9. Kols
Aflora satat the table in a robe, her dark hair falling in wet waves around her shoulders. She had a satisfied gleam to her features, her cheeks pink from the exhilaration of the shower.
Zeph had taken her from behind while I knelt and worshipped her clit. Then I’d fucked her up against the wall.
She’d taken it all, her mewls of pleasure a residual sound in my head as I twirled pasta around my fork.
Her blue eyes fell to my plate, her forehead scrunching. Bloody noodles and brown crap.
I chuckled, recalling our first meal together. “Spaghetti and meatballs,” I corrected her before taking a bite.
She grimaced and picked up her version of a sandwich.
Zeph had one on his plate, too. He seemed to be making a conscious effort to eat Elemental Fae cuisine with her. But I sensed his distaste for the soggy texture when he bit down.
I smirked. Then I took another mouthful of my favored Italian cuisine.
While the foods were similar to those from our first night together, the feelings around the table couldn’t be more different. Trust and content floated between us.
And it only strengthened when Shade and Zakkai returned.
Both of them kissed Aflora on top of her head, then rummaged through the fully stocked fridge for something to eat.
They both opted to join me in spaghetti, making Aflora’s nose scrunch upward.
Then Zeph distracted her with a plate of dragon steak, and she no longer seemed to care about anything other than the meat in front of her.
I shook my head, amused by her antics.
Food was clearly the way to her heart.
Zeph waved his wand to add a round of mugs to the table, all of them filled with spritemead. Aflora’s eyes sparkled with approval. Then she looked at me. “Now would be a good time for that ascension lesson.”
My lips twitched. During our first dinner, we’d discussed Midnight Fae order at a high level. And now she wanted to get to the heart of it by reviewing the trials.
“First, I want to know if Shade’s grandmother had anything interesting to say,” Zeph interjected, his sharp gaze on the Death Blood. “No more secrets, Shadow.”
Shade ran his fingers through his thick, dark hair and relaxed into his chair. “I’m not Kols. I don’t do orders.”
I snorted. “If you think I accept all his demands, then you don’t know me at all.” In the bedroom, I indulged in a few of Zeph’s commands. But only because I regularly enjoyed the reward of appeasing his sadistic side.
“Shade,” Aflora interjected, her voice soft yet underlined with authority. “Please.”
His expression warmed at her words. “Anything for you, little rose.”
Zeph grunted.
I merely grinned and took a sip of the spritemead.
Shade offered a brief rundown of his discussion with his grandmother, focusing on the important bits. Which were mainly surrounding the trials and her urging for all of us to prepare. Advice we didn’t really need, but I understood Zen feeling the need to stress the importance of readying ourselves for the trials.
“We have to work as a unit,” Shade concluded. “That’s the gist of what she was saying.” His focus shifted to a silent Zakkai. “Pretty sure that entire lecture was for your benefit.”
“I gathered that after the third sentence,” Zakkai replied flatly. His silver-blue eyes met mine. “But I think there was an underlying word of caution regarding certain trials, too.”
“Respect and unity,” I murmured, having inferred that from Shade’s summary of what Zen had said.
“Indeed.” Zakkai set his fork down. “Those will be the biggest challenges, as Constantine is claiming that the Source Architect redirected the power from you to Aflora. He also has everyone believing that I possessed Malik, which I did not.” He looked pointedly at all of us as he uttered that last bit.
“I know you didn’t,” I said, my instincts telling me that statement was needed. “I’ve only met my grandfather a handful of times, but it’s become quite apparent that he’s an excellent strategist.” It was a truth I couldn’t deny. “But together, we will outmaneuver him.” My attention drifted to Aflora beside me. “Which brings us to the ascension trials.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
“There are seven,” I began. “They can come in any order but have historically followed a specific pattern. Although, with my grandfather at the helm, it’s possible that pattern will be altered.”
I dove into an explanation on how the current monarch typically organized the trials. With the Midnight Fae King being the closest to the dark source, it made sense for him to foster the tests accordingly.
“However, my father has clearly been possessed.” A comment that made me grimace. “Which is why I believe my grandfather will lead the trials, particularly as he’s the one who forced the ascension onto you.”
“Also a fair assessment since he just orchestrated two in one day,” Zakkai inserted.
I nodded. “My father would never do that. Nor would he force Aflora to ascend in this manner.” My father valued his connection to the dark source and took his mantle seriously. He would never risk it by forcing the power into a non-Midnight Fae. Nor would he ever force another to become an abomination.
No, this had my grandfather written all over it.
And the fact that he was spouting lies about the ascension to all the others only confirmed his orchestration of the events.
“There are seven trials,” I continued. “Trust and creatures are the two you’ve already passed, the first being to test your connections by proving their worth through a trust trial. The second one being to win over all the creatures in the Midnight Fae world.”
“And creatures in general,” Zakkai interjected. “At least, as Source Architect, I had to win them all over because of the uniqueness of my abilities.”
“I only had to win over those who reside in the Midnight Fae realm,” I clarified.
“Interesting.” Zakkai picked up his fork again to continue eating, telling me with his eyes to keep talking.
“The other trials revolve around acceptance, unity, sacrifice, respect, and the final source ascension. These tests can be delivered through a variety of means. My acceptance trial was the easiest for me because it was about accepting the dark source’s power and understanding what it could do. As the son of the current king, I was born understanding and accepting my place. Unity was my fourth trial, which focused on you.”
“Because your father wanted you to bring the factions to a unifying decision on her fate,” Zakkai translated. “Clever.”
“What was yours?” I wondered out loud.
“Uniting the Quandary Bloods for retribution,” he replied. “Which, when you consider it, seems like the opposite of unity, given that it divided the Quandary Bloods into two factions.”
“You won the respect of both sides through your leadership,” Shade said softly. “My grandmother might not agree with the thoughts of retribution, but she’s always honored your ascension and rightful place as Source Architect.”
Zakkai dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “It’s why our two sides have never warred. Something I fear is about to change after what she said regarding my father’s displeasure.”
Shade’s lips pinched to the side. “We’ll cross that bridge when it arrives.”
“Do you expect him to come here?” I asked, choosing to literally translate Shade’s statement rather than allow the cryptic response to hang in the air undefined.
“Yes.” Shade’s icy eyes met mine. “Yes, I do.”
“He’ll want to discuss new terms,” Zakkai added. “It might serve as Aflora’s unity trial.”
“My grandfather would never orchestrate that.”
“The source may not provide him with a choice,” Zakkai pointed out. “Not all trials can be controlled. And I’m also the architect, so I do have some say in how this progresses.”
“Fair,” I agreed. “Well, I failed my trial by not bringing the fae together.” A fact that would forever haunt me, but not nearly as much as almost being killed by my father’s hand.
“No, you didn’t,” Zeph inserted. “You were still in the middle of your trial, but Constantine took over and destroyed your ability to pass.”
“He’s right.” Zakkai twirled his fork around some noodles while Aflora watched in obvious disgust. “Actually, I imagine the dark source would agree with your choice. Particularly as it accepted Aflora’s candidacy for queen. You kept her alive so she could ascend. That’s a successful outcome, not a failed one.”
I hadn’t previously considered that point of view, but it was a fair assessment, one I much preferred to my own.
“You may not have unified the Midnight Fae, but when Aflora does, you’ll both pass,” Zakkai concluded, the assurance in his tone lacking any note of hesitation.
“Okay, but what if I undo the ascension?” Aflora asked.
We all fell silent.
She’d said this a few times, and while it might be possible, I feared the outcome of that decision.
Zakkai broke the silence by returning his fork to his plate again and inquiring, “Why do you want to undo it?”
“Because it’s wrong.” She uttered the words as though they were obvious. “I’m an Earth Fae, not a Midnight Fae.”
“Yes, you’ve said that, but you’re mated to four Midnight Fae. And as you’ve witnessed, our magic bleeds into our mates when we bond.” He lifted his finger and whispered a spell that created a smoky cerulean structure in the middle of the table. As it grew, I realized he’d crafted a tree of sorts, the magical strands flickering bright with multicolored branches.
Aflora admired it with a hint of a smile.
“I see this inside you,” Zakkai murmured. “You crafted a joint source of magic, marrying your Earth Fae heritage to the Midnight Fae blood running through your veins.” He looked pointedly at the inky black lines writhing beneath her skin.
“I did that to survive the ascension.”
“You did that to become queen,” he corrected. “Zenaida’s right about certain things—we need reformation. And I believe you are the key to that reformation.”
“A millennium of male-led authority,” Zeph mused. “Driven out by a woman.”
“And an abomination at that,” Zakkai added. “You have the power to prove to all fae kind that abominations can be good, Aflora. That they don’t need to be feared.”
“Constantine Nacht is the reason fae hunt and kill abominations.” Zeph glanced at me and then at Aflora. “It would be entirely fitting for you to dismantle his throne of power by proving him wrong.”
“It would,” I admitted. Constantine Nacht might be my grandfather and blood, but that hadn’t stopped him from trying to destroy me. And I fully intended to repay that favor.
“You all make this sound so easy,” Aflora muttered. “But what if I become the abomination they all fear? Elana?—”
“Isn’t you,” Zeph interrupted, not allowing her to even finish that thought.
“All you think about are others and what’s right for your kingdom,” I said quietly. “It’s what makes you a suitable queen, Aflora. It’s why my soul called for yours from the very beginning, why I’ve considered you a worthy mate all along. You’re everything a royal should be, and more.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“What if I don’t want this?” Aflora asked in a low whisper. “What if I don’t want to be the Midnight Fae Queen?”
“You don’t,” I replied, my voice just as soft. “Which is what makes you perfect for the task. You’re going to accept the role because it’s what’s right, not because you desire it. But because you know you’re the best one for the job.” I reached over to cup her face, my thumb tracing her cheekbone. “You were born to be a queen, Aflora. You’re strong. You’re smart. You’re a survivor. You’re going to make history and change us all.”
“And we’re going to help you every step of the way,” Zeph vowed, taking her hand.
The tree on the table began to throb, a heart pulsing at the center of the trunk. “Trust us to guide and teach you,” Zakkai said. “We’re your heart for a reason, little star.”
“And I didn’t go through seven lifetimes just to fail now,” Shade added. “We’re in this for eternity, Aflora. Not just now. Not just yesterday. But forever.”
“We won’t let you down,” I whispered, drawing her in for a kiss. “To us, you’re already our queen.”
She shivered and melted against me. “You guys are going to kill me.”
“Only in the bedroom,” Zeph drawled.
Aflora huffed a laugh and shook her head, tears glistening in her blue eyes. “Thanks for believing in me.”
“We’ll be the belief you need when you doubt yourself,” I promised her. “But you’re wrong about one thing.”
She stilled. “About what?”
“It absolutely won’t be easy,” I said seriously. “We might make it sound that way, but we know what’s coming.”
“Which is why we need to begin training immediately,” Zeph replied.
“Indeed,” Zakkai agreed, meeting my Guardian’s gaze. “I already have a course schedule in mind.”
“Good,” I interjected before Zeph could demand a full itinerary. “Traditionally, Midnight Fae ascend in their twenty-fifth year, giving them ample time to prepare. But with my grandfather absorbing the dark source and forcing it on Aflora, the rules have clearly changed. We’ll need all the structure we can get.”
Ascensions were powerful.
And Aflora’s would be legendary.
We had to begin preparing now.
“What happens if I fully ascend?” Aflora asked after a beat, her expression hesitant.
“When,” I corrected. “When you fully ascend, you’ll become one of the most powerful abominations in existence.”