Crown of Flames and Ash (Courts of Aetheria #2)

Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

R eign

You know Aelia is going to hate you for this, right ? Phantom’s question echoed through my mind as we soared over the deep greens of the Feywood Forest.

She may be displeased, but technically, I’m not breaking my very carefully formulated vow. I have no intention of physically harming the old man.

My skyrider snorted, whispers of dark smoke erupting from her immense nostrils. You forget that I’ve come to know you quite well over the past ten years, my prince, and I know very well that you need not physically harm someone to do damage .

The time for inaction has come to an end, old friend. With the Umbral Trials in full swing, it’s only a matter of time before my brother learns what I’ve long since suspected. I’m honestly shocked it hasn’t dawned on him yet. If I have any hopes of eluding the dire consequences of this prophecy, I must know everything about Aelia .

And if you find out that she is, in fact, the child of twilight, what will you do then?

Whatever I must to keep her alive.

But the king ? —

Whatever I must .

Drawing in a fortifying breath, I peered over Phantom’s heavily scaled shoulder, focusing on the treetops growing ever closer. And at the edge of the woods stood a now familiar cottage. A trail of dark smoke curled into the sky from the small home I’d visited only six months ago. Never in a million years would I have imagined what that fateful day would bring.

Phantom curved her wings toward the ground, slowing their powerful flaps.

Land beside the forest and remain in the cover of the trees. We need not draw any more attention than necessary. And after Aelia’s vivid story of the last time she arrived upon dragonback, I preferred to avoid a confrontation with Aidan out in the open.

Of course, my prince . She banked to the left and the grim browns and pale greens of the earth shot up to greet us. The moment my dragon’s talons hit the soil, I leapt from her back. It was a short walk to the cottage, the sun’s rays not quite as oppressive on this side of the Feywood Forest. I’d met Phantom across the river and flown over Shadow Fae lands for the bulk of the trip, reveling in the feel of nox once again free-flowing over my skin.

The glint of the silver bangles on my wrists soured my mood. For years, I’d prayed for the day I’d be able to complete the debt to my father and finally be free of the blasted cuffs draining my power.

Now, I feared that day.

The old wooden door of the cottage creaked open before I reached the stone pathway. Aidan stood on the threshold, the agony carved into his expression palpable. “What’s happened?”

“Aelia is fine.” Or at least she was when I skulked away from campus while everyone was otherwise entertained by the trial. It was a gamble, but regardless of what Aelia was to endure in that event, I was powerless to help her from the outside. “I’ve come to speak to you, Aidan.” I paused a yard away from the entrance, calling back my writhing shadows.

His head dipped and he took a step back, motioning for me to enter. Still, his hand moved to the dirk at his hip as he led me to the small table in the middle of the space. I eyed the blade, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it too was forged of infernium vein. I vowed to get that answer and more today.

I folded into the rickety chair at the table in the center of the chamber, the ancient wood squealing its protest, and Aidan settled in across from me. He eyed me warily, every muscle coiled and ready to strike. His posture, his very essence spoke of a seasoned soldier. I was embarrassed I hadn’t noticed it upon my first visit, but with Lord Liander attempting to steal my acquisition, I’d paid little attention to Aelia’s foster father.

“Why have you come, professor?” His gray eyes glinted as he regarded me.

Professor? Interesting. Had Aelia not shared my true identity with her beloved guardian?

“I have come to retrieve information Aelia is too kind to demand for herself.”

A knowing smile lifted the corner of his lip. “She has told you about me then?”

I nodded slowly. “I hope that proves to you that she finds me trustworthy.”

“She may, but she is also a young girl, clearly taken by her attractive and mysterious professor.” He rubbed at his chin, eyes fixed to mine. “I am neither young nor taken by you, Reign Darkthorn. If there are answers you seek, you will have to prove yourself to me.” His cold gaze raked over me, and for the first time since meeting this male, a swell of rais emanated from his aura. Was the spell binding his Light powers the same one used for Aelia?

“I know about the twilight prophecy, and my guess is that you do, as well, which is why Aelia’s true bloodline has been kept hidden all these years.”

The old male’s face was a blank mask, not a twitch of emotion despite my goading. Yes, he was definitely a soldier in another life, and a faithful one at that.

“That does not prove anything to me, professor, other than the fact that you, too, are hiding secrets.”

“What do you wish to know?” I ground out.

“For starters, what are your intentions with respect to my daughter?”

My jaw clenched, teeth still grinding. I could barely sort through the jumble of emotions that female elicited in my thoughts, let alone put them into words. Words that would need to assuage his very legitimate fears. “I wish to protect her.” Not quite the full scope, but it was a start.

“Why?”

“Because I care for her,” I gritted out.

His eyes narrowed, the unabashed scrutiny so piercing I found it difficult not to squirm. Which was very unlike me. Not even my father would get this sort of reaction out of me. How very peculiar…

“You’re going to have to do better than that, professor.” Aidan propped his elbows on the table, tenting his fingers. “You see, feelings between males and females are fleeting. You may want to protect her today, but what about tomorrow, or in a week or a month? What if she finally succumbs to your charms and you grow tired of her?”

“I wouldn’t,” I barked, unable to keep the anger of his insinuations at bay.

“Why not? Surely, she’s not the first female that has caught your attention?”

“It’s different with Aelia…”

“Different how?” he growled.

A flow of rais prickled my skin, piercing my flesh like a thousand tiny blades. It infiltrated my veins, ethereal light rushing through my system and crawling into my dark depths. My nox surfaced, desperate to fight the unexpected onslaught, but it was too late. My tongue began to move before I could stop it.

“Because I love her!” I blurted. “Because I believe she could be my fated mate, my twin flame. I feel the ancient cuorem bond unfurling between us, and it’s becoming harder to fight by the day.” The moment the confession dribbled past my lips, I slammed my jaw down hard, the crack of teeth clashing reverberating through the suddenly silent space.

“Oh, gods, no,” Aidan hissed, burying his face in his hands. “It cannot be.”

I was still too shocked to utter a word. What had come over me? Why would I ever admit those things to this stranger?

My mind struggled with the facts, racing through the ancient tomes I’d studied in the Arcanum library. There could only be one reason.

Some Light Fae were gifted with a rare form of illumination sight, granting them the ability to not only discern the truth through light but force it out of other Fae.

“How did you do that?” I stuttered.

Aidan’s hands fell to the table, limp. “Do what?”

“How did you compel that from my lips?” I had yet to admit to myself the overpowering feelings I’d been harboring for Aelia.

“I didn’t force you to say anything, professor. I merely searched for the truth in your cold, dark heart.”

Now, that sounded more like me.

He loosed a protracted breath, his entire posture crumbling. “This changes everything,” he murmured.

“Why?”

“You are the catalyst, Reign Darkthorn. You are the one who triggers the prophecy.”

My head whipped from side to side as the awful truth of his words bled through the cage around my rapidly fluttering heart. “It can’t be…”

“If you wish for me to divulge Aelia’s secrets, then you must first share your own.” He swallowed hard, eyes intent on mine. “There are very few souls who share the knowledge of the prophecy’s existence, so tell me, professor, how did you become one of the chosen few?”

My jaw worked, indecision warring in my gut. Besides Gideon, I’d never entrusted the truth of my identity to anyone, let alone a rogue Light Fae. But if I had any hopes of protecting Aelia, it was necessary I discovered the truth, and this male was the only one who could give it to me.

“A binding oath?” I lifted a skeptical brow.

“If that is the only way…”

My chin dipped.

“And you must vow to keep what I am about to tell you from Aelia as well, if you truly wish to protect her,” Aidan added.

My eyes widened, disbelief curving my mouth in shock. “You cannot be serious.”

“I’ve borne the weight of this secret for decades, Reign. There were countless times I wished I could tell her the truth, but for her safety, I remained strong. Now it is your turn to bear that burden, if you truly love her.”

The weight of his words pressed down on me, heavy and unrelenting, sinking deep into my bones. I loved her—gods, I did—like I’d never loved another. I had tried to fight it, to deny the bond growing between us, but it was futile now. There was no escaping the truth.

“I am ready.”