I studied the chiseled features of his handsome face and caught the slight twitch of his lips—the only outward sign he was pleased. Then his expression slowly fell into one of contentment, his closed eyes unmoving. “Use your Quandary Blood to set your earth source free, little rose,” he murmured. “I’ve always favored floral scents.”
Me, too, I thought, slowly kneeling once more as I engaged the part of my spirit that loved solving puzzles. It felt so foreign and yet familiar. A conundrum of energy that I didn’t quite understand, but I applied it to the collar around my neck and slowly picked at the various strands of magic. I didn’t touch the ones tied to my Midnight Fae mates but focused on the black web surrounding my elemental gifts. Pulses of the source peeked at me from below the dark strings, demanding freedom.
It was an intricate dance woven through my mind, the powers blending in a manner that surpassed logical form. This shouldn’t feel right, but it did. The essence mingled inside me, my problem-solving skills mating with my love for the earth as a spark of light stirred behind my eyes.
There, I thought, seeing the source of my elemental power beckoning me forward. I followed it knowingly, bathing in the rays of welcome it shined through my spirit, and lifted my eyelids to find myself rolling across the earth in a blanket of flowers.
An exuberant giggle bubbled from my chest, happiness kissing my soul after what felt like months of despair.
This was my rightful place.
My home.
My earth.
A breeze trickled through the trees, sending me their warm welcome as more blossoms sprouted from the grass in an array of my favorite colors.
The dark one is watching, one of the trees whispered, drawing my attention to where Shade lounged beneath the green limbs. His eyes were indeed open, his expression amused.
“You remind me of a nymph,” he said softly, his voice deep and soothing. “A gorgeous little nymph.”
“I’ve heard that word used to describe Earth Fae before. It’s appropriate.”
His lips twitched, his eyes falling closed once more. “Wake me when the sun falls, little rose.” He fell into true sleep then, his breaths even as he remained seated against the tree trunk with his legs crossed at the ankles.
I let him rest while I explored the meadow, my heart soaring with the song of beauty and nature’s grace.
This place wasn’t part of the Human Realm, the life surrounding me unfamiliar with mortal essences. So it was a fae world of some kind, but I couldn’t determine which one. Every time I asked, the trees whispered of something different, something new, distracting me from my questions and urging me to exhaust my earth essence instead.
I created a myriad of plant life, played with the grassy roots and soil, and luxuriated in the foliage of life.
By the time the sun began to descend, I felt full of vitality, my soul thriving in a way I hadn’t felt in far too long.
All because Shade brought me here to play.
Under the excuse of having lost his way back to an Academy he’d shadowed to thousands of times before.
Maybe this was his way of apologizing.
Maybe this was all just a trick, a last dance with life before death consumed me.
I couldn’t know for sure, my faith in him nonexistent.
But that didn’t stop the inkling of gratitude from entering my heart. He’d given me a gift. I just didn’t know his intentions for it.
He stirred as night graced the horizon, his arms stretching overhead as he took in the twilight meadow. His lips curled. “This is beautiful, Aflora.”
A compliment.
Not a taunt.
Or it didn’t sound like one, anyway.
I remained cocooned in my sea of flowers as he stood, his head cocking to the side upon finding me beneath a shield of earth. He stepped forward, only for one of my tree roots to lift and stop his path. “Impressive,” he replied, eyeing the obstacle before shadowing around it to appear at my side.
I considered wrapping a vine around him to secure him to the earth, but he knelt beside me and plucked a flower from my hair. He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply, then released a sigh.
“Unfortunately, we need to return to the Academy, or they’ll send Warrior Bloods after us. My excuse will only get us so far.” Rather than hold out a hand to demand we leave, he sat down and settled into the flower bed I’d created. “For your own safety, you need to rewrite the spell, Aflora.” His blue gaze met mine. “But maybe you can weave it in a way that allows for a little flexibility in the restraint.”