Ella hadn’t stopped crying.
She was telling Kols everything that had happened to Tray, how the Council had taken him and changed him into a dark figure of who he should be. She told him about his father as well,saying Malik was acting just like Tray. And she no idea what had happened to Kols’s mother, either. She hadn’t seen her in weeks.
“But they’re not themselves, Kols. It’s not Tray. And your dad isn’t your dad,” she was repeating again now. “I… I don’t know what the Elders or the Council did… but he… Tray told them to kill me. He gave them permission to… to…” She trailed off on a broken sound, and Zeph knelt beside her, his protective energy pouring over her.
“He was surrounded by dark magic.” Aflora swallowed. “I could see it, the ropes binding him, but I didn’t know how to free him. There wasn’t time. And I wasn’t sure if… if the Hell Fae realm would accept him like that.”
“It would have triggered the wards,” my grandmother confirmed.
“With Ella, I somehow knew the wards would accept her. It was instinctual,” Aflora continued as though she hadn’t heard anyone else. “But Tray… we need to go back?—”
“Constantine will be waiting,” Zakkai interjected, his thumb hooking beneath her chin to pull her attention to him. “He won’t hurt Tray. He already has him on a leash. And if anything, he’ll use him as bait. Which means he needs him alive.”
Kols growled, not liking the sound of that at all.
He’s right, I whispered to his mind.Constantine won’t hurt him any more than he already has. And we need time to formulate a plan. Reacting rashly is what your grandfather wants.
You think I don’t know that?the Elite Blood snapped back at me.
I met his burning irises.
He glared back.
I’m making sure you don’t run off and do something that will hurt us all,I told him softly.He’s your twin, Kolstov. We don’t always think rationally when it comes to those we love.
My words and concern came from a tender place inside me that had only ever existed for Aflora. But my relationship with Kols had evolved over the last two months, becoming something I could never have anticipated.
I cared about him.
And last night, we’d shared something… different.
We’d also solidified our mating, having bitten each other several times during our sexual moments with Aflora. He was firmly inside me, just as much as I was inside him.
Which meant he could feel all my emotions, hear my concern, and understood the reasoning behind my words.
While the statements irritated him—his mind quickly telling me that he would never react without thinking through his actions first—he also appreciated my concern.
We’ll work together to bring him back,I promised him.We’ll help your dad, too. And I’m sure your mom is okay, just locked up somewhere.
He grimaced.
We’re going to save them, I reiterated, ensuring he heard me.
I know, he replied after a beat, his glare softening to display a measure of understanding before his focus shifted to Aflora. His mind fought for a change of subject, his need for a distraction clear as he whispered,That cloak is radiating dark energy.
Yes.I could feel it beneath my fingertips.
Zakkai seemed equally enthralled by it, his palms roaming over the fabric in a similar way to mine moments ago. “This is a gift from the source,” he marveled.
“Yes,” my grandmother agreed, reminding us all of her presence. “And I have the matching staff.”
We all looked at her. “Matching staff?” I repeated.
She merely smiled, then cocked her head. “Come. Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Cookies?” I asked warily.
“Eggs,” she replied. “And blood shakes. Aflora will need one soon. As will Ella.”
