“Titus?” Claire glanced at me, frowning. “I don’t understand.”
“She means I started the Academy late. I’m twenty-two but didn’t begin until this year.”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I was born and raised to fight in the Powerless Champion circuit.” I shrugged. “I retired and now I’m here.”
“After winning,” River put in, pride in his voice. “He’s the Powerless Champion.”
“Like… boxing?” she guessed.
“Nah, that’s a boring human sport. Fae fight to the death. And Titus has killed, like, well, everyone who challenged him. His numbers are—”
Exos cleared his throat, cutting off the Water Fae. “What River is trying to say is that Titus started the Academy a little later because of an extenuating circumstance. Just as you will start a little later because of your, well, circumstances.”
“You mean my kidnapping?” Claire asked. “Because that’s what this is, right? I mean, you kidnapped me from my home.”
“This is your home,” Exos replied. “Your true home. And the Academy is your future.”
“And I have no say in this?” Claire pressed. “Because where I come from, that’s kidnapping and forcing someone to do something against her will.”
“And where I come from, it’s rude to argue with your betters.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Betters? Like what? My parents? Because you’re not even ten years older than me. And neither is she.” She gestured to Elana. “Which is totally irrelevant, by the way, because I will argue with whoever I damn well please.” The fire in her had my lips twitching. I much preferred this to the weeping girl I found in the field earlier.
“Exos is royalty,” Elana explained softly. “And I’m Chancellor of the Academy. Therefore, in our society, we are considered your betters.”
“Because you were promoted at the ripe young age of, what, thirty? That makes you better than me?” Claire snorted. “Yeah, no. That’s not happening. Not least of all because you kidnapped me. And now you want me to attend an academy against my will? Yeah, hard pass.”
River choked on his food while I held back a grin.
“You seem to think there’s a choice here.” The calmness in Exos’s voice sent a chill of foreboding down my spine. “Of which, I suppose, there is. Would you like me to explain it to you, Claire?”
“Exos,” Elana warned.
“No, no.” Exos waved her off, his status coming out in that small gesture. Elana might be the Chancellor, but he was heir to the Spirit Kingdom, making him her better in our fucked-up political system. “She wants to hear her choices. Don’t you, Claire?”
“I do,” she agreed. “Since it’s my life, it’s my decision. Not that you’ve given me much of one by forcing me to come here.”
He smiled, but it lacked humor. “Yes, well, that’s because you can no longer live in the Human Realm without being a threat to everyone around you. The bar proves that.”
Her face paled, causing me to curse internally. He had to go there, didn’t he? This was clearly a tense subject for her, not that the Spirit Prince seemed to give a fuck.
“I-I didn’t mean to do that,” she whispered. “I don’t even know if it’s true.”
“If you care for proof, I’ll provide it,” Exos replied, his voice flat. “But the fact remains that you cannot reside in the Human Realm. You’re too powerful, so much so that we can hardly contain you here. Which brings me to your choices, Claire. Are you listening?”
She nodded, her lip between her teeth, her shoulders hunched. “Yes.”
“You can attend the Academy and learn how to control your abilities, at which point you may be permitted visitor rights back to the Human Realm. Or, you will be banished to the Spirit Kingdom—the same kingdom your mother single-handedly destroyed in her battle with Mortus. It’s void of life and essence, leaving it impossible for you to hurt anyone with your lack of control.” He dabbed his mouth with his napkin in a casual gesture as he shrugged. “The third option, of course, is death. Because we can’t have a powerful rogue fae wandering the realm. Especially one who lacks training and understanding of our ways.”
Claire’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes wide, no words coming from her lips.
But of course, what the hell could she say after that calmly delivered edict?
Fucking royal blood, not thinking at all about the consequences of his words. Just uttering them as if he were speaking to a fellow warrior, not a female who had clearly been through hell over the last day or two.
“So what would you choose, Claire? Because I thought the Academy route to be the most humane and practical of options, but if you prefer I drop you in the Spirit Kingdom, we can leave tonight.”
“How about we provide Claire with a tour tomorrow of the Academy and let her see what life here would be like before you force her to choose,” I suggested, my teeth grating over every word. “And maybe give her a chance to understand the Fae Realm as well while you’re at it.”
Exos met my gaze, his blue eyes simmering. “Just because I’ve tagged you for her team does not mean you may speak out of line.”
“My job is to protect her. Consider that my current goal.” I narrowed my eyes. “Unless you think threatening her life is something I should be overlooking?”
His lips actually twitched. “You are to protect her from others, not from me.”
“Maybe she needs protection from you the most,” I countered, flames inching beneath my skin.
Elana coughed, dispelling the mood with a wave of her hand. “I think a tour is a great idea. Claire can remain here tonight, then Titus can provide a tour in the morning of Fire Quad. And we’ll work out dorm arrangements afterward.”
Meaning she wanted to see Claire’s reaction to the world before she assigned her sleeping quarters.
“Assuming that is okay with you, dear?” Elana asked, her benevolent gaze finding Claire. The woman was the peacekeeper of our race for a reason, and it showed as she smiled. “Would you like to see the Academy? I think you might find it enlightening. And Titus could take you to the game this weekend, to see the competition of elements. Assuming he’s up for it.”
I hadn’t planned to go, but if it was something Claire wanted to see, I’d take her. “Sure.”
Claire glanced sideways at me, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “Y-you’re a student.” Not a question, but a statement.
Still, I nodded. “First year, yep.”
“A-and I would be near you on the tour?” she asked, her throat working over each word. I rather enjoyed the hopeful glint in her eyes.
“I’ll happily show you around campus.” I reached over for her hand. “It’s really beautiful. You’ll love it. Lots of trees and flowers and nature.”
She nibbled her lip. “Fairies?”
I chuckled. “No. Those are just here.”
“Anything else magical?”
“All sorts of elemental magic, sweetheart.” I squeezed her hand. “We’re fae. We live and breathe our powers. But the purpose of the Academy is control, so you won’t have to fear anyone or anything. Everyone is learning.”
“Like a university,” she said, repeating Elana’s sentiments.
“Yeah, except we learn how to hone our gifts for the betterment of society, while you attended college for, like, a job. And half of the crap you all study is worthless.” River’s cheeks pinkened as Claire met his gaze. “Sorry, I’ve studied some of the Human Realm. It’s, uh, fun to me.”
“What kind of fae are you?” she asked, eyeing him with curiosity. “I can’t sense your energy like I do Exos’s and Titus’s.”
Her words had my gaze snapping up to Exos, who merely smirked. Those words, so innocent on her lips, meant far more than she realized. If she sensed Exos the way she did me, it meant he was a potential mate for her as well.
And the slight curve of Elana’s lips confirmed she knew it all along.
As did the startled expression
River wore.
Fae mated once, for life. But only with one person and always of their element.
That Claire had found a potential connection with two fae, of different elements, was unique. No, it was unheard of.
Maybe she meant she felt Exos’s aura the way I felt other Fire Fae who were a potential match to my own magic?
“I, uh, control water,” River said, swallowing. “I’m a Water Fae.”
“Oh,” Claire murmured. “So would you be on the tour?”
He snorted. “Not of the Fire Fae Quad, no. We keep our own quadrants. Too many complications when you mingle the elements.”
Her brow furrowed. “But… but I have some?” She looked to Exos. “R-right?”
“You have all five,” he confirmed, not meeting her gaze yet somehow knowing she’d leaned on him for the detail. “Which is why I suggested the Spirit Quad.” Now he raised his gaze to mine. “Because it would be too dangerous to assign her another place to stay.”
“Let’s see how the tour goes,” Elana interjected, playing peacekeeper yet again. “Then we can decide where she might want to reside. And for tonight, Claire will remain here. Is that all right, dear?”
Claire blinked. “I, uh, okay.” She glanced at me. “Are you staying, too?”
“Uh.” I glanced at Exos, who nodded. “Yes. I can stay.”
“The two of you can work on control,” he added. “Might as well start now. I would hate for Claire to blow up a building on campus the way she did earlier.” He pushed away from the table. “I need to phone an update to my brother, so if you all will excuse me.”
“Is he always this abrupt?” Claire asked as the Spirit Fae left the room.
“I don’t know. I hardly know him,” I admitted.
“You’re not friends?”
I snorted. “He’s a royal. He doesn’t befriend fae like me.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It’d be like the Queen of England befriending a peasant,” River interjected helpfully. “That’d be rare, right?”
“I, well, yes.” She frowned. “So he’s, like, important?”
“He’s the most powerful Spirit Fae in existence,” I confirmed. “And heir to the Spirit Kingdom.”
“He’s, like, thirty,” she replied.
“Appearances can be deceiving,” Elana chimed in, reminding me that she still sat with us. “Well, I’ll leave you to your sleeping arrangements. River, you’re welcome to stay as well, if your curiosity continues to get the best of you.” She winked as she stood. “I require a bit of sleep after all the festivities of today.” She paused on the threshold, her eyes going to Claire. “It is lovely to have you with us, dear. I hope you enjoy your tour tomorrow.”
8
Claire
River stood, shuffling from foot to foot while nibbling his lip. “I, uh…”
“You don’t have to stay,” Titus told him, a smile in his voice. “You can go back to your dorm.”
Relief flooded the Water Fae’s gaze. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, man. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
“Thank you.” He started away from the table, then paused to glance back at me. “It, uh, was good to meet you, Claire.” He immediately dropped his focus to the ground and shuffled some more.
“You, too,” I replied, confused by his bashfulness.
He gave a little wave and practically ran out of the room.
I frowned after him. “Is he afraid of me?” I asked, a little hurt. It wasn’t like I meant to keep setting shit on fire.
Titus chuckled. “No. It’s being in the Chancellor’s place. It’s, uh, sort of a big deal. She might not be royalty like Exos, but she’s very important in our society. And her affinity for water is probably teasing his a bit, you know, since he’s a Water Fae.”
“Wait, so she has two elements?” Didn’t they just say it wasn’t normal to mingle elements? Or did I misunderstand what that meant?
“All Spirit Fae do,” he replied. “Exos has spirit and fire, Elana has water and spirit. You, it seems, have access to all the elements.”
“And that’s not normal.” It was a guess—an educated one based on the last twenty-four hours or however long I’d been here.
“No. It’s, uh, unique.”
“How unique?”
He palmed the back of his neck. “You, uh, are the first and only fae to control more than two elements.”
“More than two?” I squeaked, repeating his words.
“Yeah, as I said, Spirit Fae have two. That’s the most there’s ever been.”
And I had five. I blinked. Five. “I… What does that mean?”
He shook his head. “I don’t actually know,” he admitted softly. “But what I can tell you is that the Academy is your best course. They’ll teach you how to control the gifts, Claire. And it sounds like you’ll be rotating between campuses throughout the week.”
I sat back in my chair, flinching as a horde of those colorful insects fluttered into the room. My instinct to kill one earlier, like one would a fly, had overwhelmed me in the lobby. And then I’d screamed when the thing started yelling at me.
That kind of shit did not happen in, well, reality.
Except I’d given up considering any of this to be a dream. It was far too fucked up for even me to fathom.
Especially the bits about my mom.
“What, uh, did Exos mean when he said my mother destroyed the Spirit Kingdom?” I asked. He’d mentioned her a few times today, but I hadn’t been in the right frame of mind to hear him, let alone understand him.
“You don’t know?” Titus asked, sounding surprised.
I gave him a look. “In case it’s not clear, I was celebrating my twenty-first birthday at a college bar just… whenever ago. And I knew nothing about fae or fairies or pixies or elemental magic. Until, like, whenever I fell here.” My English professor would be appalled by the way I just explained all that, but who could expect any sort of clarity after throwing me into this insanity?
Titus nodded. “Right, yeah. Okay. Are you done eating?”
I eyed my partially finished plate. “Uh, yeah.” I couldn’t eat any more even if I tried. Not with the gymnastics going on inside my belly. “But that doesn’t answer my question.”
“I know,” he said. “I was just trying to figure out if we should have that conversation here or, uh, elsewhere.”
“Like upstairs?” I suggested, liking the idea of being somewhere less out in the open and away from those sparkly, chattering bugs.
“If that’s where you want to go.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know where else to go, actually.”
“You mean you don’t know where else I’m allowed to go,” I translated. “I’m not going to run again.” At least not yet. Not until I knew more about this place. Otherwise, it was a waste of effort, and Exos’s ultimatum about my options didn’t leave me all that enthusiastic to act out again. Because I didn’t doubt for a second that he meant his threat. He very clearly did not like me, and the feeling was mutual.
Well, mostly mutual.
Aside from the fact that I still sometimes wanted to kiss him.
I shook my head. “Let’s go upstairs,” I said, standing. Because, unlike Exos, I actually liked Titus. And also found him hot as hell.
A Titus and Exos sandwich would be, well, amazing. Two powerful bodies thrusting, tongues dancing, hands roaming…
And, oh my God, I needed to stop that line of thought.
Wow.
No.
Not happening.
Ever.
And, Jesus Christ, what was wrong with me to even begin to imagine that? Very clearly losing—
“Claire?” Titus asked, his brow furrowed. He’d stood with me and seemed to be waiting for me to lead.
“Right.” I turned and started toward the stairs. To lead him to my room. Which, after that last thought, probably wasn’t the brightest of ideas, but it wasn’t like Exos would b
e joining us. Although, I wouldn’t exactly complain if he did.
No, wait, yes, I would.
I didn’t like Exos.
He was a dick. A dick who just happened to be one of the sexiest men I’d ever seen. As well as Titus, but in entirely different ways.
I groaned, frustrated by the onslaught of images abrading my mind, each of them more graphic than the next.
“Are you okay, Claire?” Titus asked, sounding concerned.
No. “Yes. Just, uh, confused.” Not exactly a lie.
His hand caught mine at the top of the stairs, pulling me back to him as his other palm went to cup my face. Eyes the color of an evergreen gazed down at me.
“It’s going to be all right,” he whispered, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “I know it’s all overwhelming right now, that you feel completely off-kilter in this realm, but I think you’ll like it here. Minus maybe the pixies.” He tried for a smile that I felt resonate inside of me.
Titus had completely misunderstood my awkwardness, yet his words were exactly what I needed to hear. “Thank you,” I said, pressing my hand over his.
“You’re welcome.” His gaze dropped to my lips, heat flaring between us. It felt different from earlier, his comfort evolving into something more intense. Energy purred beneath his skin, lifting to stroke my own, inflaming a need inside me I didn’t understand. It pulled me toward him, hypnotized me, excited me, made me fly. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, his awe rivaling my own.
I swallowed, tilting my head back—
The clearing of a throat had us jumping apart, my feet causing me to trip right into Exos’s hard chest. He caught me with a hand on my hip, steadying me between them.
And what do you know—I’d suddenly become the center of an Exos and Titus sandwich.
My cheeks warmed at the thought, my throat going dry.
“I, uh, I mean, we were just going to my room, to, well…” Realizing how bad that all sounded, I stopped talking and gulped at Exos’s arched brow.
“Talk,” Titus said. “She wants to know about her mother, something apparently you haven’t told her yet.”
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