Page 3 of Conquering the King of Storms

“Flame will bring her back. Newly-mated couples always leave for a little,” Dove said quietly. “The magic of the ceremony is strong.”

Her words surprised me.

“So they’re honeymooning?” Margo grumbled. “She ditched us for se—”

I cut Margo off quickly with a glare and snapped, “We have young ears here.”

She shrugged in response, but did look slightly guilty.

“Sorry,” I told Dove, looking back at her.

I prayed she wasn’t about to ask what sex was, and luckily for me, she just nodded and looked back toward her uncle. That same sadness filled her eyes, and I shut mine.

Dammit, I was a shitty person.

I should’ve woken Storm up for her, but…

I couldn’t.

Chapter 2

The next morning,the swamp’s creepy sounds woke us up the same way they had been doing ever since we made it into the water fae lands. There were animals everywhere, but luckily, our kings’ magic was strong enough to keep them from attacking.

Dove’s eyes were glowing when Margo and I stood and stretched a bit, so I didn’t bother asking how she was doing. The answer was an obviousnot great.

“Well, you guys look awful,” Ivy’s cheerful voice said from behind us.

I spun around, my jaw dropping when my gaze landed on my friend.

“Holy shit,” Margo gawked. “You’re… a fae.”

“A water fae,” she confirmed, grinning broadly. Her side was plastered to Tariq’s, his arm wrapped possessively around her waist and hers wrapped around his. Her brown hair looked thicker and smoother, her curvy body looked stronger, and her eyes looked so fucking much brighter.

“Well you abandoned us to the damned swamp, so we’re no longer friends,” Margo announced, shaking her head. She turned and began hiking back into the mud and trees.

I rolled my eyes at Ivy, and she flashed me another grin. At least she and I sort of understood each other.

Margo was the grumpy, dramatic one. It was what it was.

“How close are we?” Ivy asked Tariq, as I took Dove’s little hand and began following Margo. While she was possessed by the magic, I was the one who led her around.

Flame and Ivy followed us. “A few days away. The swamp will give way to sand, soon. And then beach, which is where we’ll find Flood’s people.”

More sand?

I fought a groan.

At least I already knew I wasn’t an earth fae; hopefully I wasn’t water, either. I’d be happy if I never saw sand or mud again in my life. According to Ivy, the fire land was full of mountains covered in trees that looked burnt but were somehow still growing, so I didn’t think I’d like that part of the world any more than the swamp or desert.

As much as I hated to admit it, the wind fae lands had definitely been my favorite of the three I’d experienced so far. The trees were beautiful, the fruit was delicious, and the terrain was manageable.

“Any chance your guy knows about a short cut?” I asked Ivy, wiping away a fresh chunk of wet mud that had just splattered over my face. The whole swamp seemed to be alive, and whilethat was kind of cool at first, it had been downgraded to a muddy annoyance.

Ivy asked him, and his answer was a simple, “Nope.”

Damn.

I heaved a sigh.

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