Page 9 of Faeheart (Widdershins Supernatural Academy #2)
“Figure it out!” Atlas snapped, his usual calm demeanor cracking. “Because if Wild dies, Caden’s going to be devastated, and I’ll hold you personally responsible for hurting my mate .”
Elias took a step backward. “Mate?!”
“That’s right,” Atlas snarled. “And I’m on the wrestling team. So if you don’t want me to ring your fucking neck, you better fix this.”
I felt a weak laugh bubble up from my chest. “Threatening... the Thorne heir... for me? That’s... sweet...”
“Shut up and save your strength,” Atlas said, but there was warmth in his voice.
Elias hovered at the foot of my bed, his hands clenched into fists. I could feel his internal struggle through our fraying connection. His anger at me was warring with his obvious distress at seeing me in pain.
“I can feel it,” he said quietly. “The bond. It’s... it’s tearing apart.”
“Then fix it,” Caden pleaded. “Please, Elias. I know you two don’t like each other, but this isn’t worth killing one another over. And… he’s my best friend.”
Elias stared at me, his face a battlefield of emotions I could barely comprehend through the haze of pain engulfing me. His pristine appearance had crumbled. His hair was disheveled, his eyes wild with something between fear and determination.
“I don’t know how,” he whispered, but he moved closer anyway, perching hesitantly on the edge of my bed.
Another wave of agony crashed through me, and I couldn’t hold back the scream that tore from my throat.
My magic was unraveling faster now, tendrils of fae energy dissipating into the air like smoke.
The pendant against my chest burned with such intensity, I was certain it would leave a permanent scar.
“Just touch him,” Atlas growled, his patience clearly wearing thin. “Caden said when you three were in physical contact before, it stabilized the bond.”
Elias’s eyes widened. “You mean?—”
“For fuck’s sake,” I gasped between waves of pain, “just hold my hand or something before I explode.”
Hesitantly, as if I might burn him, Elias reached out and wrapped his fingers around mine. The effect was immediate. A cooling rush washed over me that temporarily dampened the fire consuming me from within. But it wasn’t enough.
“More,” Caden urged, watching anxiously as the magic continued to leak from me in erratic bursts. “The connection’s still too weak.”
Elias looked panicked. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Remember the quad,” I managed to say, my voice barely audible. “When you kissed me.”
His face flushed crimson. “That was?—”
“The strongest the bond has ever been,” Caden finished for me. “Wild’s right. Physical contact intensifies the connection.”
Atlas stepped back, pulling Caden with him. “We’ll give you some privacy.”
“No,” Elias protested, but another violent tremor wracked my body, and his objection died on his lips.
I could feel his conflict through our bond, embarrassment, anger, fear, and underneath it all, a reluctant acknowledgment that he didn’t want me to die, despite everything. His structured magic was reaching out instinctively, trying to contain my chaotic energy before it self-destructed completely.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered, and then with sudden resolution, he climbed fully onto the bed.
Before I could process what was happening, Elias was straddling me, his hands cupping my face with unexpected gentleness. His brown eyes locked with mine, and I saw something shift in them, a determination replacing his hesitation.
“If you tell anyone I did this willingly, I’ll deny it,” he whispered, and then he pressed his lips to mine.
The world exploded into light. Not the painful, destructive kind that had been tearing me apart, but something warm and enveloping. Where our bodies connected, magic flowed between us, his orderly patterns weaving with my fae chaos with a surprising amount of harmony.
The kiss deepened, his lips surprisingly soft against mine, and suddenly I was drowning in Elias.
The precision of his magic flowed into me like cool water, dousing the fire that had been consuming my power.
His structured energy filled the fraying edges of my own, weaving them back together strand by strand.
I felt my hands move of their own accord, sliding up his back and pulling him closer. He made a small sound of surprise against my mouth, but didn’t pull away. Instead, his fingers tangled in my hair, the contact sending new waves of stabilizing energy cascading through me.
The pendant between us pulsed with a steady rhythm, no longer burning but pleasantly warm. I could feel Elias’s heartbeat accelerating to match mine, our pulses synchronizing as our magic intertwined.
“It’s working,” I heard Caden whisper from somewhere distant.
But I barely registered the words. All I could focus on was Elias.
His weight on top of me, the taste of peppermint on his tongue, and the unexpected hunger in the way he kissed me back consumed my senses.
This wasn’t the reluctant contact of someone merely trying to save my life.
There was something else there, something he’d been suppressing.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes were wide with shock, lips slightly swollen. We stared at each other, both breathing hard, neither quite believing what had just happened.
“I still hate you,” he whispered, his voice rough.
“Y-Yeah,” I nodded, barely able to form words. “I can tell.”
“Goddammit,” Caden whined a few feet away.
I glanced over to see him tugging down his sweatshirt, trying to cover up his obvious erection. Next to him, Atlas was sniffing at the air, his own jeans bulging dangerously.
“Fuck,” the werewolf jock muttered, his breath heavy. He stared at his mate, his eyes filled with lust. “When were you gonna tell me about that part of this new bond?”