Seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
I met Shade’s gaze, wary.
Zephyrus wore a similar expression of concern as I looked at him.
Then a subtlethudmet my ears.
A second one ensued.
And a third.
Followed by a gasp from the male below as his eyes flew open, his golden irises dimmed to a burnt bronze. His focus fell entirely on Aflora, his throat working as he swallowed her blood.
Magic swirled around all of us, coating our skin in a unique essence that smelled like flowers in bloom.
Aflora.
She was claiming us all with her elemental soul.
Securing our bonds.
Strengthening us with earth.
Her source welcomed us, admiring our different powers and zeroing in on me as a known architect.
Warmth touched my spirit, power igniting and merging and creating life all around us.
Vines crawled along the walls, flowers budding at the tips, adding a splash of color to the otherwise modern room.
A bed of grass formed along the ground beneath us, overtaking the carpet and creating our own little oasis.
Aflora shifted, drawing my attention back to her and Kolstov. She’d bent to comb the fingers of her free hand through his hair, the auburn locks tinged with ash on the ends.
Kiss of death,I realized, noting his burnt irises again.
He no longer bore the mark of the dark source, but a branding from the afterlife.
I studied his magic with my own, noting the way everything had manifested inside him.
Part Earth.
Part Death Blood.
Part Quandary Blood.
Part Warrior Blood.
And a tiny bit of Elite Blood.
A true abomination. A complete work of art. A miracle.
I stared at Aflora, awed by her power and kindness. I finally understood why fate had instructed us to walk this path together.
She possessed all the qualities that a royal should.
A true monarch.
