implanted in my head. They weren’t real. They couldn’t be. Yet, I couldn’t find any trace of magic surrounding their existence. It felt as though he’d unlocked them, not placed them there, and that was even more unnerving.
What else existed in my memories that I didn’t know about?
I shivered and focused on finding Zakkai instead.
It wasn’t hard. He’d practically left me a path of cerulean magic to follow. I couldn’t see it so much as feel it, the energy signature familiar and palpable to my senses.
I wound through the stone corridor, noted the fire lamps flickering with magic along the rocky interior, and passed several closed doors.
Two Midnight Fae stood sentry at the end of my path, one of them opening the final doorway for me and revealing yet another hallway, this one lined with glass windows on one side. I peered out of them and noted the array of wildlife and trees below. We were about three stories up, in some sort of castle. The sun rose over a set of mountains in the distance, making me frown.
This landscape wasn’t anything like the burning thwomps on the Academy grounds. No charcoal blades, raven-like stones, or fire gnats. Just a meadow of pretty flowers, healthy trees, and a mountain of green.
It’s not time for gardening, Aflora, Zakkai taunted in my thoughts, reminding me of the memory he’d skewed.
Stay out of my head.
Afraid I can’t do that, sweet star. You’re my mate, after all.
For now, I retorted. We’re going to break the bond, at least according to the fake event in my head.
Who says it’s fake?
I do, I replied, trailing after his essence again down the hall. It led me to another stone corridor lined with doors.
A few Midnight Fae mingled, all pausing to stare at me with widening eyes.
I ignored them, holding my head high, and allowed my cloak to billow in my wake. No sense in making friends. I didn’t plan to be here long.
A pair of double doors stood closed at the end of the hall, the edges lined in Zakkai’s energy. I sent a blast of magic against the center to blow the doors open, then walked through the threshold with my sole intention of finding the man playing in my head.
Only, a room of Midnight Fae paused mid-bite to gape at my rather forward entry.
They were all framed by windows overlooking the mountain, their tables evenly spaced in a cafeteria-style setting with Zakkai at the front of the room.
He sat beside Laki—if that was even his name—and several other fae. All of them stared at me as I approached, the chatter turning to whispers.
I ignored them all, my focus on my mate. He’d changed into a button-down shirt and tie, his white hair loose and wild around his broad shoulders.
The picture of sin.
He even had a glass of red wine—likely spiked with blood—to finish off his vampiric appearance. He sipped from the rim as his silver-blue eyes ran over me in clear appreciation. Then he set the glass down as the brunette beside him leaned over to whisper in his ear. It was an unmistakably intimate gesture that she strengthened by sliding her hand under the table, presumably to rest on his thigh.
I studied her familiar features with a frown.
Dakota, I recalled. She’d referred to me as a queen.
And from what I inferred by her current body language, she was very friendly with my king. My heart raced at the notion, my eyes narrowing as a result.
She had to know Zakkai was my mate.
Except he intended to break our bond, so maybe she didn’t care.
I shouldn’t care either.
However, part of me wanted to march over there and remove her hand from Zakkai’s leg. A ridiculous instinct, considering I didn’t even want him to be my mate.
I already had three; I didn’t need a fourth. This was just temporary. If he wanted to make flowers with that dark-haired Elite Blood, then so be it. I’d much prefer to just kill him anyway.
Have you come to play? he asked into my mind, his head cocking to the side—the side that was noticeably away from Dakota.
That’s interesting, I thought, ignoring his question.
Her full lips pursed as she straightened, her dark eyes flicking to me. “Nice of you to finally join us,” she said, removing her hand from Zakkai’s thigh to place it on the back of his chair in a decidedly proprietary move.
He didn’t seem to notice or care—likely because she touched him often—and instead smiled at me. “I