“The queen is never going to let me go if I actually figure this resurrection spell out.” The words escaped in a rush, just as I heard the front door open.
“Brynn?” Jasinda called out just before I heard her footsteps on the staircase behind me. “I had to throw our salads in the compost bin. What are you doing in here? I thought we agreed it was best not to come back here today?”
“The queen is never going to let go of me,” I repeated, pushing past Vex and moving into the room with Air's coffin. I hadn't come in here since moving in, but as I stood there and stared down at his not-so-sleeping face, it finally dawned on me how naive I'd been. “If I successfully complete this spell, she'd be a fool to let me go …”
“Let you go?” Air asked, pausing on the opposite side of the room and giving his body a look. He never went near it either. It made all of this shit feel too … real. It was so easy to pretend like being dead didn't matter if we were talking or screwing or hanging out. But this? This was hard, cold reality. “We'll be married. You'll be queen.”
“Your mother is never going to let me be queen,” I scoffed, putting my fingers on the glass of the coffin, smearing it with fingerprints. “I mean, not the queen, but I guess if I was a part of your harem, that'd be a good place to keep me.”
“What are you talking about?” Air asked as the bells in the tower rang, signaling the end of lunch. He was looking at me like a crazy person, but then, he'd never been able to see his mother's faults.
“Felixa, she said she was promised as your first wife, Air.”
“Felixa is full of shit,” he told me as Eli slipped through the wall and into the room. Dyre and Professor Cross at least had the common sense to stay out in the hallway, but Jasinda and Vexer squeezed in to watch. “I don't want a harem, Brynn. I only want you.”
“You're saying Felixa was never promised to you as a wife?” I whispered and Air made a frustrated sound low in his throat. Gods, he was beautiful in that dark tunic and breeches, just as ethereal as he'd been the night of All Haunts' Eve. And it'd be the last outfit he'd ever wear if I didn't get this spell right.
“My mom made promises to Felixa's family, sure, but I don't care about any of that, Brynn. I'm the only heir that she has left. What is she going to do if I refuse Felixa? Disown me?”
“Maybe she wants me to resurrect your sisters so she can?” I said, pushing off the coffin to stand up straight. I gave Air a very pointed look.
“So what? Then I'll marry you anyway,” he said as I slipped the ring from my pocket and rolled it around between my fingers. I was carrying it with me wherever I went. Probably should've threaded it onto a necklace or something so I didn't lose it. “Even if I did want a harem—I don't—then I'd never choose Felixa, not when I know you hate her so much. Brynn.” Air moved over to me and put cool hands on the black leather shoulders of my jacket. “Cheer up. I won't let my mother hurt you.”
“That's a nice sentiment,” Vexer said, his voice low and grumbly. Pretty sure he hated the prince which totally sucked since I liked them both. But compeers who didn't get along … well, that spelled disaster for everyone. And why was I even thinking about husbands and married and compeers anyway?! “But you're dead. Honestly, it'd probably be better for everyone involved if Brynn never even tried the damn spell. If she succeeds, her life … it's over.”
“It's … over?” Air asked, like it hadn't really occurred to him either. His cousin stood nearby, pale blue eyes narrowed in thought.
“I guess I'd never thought about it before,” Elijah said, echoing my own inner voice. “Everyone knows I'm dead. If she brought me back, with no body mind you”—Eli tapped the coffin with his hand—“there'd be wars to get a hold of her.”
“I can't talk about this right now,” I said, glancing at Vexer. He had a sympathetic expression on his face, but Trubble looked downright pleased by all the drama. What a dick. Another feather popped off, but I ignored it. I already had bald patches from that assault by the spirits freed from the razor wolves. What were a few more? “I have, uh, Spirits and Shadows for Hour Five. I shouldn't have brought any of this up anyway. We have other ship to worry about first.”
I paused next to Vexer, wondering if he'd reach out and touch me … He did. He took my hand in his and squeezed it. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on between us, but I liked it. And clearly, he must like me if was able to break that spell.
“Stay strong, okay?” he said softly, and I nodded, jerking to a halt as he yanked me back by the hand and into his strong, muscular arms. He folded me close and kissed my mouth in the most possessive, alpha male way possible.
And I liked it.
Eww.
I so totally liked it.
“You are so ridiculously monogamous, huh?” I asked when Vex finally let me up for air. Speaking of air … The prince was standing behind me along with Elijah and they both looked furious. I guess they weren't quite as fond of the big griffin man as I was.
“Where's my kiss?” Trubble asked, flicking his tails and looking like a smug little prick. Sorry, but it was totally worth losing a feather for that one.
“Go, enjoy your classes. You deserve it.” Vex let me go and stepped back. I didn't bother to check anyone's expressions as I headed back down the stairs and outside with Jasinda following along behind me. As soon as she caught up, she tossed over my book bag and gave me a look.
“You have a lot of men to juggle, Brynn,” she whispered as Professor Cross caught up to us and gave me a very pointed sort of look.
“I can't say I approve of a twenty-eight year old man hiding in your campus housing with those sorts of thoughts running through his head.” The professor started fussing with his messy tie and unbuttoned shirt, flashing some of those incredible tattoos. I'd seen what they could do now, and I was thoroughly impressed.
“What sort of thoughts?” I asked as Jasinda and I walked to class. Even though this was technically our second day of school—and everyone else's fourth—this was the first time we'd ever been to this particular classroom. It was on the opposite end of campus from the building Professor Cross used to haunt.
“Lascivious ones,” he said, his sapphire eyes going wide. His dark hair was forever spiked up in a crazy sort of way, permanently disfigured from the hundred plus times a day he ran his fingers through it. “Dirty ones.”
“Oh?” I asked as Jasinda elbowed me in the side. I ignored her and focused my attention on Professor Cro— Spicer. I was going to start calling him Spicer. Maybe that would make having him around less … creepy? Stifling? Weird? “Were they explicit?”
“Terribly explicit,” Spicer said with this oddly enamoring charisma. He was a little sloppy, a little unkempt, but definitely interesting. I just wished he'd thought to ask before making me his point of binding. “Borderline pornographic.” The professor paused for a moment and tapped a finger against his lips. “No, not borderline. Definitely pornographic.” He slid his eyes over to mine, that little ring of turquoise setting him apart from the thousands of other Amerin citizens with pretty blue eyes. “Vexer of Reisender is a … very visual person, I must say. And if he hasn't seen you naked yet, then he's got an extremely vivid imagination.”
“Professor Cross,” a voice ground out from our right.
Ah, flub. It was the dean of faculty again.
“You might be a … non-living member of the Royal College faculty, but I'll have you remember that the rules remain the same.” The woman was shorter than all of us—even me—but the way she glared with those dark brown eyes of hers made me quiver in my academy issued boots. “Did I just hear you discussing pornography with a student?”
“Of course not,” Spicer said, smooth as silk, straightening his tie and offering up a benign little smile to Tiukka of Haversey. The dean of faculty was from some distant island whose name I could barely pronounce. She was almost rumored to be the strictest professor on campus … and the teacher for my next class.
Fantastic.