“Whereis the fun in that,Princess?”
Chapter57
Tori
Oncewe had reachedXyr,Abraxashad given the diadem—or what was left of it—to a few of his scholars most versed in ancient enchantments.Despitemy need for it, it felt good to have it out of my hands, the wrongness seemed to linger on my skin.
Aftera very long shower,Ifinally felt like a fae again and settled in for a very long rest on an actual bed.Justas my head hit the pillow,Abraxasentered my room, no knock.
Itwas a bit strange to see him here, as we had spent almost all our time together in his room.
“Youdidn’t come to bed.”
“Ithought…”Well,Idon’t know whatIthought.I’dtouched him since our fight in the forest, andIhadn’t felt anything like that surge of power again, butIhad still been cautious.
Imoved and made room for him in the bed next to me.Hewrapped his arms around me and held my head to his chest as he stroked my hair.Along silence stretched out between us, not uncomfortable, but held on the edge of what we both hesitated to discuss.Buthe broke the silence first.
“Tellme what happened in the forest.”
Iflexed my fingers, some of the skin there still paler than its neighbor due to the burns, “WhenItouched you,Ifelt your power jump to me, butIcouldn’t control it, so it ripped through me.”Hisgrip tightened on me, as if he could protect me from it. “Iwon’t lie, it hurt like hell, but underneath that,Ifelt something gentle.Notfrom you, but from the earth itself.Itflowed through me into you, and that’s when your magic surged.”
“Youconducted the magic of this world.Youare a conduit.”
Isat up then, looking deep into him, andIknew there was no lie. “Yousaid theGreatBeastswere conduits.I’mjust a fae, and one without any magic at all.”
“Youpossess a deep connection with nature, a kinship with this world,” he chuckled. “Everybeast within one hundred leagues can’t seem to keep their hands off you.Doesit really surprise you so?”
“Junwas always the one.Hissinging, his presence.PerhapsIalways knew it was more than just a natural gift.Butthe world stopped for him, never me.”
Abraxasreached out, tracing my jaw gently then, “Butyou were always there beside him, weren’t you?Whois to say it wasn’t watching you both?”
“Alwaysthe spare, supporting someone else it seems.”
Hepulled me to him again, butIcould feel his chest rumbling with laughter. “Idon’t think anyone would dare think you are anything other than extraordinary,Tori.”Hisface darkened then. “Youcould learn to control this, to shape and command it.Topull almost unlimited power from the earth, far more than any other fae could.”
“Ithought that magic was fading, what wouldItap into?”
“No, the earth has stopped allowing the fae to access it, but it’s still there, deep below the surface.Theconduits however…”
“Howdo you know all this?Isuppose getting old has its benefits.”I’dwanted to see him give me that annoyed smile, but his face only grew darker.
“Yes,I’veseen many things in my life,Tori, but these past decades have been unprecedented.Somuch has changed, so many things erratic and dangerous,” he squeezed me now to the point of bruising, “Hadeoncannot know about this.Iwill burn this entire world to the ground beforeIlet him have you.”Thatemerald fire danced in his eyes, and my skin prickled.Ihad no doubt it was true, butIwouldn’t let it come to that.
ButIsaw him there, that dark god who struck fear into the hearts of so many.Anancient fae who hailed from a time of unlimited magic and ruin.
“IwishIcould have seen you at full power.Youcontrol fire and the air, you must have been extraordinary,”Ilaid a soft kiss on his jaw asIsaid it.
Hiseyes stayed dark as he answered, “Becareful what you wish for,Princess, you just might receive it.”
Iknew he was more than that, more than an ancient force of darkness and magic.Butthere was one more thingIhad to know, had to slot that one last piece in place.
Igently placed a hand on his chest, andIfelt the smallest swelling of something light and golden.
“Abraxas, mayIask you something?Somethingpainful?”Heraised his brows at me but nodded his head, “Willyou tell me what happened to your father?”
Ifelt his whole body shutter, and he released his grip on me.Thaticy maskIhadn’t seen in so long, locked back into place.
“Whatis there to tell, everyone knows the story.Hadeonmoved to destroy theWorldBreakerand my father stood in the way, unwilling to let go of theDragonKingdom’ssource of power.Istabbed him in the back, surrendered toHadeon, and received thisKingdomas my prize.”Angerrose in his eyes, “Acoward’s story.”
