by Lexi C. Foss
“Sounds like you need to go burst some wind,” Malichi grumbled, waving away my father’s rage. He swept a frail arm around me and tugged me along with him. “Come, boy. Your grandfather has missed you.”
We left my parents behind bickering over the baggage. Father threatened to toss it all over the edge of our property, and Mother began the tedious work of soothing him with promises that Cyrus and Exos were powerful royals that could offer a boost to our reputation. He’d come around, but this was precisely why I hadn’t brought all my other bond-mates right away. My family needed time to adjust to the idea.
“What’s it like?” my grandfather asked, his good eye sparkling with delight. “Being mated to a Halfling?”
Shrugging his arm from my shoulders, I wrinkled my nose at the cool, nostalgic breeze that swept scents of clouds and mist through the wide halls. Sunlight streamed in from skylights that lined every corridor, making the spire feel like there was no place to hide from watchful eyes.
I hated being home.
“You’ve been mated before, Grandfather,” I said, not wishing to discuss Claire with the Air Fae. “You don’t need me to tell you what it’s like.”
He chuckled. “That’s not what I meant, my boy.” He swirled an invisible breeze around his finger. A subtle practice act of what was left of his power that he insisted on keeping up, even though the Air King had taken away his access to the source of our element. “She has access to all five elements, so I hear. Do you feel them, too?”
I tilted my head in thought. Yes, I was connected to the other elements because of Claire and my bond-mates, but it didn’t give me power over them in the way my grandfather likely hoped. “Only Claire has that power,” I assured him. “Don’t get any funny ideas.”
He dismissed the breeze, sending his beard puffing from the tiny shock wave. “Can’t blame an old fae for trying to think of ways to redeem the family line. If our own royals won’t speak to us, then maybe your bond-mates have some connections.”
I wanted to tell him that was impossible. Exos and Cyrus had their own problems, and Sol definitely had other, more important things to worry about than my “family honor.” Our royal line would never be anything but a shameful reminder of what happened when powerful Air Fae lost control. It was what we deserved until we could prove otherwise.
The extravagant display of wealth when we reached the viewing platform reminded me that my family was hopelessly vapid and could never meet my expectations.
Claire, however, stood on the very edge with her arms spread and her hair flinging in the violent wind.
My heart leapt in my throat and my tongue went dry. “Claire?” I said, hoping we wouldn’t startle her over the spire’s cliff. “Don’t you think you’re a little close to the edge?”
She spun on her tiptoes, teetering in a way that made me dizzy. Wind swirled around her, and I realized that she leaned back, staying aloft by invisible threads of power that kept her from falling. “Vox! This is amazing!”
While she did indeed look amazing, my hands clenched with the need to grab her and tug her away from the cliff. “Claire…”
My grandfather chuckled. “Fine mate you’ve got yourself there, my boy.” He gave me a lewd wink. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy the view.” He waved a hand as he turned. “And don’t worry about your parents. I’ll talk to them. This is still my home, and we are more than equipped to handle a few guests for the festivities. You just enjoy yourself this evening.”
My grandfather shuffled away while my gaze remained locked on Claire. I extended a hand. “Claire, I know you’re powerful, but you can’t fly. Come here before you fall.”
“Oh, Vox,” she said with a soft pout, allowing me to take a breath when she stepped away from the edge and walked into my waiting arms. She wrapped herself around me and gave me a tender kiss. “You never told me how much magic there was here. I can feel it everywhere. It’s incredible.”
I held her tight, my heart thundering from the very real fear of losing her. She was a true fae sometimes—wild and free. And she had no idea how easy it would be to fall from the windows of this spire.
“The Air Kingdom is located in the highest lands available in the Fae Realm,” I said and led her to a bench on the translucent floor. The picturesque view below depicted low-lying clouds intertwining with rocks and trees. “It’s also the closest we can be to the source of our element. That’s what you sense, Claire. And through our bond, you’ll be able to access that source while you’re here.”
I palmed the back of my neck. It hadn’t occurred to me that by mating with Claire, she would gain access to my power and bloodline. All my walls wouldn’t protect her. She’d have to build her own.
Claire rested her head on my shoulder and squeezed my hand. “Tell me what it was like to grow up here,” she mused, her gaze locked on the expanse beneath us. “Your mother seems nice.”
I snorted. “She just knows you’re mated to two kings and wants your approval.”
My mate shrugged. “Or maybe she cares about you and wants to make me feel welcome.”
I highly doubted that, but I didn’t debate it. “I apologize for my father, and my grandfather. They can both be a bit, uh, much.”
Claire chuckled and burrowed her nose against my neck, leaving tender kisses that forced the knots to unwind from my shoulders. “No family is perfect.”
I winced. No one knew that better than Claire. “I’m sorry,” I admitted. “I shouldn’t complain.”
She nipped my ear as her hand drifted over my thigh, making me forget why I’d been so upset to begin with. “Nonsense. Complain away. I want to hear why you hate it here so much, because then maybe I can do something about it.”
“I never said I hated it here.”
“You didn’t have to,” she replied, eyeing me knowingly. “I can sense it.”
Of course she could.
I sighed. Titus and Sol already knew about my history. But I hadn’t yet told Claire. I supposed now was as good a time as ever.
So I told her the story about my grandfather and how he obtained his scar. How the Air King gave him access to the source, only for my grandfather to take advantage of it. “He killed people,” I told her. “And not because he’s vile or malicious, but because he was arrogant and lacked control.”
I continued by telling her how it brought shame to our family, how despite being of the royal bloodline, we were no longer permitted to touch the core of our power.
“My connection with the source is stronger than anyone else’s in our bloodline. As such, my father seems to think I can restore our family’s good name,” I concluded. “But I know my limits, and I have no desire to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps. Hence my need for control.”
Claire studied me for a long moment, and I half expected her to express disappointment in my history. Instead, she murmured, “Hmm, but denying your gift isn’t how you stay in control.”
“I’m not denying it.”
She gave me a look. “I can feel you fighting it, Vox. And if you continue to deny your abilities, it’ll eventually explode out of you. That’s how people get hurt.”
The shadow of memory in her gaze told me she was thinking about the night she burned down the human bar. It was a bit different since she didn’t know about her gifts then, but I understood her implication.
“I’m not fighting it,” I clarified slowly, “so much as trying to find new ways to tame it.”
“Seems similar to me.” She studied me. “You’ve felt… stressed.”
I huffed a laugh. “Yeah, that’s one way to describe it.”
“And coming here didn’t help,” she added.
“No, maybe not. But I’m determined to enjoy our Festivus regardless. I even ordered food for us to cook together.”
Her blue eyes twinkled. “Bacon and eggs?”
Not exactly bacon… “Yes,” I said instead, still not having the heart to tell her the truth about the origin of her precious pig meat
.
“So this is like Christmas,” she mused. “Right?”
“Uh, sort of?” I knew the humans celebrated a holiday around a giant fat man with cookies, but I didn’t really understand the point of it. “It’s the same time of year.”
“Excellent.” She seemed quite pleased by the similarity, so I didn’t add any corrections. “I have an idea.”
“Oh?”
She nodded. “But first, we need a tree.” She jumped up, clapping her hands in excitement. “And ornaments.” Claire spun around, her joy palpable. “Oh, Vox, this will be so fun.” Another clap. “This is going to be the best fae holiday ever; you’ll see.”
“Sure,” I agreed. But why the hell do you need a tree?
Claire
Beautiful, I thought, evaluating my work.
All my mates were in the other room with instructions not to enter until I was ready for them. I could hear Titus chuckling at something Cyrus had said, their banter becoming friendlier every day. Which was perfect because I needed them in a good mood for this to work.
I tugged on the writhing garland—a vibrant green strand I’d created using my earth element. My gift came in handy for the flowerlike ornaments as well, while my spirit controlled the red butterflies fluttering around the branches. A different shade from my usual pink, but I wanted proper Christmas colors.
“Okay,” I breathed. “I think that’s about it.”
Wiping my clammy palms against my blue dress—an early present from Exos—I made my way toward the guest area where all my mates had taken up residence. Everyone had arrived last night and had given me all day today to work on this surprise.
The open windows lining the hall gave me a glimpse of the cheerful activities below as the entire city celebrated the Solstice holiday with lights and beautiful melodies. The scents and sounds weren’t exactly the same as Christmas, but close enough.
My tree and holiday brunch would do the trick of melding it all together.
Titus met me by the door with a suspicious twinkle in his forest-green eyes. “Why are you grinning like that, sweetheart?”
I blew a kiss at him in response, not ready to reveal my surprise yet. I needed Vox to confirm something first. “Your parents are gone, right?”
He raised a dark brow from his seat upon the couch. “Yeah, they’re out for dinner with one of the commissioners.” His lips twitched to the side, his expression contrite. “Sorry they didn’t invite you, but they insisted you would have found it boring.”
I laughed. “I’m sure that was their reason.” We both knew the truth. Some of the Air Fae found me to be an enigma and someone they wanted to know. Others, however, were horrified by the idea of a Halfling wandering among them. That I had five mates only made it worse.
Fine by me. Besides, Vox’s parents were right. I would have found dinner with some snobby commissioner terribly boring, and I really wanted to spend some quality time with my men.
Titus looked me up and down. “Are you bored, sweetheart? I can think of a few things that might entertain you.” He accentuated his proposal with a waggle of his eyebrows.
“Hold that thought. I have a surprise first,” I said, about to burst out of my skin. I’d been planning this for what felt like days.
“I like surprises,” Sol offered, always the first of my mates to jump on board when I had a crazy idea. He wrapped a massive arm around my shoulder and kissed the crown of my head. “Does it involve eggs and cheese?”
I chuckled. “It’s not food, well, not just food.” I tugged him by the arm, leading him toward the hall. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
Cyrus and Exos shared a quizzical look before shrugging and following along. Titus looked hopeful that my “surprise” would involve being naked, and Sol’s stomach growled. Vox poked him in the abs. “I just fed you an hour ago. How are you still hungry?”
My mates bantered and tried to guess what I’d been doing in the sitting room all day. The only one with any idea of my intentions was Vox since I’d needed his help in gathering supplies. But he didn’t know how I used everything. Nor did he know about the presents I slid under the tree this afternoon.
“I just want to know what you did with that poor tree,” Vox murmured.
Sol pegged him in the shoulder, making the Air Fae wince as pebbles clattered to the floor. “Don’t be rude. Claire’s excited, so I’m excited. Plus, she said there’s food.”
Vox gave me a playful smirk. “Well, you heard the ogre; show us your surprise.”
Sol hmphed but seemed satisfied and crossed his arms.
I grinned at them all and paused just outside the door. “Ready?”
They all gave me expectant looks.
“Merry Christmas!” I exclaimed, pushing through the threshold and admiring my twelve-foot-tall evergreen tree.
Berries and pinecones added pops of color with a shimmering string of fae-glamour as my blinking lights. Fae didn’t exactly have ornaments, but I found items around the house that worked in addition to my floral adornments.
I winced as the big light at the top flickered and died.
Ugh, I’d fixed that three times today, and of course it chose now to burn out again.
With a shake of my head, I snapped my fingers and set the blue flame alight again just an inch above the tree. My water element flowed just beneath it, helping to protect the branches from burning. A star, I mused. Perfect.
I turned with a smile, excited to see their reactions, and froze.
Abject horror radiated from Sol’s expression.
“Why did you kill a perfectly good tree and decorate its corpse?” he demanded, taking in the strings of fae-lights and the ominous fire burning at the top. “It’s a bit morbid, Claire.”
“I, uh, it’s—”
“Why are there prayer orbs hanging from the branches?” Vox asked, his voice hitching at the end.
“Prayer orbs?” I repeated. “What—”
“And are those my mother’s fertility leaves?” Vox gaped at the middle where I’d set a pair of beautiful red palms I’d found downstairs. “That’s… that’s just wrong.”
“I don’t know,” Titus said, his brow furrowed. “It’s kind of cute. She’s using the dead tree to protect her bags.” He gestured at the gifts beneath the tree. “They’re a bit shiny, though.”
“That’s certainly an interesting use for water,” Cyrus put in, eyeing the top of the tree.
“Is it supposed to be an elemental project?” Sol asked, his palm on the branch as he outwardly mourned the life of the evergreen. “Can we replant it outside? Restructure its roots?”
“Um… I guess, but—”
“It’s a Christmas tree,” Exos cut in, shaking his head. “Come on, it’s a popular holiday treat for humans.”
My shoulders sagged. “Yes.”
“It’s beautiful,” Exos praised, wrapping me up in his arms and kissing the top of my head. I sensed him admonishing the others in the room with his eyes, his annoyance stark in our bond. “Thank you, Claire,” he added.
“Yes, thank you,” Cyrus murmured. “It’s… unique.”
“But we can plant it again later, right?” Sol pressed.
“Yes,” I said, giving up. “We can plant it after brunch.” Because, clearly, they were not going to enjoy the tree in the same way I had.
“Brunch?” he repeated.
“Food,” Vox clarified. “I’m just going to go return my mother’s fertility leaves to her room. I’ll be right back.”
I banged my head against Exos’s chest while he chuckled. “That was a strange adornment, Claire,” he murmured against my ear.
“Vox’s grandfather said I could use them.” The elder male had been positively jovial when I asked to borrow it. “Now I understand why.”
Cyrus laughed outright. “Oh, I bet he was all for it.”
I allowed the fire to die above the tree, no longer caring about the stupid star. At least the food would be appreciated. Because yeah, I could s
ee why the Christmas tree tradition might be a bit weird. Especially to an Earth Fae like Sol.
Probably should have thought about that before creating the evergreen and decorating its dead branches.
With a grumble, I righted myself, determined to still enjoy our brunch.
Which Sol had already found in the dining side of the sitting area.
He was eyeing the holiday delicacies with a hungry gleam. The embers I’d set alight kept the food warm while I finished decorating the tree.
“Humans usually feast for Christmas, so I tried to organize something for us to enjoy that sort of spans both holidays,” I explained.
“It all smells amazing,” Sol said, giving me a small smile.
Well, at least I’d done something right.
The others joined Sol in admiring the dishes. And Vox returned with a relieved expression, then eyed all the platters of food. “Wow, now I see why you wanted all those ingredients.”
I smiled. “Thank you for finding me what I needed. Your grandfather helped, too.”
He stared at me. “He did?”
“Yep. He helped me with the cookies and sandwiches. But the dragonsteak was my idea.” I pointed to the stick of meat wrapped in bacon. “I also made eggs and an orc roast.” But I had no clue how that turned out. I just kept cooking it and hoping for the best.
All the males nodded and began filling up their plates.
Except for Cyrus and Exos, who appeared to be eyeing the dragonsteak skeptically.
I frowned at them. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Exos said slowly. “It’s just, uh, not something we’ve seen before.”
“It’s bacon swirled around a dragonsteak stick,” Vox supplied helpfully, his eyes latching onto Exos as he gave him a tight smile. “Eat it. It’s good.”
Exos blinked at him. “It’s a what?”
“A bacon-wrapped dragonsteak,” I clarified. “Trust me, you’ll love it.” I’d already snacked on a piece earlier today.
“Bacon,” he repeated as if tasting the word.
“It’s from a pig,” Sol said helpfully, already halfway done with his first plate. “Human thing.”
