by Lexi C. Foss
He shook his head. “How did forming an Elemental mating bond protect me?”
“That was an accident. You blamed me for tricking you, remember?”
“Because I was shocked,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I wanted you and still do.”
“Is that what you told the humans this week? The ones you played with and fed from?” She narrowed her gaze at him. “Do they all get false promises, Kols? Or just me?”
“Just you,” he murmured, his lips going to her ear. “But they’re not false, princess. My vows to you are every bit true.”
She snorted, not buying it at all. “Right.” Those blue eyes met mine over Kols’s shoulder. “And what about you, Zeph?”
I arched a brow. “What about me?”
“I saw you last night, looking refreshed from blood consumption. Did you give her false promises, too? Or do you just tie up your playmates and gag them?”
A vision of her tied up in my bed entered my mind, intriguing me. “Do you want to be tied up, Aflora?”
“Is that really all you heard?” She shook her head and searched out Shade.
He’d hopped up off the ground some time ago to lean against the wall and observe. His expression now dared her to taunt him with her exquisite mouth.
“I don’t even want to know where you’ve been the last few days,” she muttered.
“Miss me in your dreams, little rose?” he asked, amused.
“No.”
“Liar,” he murmured.
She growled, then went back to trying to shove Kols away from her. “Let me go.”
“Never,” he promised, his hand gliding to her throat to force her attention back to him. “Our souls are engaged, Aflora. You can’t change that.”
“Watch me,” she snapped.
His lips curled. “It’s not possible, sweetheart. Your soul claimed mine and vice versa. Even Sol saw it, despite the glamour tied to my wristband. He about killed me for it.”
Aflora stopped fighting, her eyes widening. “Sol?”
“Yeah, big guy with rocks for fists,” Kols drawled. “He introduced one to my face. Thankfully, I heal quickly.” He released Aflora and took a step back. “He gave me a few things for you. They’re in a bag in my room.”
“What? Why didn’t you give them to me when you returned?”
“Because you stormed through the room last night, slammed your door, and refused to come out afterward,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “You haven’t exactly been all that chatty lately, Aflora.”
“Because you were off playing in the Human Realm.”
“If by ‘playing,’ you mean meeting with Exos, Cyrus, and Sol, then sure. And before you ask, yes, I fed. Something I can do without fucking, by the way. But I’m really glad we’re having the exclusivity discussion because if you so much as touch another male, I’ll kill him.”
“Same,” I agreed.
Shade merely shrugged. “You two have it covered.”
Aflora gaped between the three of us, acting as though we’d all grown multiple heads. “How…? How did this conversation become about exclusivity? I just told you all that I want to undo the mating.”
“And we told you that’s not happening, pixie flower.” I cocked my head to the side. “Three votes against one.”
“Hardly seems fair,” she muttered.
“Welcome to Midnight Fae society,” Shade drawled. “Where men make the rules and women are expected to follow them. Isn’t that right, Prince Kolstov?”
Kols ignored his commentary, his focus on Aflora. “You chose me.”
“Yeah, and you rejected me,” she countered. “And then, to add insult to injury, you set all my things on fire. Which, I guess, didn’t matter since none of them belonged to me anyway.” She shook her head, her exasperation palpable. “Why are we even debating this? None of us want to be in this situation.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “None of us want to be in this situation.”
She flinched, the movement slight but visible. And then she waved her hand at me. “See? Zeph admits it.”
“I admit to not enjoying our current situation,” I clarified. “The one where you’re mad at all three of us and punishing us with hurtful comments about breaking our ties to you. I strongly dislike this situation and would like it to cease. Now.”
She gaped at me, her mouth working without sound.
“Much better,” I praised, stepping toward her and brushing her dark hair behind her ear. “How about we go sit in the living room and try to discuss this like adults, hmm?”
“I-I don’t understand.” She seemed to be talking to herself more than to me, but I answered her anyway.
“We don’t want to break our quad, Aflora. Well, I might be okay with removing Shadow, but something tells me he’s staying.”
“I am,” he put in, seemingly unperturbed by my comment. If anything, he appeared amused.
I’d evaluate that later.
“You’re upset, and I know we hurt your ability to trust us. But we can’t change the past, Aflora. We can only fix the future.” Shade coughed, causing me to level a glare at him. “Is this entertaining to you, Shadow?”
He cleared his throat. “I can’t even begin to explain that reaction. Just. Yeah, continue.” He still appeared to be fighting a grin.
I sent a question to Kols with my eyes, and he just shrugged as if to say, It’s Shade. What do you expect? Which, yeah, what did I expect?
Rolling my eyes, I refocused on the female before me. “I’m sorry for not telling you what was about to happen. There wasn’t time, and I worked the situation to the best of my ability to ensure your safety, in addition to mine and Kols’s.” I cupped her cheek and tilted her head back as I stepped into her personal space. “I’ll prove to you over time that your best interests are important to me. But I need you to allow me the opportunity to try.”
She swallowed, her pretty eyes still holding a touch of that fire I adored. “Why should I?”
“Because I’m your mate, Aflora,” I replied, lowering my lips to brush a chaste kiss against the edge of her mouth. “Whether you want me or not, we’re bound together. And this will be a lot easier if you just accept that our fates are intertwined.”
“What if I want to undo them?” The breathless quality of her voice belied her words, yet her stubborn side refused to back down. I really did adore that about her. I just wished she’d direct that fight to another topic, one less hurtful.
“You don’t,” I whispered, rubbing my nose against hers. “So stop suggesting it.” I nipped her lower lip hard enough to hurt without breaking the skin. A gentle reprimand for her cruel words. Maybe I deserved them, but I didn’t have to like them. “You’re mine, Aflora. And one day, you’ll trust me again. If you allow yourself to try.”
“I can’t,” she admitted. “I can’t trust you.”
“Not yet,” I agreed, pressing my forehead to hers. “But soon. You’ll see.” With a final kiss to her cheek, I released her once more. “Let’s continue this discussion over midnight lunch.” I held Aflora’s gaze as I added, “I’m cooking. I hope you like burning thwomp.”
A muscle in her cheek twitched, one that told me I’d almost earned a smile from her. Better than nothing.
“I need to take care of something first, but I’ll be back,” Shade said, disappearing into a cloud of smoke before any of us could comment.
A second later, Sir Kristoff ran into the room, red eyes glowing. “Where are they?!” he demanded, spinning in a circle, his little hand holding a stone dagger. Well, I supposed it was a sword for him, considering his size.
“What are you talking about?” Kols asked the little hellspawn.
The gargoyle growled, low and menacing. “The Death Blood and his sword-wielding friend. Where are they?”
Kols and I shared a look. I had nothing.
Aflora seemed just as lost. “Are you talking about Shadow?”
“Yes,” the
stone demon hissed. “And his sword friend. The ti—”
Shade appeared once more and shot a puff of purple dust at the gargoyle, causing the little hellion to sputter and cough, its red eyes blinking repeatedly. Then he frowned and glared up at the Death Blood. “You.”
“Aww, did you miss me, li’l buddy? I’d be happy to tie you up again. I know how much you enjoyed that last time.”
Sir Kristoff growled and stalked off, returning to his duty at the door while mumbling something about killing Shade in his sleep.
The Death Blood just watched with deep amusement and shook his head. “I think your gargoyle is broken, Kols.”
The gargoyle in question raised his dagger like a middle finger and disappeared into the door.
“What the hell?” Kols snapped. “What did you blast him with?”
“A chill pill,” Shade drawled. “Seems to have worked.”
“Why was he going on about a sword-wielding friend?” Aflora asked, her brow furrowed.
Shade just shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”
I didn’t believe him. Not for a second. But I also knew Shade wouldn’t tell us unless he wanted to. Kols must have come to the same conclusion because he didn’t bother to argue. Knowing Shade, it was what he wanted anyway. Maybe he’d gone out into the hall to enchant the gargoyle into acting like an idiot. A distraction to the bigger picture.
“Oh, right. Not done yet. But I promise to be back soon,” Shade said, disappearing again.
“What the hell is he up to?” Kols demanded, staring at the place Shade had just vacated.
I just shook my head. “I’m going to make lunch. Then we’re having a quad meeting.”
“A quad meeting?” Aflora repeated.
“Yeah,” I replied, locking my gaze on her. “We’re a quad, pixie flower. And you had better get used to it because you’re stuck with us. Now I’m going to go make you a burning thwomp sandwich. Would you like that with a side of fire gnat juice?”
Her lips twitched this time. Briefly, but I caught the little movement, and my heart gave a thump in response. “Sounds lovely,” she deadpanned.
“Good.” I winked at her and turned for the kitchen, leaving her to talk to Kols alone. He still had some groveling to do.
Hell, we all did.
But I’d let him go first.
I was honorable like that.
Chapter Thirteen
Kols
Aflora watched Zeph through wary eyes, then shifted that look to me. She still stood against the wall, right where I’d put her, but she appeared a lot less feisty now. If anything, she reminded me of a wilted flower with her shoulders caving inward in insecurity and her arms curling around her middle.
I sighed, hating myself a little for making her feel this way. “I have a reputation for fucking around,” I told her softly. “I upheld that image during our break days to deter the others from asking any questions. But I used glamour spells to do it. Exos and Cyrus were there the entire time, if you want to ask them. They were immune to my enchantment, mostly because they knew I’d bonded to you and would have killed me otherwise.”
It’d been hard enough to calm them down when they sensed my new mating bond—something that had shocked the hell out of me.
Apparently, my wristband only applied to Midnight Fae links, not Elemental Fae ones. However, the Council didn’t seem to have the same ability to sense my connection to Aflora. Which made sense because, according to Exos, it was a link on the spirit plane that gave me away, something only Spirit Fae could see.
And Sol, apparently.
Because he knew right away.
Although, I suspected his was earth source related.
Elemental Fae were fucking complicated.
“If they know about our mating link, then they know I’m an abomination,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears. “They’re never going to let me back, are they?”
I immediately pulled her into my arms, needing to soothe her. She’d been so strong, fighting every step of the way, but the helplessness always weighed on her. I saw it peek at me whenever she second-guessed herself. Yet she always pushed it back.
Until now.
“Shh,” I hushed, leading her to the couch to sit.
She didn’t even try to stop me, her breaths coming in short bursts as the weight of everything seemed to crush her at once. “They shouldn’t take me back,” she admitted on an exhale, her shoulders trembling. “I’m… I’m…”
“One of the strongest females I’ve ever met,” I told her as I pulled her into my lap to hold her.
That she didn’t even object told me everything I needed to know about her current frame of mind.
She’d given up.
Just for a moment.
But that moment broke my heart.
I pressed my lips to her forehead and drew my fingers through her hair.
“Actually, I think you might be the strongest female I’ve ever met,” I corrected, smiling to myself. “It’s what drew me to you initially. That, and your altruistic nature. You put the safety of your people before your own needs and desires, just as a royal should. I admire you for it.”
She said nothing for so long that I thought perhaps I’d lost her to the sadness, only her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears when she pulled back to look up at me. Aflora hadn’t truly broken, just been on the verge of it.
“It’s my duty to protect them,” she replied softly. “To do otherwise is to fail. It’s why I need to talk to Sol, to officially relinquish my power. Because I can’t be trusted as an abomination, something I imagine you confirmed with him, Exos, and Cyrus, yes?”
I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, then drew my fingertips down her neck. “Not exactly.”
“But they know we’ve exchanged a mating promise to each other.”
That must have been her definition for the third level. Seemed appropriate. “Yes. They know I’m your intended mate, and they’re aware of the complications involved with such a vow. Particularly as it’s well known that Shade has also claimed you and that I’m betrothed to another Midnight Fae.”
Her delectable mouth twisted to the side, the tears glimmering in her gaze slowly subsiding to an intelligent gleam that told me she was considering every angle of the puzzle before us. “This is why I need to break our bonds. It’s one thing to sacrifice myself. Entirely another to take you all down with me.”
I slid my palm to her nape, my thumb dancing along the pulse point at her neck. “Maybe I want to go down with you, Aflora.” Or on you, I added in my mind, my lips curling at the thought.
She snorted. “You accused me of tricking you into our mating, Kolstov. I know you don’t really want this.”
“Then why did we connect?” I countered. “From what I understand of Elemental Fae bonds, they require mutual agreement.” Very unlike Midnight Fae connections.
“We connected because we’re compatible,” she said matter-of-factly. “We’re both royals of very strong lineages, and we got carried away.”
“We did,” I agreed. “Because I knew from the moment I met you that you were a worthy female of mating potential. I tried to fight it, but I was too weak to resist you. And while the connection shocked me, thus causing me to act like a fucking idiot afterward, I don’t regret it. Which is why I won’t allow you to remove it.”
I pressed my lips to hers, silencing whatever argument brewed inside her thoughts. Because I meant it. I refused to let her break this bond.
Would it make things easier for us all? Maybe.
Would it save me from certain punishment? Absolutely.
But somehow I just knew we’d end up right back here, with my soul tied to hers and a whole hell of a lot of bad blood between us as a result.
I didn’t see the point in fighting the inevitable. “I want to find a way to make this work,” I told her in a breath, my mouth brushing hers with each word. “We may not have meant to tie our souls together, Aflora, but it already happened. And ra
ther than fight it and each other, I’d like to figure out how to move forward. Together.”
She shook her head. “It’s impossible, Kols. I shouldn’t exist.”
“But you do,” I replied, kissing her again, this time with more force than before. Her lips yielded to mine, her body betraying her mind. “You exist and you’re mine,” I added, then fully claimed her mouth with my tongue. My grip shifted from her neck to her hair, my fingers tangling in her thick blue-black strands and holding her to me as I devoured her.
If she didn’t want to acknowledge my words, then she could listen to my body.
My opposite hand went to her hip to guide her across my lap and encourage her to straddle my thighs. She followed my lead and wrapped her arms around my neck, then began to return my kiss as if to say goodbye.
I saw right through it, felt her magic humming to life to test her resolve, and tugged on her hair to expose her neck. “Try it,” I dared her, my incisors already at her throbbing pulse. “I’ll just bite you again and again, Aflora. And you can’t break our Earth bond unless I allow it, which is never going to happen. Our souls are already welded together.”
At least that was what I understood after talking to Exos and Cyrus. They said something about my essence weaving around hers, similar to how theirs always gravitated to Claire’s in the Spirit Realm.
“Don’t you see that it’s for the best?” she whispered, her body shaking over mine with a convoluted mixture of arousal and resolve.
“You’ll implode,” I warned her before licking the tempting point of her neck. “I’m the one absorbing most of your magic right now, Aflora. If you release me, you’ll detonate.” It wasn’t a lie. I’d absorbed the brunt of her power the other night, my connection to the dark source forcing me to serve as a funnel.
Her fingers threaded through my hair, her grasp tightening as if to yank me away from her neck, but I didn’t budge.
“You’ll have to try harder than that, sweetheart.”
She growled in response. “You’re being impossible.”