Something snapped inside me. I reacted before I’d even fully processed what happened. The sound of a slap cracked through the night. The fae queen recoiled, and when she recovered a second later, the angry red imprint of my hand brightened on her cheek.
The entire jungle went gravely quiet.
It started to rain, tiny pellets at first, then it picked up, the very weather seeming to be in perfect tune with the queen’s storm-like rage.
Her wings shifted behind her as she squared her shoulders and made a swipe for me, her talons so sharp they hissed through the air.
I was weakened from the spell I’d used on Valkera and couldn’t summon my monster. Before I could calculate if I could take the blow or even dodge out of the way, Vincent shoved me behind him and caught his mother’s wrist before it found its mark.
I peeked around my mate’s shoulder, and for the first time since laying eyes on her, I saw the look of fear flash across the queen’s face as her son loomed over her.
“If you weren’t my mother, I’d break your wings for the disrespect alone that you’ve shown my mate. But for trying to have her killed? I’d tear apart your entire tree, limb by limb, but not before hanging you from it.”
She flinched. She didn’t need to know English to understand the threats of a monster protecting his mate. When he released her, she fell back, mumbling his name over and over again as angry tears had her cheeks glistening like diamonds in the moonlight.
My stomach twisted into knots when I saw something I knew all too well banked in the fae queen’s eyes.
Okay, so maybe she did hate me.
Raising a shaky hand, her finger pointed past the prince’s shoulder to settle on me, and she spoke what was probably the only English word she knew. “Kill.”
Hundreds of fae leaped from their seats and out of the branches where they perched, all swarming me at once with reflexes that left my head spinning. Vincent spun around, shoulder-checking fae and knocking them back with big sweeps of his wings as he tried to get to me.
We reached for each other, fingers managing to lace together. But there were too many of them. They tore us apart, and in a blink, Vincent was gone.
I felt myself being shoved to the ground. There were so many hands on me. Unfamiliar faces shoved into my field of vision, cruel and leering.
The crack of bones filled my ears as I heard them shifting, to what, I wasn’t sure. I snapped my eyes shut. Not able to look at what shape these vile creatures decided to best hurt me with. Vincent’s roars grew more distant as they dragged him away.
I got really quiet and focused on drawing energy, squeezing the magic-heavy air for all it was worth. Using magic was tough with my monster dormant inside me; she was like a conduit for magic power. But it wasn’t impossible to harness my powers in my human form, especially with Fairie’s magic-rich atmosphere.
I absorbed as much of the magic as I could, allowing my survival instincts to take over. The storm raged overhead, and the rain came down, lashing like whips over the flesh of my attackers. They screamed, their wings raising to shield them. Then there was a crack of lightning that flashed across the sky and zapped the Life Tree. I couldn’t see what was happening, but I felt it.
I smelled it.
I knew what I’d done.
I’d set the ancient Life Tree on fire.
And I smiled.
Just like that, the mob around me dispersed as panic broke out. Smoke stung my eyes and burned my lungs. When I opened my eyelids, flames licked the night, spreading like literal wildfire.
More than half of the fae had taken flight, fleeing from the blazing tree. I’d let up on the rain, aiding the fire’s spread. I struggled to my feet, scanning the chaos for my mate.
I saw a larger warrior, almost the same size as Vin, throwing punch after punch at the prince. I reached out toward the sky, and with a clap of thunder, and another flash of light, a bolt of lightning lashed down and struck the enemy male.
He fell to the ground, violently convulsing.
Vincent lifted his gaze, our eyes locking through the commotion. He ran toward me, then his wings stretched out in flight, dangerously close to the tree. With my hand still stretched toward the sky, he grabbed hold of me and hauled me into his arms.
We flew away into the night and didn’t look back until it was a small, burning speck.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered after a spell of silence as I watched the smoke from the Life Tree spiral up through the sky. Vincent didn’t say anything for the longest time, making me think he hadn’t heard me. Right as I was about to ask again, he said, “I’m the one who owesyouan apology. What kind of poor excuse for a mate have I been for you if you could think for a moment that Valkera’s impersonation and her vile action could have been me?”
I swallowed hard. “You’re not the monster you were. You proved that tonight. But I do owe you an apology for bitch slapping your mom. And for setting the Life Tree on fire. I feel bad.”
He kissed me, his full, firm lips overtaking mine. When his mouth curved against mine, I pulled back to see him smiling. “Don’t lie to me, Little Monster. You enjoying slapping my mother. It was a good hit too. My ancestors felt that one.”
