Page 216 of Never Kiss a Fae

“The Solstice Ball is coming up soon,” Sol said as I picked up one of the sandwiches.

I rolled my eyes, tired of this topic. He’d brought it up several times over the last few days. “Will you relax already? Exos said he’d have Claire back in time for the stupid ball.”

“He’s excited about it, okay? Don’t undermine the one good thing our titan has in his life,” Titus said, sending a flame down the hall to burn the spoiled food rather than sweep it up. I wrinkled my nose at the sour scent it created and moved my hand to send a gust out the door, then thought better of it and hunched my shoulders as I endured the stench.

“I don’t understand why he had to take her so quickly,” Sol complained, his shoulders drooping as he stared at the half-eaten sandwich on his plate. “Or why this coronation had to be in the Spirit Kingdom.” He curled his fingers into massive fists, and his stony gaze challenged me. “Is he really trustworthy? You had to knock him out because thatthingwas inside of him. What if it’s still there?”

Thatthingwas Claire’s mother. I shuddered with the memory of the dark essence that had almost taken Claire’s life, the shadow energy that had possessed Exos.

Did I trust Exos? Yes.

Did I trust him to protect Claire against Ophelia? Also yes.

But something told me Ophelia had tricks up her sleeves that none of us were prepared to face yet. So I understood Sol’s concern, and shared it myself.

Titus sent another controlled wave of flame that manipulated the air, pushing the burnt remains down the hall with a heat-infused gust. “Cyrus wouldn’t have let Exos anywhere near her if that darkness was still inside of him. I don’t trust the asshole Water Royal farther than I can throw him, but I know he wouldn’t make the mistake of putting Claire in danger again.”

That was big talk coming from Titus. I raised a brow, wondering what kind of bond the two fae had formed after their bout in the Academy’s arena. I supposed Cyrus had earned our trust after all that went down, at least as far as Claire was concerned.

I nodded my agreement. “Claire should be there for the coronation and be a part of such an important day in her mate’s life. It’ll just make their mate-bond stronger and also strengthen her control over her spirit element.” As much as I disliked being apart from her, this was exactly what Claire required—and what the mate-circle needed to protect her.

Sol’s jaw clenched. “Do you know something we don’t know? How is dragging Claire back to a dying land where she almost died herself awisemove?”

I cocked my brow at the disgruntled Earth Fae. “You know what the coronation does, right?” Sol wasn’t familiar with his royal line, but I figured even he would know what a coronation really meant. Maybe I was wrong.

Titus finished up his “cleaning” and joined us at the table, looking intrigued. He brushed his hands together and left a flutter of soot over the table that I’d just wiped down before our meal. “I remember she was much stronger after mating with Cyrus, who is as royal as one can get. Is that what you mean?”

I shook my head. “Cyrus is only king because Exos originally turned down the crown. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still strong—almost impressively so—but Exos will be even more powerful as king.”

“So what’s going to happen?” Sol asked, concern etching a pattern into his forehead.

My lips twitched. “Nothing bad. Bonding with Exos will ensure she never loses him again. And, by participating in his coronation, she’s embracing a royal line of power. She’ll no longer have to draw from the outskirts of the element like most fae do because she’ll have access to the source directly through Exos.”

That kind of power was what made royals so respected and feared. Accessing the raw core of an element was something only true elemental kings could do. As Exos’s mate, Claire would be able to piggyback on that ability. Most considered it a dangerous connection—hence the reason only the strongest of fae could ascend.

I’d been in contention for that power once.

I’d immediately denied it.

Air was the most volatile of all the elements and could cause destruction that would decimate the fae in unskilled hands. I would never want to rule such an energy source. Ever.

“How do you know so much about this?” Titus asked, leaning on the table. “I know you have some royal blood in you, but you don’t talk about it much.”

“For good reason,” I muttered, but these were Claire’s bond-mates. Both Sol and Titus watched me expectantly, their concern palpable. They were beginning to feel like family. Like they were mine just as much as Claire was mine.

Keeping them in the dark seemed wrong.

And so I did something I’d never done before.

I opened up about my history. Just a little bit.

“My grandfather was given access to the royal source of the air element,” I admitted. The source wasn’t necessarily a secret; it just wasn’t common knowledge as tohowthe royal lines were so powerful. “It’s a boon that can be granted by the king. My grandfather, well, he thought he could control it. Until he couldn’t.”

I shuddered at the memory of tornados exploding across the main city just a day after he’d bragged to everyone about his new powers. Several fae lost their lives that day, casting dishonor over my family line as a result.

“Long story short, he abused his access to the source, which labeled my family as weak and lacking in control. So you can imagine why I’d want to prove them all wrong.” Consequently, I refused to allow myself to go anywhere near my royal ties to the source of my elemental power. To do so would be to repeat my grandfather’s mistakes.

“What happens when Claire is exposed to the source of spirit magic through Exos?” Sol asked, his eyes growing wide.