A breath fell from my lips, not shaky but strong as I turned back to my creatures. “I am,” I said, looking around the crowd. Shock filtered through my bonds, my mates unable to hide their emotions. “You don’t need a Queen.”
There was an explosion of activity from the creatures of Avalon; the shifters transformed from their beasts to regular forms to shout their thoughts, vampires hissed about the betrayal, witches and mages shared looks of shock.
When I held up my hand, all shouting ceased. “I was told that I would become a catalyst of change,” I said, voice carrying through the heavy air. “That through me, a new era would be born. And for so long, I thought that would mean me doing exactly what the other Queens before me did—rule.”
I took in their obvious betrayal, their fear. It made the decision harder, and yet when I allowed myself to check in with my mates, I felt their understanding—their strength. “But youdon’t need another Queen to rule over you. Not in the ways of old. Not when our world is so different. The Council has been your true leader for so long now that I know stepping into Greer’s shoes would make me irrelevant. A figurehead that does nothing but make choicesyoucould be making.”
“Half the council is either dead or traitors,” Elara pointed out as she crossed her arms. “How do you suggest we carry on with that?”
“By charging those who have betrayed our people and electing new members to join the council. But I’m not going anywhere. I just won’t be your Queen,” I said, looking around. “The power that belongs to the Daughter of Nyx will forever be mine until another is born to take my place. I willalwaysbe the Daughter of Nyx, that will always be my title to hold. But as Queen, I can say easily that I am not necessary to you anymore. Not when there will always be someone to overthrow me. Not when there will always be someone to question my ability to rule. I am not capable of ruling. I never was. And just because I have this power shouldn’t mean I’m automatically qualified to lead you—especially not after this.”
The silence was almost deafening, but my words…they feltright. And the longer they thought about it, I could read the understanding in their eyes, feel it through my magic.
“This—and Nyx’s power—requires aguardian,” I finished, looking down at the skull. “But not a Queen.”
The air shifted with the deep, ancient power of Nyx, and the light exploded in her hands. It raced over the ground, settling deep into the earth below us. “Your Guardian has spoken,” she said, stepping away from me. “The power is yours to decide now. I trust you, my children.”
A bolt of lightning struck the stone at Nyx’s feet, illuminating the air with a charge of electricity and magic. I shielded my face from the explosion, though I knew she was gone before the creatures around me gasped.
When I lowered my hand, I was stuck staring at the dark spot where she’d stood, and for the first time since being dragged into all of this, I was a little more grateful for her.
And maybe, that was exactly what the creatures around me needed to hear. Elara had a look in her eyes that gave me hope, and the male beside her appeared to be lost in thought—like he was considering the weight of Nyx’s new expectations, and the future it could hold for Avalon—for everyone.
“I won’t disappear,” I stated, drawing their attention back to me, “but I won’t stand in the way, either. Creatures, it is up to you to lead. I will always watch over you—guard our world like I was alwaysmeantto—and I will always be tied to you. To all of you. This is your world to rebuild, too. Our world.”
It didn’t seem so daunting anymore. Being Queen had never felt like the right path for me; I wasn’t a born leader with the strength to make hard choices, despite the expectations to do so. I’d always been a guardian, a protector—a shield for those who were not strong enough to fight for themselves. And the creatures of Nyx were capable of fighting for their world. They’d shown me just that—showed Nyx why this was the right choice.
They could govern themselves. Just like the Underworld would find its next ruler, a new Prima would be born in the Old World, and the Fae would finally see the rise of their High Queen.
And I would be their protector, the Guardian of Nyx.
108
Ivy
Isucked in a deep breath, taking in the smell of rain and fresh, mountain air as the palace cleared of bodies and prisoners. Healers rushed in to nurse the wounded, and earth mages cleared rubble for any sign of hurt soldiers. Despite the distinct scent of copper tinging each breath I pulled in, I still relished in the freshness filling my lungs. The clearness of each one settling any nerves I had left.
“What will happen to that…thing?” Elara Blackwood asked, arms crossed as she stared at the skull I clutched to my chest. “Do you…destroy it?”
I shook my head, releasing a long breath. “It can’t be destroyed. If it were that easy, Pandora would have done it when she found it.”
“So, what then?” Vanya asked, hooking arms with Blythe, both still soaked from the torrential rain. “Does it disappear?”
Glancing down at the skull, I met its hollow eyes. “I’m its guardian now,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ll be the one to protect it. Make sure it doesn’t land in the wrong hands ever again.”
Elara nodded once, visibly shuddering. “That sounds like a brilliant idea,” she said, a small smile turning the corner of her lips. “If you need help with wards, call upon the matriarchs of the original bloodlines. We’ll put something together for you.”
“That would be a good idea,” Maeve said, relief pouring through the bond. “It would be nice to not worry about whether the children will get a hold of it.”
Oh, Goddess above, I hadn’t thought about the kids. The thought of Ginny accidentally taking it because of her weird obsession with Halloween—not weird, totally my fault really—made my stomach turn. And what about the twins?
Suddenly, I no longer wanted to be holding it.
“Oh, my Goddess!” Vanya squealed. “You’re pregnant!” She jumped up and down, excitement brightening her eyes. “Oh, I never said congrats. Or condolences. We never had that talk.”
I grimaced. “Not a choice I would have made for myself right now,” I replied honestly, glancing around my gathered mates. “But one I can accept now that Dante isn’t a threat—and I’m not going to rule.”
“It took Greer a couple of centuries before she chose to give birth,” Elara offered. “Trying to understand being Queen while raising several children in your case would be difficult.”
