Kade’s whole body flinched. “Our people…” he breathed.
“I know.” We had to stop the prince from finishing his mother’s job.
Kade stood, lifting me in his arms. He seemed unwilling to let me go, and I wasn’t complaining. There hadn’t been much time to realize it while trying to fight the darkness, but it was hitting me hard now.
I had almost lost him.
He started to walk, his eyes caressing my features. We only stopped staring at each other once we noticed we were now surrounded by our friends. Kian had his arms tightly wrapped around Shelley, Jota on his shoulder. Next to him was Dante and Zandu. I paused when I realized all four of them were staring at me very strangely, like I now had two heads or something.
“What?” I asked, looking between them all. They didn’t look alarmed, so I wasn’t panicking, but I was curious about that look.
Zandu crossed his arms, that inquisitive stare not fading. “You ate up the darkness and cleansed the land. I would have said that was an impossible thing to do, but … there is no denying it.”
It was then that I noticed the lake was no longer burning and the trees were no longer dead stumps. It didn’t look like a green wonderland by any means, but … the heavy veil of dark energy was gone. A grin ripped across my face. The trees looked healthy, tall, with a wash of red and gold leaves hanging from their branches.
And I saw now that ash was no longer falling from the sky. It was now snow. This land, which had been deprived of earth energy for so long, dying, hurt, was starting to heal.
We had done it. I almost couldn’t believe it, but the evidence was clear.
“You can put me down now,” I said to my mate. Kade’s strong arms were like bands of steel, even though they cradled me gently.
He lowered his face to mine, and we both breathed the other in. “I’m not sure I can, actually,” he murmured.
Despite those ragged words, he did set me down, his arm remaining across my body.
When I was standing, Dante gave me a low bow. “Not a dark creature lives, Your Highness. The reign of the Dark Fae Lord is over.”
I nodded. Still in shock at what I had done, at what I was capable of. It wasn’t over yet, though, there was still New York city and my people to save.
I connected with Finn. Are you all safe? What about Jen and Kevin? Did they get out okay? Where is Luca? I was mostly worried that the poor shifters standing in for Kade and me had gotten caught in the initial scuffle.
His reply was immediate, Jen and Kevin are fine. They got out at the last minute. Baladar got most of your people out, but Luca has taken the palace. He also captured some of your guards. A few resisted and were killed.
My wolf and I howled internally, rage and grief combining. I sent my essence out through the alpha bonds, reassuring and thanking my shifters. Without them I would never have beaten the winter queen. A queen was only as strong as her people. I wasn’t sure I had ever really understood that until becoming queen myself.
Finn joined me, our bond resonating strongly as we grieved and sent energy to our people. Eventually I let the alpha bonds go, returning to Finn. We are on our way back. Fill me in … how big is his army?
Only a few hundred fae. I think he assumes you and Kade are dead.
That was good news. No mass casualties, and he thought he had won simply by having his mother eliminate the monarchy. That had been their freaking plan all along, the reason for their waiting game.
But hurry. He has some type of magical weapon. It acts as a compulsion device, making anyone under its spell do his bidding. He hasn’t started using it en masse yet, but if he does, you’ll be fighting your own people.
That was his smoking gun, his secret weapon. It was a pretty good one too. We had wondered how the Winter Court thought they would just get shifters to start following their lead. Shifters who mostly hated fae.
Apparently, they had a way.
Prince Caspien had said something about each court having an object of power. This must be the Winter Court’s.
Get Baladar and Calista to start amassing our strongest fighters, just in case we need to battle the fae. I’m going to do everything I can to avoid that, but I will not let him take my city. See you soon.
I missed Finn so badly it was like having a constant ache in my chest, but I would see him, and soon. That was what I clung to.
Snuggling into Kade’s side, needing the closeness, I filled the others in. “Luca has taken over Manhattan. He has access to our mecca stone there. At the moment, he only has a few hundred fae, but Finn said they are using some kind of magical weapon which forces compulsion across shifters. So we have to get back to stop him before he controls all my people.”
Kade’s chest was rumbling at my side, and I felt the protective king bear in him rear up.
Dante gave me a head bow. “If you head back to earth now, I will inform King Roland and he will send his army across. Is there a safe place for us to cross?”
“Wherever Rowan is should be safe,” I told him.
Kade’s rumbly voice filled the air as he addressed Dante: “Make sure our people are informed, and that they return with the summer fae.”
I nodded. I wanted Blaine at my side, where I could keep an eye on him. Plus, we would need his skills and knowledge if this turned into a war.
A thought, which had been hovering at the back of my mind, finally made itself known to me. I had killed the winter queen, destroying a leader, which meant… “Is the Winter Court going to be okay? They just lost their leader.”
I directed the question to Dante, hoping he would have some idea. The assassin fae regarded me carefully, tilting his head as his brow wrinkled. “Do you feel any sort of surge in your ice energy?” The question blindsided me, and I paused for a beat, allowing my power to swell.
Blasts of ice shot out of me, narrowly missing the group around me. Whoops. I tucked it back away before that could happen again.
Dante grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I don’t understand,” I said slowly.
“In the Otherworld, the power to rule is not decided by a contest, or vote, or challenge. It is hereditary, passed down through family lines. When a monarch dies, their successor will be someone of the same blood. Unless there is no more of that bloodline left … and then it just gets messy.” No doubt it involved a lot of sacrifice and bloodletting.
“You and Luca are the last of Isalinda’s line, the last able to inherit the crown. The first one to touch the mecca stone of the winter land will be the leader.”
I felt my mind and body recoil at the thought. “I’m already a queen,” I bit out. “I don’t have time to rule another kingdom. The winter people deserve better than an absent ruler who has no time or energy for them.”
Dante shrugged. “If you do not touch the stone, you will not be their queen.”