Why the fuck did I just kiss her?
To shut her up.
No.
Damn it.
I blew out a breath and glowered at my reflection in the mirror. I kissed her because I hated the agony in her expression that my words had caused. But it wasn’t like I meant them. I just wanted to prepare her for the task ahead. Warning her would have defeated the purpose. She needed to feel those comments like a punch to her gut to understand the weight of the death fields. Otherwise, they’d destroy her.
But kissing her had not been part of my plan.
And now, my water element was rejoicing.
Not spirit, because my brother owned that part of her. So I’d taken the one that called to me most, the hot liquid boiling throughout her gorgeous form.
I gripped the counter, livid with my lack of restraint. I knew better than to indulge a female of equal power. Yet, I’d given in to the urge and taken what wasn’t mine to take.
“I’m an ass,” I said, shaking my head. Especially because I rather liked the way it felt to be connected to her.
I frowned at the foreign bond, evaluating it. Being a descendant of two royal bloodlines, I possessed equal power in both spirit and water. So establishing a bond with my water element didn’t shock me, but it was far more fluid than I anticipated. I could feel her links to the others, the way her fire burned for Titus, how her spirit mourned for Exos, the intrigue her earth had in Sol, and the admiration her air felt for Vox.
Am I supposed to be able to sense all of that? I wondered. More importantly, can I use it to access Exos?
The thought had me freezing in place.
A practical co
urse, yes.
But how would that impact Claire? She already loathed me. I could sense that much in our initial bond. Oh, her water element was very attracted to mine. But the woman, well, I’d done myself no favors by kissing her.
“Fuck,” I muttered, my shoulders hunching again.
Pragmatism nagged at me, whispering the rightness of the situation, how I could use it to my advantage in locating my brother. It was only an initial bond. Temporary, at best. Once I completed the task and saved him, I would release her of our obligations to one another, and she’d be free to mate with another Water Fae.
That sounded easy enough. And she’d be so thrilled with having Exos back that she wouldn’t care. In fact, she’d be relieved to see me gone.
So how do I use this link? I wondered, exploring it further. If she felt me prodding around, she didn’t react, but I certainly felt her fury at what I’d done.
I sighed.
This was going to be painful.
The things I did for my brother.
Titus
I dropped the peach to the ground, stunned.
What.
The.
Fuck.
Was.
That?