LEN
When Samantha collapsed in my arms, the rationality I’d cultivated for centuries vanished. The civility I wore as a cloak over the monster inside was destroyed, and as my roar filled the room, glass shattered around us.
A sliver of control remained, as I ensured she was safe from my rage. All the while I desperately ran the scenarios ofWhat the fuck just happened?andHow do I save her?through my mind. All I knew was that this did not come from sex or breaking of the memory block. It had been an outside attack, but there was no way anyone should have been able to infiltrate my royal land.
Our bodies remained joined even as she collapsed, and it was only the pulse of her power through every place we touched that told me she was still able to be saved.
But I had to get supplies.
I had a fuck-ton of energy inside me, more than the usual fae, but in this case I couldn’t take any chances. I’d have one shot, and I had to throw everything at it.
Gathering Samantha into my arms, she felt way too fucking frail, and I scanned her quickly to try and discern the specific attack. She was barely breathing, her skin paler than it should be, while her heart stuttered in clear arrhythmia.
As I moved across the room, glass bit into my feet but didn’t break the skin. Reaching my main shelf, I used my power to rip off the door, shifting Samantha in my arms so I could reach for the four stones I needed—two silver and two redbrafeta stones,used in healing rituals.
Moving to one of the only spots not littered with glass, I placed Samantha down gently, before all four stones went around her, one in each corner of her body. As the last red crystal clicked into place near her right foot, I sent energy into the first, activating it. It then signaled to the others, until a rectangular dome of white light surrounded Sam.
A protective shield.
Roars ripped from my chest as I lost contact with her, but putting her into stasis was the only way to hold off death. “You can’t fucking have her,” I snarled to the unseen entity. “I will keep her from your clutches, and if you dare to try me I’ll march into the underworld and destroy every fucking part of it to get her back. She’s not yours.”
She was mine. I would kill any who tried to take her from me.
Maybe it was my imagination, but the heavy cloak that had been coating this room since she was hurt eased a touch. Even Death knew that I was dead fucking serious. Pun intended.
Pulling myself to my feet, I called up my silver energy to cloak me in my usual outfit, including my jacket. The stones contained in it might come in handy as I tracked these fuckers down.
Sending out a message to Mother, I sensed she was already on her way. A fact that would have concerned me if I wasn’t half out of my mind.
As I waited, I probed across the Silver Lands to see if there were any disturbances, before sending my scope out farther into the rest of Faerie.
There was nothing. No indication of what had happened. Not even a spark of energy that spoke of someone dabbling in power that they shouldn’t.
When Mother’s energy entered my house, I lifted Sam using my power. The stones protected her from touch, even mine, but I could keep her close in this way. The sparks of energy from the brafeta stones were opaque, so no one could see what precious cargo lay within.
“Len!” There was a frantic note in Mother’s voice, and the sense of dread streaking down my spine heightened. I hurried out—with Sam floating behind me—to meet her in the front hall. She raced in, arms waving in my direction, face fallen and distressed.Emptywaving arms. “Where’s Tabitha!” I roared, beyond respect and reason.
A beat later, a much smaller brafeta box of light entered the space.
Fuck.
No! Not my baby too!
“She cried out and collapsed,” the queen sobbed, her face streaked in silver tears, power leaking from her. “I didn’t know what to do but try and keep her alive until I could determine who attacked.” We’d taken the same action, and in doing so had slowed the march of death. But until we figured out who attacked, we were only delaying the inevitable.
“Oh, Great Queen,” my mother cried, peering past me for the first time. “Samantha too?”
Her gaze returned to me, and as the tears dried on her cheeks it was as if we both had the same realization.
“It’s their bloodline,” I said, as she whispered, “Their bloodline.”
I nodded. “Yes, and it happened here in Faerie. An attack from another fae.”
Like the ancient, powerful being she was, Mother drew her rage, fear, and pain deep inside, before straightening. Her crown appeared across her head a beat later. “I will call an immediate gathering of the royal houses.” Her crown glowed brightly as power channeled around her. “Whoever did this is going to wish they’d chosen a different family to hurt. They will pay with their eternal souls.”
She reached out and grasped my hand briefly, squeezing and offering comfort. “Just hold on to our girls, Len. Bring them to the Capital. I will do the rest.” She released Tabitha to me as well and was gone in the next second.
Almost immediately, the gong of the trumpets echoed through my house and out into the Silver Lands. It would be sounding across Faerie, and with that I moved from my home, bringing the two precious light-encased beings with me.
