Rosemary Johns - Rebel Academy - Curse

Yet it'd also been like I could feel the phantom touch of Lysander’s lips on mine, and I'd craved it.

As soon as the lesson had ended, I'd dematerialized in confusion and distress, reappearing in this glade that'd been my murder scene, prison, but also sanctuary.

I shook at the memory of Lysander's plush lips. They'd been so close. One breath away. In that moment, he'd been all I’d wanted. Needed.

Sweet Hecate, was he who I'd always been waiting for? My true fae prince?

But this was no fairy tale. I was the wicked witch, and if I craved this, then it'd be on my own terms.

I wrapped my fingers tightly around the book on my lap. "Is wanting Lysander as an Immortal a betrayal of Robin?"

There. Cauldrons and candles, I'd voiced it.

Flair snapped his beak together with a clack . " You want to fuck him. No judgment because I'd fuck that tight behind. "

"No, I mean, yes..."

" You want to nest in all those golden feathers because I would, " Echo tried.

"Also, no but yes."

Flair shuffled closer. " You want to spank his tight behind because it'd make me come so hard that I saw stars to see it bouncing and cherry red. Don't you think he'd look delicious, sobbing and ruined? "

What a startling and surprisingly hot image. Perhaps, I did want that. Lysander had certainly earned it by bringing up his uncle, during class.

"I never realized that the English language is woefully inadequate because it hasn't developed a word that means no but yes ."

" You love him ," Echo said, softly.

A slow smile spread across my face and it felt like life. "Ah, now that's simpler." My smile faltered, and for a moment, I could sense how caught I was still between the veils, tremblingly close to death. "Or it should be." I glanced down at the book in my lap. "Should love be a betrayal?"

Flair's gaze became knowing. " Is this about squirrel boy's gift ?"

I flushed.

Echo tapped my cheek with his wing. " Who said love's easy? "

Flair rested his beak on the book. " Do you reckon that you're the only one with a past, boss? " I startled. My familiars never told me about the time before they'd been turned from vampires (which were Fallen Angels) into familiars on my twenty-first birthday, and I'd never forced them. " To move on, you're always leaving somebody or something behind. On the heart of pain, the only betrayal that matters is if you betray yourself. "

" We were both owned by a warrior Glory, and we fought in the ranks, under a fellow Wing called Commander Drake. By my feathers, he was dazzling, brave, and he looked out for the kids in the army ." Wait, there was an angelic children’s army ? The Glories were the female angels, and I knew that they dominated the male angels, the Wings. Echo refused to meet my eye like any moment he'd say something that would make me reject him. Witching heavens, why was he so scared of that? " Plus, the Commander was a secret rebel because he'd secretly warn any Wings he could, if he knew their Glories were going to Mark them ."

When Echo flapped off my lap into the protective embrace of his brother, I stiffened. Both crows shook. How had the angel who should've loved and protected them (like I did) hurt them so badly that even now, they were frightened?

"What in the name of Hecate is being Marked?"

" It's like having your balls on a leash ." Flair wrapped his wings closer around Echo. " You’re no longer part of the harem; you’re nothing but your Glory’s bitch. So, that night we rebelled and Fell. On my blood, we betrayed Angel World, our pasts, and families, by becoming vampires. Were we wrong to do that, boss? "

"Of course not,” I replied. “I only wish that I could hex your Glory's lady bits to woof every time that a Wing strolled past her, so that there was no doubt who the true bitch was." Echo snickered. "What happened after you Fell?"

" Oxford's vampire Duke accepted us into his Court. He's gorgeous, and has all these pretty beads in his hair ." Flair's expression was dreamy. Somebody had a crush. " It became our home ."

" Until the witches caught us ," Echo added, darkly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

How could they bear to be with me? To comfort me? I'd always known that they'd been stolen from their home, but now it felt real.

Flair did the crow equivalent of shrugging. " Don't get your panties bunched, boss, no one's ever treated us as well as you ."

Echo rubbed his head against a snowdrop. " And no one's loved us, loved us, loved... "

My chest tightened. No one had loved me the way that the Immortals had, since I'd been rebirthed. Apart from Robin, and our love had been as new and delicate as these snow drops. Perhaps, it would’ve blossomed into something more, but we hadn't been given the time.

I'd never get over Robin but I didn't have to. I just had to allow myself to love all the men who met my different needs, as well as to meet their needs too.

I placed the Your Heart’s Desire Book onto the ground next to me. "If you don't awfully mind, I’d appreciate a quiet moment."

Flair nodded. " Got you. "

I stared at both my familiars, who hadn't moved. " Ehm , traditionally, that means by oneself."

To my surprise, Flair cawed with raucous laughter, before flapping into the air. "Next time you want some privacy to finger your quim, until you’re gasping out Lysander, Lysander, Lysander, just ask."

I took great insult at that: my breathy moans sounded far more civilized.

Echo flew after his brother. "Don't forget to chalk it up to the Wank Count and to tell us about it."

Ah, this modern age.

"I shall in great detail."

I simply shan't admit that it's imaginary, since I'm not doing anything to my quim, thank you very much .

But I didn't want to spoil their fantasy.

I watched them swoop away into the twilight like two dark specters. Then I turned, resting my back against Hecate's Tree. I could feel her magic pulsing through me; I crossed my legs because right now, Flair's idea was tempting.

Then I opened the Your Heart’s Desire Book.

A gust of icy wind blasted through the glade.

Ghost Robin circled the glade once, before tickling down my neck (which had been his weak spot as a child) and then ghosting waves of icy air all the way down to my hips like he was rediscovering the feel of me.

I shivered, smiling at the sight of Paper Robin. Only, he was in Mr Tailsy’s red squirrel form, scampering from one side of the page to the other. This small, he was even more adorable and just like one of my toys from the Bird Turret. I longed to pet him, while his tail would wrap around my arm like ivy, and he’d rub his tufted ears against my hand.

Mr Tailsy paused, staring up at me with a delighted tuk tuk . Then in a burst of glitter, he transformed back into a man, who stuffed his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look casual.

Like he hadn’t merely been waiting in here for me to visit him again.

“Good evening, wife,” Robin said like he was testing it out.

Had he been desperate since last night to say those words? Did he not truly believe that I wished to marry him, no matter that our marriage could be solemnized by secret vows?

I arched my brow. “How are you, husband ?”

His expression relaxed into a grin, before he yawned. “Bored. Merlin’s breath, could you draw some trees for me? I’m aching to leap from the branches and take all those furry risks that I know you hate. The dead need their exercise too, you know.”