My brow furrowed.
How is that possible?
And why am I not burning?
I actually felt quite cold, not hot. Because the flames were so intense I was freezing? No, that couldn’t be it.
“That’s it,” he whispered, his forehead falling to mine. “Relax.”
“Relax?” Some strangled combination of a laugh and a cry escaped my mouth. “This is… insane.”
“You’re an Elemental Fae coming into her abilities for the first time.” The words were low, his voice utterly calm despite the inferno soaring around us. “It’s not normal for someone this age to access her elemental gifts. Most fae are taught as children. But I can help you, Claire.”
I shivered beneath him, my skin slick, my throat dry. “Help me?” I whispered, my gaze flickering to the wildfire behind him and back to his face. “This is a nightmare. It has to be.”
“It’s not.” The words were a breath against my lips, his body hard and heavy on top of mine. “Please, Claire. Let me help you.”
“How?” I asked, unsure of all of this. Of him. Of this place. Of the erratic energy threatening to burst out of my chest. “How?”
His nose brushed mine, his fingers sliding into my hair, his mouth trailing over my cheek. His gentle caress set off a flurry of butterflies in my abdomen, a direct conflict from the warning rioting in my mind. The man was on fire. Yet he seemed perfectly at ease, his strong form a comforting blanket over mine.
What is happening to me?
My eyelids drooped, exhaustion taunting the edges of my thoughts.
I don’t want to sleep.
“Picture your happy place,” a deep voice whispered against my ear. “Somewhere that makes you feel calm, at peace. For me, it’s the lake behind my old home. So warm and tranquil, and I swear the water tasted of the finest spring you could ever imagine. Swimming is my serenity, where I go when I need to think. What about you, Claire? Where do you go?”
“I…” I swallowed, hesitant. “Camping. Beneath the stars. I love the night sky.” Why am I telling him this?
“The stars here are beautiful, too. You’ll see them tonight.” His lips touched my throat, my pulse soaring in response. “Where did you go camping, Claire?”
“In Ohio,” I whispered, frowning. My grandparents used to take me to the woods, saying I needed to be closer to nature, to enjoy the fresh air and clear my head. I always loved it, feeling almost at home surrounded by the elements.
Wasn’t that what this man had called me? An Elemental Fae?
“What’s an Elemental Fae?” I asked out loud, my limbs tensing.
“It’s what we are.” He went to his elbows on either side of my head, causing my eyes to flutter open. He was no longer on fire, the room around us just as green as before.
What the hell is going on?
“Shh, stay in that calm place,” he said, his thumb drawing a line across my cheekbone and down to the column of my neck. “I’m strong, but you… You’re exhausting me, Claire.”
My brow furrowed. “I’m exhausting you?”
“Yes.” He cocked his head, his blue irises taking on a heady glow that stole my breath. “Your… Ophelia… was a fae. A pureblood of Spirit. That makes you a Halfling. A very, very strong Halfling.”
“Ophelia?” I repeated, frowning.
“The given name of your…” He trailed off, raising a brow.
My mother, I realized. “My mother was a fairy?”
“A fae,” he corrected, his lips curling down. “Fairies are tiny little figments with wings, and they don’t exist. You’re a fae. As am I.”
“And fae are…?”