The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

"But the corruption will spread," Elias says, kneeling down on Gabriel's other side and reaching across him to squeeze my shoulder. "It's not worth it, Ariel - what I watched Gabriel go through? I can't watch you do it too."

"Corruption?" Ben asks, his voice suddenly frantic. "What are you talking about?”

"I've come this far," I say with a sigh, shaking my head at him. "No time like the present. And if it starts to corrupt, I can always just... break the bond."

I sigh, looking down at Gabriel, hoping desperately that it's true.

"Ariel, please," Elias begs.

But it's too late.

I say a little prayer to my grandmother for protection, and close my eyes, and give my wolf a little nod. She stands at the edge of my soul and lifts her nose high, proud and regal, her pretty rose-gold fur blowing in some phantom wind.noveldrama

And then we accept the bond, which snaps into place between my soul and Gabriel's.

His wolf shifts in his place sunk deep in the oil, eager, hungry. My wolf steps back, afraid and ready to run. I tense, both in my body and in my soul, ready to break the bond to reject him to flee...

But Gabriel's wolf collapses back into the oil, unable to stir.

I open my eyes in the Land of Darkness and find Gabriel's eyes fluttering open, searching for me. His mouth moves, making shapes, perhaps trying to say my name. And guilt rushes through me as I feel, anew, his pain - his physical pain, and his emotional agony.

God, how horrible, how terrible - the corruption just clangs through him. How can he have survived this for years?

"Oh, Gabriel," I murmur, reaching out and stroking a hand over his hair. "You poor thing."

He moans a little, turning his head towards my hand, even though I'm not sure he's fully conscious.

"What's happening?" Ben asks, tense.

"It's okay,” I say, glancing up at Ben and Elias. "As long as he's...out, I don't think he can corrupt me. But when he was healthy...he certainly wanted to. Which means we don't have a lot of time."

"Well, all right then, Princess,” Ben says, his personality and his humor coming back to him now that some

of his fear has subsided. I look up and smirk to see him looking down at me with his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised. "You got what you wanted, so? What's your magic say?"

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I smile a little and close my eyes, squeezing my mate's hand as I pull on his magic It comes flooding towards me, as Jackson's does when I pull on it - the magic of a man well used to using it. And to my relief no corruption comes with it. Instead, I begin to explore the blue light that seems to fill my body - the same light blue magic - almost white - that manifested itself in shackles around my hand, stopping my power.

And I begin to understand it, then. Elias's power's functions as a shield, as a block to other magics, a nullifier. Unboosted by the commitment that he made to

Darkness five years ago, it net

work as a personal shield,

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something he could wrap around himself so that magical influence can't touch him.

But I frown as I realize that...it's so much more than that.

That Gabriel's magic has two sides. It functions as a stop to magic - an emphatic

no, a shield.

But as I experiment with the blue light I realize that it...it also functions as an impetus, as a catalyst.

A huge smile spreads across my face as I open my eyes.

"What?" Ben asks, grinning at me. I laugh as I look up into his face. "What's that smile for?"

"I get it," I whisper, shaking my head in awe. "In the end it's...it's so simple. Three mates for the three elements of fire. One for air, one for fuel, and one for..." I look down at Gabriel and shake my head. "And one for a spark."

Immediately I pull on the magic that Luca gifted me with his mark and let wind curl in the Land of Darkness. And then I use my physical connection to Gabriel to pull on his, adding it to Luca's air.

Elias, Ben, and I all gasp as sparks appear all around us, blue and lovely, soaring through the air, eager and ready to fly.

"Now all we need is Jacks," I whisper, staring around in delight at the magic. "And then we can really see what I can do."

"Great," a voice says, ringing out, making me laugh as I snap my head left towards the sound. "I love it when I have perfect timing."