Chapter 26

Seconds went by, then minutes. The growing silence said more about this moment than any words could express. I felt my mental barrier drop.

A caress in my mind drew my attention back to those fuchsia eyes.

You know, some would think your lack of response quite rude, he smiled tentatively, trying to gauge my reaction.

Some would think entering my mind without permission is quite rude, I thought.

Xylan laughed. ‘Trust me, Valare. If you didn’t want me in your head, I wouldn’t be in there.’

He’s not wrong.

‘So, what is it that you’re doing, exactly?’ I asked. I was hungry for answers, and I wanted to give him a chance to explain.

He shook his head. ‘I showed you mine, it’s time to show me yours. Questions can wait.’

His answer disappointed me. I don’t know why I thought he was going to act differently once it was partly in the open, but his response bolstered the little self-control I had. I raised my mental shields, blocking him from my thoughts. Looks like it’s time to show my trump card.

‘No, I don’t think they can wait, True Infinite,’ I said, putting every ounce of my disdain into the words, pulling away from him.

He visibly flinched, his expression paling. ‘You worked it out.’

I barked a disbelieving laugh. ‘Of course I worked it out. The Lull? The book? The Prophecy? Quite frankly I’m offended you think I wouldn’t have. And more than that, I’m furious that you didn’t tell me. Instead, you’ve allowed me to stew over the pull I have towards you, rather than telling me the truth. This is my life too, Xylan.’ The more I spoke, the louder my voice became until I was basically screaming at him.

And he took it. He took every word I said and simply nodded. His lack of reaction or any form of reply set the impulsive physical mage in me off.

Without thinking of the ramifications, I teleported the small distance between us, closing the gap as my knees landed either side of his hips, essentially straddling him. His hands moved to my hips, holding me there while my hand launched to clutch his throat. A feeling of masculine desire instantly hit me, warming up my whole body. His desire. He didn’t deserve a similar reaction from me, and he wasn’t going to get it.

‘I think you can do better than that, Green Eyes,’ he whispered in challenge, his lips so close that I could feel his breath on mine. He was provoking me, imploring me to unleash the pent-up anger inside.

I took the bait. Flicking my wrist, his hands swiftly moved above his head, arms pressing into one another as a vine tied them together. I found myself staring at him, trying to pinpoint any imperfections that needed fixing. And there were none, which was beyond frustrating.

Using my magic, I pushed his chest backwards until he was lying on the ground, arms still stretched above his head. I called some ocean water towards me. Once in my hand, I manipulated the water into a whirling ball, readying to throw it at Xylan. ‘Consider this payback from withholding your true identity from me,’ I said.

His eyes were filled with primal hunger, his hardening cock in between my thighs showing his complete lack of fear over my ability to physically control him. This wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for. I wanted to see him angry. See the fire in his eyes like I felt it in my veins. ‘Have you finished playing, Minx?’

‘I’m only just getting started, Pretty Boy,’ I shot back at him.

My ball of water moved less than an inch towards Xylan before a resounding command rang out in my head. Before I could blink, my hand was over my head, releasing the ball of water. At the same time the vine snapped and Xylan sat up, his free hands grabbing mine, pushing them behind my back and jutting out my chest. A chest that was now drenched. My white dress was now completely see-through, revealing my firm nipples.

‘You’re not the only one with a few tricks up their sleeves, Queen,’ Xylan drawled, his chest pressing against mine, lips an inch away.

‘I have questions, mage. And I’m furious with you.’

‘And you’ll have answers. When you’re ready for them,’ he responded, not the least bit affected that I knew he was a mage.

‘Do you really think you have a leg to stand on right now? You lied to me. If you think I’m going to let you get away with –’

He cut me off, closing the distance between us, his mouth pressing firmly on mine. Sparks flew as my whole body was set alight with the movement of his lips. A nibble of his teeth on my lower lip asked permission, and I opened my lips on a deep moan. His tongue took advantage of the entrance and twirled around mine. Our tongues fell into a familiar dance as though we’d done this a million times before. I felt his hands move so one held onto both of mine, while the other slid across my stomach, up across my waist and landed on one of my nipples.

A groan rumbled from deep in his chest, eliciting a sharp inhale from me as his fingers started to twist and rub the peaks. This sent jolts of pleasure straight down into my core. His fingers kept going, alternating between each bud, all the while our tongues still danced. We couldn’t get enough of each other.

Let my hands go, I demanded, dropping my mental barriers.

He granted my request. Not a second later I leant over him, pushing him into the sand. My hands grabbed his head and shifted it to the side, exposing his neck. I dove to the spot under his ear where his mark was. In one slow lick, I covered it with my tongue. With a loud groan and an uncontrolled thrust of his hips, he let out a string of curse words.

I chuckled darkly, continuing down his neck and across to the other side. I lunged for his throat, biting it hard, my intent to cause pain.

‘Fuck.’ He released a harsh breath. ‘Let it out, Valare. All your frustrations and anger. Give me all you’ve got. I can take it.’

And I did. I grasped his hair tight, taking his lips once again and dominating the kiss. He submitted, letting me lead as I poured my feelings into him. I bit down on his lower lip, drawing blood, while he moaned. His hips thrust forward again, searching for my body.

This felt so good. So right. But then I remembered his actions, his lies. It successfully brought me out of my lust-fuelled haze. I pulled away before he could make further contact, teleporting to land a couple of steps away from him.

We stayed like this for some time, both of our chests rising and falling. Behind my rage I felt nothing but disappointment, hurt and betrayal. I let him see and feel the emotions roll out of me. Let him understand how much he’d royally fucked this up.

Based on the way he was holding himself, the message was received loud and clear.

‘What does a True Infinite mean to you? What does that make us, Xylan?’ I asked, wanting to hear the words from his mouth.

‘A True Infinite is your perfect match, soulmate, true love. Whatever you call it, the pairing is destiny. Our pairing is different, our eyes and power are a gift from Wystia and Merlot. We’re fated to follow in their footsteps and unite the Doms. To lead and protect Fyriane.’

‘How long have you known I was your True Infinite?’ My tone held no room for avoiding the question. I shelved the knowledge about Merlot and Wystia to think about later.

He swallowed deeply and closed his eyes in resignation. ‘I felt a shift when you were first born but I was also young at the time. But when you were gifted your magic, that’s when I felt the full force of you. I realised that shift I felt in my early years was your soul being brought into this world. My fated.’ His tone was full of regret and a deep yearning. His hands clenched as he restrained himself, preparing for my response.

‘Four years!’ I exclaimed. ‘Over four fucking years you’ve known and you didn’t think to try and contact me earlier? To activate the Lull and start feeding me information, rather than getting into this huge, colossal mess? Damn it Xylan, I fell in love with someone I should’ve never been with.’ His jaw clenched at that. ‘I was forced to marry a fucking King. I’ve been scrambling to understand how my life has spiralled so out of control. I’ve been trying to work out how the hell I can get myself out of it, desperately searching for answers. I’ve wondered how the Solistans could ever see me as their true queen when the reality is I’ve always felt like I wasn’t worthy, like I wasn’t good enough. But the worst part of it all? I’m surrounded by people, yet I can count on one hand who I can trust. I feel lonely. So fucking lonely.’ I brushed at the stray tear that escaped down my cheek, taking a shaky breath.

‘And you know what the worst part is, Xylan? You know the environment I grew up in. The oppression and subjugation of women. You would’ve known how difficult it’s been for me. To be different. To have all this unexplained power that no one else could relate to, apart from you. And the person I’m fated to be with didn’t once try to help or stop the events that unfolded. You held all the knowledge, keeping it to yourself while I struggled to understand who I was. What I am. Where my place is in all of this. And you didn’t think that maybe, just maybe, I would’ve found comfort in this knowledge? To find comfort from the one person who could make me feel less fucking alone?’

‘Valare –’ His voice broke. My words had shattered him like his lack of words had shattered me.

I held up my hand, not interested in what he had to say. ‘We’ll act properly while the Royal Forum is underway, but I don’t want you to talk to me or look at me outside of it. I’ll come to you when or if I’m ready. Until then, do what you’ve done in the past and stay the fuck away from me.’

As an afterthought I added, ‘I hope that’s enough communication for you, Pretty Boy. I know your opinion of us physical mages. What did you say again? Oh yes. I don’t communicate like psychic mages, but my body doesn’t lie. That’s where you’ll find my feelings. You might be right, but I’d highly recommend you take my words right now at face value. And don’t for one second misconstrue my words with trusting you.’

I turned away from him, but not before I saw the effect of my words. He looked like he’d been sucker punched.

I teleported back to my rooms. Only then did I allow myself to succumb to the thoughts screaming in my head. I’m totally fucked.

‘I was wondering when you’d return.’ A deep, familiar voice sounded in the corner of my room.

Turning around, I suppressed a groan as I stared at mossy green eyes.

Could this night get any worse?