But instead I’d led her astray.
“Come,” my father said, his palm a brand against my shoulder.
I cradled Claire against my chest and stood, following him without a word, knowing what this meant.
Not only would I be taking on an unwilling queen, but we were mating under the element of water. Which stirred an entirely different problem, one I would acknowledge later. Because if I thought about the ramifications now, I’d run. And Claire didn’t deserve that.
Fuck, she didn’t deserve any of this.
She was not the son of two powerful bloodlines. My future was never hers to bear.
Although, now she would have no choice.
And I hated myself all the more.
I’d wanted to push her to greatness, but not like this, not by forcing her to become the Water Fae Queen.
My father’s mate—Coral—met us in the hallway, her black hair spun high on her head and clipped with pink shells. A beautiful woman, one admired by many. But the way she looked at me bespoke of our history, her trepidation of getting too close to the true heir of the Water Kingdom throne.
She was my mother’s replacement after the plague took her life.
And I’d never given her a chance to be anyone else
.
“Cyrus,” she said, bowing her head in a manner of respect she bestowed on few others.
“Coral,” I returned, the usual acid in my tone gone in favor of the female curled into my core.
She eyed Claire with interest, her lack of questions suggesting she’d already been informed of what was happening.
Time seemed to be escaping me by the minute, Claire’s life hanging on by a thread I desperately held on to. I could feel the presence of the others, all lending their elements to her in a vain attempt to bolster her reserves. With every passing moment, I sensed the veracity of my father’s claim.
Claire needed a fully bonded mate to provide her with the strength she required to survive.
And while she’d probably prefer it to be Titus, not even he could bring her back now.
She needed royal blood.
My blood.
A room adorned in plants and life opened before us, the altar situated at the foot of a giant waterfall. I’d only been here once—the day my father took his new bride in the mating-bond ceremony.
It was one of the worst days of my life, rivaling the funeral of my mother.
And I’d not set foot in these palace walls since.
That would change today, my obligation to the Water Kingdom bearing down on me with the weight of a thousand waves.
I laid Claire on the podium, brushed the blonde hair from her face, and bent to press my forehead to her icy one.
“Hang on, little queen.” There were preparations required, the need for a fae priestess to initiate the ceremony. All I could do now was pray we weren’t too late.
Because my father was right. I could feel it now, the need to finish this, to give her what she required. But it was on Claire to accept it. To accept me.
And after our tenuous relationship, I wouldn’t be surprised if she told me to mist off.
In which case, Elements help us all…