Page 185 of Never Kiss a Fae

I smiled. “Aww, you’ve given me a nickname. How adorable.”

He made a rude gesture that had several fae gasping and left me chuckling.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

A hush fell over the crowd as a petite Water Fae hurried over to hand me a selection of bracelets. She bowed formally, causing the tiny shells dangling from her pointed ears to bounce.

“It’s the rules,” she whispered apologetically, her words barely audible. This was a true element-on-element duel, which meant I couldn’t use my spirit energy against Titus. One element in direct opposition with the other was required—a true test of magical power.

Water against fire.

Perusing the selection, I chose the strongest bracelet that would seal my spirit energy with its merciless diamond cores. Even that would only dull my ability, and I suspected it would do absolutely nothing to Exos.

Still, it resembled a cuff of sorts that diluted my strength and brought my affinity for water to the forefront. Which had admittedly already been there, waiting for me to take my rightful place as king.

And maybe I could be ready—soon—with Claire at my side.

Snapping the bracelet onto my wrist, my vision jolted with a flash of red, then waves crashed in on my senses as my spirit energy retreated, leaving me dazed. The crowd cheered, sensing the shift of energy and signaling that the show was about to begin.

A single moderator hovered at the edge of the arena, raising his voice for the crowd to hear with a gust of air elemental power. “We have an unprecedented duel today! I present Cyrus, King of the Spirit Fae, Prince of Water, pitted against Titus, our very own Powerless Champion in his first Elemental Duel!”

The crowd cheered, making my ears throb as I fought to adjust to the utter lack of spirit in my chest. It felt wrong, and yet, oddly right. Especially as oceans of warmth rushed in, reminding me of how Claire had drowned me in the most delicious of ways.

“May the victor earn this quarter’s title of Academy Elemental Champion! Begin!”

Really? I don’t even qualify,I thought with a snort.Not a student, remember?

But then a horn sounded, forcing me to focus on the task at hand while my senses struggled to adjust to my lack of spirit. This was my first time shutting out the element, and I hadn’t expected it to be so… overwhelming.

Titus took advantage of my disorientation and sent an inferno barreling toward me at full speed.

My magic reacted before I did, rushing out of me all at once and meeting Titus’s flame with a raw power of my own.

The arena’s magic hummed to life, monitoring our life signs and extent of power. Elana and I, and the other Council members and Academy professors, had erected this barrier, so I knew it could contain even my magic at full force.

An ocean with rising elemental seahorses that rode the waves erupted from my fingertips, spilling out to fill the stadium in seconds and dousing Titus’s flames in a single sweeping motion.

The Fire Fae gaped at me but only allowed his shock to settle for a moment before he crouched and drew his magic into himself, building a blazing tornado that sizzled against the mass of water and burned his pants—pants that should have been fire resistant. Yet it left his bare torso alone, suggesting his ultimate control of the raging energy.

Titus wasn’t a royal, but his magic had Claire’s passion infused into him, making him far more powerful than I would have given him credit for. He looked like the ancient god Vulcan, erupting molten lava that billowed from his feet in a wave of its own that rivaled my oceans, making my seahorses neigh in dismay before steaming into nothingness.

“That all you got, little king?” Titus taunted, twisting my nickname for Claire against me. I wasn’t the Water King yet, and if I was defeated in the arena by a Fire Fae, I’d never hear the end of it from my father.

But it would make for a better show.

And it just might give Mortus, and anyone else watching, the false opinion that my link to Claire had somehow weakened me.

Hmm.

Perhaps we needed to use this duel to our advantage and paint some false perceptions.

I grinned as his lava crept toward me. The soft red glow made the air turn bloody and gave Titus a terrifying appearance. By the gleam in his emerald eyes, he blamed me for putting Claire in danger.

Maybe I blamed myself.

Still, I had to make this look good. To ensure that everyone believed Titus had earned this win.

I changed up my attack, twisting my body to create a current that swept against Titus’s lava and forced it to harden. He grunted from the blow as fine whips of water lashed against his bare chest, leaving trails of bright blood in their wake. He took the punishment, growling as flames erupted and threatened to consume him in his rage.