Page 72 of Wings of Ash & Flame
“—decorum is not a prerequisite for bonding,as you can tell.Neither is humility—and you clearly lack both.”
“Wow. You sure know how to make someone feel special.”
Dawson’s head swung between them, trying to keep up with only one side of the conversation.
“Do not think that because I’ve been bound in corporeal form I do not know you,”Solflara continued. “I have felt every pulse of your anger,your restless drive,your grief and fear.Celestials choose who we imprint on.”
“Great,” Alaire muttered, folding her arms. “An all-seeing phoenix. That won’t complicate my life at all.”
Solflara stepped closer, her tone softening. “Despite your obstinate,abrasive demeanor,your inclination toward violence,your thirst for vengeance, and your foul mouth”—she paused deliberately—“and a list of many more?—”
Alaire smirked, interrupting the phoenix again. “Such a confidence builder this discussion has been.”
Solflara snorted a ring of smoke. “Despite it all,I disagree with your view of yourself.Your parents would be immensely proud of the woman you have become.You defend those who cannot defend themselves with a ferocity I respect.Beneath your bony exterior,you have a slobbery puppy-dog heart.Bigger than you ever show the world.Or admit to yourself.”
Alaire looked away; Solflara’s words cut through the easy banter, striking a chord deep within her. The armor around her heart trembled, and heat pricked behind her eyes.
“Whatever the future,gods,destiny,or fate have in store for us,we will face it together.”
“Aw, going all soft on me, Solfy,” she said, trying to distract herself from the medley of emotions roaring through her.
“Do not call me that.”
“How about Solf?”
“Equally atrocious.”
Alaire began pacing the length of the clearing. Despite her protests, she was now bonded to a celestial. She rubbed her temples. Bonding a phoenix had never been a remote possibility when she accepted Professor Ross’s proposal to come to Aeris Academy.
Did he know?
The thought nearly made her stumble.
Dawson leaned into Beck’s flank, gaze locked on Solflara with a steady, unreadable expression, as if trying to decipher the long-lost celestial. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes narrowing. His jaw clenched.
Sensing her stare, he looked at her—and then slowly, deliberately, took her in. The weight of it made her look away, swallowing hard, focusing instead on the impossible events of tonight.
Alaire stopped mid-step, hands on her hips. “All fae of House Ashfyre wielded fire. Is that why I was able to summon a flame?”
“Yes,but a block within you prevents access to the full force of your magic.The bonds have loosened,but only just.When or how they break,I cannot say.I felt the first spark of your magic earlier—and tugged on it to direct you to me.”
“The pull in my chest was you?”
“No.It’s your magic,your connection to the aether from your bloodline.”
Alaire stared at her bare palms, willing flame to appear, but her mind was too tangled in revelations to focus.
“We will figure it all out together.It will take time,but we will get there.”
She nodded, still studying the calluses on her hands. One glance at Solflara told her there would be no hiding for either of them now. She was already marked asotherby her peers at Aeris Academy. If she fled, the Consortium would descend on themboth, and her talons weren’t yet sharp enough to make them bleed.
She’d complete the trials. Learn everything about her magic and history. If she stayed, her bond with Solflara would wield influence—especially with Dawson at her side, another fae royal who could legitimize her identity when the Consortium inevitably questioned her. She knew nothing about being a royal, not with so many memories still missing, and the prince was an invaluable tool in her arsenal.
A plan began to form. Something was coming; she could feel it. Aeris Academy held answers buried beneath stone, mist, and shadow, and she had this year to uncover them. The files in Professor Ross’s office proved that much.
She had made mistakes, but she would protect and defend Solflara with everything she had. She’d been foolish to think she could deny the bond etched into her very marrow.
“I am with you until my final breath.You will never be forced to endure anything alone again,” Solflara said down the bond.
