Rosemary Johns - Rebel Academy - Curse

"You're mine," I breathed against Bask's silky head, breathing in his sweet scent of coco and almonds, "and you also belong to yourself. I don't care what your bitch of an ex says. You're a Rebel now. She can't touch you."

My brows furrowed in confusion, as Bask lowered his arms from my neck and took a step back. He shot me a sad smile.

"I don't have a choice, see," he whispered. "Don't you remember that I promised to behave for her? And look, it's pleased her to turn up for the tournament to watch me..."

Magenta's magic flared in a furious pink flurry, tinging the snow.

Dwarf on a pike, how had I forgotten that all this time Bask had known that today could be his last day wrapped in our love, before the Duchess decided if she took him away again to her incubi harem? That all along, he was in just as much danger as Fox or Magenta? How terrible had his conditioning been that he could hide his pain even from me?

Bask had more courage than any of us.

Magenta pulled away from me to clasp Bask's hand. "Be assured, we'll win this tournament and then we'll win your freedom as well. No one will ever cause suffering to my lovers or Rebels again. My mother started this academy, and I shall end it."

Bask's smile was shaky, as he rested his gloved hand on Magenta's cheek. "You romantic."

I chuckled, but then my expression darkened, as my gaze swept across our audience. Magically warm bubbles that kept out the snow had been spelled around a raised platform with dragon embossed thrones. The professors and VIP guests were tucked under crow feather blankets, blowing on hot chocolates with star shaped marshmallows.

Well, weren't they cozy?

Us students were freezing our balls off, but I felt just awesome about that because our guests were wrapped in pink and black striped scarfs, as they waited for us to battle in the freezing skies for their amusement.

Didn't Fox call that sarcasmese?

My hair bristled to red, and my werewolves howled. Mist galloped from one side of the gate to the other in agitation.

I studied the teenager, who sat ram-rod straight next to Juni.

Bor's balls, it was Willoughby's brother, Darby, who was the elven King. At least, he was now that he’d deposed Willoughby who was the rightful heir and sentenced him to be banished to the academy as penance . How much pressure would the Prince (who we'd claimed as ours), now be under? We'd all been forced to read his brother’s harsh letter, as well as witness Willoughby slaughtering their dad by accident, while trying to protect him.

I got Willoughby because he was a monster like me, and if he lost control of his power, then people died.

I was as sure of that as I was sure that I was falling in love with Willoughby.

I struggled every day with my own demons. Yet I'd had a dad who'd supported me, while Willoughby had a brother who hated him. The true kick in the ass was that Willoughby had raised his kid brother, loving him more than their dad had bothered to. Did he even now realize that his brother didn’t love him back?

My heart ached. Hel’s tits, I hoped not.

Juni caressed Darby's arm in an attempt to catch his attention, but his dark gaze was fixed on me like he was flaying me and reaching inside to violate my secrets. His expression was cruel in a way that Willoughby's never was.

His dark magic strangled mine. I ached to drop to my knees.

The asshole's lip twitched up at the corner... he knew .

I glared at him. Disturbingly, Darby looked just like a younger Willoughby with large sky-blue eyes and a cascade of sky-blue hair, which had crystals woven into it.

Wait, were those the crystals that Willoughby had been wearing in the memory I'd witnessed, which marked his official right to the throne? His mum had gifted them to him.

It'd rip out his heart to see them in his brother's hair.

Darby was literally wearing his brother's clothes. He'd stolen his Crown, sentenced his brother to punishment, and now was rubbing it in his face.

I was going to wreck the little jerk...

Footsteps crunched behind me in the snow, and I twisted around to watch the Princes marching towards the dragons. Could I help the way that my dick thickened against my thigh at their cashmere pink coats that hugged their figures so closely I was surprised that I couldn’t see their dicks? By Magenta’s soft sigh, I figured that her dick would also be hardening if she had one.

I shocked the Princes as much as myself, when I smiled at them reassuringly.

It didn't matter that in a couple of minutes we'd be rivals in the air. Right now on the ground, we were on the same team. Ezekiel had attempted to teach us that. The true predators were on dragon thrones, drinking hot chocolate and masking their dickishness and revenge with lies called redemption and reforming .

The Princes would never leave the Rebel Academy, any more than the Immortals would.

On the Valkyries, let Lysander see that, before it was too late to save his fae ass.

When Darby caught Willoughby's gaze, Willoughby stumbled, and only Lysander's arm around his shoulders stopped him falling. He grimaced with pain, before hurriedly masking it.

Was Willoughby hurting him with the cursed silk even here? Had his brother just punished him?

Juni's lips pinched, and she drew back from Darby. Mischief and mayhem, she knew that he had.

Beside me, Magenta stiffened. "As Flair would say, Darby needs his fucking prick turned into an icicle and then snapped ."

Despite myself, I winced at the same time as Bask.

"The bad bastard would deserve it for hurting my elf." Bask glared at Darby.

Darby only tilted his head at him with a sneer, but Bask didn't look away. For the sake of his lovers, Bask could stand up to anyone.

When Lysander dug his fingers into Willoughby’s elbow and yanked him to Ambrose in a strict way that he hadn’t in days, I glanced at Magenta. Why wasn’t she threatening to pull down the academy on his ass or at least, coiling her mists around him like a threat?

Instead, she stood silent, curling her mists around Bask, as if she needed his support to hold her back. Why was she controlling herself?

I sure as Hel wasn’t.

Yet when I growled, Magenta’s eyes flashed.

She danced sparkles across my cheeks, until I turned to look at her, and the red fury receded. “It’s only a mask,” she muttered. “The Princes play a role to protect themselves. Have you forgotten our enraptured audience? Look who’s watching.”

I caught the satisfied smirk on Darby’s face, as he watched the manhandling of his brother, and I growled again. Now there was an elf who I’d keep on my shelf, just so that I could freeze his dick and then snap it off.

Flair was a psycho of a familiar, but sometimes, he was right.

Yet Magenta shook her head, gripping my chin with shaky fingers and turning me to look at the fae who sprawled in a throne next to Damelza. The Principal preened, running her hand through her hair like she hoped to catch herself a new husband.

I didn’t even want to think about what had happened to the first one.

“Lysander’s guardian,” Magenta shuddered, “Prince Titus.”

My eyes widened, as Fenrir clawed to escape, howling and scrabbling at me inside. Here was the asshole who Magenta had been almost forced to marry…the asshole who’d sent us on a mission that’d led to Hector’s death…the asshole who was patron to the entire academy…

The VIP asshole, who’d even locked up his own nephew and ward in the academy.

I bared my teeth, scrutinizing Titus. What was worse than losing your frozen dick? Because I was going to doubly…t riply …wreck the fae.