief, or more than even that?”

“A whole slew of things in all likelihood. But she won’t talk about it. She’s clearly trying not to feel or think about anything negative at all. She’s trying to stay on a high—hence all the fucking and being all over us non-stop. The longer it goes on like that, the worse it’s gonna be when it does all finally come crashing into her, when she can no longer hold it off.”

“I know what it’s like to lock down emotions more than anyone. I can talk to her.”

“I’ve already tried. Xavier hasn’t because of all the guilt he’s harboring. He’s not going to do anything but cater to her.”

“I bet he wasn’t pleased about what happened last night. You caught him when he was in his carnal vampire state. Telling him to feed on her would’ve been irresistible to him, but in the harsh light of day, I bet he’s regretting it and pissed at you for pushing him into it, or whatever.”

“He is. He already laid into me.”

“I’ve got you, brother. I’ll talk to her. Having you do it wasn’t going to work because you’re a challenge to her and she receives you that way. She needs to be in a neutral space and frame of mind, which she can’t be where this is concerned because of the nature of the relationship between the two of you.”

“It’s worth a try. But don’t capitulate to her.”

“What?”

“If it doesn’t work, don’t go back to giving into her. I’m going to have enough trouble trying to stop Xavier from doing that as it is.”

“I can’t just outright deny her. That’s not gonna go over well and it’s gonna make things worse.”

“Tell her you need to focus on your studies, catching up on your readings and finishing a couple of assignments before Electi Academy reopens in a couple of weeks.” He eyed me pointedly. “Which you actually do. Unless you want to fail out.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not gonna fail out.”

“You will if you don’t focus. With things quiet again, you have the time.”

“What’s going on?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you being unusually harsh about my status at the Academy? You don’t usually go the route of stressing me out about it.”

“That’s because I’ve always been there in the past to ensure things work in your favor.”

“ In the past? What does that mean? Does this have something to do with the call I heard you taking as I walked in?”

He sank back in his chair. “Yes.”

Getting me worried as fuck, it had me sitting up ramrod straight in my chair. “What is it?”

“I’m not coming back to Electi Academy.”

I stared at him incredulously. “What the shit are you talking about?”

“As you know, that last battle put my army in the spotlight in an irreversible way, beyond any sort of coverups or illusions. It was outed. Me militarizing the students into a fighting force was outed. The families, guardians, and whoever the fuck of the students attending the Academy have been up in arms about the danger it put them in. To avoid the Academy itself from being blamed, they needed—”

“A scapegoat.”

He nodded.

I shot to my feet. “This is fucking bullshit! You saved everyone that night! Constantine’s acolytes and those escaped prisoners were gonna run right through everyone to get to that key! If you hadn’t stood up, hadn’t fought back, hadn’t readied the students to be in a position to do that, they all would’ve really fucking likely been massacred!” I tugged at the short tufts of my hair. “Wait, is that what your assurances about there being no blowback were about?”

“Yes, they were worried about my father intervening.”

“Maybe he should. It would get you back there.”

“I’ve already told him to stand down. I don’t want him taking action on my behalf and causing a mammoth incident.”

I shook my head. “You and Xavier, always so bullheaded about standing independently from your fathers and doing things alone. It’s cost both of you.”

“Talon, this is how it needs to be. At least for now. Give things time to calm down.”

“You think things will actually calm?” I asked, hope sparking through all the crap.

“Of course,” he told me, smiling out at me.

I stared at him, trying to determine if it was his genuine smile or his fake reassuring smile that he used to just make me feel better.

It was fucking indecipherable.

He was too good.

“It’s for the best at the moment anyway. Elliot has been asking me to head up to the Exemplar compound.”

“So you are going to take Abigail’s offer then?”

“I’ll be considering it as I take things in.”

“Right, get all the information first before making a decision. Especially a life-changing one like this would be. What about the mantle in the Dark Fae Realm? Becoming King one day? Being your father’s heir? Are you thinking of doing something along the lines of Elliot, juggling Exemplar and Sabre Tech?”

“Perhaps.”

I pushed my chair closer, then sank into him. “I can’t believe you’re not going to be there at the Academy with us, with me.”

His arms came around me, holding me to him. “I’ll still be close. I’ll still be with you. You’ll have X and Alena too. It will all be okay, baby bird.”

“You promise?”

“I do.”

“I love you, Ore.”

“I love you too and I’ll never leave you.”

I buried my face in his chest, holding his words right there, needing them to roll over me and infuse me.

“I’ll never leave you.”

“I’ll never leave you.”

“I’ll never leave you.”