When she awoke, she’d be controlled by her fae half.
I truly hoped the human beneath could accept it.
I knew enough about her former land to understand how hard it would be for her to embrace. But her elements would give her no choice. She needed a mate for each element, and she officially had them.
A circle of nature.
One I never thought to be a part of, but I had no choice now. As a fully bonded partner, I would remain no matter what the recourse.
And my heart would always be faithful to her, even if we’d never exchanged the emotional platitude of words. This was how our kind functioned. And as long as she welcomed it with an open mind, our unit would function seamlessly.
“We’ll talk after you find your brother,” my father said, clapping me on the shoulder. “I’ll handle the politics here in the interim.”
“Thank you.” I looked at him then, needing him to see the full extent of my gratitude. “I mean that. Thank you for everything.”
“You’re my son,” he replied, his lips curling faintly at the edges. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”
I tilted my chin, acknowledging his concession.
Our relationship was tenuous at best. But we were about to get a whole lot closer.
Oh, Claire, I thought, turning back to the bedroom and her stirring form. You have no idea how complicated this is about to become.
Her beautiful blue eyes blinked open, the sleepy quality inside stealing my breath for just a moment.
And then she reached for me, that sultry purr in her throat telling me exactly what she desired.
My father excused himself silently as I lowered myself over my bride and captured her mouth in the kiss I knew she craved.
One more night alone.
Then I’d share her once more.
But for tonight, she was mine.
My Claire.
Vox
A week.
A fucking week and we still hadn’t heard anything.
My fingers went to my chest, the ache still there, reminding me that I hadn’t imagined the horrible night where Titus had gone supernova in front of the Spirit Quad and Sol had very nearly lost control of his power.
The night Claire had taken over.
Her presence a breath inside me, begging me to help her, to let her in. And I—
“Vox!” Professor Helios snapped, making me flinch. His bushy brows furrowed with impatience. My reputation as his best student had taken a hit over the last month. I’d been too damn distracted.
She’s ruining me. In the best way. And the worst.
My half-hearted attempt at today’s exercise resembled exactly how I felt. A weakened air pixie floundered on my desk, sending dust motes drifting around her head as she feebly squeaked up at me in protest. She shuddered, wilted, and then disintegrated into ash.
“I didn’t say you could dismiss your project,” the professor deadpanned, but I recognized the note of concern in the way the air flitted around him.
The other students whispered, their magic sending words flying all over the classroom in wisps I shouldn’t have been able to hear, but everything had changed since that night with Claire. Aside from the obvious—our forced bond. But in addition to that, my powers seemed to be going haywire. Claire had weakened me by absorbing so much of my element, and it left my magic clawing at me with a lack of control I wasn’t used to experiencing.