She laughed as the females began to chase the male around the room. He squeaked out some kind of command they didn’t appear interested in following, and beat his wings harder to get away.
“Is that how you feel daily?” Elana mused. “With all those male fae circling your powers?”
My cheeks reddened. “They don’t chase me around.” They just, sort of, followed me everywhere. Titus waited downstairs for our session to end, and we’d likely be intercepted by Vox or Sol on the way back to Spirit Quad. “They’re a little protective.”
Not in an overbearing kind of way, but in a responsible manner.
Their defensive energy had heightened over the last month while I continued to master my elements. It was as if they didn’t like the attention I brought upon myself, but I couldn’t help it. The whole point of the Academy was to learn.
“You have five elements,” Elana murmured. “It’s not surprising you’re attracting mates from different sides.”
“Oh, it’s not like that.” At least, I was trying very hard for it not to be like that. Titus kept me well satisfied, and my spirit still very much belonged to Exos. “We’re all just friends.”
The words came out stilted, but I had to believe them.
While Exos once said I’d likely need a mate for each element, I was determined to prove him wrong. Five men? I almost laughed.
Or maybe I wanted to cry.
Shaking my head, I focused on the pixies and created another male to join the foray, which caused all three to halt their dance about the room.
Louder chirping sounded as the original male squared off with the newcomer.
Hmm, seemed the little guy didn’t like competition.
It made me frown. Titus never acted like that. Actually, none of the guys did.
So yeah, just friends. That was why Sol never brought up the Solstice Ball again and why Vox seemed to only open up to me while in the kitchen. And Cyrus, well, he was just an ass. Nothing new there.
The pixies continued yipping while I yawned.
“Tired?” Elana asked, her gray eyes holding a touch of motherly concern.
I nodded. “I didn’t sleep well last night.” Or the night before. Or the night before that. And, well, for the last four or five weeks.
Exos came to me every night, causing me to awaken with a broken heart every morning. I could feel our connection wilting with each passing day, the bond corroding over time. Cyrus said it was a result of Exos closing me off, that if we didn’t rekindle the relationship soon, it would wither and die and we would never be linked again.
My chest ached at the thought.
But I had no idea how to find him. He’d shut me out with a few whispered words about not giving up on him. Well, that would never happen. However, it would have been nice to be given a clue about his situation.
“Are you all right, Claire?” Elana studied me in that uncanny way of hers. “You’re making great strides in your control. I mean, that evidence is dancing on the table.”
I forced a smile at the show and shook my head. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just been a long month.”
“Exos,” she said, giving a knowing nod as my gaze flew upward to hers. “I had wondered why he would leave in such a crucial time of your relationship. Perhaps you should call him home?”
Such an innocent question underlined in genuine concern.
Cyrus thought she might be behind Exos’s kidnapping, but after five sessions with her, I knew he was wrong. This woman cared too much about peace and finding harmony among the fae to harm another. She often cried when we had to dismiss the pixies, and they weren’t even real.
I sighed. “I miss him.” But I can’t tell you why or where he is. Because even if I knew her to be innocent, I couldn’t bring myself to betray Cyrus’s trust. He was busy working this case from other angles, not that he seemed to be getting anywhere.
But if anyone cared for Exos as much as I did, it was Cyrus.
So I would trust him until he gave me a reason not to.
“Call him home,” she said again. “Or tell Cyrus to.” A knowing glimmer creased her eyes into a smile. “Or I can tell him to, if you prefer. I know how intimidatin