I would have just killed Brad in his sleep. But this wasn’t about death. This was about my territory, my people’s faith in me. In us. Because I was determined to make me and Maggie an “us”. I heard her heart’s confession as I sunk my cock into her depths and tied us closer than ever. It only made dumping Brad and regaining my throne more urgent.
As we hurried him out to the wide balcony that overlooked the field, he stumbled into a small side table and I had to pick him up to get him moving again. When Brad saw his soldiers and a decent number of Elves assembled, he did something I never thought he would. He attacked with the fake Calix. Brad’s first thrust and parry was better than anything Maggie attempted. I stepped back in surprise, a thin line of blood welling on my forearm. I didin’t expect a real fight from him. I moved forward to shear his head from his shoulders, plan be Goddsdamned. Except I forgot Brad fought dirty.
A small black stick, he must have palmed in that stumble, produced an arc of electric magic that sizzled over my skin as he shoved it against me. Even my Nightmare roared in agony. It was humiliating to lose control of my limbs and have him cut me again with that stupid toy.
My Nightmare pressed against my mind. I didn’t want to lose all sense to the dark in front of this careful display of Elves but Brad took it out of my hands. The blue arc of his magic split my Nightmare out of my skin, much to the gasps of every councilor Yaya found to witness. Most of them had never glimpsed my shift. It broke the soundest of minds if I chose. One fainted dead away. The rest clutched their nightwear or a hastily slipped-on robe, looking as rumpled as an Elf might look in the dead of night.
“Hideous,” Brad said just before he hit me again with that magic stick.
His words struck true, but I was smoke and air. Thought and memory were insubstantial things that made up night terrors and his silly stick passed right through me as my shadows shifted and my extra eyes blinked from my cheeks.
“Yes,” my voice sounded from the deep echo of the blackest night. “You are hideous.”
I shattered his fake toy with a thunderous blow of my bony claws. Fragments of the sham Calix rained over the crowd. Brad staggered under the weight of my anger, infuriatingly uncowed.
“Behold your King!” I bellowed across the crowd.
“Truly!” Brad shouted back to the assembly, righting his clothes with a toothy smirk. “Your halfbreed is a passable messenger to bring me the true Calix. When he’s dead, he will have fulfilled hisobligation.”
I ground my teeth as the Councilors murmured in agreement.
The slap of skin on skin drew everyone’s attention as Maggie’s palm slid down her face. “You have to be fucking kidding me. What in all the seven hells will it take for you to wake up?”
“He proves his magic even now. He is unharmed against a Nightmare.” Councilor Nemian, my least favorite, pointed at Brad.
I frowned as a tide of Brad’s soldiers ran up against the wall of their fellows that Jax managed to recruit to our side.
“A Nightmare and a Witch,” Maggie piped up. “That just splintered your Godds object all to hells. He’s a fake.”
I didn’t like how the Council’s attention shifted to her. In fact, every Elf’s focus locked on her. My shadows spiked but Maggie refused to stay behind me.
“Child, you can go back to where you came from.” Nemian stepped forward.
Maggie met him halfway and shoved him. “You can sit right down and shut up if you won’t help.” She turned to the rest of them. “In fact, all of you can take a seat and watch how a True King handles his business.” She traced a sigil for a host of chairs and the Elven Council arranged themselves out of sheer shock.
I don’t think anyone had treated them with such brusque inconsequence in a few hundred years. While Brad watched the show, I attempted to swallow his feetout from under him with a shadow portal but his bangle barrier surrounded all of him, keeping him hovering above it. Tired of this game, I clashed against his bright magic but it was made of the darkest sorcery and nothing I did broke through with brute force. Sweat collected on my brow. The barrier pushed me back and Maggie stepped in front of me.
“Enough of this shit. Hit me with your best shot, Noth. Power me up.”
My heart had thumped at her calling me the True King. “Pumpkin. We can’t fuck right in the middle of a battle.”
She grabbed hold of the thin but strong mate bond. “Align your chakras and give me all the magic you’ve got.”
This was a stupid idea. The only success Maggie had had with killing was getting me hot and bothered with her attempts on me. This mistake might cost us both our lives.
I tried to scoot her away, to ready a Raven’s Blind attack. “We can work on your training after this. I promise.”
She grabbed my clawed hand without fear, staring straight into my many eyes. “I know his magic’s weakness. I can do it.”
Would she? The doubt riddled me with guilt.
Maggie tugged on the bond. “Trust this.”
That was an even bigger ask. Fate had not beenkind to me. Why should I trust it to find me my soulmate? Let alone trust it with my life, my kingdom.
Brad’s smirk said I had no choice. I wasn’t winning this grand show of my power over the usurper even with the real Calix. It seemed more interested in blooming roses for Maggie than helping as anything more than a blade. My Nightmare knew she was right. I did trust her to do the impossible.
“Okay,” I said in the same tone she gave me when we were sharing trauma.
