Oh, shit. I mean, I knew the Earth Fae had some issues with control, and yeah, he was a bit of a grump at times, but I just thought that was part of his misguided charm. But this? Yeah, this wasn’t something I would have guessed.
Sol groaned as if in pain, and the ground shook again, this time forming spiky craters that spiraled down into the earth. “A Spirit Fae ripped us apart from the inside. And the plague, it killed them, but somehow, I survived. And I don’t even know why.”
The plague. He’s talking about the plague. The Earth Fae had experienced the worst of it—second to the Spirit Fae. Yet Sol seemed to be untouched by it. Hence his size, strength, and ability.
But what he described made it sound like he’d been a victim, too. Just of a different variety of torture.
He blew out a breath, his shoulders hunching as a cascade of cracks ran through the training yard that threatened to reach the dorm.
If the giant kept this up, he was going to demolish the entire quad.
“Okay, Sol, you need to take a deep breath, man. Claire is with Cyrus and Exos. I know they’re assholes, but they’ve proven themselves. She’s in good hands, buddy. Or I’d be just as pissed as you. Got it?”
Sol narrowed his gaze at me and ground his teeth again, sending a rumble to unseat my balance.
Right, so that approach didn’t work well.
I stabbed my staff into the soil and poured my fire into it, melting rock back into place.
“Look, if you love Claire, you have to stop this. She’s a Spirit Fae. You can’t just rip—”
When the heat of my fire reached Sol, he launched to his feet with an explosion of earth and power.
Okay, maybe fire was a bad idea.
The Earth Fae roared as he stormed toward me, his massive legs building momentum in a terrifying blur of speed I wouldn’t have credited to the titan.
I dodged him—this time without Vox’s help—and twirled my bo staff, creating a fire shield to separate us. Sol twisted as he tried to reach for me, but the position put him off-balance.
Hmm, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. And Sol clearly needed some sense knocked into him. I swiped my bo staff at his ankles in an attempt to topple him over.
The staff met rock-hard calves, and the crack reverberated up my arm, making my teeth chatter.
Sol grabbed the weapon, ignoring the flames that engulfed him as he pulled me closer.
Not good.
I ducked when another punch went flying past my head, and I slammed a palm to the ground, pouring my fire into it. Sol staggered as rock melted and resolidified around his ankles, trapping him.
He swung wildly, this time catching me once in the ribs. It would have broken something had Vox’s air not softened the blow, something I’d have to thank him for later.
Another fist, then another, and all I knew was fury and pain as Sol unleashed his rage. The winds couldn’t stop him forever, and Vox’s shouts echoed through the training yard, but the Earth Fae wasn’t listening.
I raised the bo staff and poured all of my heat into it, thinking of Claire and the passion our fires burned together. The flash blinded me and Sol, causing the giant to roar with outrage as he snatched up the instrument and snapped it in half.
The impact stole my breath.
That had been a gift from Claire, and he’d just… snapped it.
Sol seemed to freeze, stunned as the halves of my weapon clattered to the glassy ground.
“You broke it,” I whispered, unable to mask the hurt in my tone. Claire had given me that staff as a present, and now…
I blinked.
“How could you do that?” I demanded. “How could you do that to Claire? To me? What the hell is your problem?” I shoved him back, the rock giving way to his feet as he stumbled.
Sol seemed as broken as my staff, his earthy gaze falling to the ground. “Fuck.” He fisted his hair and blew out a long, harsh breath. “Fuck.”