I should have been more attracted to him. But no, I was stuck on the studious mage who treated life too seriously. I circled him, wondering why I found him so sexy. If he’d been human, I’d have likened him to a big, strapping nerd who didn’t know how to talk to girls. The thought made me smile.
He scowled. “I don’t know who you are but —”
I didn’t like him thinking he spoke to my aunt. Though still gorgeous, she was old, bitchy, and allying with Dark Lords to overtake Aerolus’ homeworld.
So I shifted back into my own form, that of a younger Aellein princess with softer features. I was magnificent, and I knew it. It was about time Aerolus knew it too.
I could tell I’d impressed him by the look of awe on his face.
Ha! Still got it.
My grin faded when I thought of all the trouble I’d gone through to help this guy. “I’m tired of waiting, Aerolus. But I admit the view’s been nothing but pleasant.”
I gave him a lazy once-over and centered on his crotch, deliberately crude. To my delight, he twitched, his arousal evident. Thank the Shadows. For as long as I’d been watching these royal Light Bringers in this mundane world, I’d never seen Aerolus express lust.
Until now.
“Finally.”
He flushed and said, “I appreciate what you’ve done with the Nocumat. But my brother is —”
“Waking up from a bad dream.” I shuddered. “I’d have nightmares too if Oxcen wrapped his greedy little hands around my neck. That boy needs a firmer hand.”
“Boy? Dream?”
His brother started to wake and distracted him, calling out for his affai—what these Light Bringers called their brides. With the right partner, the royal Light Bringers, also known as Storm Lords, gained immense power. Already, both the Prince of Fire and the River Prince had found their affai.
Now it was just the Wind Mage and Earth Lord who remained single.
And that annoyed me, for some odd reason. “Oh, and don’t worry about Tessa. She’s sleeping it off, I expect. Quite a woman.” I did like her. She had the ability to siphon energy and fit perfectly with the arrogant River Prince.
“Who…what are you?” my Wind Mage asked with suspicion.
Really? “Aerolus. What am I? How rude. Whatever would Ravyn think?”
“What do you know of my mother?” he growled.
I grinned, pleased he now realized I knew things. That I was powerful. “Aerolus, I know everything about you.”
I also knew that soon enough, reinforcements would arrive. Reinforcements that hated my kind. I sighed. “I have to go. It won’t be long before Oxcen lets slip that the queen has been here. And since she’s in council, they’ll know something’s wrong. I’ll be around. If you really want to find me, look for me the next time you cross planes.”
I warned, “But whatever you do, don’t tell Arim or the others about me. They won’t understand. And you and I aren’t even close to ready to convince the Aellei to leave the Storm Lords alone. It’s bad enough one Dark Lord has them rethinking their position on interfering. But then, maybe it’s not just one.”
Arim was the Storm Lords’ well-known weapon. The most powerful Light Bringer in the many worlds.
“What?”
I didn’t have time to explain, even though I found Aerolus adorable in his confusion. “You know, this would be a lot easier if I had help. Stop playing around and find me, mage. I’m getting tired of watching and sleeping alone.”
Then I made a dramatic exit. I let loose a blinding flash of white light and teleported home to my refuge in the Between, a hideaway between planes.
There, I grabbed a cup of cocoa, a box of bonbons, and settled in with a new episode of The Bachelor while I waited for the future to find me.
Chapter 1
Alandra
Three weeks later, Seattle
