I agreed with him until that final sentence.
Betters.
All my life I’d been told that had I been born with royal blood, I might have possessed the strength to control my unruly fire. But I wasn’t royal-born. I wasn’t even high-born. My lineage came from a long line of fae who fought for sport and worked in the hot mines of the Fire Kingdom.
Embers crawled through my veins and singed the tablecloth, demonstrating my frustration. Exos raised a brow in response, noticing my inability to hide the annoyance bubbling within me.
I drew in a deep breath before speaking. “She holds elements you can’t control,” I reminded him. “Forcing her into obedience won’t end well.”
He nodded. “That’s why I can’t train her alone. I need help.” He paused, his lips twitching. “Starting with you.”
I raised a brow at him. “I’ve already agreed to help her with dinner. I’m here, right?”
“You are,” Exos agreed, finally taking the fine flute of his glass and swirling it, activating the embers lingering in the liquid. “But that’s not what I meant. I already spoke with Elana, and she agrees. You’re being assigned as one of Claire’s bodyguards, and you will mentor her on fire.”
Not a request.
An order.
No subtlety to see if I would be up for the task or if I had other plans for my time at the Academy. Just a straight edict that Exos expected me to follow. And apparently, Elana did as well.
My blood boiled with the arrogance of his demand, and more so, the power behind his blood that allowed him to lord over me.
“It makes sense with you being the most powerful Fire Fae at the Academy, not to mention your uncanny ability to encourage her cooperation.” He glanced at me over his glass. “It’s also a unique opportunity to appease the Council. You could consider it an internship of sorts.”
“And if I don’t want an internship?” I couldn’t help the growl in my voice. This prick thought to own me, to force me into a position of his own choosing without any regard for what I wanted.
“We both know what you want,” Exos replied, his gaze knowing. “You won’t say no, Titus.”
To putting my reputation on the line for a Halfling? To having to protect her from what had to be an army of fae who wanted to kill her? To training her how to use her fire?
Well, that last bit appealed to me. But the other parts? I started to shake my head, but a buzzing of excitement caused all of us to glance at the doorway.
“Ah, here we are.” Elana clapped as she entered the room, drawing the pixies to her in a flourish of a grand greeting. “The dining area is lovely, thank you.” The pixies chirped in happiness, leading her to the head of the table beside Exos’s seat.
“Have you discussed our plans?” she asked, her focus on Exos.
“Yes.” He set his flute down. “Titus was just accepting.”
Accepting, my ass.
“Excellent,” Elana replied, her kind eyes lifting my way. “After observing your interaction upstairs, I do think this is best. Claire clearly likes you, and she needs someone she can trust and rely on at her side. You’re a good match for her fire as well.” The knowing way she said that last bit had a chill running up my spine.
Spirit Fae were powerful beings. They could sense and control all aspects of the life cycle. And she’d clearly noticed the mating potential between me and Claire. Which meant Exos had as well.
I cleared my throat. “If that’s—”
A shriek from the other room had me on my feet in a second, the explosion of fire a seduction to my inner flame.
Claire.
I ran into the foyer to find her curled in a ball, the walls around her ablaze with light. River extinguished the inferno with a mist of power while I clamped down on her gifts with my own, calming them on instinct.
She trembled, a cry escaping her throat as a pixie squeezed out of her grasp with an angry chirp. Another wave of fiery power spiked across the room in response, Claire quivering violently on the ground. “This isn’t real,” she whispered on repeat. “This isn’t real. Fairies don’t exist.”
Exos snorted. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He gestured to her as if to say, This. I can’t deal with this. And returned to the dining room.
I sighed. His lack of patience made him a shitty mentor. No wonder he needed me.