Claire clutched my hand tightly, her body rigid beside mine. Exos had led us back to Elana’s estate and disappeared after showing us to one of the guest suites.
“I… I d-don’t understand,” Claire stammered. “I blew out that wall.”
Ah, that explained the elemental essences lurking in this room. I’d felt it all over the property when we arrived, but it grew stronger as we moved upstairs. “Chancellor Elana must have repaired it.”
“Chancellor Elana?” Claire repeated, glancing up at me. “How?”
“She’s a very powerful fae and the leader of the Academy.” I gave her a small smile. “This is her home.” And actually quite rare for a student to visit. In fact, this was my first time entering these famous walls.
Claire frowned. “But I destroyed that wall.”
“And I fixed it,” a voice murmured from down the hallway. Elana appeared with her light hair wrapped up in a bun atop her head and threaded with flowers. She was a gorgeous woman, the awe of many men, and completely unattainable due to her high status. Rumors said she never mated because she didn
’t want to share her powers. But it was not for a lack of trying by the male fae.
I bowed my head in reverence. “Chancellor Elana.”
“Titus,” she returned. “Thank you for helping Exos today.”
“It was my pleasure.” Not a lie. I rather enjoyed lying in that field with Claire. Wrong, yes, but being near her intrigued me. The power brewing under her skin called to my own, marking her as a potential mate. She wasn’t the first to call to my inner gifts, but she was the first to excite me by the prospect. “I was just helping Claire change for dinner.”
“Ah yes, it is that time, isn’t it?” She stopped in front of us, her slender hands clasped before her. “Why don’t you and River stay for dinner? I think it may help Claire feel more comfortable.”
Oh. I’d meant to take Claire somewhere on the fire campus and give her a tour as well, but if the Chancellor wanted us to join her here, then we didn’t have much choice.
The death grip on my hand suggested Elana’s words regarding comfort were true. It seemed I’d become Claire’s anchor. “We’ll stay,” I said, the words meant for both of them.
“Excellent.” Elana’s smile crinkled the edges of her silver-flecked eyes. “I look forward to getting to know you better, Claire. Once upon a time, your mother was one of my favorite students.” Sadness filtered through her softening expression. “Well, we’ll catch up over dinner. Oh, and I left you something suitable to wear.” She tilted her lips again before floating down the hallway in her long, elegant gown.
“Who is that?” Claire whispered, her eyes rounded.
“Chancellor Elana.”
“No, I got that part.” She shook my head. “I meant… I… I don’t know what I meant. She’s beautiful.”
“Yes. And very powerful.” I’d already said that, but it was worth repeating. “She’s a Spirit Fae, like you.”
“And she knew my mother?”
“Yes. She was your mother’s mentor.” A very famous history, considering everything that had transpired after the Academy. But now wasn’t the time to discuss all that. “Do you need any help? Or do you want to meet me downstairs?”
“I…” She nibbled her lip and glanced at the dress lying on the bed and then at the doorway beyond that led to the en-suite bathroom. “I, uh, should be all right. But you promise to stay?”
Warmth touched my chest at her show of trust. We hardly knew each other, but her inner flame recognized mine already whether she realized it or not. I drew a line of fire across her cheek with my index finger and smiled. “Yes. I’ll be here.”
Her shoulders seemed to fall on a sigh, her relief palpable. “Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”
I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her wrist. “See you then, Claire.”
Her lips parted in wonder as I released her. I took a few steps backward, wanting to give her space before I did something stupid like follow her into that bedroom. Her essence was so strong, almost intoxicatingly so. It fucked with my head.
“Titus?” she called after me, concern in her voice.
I faced her at the top of the stairs. “Yes, Claire?”
“Uh, how will I find the dining room?”
I almost told her I’d wait at the bottom for her, but a better idea came to me. A way to test if she felt this connection the way I did. “Follow the heat.”