by Lexi C. Foss
“A hunt?” Cyrus asked, eavesdropping on my thoughts as he was wont to do. “I’m down for that.” He bumped my shoulder. “But you still have classes, little queen.”
“I think locating my mass-murdering bitch of a mother is a little more important than school,” I muttered, staring at the flames. “She tried to kill me. Hurt Exos. Killed thousands of fae.” Each statement made me angrier and angrier. “And she’s still alive somewhere, probably plotting her next move.”
Something dastardly and evil.
I could feel the knowledge of it in my blood, the very real burn of an impending doom.
Cyrus wrapped his arm around my shoulders and yanked me into his side. “Nothing is going to happen to you, Claire. Not on my watch.”
“Or mine,” Exos added, his hand grabbing mine.
I shook my head. “It’s not me I’m worried about.” But everyone else. “She almost killed you, Exos.”
He canted his head, his lips curling. “No, baby. She didn’t come close to killing me. I’m a lot tougher than that.” He released my hand to cup my cheek and leaned in to kiss me. “And we’re mated now, princess. So you’ll never have to worry about losing me again.”
Cyrus’s lips met my neck, his kiss working its way up to my ear. “You’re stuck with me, too, little queen.”
Fire licked a path down my spine, my stomach tightening in anticipation.
Only to have a female clear her throat. “Your Highnesses,” she greeted as both men looked up at her.
“Feather,” Cyrus replied, grinning. “Thank you for organizing the roast. Orc is Exos’s favorite.”
My eyes widened. “Orc?” Like the giant horned-goblin things? “Orcs are real?” I demanded, looking at Exos.
He kissed my temple. “Not the way you think. But Cyrus is right. I love a meaty orc. When do we eat?”
I suddenly wasn’t very hungry. All I could envision were those gross-looking things from that famous movie about the ring. Weren’t they, like, dead elves or something? “Where does spritemead come from?” I asked, cutting off whatever Feather had just said. “Sorry,” I added, my cheeks heating.
Cyrus squeezed my shoulders a little. Honey and grains, little queen. Made by the fae with all-natural elements.
Well, that’s okay, then. But orc? Yeah, I’ll pass on that.
Feather asked Exos if he wanted to do the honors of slicing off the first piece. He heartily agreed, leaving me beside Cyrus to watch. I cringed, shaking my head back and forth the entire time.
Nope.
Not happening.
Don’t care at all how hot Exos looks in that suit. A girl has to have limits, and I am not eating that.
When he returned with three plates and a dimple on his cheek, I sort of felt obligated to at least try the odd meat. No, I felt coerced. Seduced. Compelled. Whatever the word. And I had to admit, it didn’t smell all that bad. It reminded me a bit of roast beef, at least in terms of scent.
“You use the algae wrap to eat it,” Cyrus explained, picking up the leafy green on his plate. He used it to break off a hunk of the orc and put it in his mouth, then waggled his eyebrows as he chewed.
Anyone else, and I would have gagged.
But it was Cyrus.
And somehow, he made the entire damn thing look elegant and far too sexy.
Exos did the same, minus the eyebrow move. He just smiled afterward and promised to find me something else if I didn’t want to try the meat. Which was apparently a delicacy, according to Cyrus.
Because yeah, why wouldn’t orc be a delicacy?
When in the fae world, I thought to myself as I broke off a piece of the leafy green wrap. How the times have changed.
One of these days, I was going to force the guys to find me a pizza. No, a hamburger. Maybe both. And ice cream. Oh, that sounded decadent. But instead, I had a weird piece of roast beef–looking meat wedged between two grassy leaves.
I closed my eyes and forced myself to take a bite.
Warm and smoky. Not chewy. Hmm.
I wrapped up another piece and tossed it into my mouth.
Okay. This isn’t bad. Actually, it’s pretty good.
After a few more bites, I found Exos and Cyrus both watching me with hungry expressions. “What?” I asked, wiping my lips.
“You keep moaning,” Exos replied.
“Loudly,” Cyrus added, his gaze falling to my mouth.
“Oh.” I swallowed. “Uh, the orc is, uh, good.” I picked up my spritemead and downed the rest of my mug, needing a distraction.
Exos took it from my hand as soon as I finished.
And Cyrus wrapped his palm around the back of my neck and pulled me in for a kiss, his tongue wasting no time in exploring my mouth. More than good, he corrected, referring to my comment about the orc. You taste amazing, Claire.
He released me on a pant, my chest rising and falling from the much-needed oxygen that disappeared as Exos took hold and sealed his mouth over mine.
Right. Okay. I can get used to this.
Cyrus chuckled and Exos growled, the combining sounds making my heart skip a beat. These two males were going to be the death of me one of these days.
And what a beautiful death it would be…
But as soon as the kissing began, it slowed to a stop as Cyrus and Exos tucked me between them. My body protested while my chest expanded on a sigh of contentment. One of them picked at the remainder on my plate, bringing bites to my mouth and to their own, as we sat in silence to observe the still-roaring fire.
Peace settled over me.
Satisfaction.
Rightness.
This was the life I was always meant to lead. I just hadn’t known it existed until very recently. But now that I’d embraced it, I didn’t know any other way of being. This was just me. My world. My fae. And I would do anything and everything to protect it.
Even from my own flesh and blood.
My eyes began to drift closed, the hour darkening the sky as all the fae continued to mingle in soft waves of conversation. Exos and Cyrus murmured around me, conversing together and with others, while I rested tranquilly between them.
I felt protected in their arms. Happy. Thankful.
But something nagged at the back of my mind. An uncertainty I couldn’t quite identify. The sensation of being watched. Which, yeah, everyone at the bonfire had their eyes on me. However, this was different. An almost surreal sensation, one I shouldn’t be able to sense yet did.
And I swore for half a second that it was my mother’s presence I felt. Except it lacked the darkness I expected. Worry and urgency floated in its place. A message I couldn’t hear. Lost to a connection we never—
“Claire,” Cyrus whispered, his mouth hovering over mine. “Wake up, little queen.”
Light pierced my gaze, startling me to my new surroundings. We were back at the palace in Exos’s room.
“How did we…?” I swallowed, my throat dry from what felt like hours of sleep.
“A little too much mead, it seems,” he teased, kissing me softly as he slid into the bed beside me.
Warmth caressed my back as Exos wrapped his arm around my waist.
Only then did I realize the three of us were naked.
Very, very naked.
Cyrus pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Mmm, we’ll let you sleep.” He nuzzled my nose. “You need it.”
Exos sighed against the back of my neck. “Something to look forward to another night.”
“Indeed,” Cyrus agreed, his icy blue eyes glittering with promise. “Sweet dreams, little queen.”
“Yes, sweet dreams, darling Claire,” Exos breathed against my ear. “We’ll return to the Academy tomorrow.”
Snuggled between them, I had a hard time denying the pull of their words. While my body desired something different, my mind felt exhausted from something I couldn’t identify.
That message, I thought, yawning. Seeking it out had left me tired. But I couldn’t for the life of me reme
mber why or whom I’d been trying to connect to.
A query to solve tomorrow.
For tonight, I allowed myself to fall into the safe haven of my two royal mates. And dreamt of what it would be like to experience them both… at the same time.
Titus
Life without Claire sucked.
I should have been in class, but there was no way I could focus right now. Instead of causing trouble and picking a fight with my fellow Fire Fae, I decided it was safer for the Academy if I just stayed here and took my frustration out on the dusty practice arena in front of the Spirit Dorm.
I’d only just gotten her back.
Now she was gone. Again.
It didn’t matter that there was a good reason for her absence. A hole existed in my heart where her essence should have been, and demanded that I do something about it.
I spun a magicked bo staff and sent a blaze of fire running a jagged line through the sand, leaving behind a streak of melted glass. The staff itself threatened to buckle under the heat, but it would hold up for a few hours more. It was the third one I’d gone through this week. I really needed to get some better weapons.
My growing power should have frightened me. Claire was changing me—changing all of us. Her lingering power surrounded me on our familiar training grounds and gave me a small sense of comfort.
Gods. I just wanted to see her again.
I put on a good show for Sol and Vox, but I missed her more than anything. Every kiss and touch had strengthened our bond. But that connection strained when I was apart from her for too long.
My eyes flashed open, my instincts flaring.
Someone’s coming.
I didn’t know how I knew, but I sensed the approaching presence. A subtle shift of heat and magic, disturbing unseen elemental currents that ran through the Fae Realm. Maybe it was Mortus trying to recruit me for the more advanced classes again, or Professor Vulcan come to chide me for yet another absence.
“Whoever it is, now’s not a good time,” I growled to the shimmering air roiling with heat. “I’m in no mood.” I twirled the training staff and let the flames etching across the magicked wood grow hotter. Nothing too fancy or exciting or all that intimidating.
I really need more practice with elemental weapons to help protect Claire. The real world used fire and other magical essences, unlike the Powerless Arena.
A teasing hint of water misted over my bare chest, causing steam to fog the air, and I raised a brow.
Cyrus misted in front of me with a grinning Claire in his arms. She launched from him with a laugh and jumped into my aura of flames, causing my weapon to fall with a clatter against the ground. She merged with my element, seamlessly transitioning from water to fire as the living magic enveloped her as its own.
“Hey, you,” she said, her voice husky as if she was high on elements and sex.
Which, given the way Cyrus smirked at me, was probably accurate.
“Hey,” I replied, unable to stop the pleased grin that spread across my face as I tucked my hands under her perfectly rounded ass and held her against me.
Cyrus invaded the flames, sending the heat sprawling away from him with an effortless wave of water that wrinkled my nose. His lips went to her neck as if he couldn’t stop touching her.
I understood that feeling.
“I have business to attend to, little queen,” he whispered in her ear, then gave her a nip. His silver-blue eyes locked onto mine. “I trust Titus can handle your needs while I’m gone.”
My pleased grin turned sinister. Maybe it was insulting that Cyrus was literally using my dick as a way to keep Claire occupied, but I didn’t care.
Not when she wiggled in my arms like that.
“What kind of business?” Claire asked, her lids heavy as she stroked a line of fire up my neck. “Hmm, because I wonder what it would feel like to mix water and fire,” she added, glancing at me with a mischievous glint as a cool mist of her magic ran down my abs, sending steam between us. Her fingers followed the cool touch, playfully bringing warmth back to my protesting skin.
The effect was fucking amazing.
Cyrus chuckled, and I realized that I’d groaned—loudly.
“Why don’t you practice for me? Seems like Titus may enjoy it.” Without answering her question, he misted away, leaving me and Claire alone in the training yard.
I didn’t give her an opportunity to go after him. I didn’t know if she could mist now, but I wasn’t going to risk losing her attention again. I claimed her mouth with mine and scooped her up against me.
“I missed you,” I told her between breaths.
“I missed—” She tried to reply, but my tongue was busy exploring hers as I all but sprinted us to the Spirit Dorm.
She laughed when I tossed her onto my mattress with a bounce. “I think that was a new record of getting me into bed,” she said, fisting the sheets and bringing them to her nose. She inhaled and her eyelids fluttered closed. “Mmm…”
Seeing her take in my scent made my already rigid cock stand to attention. The inferno in me was primal, and it wanted to claim.
I was already shirtless, but my pants were a sudden restriction that needed to be removed. Instead of slipping them off, my flames ignited and seared over my skin, burning what was supposed to be a fireproof garment.
Claire’s eyes flickered with blue fire as her element responded to mine, and her gaze dropped in appreciation. “We really need to invest in some better fireproof wear for you,” she said as she tilted her head and licked her lips.
Sensing what she wanted, I stepped to the edge of the bed and groaned as she wrapped her plump lips around the head. I fisted my fingers through her gorgeous hair, urging her to take me deeper while cautioning her at the same time.
“Careful, Claire. I won’t be able to last long if you keep doing that,” I warned, flames licking down her shirt and leaving a trail of ash as my element played with her nipples.
She gasped, then ran her tongue defiantly up my shaft, making my legs go weak. Her gaze snapped up to mine, full of fight and challenge. The embers in her eyes glazed over with a sparkle of ice, and she let out a long breath directly against my cock, one of cool mist that mixed a foreign element into our play. She skimmed her tongue over the delicate skin, sending a new blast of heat that had my cock throbbing as startled nerves ignited back to life.
“Fuck, Claire,” I growled, then grabbed her by her hips and unleashed a wave of fire over her, burning all remnants of her clothes. I spun her so that her back was to me, then I wrapped one arm around her chest and cupped the space between her legs with my opposite hand. She tossed her head back onto my shoulder and grappled at my arms as I pinched her clit. “I’ll punish you for that little ice trick,” I vowed, my tone playful.
She writhed against me, her need palpable. “You’d better punish me harder,” she said as her ass rubbed up against my throbbing shaft in clear provocation.
I shouldn’t have obliged her, not yet, but my hips adjusted to match her entrance and then I was inside her, thrusting hard—just as she’d requested.
“Titus,” she cried as her body clenched around mine.
She was different now that Exos had ascended to the spirit throne. I could sense the shift in her, the aching need that demanded she connect with all her mates. Perhaps part of her desire for me was because Exos’s second element was fire and it would be a natural progression for her to seal the bond with me next.
In time, I would claim her completely, but the fires that threatened to consume us frightened even me.
So I enjoyed the burn and lost myself as I tipped over the edge with her into blissful oblivion.
Well, the room was destroyed, but I didn’t care. In fact, I admired the licks of fire scars across the walls followed by permanent streaks of ice that refused to melt.
Claire lazily rested against my chest as her fingers explored mine. “I think we need to have sex in a metal stronghold,” she mused on a chuckle. “This is
getting ridiculous.”
“I kind of like the look,” I said, grinning at the pattern of destruction that was uniquely beautiful in the way ash and ice spiraled over one another across the damaged room.
When she sighed, not out of satisfaction but a subconscious sound of discontent, I shifted to look into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
She blinked up at me. “What? Oh, nothing.” She grinned, that discontent disappearing behind her love for me. She ran her fingers over the short stubble of my chin and pressed a kiss to my lips. “You gave me exactly what I needed, Titus.”
I stroked her hair from her face. “And what’s bothering you that you needed a fire-fuck to get your mind off of it?” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t hide your problems from me, Claire. I’m more to you than that, aren’t I?”
Her eyes widened. “Of course. You mean more to me than anything. I didn’t mean it that way; I just—”
I chuckled and sealed her mouth with a kiss. “I’m just teasing, sweetheart. What’s on your mind?”
She trailed her tongue across my lower lip, trying to distract me.
I tsked, running my thumb across her cheek, and gazed into her eyes. “None of that, Claire. Talk to me.”
A small smile quirked at the side of her mouth. “Stubborn,” she grumbled, then rested her head against my chest once more. “It was just a lot to take in, you know? The whole Spirit Kingdom and meeting all of the Spirit Fae.” Her eyes fluttered closed as if she were reliving the past few days. “I glimpsed what they should have been like, but I know that Exos’s coronation was a rare cause of happiness among them.” Her fingers clenched into a fist. “My mother took so much from them, Titus. And I don’t feel like she’s done.”
I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. I would protect her from whatever would come, give my life for her if that would take away even a fraction of her pain. “You don’t need to be afraid, Claire. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”
She hesitated, then burrowed into my neck.
She didn’t say anything, but I knew her true fear.
