by Lexi C. Foss
“Half Dark Fae, half Spirit. That’s what Ophelia said.” Of course, she was probably stark raving mad, but it was worth bringing up again. “What if she’s talking about Elana?”
“She’s a Spirit Fae.”
“With access to only spirit.” A trait that was exceedingly rare for our kind. Although, lately, I’d begun to question whether or not it was true, because I’d sensed her water element rise on more than one occasion. As had Cyrus. “Who were her parents?” It wasn’t something I’d ever thought to investigate or to know, but now it seemed imperative that we found out.
“I can ask my father,” Cyrus murmured. “He wants to talk to me about coronation stuff anyway.” He grimaced over the words.
“At some point we need to tell Claire what it means to be queen,” I pointed out. She sort of understood, but not really.
His lips curled down. “Yeah, that’s a conversation I’m not looking forward to.”
“She’s strong,” I said softly. “Intelligent, too. She’ll understand.”
“Oh, I know. It’s just not something I want to talk to her about.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “One problem at a time. We’ll focus on Elana, see what we can find out about her history, while you work on your idea to contact Ophelia again. But I want defense mechanisms in place. And this time, I come with you. Because I don’t trust that woman near you or Claire.”
I grinned. “Spoken like a protective little brother.”
“By, like, eighteen months,” he retorted. “And someone has to keep your wits about you. Going into her mind like that without even asking for backup.” He shook his head. “If I hadn’t been so busy kicking that fae out of your head, I’d have kicked your ass for being so stupid.”
“Aww, I love you, too,” I drawled, tugging him into a hug.
He returned the embrace, squeezing once before letting me go. “Don’t do that again.”
I smirked. “We both know I can’t agree to that.”
“Stubborn prick,” Cyrus grumbled, then held up his hand. “Yeah, yeah—pot, meet kettle. Picking up human terms.” He shook his head. “Tell Claire I’ll be back soon.”
He misted without another word, leaving me chuckling in the hallway.
Half brothers, we might be, but he was also my best friend.
And I meant what I said. I loved him. Just as I knew he loved me.
I couldn’t think of anyone better to have my back.
Stay safe, I thought at him. Not that he needed it. Cyrus was probably the strongest of all of us, something he already knew. Although, I bet Claire would one day give him a decent challenge. And wouldn’t that be a sight to behold?
With that fantasy in mind, I returned to her and sat in the chair near the foot of the bed to guard her dreams.
Vox
This was bullshit.
Claire and everyone else had wandered off to one of the bonfires to ring in the solstice with spritemead and sparkling pixielings, while I was stuck here being grilled by my parents. Again.
“You’ve had your fun,” my mother was saying with a tempered kindness as if I were a faeling all over again. She handed me a prayer orb, reminding me how Claire had “desecrated” the sacred objects without even realizing it. “It’s time to come back to reality, Vox. Pray to the elements for forgiveness and move on from the Halfling. She has no place in our family.”
Apparently, she’d given up on the idea that Claire might help restore our family name.
Shocking.
“I’m bonded with her, Mother,” I reminded her for the thousandth time. “We’re already committed on the third level. We won’t be breaking it. Can I go now?”
“By the Four Winds,” my father barked, sending a violent breeze through the sitting room. “I don’t care what level of bond you have with the girl; it’s foolish and she needs to be removed.” He took a blue gem from his pocket and showed it to me. “This will call the guard, and they will escort Claire from the kingdom. All I have to do is break it. Do you really want to force my hand?”
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. “You really want to test the wrath of the Spirit King and the Water Prince?” Cyrus had returned this morning after spending three days in Water Kingdom. The wariness in his expression told me he’d endured similar dealings with his parents. Well, maybe not too similar. His father at least liked Claire, from what I understood.
My father gave me a grim stare. “We only recently had some of our political privileges reinstated, and your bond with the Halfling is threatening those arrangements.”
“What privileges?” I asked, his claims being news to me.
“If the Halfling has befuddled your loyalties, then she needs to be dealt with,” he added, ignoring me as he always did.
“She’s befuddled nothing,” I snapped, my words stirring a breeze that caused the items hanging from the Christmas tree in the corner to jingle. “I love her, Father. I realize that’s an odd concept for you, but that’s how I feel. We will move to the fourth level, with or without your approval.”
Distant thunder sounded as my father’s black eyes glimmered. “After tonight, I forbid you to see her again.”
“And here we go,” I drawled, irritated beyond measure. “Do my words not even reach your ears?”
“She’s half-human, right?” he interjected, again acting as though I didn’t have a voice. Which maybe I didn’t. “That means you’ll only have to wait a short time before she succumbs to her mortal weakness and you can take a new mate.”
“Never happening,” I countered.
But he once more continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “You will stop your folly at the Academy and focus on your studies. And if you don’t listen to me, then you’ll force me to do what needs to be done.”
Excommunication.
The irony.
“I’m not ending my relationship with Claire,” I replied, keeping my voice calm even while my heart raced. “So do what you need to do, Father.”
“Don’t be a fool!” he roared.
“Oh, so you heard that,” I said, mostly talking to myself. “Good.”
“You don’t understand, Vox,” my mother cooed. “We’ve been given responsibilities again in the kingdom, and that includes watching for threats—threats like the Halfling. It’s a preliminary step, but if we prove our loyalty, we will continue to climb and maybe reinstate our family name.”
Which was all they ever cared about.
I fought not to roll my eyes. “Claire isn’t a threat—”
“I’ll not have you ruining everything with this ridiculous fancy of yours!” My father clenched his fist around the jagged jewel in his palm. “Your mother is right about one thing. The Halfling has no place in our family.”
“Maybe she’s not the only one who doesn’t belong in this family,” I returned, my own element swelling in my chest with an uncharacteristic rage that only my “well-meaning” parents could incite.
A pained look crossed my mother’s expression. “Vox, sweetheart. You don’t mean that.”
“Oh, no, actually, I do.” I swept my hand, releasing a sliver of my power that sent the Christmas tree bowing and prayer orbs flinging to the ground. “I’ve tolerated the two of you and your ridiculous ambitions all my life. I’ve kept my head down and done my best to redeem the family by subduing my own power, but now I realize how fucked up that is.”
“Vox!” my mother cried, covering her mouth.
“You will not speak to your mother that way!” My father flung his free arm wide, sending a gust meant to slap me and sting my flesh like he’d done so many times before.
I’d always endured his punishment.
But not today.
I retaliated and opened the gates to my element—gates I’d kept locked for far too long. The force was strong enough to send the gem hurling from my father’s grip until it jammed into the ceiling.
Fear should have trampled down my spine, but all I felt was invigorated. Finally, I was embraci
ng my true path.
No more webs meant to lock down my ability.
No more internal chastisement for unleashing too much energy.
No more bowing to those who pretended to be my betters.
My father wanted to own my every action. Well, no longer would I allow it.
My mother screamed when my control slipped and twin tornados released into the room, sending furniture and drapes catapulting into the air.
My father blocked the worst of the debris with the last of his power, enduring the onslaught and keeping him and my mother safe. My parents stared, dumbfounded, until the winds dissolved, sending the wayward items clattering to the floor.
The mixture of hope and horror on my mother’s face said it all.
I possessed more power than they realized because I’d hidden it, kept it bottled up inside and refused to allow it out to play.
Until Claire.
She’d unraveled my power, our mating bond emboldening my royal ties to the source—royal ties I’d spent two decades blocking.
And I’d spent the last few weeks terrified of it.
Now I embraced it.
My parents gaped at me until a light knock sounded at the door. My grandfather poked his head into the room, and his dark eyes went wide at the destruction. “I thought I heard a crash…”
“This is your fault!” my father yelled, finding a new, suitable target for his rage. He pointed a finger in accusation. “You shamed our family, and now your only grandson chooses to follow in your footsteps!”
Unaffected by my father’s outrage, the old fae stepped over broken prayer orbs and smashed plates to give me a pat on the back. “Your beautiful mate came by to check on you, saying she felt a disturbance. I promised her I would investigate.” He took another long look at the room, then locked his gaze onto my father’s. “You should be ashamed, son. Have you learned nothing from our excommunication? You’ve tried so hard to win a place back into society that you’ve forgotten what it means to be an Air Fae, to be family.”
“Don’t lecture me, old man,” my father said.
“Enough.” I was done. I didn’t want to have this conversation anymore. There was nothing they could say or do to change my mind. “Claire is looking for me, and her concern means more to me than yours. So if you wish to ever speak to me again, you’ll consider your next actions wisely. I leave for the Academy tomorrow—with my mate and my bond-circle.”
I expected my father to fling another weak attempt at punishment at my face, or go for the gem lodged in the ceiling, but for the first time in my life, his dark eyes shifted down. “If you leave us now, you will not be welcome back,” he warned.
Fucking fine with me.
I turned on my heel and left my parents with their prayer orbs and judgment. It tore me up on some deep level to make this choice, and I hated them even more for it. But if I’d learned anything, it was that “family” did not mean pursuing blind ambition at the cost of my soul.
True family was where I could be free.
My grandfather followed me as I stormed out of the spire to where Claire stood waiting on the doorstep. Her blue eyes sparkled with concern. “Vox, is everything all right?”
I ignored the question, needing more than words right now.
Threading my fingers through her tousled hair, I pulled her into a kiss. It was hard. Fast. Filled with emotions I couldn’t hide. And powerful.
She melted into my embrace, her slender arms sliding around my neck as I parted her lips with my tongue.
Heat blossomed between us, carried on a robust wind stirred by the mixing of our shared element. A roar of sound tunneled through my ears, the whipping sensation one I reveled in and adored.
This.
This is what I needed.
What I craved.
What I desired.
My Claire.
My mate.
“I want you to be mine,” I whispered. “To keep me for always. To ground me. To soar with me. To love me as I love you.”
Her reply was lost to my mouth, my need to devour her overriding everything else. She clung to me with the same intensity as I did with her, our lips engaged in a dance no one could interrupt. Not even my grandfather, who stood behind us clearing his throat.
I no longer cared about propriety.
No longer worried what my family might think.
Fuck any and all reputation tied to my parents. I was my own person, destined to create my own future.
And I chose Claire.
Her legs wound around my waist as I lifted her and pressed her back into the wall of my parents’ home. “Vox,” she breathed.
“Claire,” I returned, nibbling a path down her neck.
She ran her fingers through my tousled hair, which had come undone during the explosion of wind. “What happened?”
“I’m following my destiny,” I told her. “I’ve chosen you.” My raging element instantly quieted with her presence to stabilize my power, but it was time to stop denying what my heart needed.
What she needed from me.
Titus leaned on a nearby pillar and watched the exchange. I gave him a nod. “Titus, can you tell the others that I’ll be stealing Claire away for the remainder of the night?”
He gave me a knowing grin. “Only if she agrees.”
“What am I agreeing to?” Claire asked softly, her lips swollen from my attention.
I palmed her cheek and captured her aroused gaze. “I want to complete our mating. If you’ll have me.”
“Tonight?”
“Tonight,” I agreed. “Here. In my kingdom. With my grandfather as my witness.” It was why I didn’t mind him following me. I needed a royal to help with the vows, and while he might be an outcast, he still maintained his bloodline.
The look he gave me now said he understood. And his smile told me he approved.
Old, he might be. Dense, he was not.
“Really?” Claire beamed at me. “You want to finalize our mating?”
“I do,” I told her, brushing my lips against hers once more. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
It wasn’t because of my parents or their harsh words. Although, their callousness did prove my choice to be the correct one. Without their push tonight, I might have waited a little longer.
But now I saw no choice in putting off the inevitable. I wanted Claire. I’d always wanted her. And I didn’t want to spend another moment without her as my true mate.
“Yes,” she said, smiling. “Yes.”
Our lips met again, this time in a slower embrace filled with every emotion we shared between us. My frustration at my parents. Her fear of the future. My utmost respect and adoration. Her devotion and love. Our affinity for air. Our intertwined future with all the other elements. Our promise to always remain faithful to each other in our own special way.
Mine, I thought. My Claire.
I just needed the world to know it. To bind us in the most traditional of ways. To cherish her for eternity.
“I’ll let the others know,” Titus said, sounding amused. “Besides, I hear Sol is going to try some of your city’s famed blast mead.” He chuckled. “It’s too bad you both will miss it.”
Claire grinned against my mouth. “I want to hear stories later.”
“Anything for you, sweetheart,” Titus promised, blowing her a kiss.
She blew him one back, her arms never leaving my neck and her legs still wound tight around my waist.
Titus shoved off of the pillar, staggering once. Perhaps the Fire Fae had enjoyed some of the powerful mead himself. “If I sense anything strange, I’m coming to find you.” He gave Claire a semi-stern look, then he sauntered away.
“What did he mean by ‘strange’?” I asked.
Claire shook her head. “I’ll tell you later. I promise.”
I stared her down, but Claire merely smiled.
Reluctantly, I let it go.
I didn’t want to live another moment without Clai
re as my mate. And there was only one way to secure our future together for good.
“Grandfather,” I said, never once looking away from Claire as I grazed my thumb over her lower lip. “You still have priest status, yes?”
The old fae chuckled. “I do. The king can’t take that away.”
I nodded. “Good. Claire and I wish to wed. Isn’t that the human term?”
She laughed. “It is, but I want to know what happened up there first. I’ve never felt emotions like that from you. You were… angry. Like someone had betrayed you.”
“I was,” I admitted, allowing my element to unravel and sweep around us. The distant melody of the Festivus celebration was a pleasant contrast to my father’s thunder.
I took Claire’s hand and wrapped it around the ring that hung about my neck. She’d created it after our Christmas celebration, stating she wanted me, Titus, and Sol to have one as a symbol of her commitment to us all. It served as her promise to mate each of us.
“My father threatened to take you away from me. To say he disapproves would be an understatement, but the thing is, I don’t approve of him. I don’t approve of anything he or my mother have done to try to regain power. They’re exactly what’s wrong with our family name.” I glanced at my grandfather. “No offense.”
“None taken,” he replied. “You’re right. They’ve not learned a damn thing from my mistakes, but I can see that you have.”
“Power is not something you acquire; it’s something you cherish, regardless of how much or how little you possess,” I said softly, thinking of Claire and her abundance of elements. “But this isn’t about status or ascending. This is about love. This is about devoting my future to my mate, no matter the consequences.” I palmed her cheek. “This is about me binding myself to you in an impenetrable connection.”
Because I had no doubt that if I returned to the Academy and resumed my life with my bond-circle without having stronger ties in place, my father would find a way to tear Claire and me apart, third-level bond or not.
Claire blinked up at me with both concern and wonder in her gaze. “I don’t want to force you into anything. If your family is pressuring you, perhaps I could go talk to them and—”
