Page 402 of Never Kiss a Fae

“Maybe we need to take her home,” Cyrus interjected. “For Christmas.”

My brow furrowed. “Um, she’s already home.” Unless he meant the Water Kingdom? “Is she eating at the palace?”

“No, not an elemental home,” he replied. “Herhome. As in the Human Realm.”

“Ohio,” Exos murmured, his expression pensive. “It would take some time to organize, but that might be what she needs. While her fae side is dominant, she is still half-human.”

“Can you put it together?” Cyrus asked.

Exos nodded. “Yeah, most of the fae on my list have already agreed to the academy. The only real outstanding kingdom is the Hell Fae.”

Cyrus groaned. “Don’t remind me. Those fuckers are going to be the death of me.”

“Do we really need them to agree?” Vox asked, sounding wary.

“In theory, no,” Exos replied. “But Claire really wants them involved. You know how she feels about making them feel welcome.”

Yeah, we all did. She was under the misguided notion that the Hell Fae needed to be involved to try to reconcile the past. Since they were a kingdom of abominations, they were exactly the kind of mixed fae she was trying to help through this initiative.

The thing she failed to realize was that the Hell Fae were beyond help. They’d developed their own manner of existing centuries ago, and no amount of groveling now would turn back time. Even with a Paradox Fae’s help.

I blew out a breath. “Right. So we’ll plan a trip to the Human Realm. Is that where we want to be for phase three?”

Cyrus glanced at Exos. “We’re going to need a big bed if we do that.”

“It worked in Iceland,” he pointed out. “I’m sure I can figure something out in Ohio.”

“We’ll need space, too,” Vox warned. “She’s connected to all five elements. We have no idea what that’s going to do when she falls into the final phase.”

“She should mostly take from water since the child is tied to our shared element,” Cyrus said. “But I’m also half Spirit Fae. And as you said, she has all five elements.”

“Assuming she even has access to them,” I muttered.

“If she doesn’t, she will,” Exos replied. “It’s not uncommon for the faeling to absorb from the source while in the womb. However, she’s not said anything about it.”

“You know Claire. She wants to do it all herself.” And it drove me flipping nuts. “We need to keep an eye on her.”

Exos smirked. “Like we haven’t been doing that already.”

“You know what I mean,” I muttered, dragging my fingers through my auburn hair. It was sticking up on all ends today, thanks to that Hell Fae meeting. Fucking hellfire bitch. What was she thinking lighting the Christmas tree on fire? Ugh.

“Yeah, I do,” Cyrus said softly. “We need to be extra guarded. If she can’t access her elements, then she can’t properly protect herself.”

“Will that be a problem in the Human Realm?” Vox asked. “Taking her somewhere new when she can’t protect herself might be a bad idea.”

“Yeah, but it’s what she knows,” Exos reminded us. “She’s going to feel safe there. And hopefully, she’ll eat.”

“We’ll need to decorate.” Claire was obsessed with her Christmas colors and seasonal items. “Can that be done before we go?”

“She might want to be involved,” Cyrus pointed out. “Maybe we should wait and just have the items ready for her?”

Exos nodded. “Let’s see what I can get done first, then we’ll go from there. You focus on the Hell Fae. Titus, you keep monitoring Claire. Vox, see if River can’t suggest a human remedy of some kind. And tell Sol to look into more fruit trees. And I’ll organize our trip to occur during the solstice.”

That would help us all out with missing work. As it was, I’d already delegated several of my courses to Lance because I had to make Claire a priority. But Vox didn’t have anyone to share his course load with, and neither did Sol. Cyrus and Exos had the benefit of being their own bosses, so they could really do whatever the fuck they pleased.

“Right, I think we’re set, then,” Cyrus said. “I’m going to make arrangements for an underworld visit since that appears to be the only way to get through to Lucifer.”

Exos gave him an uneasy glance. “You sure you want to do that?”