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“Agh!” he screamed as the first imaginary whip landed across his back. The scars on my own stung, my penance for delivering this pain. But this sensation had been my life for many years, and with the rage burning inside me, I was immune to its sharp call. I was stronger, braver,betterthan he would ever be. I wasan insidious bloom, beautiful and deadly and powerful beyond measure.
No male would disrespect me without consequences.
“Let me know when you’d like to yield,” I purred, crossing my arms over my chest. The torture I delivered was exhilarating coupled with the complete domination of this male. No wonder Ruslan loved to mix pleasure and pain – it was almost addicting, feeling this utter power and control over another.
Two more lashes broke him. A pity, really, as I was having so much fun. I let a third imaginary one land before I pinched off the flow of pain, ready to release it again at a moment’s notice.
“I yield, I yield!” he shrieked, falling to his hands and knees, panting and sweating.
Dropping to a crouch beside him, I ensured that he knew exactly what my face looked like when I granted mercy. He needed to remember that it was by my will alone that the pain stopped. The way his blue eyes flinched with my proximity, I knew the message had been delivered. Keeping my attention on him, I said loud enough for all to hear, “I endured hundreds of whip lashes across my back and have the scars to prove it. If that is not enough to inspire your loyalty and respect, then I don’t know what is.”
Straightening, I scanned the hushed crowd of Crystal Fae and let them see the resilience fused to the core of my being. “We don’t have time to waste. If you want a new home and a better life, you’ll come with us. Now.”
I spun on my heel and stalked back toward the clearing where two dozen Dragons crouched and waited for riders.
“There’s my sprite,”Ruslan boasted down our bond.
When I faced the town once more, an entire crowd of people walked behind my mate.
“Did I really convince that many to join us?”
“You did. No matter where you are in Északi, power and strength is respected. You, Izidora, have it, without question.”
Ruslan stripped and shifted, and I stuffed his clothing into the backpack before crawling up his hide and settling between his spikes. No one else rode him, as a further example of how far the two of us were set apart from other Fae. Ruslan and I were the most powerful in all of Északi, and those who weren’t already familiar with us would do well to remember that.
Once everyone had found a Dragon to ride, I told Ruslan to take to the skies, and we soared back to the Day Realm with a small victory won and another on the way.
39
Far away from the wildfire, the Dragons landed one by one, ensuring the wind from our wings didn’t anger the flames further. Kneeling, the others assisted the Crystal Fae in sliding from their backs. They all raced toward the blaze without hesitation, relieving tension in my chest I hadn’t realized was there.
“It will be okay,” Izidora said as she handed me my clothes.
“Thanks to you, it will.” It was true – it had been her idea to go for them, and she was the one who convinced them to come. Pride flared inside me as I gazed into my mate’s aquamarine eyes.
How did I get so lucky?
“Come, I need you all to myself,” I said, holding out my hand to her.
My mate accepted it willingly and without hesitation – so unlike a year before when I’d first brought her to the Iron Realm. The blaze died with the light of the sun as we trekked through the mud and haphazardly arranged tents, freeing up soldiers to tackle other tasks that had gone undone as we worked to contain it.
The Night Fae had disappeared in the blink of an eye, their tails tucked between their legs like the dogs they were as we squeezed them on three sides. It mattered not that they retreated; regrouping would allow us to slaughter them the next time we met in battle. Their little ambush failed in the end, though our army suffered heavy losses that wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Their army was far larger than I ever dreamed it could be.
We needed to return to the Iron Realm as soon as possible. Before Izidora and I reached our tent, King Consort Geza stopped us. “Thank you for staying to protect the Day Realm. I will not hold the fire against you, My Emperor.”
I cocked my head and studied the Day Fae king. “I am grateful for your assistance, Geza, but do not think you will ever be able to hold anything against me.”
A wide grin spread across his dark skin, flashing his white teeth. His eyes crinkled with amusement at the corners. “No, I don’t suppose I will ever be able to, not after you and Izidora risked your lives to return Gizela to us.”
He proffered his bare forearm, and I clasped it, allowing a smirk to play across my face. “I take my duties seriously. Which means, I need to return to the Iron Realm and prepare for the next battle once the fire is out. I trust you can continue to clean up from there?”
“Indeed,” he replied, his deep baritone booming over the camp. “Please let us know if there is anything we can do in the future.” Our greeting broke, and he dipped his head respectfully to Izidora and me before continuing on his way.
We entered our tent – one of the few that had the luxury of a padded cot – and my mate sank onto a pile of stuffed bags that acted as a makeshift chair, pulling off her boots and armor piece by piece. “I am exhausted,” she complained, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms.
I crouched behind her, massaging her tense shoulders. “When we return home, you can sleep as long as you need to recover. No training, no pressure, no duties. You deserve rest, sprite.”
