Page 25 of Elemental Fae Academy: Book Three

“What’s wrong?” Cyrus asked as soon as the door closed behind Claire.

I twisted my lips to the side. “Something’s coming.” I felt it rising all day, this sense of wrongness settling over my shoulders and knocking my world off-kilter. “She sensed it, too.”

“Hence your distraction,” Cyrus murmured.

I nodded. It hadn’t been part of the arrangement for me to go to her in the room, but I’d sensed her need for emotional relief. “She deserves a night of fun without her mother hanging over her head.” Or whatever this dark, doomful energy meant.

“I don’t feel anything,” Titus said, joining us in the hallway. He’d overheard our conversation, not that I’d tried to hide it from him. As Claire’s mate and one of the strongest fighters I’d ever met, he needed to be involved in the discussion.

“It’s a disturbance in the spirit.” I folded my arms and leaned against the wall. “It feels like a gray cloud lingering on the horizon that refuses to leave. Claire mistook it for something she was forgetting. But I recognize it for what it is—a bad omen.”

“Someone is playing with magic that doesn’t belong here,” Cyrus translated. “Dark Fae magic.”

Yes, that was exactly what I felt. “Do you sense it, too?”

“Only through Claire,” he admitted. “But it reminds me of Kols.”

I snorted. “Feels harsher to me.”

“But you know what I mean.”

“I do.” The energy signature was similar in origin, marking it as belonging to the infamous Midnight Fae, which we commonly called Dark Fae.

“Who or what is a Kols?” Titus interjected.

“A Midnight Fae Royal,” Cyrus replied. “Cocky bastard, but a hell of a lot of fun at parties. You’d love him.”

Titus’s auburn brows rose to meet his hairline. “You’re friends with a Midnight Fae?”

“’Friends’ might be a bit of a stretch.” It wasn’t like I called upon Kols regularly. We just saw each other at the occasional political function.

“For you,” Cyrus clarified. “I adore the bastard.”

I shook my head. “Of course you do.” They had similar personalities, despite their clear fae differences. “You should reach out to him, see how things are going over there.” Last I heard, there was some sort of war breaking out between the two classes of Midnight Fae.

“Yeah, once we solve our problems with Claire’s mom, I’ll follow up.” Cyrus slid his hands into his pockets. “Unless you think this is all somehow related.”

“Nah, Elemental Fae can’t use dark magic.” Only the Midnight Fae had access to darker energy. Some believed it was their affinity for human blood that enabled them to reach the harshest recesses of the fae power. More likely, it was tied to their overall nature more than anything else.

I shook my head. “It might feel like Midnight Fae energy, but I don’t see how that could be possible. Regardless, we need to look out for Claire. I want her to have an enjoyable evening.”

“Which is why you didn’t tell Vox or Sol,” Titus added. “You want them all to have a good time.”

“Yes.” I knew Vox wouldn’t be able to enjoy himself if he was too busy watching out for Claire. Same with Sol. “It’s better if we just watch from afar. I don’t think anything will happen, but I want to be there just in case.”

Titus rolled his neck, his excitement palpable. “Works for me.” The Fire Fae was clearly born for this kind of job. “Let’s do this.”

“So eager and ready to fight,” Cyrus murmured. “Some might say you’re burning a bit hot for it, really.”

“What can I say?” Titus drawled. “My last opponent didn’t give me much of a challenge, so I’m looking to up my game.”

“Hmm. Maybe next time your opponent won’t go so easy on you.”

Titus snorted. “Are you saying you lost on purpose?”

“You know I did.”

 

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