Page 306 of Never Kiss a Fae
It stung to hear Vox give me an ultimatum like that. We’d always been close, but on this there was no room for negotiation.
Vox was right.
They all were right.
All of her mates were more than capable of calming Claire down. I was the only one not fully mated to her, which made me feel least qualified for the job. Still, I’d created this mess, so I was going to fix it, even if I had to bare my scarred spirit to her.
If I were being honest with myself, I’d admit that was what frightened me most—that she might see how damaged I really was.
But maybe that was exactly what I needed to do.
Show her everything. Trust her with not only my heart, but my very soul.
I found Claire in the next room with her back to me, the white sheet draped precariously low across her waist as she clutched the fabric to her chest. She stared out the window, up into the sky.
“Claire…” I swallowed, mostly because her shoulders stiffened upon hearing my voice. Not the kind of reaction I desired or liked from my intended mate. I moved closer, stopping just within touching distance. “Claire, I’m—”
She spun on me and growled before I had a chance to finish. Her eyes blazed with raw power from her bond with Titus.
“I don’t want an apology,” she said, stabbing a finger to my chest. The tiny digit held enough earth magic to stagger me back a step. “Actions speak louder than words, Sol. I would expect you to understand that by now, but clearly, you don’t. Or you couldn’t possibly think I’d ever intentionally hurt you.”
“You’re right,” I whispered, hanging my head low and splaying my palms open in surrender. “You’re right,” I repeated. “Actions do speak louder than words, Claire. And if I let you understand my history, you’d understand just how true that is.”
That seemed to soothe some of her ire, just enough to let a hint of curiosity through. “Then tell me.”
“I could,” I whispered, realizing in that moment exactly what I needed to do. How I could truly gain her trust and prove myself to her in kind. “But I’d rather show you, Claire.” She required more than words. I understood that better than anyone. So I’d give her everything.
My love.
My trust.
My very soul.
“There are two sides to a Spirit Fae,” I continued. “I want to show you the darker side. No, Ineedto show you, Claire.” I knelt beside the bed, pleading with her. “Help me stop hiding who I am.Seeme, Claire.”
She studied me, her expression softening another fraction. “I do see you, Sol. I always have.”
“I’m not talking about my exterior.” I swallowed. “I’m talking about my soul.” I closed my eyes, my forehead meeting the mattress. “I need you to truly look, Claire. Go into my spirit and witness what was done to me. The pain. The torment. The marks I can feel but can’t actually see. The torture I can’t remember but have spent countless nights reliving in a sea of darkness and screams.”
My throat began to burn.
My heart pounding in my chest.
The memory of that night a haunting image just out of my reach.
“Do you know what it’s like to know something happened but not be able to detail it?” I wondered out loud, lifting my head to meet her gaze. “I remember the pain, the screams, my mother begging and my sister crying. Yet, I can’t tell you how it all unfolded.”
I paused, needing a breath.
Then forged ahead.
Because she needed to understand. It was the only way to explain my fear and my inherent reactions to her element.
“All I know is, a Spirit Fae plagued us that night. The fae reached into my soul and shredded it, did the same to my mother and my sister, and I had to watch them gradually die for over a decade as a result. No one believed me. But I saw the signs, Claire. I knew what was happening to them and couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.”
I trembled, their pain ingrained into my mind. The visual of them so ghastly and pale on their deathbeds.
“Something happened that night, Claire,” I whispered. “Something that haunts me to the very core of my element and has left me without access to the source, even with my supposed royal ties. And you can see the scars of it on my spirit.”
