Page 332 of Never Kiss a Fae
Complete, I thought with a sigh.Finally.
Peace settled inside me, only to be disturbed by the fracturing of Sol’s essence all around me. A wall tumbling beneath the power of our mating.
Sending us spiraling into the depths of a nightmare.
Of a sequence of events long buried.
By the source itself.
Chapter43
Cyrus
Several Minutes Earlier
“She’s high on her elements,” I mused to Exos from our posts outside of Sol’s little oasis.
Our little queen had decided to consummate her earth bonds directly following the ceremony, her ethereal energy still high and floating around her in this intoxicating cloud of vitality.
“How long do you think it will last?” I continued, pondering out loud. “Or is this a permanent change?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I don’t know. I imagine it’ll become a mixture of both.”
I nodded. “Good. I would hate for her to lose that fiery temper of hers.”
“No, she’ll probably just set you on fire instead,” my brother replied conversationally.
“And I hope to be there to watch,” Titus added, approaching from the side. He’d run off to check on Claire’s mom and the Fire Fae stationed to guard her. From his expression, I could tell we had a problem. “Did you send Mortus to talk to Ophelia?”
“Ah, yeah.” Exos palmed the back of his neck. “I’m hoping he can break through to her, you know, using the bond.”
“Well, she’s screaming,” Titus replied. “But not out of fear.” His lips curled just a touch. “Seems she’s not Mortus’s biggest fan.”
“No idea why,” I drawled.
“Yeah, well, I’m gonna give them some space to work out their differences.” A flame flickered across the Fire Fae’s fingertips. “I’ll only intervene if needed.”
I looked him up and down, amused and a little aroused. “You endear yourself to me more every day, Fire Fae.”
He snorted. “Not a chance in hell, Water Prince.”
Exos just shook his head. “You should know better than to give my brother a challenge. He always wins.”
“Yeah? Like that time in the powerless ring?” He feigned a thoughtful expression. “Oh, right, I won that, didn’t I?”
“Because I let you win,” I reminded him.
“So you say.” He arched a brow. “I’m ready for a rematch—a real one—when you are.”
“Can we focus on putting the Academy back together first?” Vox interjected, a breeze floating around him as he landed before us. The Air Fae had developed a knack for flying, one that intrigued me. I still preferred my misting, but I’d never seen a fae manipulate air currents the way this one did.
“What’s the damage?” Exos asked, his expression turning serious.
“Sixteen known deaths. Several dozen injured and recovering.” Vox palmed the back of his neck. “Fighting in the main quad was smart, as it isolated the majority of the damage, but there’s quite a bit of it.”
Exos frowned. “I thought Claire’s date with the source released enough vitality to restore the grounds.”
Vox shook his head. “She rid the Academy of those dark remnants, but the buildings themselves are in bad shape.” He glanced at the oasis. “And, well, what they’re doing right now is revitalizing the agonized earth elements throughout campus. So mating Sol was a good call.”
