“Given your increasing thirst, I think the dark source might require you to make a choice—between Midnight Fae and Elemental Fae. It might make you sacrifice your connection to the earth.”
My heart dropped to my stomach.
Oh.
Now I understood his hesitation.
“That’s an impossible choice,” I whispered.
“Which makes it a likely trial,” he replied. “Especially with Constantine holding the reins.”
I reached for the counter, needing to steady myself. “I really hope you’re wrong,” I admitted.
“I hope I am, too.”
Silence fell between us.
Then my stomach growled again.
Zakkai said nothing, just went to the fridge and began warming another packet of blood.
It only took a few minutes. By the time he handed it to me, I was already salivating again, confirming his theory that this was somehow related to my pending trial.
I sucked it down while considering everything he’d said.
It was an intelligent prediction on his part, one I really hoped didn’t come true.
He took the bag from me as I finished, and tossed it away. Then he returned and tucked a strand of my hair behind my earbefore tracing the pointed tip. His ears were rounded like those of the other Midnight Fae. The touch almost made me want to jokingly ask if my points would disappear as a result of choosing his kind over my own.
But I wasn’t ready to joke yet.
Instead, I focused on his eyes and the tenderness radiating from their depths.
“Thank you,” I said, expressing my gratitude to him for telling me about his suspicion. Then I met Shade’s pretty eyes and repeated the words, making sure they knew I was thankful to both of them for taking care of me.
We’d all come quite a long way in our relationships. It was night and day compared to my first days at Midnight Fae Academy.
The forbidden bite.
My enrollment.
Being trapped in a suite with Kols.
The rivalries.
Looking between Shade and Zakkai now, I couldn’t help my smile. They appeared so relaxed and content in the kitchen, something I doubted would have happened two months ago.
“What put that grin on your face?” Zakkai asked, his silver-blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight streaming in through the glass doors of the dining area.
“Just thinking about how much I love you all.”
His eyebrow lifted. “Even me?”
“Even you,” I replied, going to my toes to brush a kiss against his lips.
“Shade?” he said against my mouth. “Be sure to take notes. Blood is how we provoke emotion from Aflora.”
“That’s definitely not the only way,” my Death Blood mate drawled as he slid up behind me to gently nibble the back of my neck.
