Page 319 of Bitten By the Fae

“He’ll absolutely be given a position of power, but he won’t be in charge,” Zakkai replied. “I suspect he’ll be appointed to the reformed council by the new monarch.”

“And who will the new monarch be?” I prompted. “You?”

“I’m the Source Architect, Aflora. Not a monarch.”

“Yet you claim to be a king.”

“An appropriate designation, but not the same,” he repeated cryptically.

“Where do I fit in all this?” I asked. “As your supposed queen?”

He merely smiled. “You should probably be more focused on the present, Aflora. And the path right before you, not the one miles away.”

“If you want my cooperation, then you need to tell me how I fit into all of this,” I replied. “Your father seems to think we’re breaking our bonds.” He’d brought it up again yesterday, asking why it hadn’t been done. Zakkai had just changed the subject, as he often did when talking to me.

“My father thinks a lot of things. That doesn’t make any of his statements or theories correct.”

“That doesn’t clarify your intentions or plans.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed, squeezing my hand again before releasing me.

I frowned. “I thought you said we needed to touch for me to be outside?”

“I believe I indicated it was temporary.” His lips curled as he pressed his palm to my lower back. “Now focus, Aflora. Look around you.”

I used to think Shade was a walking riddle. Now I knew what one truly looked like—Zakkai. Everything he said twisted and turned the phrases, confusing me more. It unnerved me how he could reveal so much and yet so little at the same time.

At least he’d finally told me where we were. Not that I could do anything with that knowledge. Because he was right—Zeph would come for me, regardless of the risk.

We needed to move forward, not backward.

And I was temporarily safe here.

As well as… content.

I didn’t want to admit that, but this paradigm was much more comfortable than Midnight Fae Academy. I could breathe here, play with my elemental magic, and truly learn. There were no handicaps, no collars, no pretending. I was just me—Aflora. And it left me feeling rejuvenated andright.

Rather than push Zakkai for more information—a task I knew wouldn’t end in my favor—I decided to play his game and took in the greenery surrounding us. The beautiful trees sang of their history, their life and promise, their happiness to flourish inside this little alternate reality bubble.

I brushed my fingers down the trunks, learning their magic and memorizing it for future use.

Then I stilled as a gentle caw graced my ears.Clove.

I spun around to find my familiar on a branch of one of the trees, her glorious black-and-white-feathered wings tucked into her sides. “Oh, pretty girl!” I looked at Zakkai. “Did you call her here?”

“No. She followed you into the paradigm.” He studied me. “Familiars are never far away. They’re an extension of our power, similar to the wands. Wasn’t she close to you at the Academy?”

“I don’t know. We’ve only recently met,” I admitted. “Kols taught me how to call her to me. After Zeph’s familiar killed her.” I scowled at the memory and ran my fingers through her feathers to counteract the memory. “He apologized to her… after she brought me a stonepecker.” My brow furrowed. “Was that from you?”

“A stonepecker?” He chuckled. “No. But I suspect I know who gave it to her.” He clicked his tongue, then squatted as a beast with fur ran out of the woods toward him.

My eyes widened as the white ball of fluff tackled him to the ground, his muzzle large enough to wrap around a man’s throat.But all he did was draw his tongue up Zakkai’s cheek in warm welcome.

The Quandary Blood chuckled. “Did you give Clove a stonepecker?” he asked, his voice holding a warm note to it that had me wanting to smile in response. Except his words had me wanting to frown instead.

“You know her name?”

“Of course I do,” he replied. “Don’t you know my familiar’s name?”