Because all I could think about was what if the king was right. Perhaps my affinities weren’t that strong. I’d worked extensively at mistphasing in my training with Matron Olsander, so it made sense that I’d become so proficient at it, but it was possible that was where my superior capabilities ended.
Maybe I couldn’t fulfill the bargain I’d made with the prince. Maybe I’d never be able to restore our land’s crops because I lacked the inherent capabilities to do so.
The age-old feeling that had plagued me my entire life, the knowledge that I was magicless and weak, reared its ugly head. I thought I’d finally squashed that insecurity, but the Isalee field was dead. That was a fact. My affinity hadn’t saved it, so that meant all of the other fields I thought I’d been healing could fall sickly once more too.
“Stop.” The crown prince’s quiet voice brushed against my ear.
I jumped at the feel of him, not even realizing he’d just reappeared only inches behind me. His large hands gripped my hips as he leaned down more to whisper in my ear. “Don’t let him play his mind games with you. This is what he does. Stop second-guessing yourself.”
I nearly choked on the tears that threatened to fill my eyes. “How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”
“Worry is coating your scent.” His grip tightened. “But look at how strong you are. You arrived here first, even before me, and no one else is here yet. Their magic isn’t as powerful as yours. Your mistphasing is nearly instantaneous.”
My shoulders sagged, some of the tension oozing from me. He pulled me back against his chest, and I melted into him, my form aligning perfectly against his hard abdomen. A low, satisfied-sounding purr rumbled in his chest as his nose drifted down to inhale along my neck.
He placed a soft kiss right beneath my ear, and that lulling feeling of safety cocooned around me once more.
“Come here.” He spun me in his embrace, his arms closing around my waist as his lips met mine.
I clung to him, desperately molding myself to him as our tongues danced together while I chased away all of my old fears and anxieties. I soaked in his belief in me. He’d always believed in me, and I used that to align my thoughts with his own.
Snow and cedar wrapped around me as a smile parted his lips. “Your scent’s changing.” He nipped at my lips again, and I moaned.
“In what way?”
“You smell more confident and—” His breath sucked in. “And fuck, your arousal is giving off the most delicious aroma. I need to taste you again tonight.”
My pulse pounded as my core throbbed. Mother Below, I wanted this male.
“When?” he asked as he kissed down my neck. “When can I fully claim you?”
“Soon.” My breath hitched just as he pulled back.
Magic rippled in the air around us, alerting us to the others arriving.
With lips pressed to my ear, the prince said, “You’re strong. You’re powerful. And you’re mine. Don’t forget any of that.”
With that, he released his grip on me, moving two feet away just as the king appeared, followed by the rest of the group as they arrived one by one.
The last to appear was Lord Pinebeer, the archon of Harrivee Territory. He gave a sheepish smile when Lady Busselbee, my territory’s archon, smirked. Nobody commented that the queen wasn’t present, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d made the connection that the queen never mistphased anymore. She couldn’t with her magic suppressed.
The king stood stoically, watching me, but I made myself step closer to Meegana and concentrate on the test and not the soothing words from the powerful prince or the way desire pounded through me.
The mate bond that tethered us was clouding my vision again, and right now, I needed my head to be clear.
“Daughters of the Solis continent!” Sir Featherton clapped his hands in delight. “Welcome to the second test in your Trial. Today we shall see just how strong all of your affinities are, because the test we’ve created for you cannot be completed by any fairy who holds only one affinity. Oh no, today’s test will truly push you to your limits.” His smile turned razor-sharp. “Within the Bay of Nim, the treacherous waters known for sucking fae to its depths and never letting go, waits a trinket. It’s lying at the deepest part of the bay, over a thousand feet below sea level. The first female to find it, retrieve it, and arrive safely back to shore and present it to the king will win the Trial.”
He clasped his hands behind his back, and a moment of fear stole over me. With life-giving, air, and fire affinities, I had no idea how I would ever reach it.
The Trial archon’s smile grew even broader. “Good luck.”
CHAPTER 27
“Finally, a test that my affinity will excel at,” Meegana whispered under her breath. As a female who harbored a water elemental affinity, along with shapeshifting and sound sensory, Meegana’s gifts hadn’t allowed her to excel in the first test, but here in the bay, she undoubtedly would.
I squeezed her hand. “You’ll do great.”
She nodded, her expression relieved, but when she faced me, worry etched into her features. “What are you going to do?”
I racked my brain for a response and came up short. “I don’t know yet.”
Because here, in the open ocean, I had no idea how my life-giving, air, or fire affinities would help me. It was possible I could create a mask of air around my face so I could breathe underwater, but to swim a thousand feet below the surface . . . Dangerous creatures lurked within the depths of the Brashier Sea, predators that also swam into the Bay of Nim.
I shuddered.
It didn’t seem I was alone in my concerns, though. Both Georgyanna and Beatrice also wore masks of worry. Georgyanna held four affinities—fire, electric, constructo, and emotional manipulation. Of the four of us, she seemed even worse off than me.
Beatrice would also have to get creative. With her earth element, sight sensory, and telekinesis, she was also at a disadvantage without a water element, but I supposed that was the point of these tests. Only the most ruthless, cunning, and strongest female would win.
I gave a wary glance toward Georgyanna. A small smile had formed on her face.
Taking a deep breath, I stirred the magic inside me. It rumbled in my belly, rising and waking as I pulled on it. I still had to concentrate when I blended my affinities together, but Matron Olsander assured me that with more practice it would become second nature.
“On my count!” Sir Featherton raised a hand as the king and council members watched on. “Three . . .”
Norivun stood apart from the crowd, his expression impossible to read. He crossed his arms, and I could have sworn that a flutter of worry rolled from him, but when he saw me watching him, he only nodded curtly.
The mate bond inside me unfurled, threatening to overpower my concentration on my magic, so I quickly averted my attention and focused on the water.