And then fate would change. Again.
Which would be very bad for all of us involved.
“Tell me you care about her,” Kols said after a long, tense beat.
“I more than care about Aflora,” I replied. “She’s my reason for everything and the driving motivator for many of my decisions. And if I could, I’d take her away from this situation, but I know that’s not how any of this works. She’s a pivotal element in the future with a destiny only she can choose. And I’ll support her, even if she makes the wrong choice.”
Because that was what I was destined to do.
And the same with Kols.
“Our futures are aligned, Midnight Prince,” I told him softly. “It’s time for you to accept it, just as I have, and stop looking for who to blame in all this. Because, trust me, you won’t like what you find down that dark alley.”
“More cryptic bullshit,” he muttered.
“That’s never going to change,” I replied. “Now go home. I’ll let Aflora know we’re okay.” She’d told me about an hour ago that she was in the Human Realm with Zeph, something about heading to the park. Sounded like a date to me, which had made me smile.
It was about time Zeph worked to win her over.
He’d made a lot of bad turns along the way, but he seemed to be curving the right way now.
“I’ll be in touch,” I told Kols, disappearing before he could demand I stay. We’d discussed enough. He knew I wasn’t on the side of the Council and the Elders, which would have to satisfy his curiosity for now because I had a more important place to be.
A few minutes later, I materialized in the meadow I’d taken Aflora to twice now.
The sun illuminated the flowers, giving the place a beautiful glow I knew she’d adore, but it was the light up on the hill beyond that captured my interest.
I wandered up the familiar path to the cottage lurking beyond the concealing mist, my magic allowing me to enter at will.
“Hello, Shadow,” my grandmother called from inside, welcoming me in that eerie way of hers.
Because she’d seen me coming.
“Hi, G’ma,” I replied, stepping through the threshold into the living area. “I think I screwed up.”
/> Her blue eyes—the same shade as my own—glimmered with knowledge, confirming my statement.
“Come,” she murmured, gesturing to the dining room. “We’ll discuss it over cookies.”
I sighed. Sweets weren’t a good sign. They meant she had bad news to share.
And I could only imagine what that would be.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Aflora
Zeph’s palm covered my mouth as he held me firmly against his chest. “Shh,” he whispered in my ear as I giggled against his hand.
Apparently, it was frowned upon to visit the park after hours, something I found out when a rude human barked at me for dancing across the grass. He’d then tried to blind me with a flashlight, which was really quite cruel.
Zeph had responded by grabbing my hand and forcing me to run with him down a path, then ducked into these gorgeous green bushes. I wanted to pet the leaves and branches, but he grabbed me and placed his hand over my mouth, demanding I stay quiet.
For whatever reason, that made me want to laugh, mostly because I was high on life out here. The Human Realm had so many mysterious flowers and plant life, each one uniquely beautiful with its own earthy strand that I longed to follow.
No wonder Claire introduced her earth mate, Sol, to peaches. If I ever had a chance to see the Elemental Fae Queen again, I’d ask her about these azaleas and roses and crape myrtles. Oh, those were like trees, but with flowers, and I yearned to see them bloom. And the daffodils, too! So many beautiful histories, all underlined in color and fragrant scents.
I sighed happily, causing Zeph’s arm to tighten around me.