Page 98 of Bound to Three Fae Beasts

“Why is your tunic ripped?” Silas demanded.

It occurred to me how bad this must look. I touched my neck, checking for a wound. I shook my head. “It’s not what you think. I mouthed off to Gareth and he grabbed me. This was an accident. But he’s going to be pissed with me. I need to hide for a while. I need to … you shouldn’t know where I am, you’ll only be in more danger.”

Silas strode forward and carefully put his arm around my shoulder. “We’re not leaving you, Z. Come with us. If they’ve decided to start bullying you, we’ll hide you. Come on. You’re safe now. We won’t let them hurt you.”

I let them lead me away, praying that Gareth wouldn’t find us. What was I going to tell Silas and Freta, though? Now that my secret was revealed, I needed to break contact with them. I needed to put distance between me and them, so Gareth wouldn’t hurt them.

Gods … what was I going to do?

Chapter 43 - Seb

Jasper and I managed to hold Gareth off long enough for Azriel to get away. He swore and spat, lashing out with magic. By the time the teachers arrived to break us apart, the Laurel room was completely trashed. Half my plants were destroyed, and many others were going to have a hard road to get back to health.

We were dragged to the headmaster’s office, where I stood sopping up blood from a broken nose. Jasper also bled heavily. Gareth was banged up, too, but he’d held his own against us. I knew for a fact that he’d held off from hurting us as much as he could have.

“What in the devil’s name happened?” Quincy demanded as he glared at the three of us.

I glanced at Gareth from the corner of his eye. The unbinding had happened so quickly and without damage, so nobody would know about it unless he told them. Nobody would know Azriel was a shape-thief unless he said so. It was why he was here, to flush her out.

Gareth only ground his teeth together. “It was a misunderstanding that got out of hand.”

“What sort of misunderstanding?” Quincy demanded.

Gareth shrugged. “None of your fucking business.”

“Watch yourself, Lord Gareth. You are still a student here,” Quincy said sharply. “All three of you will receive detention for your behavior. I expect more from the lords of such prestigious courts. Lord Gareth, Lord Jasper. You are dismissed.”

I lifted one eyebrow, surprised that they were being sent off but I was being kept behind. This did not bode well for me. Gareth left without so much as a backward glance, but Jasper gave me a brief, concerned look before he left.

I faced Quincy again and folded my arms. “What is it, Headmaster?”

“We received a message from your father. You and Lady Flora are to be married after the current Academy year ends.” The headmaster handed me a folded and sealed letter.

I took the letter as a surge of anger went through me. It had always been the plan that I’d marry Flora. She was powerful, I was powerful, and an alliance between our houses would help to curb the rising power of Court Manilow. But it had always been more of a loose plan, one that I wouldn’t have to deal with until a later date.

I opened the letter and skimmed through it. My father was verbose, but I quickly was able to work through the important parts. The marriage contract was still being negotiated, but the date was set. Flora and I were to start getting to work on producing an heir right away.

Why was this being pushed so hard now? Father mentioned the unbinding that happened at Flora’s party. So that must be it. Having an unbinding happen here at the Academy had rattled them. If they knew about the one that had just happened, no doubt I’d be forced to the wedding altar by the end of the week.

Scrawled on the back of the letter was a note from my sister, Sophie. It detailed how her lessons were going and how excited she was for Flora to be her sister-in-law. Given that they hadn’t spent much time together, it was no wonder that Sophie was excited. Flora had only been sweet and indulgent around her. How quickly would it change after the wedding?

“Was there anything else, Headmaster?” I asked, folding the letter again. If it was just my impending nuptials, the letter would have been sent to be directly. So what else did my father have up his sleeve?

A knock came on the office door. Quincy called, “Come in.”

Flora herself slipped in. She’d put her hair in a modest braid and looked the picture of demure. She also held a letter in her hand, and when she saw me, she had to quickly hide a grimace. I wasn’t sure why. It was difficult for me to figure out if she was pursuing me through genuine attraction or just because of our family positions.

I had a feeling if she did genuinely want me, that desire had cooled through my multiple rejections. Her pride had been wounded every time, and she wasn’t someone who enjoyed rejection. By this point, I was certain our marriage would be full of her punishing me for making her chase me.

“You received the letter from your family?” Quincy asked her.

“Yes, sir.”

Quincy nodded in satisfaction. “Good. With this new development, you two will be moved in together in one of the private dorms. Usually, they are reserved for fourth and fifth year students, but considering the situation, you are receiving special permission.”

Flora glanced at me again. Her expression was downcast as she nodded. “Thank you, sir. I am certain my family will be pleased to hear it.”

Mine would be, too, but my jaw stayed shut. I could see it all now. Sleeping in the same bed as Flora every night. Doing my duty to my family, my court, the fae world in general. Kissing her, fucking her, making every effort to ensure we’d have a child sooner than later. Fertility potions for both of us. And every time I held her in my arms, I’d be thinking about Azriel. I’d want to have her instead.