14

"We've come full circle," Izzy muttered as we sat and watched the student union.

"We really have," I agreed before handing her the pint of ice cream. "It feels like a lifetime ago and only yesterday at the same time somehow."

She accepted the ice cream from me with a sigh. "Yeah, it really does." She took a big bite and gave it back. "We've come a long way at least."

I snorted before taking too big of a bite. "Like what? I swear less?"

She chuckled and shook her head at me. Glad she found me amusing after all of this time.

I loved her too.

We were sitting among a ton of vending machine food that we'd bought and were watching the freshman welcome ball… Just as we had our first year.

We just didn't attend this time. People wanted me to, but Shael went in my place along with a few of the captains and a couple of fairy nobles who had kids at Artemis now.

Instead, we practically cleaned out some vending machines and sat to watch everyone hurry along in their gowns and suits. Now the party had spilled out into the warm night and we were watching from a distance.

"Well, I just won a hundred bucks," Julian said as he sat down next to me, shocking the crap out of both of us. "I knew the two of you would be nostalgic and come watch the fun."

"I was more surprised someone voted against us," Izzy muttered. "Who?"

"Neldor," I guessed as Julian said the same. I nodded. "He would think if I wasn't going to attend, I wouldn't risk showing my face at all to give me shit."

"Except you have a barrier up," Julian chuckled as he reached for the popcorn. "Your guards are being discrete, but I could feel your magic and slipped in."

I nodded for Izzy, smiling when she laughed. She'd wondered why people weren't bugging us.

She was tired if she hadn't figured that out.

"You were so fucking gorgeous that night in the dress you let me change to match my eyes that my heart raced for hours after," Julian told me.

Izzy's eyes went wide and she mouthed, "Wow."

Right?

"That was the night you first had sex with Hudson, right? I think one of you said that," Julian hedged, clearly wanting to know but not go over the line.

I nodded, smirking when Izzy did a double take. "I didn't know it was the mating bond crawling all over my skin, but it was electric between us, and he stared at me like he was going to gobble me up and I'd ask for more. He followed me when I went to hide in a storage closet and we had unreal sex right there."

"Seriously, your sex life has always made me jealous. Really? Just like that?" Izzy sighed when I nodded. "I want that kind of crazy and passion. I want to be ravaged in a storage room with tons of people around."

"Things didn't get going with Claudia?" I hedged. "I thought she was into you." I'd been dying to ask, but we were always around people when I saw her this summer and Izzy was… Quiet about that stuff.

Funny given she was one of the loudest and bluntest people I knew, but somewhere in her mind she still felt she should be ashamed that she was a lesbian. She shouldn't, and I wanted to beat her parents again and again for making her feel that way.

But she did. It was the one part of her life she didn't like talking about and kept to herself about. If that was how she was in general, fine, I wouldn't have poked and let her tell me things in her time, but it wasn't Izzy.

It was Izzy feeling shame.

She sighed. "We've gone out. Over a dozen fancy dinners and a bunch of lunches." She shrugged and took too big of a bite of her pizza. "But that's it. We just have meals together and I go home. Not even a good night kiss." She quickly reached up and wiped her eyes. "I can't lock on her aura. She's attracted to me physically, but I don't think she likes the person I am."

"No, that can't be it. Claudia has good taste," I said firmly. "Maybe she's just hesitant to make a move on someone so much younger. I mean, it's decades, and even if that's accepted with supes since we all look young, she seems the cautious type to wait."

"I don't want to wait. I want passion and sex in closets," Izzy grumbled.

Fair enough, but I had to be honest then and let her know not everything was always rainbows either. "The possessive dragon tried to have anal sex raw that night."

Julian choked on his bite and half-eaten popcorn flew out of his mouth, more falling out of the container on his lap. He thumped himself on the chest several times and tried to get himself under control.

"Yeah, it was like that," I drawled, nodding when Izzy gave me a hesitant look. "I swear it. He didn't want to use the condom, and I was too new to being a supe that I didn't know if I bought the whole no STDs thing. His answer was anal sex without lube or prep in a storage closet like a fucking idiot. I almost bailed but—nothing is perfect, Izzy."

"He really can be a rockhead sometimes," she grumbled. "They are stupid dragon rockheads."

Clearly, we weren't talking only about Hudson anymore, but I felt better that she understood good came with bad. Nothing was easy. Life wasn't easy.

When we were wrapping up, I sent a message to Claudia while Izzy was distracted.

Me: It's not my place, but you're both my friends, so I want you happy. If you don't make a move soon, she's going to give up that you're not into her. She thinks you think she's pretty but nothing more and not worth pursuing.

Me: I don't think that's the situation, so I'm sticking my nose in it. Izzy wants passion and naughty and romance kind of fireworks. I was worried you're too reserved with your job and don't know how to cross the line. This is your kick in the ass.

Claudia: That isn't remotely how I feel about her. Isabella is so much more than her looks. The whole package of her is top tier and I worry more than I deserve.

Me: You're top tier as well. You're kickass. Be kickass together.

Claudia: Thank you, but I do believe that as well. I meant how jaded and dark I have become. Isabella is light and rainbows. I have become jaded and twisted since losing my brother, even with the justice for it now. I worry I will taint her instead of moving into the light with her.

Me: She's had a lot of darkness as well. She hides it even from me. I think you could be the right person to help her not become jaded and work through her pain. And she could bring you back to the light if you let her.

Me: No matter how much Izzy knows being gay is okay, there's the voice of her parents that it's a mental condition and not real. That twit she went out with didn't help and ignored real life. You're a much better fit and can make her see that she's perfect as she is.

Claudia: She is. She is absolutely perfect. Thank you for the message. I never want to hurt her. I thought I was giving her time to move on from her first love.

Me: You put too much importance on what that relationship was. Trust me. If this was a situation with Rana, she wouldn't have even bothered to discuss it with me. You matter to her. She wouldn't be so bummed that she's not enough for you if she didn't care. Don't wait.

Claudia: I appreciate your pushing. I don't know how to… I'm not a very smooth person. I've never really romanced anyone.

Me: I can give you references to learn, but I worry I would offend you that I'm comparing you to the male of your relationship or something too much. I would never want to imply that or upset you.

Claudia: Your heart is too pure and you worry about too much. I know where your head is. You're looking at me as the experienced one and older, not as a male to seduce your feminine best friend.

Me: Glad you understand. That's exactly where my head was. Plus, I know you want to give Izzy her fantasy. She wants to be swept off her feet. She always has.

Claudia: Any help you have to offer is welcome.

"Hey, what are you so focused on?" Izzy asked me as she moved closer.

I let out a yelp and raised my phone so she couldn't see it, losing my grip and it flew out of my hand.

Julian snagged it and snorted. "Someone was being dirty. Which one was sending you shirtless pics?"

I cleared my throat and gave a shrug, glad when Izzy snickered and bought it. I looked at Julian and mouthed, "Thank you."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to my ear. "How grateful are you?"

Apparently, enough to give him his fantasy of fucking me in a storage closet on campus. I knew something was up with him but when he tapped his temple, I took it as permission to listen in.

And that was what he wanted.

Among other things, but I was game for that.

"We'll be back," I told Izzy after we dropped everything off at our room.

"Uh-huh, go have hot sex while I stare at the wall and be jealous," Izzy grumbled.

I grabbed Julian's hand and teleported us to the prep room of his old lecture hall. "Close enough?"

"Yes, because I've wanted to do it here as well," he muttered as he hurried to pull off my shirt.

"Fine, but I want you to help Claudia also. You're smooth and romantic now that you pulled your head out of your ass. You were before too, but you suck at trying to win someone back."

Totally rude to say, but I wanted sex now too.

"Well, I don't plan on winning anyone back ever again, so I'm fine with that," he mumbled as he kissed along my neck and worked on undoing my jeans. "Yes, whatever you want, my sweet mate. I'll explain how to jump a lover. I'll give her all the help and books."

"Good." I grabbed his hair and pulled his lips to mine, devouring them as he got us both naked. He lifted me to sit on the counter and his fingers pushed into my body.

Glad we were both wound up.

Then again… When were we not around each other?

He fucked me with the short jabs I loved when it was him and I came apart. He lost his rhythm when I begged for more and then switched to fucking me as deeply as he could while fisting my ass.

"Shit, good to know this is your kink," I panted when he was finished.

He snorted. "Tams, all of the kinks are mine with you."

That wasn't true, but I knew what he meant and appreciated it. I wasn't going to ruin the moment and start listing all of the stuff we didn't even want to do together.

No, it was better to just enjoy the sentiment and afterglow.

It was rare I got to enjoy things for long, so I did my best to appreciate the good moments.

Like Monday morning after training when Neldor looked worried and handed me his phone. I swallowed a sigh and played the video… And almost lost my shit.

That vampire, Alicia, was on the news taking an interview that her attraction to Darby had nothing to do with vampires challenging fairies. He was one of their species and the draw she felt to him had nothing to do with me.

But she found it disconcerting that I was so threatened that I hurried to tell the esteemed Faerie Guardian commanders. She felt bad for Darby that I would involve our military to keep him isolated and people from simply speaking to him because they were female. That was beyond controlling, and I clearly needed to get a grip before my power went to my head.

While implying it already had and I should be checked, maybe someone else take over or at least the commanders take away some of my power if I was going to use the military to keep a lover at my side.

"This bitch has a fucking death wish," I growled and almost launched my phone across the training center.

"Please don't break my phone," Neldor muttered as he quickly snagged it from my hand.

"Right, not mine. Sorry." I let out a slow breath and scrubbed my hands over my head. "Always fucking something and bullshit."

"How do you want to handle it?" he asked me.

"Killing her is out, right?" I blew a raspberry when the people around me nodded. "Well, that's where I'm at, so ask me later when I calm down some."

I made it through my classes and to the cafeteria, ignoring all the whispers and stares. Izzy and I were at our normal table and I glanced around before snorting.

"It's weird, right?" she chuckled. "It's like we're back to freshman year first semester when it was just us. And it wasn't us for long. Then it was…"

Mel. Mel joined us most meals back then before the guys all started joining us instead of sitting at the table over.

I shivered, not because of Mel, but that made me think of Mason too. "Yeah, it's weird." I nodded to a few fairies who walked by and bowed to me. It was also weird to have fairies at Artemis that weren't my guards or Neldor. "It's good to change things up. And they all graduated like they were supposed to. It's not going back but forward."

"Yeah, good, smart to look at it like that," she muttered.

Lunch was served and Izzy snorted when it was a three-foot long sub… Just for me.

I simply shrugged and cut off the first chunk to dig into. I was about halfway through when the mood of the cafeteria changed and people were pulling out their phones or showing each other something. "I feel like it's about me, but that sounds pompous and paranoid."

"It's normally right," Izzy grumbled as she pulled out her phone.

A fairy came racing over to me, a woman younger than me. She bowed and held out her phone. "You will want to see this, Your Highness."

"Will it make me happy or will I want to throw your phone?" I drawled.

She lifted her head and worried her lower lip. "I'd be thrilled if he was my lover."

Huh?

I took her phone and gestured for her to join us, glad when Izzy introduced herself and was welcoming. I took in a slow breath and hit play.

"What do you have to say in response to the statement Alicia gave?" a reporter asked Darby outside of the hobgoblin bakery.

Darby frowned and glanced at the reporter. "Who? I don't know who you're talking about and I'm just here to pick up—"

"You don't know who that is?" the reporter cut in as he showed Darby something, another practically shoving their microphone in Darby's face. "That's the vampire you go to Yale with and—"

"Oh, my stalker." He stopped walking and faced them. "I didn't know that was her name since—she just stalks me. We've not been in the same class or projects. She bragged about using her power on a human to get closer to me and try to steal me from Tamsin because she wants to be a princess or something. It was completely unhinged."

"‘Stalker' sounds like—" the reporter tried to reply.

"I'm using the term accurately," Darby said firmly. "I'm sorry if you think only men can stalk or it doesn't matter if her family's rich, but I used the term correctly and plan to report her to the school as a stalker. She used her power on a human to get close to me. That's aggressively pursuing me.

"Her rant about being prettier and better than Tamsin and she'll prove it by ‘snagging' me from her like I was property at auction is obsessive. And now we're at the point of harassment with her speaking to the media about Tamsin being power-mad. She fits the legal definition of a stalker. I think her applying and becoming a student at Yale to get closer to me was enough already."

"There are rumors that you two were involved, and now that your fiancée caught her on campus, you're trying to cover it up and apparently call her names," a woman said from off camera.

Darby blinked at her for a moment and snorted before it built into a chuckle he could barely control. "The woman is a vapid waste of space with nothing in her brain. I'm very sure she bribed someone or cheated to get into Yale Law School if she actually did and it wasn't more of her crazy.

"I also object to using humans as pawns, so that's another reason I would never want her. All of that aside, I have loved Tamsin before I even understood what I was feeling because I'm an idiot. She is my everything and has my soul. I have been hers since she told a student trying to abuse the scholarship program to leave me alone or answer to her.

"Without fear and barely knowing me. That's who the love of my life is, and you think I would ever look at some idiot bragging she wants to be the princess of her social circles because she stole me away? Are you having a laugh? High? There's no comparison. I have the most beautiful, strongest, and most wonderful woman in two worlds as my love.

"I might be an idiot man at times, but I'm not actually stupid. I know that I'm nowhere near Tamsin's level, but she loves me anyways. I would never risk what we have and certainly not for a woman I can't stand. Plus, I'm fairly sure my fairy guards would know if I ever cheated or did anything remotely inappropriate."

"For the record, he hasn't," Rafe said as he moved Darby behind him. "The only time I saw him look at a woman in the past year, the human was ill and Darby sensed it and offered her help. That's it. And we're always with him to guard him. Now, that's enough of this crazy. You're at a place of business and we're just picking up treats. Have a nice day."

"He's not my type, but I just swooned for you over here," Izzy said under her breath. "Like dayumn, Tams."

I was about to agree, but the fairy shot Izzy a nasty look which I caught. "We're friends and we're at lunch off the clock. Everyone can relax a bit in the cafeteria."

"Yes, Your Highness," she accepted, taking her phone back from me. "I will inform the others. We're all just a bit…"

Worried at the speech I gave. Shit. I nodded and stood, seeing that the fairies in this lunch were sitting all around us as close as possible. They had built a barrier around me basically.

It was rather touching… Until I saw others looking at it funny and with a bit of hostility.

I caught the gaze of a woman in my year that I'd talked with a few times and raised an eyebrow asking what was going on.

She sighed and stood so others could see her too. She gestured to the fairies. "They were rather insistent to have those tables. Again, to be around you like we're all rabid or crazy and you need to be protected against us."

"It's a bit creepy like a hive mind for their queen," someone at her table muttered, not looking sorry she said it when I focused on her. She simply shrugged as if saying I'd asked.

I went to stand on my chair and address it, but someone else did first, a dark fairy man I didn't know.

"We're not from this world, and I have barely spent any time in it decades ago," he defended. "The world you live in now is vastly different from what I remember down to how toothbrushes are. And all I've heard since I awoke is how many people resent and have acted horribly to our future queen. You might not be the ones, but it happened at this school.

"So yes, we've grouped together around our future queen just as most of you do around your Alphas or leaders if you're unsure of the situation. That's all we've done. You might see us as kids, but most of us kids are more powerful than even some of the teachers in this cafeteria. That makes us able and willing to protect the princess if need be, not drones to her."

"Thank you," I interjected, waving for him to get down before I stood on my chair. I looked out at the non-fairy students. "They're not used to this world. If you were in Faerie, you would group together and stay by your parents or leaders. That's all they did."

I was glad when people seemed to accept that and backed off. I glanced at the fairies, even turning on the chair so I could see the ones behind me.

"I appreciate your support and that you care about me, but I promise you that I'm fine. You don't have to have your guard up or worry. I also want to make sure you're not going too far with what I said at the all-campus meeting." I swallowed a sigh when they shared looks. "This isn't a formal affair, guys.

"Yes, I'm the heir, but I'm also a student. People are causal with me and mostly it's fine. You don't have to be so formal and bow each time you see me or greet me as if we were at an event or court. This is just school, and no one is watching you to make sure you're perfect fairies. What I meant in my speech is I won't tolerate anyone bullying someone or being a jerk.

"The rest—this is your college experience. You want to ditch a class and sleep in? Ditch a class and sleep in. I've done it. I ditched out early too." I nodded when they all looked shocked beyond belief. "Not a lot, but I have. It's part of being in college. It's part of growing up and learning the type of adult you are."

Izzy snorted and I bit back a smile.

"And I found I was too much of a rule follower to ditch class without feeling guilty. Maybe you won't be. I'm not telling you to do it or condoning it but relax. It's just college, not a formal summons to my castle, okay? Enjoy your time here and learn, but don't be jerks to anyone. That's it. That's all I was warning about."

"Yes, Princess," a chorus of voices said.

Close enough. I got down and thanked the woman for letting me use her phone, glad when she left again.

I texted Darby that I saw what he'd said to the reporters and loved him too. I wasn't sure there was anything else to say.

I loved the stupid vampire who wasn't always stupid.