by Lexi C. Foss
It made me come alive in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time.
As soon as she was close enough to touch, I would deepen my hold on her and encourage us to the third level so nothing like this could happen again. Oh, it could still shatter—Ophelia and Mortus had proven that in the harshest ways—but I wouldn’t have to fear time or space deteriorating our connection.
I agree, Claire whispered through my mind, her spirit so attuned to mine that it was as if we were one being now. Part of it stemmed from the energy I’d forced into our bond while begging my mate to find me, but a larger reason for our enhanced connection was Claire acceptance of her fae half.
She felt complete. I could sense it in her spirit, her contentment with grounding all her elements. She may not have meant to bond to the Earth Fae or Vox or Cyrus, but there wasn’t an ounce of regret within her. Not even her human half—the one gaping in horror at the idea of five mates—could overcome her fae mind now.
And I fucking loved it.
You’re close, I murmured, sensing her above me.
Yes. She went silent for a moment, her other elements taking over as she focused. My lips curled as the walls shook around me, Claire using her affinity for earth to manipulate the ancient tombs. A blast of energy—air—shook the foundation above.
Found the door, she said, a hint of pride in her tone.
I felt that. I smiled. Try not to collapse the roof over my head, princess.
Her amusement trickled through her spirit, as did Vox’s astonishment at her display in power. Having such a close connection to the Air Fae was a bit strange, but as a Spirit Fae, I often connected to the auras of others.
But the Earth Fae was very new to me.
Sol.
I only knew his name because of Claire. The power beneath his tough exterior rivaled some of the strongest fae in existence. This must be the fae Elana mentioned that Vox was tutoring in control. Interesting.
From a guardian standpoint, I approved. And I imagined Cyrus did as well, hence his presence in Claire’s life.
I ran a palm over my face, thinking of all the things I needed to discuss with my brother. He would want to know who knocked me out and put me down here, but I couldn’t remember. My memories were hidden beneath a thick wall of ink, one I hoped Cyrus could help me demolish. Because the answers were right there, at the back of my mind, hidden behind that mossy black substance. I’d prodded at it all week, trying futilely to demolish the block. Whoever had put it there was powerful in the darkest way.
Mortus seemed too likely a suspect, even though I sensed his presence all around this place.
No, I suspected something more sinister.
Someone had been using him as a puppet.
But the question remained: Who?
A gust of wind sailed through the room, blowing out the torches on the walls. I relit them with a wave of my fingers, the fire second nature. Claire’s presence hummed on the breeze, her eagerness thickening my blood.
“Exos?” she called, her voice the most beautiful sound in my existence.
“Over here, baby.” I clasped the iron bars, hoping she could at least see my hands from where she stood.
Her energy warmed my being as she approached.
So close.
Almost there.
My Claire.
My breath stuttered out of me at the sight of her, all those golden locks illuminated by the flame in her palm. Her blue eyes seemed lit from within, her smile rivaling mine. “There you are,” she breathed, studying my prison cell. “Back up.”
Vox and Sol came to stand behind her, their postures protective. Especially the Earth Fae’s. And the look he directed at me said I was the threat in his mind.
I tilted my head as I stepped away from the bars—per Claire’s request—and met the male’s gaze. “You’ve been hurt by one of my kind.” I could see it in the scars lurking in his spirit.
“Understatement,” he grunted.
My lips curled. “I bet you and Cyrus get along famously.”
Both Sol and Vox snorted at the mention of my brother, which only amused me more. Cyrus only knew how to rule, his royal blood providing him with the authority and power to do so. And he excelled at it by not putting up with petty bullshit.
Like past grievances that didn’t apply to either of us.
Hmm, but with Sol, I bet he took a measured approach, not demanding he do anything at all while allowing him the false perception of making his own choices.
I shook my head. Cyrus was good. Very, very good.
Claire’s elements whirled around her, a mixture of water and air building in her palm. “I’m going to blast the hinges,” she said, focusing.
“Damn,” Sol replied, arms folded. “I’d sort of like to see you burst through this door like you did upstairs.”
“And hit the Spirit Royal in the face?” Vox asked, arching a brow. “Would definitely leave a mark.”
Sol smiled. “Exactly.”
“We’ve only just met and already you’re making threats.” I tsked. “And here I hoped we could function as a happy unit.”
“Yeah? Talk to your ass of a brother about that.” Sol’s animosity clouded the air, suggesting I’d missed some sort of altercation.
“Shh,” Claire murmured, her eyes closing. “I need to hear.”
Energy singed the air, blowing her hair away from her face and painting her spirit in a warm glow that rivaled my own. I braced myself against the wall, sensing the building power, and grinned as she expertly honed in on the hinges of the door with a shock of ice. They froze instantly, then rattled beneath her onslaught of wind, cracking and inevitably shattering to the floor.
Sol reached over her with an open palm and sent the door crashing to the ground with a harsh shove.
Claire jumped over the iron and ran right for me. Her lips were on mine before I could speak, her arms winding around my neck and yanking me down to her for a hungry kiss. Our bond sparked to life, humming in approval at our shared touch and solidifying once more. We both knew how close we’d been to losing one another, how our connection nearly faded away into nothing. But neither of us had dwelled on it, too determined to fix the problem.
And that was the way it should be.
The way I always wanted it to be.
Claire responded in kind, accepting the third stage of our link with a bold thrust of her tongue into my waiting mouth. We had so much to go over, so many items to discuss, but it all paled in comparison to the near sense of loss.
Never again, she whispered. I’m never losing you again.
Took the words right out of my mind, baby. I deepened our kiss and grasped her hips to lift her into the air. Her legs wrapped around my hips as I braced her back against the wall and well and truly devoured her.
I missed you. The words were spoken by us both, simultaneously, over and over and over. Her body sung to mine, her mouth openly receiving my worship. Each swipe of her tongue invigorated my soul, giving me the strength I hadn’t realized I needed and bringing me back to full health in an instant.
“Claire,” I whispered, reverent. I wanted to do so much more than kiss her, but this wasn’t the place. And we had an audience.
A hungry audience.
I could feel their desire for her through the bond. They were only in the initial stage, their courtship fragile, while her other three mates were already promised for eternity. That had the potential to create another imbalance, one Claire had only just fixed. But it was too soon for her to promise herself to them as well. I could sense it in her mind that she wanted more time to get to know them, to make sure it was what they wanted.
And with Sol, I could feel his absolute craving, his unwavering loyalty crafted over the last month of knowing who he considered to be his little flower. I rather liked that nickname and wondered if he’d spoken it out loud to her yet or not, because it seemed to be a recent blossom in his mind.
Hmm, but Vox, he remained uneasy. While he liked Claire,
he wasn’t yet satisfied with her motives. Primarily because he’d spent their entire relationship pushing her away, and he seemed to think he’d done too good a job.
I almost laughed.
It definitely showed he needed more time to get to know Claire, because once he did, he would see the stubborn female that lurked beneath.
She sighed against me, her sense of rightness palpable. “Take me back to our bed, Exos,” she whispered. “Please.”
My lips curled against hers. “Not even going to let me eat first?”
She froze, her eyes flashing wide, her nails an anchor against my shoulder. “Oh… Oh God, you’re right! I’m mauling you when you probably—”
I silenced her with my mouth, pressing her harder against the wall and aligning my thickening arousal with the sweet spot between her legs. “Baby, I’m fine and only teasing.”
A whine left her as I kissed her again, this time with all the fervor built up from the months of knowing her and not consummating our relationship. Oh, I’d tasted her—several times—but I’d yet to experience the sweet bliss of my cock sliding into her waiting heat.
And unfortunately, I had to wait even longer before I could fuck her.
Because I needed to work with Cyrus to determine the real threat.
It wasn’t the mean girls who set up our Claire and made her appear too unstable to exist, but someone else. And the presence was at the tip of my thoughts, still hiding behind that sticky wall that didn’t belong there.
Claire palmed the side of my head, her lips leaving mine, her gaze narrowing. “I feel it,” she said, clearly having followed my thoughts. “It’s…” She prodded it with her spirit, her brow furrowing. “I think—”
A piercing shriek had me flinching and almost dropping her.
Sol was suddenly there, his hands on Claire, trying to rip her from my arms.
I shook my head to clear it, holding on to her tightly, as the sound continued.
And then I realized it was coming from her.
“Let go!” Sol shouted.
I did immediately, my palms going to my aching skull as I doubled over from the negative energy scalding our connection.
Claire wept against Sol, Vox’s hands roaming over her form for signs of injury.
“What did you do?” Sol demanded.
Even if I could have managed to speak, I’d have had no response to that. Because I didn’t know. She was fine, and then she wasn’t.
And fuck my head hurt.
I gripped my hair and fell to my knees, trying to solve the chaos going on in my mind. It felt as if I’d been splintered, the dark mass thriving inside and hissing in fury.
No. Not fury.
Hunger.
What. The. Fuck.
A hand on my shoulder had me flinching, but Vox held on tighter, his mouth moving with soundless words. All I could hear were Claire’s screams.
Was that an apology on his lips?
I didn’t—
His fist connected with my skull, sending me into a pit of darkness that was all too familiar.
Claire…
No response.
She’d cut me off.
And I had no idea why.
Sol
“Why did we come all this way to save this Spirit Fae bastard again?” I asked on a growl.
Vox rubbed his knuckles where he’d punched the royal in the face, knocking him out cold. The force needed to knock Exos out had required the use of Vox’s wind.
Too bad I hadn’t been able to get in my own hit.
The Spirit Fae would look awesome with an earth-infused blemish.
Yet one glance at Claire’s pained expression as she rested against my chest, unconscious, stilled my violent desire. Whether I liked it or not, this was one of her mates.
Which meant I could never kill him.
“Because you believe in this mate circle-of-elements thing, right?” Vox muttered flatly, replying to my comment about retrieving Exos. “I doubt he did that on purpose. Whatever that was, it felt… wrong.”
I nodded, having sensed it, too. An inky, dark void that had reached out just for Claire, clawing over my connection to her to embolden its strides. I hadn’t liked how it felt at all, especially with my complete inability to stop it.
“We need to get them both back to the Spirit Quad,” Vox surmised, glancing at me with that silver-rimmed gaze that burned with determination. He’d finally opened up to Claire, even if just enough to feel what he could be for her, what she was to all of us. True mates compatible on the most intimate of levels.
He glanced down again at Claire in my arms. My grip on her instinctually tightened, wanting to protect her by using my own body as a shield against anything that would try to come at her again. “You’re going to have to let her go,” Vox murmured, giving me a sidelong smirk. “Before you crush her, that is.”
I loosened my grip. “I can carry her. She hardly weighs anything.”
Vox chuckled and pointed at the lopsided royal on the ground. “Well, he doesn’t, and I’m not carrying him all the way back to the Spirit Quad.” He glowered at me until I cursed.
“Then drag him,” I suggested through my teeth.
Vox narrowed his eyes. “When Claire wakes up, she’s going to expect Exos in one piece, and if I drag him through a day’s worth of forest, she’s not going to be very happy with us. Especially if she knows you refused to carry him.”
Shit. He had a point.
“Fine,” I grumbled and shifted Claire into his arms.
Vox used his air currents to settle her weight against him, making me envious of how, even in sleep, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled under his chin. Vox’s breath caught at the movement.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” I warned him. “Whatever that thing was, it was waiting here for us. And whoever put it in Exos’s head might be back to finish the job.”
Vox glanced into the darkness around us and shivered. “Right. Let’s go.”
I stormed on ahead with Exos slung over my shoulder, making no attempt to still my power or make the royal comfortable.
He would already have a headache when he woke up. No one would question a few bruises.
Cyrus
A trap.
The scent of it soiled the air as the Earth Fae dumped my brother’s body at my feet. I cocked a brow at the giant. “You know, at some point, we’re going to need to work through your Spirit Fae issue.”
He snorted, but it lacked heat as his eyes were on Claire in Vox’s arms. Her head rested against the Air Fae’s chest, her eyes closed in a fitful sleep.
I’d felt her panic as if it were my own, the terror an ice cube down my spine. It had sent me misting back to Spirit Quad with Titus hot on my heels, only to find the dorm empty.
Once I’d pinpointed her location, I sensed Vox and Sol already on their way back and advised the fiery redhead to calm down and wait.
He’d responded with a fireball to my head.
One that I’d doused in a tidal wave that had left him sputtering.
If I’d learned anything from today’s experience, it was that Titus served as an excellent sparring partner. Once Exos woke up, I would share the news.
Hmm, but this trap…
I crouched before his prone form and palmed the side of his head.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Vox warned. “That’s exactly how Claire ended up unconscious.”
Well, I’m not Claire, I thought, ignoring his caution and driving my spirit essence into my brother’s psyche to have a look around. Something in his essence stirred a foul note in the air, adding a hint of pollution in his aura that shouldn’t be there. Claire must have gone searching as well, her instincts driving her to heal her mate. But unlike my little queen, I knew not to touch things that didn’t belong.
Like that inky abyss crawling about in my brother’s mind.
“Hmm,” I murmured, assessing the scathing energy hissing about at my presence. It almost appeared to
have scales, the dark magic reaching out with claws, searching for the spirit it truly craved.
Claire.
“Exos was left alone on purpose,” I said, my eyes closed as I continued to dance with the foreign presence inside my brother’s mind. “The culprit wanted Claire to find him.”
Which explained why she’d been able to suddenly pick up his location when she couldn’t only a month ago. I’d wrongly assumed it was the enhancement of her elements. But no. It was all part of this wicked being’s plan.
That was two traps I’d fallen for.
There would not be a third.
“My brother’s mind has been infected with the same essence that attempted to overcome Claire in the death fields. That’s why she reacted. And from what I can see, she fought back when it tried to grab on to her again.” The evidence lurked in the bubbling texture—they appeared to be wounds of a sort, similar to the ones marking Sol’s aura. Only, unlike Sol’s, these weren’t scarring. “I think she damaged it permanently”—which impressed me a great deal—“but she also hurt Exos.”
“Can you blame her?” Vox demanded, sounding defensive.
“Not at all.” I unwove myself from Exos’s essence and opened my eyes. “And he won’t, either.” The harm to the foreign presence might be irreparable, but Exos would be fine. Once I helped him remove that entity, anyway. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. “I need to take Exos home to deal with this. We can’t risk that infection spreading to Claire.”
“Infection?” Sol repeated, his skin losing color. “Like the plague?”
I’d not really considered the similarities, but I supposed they were there.
Unknown essence.
Element devouring energy, rendering the body useless.
But it worked slower, didn’t deteriorate the shell so much as the soul within.
“Not quite,” I said slowly, still considering. “But I see what you’re saying.” I really needed Exos back up and running to bounce some ideas off of. He was the one who tended to see through puzzles; I merely dictated how to unravel them. “It’s not the same, because I can remove it,” I added. “But I need to do that away from Claire.”