"She will be mine, Beast King. This changes nothing," Kaelis snarled and vanished, folding into shadows and smoke, his furious promise echoing in the air.
The remaining fae, those that hadn't been caught in the witch fire, fled into the Mistwood, their terrified screeches fading into the distance.
Delphi's glow flickered, her magic reaching its limit. A warning shot through the mating bond, and Delphi's body dipped in the air, the flames sputtering out. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell.
Tenebrys pounced and caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her against his chest. She was so small, so fragile in his arms, and yet she had just sent one of the most powerful Unseelie lords in existence running.
"My beloved mate," he whispered, his voice breaking. He pressed his forehead to hers, feeling her heartbeat and the mate bond thrumming between them, strong and unbreakable.
Around him, the clearing was silent. The fae were gone. Narcisse lay dead in the dirt. The Mistwood smoldered, the sickness burned from its roots and Tenebrys's lands.
His shifters were wounded but still alive. They stared at the unconscious woman in Tenebrys's arms.
Otso scratched at the back of his head and broke the stunned silence. "I've seen some weird shit in my time, but flowers growing out of a face tops it all."
"She…she did it. She made Plagues run all on her own," Nahir said, his eyes wide.
"Now he finally believes she's on our side." Eiran smacked the tiger shifter on the back of his head.
Tenebrys laughed even as his eyes filled with tears. He kissed Delphi's forehead. "You have saved us all, my little witch queen."
37
Delphi woke slowly, the sounds of birds and the soft, rustling noise of curtains in a gentle breeze trickled through her groggy mind. She opened her eyes slowly and focused on the dark red brocade decorated with black lions hanging above her.
Tenebrys's bed. She rubbed at her face, trying to remember how she got there. She sat up, her limbs heavy. A bandage was wrapped around her palm.
It all came rushing back. Kaelis, the fae, Narcisse…and fire. So much fire.
Delphi stumbled to the bathroom to relieve herself and wash her face. She scrubbed her teeth, her mouth tasting like blood and flowers. She studied her reflection carefully. No flames were burning in her eyes. They were her normal blue.
The same as Lord of Plagues.
Delphi took some deep steadying breaths. She was used to despising Narcisse in so many ways. What did it matter if she hated her real father? It was a familiar emotion. Her lineage did not define her. It never had.
Delphi wasn't the same woman she had been before she had run into the Mistwood. She would never be her again. She wasn't afraid of her magic, of her red hair, and all that made her who she was. She had someone who loved and accepted all of her for the first time in her life. Her powerful, gorgeous mate.
Delphi's body thrummed at the thought of Tenebrys. She wanted him so badly her skin ached. She needed to see him unharmed and feel him inside of her, moving and alive.
Delphi closed her eyes and rested a hand over her heart. Magic flared at her call, and in her inner eye, the world came alive around her.
Tenebrys was downstairs, stalking the halls and worrying that she hadn't woken up. Eiran and Syn were with him. Trying to reassure him and keep him calm, no doubt.
Delphi moved out of the bathroom, pulled off the long shirt she was dressed in, and lay down on the bed. Grinning like a fiend, she opened the mating bond between her and Tenebrys. He stopped pacing, freezing in place as he realized she was awake.
Delphi stroked her pussy with one hand and cupped a breast with the other.
My mate, I need you and your big cock, she whispered, teasing him and bombarding him with the tingling sensation of her already building desire.
Tenebrys bolted. Delphi was tempted to hide somewhere just to tease him further, but she was already too eager to meet him naked and needy.
The chambers' doors crashed open. "Where is my naughty mate?" Tenebrys roared, making Delphi giggle in the depths of the bed. He took two large steps into the room and pounced, landing on all fours with her under him. His eyes glowed as he took her in.
"Hey, baby, you seem tense. Anything the matter?" she asked sweetly.
Tenebrys kissed her, hot and hard. All of Delphi's sass melted away as she sank her hands into his mane, stroking his soft ears before holding onto his horns.
"Are you okay? You were stabbed," she whispered against his lips.
