Midnight Fae Academy Book Three - Lexi C. Foss Page 0,72

destiny.

But had she done it right?

Shade’s palms remained on Kolstov’s chest, his focus on the prince’s face. He narrowed his gaze, then lifted his wrist to his mouth and bit down. “Blood,” Shade said. “He needs blood.” He started to lower his offering to Kolstov, but Aflora caught his arm.

“He needs mine.” She bit down on her wrist and pressed it to Kolstov’s lips.

Energy pooled around her as she combined all our essences inside her and poured it through her bloodline, directly into the man’s mouth.

Seconds passed.

Nothing happened.

I met Shade’s gaze, wary.

Zephyrus wore a similar expression of concern as I looked at him.

Then a subtle thud met my ears.

A second one ensued.

And a third.

Followed by a gasp from the male below as his eyes flew open, his golden irises dimmed to a burnt bronze. His focus fell entirely on Aflora, his throat working as he swallowed her blood.

Magic swirled around all of us, coating our skin in a unique essence that smelled like flowers in bloom.

Aflora.

She was claiming us all with her elemental soul.

Securing our bonds.

Strengthening us with earth.

Her source welcomed us, admiring our different powers and zeroing in on me as a known architect.

Warmth touched my spirit, power igniting and merging and creating life all around us.

Vines crawled along the walls, flowers budding at the tips, adding a splash of color to the otherwise modern room.

A bed of grass formed along the ground beneath us, overtaking the carpet and creating our own little oasis.

Aflora shifted, drawing my attention back to her and Kolstov. She’d bent to comb the fingers of her free hand through his hair, the auburn locks tinged with ash on the ends.

Kiss of death, I realized, noting his burnt irises again.

He no longer bore the mark of the dark source, but a branding from the afterlife.

I studied his magic with my own, noting the way everything had manifested inside him.

Part Earth.

Part Death Blood.

Part Quandary Blood.

Part Warrior Blood.

And a tiny bit of Elite Blood.

A true abomination. A complete work of art. A miracle.

I stared at Aflora, awed by her power and kindness. I finally understood why fate had instructed us to walk this path together.

She possessed all the qualities that a royal should.

A true monarch.

My queen.

The kind of female worth giving up all my plans for, which I’d done when I helped her revive the prince I was destined to kill.

Or maybe it was never him at all.

But the king who had taken over his ascension.

Constantine Nacht. The Elite Blood who started it all.

“He needs more blood,” Aflora whispered, her fingers still combing through Kolstov’s hair.

Zephyrus bit his wrist and held it out for the other man, his eyes falling closed as his lover and friend latched onto him for a drink.

Aflora pulled her own arm away, the wound still fresh. I took her hand and pulled her wrist to my mouth, laving the laceration and gently kissing her tender skin.

She leaned into me, seeking strength, which I happily provided.

Shade gave Kolstov blood next, the Elite Blood’s eyebrows drawing down at the offering but accepting it when Aflora whispered, “Drink.”

I was last.

Leaving me with a choice.

Give him the essence he needed to finish the healing process, or walk away.

A week ago—hell, an hour ago—I would have laughed and left him to his fate. But now I understood the destiny carved out before us, the path we were always meant to walk, and the reason Shade had gone to such lengths to coax us into this line.

I held my wrist to Aflora’s mouth, allowing her to do the honors with her blunt teeth, then lowered the offering to the bewildered male on the ground.

He jolted as my blood touched his tongue, the power inside me writhing in response to the former heir’s essence, bathing him in dark magic and restoring the last of his reserves.

A bond slid into place between us, tying our souls together for eternity and officially squandering my ability to ever kill him.

Because our lives were linked now, and the flare of his nostrils confirmed he felt it, too.

I sensed his finalized bond to Zephyrus and budding one with Shade.

And his nearly complete tie to Aflora.

Thank you, she whispered into my mind, aware of what I’d just sacrificed by allowing him to imbibe my essence. My retribution would need to be redefined.

But I already knew that.

It’d been obvious the moment I felt her pain. I would never allow her to experience such agony again.

I leaned in to kiss her, allowing my mouth to do all