Page 102 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

Because she needed to understand. It was the only way to explain my fear and my inherent reactions to her element.

“All I know is, a Spirit Fae plagued us that night. The fae reached into my soul and shredded it, did the same to my mother and my sister, and I had to watch them gradually die for over a decade as a result. No one believed me. But I saw the signs, Claire. I knew what was happening to them and couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it.”

I trembled, their pain ingrained into my mind. The visual of them so ghastly and pale on their deathbeds.

“Something happened that night, Claire,” I whispered. “Something that haunts me to the very core of my element and has left me without access to the source, even with my supposed royal ties. And you can see the scars of it on my spirit.”

I reached for her hand, which, thankfully, she allowed me to take.

“Look at me. Beneath the surface. Find my spirit and tell me what you see. Because it kills a part of me to know those marks are there and to not be able to prove it to my own eyes. Be my eyes, Claire. Please. Tell me what you see.” I brought her palm to my chest and closed my eyes, waiting.

“Sol…” My name sounded so broken from her lips, but I refused to back down. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this until now.

“Please, Claire,” I whispered. “I’m ready. Use your spirit and tell me who I am. Tell me what you see.”

She brought her other palm to my face, and I leaned into her touch, craving the truth. I trusted her to do this, to explore me without harm, to learn my spirit and all the broken pieces of me.

Because that was how I felt beneath it all.

Shattered.

Alone.

Lonely.

She had my heart, but what we both needed all this time was for her to access my soul. I’d kept it locked away and out of reach, protecting that final part of me that was so wounded long ago.

It was finally time for me to stop hiding.

For her.

For us.

Her breath fanned my lips a second before she kissed me. So soft and tentative as I felt the first stirrings of her power brushing against mine. I didn’t retreat. I didn’t even flinch. I merely accepted this as our fate. Welcomed her into me. And unleashed everything I owned for her to explore.

Warmth spiraled through my center, blossoming in my chest as I felt her spirit brush mine. No icy talons or sharp stabs of pain. Just a pleasant comfort. My Claire, caressing me in a way I never could have anticipated.

It stole the breath from my lungs.

Escalated my pulse and subdued it at the same time.

Left me depleted and exhilarated all in a single second.

Vitality, I realized. She’s gifting me the comfort of her vitality.

And it brought a tear to my eye, the soothing touch not one I expected. “Claire,” I whispered, my throat clogging with emotion.

“Shh,” she murmured, her fingertips trailing over my cheek to my neck. “I can’t mend your scars, but I can relieve some of the tension in them.”

I shivered as her actions followed her words, an invisible weight lifting from my shoulders with each passing moment. The intimacy of the moment alleviated all my worries. Filled me with hope. Replenished my every desire. By the time she pulled away, I felt so full of life I thought I might burst.

Instead, another tear fell from my eye, one she caught with her finger. And she sighed. “Oh, Sol, I can’t even imagine the pain you endured to receive such damage.”

“That’s not even the worst part for me,” I admitted. “I can deal with the pain. It’s not knowing how it happened that haunts me.” My eyelids opened to find her gazing at me with so much love it made my heart hurt. “I survived, Claire. That’s the biggest punishment of it all—having to watch the plague take my mother and my sister while leaving me healthy and alive in their place. And never understanding why.”

“While only knowing a Spirit Fae caused it all,” she added, her voice whisper-soft. “How old were you when it happened?”

“Seven.” I swallowed. “My sister was only five. She lived for over a decade with that darkness inside her, stunting her growth and abilities, until finally she died. And you know what she said to me that day?”

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