Page 31 of Maleen

Jesper comes up behind the male and slices his throat. “No looking at my mate!” he growls before quickly carving out an eyeball and tossing it into the air for Nero to grab. He blows me a kiss before jumping back into the fray.

Nero catches his grisly gift and I can feel his excitement as his collection grows. “I told you he’s my favorite.”

I shake my head and parry off the next few attacks, but before I can strike a final blow, Killian has done it for me. “Go straight for the death blow, this isn’t sparring,” he growls, and I can feel his Vopn Fö magick swell as he pummels a male into the blood-soaked grass.

We work as a unit to protect Aemon’s home and keep everyone safe, though by the time the last invading warrior takes his last breath, I’ll be exhausted and numb. All this life wasted and for what?

A blast comes from above and I curse, realizing it’s the tower where Cynder is hiding out.

Aemon disappears in smoke and shadow, and just as I’m about to follow, his voice is in my head updating me as I cut down yet another fighter. “Cynder is safe. Someone tried to take her back to Craven, but she blew him up. She’s safe. I’ll guard her, though, until the threat is dealt with down there.”

I breathe out a sigh of relief and run to Talyn, who looks like he’s about to run inside. I use my Szelemi magick to enter his mind and he lets me. “She’s safe. Aemon is with her. Let’s finish up here and then we can go make sure she’s good.”

It doesn’t take long to clear the last few enemies from the courtyard and, unable to help it, my eyes drag across the area. What once was sprawling green grass and gardens that Amethyst enjoyed tending to is now strewn with bodies from both sides.

One by one, my mates all check on me: Aemon through the bond and Jesper by covering my face in kisses, not bothered by the blood that’s splattered there, touching me as I walk through the massacre. Talyn steps in front of me, his eyes soft yet piercing as his thumb brushes my lip, wiping blood from it, while Killian grabs my hand, giving it a quick squeeze before ordering the remaining troops about.

The castle is quiet as we all pitch in to clean up and prepare the burials for our own. Talyn and I use our earth magick to encourage the ground to soak up the gore that lays about, and I attempt to return the gardens to their natural state. By the time we’re done, it’s almost as if the invasion never happened.

“We need to call a meeting,” I tell the others. “I’m done sitting by and waiting. It’s time we do something.” Waiting for information isn’t doing us any good. Not now. Not when the one place we thought was safe is no longer. If Craven can get to us here, then nowhere is safe. Not for anyone.

“WE NEED TO send word to the front lines,” I state the moment everyone is seated around the table. “Give them orders to push back. We played defense long enough. I won’t see any more innocent bloodshed if I can help it.”

Killian shakes his head. “This is war, Little Warrior. There’s no getting around that.”

I sigh, knowing he’s right. “Which is why we need to make a statement. I won’t hide behind Vathia’s borders any longer.”

The room breaks out in arguments. My mates are the loudest.

“You will not be putting yourself in harm’s way!” Killian bellows, standing so quickly that his chair knocks over. “The front lines are no place for a Queen, especially you.”

“I was already on the front lines,” I remind him. “Plus that’s not what I was thinking. We need answers. We need to go home. We need to go to Maleen.”

Talyn scoffs. “No one has been able to get into Maleen since that night. Whatever your mother did, kicked everyone out, it’s impregnable.”

He’s right, but my gut is screaming at me that it’s time. “My mother wouldn’t have blocked me out forever. She always intended for me to take the throne when I was old enough. Maybe whatever she did was to keep it safe until then?”

“She has a point,” Jesper says as he feeds Nero more trail mix. “She’s probably the only fae in the realm to be able to get through whatever magick Queen Calantha Pendroko placed over Maleen.”

Aemon takes my hand. “Are you sure this is what you want to do? We can stay here and reinforce the grounds. We—”

“It’s time,” I tell him gently.

Roz leans forward, taking Ember’s hand and slapping Lennox on the shoulder. “I think it’s safe to say that the three of us are with you.”

“As are we,” Cynder adds, speaking for herself and Evander’s crew. She smiles at them before taking Evander’s hand.

Jesper’s temper spikes and Talyn’s fist tightens on the hilt of his blade.

“Enough, you two. She’s an adult.” I push the message into Talyn’s mind.

They both don’t move, but they don’t relax either, and I know that’s the best I’ll get from them at the moment.

“When do we leave?” Ember asks.

I place both hands on the table and stand, my gaze meeting each of them. “We leave tonight.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN