Page 20 of Courting the King of Cliffs

“I’m going back to the earth fae. I’ll be staying there until I decide what I want to do about all of this.” I gestured to the room, though all of this really didn’t have anything to do with the space. “I know you meant well, and I love you all, but I need time.”

Harper nodded, biting her lip. “Let us know where you’re staying, so we can check in on you?”

“I will when I’m ready.” With that, I transported back.

Not to the middle of the earth fae’s city, or to Granite’s castle, or his home.

But right to my mate.

Chapter 7

I found him in the middle of the desert, on his knees, throwing his power into the earth like it had personally wronged him.

He stopped abruptly when I appeared in front of him, and he wrestled his magic back under control before he slowly rose to his feet.

I could feel that power below us—and it didn’t hurt me.

My anger gave way to sympathy when I saw him grit his teeth as he stood, but I didn’t offer a hand.

I’d been around too many strong men for too many years to think there was even a possibility he would let me help him. Not when our bond was still only held by fate and could be broken in a heartbeat if either of us decided to make vows with someone else.

And my sympathy vanished rapidly as I remembered why I’d gone after him in the first place.

“Has my magic caused you any pain since I showed up in your castle?” I demanded.

I already knew the answer.

I would’ve seen it on his face and in his body language if I’d hurt him.

“It hasn’t,” he admitted. “What little I’ve felt of your magic has felt good to me.”

“But yours hurt me years ago, and you just decided you weren’t willing to try? That you didn’t want me?”

“I always wanted you.” His growl was fierce, and his hands captured my arms, tugging me closer. “It had nothing to do with desire. I just wasn’t willing to hurt you. And I’m still not.”

“You don’t get to make that decision for me,” I put my hands on his chest and pushed him with my magic.

It crashed into him, and he took two steps backward, not putting up any kind of a fight.

Instead of wincing or grimacing, his shoulders relaxed at the hit of my power, and his expression did too.

“You should’ve talked to me. You should’ve let me decide.” When I stepped up to him and pushed power at him again, harder, he took two more steps back for me.

His eyes were dark, but he didn’t say a word.

“You want to know if our magic is incompatible? Then fight back. Don’t throw your magic at the ground; throw it at me.”

“I won’t risk hurting you.”

But I remembered the random brush of magic against mine in his castle, the way it had calmed mine. I’d barely noticed it then, but looking back, I realized I’d been able to walk through the city without losing my mind, despite how wrecked I’d been for two months.

The tiniest touch of his power had settled me the way only hours of silence usually did.

And if his could do that to me, what would mine do to him?

So I threw more power at him; I threw every fucking thing I had at him. The ground quaked, and the slightest wind blew around us, the sand moving and sliding everywhere except beneath us.

Granite slowly sank to his knees, his eyes closing and his head tilting back.

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