by Lexi C. Foss
It ripped through me on a level I didn’t understand, the dark essence searing my being and bringing me to my knees.
Kols shouted, the inky lines climbing up his neck writhing and stirring a cascade of electricity that sizzled through the air and zapped my skin.
Blue embers flickered across my fingertips, forcing me to lock my fingers into the charcoal blades. Pain shot up my arms and down my spine, causing me to tremble beneath the weight of oppressing magic.
Red fire sprinted across the ground, circling me.
My body reacted defensively, shooting off an array of colors in response. Blue. Green. Purple.
How is that even possible? I thought, tears blurring my vision. Oh, Fae. It burns!
The blood-red flames fought mine, the power mounting into an array of light that temporarily blinded me.
And then Emelyn was there, her black eyes narrowed with fury as she engaged in a battle I didn’t understand.
Everything began to spin, her energy somehow connecting to mine in a savage handshake that rippled through the air. Zeph and Shade yelled inside my thoughts, their collective voices leaving me unhinged and uncertain as a tornado of power swept me up into a cloud, the world disappearing behind a thick smog.
A hand grabbed mine, nails digging into my flesh.
Not one of my mates.
Emelyn.
Her Elite essence engaged mine, battling my power for dominance.
Except, it wasn’t my Quandary side that I engaged to fight back, but a new link to unexpected Warrior magic.
Zeph.
I also sensed Shade.
What is happening to me? I asked, suddenly cold and hot all at once. Stop this madness!
I threw out my arms, forcing Emelyn to let go of me, and screamed as the cyclone released me from its smoky grip. I landed with a thump, my pants tearing as my knees met the knifelike grass below.
My chest heaved, breaths coming in and out of me in sharp gusts.
Too much magic. There’s too much! I expelled my mounting energy into the ground below, forcing wave after wave of the overwhelming surge to go deep into the earth. Only, I felt Shade and Zeph absorbing it through our bonds. Kols, too.
And a fourth source I didn’t understand.
A source that reminded me of home.
My eyes widened as I realized what that had to mean—I was feeding dark energy into the earth source! I immediately pulled back, collapsing onto my side into a ball of shivering nonsense.
Abomination, I told myself. This is why everyone fears us.
Because I couldn’t control it.
I couldn’t stop it.
And I’d just attacked my home. My element. My very reason for being.
I reached out on a tentative strand, begging whatever fae gods existed that I hadn’t done any permanent harm. But as I poked at my earth energy, I found nothing nefarious or changed. Just my deep-rooted connection to the existence of life.
My brow furrowed. That’s impossible. I felt the fourth link, the—
“Aflora!” Emelyn shrieked, forcing my attention to her and the threats surrounding us.
My lips parted in shock.
We were no longer in the training yard, but in the LethaForest.
And the encroaching shadows whispered danger.
Emelyn sent a sizzling web toward one, which resulted in a sharp, screeching echo to sound through the black tree trunks.
Hot, acrid smoke billowed in the air.
This was not the same part of the LethaForest I’d visited with my mates, but a deeper section that clearly didn’t see fae life often. Because streams of fiery liquid slicked the obsidian rocks, one of which was less than a foot from my prone form. Had I landed just a few inches to the left, I’d have been burned alive.
“Fae…,” I breathed, glancing around to gather my bearings.
The sky overhead lacked stars, the inky curtain creating an icy atmosphere that the flame streams heated and illuminated in shades of red and orange.
“Aflora!” Emelyn shouted again, fear etched into her voice.
A rock creature of some kind came toward her, the fingertips long talons of black flames. It lashed out at her, catching her wrist. She cried out in pain, her spells no match for the monster.
I forced myself to my feet, careful of the surrounding terrain, and searched for my wand.
Where did I—
The thing’s talons whipped out of its opposite hand, encircling her throat and forcing me to act on instinct. A spell left my mouth—one I had never learned—and hit the being directly in the torso. The creature grated out a loud, crunching growl, then exploded into a mound of pebbles.
Emelyn crumpled to the ground, her neck and wrist charred from the creature’s grip. I leapt over one of the fiery streams, then a second one, and knelt at her side. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, the power zapped from her lifeless form.
Adrenaline spiked through my veins, my mind whirring with solutions I didn’t understand. They came from a place deep inside, a foreign strand tied to my Quandary magic. I yanked on it, bringing it to the front of my mind, and sorted through the web of magic before me.
Chaos echoed around me.
Two more rock creatures spurred to life with those deadly claws aiming for me and Emelyn. A spell flew from my mouth that created a defensive wall, more of Zeph’s energy surrounding us both while I tapped into the Quandary line that provided me with a strand of thought underlined in magic.
Words spilled from my mouth that didn’t belong to me but to something else.
No, someone else.
The Quandary link.
Who are you? I marveled even while I spoke, my mind fracturing beneath an assault of confusion and reality woven together as one.
Don’t think; do, a deep voice replied.
Familiar.
Warm.
Underlined in memories and dreams…
A vision of white hair flickered in my thoughts, there and gone in an instant as my mouth obeyed his command.
Yet he wasn’t so much talking to me as he was allowing me access to his mind and power and granting me the knowledge I needed to survive this insanity. It also wasn’t willing, more like my spirit demanding his compliance for my own survival.
And I felt him trying to pull back, to resurrect a barrier I’d unknowingly knocked down.
Who are you? I asked him.
But Emelyn gasping back to life distracted my focus, drawing my attention back to her and the spell I’d somehow woven through her, healing the marks on her neck and wrist.
“How did you do that?” she asked hoarsely.
I just shook my head because I didn’t know, the powers spiking through me a tangled mess of knots I couldn’t seem to unravel.
I flinched as one of the monsters shredded my defensive barrier, his fire hot against my senses. I grabbed Emelyn’s hand, ready to run, but the clouds engulfed me again and sent us spinning through time and space.
Shade, I realized, baffled and completely thrown by his interference. Only it wasn’t him at all, but me, tapping into a dark-source connection created through our bond—a connection I didn’t realize existed until now.
That was where all the magic lived.
A dark orb of power fueled by my mates, allowing me access to strands of energy I intuitively understood.
I frowned at it, confused by the four links once more.
Death.
Elite.
Warrior.
Quandary.
The last was deeply rooted, as if it’d been there for years. Because that represented me and my family line? That notion didn’t feel right.
I tried to investigate it more, only to spin out of the cyclone and into a darkened grove with a stunned Emelyn at my side. Her dark eyes flashed to mine, alarm in her expression. “You’re… you’re…”
“An abomination,” I whispered, unable to lie to her. Not after everything she’d just witnessed.
She shook her hea
d. “That’s not…” She cleared her throat, her delicate hand going up to touch her unmarred throat. “You saved me.”
I winced, not because I regretted it but because I couldn’t explain how I’d done it. “I…” I didn’t know what to say.
A hint of wonder entered her gaze. “I sense Kols in you.” She lifted her hand as if to touch me, only to drop it a second later and spin toward the dark forest around us and the moving trees. “Who’s there?” she demanded, her wand already in her palm.
I tried to find mine again, this time successfully, and mimicked her defensive stance.
Nothing immediately approached, but I felt the building energy and the hum of familiar magic in the air.
Something was coming.
No, the presence was already here.
Multiple essences.
All woven with magic my soul recognized on some deep, dark level.
“Well, well, the queen finally arrives,” a feminine voice drawled from the shadows of a nearby burning thwomp. “And she brought us an Elite Blood to play with as a gift. How incredibly thoughtful.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Aflora
Energy crackled from the deadly trees, causing my defensive instincts to flare to life. Zeph was a strong presence in my head, his magic pouring through my senses to surround Emelyn and me in a protective shield of invisible power, one meant to deflect any untoward spells.
Like the one that came from the darkness, aimed right at Emelyn. It bounced back with an emerald spark, causing electricity to sizzle around us.
“Impressive,” the female mused. “Why are you protecting the Elite Blood?”
“Who are you?” I countered, unable to see her cloaked in the darkness.
She stepped forward with several Midnight Fae at her back, all of them raising their wands to illuminate the tips in cerulean magic.
My lips parted. Quandary Bloods.
Except for the woman at the front. Her wand glowed with red magic, marking her as an Elite Blood.
“Dakota,” Emelyn breathed, her eyes widening. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, you mean after your betrothed banished me for playing with his source?” she asked, her lips curling into a smile. “What do you think I’m doing here?” She sent another spiral of magic toward Emelyn, but my net caught it and volleyed it back to her.
I had no idea how I was holding that up in front of us, but I felt the strands of it tied to my fingertips, not my wand. A fresh burst of power flared from my hand to restructure the shield, ensuring Dakota hadn’t damaged the exterior.
The woven threads of magic hummed back at me, confirming their integrity.
It all came naturally to me, like I’d flipped on a switch in my mind that allowed me to suddenly envision every strand of vitality around us. The elements were there just waiting for me to pluck and use them as I required. Which I did now as I reinforced our blockade, the invisible net pulsing with ominous intent, ready to engage at will.
“That’s a bit of an irritation,” Dakota said after dealing with her backfired spell. She polished her nails against her shirt, then lowered her wand. “I don’t understand. Why are you protecting the very being who wants you dead, Aflora?”
“I don’t want her dead,” Emelyn said quickly, her widening dark eyes looking at me. “I know I’ve been a bitch, but—”
“Not you, but Midnight Fae like you,” Dakota interjected, sounding bored. “Emelyn and her betrothed are the future queen and king of a Council that has hunted and killed Quandary Bloods for over a thousand years. How could you guard someone destined for such evil?”
“I can’t hold Emelyn responsible for a history she had no jurisdiction over,” I replied, not bothering to point out the sexist nuances that would forbid she even be part of it as the Midnight Fae Queen.
“And for a marriage I have no interest or say in,” she muttered, causing me to glance at her. She’d lowered her wand, but I sensed her awareness of our situation, her tense limbs ready to fight as needed.
“Condemning Emelyn would be similar to classifying all Quandary Bloods as evil just for being born into a certain bloodline, as I believe it’s her father’s lineage that made her a match for Kols,” I said, thinking out loud.
“It is,” she admitted, her eyes holding a touch of respect as she looked at me. And a glimmer of fear.
“Then why wouldn’t I defend her?” I asked, returning my focus to the dark-haired fae who seemed to be the leader of the others. “Destinies change every day, and she’s not the one pointing a wand at me right now. You all are.”
“They’re pointing their wands at Emelyn,” Dakota drawled. “As I said, she’s the future queen.”
“And as she pointed out, it’s not by choice.” A discussion I’d love to revisit with Kols later. “What do you want? Who are you? Why are you here?” But I already suspected the answers involved the recent attacks and the trap from the village.
They were here for me, to take me to someone.
But who?
Because this female wasn’t the source of magic I’d felt at the Academy during the assault, and while the others were familiar to me, they weren’t responsible for the events of that day either.
“Where are we?” Emelyn added to my list of questions.
“In an alternate paradigm within the LethaForest,” Dakota replied, sounding amused. “We were only supposed to take Aflora, but you came with her. Would you like to be sent back? Because I can arrange that for you.”
“And what would that require?” Emelyn asked, arching a black brow.
“Leaving Aflora behind, of course.” Dakota sounded so nonchalant, as if the terms of my kidnapping meant little to nothing to her.
“Yeah, I’ll pass,” Emelyn drawled. “Aflora and I are a package deal.”
We are? I thought, shocked by her statement.
“Oh? Are you one of her three mates?” Dakota asked, cocking her head to the side. “I thought they were all male.” She glanced at the fae around her as if seeking confirmation. “What were their names again?”
My stomach twisted. How did she know about my quad?
“Shadow, Zephyrus, and Kolstov,” one of the Midnight Fae replied. He was a shorter male with long black hair—or at least, it appeared black in the night and with the light of his cerulean-glowing wand flaring before him.
“Kolstov?” Emelyn looked at me. “You mated Kolstov?”
“Oh, did you not know?” Dakota asked, not sounding the least bit guilty. “Yes, it does cause a certain perplexity, but we plan to teach Aflora how to undo the bond with him, so he’ll be free again shortly. Of course, he’s going to die in the process, but that’s neither here nor there, yes?”
“You mated Kolstov?” Emelyn repeated, her tone not necessarily angry so much as startled.
“I, uh, yes.” There was no sense in denying it or explaining how it happened or telling her it wasn’t done yet. This situation required honesty and quick responses, not dwelling on things I couldn’t change. We’d deal with the nuances later.
“Does that change your stance on the package deal?” Dakota wondered out loud, her enjoyment in our situation palpable.
Emelyn held my gaze as she replied, “No, it doesn’t change a damn thing.”
My eyebrows shot upward. She couldn’t really mean that.
Maybe she only intended for us to remain in this together until she saw a better escape, because I doubted that Dakota’s offer to let her go came without caveats. Emelyn must have sensed the same duplicitous notion as well, therefore not trusting the proposal.
“Huh.” Dakota sounded amused. “Well, I’ll be. Then I guess you’re both coming with us.”
“Not so fast, Dakota.” The new voice came from the surrounding woods, echoing all around us as if the trees spoke rather than a person. Yet the feminine tones resonated in my thoughts from a single source—a powerful one.
The Midnight Fae before us all raised their wands in a new direction, the
ir expressions grim as another group of fae entered the grove led by a female with long black hair, and a male on each side.
Emelyn gasped beside me, clearly recognizing the trio.
I studied their features. They appeared only a few years older than me, but I could almost taste the ancient air surrounding them. And the male to her right had a Fortune Fae Alpha appeal to him with his silver hair, larger build, and enhanced jawline—suggesting he had fangs. Yet his eyes weren’t slit like a Fortune Fae Alpha’s.
The male on her other side held up a wand lit with purple magic, indicating his Death Blood heritage, and as it illuminated his features, I caught sight of a pair of startling blue irises.
Blue irises that reminded me of Shade’s.
Thinking of my mate had me automatically opening my mental channel to him.
Where the hell are you? he demanded immediately.
In some sort of paradigm, I replied. And I’m pretty sure your dad is here.
That’s impossible.
Well, he looks like you, I whispered, swallowing. Same eyes. Thick, nearly black hair. Chiseled features. Death Blood magic.
Silence. Then he softly asked, Is he with a dark-haired female?
Yes.
And a man with silver hair?
Yes.
Those are my grandparents, he replied. You can trust them. I’m coming.
How will you find me? I wondered.
Just keep the connection open, Aflora. And never shut me out like that again. You scared the shit out of us.
I winced. I didn’t mean to.
We’ll work on it, he promised.
“What are you doing here, Zen?” Dakota asked, sounding wary.
“You know exactly why I’m here,” Shade’s grandmother replied, sounding regal and in charge. “This is not the way.” She turned to address the others with Dakota. “Retribution isn’t the only path. We can do this without spilling more Midnight Fae blood.”
“She’s right,” the silver-haired fae replied. “Reformation will allow us to lead without the unnecessary loss of lives.”
“Unnecessary,” Dakota repeated. “You know what was unnecessary? The Midnight Fae Elders killing my parents for helping Cassandra escape the kingdom. You know what else was unnecessary? The Midnight Fae Elders killing Tobias’s entire line because a grandparent was a Quandary Blood.”