Chapter 7

“You’re worrying over nothing!” I told Dyre as he paced in front of me and tapped the sheathed tip of his katana along the floor as he went. “Stop being such a virgin and calm down for a minute.”

“You,” he ground out, getting in my face. We were the same height, so his nose brushed against mine as I gave him the most infuriating smirk I could manage. Being in this form was exhilarating. I was used to getting one day a year—my birthday, actually … our birthday—to experience the pleasures of the flesh. To fuck. I had no idea how long this was going to last, but I’d be damned if I missed out on getting laid while I had a big, thick cock to use. Of course, I had a cock in fox form, too, but what was I going to use it for? There weren’t exactly a plethora of lady shadow foxes for me to have sex with.

No, my fox self was as much a virgin as my sexless brother.

“You, what?” I asked as he gritted his teeth and looked like he wanted to use Masayoshi—his sword—to cup my beautiful head off. And it was quite the glorious head. I flicked my bronze eyes over to the mirror and flashed myself a very pretty grin. Women couldn’t resist me in this form. I had no problem finding six, seven, ten women to fuck in a single day. And I had the stamina to keep up. “You can’t just say you all threatening like, and not follow through with it.”

“I’m this close to taking your head in a single swipe.” I laughed at him and then grunted when someone chucked a stack of clothes and boots at me. One of the thick soles hit me right in the chin.

“You’re a ghost, remember? And who knows where Masayoshi really is. The queen probably confiscated it.” I rubbed at my chin and glanced over at Brynn of Haversey, her ebony wings tucked tight against her back, her arms crossed over her chest. As soon as I saw her, I felt my cock stir to life and she groaned, covering her eyes with one bronze hand.

“Please put some damn pants on,” she said, waiting an appropriate amount of time before dropping her hand and realizing I hadn’t bothered to do anything of the sort. “Your dick is staring at me! Flubbing figs, cover that ship up.”

I cupped my junk in my hands—my hands!—and canted my head to the side, smiling at her. As soon as I’d seen Brynn of Haversey, I’d known my brother was into her. And quite frankly, since we were bound, whoever he married, I’d also be pretty much married to.

I wanted to marry this girl.

She was small but curvy and plump and luscious.

Of course, I was no longer bound to Dyre, but if anyone was going to be resurrected with that spell, I was going to ensure that it was my brother. I couldn’t live without him, not for an extended period of time anyway. So why not bind myself to the girl that could make that happen, that I liked, that the virgin wanted to lose it to? It was a win-win-win situation.

“We’re taking Vexer off campus while we have the chance,” she continued, the towering bulk of that griffin dude coming down the stairs to stand beside her. I should’ve bitten him more, just for good measure. Oh well, maybe later. I made a note to try for his balls … Maybe then he couldn’t keep Brynn entertained for an entire morning. “Now that you’ve bound yourself to me—against my will, mind you—you have to come, too. Put clothes on.”

“You’ve got a tremendous well of power inside of you,” I said, emphasizing the word inside and grinning when Vexer shifted his wings and growled at me. “It wouldn’t be so easy to bind to someone else. And besides, my big brother was worried about me. Did you want to add another powerful rogue shadow to that horde that killed your boyfriend?”

“Put. The. Pants. On,” she snarled at me. “And yeah, you’re right. Binding you to me was a good idea—had you asked. But you and you,” she continued, pointing over at the professor, “did not ask. I don’t like to be bullied or used. I’m not some walking, talking column of power for you to use as you see fit; I’m a person.”

“My sincerest apologies, Brynn,” Spicer Cross said, rising from his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. “My desperate need to escape that building overwhelmed my sensibilities. If you wish to re-bind me somewhere else, I completely understand.”

“And waste the silver dust?” she said with a sigh, shaking her head and reaching up to cup both necklaces. “I don’t think so.” She played with them for a moment and then flicked her gaze over to me. “What’s done is done, but don’t think either of you are in my good graces.”

I yanked the leather breeches on, but didn’t bother to tie them up, stuffing my feet into the boots and then stealing a gold fifth-year jacket—I think it belonged to that scribe kid, Matz—from a hook and tossing it over my shoulders. I didn’t bother with a shirt.

“Oh for Hellim’s sake,” Brynn cursed as she gave Dyre a look. “How long is he going to be in this form?”

“Once a year, on our birthday, is all I’ve ever seen. This is … I don’t know what to make of this,” he said, glaring at me like this was all my fault. Yeah, well, I had manipulated that spell, but I hadn’t expected anything more than to be bound to Brynn. This was just a bonus.

“Maybe it’s permanent,” I teased with a flirtatious little shoulder raise and a wink. Brynn clearly wasn’t buying what I was selling. Unfortunate, that. With a sigh, I raked my fingers through my hair. Being bound to her was going to make it impossible to pick up women, wasn’t it? And anyway, if I wanted her to marry Dyre—or me—then I’d have to abstain.

But the thought of turning back into my other form without having sex? Talk about a travesty. I might have to stick to masturbation and hope this really was permanent, or at least a more regular occurrence than the last few decades had shown me.

“Let’s go,” Brynn said, nodding her head toward the door. “It’s the weekend; it’s late; it’s dusky and drizzling outside. I don’t imagine we’ll get a better to chance to get you out of here.”

“Maybe I don’t want to go?” Vexer said, stepping toward her and putting his big hands on either side of Brynn’s face. I rolled my eyes and kicked open the door to reveal that blonde half-angel bitch. What was her name again? Ah, Felixa. What a pretentious name.

“Well, hello there,” I purred, putting my forearm up in the doorjamb to block her view of my brother’s ghost. Nobody needed to know that the crown prince of Vaenn was dead, especially not with the state of our country in so much turmoil. “Can I help you?”

“Who are you?” the girl demanded, lifting her chin in that haughty, annoying way that only nobility seemed to know how to pull off. Little did she know, I was royalty. Shadow, I might be, but I was still of the queen’s womb, born from between her thighs like anybody else.

The one thing I did notice however was that the girl’s cheeks turned pink, and her handler stiffened up with jealousy behind her. Poor guy. He was about as plain as Amerin humans came. Dull brown hair, watery blue eyes, skin that was neither pale nor sun-kissed but some pink-tinged in-between. Meh. Looking at him, I had to wonder how he’d even become her handler in the first place.

“Name’s Trubble,” I said with a sharp grin, flashing two pointed canines as my nine tails swished behind me. Poor Dyre only had one. What sort of kitsune prince only has one tail in his twenties? My guess was that the virgin thing was something affecting his magic. Or else I just enjoyed making fun of him for being so celibate and serious all the time. “Trubble of … Hellim,” I added, just for fun. I was a shadow, after all, a being with a soul made up of shadow magic. So although I didn’t have the god’s blessing per se, I had power.

Lots of it.

“I don’t see your symbol,” Felixa said, pointing at my bare chest and ‘accidentally’ running her finger up it.

“Yeah, well, it’s faerie glamour,” I said, giving an exaggerated wink. “I’m sort of … part of this exchange program.” I stepped forward and closed the door behind me. No way was I letting this insufferable little nitwit catch sight of something she shouldn’t. If anyone—anyone—threatened my virgin brother, I would kill them. No hesitation.

“Exchange program?” Felixa asked, her sapphire eyes sparkling as she took me in. She was pretty, no doubt about that. I liked the butter-yellow color of her wings and hair, the shape of her face and her pointed chin. But her attitude and her general air of superiority made my skin crawl. “And how on earth would you get hold of a faerie glamour?”

“They live in Rúnda, you know,” I said and the girl rolled her eyes, planting her hands on her hips and looking disgusted like any proper Amerin noble should.

“I don’t exactly take my holidays in Rúnda. Who would? Amerin is large and vast, and there’s no culture shock.”

“You’re not really living until you’ve had a nice little bite in the ass from a different culture.” I stepped forward again and she stepped back. “Strange food, new language, different shaped faces, and beautiful sunsets.” I grinned as the door opened and Brynn stepped out, squeezing past me to stand on my right side.

“What do you want, Felixa?” she asked with a long sigh. Poor Brynn of Haversey looked tired, seconds away from collapse. Maybe if she fell, I could catch her in my arms like a proper gentleman? I wonder what those full lips of hers taste like? I wondered as I gazed down at her round face and that plump little mouth. I would’ve tasted it, too, if that Vexer motherfucker hadn’t punched me.

Speaking of … I’d gotten hit with both a boot and a fist, and my poor jaw was sore as Hell. I rubbed at it as I watched sparks fly between the two girls. And not good sparks either. Bad ones. Angry ones. A catfight would be interesting, wouldn’t it?

“I know Air is here. I know he’s living with you.” I raised my brows at that. Huh. Interesting turn of events. I couldn’t help myself; a smile split my face that Brynn immediately zoned in on.

“What are you grinning like a shot fox for?” she asked and I felt my smile fall. With a small growl, I turned toward her and got up in her face a bit. Just a bit thought, and just for fun.

“A shot fox? That’s beyond offensive. Don’t you have any compassion?” I reached out and poked one of her wings which earned me a pulled tail in response. But the joke was on her because I highly enjoyed being molested.

Small, cold drops fell from a gray skin, the clouds tinged with gold from the setting sun. It made the campus with its tall stone towers and old temples look a bit … ominous. Even with those massive wings, Brynn looked so small and delicate in front of it all.

“I don’t have compassion for assholes,” she said, scooting past me and refocusing on Felixa. “And Airmienan is not here right now. I don’t know what gave you that idea.”

“Those are his clothes,” Felixa said, pointing at the pants and boots I was wearing. I gave her a smug smile from behind Brynn’s head and fluffed my tails. “And I heard his voice the other day when you opened the door; I know I did. Besides, you must think I’m a complete idiot. You’re living in the queen’s quarters. Where else would Air live?” She fixed Brynn with a sharp, resolute sort of stare. “Everess keeps putting off the announcement of our engagement. Why would she do that? Where is he?”

Brynn tore a ring from one of her pockets and shoved it onto her finger.

“He’s busy,” she snapped, holding up her hand and flashing the royal ring in front of Felixa. “And he just doesn’t have time for you. Have you ever thought of that?”

“Where did you get that?” Felixa breathed, grabbing Brynn’s hand and staring at the ring with a look of shock that was pretty similar to the one Brynn had given me after I pulled the old switcheroo with that spell. Heh. Clever, right?

“Airmienan gave it to me during the All Haunts’ Eve celebration,” Brynn said with a smirk, extending her wings out in a hostile looking little gesture.

“The last night he was seen in public?” Felixa growled out as Brynn took her hand back. “Seems a tad coincidental, don’t you think?”

“Seems to me that’s none of your business,” I said, stepping around Brynn and taking her hand in mine. She tensed up a little, but at least she didn’t pull away. “You’re a nosy little thing, aren’t you?”

“Do you even have a permit to be on campus?” Felixa snapped, looking me up and down with a scowl now instead of a smile. I guess with my hand now covering Brynn’s, she didn’t think of me as available.

“This is Dyre of Ha’s brother,” Brynn spat, “a shadow. The queen’s already given him her blessing to be on campus, so you can wipe that off your blackmail list.”

“This is the fox?” Felixa asked, looking at me now like I was some deep sea creature that’d crawled up onshore dripping slime and flashing tentacles. Goodness. What a fucking racist bitch. “Which means that Prince Dyre is in there, too? What the Hell are you up to, Brynn Rebane?”

“None of your gods-dang business, Felixa Morair,” she snapped back, heading back for the front door and yanking me along behind her. Brynn dragged me back inside and went to close it when Felixa shoved her way in, too, strong-arming the door open.

“Air!” she called out, pausing as she sensed all the spirits in the room. They were hiding, but if she activated her second sight, she’d be able to see them regardless. Like me, I supposed. I was a shadow, so there was no blending into the Otherside to hide from me. I stared right at Dyre and Air, before Elijah revealed himself and blocked the staircase.

“Get the fuck out of here. Don’t you know how to take a hint?” Felixa paused, her handler trailing uncertainly along behind her as the tiny ghosts of mice crawled up Eli’s pant leg, a little furred head peeping out of his torn Royal College jacket. The spirit of a dog took up a growling, fur-raised position behind him, baring its teeth.

“Move before I exorcise you,” Felixa snarled, putting her hand on the knife at her side.

“Get out of my house before I call the campus guard,” Brynn said, shaking with rage. I simply stood there and watched it all unfold for a moment before heading into the kitchen for a lemonade. Somebody had had the small ice box—a carved square cut from the stone wall with a door and heaps of ice to keep everything cool—stocked with pitchers of it.

As long as my brother wasn’t in danger, I was content to watch.

“Do something and get that girl out of here,” Dyre hissed at me, his form blurred with darkness from the Otherside. Purgatorial hell is what that place was. Was it really any wonder then that so many shadows were violent and predatory? Most of us—keyword, most—were born into this world like anyone else, and yet, we were never blessed or cared for by the gods. Magic surged through our veins with no rhyme or reason, tempting us at every corner.

“Why? It’s much more fun to watch.” I crinkled my face up in a smile, plucked a copper straw from the ceramic jar on the stone countertop and dropped it into a glass. “Well suck my dick and call me Truuuuble,” I purred as I drank up the glorious liquid. Peach-lemonade. Fantastic, and very pricey. “This is delicious.”

“Are you serious right now? Get over there and break that fight up,” Dyre snapped at me, grabbing my arm and turning me around to face the growing confrontation. Jasinda, Brynn’s pretty Amerin handler, and her boyfriend (because if he wasn’t, he should be—the sexual tension between those two was palpable) had just joined the fray.

“Mm,” I started, sipping my lemonade and shrugging loosely. “We’ll see.”

Dyre cursed under his breath and started to pace again, but I ignored him. If he wasn’t such a virgin, maybe he’d be able to sit still for a change? As soon as we found a way to bring him back to life, I was getting him laid. Or Hell, maybe Brynn liked him back and wanted to fuck him in spirit form? The stress relief would do my brother a whole lot of good.

Felixa grabbed the silver necklace around her throat and shouted out the light goddess’ name, flicking her eyes around the room and locking on Professor Cross. Slowly, she scanned across the rest of the downstairs, but both my brother and the prince had already fled upstairs. She’d know they were there, but she wouldn’t know who they were.

“The two spirits upstairs, is one of them Airmienan?” Felixa asked, spinning and smacking Jasinda with her long blonde hair.

Brynn scoffed and planted her hands on her hips, looking tiny and fierce and curvy in that red silk shirt she was wearing. Gods above, I’d kill to put my hands on that girl’s body. My dick thickened inside my breeches and I groaned.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she started, but Felixa was already interrupting her, turning and walking through Elijah as she sprinted up the staircase. In response, Air and Dyre simply floated back down again.

“She’ll see the coffin,” Air choked out, but there was a low, gruff voice from up above.

Vexer.

“This isn’t your house and this isn’t your business,” he said, backing the blonde half-angel down the stairs without even touching her. “I suggest you remove yourself immediately.”

“Who is this?” Felixa asked, turning to find Brynn penning her in on the stairs. “Does he have a permit to be on campus?”

“You lost the right to ask that when you broke into the queen’s personal residence,” Brynn said, backing up and holding out an arm toward the still open front door. “Now get the flub out and forget about marrying Air. He does not want you.”

“Whether he wants me or not is irrelevant,” Felixa said, face flushed as she conceded and kicked one of Elijah’s spirit mice on her way toward the front door. “The queen doesn’t want a man on the throne, and Amerin law requires a demigoddess or demigod to take the reins. She’ll make her son take a harem—including a demigoddess to rule—and she’ll damn well make sure all the matches are good ones. A clumsy spirit whisperer whose only talent is collecting ghosts doesn’t exactly rank very high on her list.”

Felixa stormed toward the door, grabbed her handler’s arm, and yanked him along behind her.

“Go to flubbing hell, you bleeding blatherer, spirit shouting, son of a blitz!” Brynn screamed, kicking the front door closed and then plopping down on the sofa. I refilled the lemonade from the ice box supply and took it over to her. “Thanks,” she grumbled, sitting between Air and Elijah. But her eyes were all for the prince. “You keep telling me everything’s going to be okay, and I keep hearing things like that, Air.”

“If that’s my mother’s plan, I haven’t heard it. Why do you think I would lie to you, Brynn?” He gazed at her with so much compassion in his face that I almost choked. I bet it was him that requested all that lemonade. As soon as Brynn started sipping on it, her cheeks went pink and her shoulders relaxed a little.

“Ugh, so much feeling in this room I might choke,” I said, cocking my head to the side and letting my tails sway enticingly. Brynn liked them; I could tell. “Shall we get your griffin fiancé out of here before that girl goes and tattles on us?”

“He’s not my fiancé,” Brynn mumbled, rubbing at the ring on her finger but not bothering to take it off either. She rose to her feet, lemonade in hand, and sucked the rest of it down. “Nobody is, not yet anyway.” She slipped the royal ring back into her pocket, tried to hand the empty glass back to me and ended up fumbling it until it fell to the floor and shattered. With a sigh, she crunched over the shards in her boots and grabbed a heavy wool coat from the hooks near the door. “And yes, let’s. The last thing I need is to give Everess another reason to dislike me. This,” she gestured over at me, “is going to be hard enough to explain.”

I grinned at her and flicked my tails enticingly in her direction, just enough to get her to tug on one in irritation.

The look Dyre was throwing most definitely promised that he was going to try and kick my ass later.

Unfortunately for him, he’d never been all that good at it.