shell with far too much power.
Ascensions took time for a reason. They were about balance and control, neither of which he seemed to possess at the moment.
And he was surrounded by Warrior Bloods and Malefic Bloods, their combined energies forming a lethal weapon that would destroy us all if we didn’t find a way out.
“Aflora,” I whispered. “I need you to shadow us.”
We weren’t ready for this battle.
And there were still too many innocents, Aflora’s flames having blocked their exits.
“Aflora, I need you to shadow us,” I repeated, grimacing as the final layer of my shield began to crumble. “Right fucking now!”
She grabbed my wrist, her other palm still touching Zephyrus, and engaged her connection to Shade. It was visceral and real, my mind so connected to hers that I felt her growing energy.
She found what she needed from him without much thought, her powers working on instinct alone. Then she whirled the three of us into a cloud of dark magic and took us to a bedroom I didn’t recognize.
I collapsed on the floor, my energy reserves depleted and in dire need of restoration.
Aflora fell to the ground beside me, her shoulders shaking as she deteriorated into sobs. Zephyrus pulled her to him, holding her with a ferocity that made me envious. I wanted to do that. I wanted to comfort her. But I couldn’t fucking move.
And I knew she didn’t want me right now.
You wanted him dead, she’d said, the accusation thick in my thoughts.
Had I known what it would do to her… I… I wasn’t sure I would have been able to go through with it. It’d been my goal all along. But seeing her now, hearing her cries, watching her fall apart… I never wanted to be responsible for such agony.
She was my mate.
My other half.
My Flora.
I would never put her through something like this. Fuck, she’d been through so much already. She didn’t deserve any of this.
It left me wondering what would have happened had I refused my father’s command. No bond. No yanking her into this world of war and destruction. Would she be in a flower bed now? Playing with her earth magic? Smiling at some boy, a good mate, who made her trees and other forms of blooming life?
My heart thudded wildly against my ribs, my mind forming the picture perfectly.
Sweet Aflora, growing into her Earth Fae Queen status.
Happy.
Twirling in a circle.
Flowers in her hair.
So fucking beautiful.
But her cries to my left reminded me of her reality, her dark hair spilling across the carpet, as her body trembled beneath violent sobs.
The enchantment had worn off. She was herself again. Except her cerulean irises were blurred with tears, her cheeks red, her shoulders rounded.
This wasn’t who she was meant to be. She reminded me of a wilted flower, her final petals falling to the ground as the life disappeared from her features.
I’m sorry, I whispered into her mind, my heart breaking for her, for us. I’m so fucking sorry, Aflora.
I reached for her, needing to do something, when feet landed to my right, Shade’s essence clawing at my senses and drawing my gaze up to him and the body in his arms. “I need you all to listen and do exactly what I say,” he declared. “Or we’ll lose Kolstov forever.”
Several Minutes Earlier
“His death will be your burden to bear,” my grandmother had warned me weeks ago.
“I think I screwed up,” I’d told her that night.
“Come,” she’d replied. “We’ll discuss it over cookies.”
I knew then that she had bad news for me. But this… I hadn’t expected her to warn me about this.
She’d said that Kolstov’s life was the price I would pay for all my fucking around with time.
Well, I don’t accept that, I thought, repeating the words I’d said to her that night.
There was no way to come back from death. Once a life strand ended, no amount of magic or time manipulation could fix it.
Which was why I couldn’t afford for Kolstov’s life strand to permanently end.
Come on, Emelyn, I thought. Do your thing.
She was my distraction. The ticking time bomb. The one I knew would explode if pushed enough. And I needed her to erupt for me now.
All I need is a few seconds. My teeth clenched a little at the thought, but I quickly schooled my features once more and covered the oversight with a yawn. No one could sense my intentions. And I only had one chance to get this right.
Come on. Come on. Come on.
My pulse