by Lexi C. Foss
Not a request.
An order.
No subtlety to see if I would be up for the task or if I had other plans for my time at the Academy. Just a straight edict that Exos expected me to follow. And apparently, Elana did as well.
My blood boiled with the arrogance of his demand, and more so, the power behind his blood that allowed him to lord over me.
“It makes sense with you being the most powerful Fire Fae at the Academy, not to mention your uncanny ability to encourage her cooperation.” He glanced at me over his glass. “It’s also a unique opportunity to appease the Council. You could consider it an internship of sorts.”
“And if I don’t want an internship?” I couldn’t help the growl in my voice. This prick thought to own me, to force me into a position of his own choosing without any regard for what I wanted.
“We both know what you want,” Exos replied, his gaze knowing. “You won’t say no, Titus.”
To putting my reputation on the line for a Halfling? To having to protect her from what had to be an army of fae who wanted to kill her? To training her how to use her fire?
Well, that last bit appealed to me. But the other parts? I started to shake my head, but a buzzing of excitement caused all of us to glance at the doorway.
“Ah, here we are.” Elana clapped as she entered the room, drawing the pixies to her in a flourish of a grand greeting. “The dining area is lovely, thank you.” The pixies chirped in happiness, leading her to the head of the table beside Exos’s seat.
“Have you discussed our plans?” she asked, her focus on Exos.
“Yes.” He set his flute down. “Titus was just accepting.”
Accepting, my ass.
“Excellent,” Elana replied, her kind eyes lifting my way. “After observing your interaction upstairs, I do think this is best. Claire clearly likes you, and she needs someone she can trust and rely on at her side. You’re a good match for her fire as well.” The knowing way she said that last bit had a chill running up my spine.
Spirit Fae were powerful beings. They could sense and control all aspects of the life cycle. And she’d clearly noticed the mating potential between me and Claire. Which meant Exos had as well.
I cleared my throat. “If that’s—”
A shriek from the other room had me on my feet in a second, the explosion of fire a seduction to my inner flame.
Claire.
I ran into the foyer to find her curled in a ball, the walls around her ablaze with light. River extinguished the inferno with a mist of power while I clamped down on her gifts with my own, calming them on instinct.
She trembled, a cry escaping her throat as a pixie squeezed out of her grasp with an angry chirp. Another wave of fiery power spiked across the room in response, Claire quivering violently on the ground. “This isn’t real,” she whispered on repeat. “This isn’t real. Fairies don’t exist.”
Exos snorted. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He gestured to her as if to say, This. I can’t deal with this. And returned to the dining room.
I sighed. His lack of patience made him a shitty mentor. No wonder he needed me.
Crouching beside her, I murmured, “They’re not real, Claire. Elana conjured them to help with dinner.”
“Wh-what?” Glassy blue eyes met mine. “C-conjured?”
I smiled. “Yes, fae magic.” I held out my hand for her. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
She swallowed. “I… I don’t…”
“They’re harmless,” I promised. “Just little pixies. You’ll see.”
“Sh-she tried t-to pull my dress, and I… I…”
“You reacted,” I finished for her. “But everything’s fine.” I gestured around the foyer. “Not even a charred mark.” Thanks to River’s hasty reaction. And likely Elana’s, too. “Come on, sweetheart. I think you’ll like the little fairies once you see them in action.”
“Exos s-said f-fairies weren’t real.”
“Because they’re not,” he called from the other room.
Her eyes widened. “But it touched me.”
“Yes, I told you. Elana’s powerful.” I waggled my fingers. “Will you come to the dining area with me?”
She slowly lifted her palm to mine, allowing me to help her up from the floor. The pretty purple dress she wore fluttered around her knees, her hair damp and combed over one shoulder. I tucked a stray strand behind her ear and caught the fiery ember drifting up her neck in response.
The power inside her seemed ready to explode.
“Hey, do me a favor,” I whispered.
Her beautiful blue eyes held mine, her lashes thick as she blinked. “Wh-what?”
“Put your hands up like this.” I held mine in front of me, palms outward to face her.
She copied the motion with a frown. “Okay.”
“Now I want you to think about everything that’s bothering you, all the pain, the anger, the frustration and confusion. And I want you to channel it into your hands like you want to hit someone.” At her incredulous look, I smiled. “Trust me. Just pull all that energy into your arms and let it fly through your palms. Like you’re gearing up to punch someone in a fight.”
“I don’t fight,” she mumbled.
“But you’re angry, right?” I pressed. “Upset? Confused?”
“Of course I am.”
“And wouldn’t it feel really good to just hit someone?”
“Yes.” No hesitation. “But not you. I’d rather hit Exos.”
I couldn’t help my chuckle. “Well, we’d all enjoy that. But I want you to try to hit me. Pretend I’m him.”
She shook her head. “You’re not. You’re actually nice to me.”
Exos entered the foyer, his hands in his pockets. “Then hit me,” he said, coming to stand beside me. He must have figured out what I wanted to do, or perhaps realized he deserved her annoyance. “Come on, princess. Let me have it.”
Her gaze narrowed. “You.” Energy hummed inside her. “You made me destroy the bar.”
“You’re the one who approached me,” he reminded her, an edge to his voice. “You destroyed the bar. I saved people.”
Her hands balled into fists, her gaze narrowing to slits. “You could have stopped me!”
Exos shrugged. “I had no idea you were going to light the damn place on fire, Claire.”
“Rick’s dead,” she continued, not hearing him. “He’s dead!”
“Yes.” Exos didn’t flinch, just continued to stare her down. “Come on, princess. Hit me.”
“I hate you,” she said, tears glistening in her eyes. She opened her palms, unleashing an impressive stream of fire that I caught and absorbed before it could hit Exos. Another blast left her hands, weaker than the first one, followed by a third and a fourth until her knees gave out beneath her on a cry. I grabbed her before she could fall, catching her against my torso and holding her tight.
Exos met my gaze, his expression unreadable. “Welcome to the team, Titus.”
Titus
“You’ll fit right in at the Academy,” Elana said, smiling from the entryway. “Shall we eat? The food is getting cold.” She gestured for us to follow her, but Claire seemed unable to move.
“In a minute,” I replied, running my fingers through her hair.
Elana’s eyes grinned as she nodded and disappeared.
“What just happened?” Claire whispered, shaking against me.
“You expunged some built-up power.” My lips brushed her forehead, something that seemed to happen without my permission but felt right. “And I absorbed it.”
She gasped, pulling back to look me over, her gaze wild. “D-did I hurt you? Exos?”
“We’re fine.” I cupped her cheek. “I just wanted to show you how to channel your emotions into your gifts, to control it better.”
She shook, more tears glistening in her eyes. “I don’t understand what’s happening to me.” She swallowed, clearing her throat and letting out a sad little laugh. “God, I’ve never felt
so emotional in my life. You must think I’m a wreck.”
“No, I think you were stolen from your world and placed in a land you never knew existed. Pretty sure I’d feel the same if someone put me in the Human Realm.” I chuckled at the thought and shook my head. “I’d destroy, like, everything.”
She blinked. “You would?”
“Oh yeah. My power is barely contained here. Around mortals? I’d be like a firestorm.”
Her lips twitched, a funny look gleaming in her eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“Nothing.” But that look didn’t go away. If anything, it intensified.
“Tell me,” I encouraged her, curious as hell.
“You… You sound like a superhero from one of those movies.” She giggled, her palm lifting to cover her lips, but a laugh escaped between her fingers. “Firestorm.” Her eyes crinkled, her shoulders shaking. “Oh God.” A burst of sound came from her, something I enjoyed much more than her shrieking and crying. And I couldn’t help joining her even though I didn’t quite grasp the joke. I just really, really liked that sound.
“Sorry,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “God, I feel insane. All of this. I just don’t even know what to do, how to react… anything.”
“Well, I vote we start by trying to eat dinner,” I suggested, gesturing to the dining area. “Unless you’d prefer fighting more pixies?”
“Pixies?” she repeated.
“The fairies that tried to guide you to the dining room.”
“Oh.” She scrunched her forehead. “Is that what you meant about a path to follow?”
I shook my head. “No, I meant for you to trace my essence of fire.” I trailed a line of fire along her forearm to her hand, causing her lips to part on a big O. “But it seems the pixies were eager for you to join us. They don’t want the food to get cold.”
“Right,” she whispered. “Okay.”
“Okay, you want to eat? Or okay, you understand?”
“B-both,” she stammered. “I’m… hungry.”
I looked her over with a smile. “Yeah, me, too.” I held up my palm one more time. “Shall we, Claire?”
She pressed her palm to mine, nodding. “A room of fairies and food. Sure.”
I chuckled. “You’ll get used to it.”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of,” she said so softly that I barely heard her. The poor girl clearly thought she was going mad, but after a few days in this realm, she’d realize the reality of her situation. Hopefully.
The seating arrangements in the room had changed with River joining Exos on the opposite side of the table, Elana still at the head, leaving two open seats for me and Claire—beside each other. I pulled out her chair, causing her to smile shyly as she sat, and joined her quickly, my hand finding hers beneath the table to give it a squeeze.
She tightened her hold as the pixies fluttered in to begin delivering food. It seemed they’d replaced the soup with fresh bowls, likely because the old had grown cold. They continued swapping out the dishes until a blend of fresh aromas wafted off the table, the array of foods causing my stomach to grumble in want and my heart to beat in admiration.
Elana was controlling all of this, her power an almost magnetic energy that called to my inner fae and required submission. Because not many could boast such a feast in their homes, especially after repairing the walls.
Claire didn’t appear nearly as enthused.
“It’s a bit much, huh?” I teased, eyeing the magic sprinkling across the room.
She relaxed, then gave me a small smile of her own. Fuck, she was beautiful. I wanted to make her smile every moment of every day.
Exos remained stoic, his focus shifting to Elana as he asked her something about Claire’s schedule. This caused the woman at my side to glance between them, her brow furrowing as they discussed her life without her input.
“Eat, dear,” Elana said when she noticed Claire staring at her.
My companion didn’t reach out for the food but eyed it hungrily. When she refused to pick her own course, I released her hand to pick up her dish and then plucked a little bit of everything for her to try before setting it in front of her.
“I recommend that one first,” I told her, gesturing to the dried pieces of meat. “I love those.” I punctuated the statement by heaping several spoonfuls onto my own plate, as well as a few nibbles from other dishes.
When Claire still didn’t touch her food, I took a bite of mine to demonstrate that it wasn’t poisonous. And then I made an exaggerated moan of approval that caused her lips to twitch.
“Try it,” I encouraged her. “It’s really, really good.”
She shifted in her seat, her mouth pinching to the side. Then she took one of the dried pieces of meat I suggested and nibbled on it, her eyes going wide. She took a larger bite.
I chuckled. “Told you.”
She didn’t reply, too lost in the flavors of the foods.
“Yes,” Elana said quietly. “I think that’s best. One day at each campus, and I’ll work with the professors tomorrow on her schedule. We should start her in the Fire Quad.”
Exos nodded. “I agree. Are her quarters ready?”
“No, you’ll stay here tonight. I didn’t have enough energy to finish rebuilding the Spirit Dorm.”
“You’re putting her on the Spirit Quad?” I asked, setting my fork down. River cleared his throat, but I ignored him. He must not have liked my tone, but this was a horrible idea and I wanted them to know it. “It’s empty and void of life.”
“And therefore safe,” Exos added.
“For who? Her or the others?” I shook my head. “If you want her to attend the Academy, you need to have her around other fae. That’s how you introduce her to our world. By showing her what the Fae Realm is like and introducing her to fae her own age.”
Claire had stopped eating, her eyes dancing between us. “You keep mentioning the Academy and a campus, but what is it? Like a college?” she whispered.
“The Elemental Fae Academy, dear,” Elana said, her voice warm. “And yes, it’s similar to your university life, but for fae. Everyone in this realm attends from age nineteen to twenty-three, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Like Titus, for example.”
“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 so
ftly. “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.”