Page 88 of Conquering the King of Storms

I’d known he would stop pushing her so hard when he understood her past. She had been loud about it, so I knew it wasn’t a secret. He just needed a little help understanding.

And I was proud that I’d given him that help, honestly.

The peace that resulted was an additional benefit, too.

Sirus and I didn’t get a chance to sneak off for some alone time as those days passed, but I kept reminding myself that we would have a little honeymoon in the very near future. His steamy looks whenever I’d stretch or laugh weren’t helping my patience when it came to waiting for said honeymoon, though.

He recovered quicker since Dove had magic of her own, so on the second day, he was ready to go—and he assured me that now that his magic had time to reestablish itself, there would be no more need for resting. Ever.

I rolled my eyes at him when he said that, and his grin was totally worth it.

“Would you be able to take us back to the water fae before you go on?” Ayla asked Storm—who was allowed to talk to her, now that she was mated. “I think I’ll learn to sign faster if we have a steady place to stay, and Dove could come along and help me translate if she wants?”

“The water fae hate earth fae,” Margo pointed out, tugging her backpack over her arms. “You won’t be welcome there. Dovereallywon’t, if everyone’s right about how strong she is.”

“That’s not—” Sirus began, when Dove’s eyes widened in sadness and Ayla’s in horror.

Margo was right, but not… tactful.

“I was hoping everyone would stay together while we go to the last two hearts of the land,” Quake said smoothly. “I’d like to keep teaching Dove my best tricks, and Ayla can study my star pupil.” He winked down at Dove, and she gave him a small, hopeful smile, even though her eyes were still worried.

“We’ll need to strengthen the kingdoms individually before we split up, anyway,” Sirus agreed. “Until we’re confident Flood can hold his magic at bay permanently, returning to the water fae wouldn’t be wise.”

The blond king nodded, signing rapidly to Sirus, who watched closely before he translated for the rest of us. “Crest and Locha will be difficult to remove from the seat of power until we’ve put a few of the other lands back together.”

“Given the wreckage we left behind in King’s Valley, your land is the best place to start,” Quake admitted to Sirus with a grimace. “The wind fae will get behind us though, won’t they?”

“They will.” Sirus didn’t question it as he dipped his head in a nod. “And with Flame mated to a water fae, his people should welcome him back fairly easily. We’ll start with rebuilding my city after Harper and Margo have become fae. It won’t take long with three kings, and we can teach our mates control over their magic in the process. Flame and Ivy will guard the Aboa, and I’m certain he’ll force the water fae to teach her while they’re there.”

Murmurs of agreement echoed through the group.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Dove exclaimed, the saying so very human that there was no question whether she’d learned it from one of us or one of them.

Snorts went around the group, and just like that, the wind picked up.

Sirus’s magicblew until it deposited us at the top of a mountain. The gorgeous trees with long, flowing branches dotted the landscape around us, and the place we stood was smaller than the hearts of the previous lands we had been to. There was a strip of dirt, which we were all standing on, leading up to a square stretch of what looked like polished stone.

I sucked in a breath as my eyes closed. The feeling surrounding me was…

Incredible.

Surreal.

Magical.

Though a number of soft breezes blew against my skin, they felt different.

They felt like they belonged to me.

I finally managed to open my eyes after a few minutes passed. Tears stung them when I looked out on the horizon. The elemental fae lands spilled around us, stretching as far as I could see. The land had been cut like a pie, and as I saw the place the fire fae’s burned mountains began to blend into the water fae’s swamp, the picture in my head finally settled.

And as I took it all in, my heartbeat slowed. It all just… fit. Each land was different, unique, and beautiful in its own way—even if I preferred the wind one. And the way they all meshed well reminded me of our group.

The assortment of women and kings was a strange one. Our personalities didn’t all work together right off the bat. But as time passed, and we got to know each other, the trust grew.

And now, we’d started becoming a family. Not just the kings and Dove, but all of us.

The lands reminded me of our strange connection. Most of the couples possessed different elements—though I was fairly confident Sirus and I were the exception to that rule. Sirus was Dove’s father in all but blood, yet the rest of the family we had built was more than happy to love her and care for her too.

---