Zakkai was going to take time.
He’d taken my mate. Kept her from me—fromus. Hidden her. But he’d also protected her. Which was the only reason I allowed him to remain in such an intimate position with Aflora.
She closed her eyes as energy pooled around her. Clove flew in from above to settle beside her in the destroyed remains of the bed, her wing brushing Aflora’s shoulder.
Zakkai’s wolf lingered in the former doorway while Raph slithered around my neck.
Then Kols’s familiar soared in to land beside Clove. I blinked at the crow’s ash-tipped black wings, the color rivaling the ends of the Elite Blood’s auburn hair. He glanced at Night and noticed the same thing, his fingers reaching out to stroke the discolored feathers.
They’d both been marked by death.
Shade’s icy gaze traced over Kols and Night as well, his expression holding a touch of wonderment. Then he flinched as magic swarmed around him. The same happened to me half a second later, my mind suddenly paralyzed by Aflora’s enchantment.
Something snapped.
Prickled.
Crumbled.
My heart ached for a solitary beat before emotion and thoughts came rushing through my mind and soul, Aflora’s affection and frustration and fear and relief a torrent of sensations that stole my breath.
I reached for her in the next breath, pulling her mouth away from Zakkai and up to mine, my gratitude at having her inside me again an oppressing wave that I couldn’t release. She returned my embrace with equal fervor.
“Good thing she was done,” Zakkai muttered.
I ignored him, my focus on my beautiful mate and the power rippling through her.My queen, I thought reverently.
Not yet,she returned, her fingers threading through my hair.I… I don’t know if…She trailed off, her uncertainty winning over her other reactions.
“It’s all right,” I whispered against her mouth. “We’re going to figure this out.”
“I want to undo it,” she admitted just as softly. “There has to be a way to undo it.”
Kols’s opinions on that graced my psyche, but he didn’t voice them out loud.Not possible, he said first.And even if it is, is it the right recourse?I followed his analytical reveal, reveling in the ability to be so utterly close to him and his beliefs.
“Voice that out loud,” I suggested to him. “Tell Aflora.”
“Tell me what?” she asked, her focus on me and then the others. “I assume you’re talking to Kols?”
“He is,” Kols replied, flashing an irritated glance my way. “You being in my head is problematic.”
“And very useful,” I countered. “Tell her.”
He sighed, his fingers combing through his thick reddish-brown hair as he shook his head. “My grandfather forced your ascension in an effort to kill you. However, you passed your first trial. Not only that, but the source also embraced you. I was just thinking through what that means and wondering if fate might have a point. If perhaps you should be the Midnight Fae Queen.”
I righted my spine, my palm still around the back of Aflora’s nape. Zakkai stood nearby with Shade on his other side. But my pixie flower’s eyes were on Kols, who still rested beside her on the petal-adorned bed. “How could I be the queen? I’m an Earth Fae.”
“An Earth Fae who is mated to four Midnight Fae,” he said softly. “An Earth Fae who found a way for the two sources to talk to each other. An Earth Fae who should be thrumming with an overabundance of power right now, seeking to destroy—at least according to all the rumors about abominations—and yet I can hear you still putting your people first. You’re not thinking about yourself or what it’ll mean for you, but for everyone else. And that is the mark of true royalty, Aflora. That is the mindset of a queen.”
I released Aflora, aware of Kols’s intention.
His palm found her cheek as he rolled into her. “You were always destined for this,” he whispered, his mouth brushing hers. “I think Shade’s known that all along, too.”
The Death Blood merely smiled, but the look certainly confirmed Kols’s statement.
“As touching as this is, we need to move,” Zakkai interjected, his tone lined with authority, but I caught the flicker of regret in his silvery gaze. He didn’t want to interrupt. However, the brushof energy to the exterior of the paradigm told me exactly why he’d felt the need to.
“He’s right,” I agreed, my defensive energy already flaring to life. “Constantine is still here.” Or nearby, anyway.
