“Then I should probably tell Titus to stop exhausting her,” Cyrus suggested, his lips curling.
I shook my head. “You keep flirting with him and he’s going to retaliate.”
“Good,” Cyrus replied, standing. “I can’t wait to see how that works out for him.”
“We both know you’ll end up on top,” I said, returning to my texts.
“But he doesn’t know that,” my brother mused.
“Who doesn’t know what?” Vox asked, entering the dorm’s lounge with Sol following close behind.
“Sol doesn’t know that he’s mating Claire tonight,” I announced smoothly before Cyrus could comment on the sensual game he had in store for Titus.
The Earth Fae froze, his eyebrows lifting. “What?”
“She needs to complete the circle,” I said, feeling like a broken record. “She needs her earth.”
“And she’s okay with this plan?” Sol pressed, no doubt fully aware of the fucking going on in the other room.
“Of course,” Cyrus replied, his tone one of confident ease. “I was just about to go ask her for a time. But perhaps you can tell me instead and I’ll just relay the details?”
Sol’s mouth opened and closed several times.
I closed my book and leaned back, folding my arms. “What’s wrong, Earth Fae? Afraid of the competition Titus is providing in the other room?”
The giant scowled. “No.”
“Then what’s the problem?” I demanded, not having time for this. We had a hybrid fae on the loose with an undetermined return date.
And she was definitely going to return.
Those texts proved that not only did she need the death fields but she also needed to remove any and all powers that stood in her way of accessing those fields. And now, I just happened to be that power. The second I’d learned of her energy source, I’d used my spirit to seal it off from all external parties. Only I could enter that field now. Until someone removed me from the equation.
No one knew I’d set myself up as the bait yet. Mostly because I’d just done it this morning. Cyrus would be the first one I told, as soon as we figured out this final mating.
“Nothing’s ready,” Sol grumbled. “I’ve not even asked her if that’s what she wants.”
I frowned. “Why wouldn’t she want to mate you, Sol? You’re already on the third level. That makes you engaged by her human standards.”
His cheeks tinted a red shade. “Yeah, I know, but I wanted to ask her… properly.”
Cyrus smiled. “The closet romantic. Let me guess—peaches were going to be involved?”
The ground rumbled beneath us as Sol narrowed his gaze. “Yeah, well, unlike you, I value consent.”
And all the amusement in the room died.
“Excuse me?” Cyrus said slowly. “Are you trying to accuse me of something?”
“It’s not an accusation. It’s the truth. You mated Claire while she was unconscious, without a voice.”
“To save her fucking life,” Cyrus retorted, taking a step forward. “Or are you saying I should have just let her die? Because if that’s the case, then you’re not worthy of her at all.”
“I’m more worthy of her than you are, Spirit Fae.” The words tumbled from Sol’s mouth, followed by a vibration of the foundation of the building, his power mounting by the second. “At least I’ll never manipulate her into anything. Won’t threaten to break her fucking soul. But you can’t promise that, can you? Water Prince or not, you’re sti
ll a Spirit Fae at heart. And Spirit Fae hurt.”
Right. One step forward, twenty steps backward.