by Lexi C. Foss
“I’m sure you have,” Kols replied, his stance relaxed as they squared off. “Give it your best shot, Jyn.”
“Is her name Jyn or Emelyn?” I asked Ella in a low tone.
“Emelyn Jyn,” she replied, her tone sour. “She’s Kols’s future mate.”
My eyebrows lifted. “She is?” Didn’t he say something about not doing girlfriends?
“Yeah. Assigned by the Council. Some sort of agreement between Malik and Lima.”
“Yes, our Council fancies arranged pairings,” Shade added as he came to stand with us. “I was assigned to Cordelia, Stiggis’s older sister.”
I frowned at him. “Then why did you bite me?”
“Why indeed?” he mused, his lips curling. “Maybe I wished to avoid my arrangement. Or maybe it was for another reason entirely. And maybe, if you’re a good little rose, I’ll tell you one day.” He touched the tip of my nose with his index finger and sauntered off just as Kols pinned Emelyn to the ground beneath a wall of power. It reminded me of the one Zephyrus had used to block Stiggis’s attack on Shade.
Emelyn screamed in pain, but Kols didn’t stop.
And Zephyrus merely watched.
“Isn’t he going to stop him?” I demanded, torn between Shade’s commentary and the action unfolding before me.
“Who? Zeph?” Ella asked, snorting. “Yeah, no. He’ll let this continue until Emelyn gives the signal, which should happen in about three, two, there it is.”
A cloud of red smoke puffed out around them, and Kols released the brick of magic. “Practice harder, Jyn,” he said, walking away.
“We’re next,” Ella informed me.
“Great.” I followed her into the ring and noted how several fae fell silent around us, their intrigue palpable.
Too bad for them this would be a short show.
“I have no idea what I’m doing, so go ahead and start,” I said, owning my inexperience.
Ella smirked. “Already am, princess.”
I almost asked what she meant, when I felt her energy swathing me in a cloak of immobility. The thought of being bound triggered me into action, that blue light within me igniting to life and easily cutting through her invisible ropes while also memorizing the magical feel of them.
Using the knowledge, I tried to weave my own spell to wrap around her and nearly smiled when her legs locked in place.
“Holy shit, you’re a fast learner,” she said, pulling out her wand. “Italaka.”
My spell dissolved.
I took out my wand as well, unsure of how that would help me, and waited for her next attack. Which came in the form of a water figment shaped like a lion. I jumped to the side as its jaws yawned wide, its teeth far too real. They reminded me of crystal fragments. Sharp, precise, and turning right for me.
A cerulean wave of power billowed out of me, destroying her fragment and sending Ella to the ground.
Zephyrus stepped in with one of those walls, except it went around me while he and Tray knelt to check on Ella. I stood frozen on display, unable to move, and confused as hell.
“Did I do it wrong?” I asked, but my words echoed around me in my makeshift prison. I pressed my palm to it and jolted at the zap. Then cocked my head as the energy signature seemed to unravel in my head, allowing me to absorb the knowledge just like I did with the binding spell.
Strange, I thought, even as I memorized the spell Zephyrus had woven and, more importantly, how to undo it.
Closing my eyes, I disentangled the threads, removing the enclosure and allowing me to hear the chaos erupting around me.
Questions and accusations flowed from every inch of the courtyard, followed by someone screaming, “Zephyrus! She’s escaping!”
He spun around to find me free of his cage and narrowed his green gaze. “You. Come with me. Now.”
I wasn’t given an option to comply, some sort of invisible noose tightening around my waist and yanking me forward.
Kolstov fell into step on my other side, his jaw tight. “Why didn’t you tell us you could do that, Aflora?”
“Do what?” I asked. “All I did was dismantle her water monster.”
“You attacked her with WarFire,” Kolstov snapped.
“What? I don’t even know what that is.”
“It’s the giant purple ball you just threw at my brother’s mate,” he returned through his teeth.
“Purple?” I blinked at him in confusion. “It was blue.”
“And again, I saw red,” Zephyrus added, opening a door to a nearby building and ushering us inside. “What role do you want? Peacekeeper or guard?”
“Peacekeeper,” Kolstov replied. “I’m the only one with the right bedside manner for it.” His focus fell to me. “Do exactly what Zeph tells you to do, or I’ll be left with no choice but to reprimand you publicly.”
He turned on his heel, leaving us just inside the archaic stone structure. I gaped after him, startled by both the threat and the plea in his gaze as he uttered it. “I don’t understand.”
Shade materialized beside us, his amusement palpable. “Well, that was exciting. You sure do know how to make friends, little rose.”
“Did you know she could do that?” Zephyrus demanded.
“No, but I’m thrilled by the prospect.”
“Would someone tell me what I supposedly did?” I cut in before the headmaster could reply.
“WarFire,” Zephyrus said. “You created WarFire and threw it at Ella. It’s a lethal flame meant to kill. And it requires high-level magical skill, something you claim not to possess, but that little act suggests otherwise.”
“I…” I wasn’t sure how to reply to that. “All I did was destroy her water lion.”
“What color did you see?” Zephyrus asked, ignoring me in favor of Shade. “I saw red. Kolstov swears it’s purple. You?”
“Green,” Shade replied. “Just like yesterday.”
“It’s cerulean blue,” I insisted, annoyed that they kept talking about the color of my flame and not focusing on what the heck just happened. “Is Ella all right?”
“Cerulean…?” Zephyrus repeated, trailing off and sharing a glance with Shade. “That’s impossible.”
“Why are you all so obsessed with the color? You’re telling me I almost killed Ella. Is she okay?”
“Tray’s healing her,” Shade replied, still holding Zephyrus’s gaze. “And I agree; that’s impossible.”
“Do you have Quandary Blood in your history?”
“No. It’s a dead line.”
“I know that.”
“Then why bother asking such a question?”
“Just tell me what’s going on,” I interjected, tired of these conversations about colors and bloodlines. There were more important things at play here. “How could I possibly create WarFire? I don’t even know a standard defense spell.”
“WarFire is an advanced offensive spell.” Zephyrus finally gave me his attention again. “It’s exceedingly difficult to conjure and requires a lot of energy. It’s also extremely illegal.”
“Great.” I threw up my hands and paced in the small stone space, wary of the dusty walls and cobwebs in the corners. Beautiful place, I thought, pinching the bridge of my nose. “You realize Earth Fae don’t fight, right? We’re very peaceful beings.”
“Could have fooled me,” Shade murmured.
“I learned how to duel at a young age because of my birthright, but I rarely took defensive or offensive skills in school. My method of fighting is through power. Earth power. And we don’t create fire.”
“Yet here we are,” Shade replied, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. “How did you pick up her bondage spell? Or did you read that in a book?”
“I don’t know. I just… absorbed it.”
“Which is how you dismantled Zeph’s force field?” Shade guessed.
“Is that what that was?”
“Yes.” Zephyrus narrowed his eyes at me. “A powerful one, too, that you took down faster than a
nyone I’ve ever seen.”
I swallowed. “Oh.” That wasn’t good for a lot of reasons. Well, none of this was good. It showed a growth in dark magic, which I definitely didn’t want. “I really am becoming an abomination, aren’t I?”
“So it would seem,” Zephyrus replied, not mincing words. “The question remains: Is it permanent or temporary?”
I had no answer for that and neither, it seemed, did Shade. He merely remained as nonchalant as ever, not a single inkling of remorse tainting his features.
Because he didn’t care at all that he’d put me in this situation.
“What about you?” I asked. “Are you growing elemental gifts?”
He lifted a shoulder. “Everything feels normal to me, apart from my link to you. That’s new.”
“Yeah, you put it there.”
“I remember.”
“And you don’t care at all that you did it.”
“Of course I care. Why else would I be willingly standing in this outdated shack of a former classroom with you?” He pushed off the wall to stalk toward me. “This isn’t exactly the most comfortable of spaces, but I didn’t want to leave you alone with Zeph and Kols.”
I glared up at him. “I’m in this mess because of you.”
“I know.”
“And you’re completely unapologetic.”
“Am I?” he countered, cocking his head.
“Are you?” I demanded.
“Shall we play the ‘maybe’ game again?”
“Ugh!” I wanted to slap him. “You’re impossible and cryptic and such a… a… bloodsucking willow stump!”
He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re so close, Aflora. So close.”
Apparently, bloodsucking had lost its damning effect from yesterday, leaving me as the butt of his joke yet again. “Fine. You’re a fucking asshole,” I told him, the words tasting wrong in my mouth.
And of course, they only amused him more. “Oh, I do like that word from your lips, little rose. Say fuck again.”
I threw my hands up in the air and turned to Zephyrus. “Can you make him leave?”
“It would be a waste of a command. Shade doesn’t follow rules.”
“Indeed, I don’t,” the Death Blood confirmed. “Besides, I’m here for your protection against the angry mob outside. If Kols can’t calm them all down, we’re going to have a fight on our hands. And I’m not ready to lose you yet.”
“Don’t feign selflessness.” Zephyrus folded his arms, causing the muscles to clench and flex in the process. “We both know you just want to avoid the pain of losing a mate.”
“I never claimed otherwise,” Shade replied casually. “But my reasoning is neither here nor there. I’m here to protect her, and protect her, I shall.”
“Or I could just create another ball of cerulean flames,” I muttered, not really meaning it.
“Do, and I’ll kill you myself,” Zeph warned.
A chill swept down my spine at the truth in those words.
His green eyes glowed with sincerity, too.
I swallowed and nodded. “Then maybe you could use this time to teach me how to control it.”
“I’m going to need more than a few minutes for that lesson.” He considered me for a long moment. “But I’ll talk to Kols about your schedule. I think your independent study should be reevaluated and scheduled with me. You’re going to need all the defensive-magic help you can get after that little display out there.”
Shade nodded, his agreement clear.
Something told me my reply wouldn’t matter, so I remained quiet and waited instead.
What felt like hours later, Kols joined us once more, his expression wary. “Ella’s fine. Tray’s irritated, but understanding. And the others, well, let’s just say Aflora hasn’t made any friends.”
Not like I had any here anyway, I thought sourly.
“No one is escalating the issue, but I had to agree to enhance her collar with more power restrictions,” he added.
Zeph’s chocolate-colored eyebrow inched upward. “How are you going to do that?”
“I have no idea.” He looked at me. “For now, I need you to stay in the suite. No going to the cafeteria. No socializing.”
“What about class tomorrow?” I asked.
“You’ll be with me, so that’ll be fine. But going forward, we need a better device to keep your powers in check.”
So, a tighter leash. Awesome.
I sighed. “All right.” While I hated the prospect of it, I understood the reason behind it. If my powers continued at this rate, I might actually hurt someone, and then I’d never be able to live with myself. Restraint made sense. I’d rather bear the pain myself than inflict it on another.
“You’re not going to fight me on it?” Kols asked, his expression surprised.
I shook my head, swallowing. “I know what an abomination can do, Prince Kolstov. If that’s truly what I’m becoming, restraint is a requirement.” My shoulders fell as I looked toward the door. “If you lead me back to the suite, I’ll stay there until you tell me otherwise.”
Because escape was never going to be an option at this rate.
Not with the fire still licking a hot path beneath my skin, begging to be unleashed.
The power inside me seemed to be searching for an outlet, a way to explode. There had to be a way to temper it. Because if not… I shivered, refusing to consider that outcome.
I will survive this, I promised myself. Somehow.
Chapter Seventeen
Kols
“I swear to God, if you apologize again, I’m going to hit you with another jaws creation,” Ella threatened as I finally returned home.
Dealing with Aflora’s little power display had cost me more than I wanted to admit. Mostly because of Emelyn. She’d gone to her father, which meant I’d been called into an emergency Council discussion regarding Aflora’s development. I assured them all that I had her under control and reiterated the complication of her status as the last Earth Fae Royal. Killing her now would provoke a war. They needed to come to terms with the Elemental Fae Council before that could even be considered as an option.
Several wanted to lock her up.
But my father stood by my side and reminded everyone that this task served as one of my ascension trials.
An ascension trial that was proving to be my most difficult test yet.
Aflora sat on a couch beside Ella, her shoulders caved inward as she held a mug of hot chocolate between her delicate hands. “I had no idea I could do that.”
“I know.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t go to any more classes,” Aflora continued. “The power seems to be growing, not dying, and that can’t be a good thing.”
“Classes are a requirement,” I interjected, making my presence known since neither of them seemed to hear me walk through the door.
Aflora jumped, her blue eyes rounding as she looked up at me.
Ella didn’t react at all. So maybe she had noticed my arrival.
“How’d the meeting go?” Tray asked as he walked out of the kitchen with a beer. He did a good job of hiding his anxiety over what happened today, but I caught the hardening of his jaw as he took in Aflora’s close proximity to Ella. That wasn’t an incident any of us would soon forget, even if Ella seemed fine now.
“I have an upgraded collar for Aflora to wear,” I replied, pulling the item from my pocket to show him and the rest of the room. “But they’ve agreed to let her stay for now, as long as she continues to attend her courses as scheduled. Her independent study day will be with Zeph, where he will attempt to teach her more about defensive arts and control.”
“Bet he loves that assignment.”
“Actually, he volunteered,” I replied.
Tray’s dark eyebrows shot up into his hairline. “Did he attend the meeting?”
I nodded. “He served as a witness in her trial.”
“Wait, there was a trial?” Aflora asked. “Why wasn’t I allowed to te
stify?”
“Because you’re a female,” Ella muttered. “The Council is full of sexist assholes.” She looked pointedly at me and Tray with those words, the argument a common one between us.
“It’s how our world functions,” I replied, more for Aflora’s benefit than Ella’s. The latter already knew full well how we did things around here. “Only males are allowed to present to the Council. If you have something to say, you send your mate.”
Aflora snorted. “Because I can trust Shade to speak on my behalf.” She shook her head, giving me a look. “I’m technically a queen, Prince Kolstov. I speak for myself.”
“From what I understand, you still haven’t accepted your ascension, which makes you a princess,” I corrected. “And as I said, our Council does not allow females to attend our proceedings.” As I agreed with her concerns regarding Shade, I didn’t comment on that part. But I did feel it was necessary to add, “That said, Shade did speak on your behalf today. And he did well.”
Her lips parted. “What? What did he say?”
“It’s not important. What you need to know is, the Council ruled to allow you to continue attending classes, but they want you to wear this upgraded collar. Shade, Zeph, and I have also been charged with monitoring your power growth, so you’ll be partnered with at least one of us in each class.” I glanced at Ella and Tray. “Do you mind giving us a minute to sort out the power exchange? Just in case there is a fallout from the swap?”
Normally, I wouldn’t mind their presence, but I wouldn’t risk Ella again.
Tray clearly agreed because he set his beer down without a word and walked to his mate, extending a hand.
“Really?” she said, giving us both a sardonic look. “Aflora’s not going to explode.”
Neither of us replied because we both knew that Aflora could indeed explode at any moment, and I was the only one powerful enough to handle the fallout.
“It’s fine,” Aflora murmured, pushing off the couch. “Let’s go to my room instead. I won’t fight the exchange.”
