Page 393 of Never Kiss a Fae
“And I want to fix that,” I insisted. “Think about it. If an Interrealm Fae Academy had existed before, this never wou—”
“Would have been an issue,” Exos and Cyrus finished for me.
My water mate blew out a breath and shook his head. “I promise to keep trying.”
“That’s all I ask,” I replied.
“I know.” He cupped my cheek and bent to brush a kiss over my lips.
“So where did you train?” Lance’s voice carried across the room. He’d chosen to sit next to Zephyrus—something that clearly made the Midnight Fae uncomfortable. Aflora seemed to find it amusing, though.
When Zephyrus didn’t respond, Lance added, “I’ve held the Powerless Champion title for the past three years.”
Still no reply, but I suspected the Warrior Blood was talking to Aflora mentally, because her eyes were sparkling with unrestrained laughter.
“Do the Midnight Fae have any fighting rings?” Lance pressed.
The Warrior Blood narrowed his eyes, giving a succinct answer. “None where an Elemental Fae would be welcome.”
Lance puffed his chest up, taking that for the challenge it was. I bit my lip, wondering if I should intervene before the hotheaded Fire Fae had his ass handed to him.
When I was about to get up, Titus pushed a present under my nose that smelled of… a sort of cinnamon?
My stomach pitched.
Normally, I liked cinnamon, even the fae variety, but I wasn’t sure I could handle more fae food right now. My stomach was already rolling from the food my mates had put on my plate, and I’d barely touched it.
So, yeah, trying something new did not appeal to me right now.
“It’s from my family,” he explained, obviously proud of the gift. “You did remember to pack it correctly, right?” he asked Lance pointedly.
His brother rolled his eyes. While his muscular build reminded me of Titus, he had a harsher edge to him, taking after their father more, whereas Titus more closely resembled their mother. “It’s exactly as you instructed,” the younger Fire Fae assured him before turning back to a still-uninterested Zephyrus.
Titus gave the package a light shake, then planted it in my lap. “Open it,” he encouraged me, keeping his lips close to the curve of my neck as he brushed my hair aside.
I smiled and undid the tie, then unwrapped the shiny red foil to reveal an adorable little cinnamon cake etched with glowing embers.
“Will it burn me if I try to eat it?” I asked, my stomach churning. I really hoped this didn’t make me sick.
How humiliating would it be to vomit at my own nesting party?Ugh.
I loved when Titus surprised me with new fae treats, but this couldn’t have been worse timing.
Titus brought the treat to my mouth and swayed it under my nose, causing my insides to churn in protest.
Yeah, this wasn’t going to work.
“It’s a fire cake,” he explained, oblivious to my agony. “I think our little faeling will love…”
Just when I felt like the contents of my stomach were about to come up, the cake erupted into a massive flame, making everyone shriek.
Shit. Did I do that?
I most certainly hadn’t cast any magic, but the fire element that burned the gift to a crisp—literally—had come from me.
Or… fromwithinme.
Pyros barked out a laugh. “Now that’s a fire cake. Nice.”
