Page 15 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

Cyrus chuckled and Exos growled, the combining sounds making my heart skip a beat. These two males were going to be the death of me one of these days.

And what a beautiful death it would be…

But as soon as the kissing began, it slowed to a stop as Cyrus and Exos tucked me between them. My body protested while my chest expanded on a sigh of contentment. One of them picked at the remainder on my plate, bringing bites to my mouth and to their own, as we sat in silence to observe the still-roaring fire.

Peace settled over me.

Satisfaction.

Rightness.

This was the life I was always meant to lead. I just hadn’t known it existed until very recently. But now that I’d embraced it, I didn’t know any other way of being. This was just me. My world. My fae. And I would do anything and everything to protect it.

Even from my own flesh and blood.

My eyes began to drift closed, the hour darkening the sky as all the fae continued to mingle in soft waves of conversation. Exos and Cyrus murmured around me, conversing together and with others, while I rested tranquilly between them.

I felt protected in their arms. Happy. Thankful.

But something nagged at the back of my mind. An uncertainty I couldn’t quite identify. The sensation of being watched. Which, yeah, everyone at the bonfire had their eyes on me. However, this was different. An almost surreal sensation, one I shouldn’t be able to sense yet did.

And I swore for half a second that it was my mother’s presence I felt. Except it lacked the darkness I expected. Worry and urgency floated in its place. A message I couldn’t hear. Lost to a connection we never—

“Claire,” Cyrus whispered, his mouth hovering over mine. “Wake up, little queen.”

Light pierced my gaze, startling me to my new surroundings. We were back at the palace in Exos’s room.

“How did we…?” I swallowed, my throat dry from what felt like hours of sleep.

“A little too much mead, it seems,” he teased, kissing me softly as he slid into the bed beside me.

Warmth caressed my back as Exos wrapped his arm around my waist.

Only then did I realize the three of us were naked.

Very, very naked.

Cyrus pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Mmm, we’ll let you sleep.” He nuzzled my nose. “You need it.”

Exos sighed against the back of my neck. “Something to look forward to another night.”

“Indeed,” Cyrus agreed, his icy blue eyes glittering with promise. “Sweet dreams, little queen.”

“Yes, sweet dreams, darling Claire,” Exos breathed against my ear. “We’ll return to the Academy tomorrow.”

Snuggled between them, I had a hard time denying the pull of their words. While my body desired something different, my mind felt exhausted from something I couldn’t identify.

That message, I thought, yawning. Seeking it out had left me tired. But I couldn’t for the life of me reme

mber why or whom I’d been trying to connect to.

A query to solve tomorrow.

For tonight, I allowed myself to fall into the safe haven of my two royal mates. And dreamt of what it would be like to experience them both… at the same time.

Titus

Life without Claire sucked.

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