Midnight Fae Academy Book Three - Lexi C. Foss Page 0,22
suspected it went deeper than that. She seemed genuinely interested in what we were discussing. I couldn’t blame her, given the subject matter.
“Her parents died for our cause,” I added, holding her gaze. “We need to give her a chance to decide if she wants to join our quest in honoring their loss. I can’t expect her to make that decision in a single night, not after everything she’s been through.”
“It’s that or death,” he said.
“Yes,” I agreed, noting the way her pupils dilated at the confirmation. “The Midnight Fae Council was never going to let her live. The only reason they did all those years ago was to use her as bait to find us.” I added the latter for her benefit, wondering if she knew the truth.
The flare of her nostrils suggested she did.
Did Kolstov tell you? I wondered.
Yes. Her mental voice was strong and completely at odds with her fragile physical state. I suspected she could still fight even in this form, purely from her mind.
“Did he tell you that the Elders killed your parents for helping Quandary Bloods survive?” I spoke out loud, not caring if my father overheard. This wasn’t news to him.
Yes, she repeated. He told me after the Council informed him.
That… is oddly admirable of him.
He didn’t know about any of this until recently. But Shade knew.
Shade knows a lot of things, I agreed before looking at my father. “Kolstov told Aflora the truth about her parents’ deaths.” The young Midnight Prince had only recently been inducted into the inner circle—a fact my uncle Tadmir had told us about just last week. I’d expected the Nacht family heir to embrace his role as king and accept his position as lead assassinator of my race.
But him telling Aflora the truth was counterintuitive to that notion.
He also hadn’t informed the Council about his bonds to her—something I assumed was purely selfish on his part. If they learned about their impending mating, he’d lose his right to the throne. Or worse, they’d kill him for consorting with an abomination.
Of course, he also hadn’t told them about her growing Quandary Blood skills. I’d never quite understood why he’d kept that hidden, other than to assume it was to also save his own ass in some way.
“That doesn’t change his fate,” my father said. “The whole Nacht family needs to die.”
“I know,” I replied, still lost to my thoughts.
You can’t kill Kols, Aflora said, her eyes growing wide.
I bent to press my lips to hers. Shh, we’ll talk more after you rest.
No, Kai. You can’t kill Kols!
It’s okay, little star, I assured her. I’ll show you how to break the bonds so his death doesn’t hurt you.
She began to panic in my arms, her body convulsing as she fought the recovery process and demanded her limbs react.
I sighed. “Aflora, that’s only going to worsen the side effects.” I laid her in my bed and uttered an enchantment to warm my sheets around her. What she really needed was a bath, but I couldn’t do that if she continued to squirm. I slipped my hand into her cloak to retrieve my wand, then cast a soft spell over her, insisting she sleep.
No! she shouted into my mind. Kai, no!
Shh, I’m trying to help, Aflora. Just relax. I intensified the spell, fighting through her weak defenses and throwing her into a deep sleep within seconds. Then I shook my head. “She’s one of the most stubborn females I’ve ever met.”
“The strong ones usually are,” my father replied, clapping me on the shoulder again. “Break the bond tomorrow. It’ll help you both.”
I tensed at the command in his voice, but my father didn’t notice. He merely patted me again and showed himself out, all the while expecting me to comply.
No, I thought, tucking a strand of hair behind Aflora’s ear. “I’d much rather keep you, sweet star.” I bent to kiss her forehead. “Sweet dreams.”
My chest burned, stirring me to awareness beside Kols. He remained studiously asleep, his features void of discomfort. Another pang had me pressing my palm to my pec to massage the throbbing muscle, but it did little to dispel the agony rippling through my veins.
Something’s wrong, I realized. “Aflora.”
“She’s fine,” a groggy voice said as Shade materialized in Kols’s room wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. He scratched the back of his neck and blew out a breath, wincing as a fresh wave of heat splintered through me.
“Doesn’t feel fine,” I gritted out through my teeth.