Page 281 of Bitten By the Fae
Come join me and find out,he taunted into my mind.Your robe is still on the bed.
I feltAflora snap out of Zakkai’s mental web, her mind free once more. Her confusion bled into ire as she considered all that he’d revealed, her stubborn nature stepping forward as she refused to believe his retelling of their past events.
While normally that would make me smirk in amusement, I couldn’t. Not with Zeph and Kols sitting across from me wearing matching expressions of annoyance.
“This information would have been helpful two months ago, Shadow,” Zeph deadpanned.
My jaw ticked. “If I’d told you about Zakkai then, the future would have changed.” Kols and Zeph hadn’t accepted Aflora as their mate two months ago. They’d needed time to learn more about her, to realize she wasn’t a threat—at least not to them—and to fall in love with her. Without all that, this destiny would never be able to unfold. And the alternative wasn’t pretty. I knew because I’d lived through it seven fucking times.
“So her Quandary magic comes from her mating to the Source Architect—Zakkai—not her parents,” Kols reiterated. “Which means she is the true earth source heir.”
“Yes,” I replied, reining in my patience to make it through this conversation. His gargoyle had done a number on me, leaving me much weaker than usual. I was still only halfway recovered. If Zeph and Kols decided to fight me now, they’d win. Especially with Tray and Ella on their side.
Then I’d have to start this conversation overagain.
Which I really didn’t want to do.
We’d already gone through it so many times.
Kyros leaned against the hallway wall, waiting for me to signal him for another loop. But this one was going better than the others, mostly because I’d changed the whole game by biting Kols. Granting him a connection to my soul seemed to temper his magic a little. Perhaps he sensed what was coming, how our lives would be forever altered.
Or maybe it was just enough insight to ground him.
Regardless, I was thankful for the reprieve, as I desperately needed to heal. It was hard enough blocking Aflora from my mind at full strength. Having to do it at half strength just exhausted me that much more.
“But her magic has mingled with his over the last fifteen years,” Kols continued. “Which makes her an abomination.”
“Also yes,” I agreed. “Something you would have killed her for two months ago.”
He dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “True.”
“And won’t now,” I pressed. “Hence the reason I couldn’t reveal this to you before.”
“I get it,” he repeated, his tone clipped. “That doesn’t mean I like it.”
I grunted. He thought this was hard on him? He should try living all these realities and repeating every fucking moment.
Kyros smirked as though he could read my mind. Because yeah, he’d joined me in this hell. His motives were his own, but we shared a similar goal.
“All right, what now?” Zeph pressed. “Where is she? How do we get her back?”
“We don’t,” I replied. “She has to choose.”
“Choose?” he repeated. “Between us and Zakkai?”
I wavered on how to reply to that. His phrasing was too simplistic. The real choice she had to make went so much deeper than a game of this or that. Her chosen path would change the landscape for all of Midnight Fae kind, and potentially other fae as well.
“Shade,” Zeph snapped. “What choice?”
Kols pressed his palm to Zeph’s thigh. “Give him a moment.”
I blinked, momentarily stunned by the understanding in the Elite Blood’s tone. He was usually the first to join the Warrior Blood in his pressing for details, the pair of them always teaming up against me. Which was fine, as I could handle it. But this softer side of Kols was unexpected.
Had I known the way to calming Kols’s reactions was through a bite, I would have done so ages ago. However, if he knew the real reason I’d done it, he might not be so content with it. But that was a conversation for another day. One that would happen very soon, if my grandmother’s vision came to fruition.
“Playing with time carries consequences, Shadow. I believe this fate will be one of yours.”
“What did I do to deserve this?” I’d asked, for once just saying what I felt rather than pretending none of it mattered.
