It was kind of ironic that for the most part the queen’s security measures were in place to safeguard against a bear attack, and I was about to dine with the bear king.
Once Kade, Violet, Calista, and I were inside and seated around four large triple meat pizzas – Blaine, Monica and the other guards stationed about the room keeping watch – I started to tell everyone what we had learned from Baladar, focusing on his plan to try and fix the mecca. Violet leaned over listening intently, which wasgood, because she was a fundamental part of this plan.
The magic born was nodding. “Yes, that makes sense. If you and Kade can both see the mecca, then you will be able to work together to send it back! You’ll know exactly how much to send and how much to keep so that we don’t give the fae more power than is fair.”
I picked off a huge chunk of sausage and popped it in my mouth. “You make it sound easy, Vi, but I’m sure tons can go wrong.”
Kade, who had to be on his seventh slice of pizza, met my gaze. “I won’t let anything go wrong.”
The usual flash of mecca surged between us, and before I could say anything Calista pulled out her tablet and said, “I have your first batch of potential mates ready for viewing, Your Majesty. Would you like to cull some of them now?”
My stomach clenched; she had done that on purpose. She’d picked up on this … thing … between Kade and I and she had acted to bring it to a screeching halt.
My wolf howled, and my trigger temper went into overdrive. I didn’t want to shout at my advisor in front of everyone, so I stood abruptly. “Excuse me. I have to use the restroom.”
Violet stood as well.
“Alone,” I clarified. She nodded and sat back down, not arguing; she understood.
My gaze swept over Calista, who I expected to look mortified, but instead she was wearing her look of stubbornness. I knew she thought what she was doing was best for me, but it was not her call to make. I had already taken steps to distance myself from Kade, so all she’d done was make things very awkward.
Needing to calm down, I blasted past Monica; her blond hair whipped around as she followed, but I held my hand up. “Bathroom. Alone.” I attempted to smile at my dominants, but wasn’t sure it was very convincing.
Letting the doors slam behind me, I did a quick room check. There was an old woman washing her hands. She’d jumped when the door slammed shut, scowling at me.
“Sorry,” I murmured, deciding I might as well use the facilities while I was in here.
Stepping into the stall, I practiced some deep breathing, trying to clear the red haze from my mind. Of course, with a shifter’s sense of smell, deep breathing in a toilet was so not a pleasant experience.
Why was I so angry? I felt like I was on an emotional rollercoaster when it came to all things Kade. I had agreed to take a mate, but after our fight the other day when I told himabout it, it felt crass to just bring it up like that, to basically throw it in his face. No doubt everyone there knew Calista had done that deliberately.
After finishing up, I opened the door ready to head for the sink, when I came face to face with the old woman again. She was standing there peering at me with eyes that were not of this world.
Oh crap.
“Mon—”
Before I could finish shouting for my guard, the woman threw her arm out and slammed me back into the wall behind the toilet. Then she raised her arm, dragging me upwards using her powers, tight tendrils of magic choking the oxygen from me.
I tried to be calm, tried to think, but it’s amazing how easy it is to panic when a dark fae has cut off your life-giving air.
Finn! I need you. Dark fae in bathroom of Vinnie’s. Hurry.
I just had to survive long enough for him to get here and help me. Allowing myself a moment of stillness, I focused on my training with Kade. This woman was using mecca magic to hold me in place, and I was queen of the Earth side of the mecca – the stronger side now.
Taking hold of the electrical essence of my power, I let it crash out of me. With that onepush, I broke the magical binds that held me and sent the woman flying backward into the sink, breaking it off the wall.
She was on her feet in milliseconds; her old-lady illusion dropped and I was face to face with a snarly female fae. She was taller than me, at least six feet tall. Her hair was blacker than death, her skin tinted with a greenish hue, and she had wide fae eyes and pointed ears. Not to mention the small nubby horns atop of her forehead, which told me all I needed to know. Not that I had much experience with it, but one would think horns were never worn by good people.
On my way, Ari!Finn’s message blasted through my mind and I could feel his anger.
Monica was banging on the door now but it wasn’t opening. Looked like I would need to get out of this one myself. My wolf was rattling my human body like a cage, trying to break free. We hadn’t shifted for a while, which had my control shot. She was not going to take no for an answer, and I liked the idea of letting her fight the fae.
I dashed into another one of the toilet cubicles, sending my energy out to bar the door. I channeled as much as I could, pulling from whatever mecca was inside of and around me. A heavy thump slammed into the door but it held. I ripped my clothes off and let the energy of mywolf wash over me. Another thump on the door, but I couldn’t lose focus. Shifting took time, but I needed to be quick today. The third rattle squeaked the door open a little, but my mecca binding pushed it back.
“You can’t escape from me, Princess.” The bell-like voice brought bumps across my skin. It was oddly singsong and creepy. “We’ll end this before you end us all.”
I wanted to care about what she was saying, but I was too busy having my body crushed into pieces and rebuilt. When the shift was almost over, I lost control of some of the mecca shield I’d erected; the fae crashed into the door and nudged it open a few inches. My energy didn’t shut it again, so she managed to get her arm and leg through, inching the rest of her body through the gap.
