Page 104 of Fallen Heirs

The third, one that Saryan had added more of his silver fire to, making it the largest and most potent display of magic I’d dealt with, I’d managed to finally extinguish just now. Entirely.

This time I hadn’t been on edge or shaky about doing it.

I’d managed to stabilize myself easily when I’d tapped into the dark part of my power, the normally unstable part that led to dangerous thoughts and urges.

After everything I’d been subjected to by that monster, being infected with black magic and having to control it, it had actually served to prime and prepare me for something like this.

It hadn’t been a struggle at all once I’d overcome my fear of inciting that part of me.

And the results had been amazing.

I could now destroy dark magic using a stream, using aninfection sphereas I’d now termed it after using it that first day with Saryan training me. And this third one, I’d used aconcentrated and tightly targeted shockwave of power to destroy the magical flames.

“Thank you. Thank you,” I called out to the guards, turning and making a dramatic bow that had them clapping again, chuckling, and hooting too.

The satisfaction and elation of my accomplishment took me over, and then I was doing a couple of twirls too, my pastel-green lace dress whipping around me. I caught sight of a couple of the guards eyeing me, and realized that I was revealing a bit too much as the hem flipped up while I was twirling.Oops.

Darla, one of the older guards with beautiful flowing white hair down her back, slapped her hand over the eyes of Kierian, a younger and recent addition to the palace guards. Elias, however, was whistling out at me, standing there with his arms folded across the chest of his silver tunic—part of the palace guard uniform—his shoulder-length stark white hair tucked behind his pointy ears.

“Avert your eyes, or lose them,” a familiar voice boomed fiercely.

Elias shrank back and hung his head submissively as Saryan strode out of the forest and into the immediate area, glaring at his guards in turn. “Take your leave. I have a personal matter to discuss with Alena.”

They rushed off immediately, heading back to the palace.

“That was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention to my—”

“Even if you were completely bare, their eyes should not be on you.”

“Don’t punish them, they’ve been great companions to me since I’ve been here.”

“Companions… yes, they have become very fond of you. Word has spread, in fact. The Realm is rife with talk of you, of there finally being a Dark Fae Princess walking the palace.”

“A… what?”

“You are my son’s love and your time spent here has cemented the notion for them that you have been welcomed into the family by me.”

“I’m here training and awaiting the creation of the failsafe.”

“Ah, but my people are aware that I don’t treat any threat kindly, yet here I have you staying in fine accommodations, I’ve spent time with you outside of our training activities, and the tour of the Realm that we took together the other day has only inflated rumors in that respect.”

“They know I’m a Nephilim, right?”

He smiled. “Tradition has already been altered concerning my upcoming wedding to Edgar. There’s no reason why it can’t extend to you as well. Besides, you hold great power. That will certainly smooth things over even for the staunch traditionalists in the kingdom.”

I couldn’t believe we were having this discussion at all.

Especially when I hadn’t even had it with my men yet.

Yes, I was certain that Orpheus, Xavier, and Talon were it for me, and we had agreed that we would be together, live together, after graduating Electi Academy. Before it had been shut down with the war, anyway.

But we hadn’t made plans beyond that. Not where the four of us were concerned, at least.

I got that Saryan had certain responsibilities as King, and it seemed also that this was his roundabout way of welcoming me into the family.

“At my wedding, I’d like to announce your union with my son. And the other two, of course. I understand and respect that you’re a package deal.”

“Union?”

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