Page 43 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

“Merry Christmas!” I exclaimed, pushing through the threshold and admiring my twelve-foot-tall evergreen tree.

Berries and pinecones added pops of color with a shimmering string of fae-glamour as my blinking lights. Fae didn’t exactly have ornaments, but I found items around the house that worked in addition to my floral adornments.

I winced as the big light at the top flickered and died.

Ugh, I’d fixed that three times today, and of course it chose now to burn out again.

With a shake of my head, I snapped my fingers and set the blue flame alight again just an inch above the tree. My water element flowed just beneath it, helping to protect the branches from burning. A star, I mused. Perfect.

I turned with a smile, excited to see their reactions, and froze.

Abject horror radiated from Sol’s expression.

“Why did you kill a perfectly good tree and decorate its corpse?” he demanded, taking in the strings of fae-lights and the ominous fire burning at the top. “It’s a bit morbid, Claire.”

“I, uh, it’s—”

“Why are there prayer orbs hanging from the branches?” Vox asked, his voice hitching at the end.

“Prayer orbs?” I repeated. “What—”

“And are those my mother’s fertility leaves?” Vox gaped at the middle where I’d set a pair of beautiful red palms I’d found downstairs. “That’s… that’s just wrong.”

“I don’t know,” Titus said, his brow furrowed. “It’s kind of cute. She’s using the dead tree to protect her bags.” He gestured at the gifts beneath the tree. “They’re a bit shiny, though.”

“That’s certainly an interesting use for water,” Cyrus put in, eyeing the top of the tree.

“Is it supposed to be an elemental project?” Sol asked, his palm on the branch as he outwardly mourned the life of the evergreen. “Can we replant it outside? Restructure its roots?”

“Um… I guess, but—”

“It’s a Christmas tree,” Exos cut in, shaking his head. “Come on, it’s a popular holiday treat for humans.”

My shoulders sagged. “Yes.”

“It’s beautiful,” Exos praised, wrapping me up in his arms and kissing the top of my head. I sensed him admonishing the others in the room with his eyes, his annoyance stark in our bond. “Thank you, Claire,” he added.

“Yes, thank you,” Cyrus murmured. “It’s… unique.”

“But we can plant it again later, right?” Sol pressed.

“Yes,” I said, giving up. “We can plant it after brunch.” Because, clearly, they were not going to enjoy the tree in the same way I had.

“Brunch?” he repeated.

“Food,” Vox clarified. “I’m just going to go return my mother’s fertility leaves to her room. I’ll be right back.”

I banged my head against Exos’s chest while he chuckled. “That was a strange adornment, Claire,” he murmured against my ear.

“Vox’s grandfather said I could use them.” The elder male had been positively jovial when I asked to borrow it. “Now I understand why.”

Cyrus laughed outright. “Oh, I bet he was all for it.”

I allowed the fire to die above the tree, no longer caring about the stupid star. At least the food would be appreciated. Because yeah, I could s

ee why the Christmas tree tradition might be a bit weird. Especially to an Earth Fae like Sol.

Probably should have thought about that before creating the evergreen and decorating its dead branches.

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