Wicked Heirs (Electi Academy #1)

21. ~Talon~

21

~Talon~

“She’s late.”

“It’s fine,” Orpheus told me, as he hurriedly worked his magic, his purple flames all over the place.

“Gives us time to make things perfect for when she arrives,” Xavier added, his blue fire all over the place too, working on the sculptures to add a decorative and what he’d called a magical and romantic element to the surroundings.

As for me, I’d already done my part with creating the little fire at the center of it all.

And also bringing the marshmallows and stuff to make s’mores, alongside the hot chocolates with a dozen multi-colored mini-marshmallows floating on the surface to satisfy her sweet tooth.

“Do you think she got our message?”

“It was impossible to miss,” Xavier said.

Together, we’d prepared a specialized invitation that we’d put outside the door of Alena’s chambers. Orpheus had suggested putting it inside, but Xavier had quickly cut him off on going that route, citing that it would likely be seen as creepy and a violation by her, an invasion of privacy, despite the good intentions behind it. Sometimes Ore wasn’t good at walking the line there. Neither was I, really. Especially when he suggested something, I usually jumped right on board. It was something we both needed to work on, Alena coming into our lives making us realize that as we never had before.

There was accountability now since she’d become a part of us.

Speaking of becoming a part of us , that was what tonight was about, kind of solidifying that.

Tonight was supposed to be a date, her first with all three of us.

We’d intended to keep it casual, as X had suggested, but the temptation to dress it up with a combination of our magic, my phoenix fire, some artistry here and there, and one of Ore’s illusions, had been too much to pass up. She deserved to have all the romance in the world.

We’d just keep the actual content of the date casual, no pressure.

Anyway, back to the invitation we’d sent her.

Orpheus had taken some of the magical orchids from his garden and we’d put them in a frosted glass vase that I’d blown with some sand and my phoenix fire, and around the vase we’d arranged some gold candles, her favorite snacks, and a teddy bear holding three hearts. Then, slid into the vase, was a note asking her to this date in what had become our usual, secret spot in the woods at the far corner of campus.

“What if she hasn’t headed back to her chambers yet?” I pointed out.

Orpheus told me, “Her classes ended an hour ago.”

“Well, maybe she had something else to do afterward. Practicing her magic, for instance?”

“She practices it right here,” Xavier said.

“She could have decided to switch it up—maybe she headed to the turrets now after you took her there the other day.”

The two of them exchanged a look and I saw them recognize the validity of my theory.

“Fuck,” Orpheus uttered. He’d finished up and I watched him pull his magic back and observe what he’d created, before eyeing me and saying, “I’ll fly over there and check.”

X shook his head. “Just give it a little more time. Tracking her down for our date would definitely take the romance out of it.”

“I see,” Orpheus said, taking his words in, and clearly making a mental note, because he was trying to learn how to be more like X from a romantic standpoint, for Alena’s benefit. It was one of the sweetest things I’d ever known him to do. To make changes for another, to accommodate another and go out of his way with it.

“Besides,” X went on. “We want her to walk through the trees and take in the surprise we’ve prepared, to absorb it all.”

“Yeah, you know, I want to see the look on her face so badly. The happy surprise in her eyes. You’re right.”

“You’re just freaking out,” X said.

“What? No.”

“Oh, you most definitely are,” Orpheus agreed.

Was I? “I just want it to go well.”

“And it will,” Xavier told me, flashing one of his reassuring smiles.

Orpheus came toward me frowning. “What’s wrong, baby bird? Why are you so worked up?”

“ Because I’m not you two!” I found myself blurting out in a burst of anger. It was that inescapable side of my nature coming to the surface again from a catalyst of agitation. It just went from zero to a hundred most of the time. Where most beings had something between the two that stopped them from escalating so quickly, as a phoenix, I didn’t.

My fiery nature at its finest.

Sometimes anger and rage were useful, they could be so powerful. They could also get you through some depressed and dark times, helping you to transcend it, really. But it could definitely also be a detriment. Like when I couldn’t remain levelheaded, when I burst out saying shit I didn’t really mean in a fit of anger—unfiltered shit that hurt people, or when I jumped into dangerous action instead of having the presence of mind and rational thought to assess things properly.

It also made me shut down when I leaned on that part of my nature too heavily, when I allowed it to take the reins for too long.

“Tal?” Xavier pressed.

Orpheus reached me and slid his hand to my cheek and stroked my skin with the pad of his thumb in that soothing way of his.

But I didn’t want to be soothed right now.

I wanted to be heard.

I needed to get out the toxicity running through my veins.

“X, you’re the romantic one and Alena is already enamored with you. And Orpheus, you can do pretty much anything, you’re king of your domain wherever you go and you have this intense connection with her that none of us have been able to figure out the root of, but which keeps you two bound together, no matter how pissed she gets at you in between. But me? I’m the guy who came at her really viciously. Even though she’s forgiven me, all I am now is the guy in the background. I’m the odd one out.”

“What are you talking about?” Orpheus ground out, pissed for me that I saw myself that way. “You have a great deal to give. You’re not an extra or the odd one out . You’re a part of us. You’re important to us both and you’re becoming that for her too already.”

“I’m with him for once,” X said, moving to Orpheus’ side and literally standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him. “He’s right on.”

“Nah,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re just saying that, trying to make the baby bird feel better. Treating me with kid gloves as usual.”

Ore’s lips quirked. “Well, you are my sweet baby bird.”

“But you’re also much more than that,” X continued.

“Exactly,” Ore said. “Don’t you see, Talon? You’re the passion.”

I frowned. “I’m… I am?”

X chuckled at my stunned reaction. “Yes.”

Ore told me, “It had been dialed to rage and pain for so long, but since you’ve gotten to know Alena, all of that has begun to shift.”

“It sure has,” a familiar voice came from behind me.

Orpheus and Xavier smiled.

I turned around to see Alena standing there, her bright electric-blue eyes taking everything in.

Satisfaction coursed through me as I saw that awed and excited expression all over her, just like we’d been going for.

“Wow!” she exclaimed, taking it all in.

The snow surrounding the area, the ice sculptures of bears, gargoyles, dragons, and even a couple of snowmen with fairy lights providing illumination as well as giving off a magical effect. Ore had even made it snow softly too, just making sure it was spelled to avoid me, because I hated getting wet.

Around the fire I’d made was a seating area with oversized comfy purple chairs with fluffy blankets draped over them, and multicolored cushions on each. Two long tables were set up with picnic-type foods like sandwiches, quiches, fruits, salads and the supplies to make the s’mores, and we even had a little bar that could make all our favorite alcoholic drinks.

Alena looked sexy as fuck in a pastel-green backless dress that was paired with white knee-high boots.

“This is truly amazing!” she cried, looking between the three of us. “Thank you! I can’t believe you did this!”

Seeing her so carefree and unburdened like this was another level of awesome.

In that moment, I made a promise to myself to work to bring it out more from her.

“How is this so perfect? I just… I can’t believe it,” she uttered, returning from exploring the scene and walking to where the three of us were gathered, smiling at us in turn.

“We asked X, the King of Romance , what you’d like to walk out here to and he mentioned a snow scene in his book that you really took to, and he told us about you saying how you found snow so magical,” I explained.

Orpheus added in, “Something about how you felt it had this inexplicable and exquisite power to wipe away all the bad and signal a fresh, hopeful start.”

She stared at us in yet more awe, then settled on X. “Wow, you remembered pretty much word-for-word. I’m impressed.” She pressed her hand to her heart. “And majorly touched. By all of you.”

I was just about to respond, when Orpheus held up his hand. “Let the innuendo that just came to mind about touching us all go, baby bird.”

“Yeah, no ruining the moment,” X said.

I slapped my hand to my heart. “I’m hurt.”

“So, it wasn’t just moments away from spilling from your gorgeous lips then?” Orpheus challenged.

“You think you know me so well.”

“Damn straight we do,” X confirmed.

“Aww,” Alena said. “He can be super romantic actually.”

Pride swelled. “See?” I told the guys. “Assholes.”

“I’m gonna need an example,” X said.

“Seconded,” Orpheus pushed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his purple blazer that had the lapels with the onyx gemstones all over them, his black tee beneath pulling taut at his movements. If I hadn’t been preoccupied defending my romantic honor, I would’ve been all over that sexiness and making it known that I appreciated it, big time.

Xavier settled in too, folding his arms across the chest of his brown leather jacket with one of his go-to gray hoodies beneath.

Alena surprised me then as she came to my side and wrapped her arm around me, her warmth as she touched my shoulders skin-to-skin with me only wearing my tight orange and black tank radiating through me. I blinked, trying to focus through it as she told the guys, “He doesn’t need to defend himself.”

Off my surprise, she told me with a grin, “ I’ll take care of it.”

Before I could fully process that and her going out of her way to stand up for me and to tend to my emotions and make me feel better, she launched into the story of our time together out here wherein I’d made my phoenix fire art for her and we’d hung out.

She even went on to tell Orpheus how I’d defended him and put in a good word, how sweetly I’d spoken about him and our circumstances, and how it had made her see me in a different light from that moment onward.

“Whoa,” X breathed, when she was done.

“Thank you,” I told Alena.

She lifted a shoulder. “Just calling it like it is, sweet thing.”

“Damn, having her call you sweet thing is the big time with her,” X said, with a chuckle.

Yeah, I’d heard her call him that.

Not Orpheus, though.

He wouldn’t like that.

Although, he did have a sweet side, and she knew that now. Their time on the turret and then flying together for a bit had seen to that. Especially the part where he’d let her in.

After they’d finished up, he’d called X and me to his chambers and he’d also told us what had happened back then between his father and Alena’s mother.

It had been a lot to absorb, and the fact he’d been keeping it quiet all this time must’ve been eating him up. I knew a thing or two about that. He’d seemed lighter over the last few days since it had been put out there. Again, I knew that feeling well. Seeing Alena’s memories of my parents’ deaths had done the same for me—after the pain of the worst part of reliving it again had eased somewhat first.

“Well, then, we stand corrected,” Orpheus spoke. There was a glint in his eye as he looked at me, suggesting that he really knew I was capable of bringing the romance, and that he’d just been ribbing me.

Actually, knowing him and his master manipulator ways, it could have been more than that. It stood to reason that he could have done it to get Alena to come to my defense, to draw her to me, because our connection wasn’t as strong as his and X’s were with her yet. We hadn’t spent as much time together. And nothing physical had happened between us either, while she’d been with each of them. He was trying to help me out, something that would also help all three of us out as a unit with her.

“Come on,” X said, “Let’s enjoy our snow picnic.”

With that, we all headed over to the chairs situated in an arc in front of the fire.

As we did, we all noticed Alena shivering.

I jogged over to the supply area and snatched up a warm cream blanket, then came back to her and draped it over her shoulders. “Sorry, me and X can’t feel the cold because of what we are—especially me. And growing up in the DFR—Dark Fae Realm—it has to be extremely cold for Ore to be bothered by it. But you’re half-human so you’re susceptible to temperature changes.”

“Thank you.” She smiled up at me as she held the blanket to her at her chest with one hand. “I wouldn’t trade this snow paradise for anything. It’s well worth it.”

Catching me off guard then, she snagged the neck of my tank and used it to jerk me to her.

Then she pressed her lips to mine.

The startlement off it took me a few moments to respond.

I sank my hand into her hair, holding her gently as I kissed her back.

It was soft, slow and easy.

And all fucking consuming.

Holy hell.

As it escalated and I slid my tongue into her mouth, exploring and tasting her, everything fell away, and there was just this moment in time with her.

She tasted like hope and deliverance.

Like the sweetest promise.

Like fucking serenity.

When we eased apart, it took me a few seconds to come down from it and return to reality. She pressed her fingers to her swollen lips and grinned at me.

I grinned back at her, then looked out at the guys.

Their eyes were hooded.

I saw Ore’s intent to escalate things.

I was right there with him.

I needed more than a taste of Alena Rose.

But before either of us could do a thing, Xavier held up his hand discreetly and shook his head at us.

Now isn’t the time to take it further.

Give her time.

Give us time.

As much as I wanted it not to be the case, he was right.

We hadn’t invited her out here for that.

It had been to bond, to connect as foursome, instead of how it had been up until now—individually with her.

With the way Ore, X, and I operated, if she was in one of our lives, she was in all of our lives. It couldn’t be any other way. And we needed to see if she could be that, if she could embrace that way of doing things.

We took a seat on the chairs, facing the fire. Orpheus sat at the far right end and I joined him in the chair beside him. Alena took a seat beside me, with Xavier on her other side.

Orpheus grabbed a glass of bourbon off the conjured bar and started sipping at it. He passed a Snickertini to Alena who took it excitedly. Then he handed me a Hurricane. Xavier reached over to the side table beside his chair and snatched up the glass of vodka mixed with blood there and sank back against his chair chilling.

“Sorry I was late,” Alena spoke, between sips of her drink. “I was meeting with Professor Marlowe and enrolling in his Magic in Combat class.”

Orpheus sat forward. “You actually did it?”

She smiled proudly. “Sure did.”

“Magnificent,” Orpheus said, raising his glass and clinking with hers. Xavier and I joined in too.

“This calls for some s’mores!” I cried.

In the next moment, I was getting all the supplies together, then passing some skewers to each of them to roast their marshmallows.

As we all sat around doing that, cozy in each other’s company, Alena asked me, “So, what do you want to be when you grow up? I’ve got a writer for Xavier and a more fair and just King for Orpheus. But it’s blank for you.”

“I love that you’re curious about me, firecracker.”

“Of course I am,” she said, beaming at me, and sending a rush of warmth through me.

I made her a s’more and handed it to her and as she munched on it, telling me how great it was and making me chuckle, I told her, “I want to open a sanctuary for supernatural orphans like me, or for wolves who’ve been separated from their packs, vamps who are used to living in a nest environment too. But not a place like this where there’s so much power play, but one where they can come and stay as long as they like, and it guides them on how to get back on their feet. A place where they can feel loved even with their family lost to them.”

She stopped eating and stared at me in awe. “That’s amazing, Talon.”

“Yeah?”

“It’s the sweetest and most caring thing I’ve ever heard.”

I made a s’more for Orpheus and handed it to him, and he told her, “I like X’s idea about your career.”

“My magical creations?”

“Precisely.”

“Maybe. I guess we’ll see.”

“What about Exemplar?” Xavier asked her. He looked at me and Ore. “I mean, I know it’s a touchy subject, but I had to ask. I’m sure you two want to know the answer too.”

Ah, this was him trying to diffuse that whole thing once and for all. Tricky bastard. That was usually Ore’s schtick.

Sure enough, it worked wonders as she told us, “It’s not for me. Not at all.”

“Too many rules, huh?” Orpheus teased her.

“I do like to be my own person and do my own thing, yeah.”

“And you’re doing really well with that,” X told her.

“You’ve come a long way,” Ore agreed.

“A lot to be proud of,” I said.

She smiled in that sweet and bashful way that did things to me—to all of us.

“There’s something I need to tell you, Alena,” X suddenly blurted out in a very uncharacteristic way for him.

She looked at him expectantly, smiling his way and silently letting him know it was safe to do so with her.

Him and Ore exchanged a brief look and then X said, “You wanted honesty and the truth from Orpheus, yet I haven’t given you the same. And I’m sorry. I just wasn’t ready, I guess. But I am now.”

“You do realize that the truth I demanded from him was about why he’d had a hate-on for me, the thing that caused all the trouble in the first place?”

“Now the hate-on has become a major hard-on,” I couldn’t help joking.

Orpheus grinned, while X rolled his eyes, and said to Alena, “I know, but—”

She stroked his hair. “I don’t expect you to tell me your entire life story yet, or every secret you’ve ever had. You don’t need to feel bad for that. Okay?”

“I hear you, beautiful, but it’s about the trouble you went to for me. With the blood bags.”

She arched a pretty eyebrow.

He sucked in a breath, then revealed, “My father would have helped with it in a blink. No hesitation. I could’ve picked up the phone and told him the deal and he would’ve dealt with it immediately. But I need there to be separation there between us. I don’t want him close to my life here. I don’t want him to know that I’m struggling with the vampire.”

She frowned. “If he’s that supportive, wouldn’t he understand your struggle and want to be there for you?”

“ That’s the very essence of the problem. The lengths he’ll go to for me, to spare me.”

“What? I thought it was just about establishing your independence,” Orpheus said, as surprised as I was that it seemed to run way deeper than that.

“Yeah, to be your own man and all that,” I added.

“No. I wouldn’t basically cut my father off for that. He’s always been an amazing parent. We were close, so close. But it became apparent to me that it had to change after what he tried to do for me.” X shoved a hand through his shaggy hair. “He delved into black magic to try to reverse the vampiric change.”

“Motherfuck,” Ore uttered. “That’s—”

“Incredibly dangerous? A path that no one comes back from if they delve into it for too long or too deeply? Exactly. That’s why I had to push him away and make him believe I was okay with it all and seeing it as an adventure and not the curse that it really is.”

“Sweet thing,” Alena soothed, stroking his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

He smiled sadly. “It is what it is.”

“It’s not a curse, you know?” she said carefully. “There are elements of goodness to it, a whole world opened up to you as a vampire. And even more so as a vampire-sorcerer hybrid.” I could see his intent to protest that, to tell her there was nothing good he could see about it. But then she said with so much conviction. “You’re special.” She rubbed his back. “You know that? You’re really special, Xavier.”

Instead of saying anything to dispute that, he sank into her and wrapped his arm tightly around her. “Thank you, beautiful.”

Ore and I smiled at one another.

That was the first time that anyone had calmed him and managed to soothe him when he’d gotten onto the vampire subject like that.

And he needed it.

He needed it badly.

After a little while, when the two of them pulled away, I clapped my hands. “Come on, let’s give this snow date some morale boosting. Let’s take it up a notch.”

“What do you have in mind?” Ore asked, between sips of his drink and snacking on his s’more.

“A little music, a little magic, maybe some dirty dancing thrown into the mix too, a snowball fight… the options are pretty much endless with the setup here—and our awesomeness, of course.”

They all chuckled.

“I’m down,” Ore said.

“Sounds fun,” Xavier agreed.

We looked to Alena.

She bolted from her chair excitedly. “Bring it.”

I grinned from ear-to-ear, breathing in her excitement.

I couldn’t wait for more nights like this together.