12. Zeph
ZEPH
Ice drilled through my veins.“Absolutely fucking not.”
Aflora blinked up at me in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“No. The answer is no.” I’d claimed her. Planned or not, she was fucking mine, and I wouldn’t allow her to undo it now.
She bristled at my tone, some of her inner fire climbing into her gaze. “No?” she repeated. “No? I’m pretty sure that’s not your call to make.”
“I’ll just bite you again,” Shade interjected, sounding bored already by the discussion. But I caught the hint of hurt in his icy gaze. He very much disliked this line of thought. For once, I agreed with him.
Kols, however, remained quiet.
I glanced at him, expecting to see rage but catching a glimmer of intrigue instead. “You can’t possibly be considering this,” I told him.
“It’d solve a lot of problems,” he admitted with a shrug.
“Yes, it would solve several problems,” Aflora agreed as she stood on shaking legs.
“And create a thousand more,” I inserted, folding my arms.
Kols gave me a look I knew well. The one that told me he was up to something. Then he returned his focus to Aflora. “Can you undo the Earth Fae bond?” he asked, the question making me realize his intent.
He wanted to test her resolve and see how far she’d go.
Which meant he didn’t actually want to dismantle the bond.
Thank fuck for that.
We didn’t go through all this bullshit just to undo it.
The bonds existed for a reason. If Aflora fractured our ties, she’d implode, and none of us would allow that to happen to her. She belonged to us. End of discussion.
“Um.” She winced, causing me to narrow my gaze. That, right there, told me she didn’t actually want to do this. Something else was driving her to suggest this insanity. “I’m not sure, but I’m going to try.”
“No, you’re not,” I replied, done with this conversation. “You’re not going to do anything.”
“Again, that’s not for you to decide,” she bit back.
I grabbed the back of her neck and tugged her to me. “You’re upset. I get it. You don’t trust us. Fine. But those are not reasons to break a blood vow. Relationships require work. And I’ll be damned if I let you just Quandary-magic your way out of this, pixie flower.”
She pressed her palms against my chest and tried to shove me away. “Don’t touch me.”
“Too late.” I clamped my opposite arm around her lower back. “You’re angry. You think we betrayed you, but everything we’ve done is to protect you.”
She huffed a laugh, her nails digging into my button-down shirt. “Right.”
“Do you think I liked seeing them take you away?” I asked her. “It wasn’t my recording that landed you behind bars, Aflora. I did what I could to protect you.”
“You mean you did what you could to protect you and Kols,” she corrected. “Without the collar, the Council would have sensed our connection. So don’t lie to me and pretend it had anything to do with me, because I know it didn’t. You will always look out for Kols first and foremost. Now I’m suggesting we find a way to free you both so you can go back to guarding him without me being in the way.”
“The collar protected you as well,” I pointed out.
“But it wasn’t me you meant to protect,” she tossed back. “Stop toying with me, Zeph. This whole thing is a big mistake. I’ll figure out how to undo it, and we’ll go our separate ways.”
“What about your balance?” Kols asked, confirming my earlier assessment. He wanted to test her resolve and see if she’d truly thought this through. “Our biting you is what helped you stop imploding the other night. If you remove the bonds, you risk imploding again.”
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“So put me out in the middle of the LethaForest and let me explode,” she retorted. “I mean, really, it’s not like you care, right?” She tried to extract herself from my hold again, but I didn’t budge.
“Stop telling us how we feel, Aflora,” I chastised her, annoyed by her inaccurate assessments.
Her blue eyes rolled in response, causing me to tighten my grip on her neck. “Let. Go.” She uttered the words through her clenched jaw.
So I uttered one back at her. “No.”
Power flickered through her, and I welcomed the fight, but Kols chose that moment to speak again. “I would care.” The soft words had me glancing at him. “I would care a great deal, actually.”
Aflora snorted. “Sure. Is that why you spent the last few days humping your way around the Human Realm?”
Ah. There it is—the real reason she’s suggesting this.
She was hurt, not just by our perceived betrayal but also by Kols’s notorious behavior. He realized it at the same moment, his nostrils flaring as his golden irises pulsated.
I released her, knowing he would grab her in turn, and he did, his palms going to her hips as he walked her into the wall.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, her hands flying up to his shoulders as if to force him back.
“There’s a problem with your theory, mate,” he said, his thigh sliding between her legs as his palms slipped up her sides to slowly memorize her curves.
Her scent began to change as interest darkened her blue eyes. “What problem?”
“Midnight Fae bonds occur when a male bites another Midnight Fae.” One of his hands shifted back down to her hip while the other lifted to cup her neck, his thumb brushing the underside of her jaw to ensure she held his gaze.
“I’m aware,” she replied.
“Yes, and it’s a permanent claim that your Quandary abilities might be able to unravel,” he conceded. “But you can’t unweave our Elemental Fae mating, princess. We’re already mated on the third level, which required agreement from both of our souls. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
“You don’t think my magic can dismantle Elemental Fae bonds.”
“No, sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’m saying I know it can’t.”
She shook her head, the movement stilted thanks to his grip on her neck. “I haven’t even tried yet, so you can’t know that.”
“But I do, Aflora.” He pressed his nose to her cheekbone and drew his lips across her cheek to her ear. “You would need my cooperation to even attempt it, and you don’t have it. Because my soul wanted yours, just as yours desired mine. Our spirits won’t allow us to break the vow now. It’s too late. Which makes you mine, mate.”
Her lips parted on a quick breath, her pupils dilating. “I want to break it.”
“No, you don’t,” he replied softly, pulling away from her ear to meet her gaze once more. “As Zeph said, you’re upset. I’m sorry. He’s sorry. Fuck, I think even Shade’s sorry. None of us meant to hurt you. And before you accuse me of not caring again, why do you think the three of us went to the LethaForest, Aflora? Why did we bite you?”
“To hide my growing powers,” she answered without hesitation. “Everything you’ve done is to protect yourselves.”
He shook his head. “How did forming an Elemental mating bond protect me?”
“That was an accident. You blamed me for tricking you, remember?”
“Because I was shocked,” he admitted. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I wanted you and still do.”
“Is that what you told the humans this week? The ones you played with and fed from?” She narrowed her gaze at him. “Do they all get false promises, Kols? Or just me?”
“Just you,” he murmured, his lips going to her ear. “But they’re not false, princess. My vows to you are every bit true.”
She snorted, not buying it at all. “Right.” Those blue eyes met mine over Kols’s shoulder. “And what about you, Zeph?”
I arched a brow. “What about me?”
“I saw you last night, looking refreshed from blood consumption. Did you give her false promises, too? Or do you just tie up your playmates and gag them?”
A vision of her tied up in my bed entered my mind, intriguing me. “Do you want to be tied up, Aflora?”
“Is that really all you heard?” She shook her head and searched out Shade.
He’d hopped up off the ground some time ago to lean against the wall and observe. His expression now dared her to taunt him with her exquisite mouth.
“I don’t even want to know where you’ve been the last few days,” she muttered.
“Miss me in your dreams, little rose?” he asked, amused.
“No.”
“Liar,” he murmured.
She growled, then went back to trying to shove Kols away from her. “Let me go.”
“Never,” he promised, his hand gliding to her throat to force her attention back to him. “Our souls are engaged, Aflora. You can’t change that.”
“Watch me,” she snapped.
His lips curled. “It’s not possible, sweetheart. Your soul claimed mine and vice versa. Even Sol saw it, despite the glamour tied to my wristband. He about killed me for it.”
Aflora stopped fighting, her eyes widening. “Sol?”
“Yeah, big guy with rocks for fists,” Kols drawled. “He introduced one to my face. Thankfully, I heal quickly.” He released Aflora and took a step back. “He gave me a few things for you. They’re in a bag in my room.”
“What? Why didn’t you give them to me when you returned?”
“Because you stormed through the room last night, slammed your door, and refused to come out afterward,” he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. “You haven’t exactly been all that chatty lately, Aflora.”
“Because you were off playing in the Human Realm.”
“If by ‘playing,’ you mean meeting with Exos, Cyrus, and Sol, then sure. And before you ask, yes, I fed. Something I can do without fucking, by the way. But I’m really glad we’re having the exclusivity discussion because if you so much as touch another male, I’ll kill him.”
“Same,” I agreed.
Shade merely shrugged. “You two have it covered.”
Aflora gaped between the three of us, acting as though we’d all grown multiple heads. “How…? How did this conversation become about exclusivity? I just told you all that I want to undo the mating.”
“And we told you that’s not happening, pixie flower.” I cocked my head to the side. “Three votes against one.”
“Hardly seems fair,” she muttered.
“Welcome to Midnight Fae society,” Shade drawled. “Where men make the rules and women are expected to follow them. Isn’t that right, Prince Kolstov?”
Kols ignored his commentary, his focus on Aflora. “You chose me.”
“Yeah, and you rejected me,” she countered. “And then, to add insult to injury, you set all my things on fire. Which, I guess, didn’t matter since none of them belonged to me anyway.” She shook her head, her exasperation palpable. “Why are we even debating this? None of us want to be in this situation.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “None of us want to be in this situation.”
She flinched, the movement slight but visible. And then she waved her hand at me. “See? Zeph admits it.”
“I admit to not enjoying our current situation,” I clarified. “The one where you’re mad at all three of us and punishing us with hurtful comments about breaking our ties to you. I strongly dislike this situation and would like it to cease. Now.”
She gaped at me, her mouth working without sound.
“Much better,” I praised, stepping toward her and brushing her dark hair behind her ear. “How about we go sit in the living room and try to discuss this like adults, hmm?”
“I-I don’t understand.” She seemed to be talking to herself more than to me, but I answered her anyway.
“We don’t want to break our quad, Aflora. Well, I might be okay with removing Shadow, but something tells me he’s staying.”
“I am,” he put in, seemingly unperturbed by my comment. If anything, he appeared amused.
I’d evaluate that later.
“You’re upset, and I know we hurt your ability to trust us. But we can’t change the past, Aflora. We can only fix the future.” Shade coughed, causing me to level a glare at him. “Is this entertaining to you, Shadow?”
He cleared his throat. “I can’t even begin to explain that reaction. Just. Yeah, continue.” He still appeared to be fighting a grin.
I sent a question to Kols with my eyes, and he just shrugged as if to say, It’s Shade. What do you expect? Which, yeah, what did I expect?
Rolling my eyes, I refocused on the female before me. “I’m sorry for not telling you what was about to happen. There wasn’t time, and I worked the situation to the best of my ability to ensure your safety, in addition to mine and Kols’s.” I cupped her cheek and tilted her head back as I stepped into her personal space. “I’ll prove to you over time that your best interests are important to me. But I need you to allow me the opportunity to try.”
She swallowed, her pretty eyes still holding a touch of that fire I adored. “Why should I?”
“Because I’m your mate, Aflora,” I replied, lowering my lips to brush a chaste kiss against the edge of her mouth. “Whether you want me or not, we’re bound together. And this will be a lot easier if you just accept that our fates are intertwined.”
“What if I want to undo them?” The breathless quality of her voice belied her words, yet her stubborn side refused to back down. I really did adore that about her. I just wished she’d direct that fight to another topic, one less hurtful.
“You don’t,” I whispered, rubbing my nose against hers. “So stop suggesting it.” I nipped her lower lip hard enough to hurt without breaking the skin. A gentle reprimand for her cruel words. Maybe I deserved them, but I didn’t have to like them. “You’re mine, Aflora. And one day, you’ll trust me again. If you allow yourself to try.”
“I can’t,” she admitted. “I can’t trust you.”
“Not yet,” I agreed, pressing my forehead to hers. “But soon. You’ll see.” With a final kiss to her cheek, I released her once more. “Let’s continue this discussion over midnight lunch.” I held Aflora’s gaze as I added, “I’m cooking. I hope you like burning thwomp.”
A muscle in her cheek twitched, one that told me I’d almost earned a smile from her. Better than nothing.
“I need to take care of something first, but I’ll be back,” Shade said, disappearing into a cloud of smoke before any of us could comment.
A second later, Sir Kristoff ran into the room, red eyes glowing. “Where are they?!” he demanded, spinning in a circle, his little hand holding a stone dagger. Well, I supposed it was a sword for him, considering his size.
“What are you talking about?” Kols asked the little hellspawn.
The gargoyle growled, low and menacing. “The Death Blood and his sword-wielding friend. Where are they?”
Kols and I shared a look. I had nothing.
Aflora seemed just as lost. “Are you talking about Shadow?”
“Yes,” the stone demon hissed. “And his sword friend. The ti?—”
Shade appeared once more and shot a puff of purple dust at the gargoyle, causing the little hellion to sputter and cough, its red eyes blinking repeatedly. Then he frowned and glared up at the Death Blood. “You.”
“Aww, did you miss me, li’l buddy? I’d be happy to tie you up again. I know how much you enjoyed that last time.”
Sir Kristoff growled and stalked off, returning to his duty at the door while mumbling something about killing Shade in his sleep.
The Death Blood just watched with deep amusement and shook his head. “I think your gargoyle is broken, Kols.”
The gargoyle in question raised his dagger like a middle finger and disappeared into the door.
“What the hell?” Kols snapped. “What did you blast him with?”
“A chill pill,” Shade drawled. “Seems to have worked.”
“Why was he going on about a sword-wielding friend?” Aflora asked, her brow furrowed.
Shade just shrugged. “Fuck if I know.”
I didn’t believe him. Not for a second. But I also knew Shade wouldn’t tell us unless he wanted to. Kols must have come to the same conclusion because he didn’t bother to argue. Knowing Shade, it was what he wanted anyway. Maybe he’d gone out into the hall to enchant the gargoyle into acting like an idiot. A distraction to the bigger picture.
“Oh, right. Not done yet. But I promise to be back soon,” Shade said, disappearing again.
“What the hell is he up to?” Kols demanded, staring at the place Shade had just vacated.
I just shook my head. “I’m going to make lunch. Then we’re having a quad meeting.”
“A quad meeting?” Aflora repeated.
“Yeah,” I replied, locking my gaze on her. “We’re a quad, pixie flower. And you had better get used to it because you’re stuck with us. Now I’m going to go make you a burning thwomp sandwich. Would you like that with a side of fire gnat juice?”
Her lips twitched this time. Briefly, but I caught the little movement, and my heart gave a thump in response. “Sounds lovely,” she deadpanned.
“Good.” I winked at her and turned for the kitchen, leaving her to talk to Kols alone. He still had some groveling to do.
Hell, we all did.
But I’d let him go first.
I was honorable like that.