An outburst in the distance caught my eye, causing me to gasp. “What was that?”
“Keep watching.”
I had no idea what he wanted me to see. It was pitch-black outside, which seemed to be their version of the day. From what I recalled, Midnight Fae held opposite hours to Elemental Fae, choosing to sleep when the sun rose and to work during the night. Not a schedule I wanted to—
An inferno billowed into the sky, followed by two more from different positions on the Academy grounds.
Narrowing my gaze, I focused on the source and gasped when I felt the burning thwomp closest to our building expel its burning embers into the sky.
Oh.
That was why they possessed charcoaled stems and didn’t have leaves.
They literally burned.
“Now imagine what would have happened had your little creation gone through its hourly process inside my suite?” Kolstov released me, taking a step back.
I swallowed and pinched my lips to the side. “Well, how was I supposed to know that?” I asked, facing him.
Zephyrus stood off to the side, arms crossed, his chiseled features devoid of emotion.
“How about you not play with things you don’t understand?” Kolstov suggested. “That’s why you’re here—to learn.”
“No, I’m being held here because a Midnight Fae bit me against my will and you think his powers are going to mix with mine. Well, I feel fine now that I’m grounded again in my earth essence. So how about you let me leave and we call it a night?”
“You feel fine,” he repeated, his skepticism evident. “Yeah. Because it’s perfectly normal for an Earth Fae to be able to unravel a dark arts spell. One my father put on you, by the way. And it was a binding spell that other Midnight Fae wouldn’t be able to dismantle in a week, let alone minutes. So yeah, I think it’s safe to say Chern’s suspicions about your future are already coming true.”
My mouth worked without sound, his words effectively freezing me in place.
Was he right? I hadn’t noticed the web before, but once it came to me, I worked through it rather quickly. And I’d wondered if the reason I could suddenly see it meant something about my growing power. It seemed it did.
Which meant… “I really am morphing into an abomination.” Something I already acknowledged once, but now… now I had proof.
“It would seem so, yes,” Kolstov agreed. “But it might—”
“How is this possible?” I asked, cutting him off. “All that willow stump did was bite me. We didn’t exchange powers. If anything, he should be inheriting mine, not the other way around.”
“A bite creates the mating bond in our world,” Kolstov replied, irritation lacing his tone. “Something you should know about Midnight Fae culture. Except, that’s right, you haven’t studied us at all. What a fantastic royal you are turning out to be.”
His barb failed to penetrate my already whirling emotions because we were beyond my studies and what I knew. What I cared about now was the future and how to use it to my advantage.
“Elemental Fae don’t bond through blood. We bond with the source. So it’s one-sided. I don’t even feel him, and if we were truly mated, I would.” Or I hope that’s the case, I added to myself.
“It’s still forming,” Kolstov gritted out. “Midnight Fae mating is initiated with the first bite, sealed with the second, and promised for eternity with the third. Shade only initiated it, which means your powers and blood are mingling now, forming a new life together. Hence, you suddenly have access to dark magic. What we don’t know is how deep it will go.”
“Which is why the Council decided to keep her here,” Zephyrus interjected. “To observe her progress. And you’re the one charged with managing her.”
A muscle ticked in Kolstov’s jaw. “Is this the part where you call me a babysitter?”
“No. Executioner seems like a better term.” Zephyrus pushed off the wall, his eyes narrowing. “You are the one who will have to kill her if she proves to be an abomination, yes?”
My heart stopped.
No.
Except the look on Kolstov’s face said, Yes.
I started shaking my head in denial, refusing to believe that could possibly be a recourse, yet all the while knowing it had to be an option. Because abominations couldn’t exist. Too much power led to insanity.