Sprites, this is bad. Very, very bad.
“You don’t have time. Either you save her or you don’t. But wallowing in your fate will cost the girl her life.” There was the father I knew—direct and to the point without a hint of remorse. He might as well have said I dug my own grave by initiating this link to begin with.
Which, yeah, he’d be right.
“What if she rejects it?” I asked, noting the very real chance of that happening.
“Her elements rule her now, and there’s no better water match in this world than the rightful Water King,” he replied, a challenge in his tone, daring me to contradict him. For once, I didn’t take the bait. This wasn’t about my conflicting destiny or the fact that my power outweighed his and all other Water Fae. This was about saving Claire.
“Tell me what I need to do,” I said, my choice already made.
I couldn’t leave her to suffer, couldn’t allow her to die because of my mistake.
Maybe I deserved a future of unrequited love.
At least Exos would be happy.
And Claire.
This was not the right recourse—bonding an unconscious female was the epitome of taboo—but what choice did I have? She needed a lifeline, and I was the only one available.
“Prepare the ceremonial chambers,” my father demanded, causing fae to scatter. “This has to be done right and quickly.”
I nodded, knowing what he meant. The best way to guarantee that Claire’s element accepted mine was to make her feel at peace.
She was so cold and small in my arms, her skin a now bluish tint.
I hated seeing her this way, hated more that I’d caused this through my own urgency to finish this task. Mortus may have set the trap, but I knew better than to step into it.
I’m sorry, Exos,I thought, knowing full well he couldn’t hear me.
He wasn’t anywhere near those death fields. I felt it now through the bond with Claire that Exos remained somewhere safe and untainted. Had I taken two minutes to prod her a little deeper earlier, after our initial connection, I would have sensed that.
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.
