And I needed to be there to protect Claire.
I pressed my forehead to hers, breathing deeply, my tongue already missing hers. We would pick this up later, after I assured her safety. “You’re going to be all right,” I vowed. “But I need to go handle Mortus.”
“Why do I know that name?” she asked, her brow crumpling.
I cleared my throat. Titus must have provided her with the history. “Mortus is the fae your mother fought.”
Her blue eyes flashed, her body going rigid all over again. “That’s who…?” Her mouth dropped. “Oh God…”
I cupped her cheek again, pressing my lips to hers and then to her forehead. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll handle him.”
“But he must hate me.” Her gaze snagged mine. “I’m the product of her infidelity.”
“Which isn’t your fault,” I said, wrapping my palm around the back of her neck. “You will not feel bad about actions and decisions that were out of your control. Do you understand?”
She swallowed, but nodded, her pupils dilating.
“Good.” I kissed her temple before glancing at Titus. Fire blazed in his eyes, having witnessed the entire exchange between us.
Now you know how it feels, I told him with a look, understanding exactly how this appeared to him. Because I’d experienced the same pang of jealousy and annoyance when I found them naked in bed together. But unlike him, I already understood that Claire may need more than one mate to balance her power. That had happened to my mother, after all—hence Cyrus and I having different fathers.
Of course, that didn’t mean I had to accept the same fate for myself.
Regardless, we didn’t have time to waste on fighting over her. She needed our protection first and foremost, and right now, he was the only one I trusted who could help keep her safe.
“Can she stay with you for the rest of the night?” I asked.
He didn’t hesitate, his response immediate. “Yes.”
“This may take a while, which means you’ll likely miss your classes today. Claire isn’t ready to attend until we lay some ground rules for student interaction.” Not to protect her classmates, but to protect her. The vicious things that were said to her over the last twenty-four hours were unacceptable and n
eeded to be addressed.
Gods, I did not miss my time here. At all.
“Okay,” Titus replied, his gaze falling to a frozen Claire. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
“I know.” And I did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be handing her over to him. But Claire seemed to need more convincing.
Oh, how the tides had turned.
I shook my head, amused.
And decided to throw Titus a bone.
“Ignis is a bitch, Claire.” I tilted her chin upward, forcing her to focus on me. “She used an illegal potion to seduce him. I could smell it the second I found him yesterday. So try to take it easy on him. He’s not a complete jackass.” I winked to soften the insult.
She blinked. “A potion?”
“I’ll let him explain.” I pressed my mouth to hers once more—because I could, and wanted to—then finally released her. “Stay with Titus until I return, okay?”
She licked her lips, her gaze bright. “Uh, yeah. Okay.”
I smirked, enjoying that dazed look on her face far more than I should. “Try to behave, princess. I’ll be back soon.”
Hopefully.
It all depended on the Council and how much begging I had to do. No one would believe me if I said it didn’t feel like Claire. Which meant I needed a different approach.