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

Chapter 60

Chapter Sixty

A elia

“Why did you save him?” Reign stood across from me beneath the shadow of a sprawling lightwood, pure torment etched into his jaw.

The sounds of deadly combat surged overhead as the final Light and Shadow teams battled it out. All first-years were forced to stay and watch as our fellow initiates endured the final Umbral trial. As of yet, Sol and I were in the lead for longest flight time. I should have been pleased, but the triumph felt hollow.

In a few short hours, all the anguish would be forgotten, the pointless lives lost ignored, and we’d spend the night reveling in some undoubtedly grand chamber in the lavish halls of the Citadel.

I still couldn’t quite process it all.

I had spent the past hour dreading this moment, feeling the turmoil in Reign’s gaze from across the field as each team took to the skies. The truth was, I still hadn’t been able to answer the question myself.

When Reign’s willpower had shattered as the final teams were called, he grabbed my arm and toted me to this quiet copse of trees on the outskirts of the training field, hidden from view. All the while, I’d felt Ruhl’s dark gaze tracing our movements until the enormous willows closed around us.

It wouldn’t seem so odd except that I felt him watching me. I never turned to confirm my suspicions because there was no need. Much like I knew when Reign entered a room or was within a mile radius.

Whatever mystical confusion was happening with the cuorem bond, it was accelerating. It would no longer be ignored.

“Aelia?” Reign obliterated the space between us, a storm of shadows forming a protective barrier around us before he clamped his hands around my shoulders. “Talk to me.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a command. And for a second, I saw the ruthless, cold Shadow Fae I had met in my cottage all those months ago.

He deserved the truth; after all we’d been through, I wouldn’t lie to him about something so important.

Lifting my chin to meet a pair of fathomless midnight orbs, I steeled my nerves. “I saved him just as I would have saved any other Fae had it been within my power.”

The hard line of his jaw softened a touch as I paused.

“But there is more…”

The shudder that rippled up his spine, pulsing across his broad shoulders, deepened the ache in my chest at the words I was about to speak.

“I’ve been feeling things for him—not anywhere close to what I feel for you, but there is something there.”

He hissed a curse, squeezing my shoulders so hard, his nails dug into my skin. “It’s the damned cuorem, Aelia. It is exactly why I wanted to leave this place, to be free to be together without all the other interferences.”

“I know,” I mumbled.

His strong hands framed my face, piercing irises locking to mine. “This has gone far enough. We seal the cuorem bond tonight after the ball.” A glimmer of uncertainty settled across his brutally handsome face. “Unless… you have changed your mind.”

“Of course I haven’t. I love you , Reign. I want you .” I pressed my hand to his heart as I dropped a hasty kiss to his lips. “I know all of this is merely some mystical trickery the gods have concocted to test us. I simply don’t understand why.”

“I wish I knew the answer.” He swept a lock of platinum hair behind my ear, the gesture so gentle, so intimate, it had my heart staggering. How could I be so confused one moment and so certain the next? When I was with Reign, not a single doubt existed, but when I found myself in Ruhl’s presence, I couldn’t deny the pull.

“There is one more thing…”

His dark brows furrowed as he regarded me, a trickle of tension igniting once again.

“With the fickle nature of the blood attraction of the cuorem bond, is there any way—” I paused, unable to form the traitorous words.

“Is there any way, what, Aelia?”

“That it’s a mistake,” I forced out.

“You and me, a mistake?” His voice was nothing more than a jagged whisper. “There is no world that exists in which you and I were brought together in error, Aelia.”

Reign tightened his grip ever so slightly, the earnest intensity in his eyes searing into me. “Our bond, this connection—it transcends the uncertainty, the fickle will of gods and the cursed prophecies. You are the truth in my heart, the calm in my storm. Trust in that, Aelia, trust in us, and all else be damned.”

His words cascaded over me, a gentle balm that eased the storm raging within. He’d always possessed this uncanny power over me, even from those turbulent first days at the academy. His mere presence—his potent nox that should have sent me running—was the only thing that could tame the spiraling chaos inside. I loved this male, and I always had. Bond or no bond, Light Fae, Shadow Fae, whoever I was. My soul had known his from the start, bound by something ancient, undeniable. Nothing, and no one, could touch what we had.

I drew in a steadying breath, feeling the decision harden within me like tempered steel. “You’re right. I know you are. So, whatever comes, we face it together. I trust you, Reign, with every fiber of my being. And I love you… more than I ever thought I was capable of.”

He smiled then, a true smile that reached those deep, soulful eyes. “You are my everything,” he said, pulling me close. “Tonight, we become unbreakable. Tonight, we defy the gods, the prophecies and all odds.”

The certainty in his tone, the promise in his embrace strengthened my resolve, confirming what I knew deep in my soul all along. Tonight, after the ball, Reign and I would finally seal our cuorem bond. The unbreakable vow would be held unwavering by the sheer force of our determination, our love.

“Okay,” I breathed.

His mouth captured mine, hungry and insistent, his firm hold tethering me to him in the chaos of the moment. One hand drifted down my neck, fingers diving into the hair at my nape, tilting my head to deepen the kiss. The dangerous, forbidden moment stretched on for an eternity and still it was nowhere near enough.

My body, heart and soul craved Reign’s, compelling me to seal the sacred bond between us. I wanted this more than anything. I had been a fool to think I could simply walk away from this male who had become my everything. When he finally pulled away, my shoulders sagged at the loss of his comforting warmth and unyielding strength.

“I cannot wait to make you mine forever, princess.”

“I was about to say the same, my shadow prince.”

The mood in our chamber as Rue and I dressed for the final ball at Arcanum was nothing like the one that started the term. With my thoughts on the ramifications of sealing the bond with Reign and facing King Tenebris again, and Rue’s fear for Heaton mixed with dismal memories of Devin, the silence in the room was smothering.

I wished I could avoid the ball all together, but with the Shadow King expecting me, doing so would be a blatant show of disrespect. And if catching Tenebris’s interest was bad, earning his hatred would have been countless times worse.

A soft sigh tumbled from Rue’s lips, turning my attention from the array of lavish ballgowns hanging in the armoire to my friend.

“Are you all right?” I whispered as I walked toward her.

“No.” She slumped onto the bed, clutching a glittering, sequined gown. “I’m just so worried about Heaton. I can’t even explain it. It’s this terrible feeling in my gut.”

“I’m so sorry, Rue.” I folded down beside her and bent my forehead to hers. “I don’t have siblings, so I cannot imagine what you’re going through, but I do know that Heaton is strong and resourceful. He will survive whatever he may be facing in the Wilds.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Her voice trembled.

“Then like Symon said, we’ll simply go in there after him.”

A tear streamed down her cheek before she could sweep it away. “Thank you, Aelia. You are the best friend I’ve ever had.”

“As are you.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead, then squeezed her into a tight embrace. “Now, are you going to wear something over the top gorgeous tonight to have all those Light and Shadow Fae males salivating over you?”

A giggle erupted from her lips as she swept back the remaining tears. “I should, shouldn’t I?”

“Absolutely, you should.”

She groaned. “I almost forgot Devin will finally get to reunite with his true love tonight. I’m not sure I can watch that.”

“Then don’t. You give him your own show to watch. I’m sure Blyte will be more than happy to comply.”

Rue chuckled again, a devious one this time. “What I did with Blyte beneath the cover of darkness at a bacchanalia is not quite the same as a ball for both academies where all will be watching.”

“Who cares? Isn’t it time to end this divide between Light and Shadow Fae? Shouldn’t we focus on the real threat in the Wilds?”

“Are we talking about me or you, A?” She shot me a knowing smile. “I saw you sneak off to the woods with our broody professor earlier.”

A silly smile parted my lips, despite the instant rush of butterflies the mention of his name caused.

“Is everything okay between you two again?”

My head bobbed, and I vowed to find time to discuss Rue with Reign. I refused to lie to her anymore. “I think I’m finally going to—” Heat spread across my cheeks at the embarrassing confession.

But it felt good. Felt right to finally share some bit of truth with my friend.

She let out a squeal, reading the words I was too much of a coward to say out loud, then tugged me into her chest, wrapping her slender arms around me. “It’s about time! I am so happy for you, A. That male is crazy about you. I said it from the start.”

“I love Reign.” The confession instantly lifted the weight from my shoulders. Finally, I could tell her something. “And he said he loves me.” Now, I was surely grinning like a fool.

“Love? That brooding, grumpy, sometimes terrifying male actually used the word love ?”

My head bounced up and down. “Multiple times.”

Rue clapped our hands together, pulling me to my feet as she began to spin in a circle. “Oh, Aelia, this is the best news I’ve heard all term. Just wait until Symon hears he’s lost his chance with your virgin rounded ears.”

A laugh pealed out, my head falling back as a cackle vibrated through my chest.

“Mark my words, Aelia, tonight will be a night none of us will ever forget.”