Midnight Fae Academy Book Three - Lexi C. Foss Page 0,27

quite literally the worst day of my life. The agony of removing all those moments, to know my mate wouldn’t know me, was a task no ten-year-old should ever have to endure. But I didn’t have a choice. It was either that or put your life at risk. The latter was an unacceptable fate.”

I recalled the memory of seeing him on the ground, writhing in torment as magic whirled through the air. “Your dad told you to be a man.” The words came out on a whisper, my mind fracturing beneath the image engraved in my memory.

Zakkai grunted. “One of his favorite phrases from my childhood. Pretty sure he still wants to tell me that sometimes.”

I shook my head.

It’s not real.

Don’t believe his lies.

But it feels real.

I couldn’t find any evidence of tampering inside my mind. Which was strange because he’d clearly done something.

“All I did was finish unraveling the spell,” he said. “You started the process with your song. I finished it with the web. It seemed like the easiest way to convince you of the truth, except you still don’t believe me.”

“Sort of hard to believe someone who keeps playing mental games with me,” I muttered.

“Fair,” he agreed, his hand drawing up and down my spine. “But the fact remains that we used to be best friends. You were my Flora, and I was your Kai. We went everywhere together.” His lips curled, and he slowly shook his head. “That sometimes feels like a former life. I don’t even remember that boy anymore.”

I studied his profile, noting the sincerity in his features. Part of me wanted to believe him, but I knew better than to fall for his story this quickly. However, while he appeared to be in the mood to provide details, I decided a question wouldn’t hurt our situation.

“If you’re not that boy, then who are you?”

He considered me for a long moment. So long that I thought he intended to ignore me, or perhaps respond with another riddle.

Instead, he reached out to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, then brushed his knuckles down the side of my neck. “I’m a being of vengeance,” he said softly, his gaze following his touch as he traced my collarbone with the back of his hand. “I want justice for what’s been done to Quandary Bloods. Justice for your parents. A new reign to right the wrongs of the Elite.”

“A new reign?”

“Mmm.” His gaze returned to mine. “Have you not considered what it could look like?”

“Honestly, I’ve just been trying to survive.”

He nodded. “Yes. I understand that more than you know.” He dropped his hand to my hip, his body relaxed beneath mine. “Do you approve of how the Council operates today?”

“I assume you mean the Midnight Fae Council.”

“Yes. I’m referring to the male-driven hierarchy where females are expected to bow and just accept their place. Do you approve?”

“Of course I don’t. When Shade bit me, they wouldn’t even let me participate in my own trial. They said my betrothed had to speak on my behalf.”

He smirked. “It’s ridiculous, right? I mean, I prefer logic, but I also understand the role sentiment plays in decisions. Yet Constantine Nacht has created a dictatorship based on harsh resolves alone, without any care as to how it impacts anyone else.”

“Constantine Nacht is the cause?” I asked. “Kols’s grandfather?”

“He’s the one who enacted all the changes a little over a millennium ago. All because he feared feminine emotion.” Zakkai rolled his eyes. “Has Shade told you the story about Zenaida? How she chose to follow her heart instead of duty? Because she’s the cause for all this. Or rather, she’s the scapegoat the Council uses for their hierarchical decision.”

“He told me how Constantine Nacht made an example of her. She went into hiding with her mates after he gave the order to eradicate Quandary Bloods.”

Zakkai nodded. “Yes. And Shade’s father assumed the Death Blood throne instead of his mother because Constantine declared women unfit to lead.” He rolled his eyes again. “It was all a ploy to establish his crude hierarchy. From what my father has said, Constantine has always considered females to be the weaker gender since only males can mate via their bite.”

“Elemental Fae require mutual agreement for mating.”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, his lips curling. “You chose Kolstov.”

“I did.” I wasn’t going to deny it. “You can’t kill him.”

“He’s a Nacht, Aflora. They all have to die for the power to be rightfully restored.”

“But he didn’t do

readonlinefreenovel.com Copyright 2016 - 2024