Oh, holy gods. If I had to live through Calista, Violet, Winnie, or Kade’s death even once, I would have lost my mind. Ben and Derek’s deaths had almost broken me, and they were not quite the same level as the other four. I had no idea how she had stayed so strong for so long. But I had even more respect and love for her.
I moved forward to pull her closer, wanting to reassure her that I was here, but she put out a hand to stop me. “By the end, when you came to rescue me, I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. The only thing which kept my mind from shattering completely, was my one goal of preventing her from taking your fae essence.”
Tears were splashing down my cheeks as I witnessed my friend crack into a million pieces. All of her broken parts were out in the open now, the pain she held inside her heart finally revealed.
“I wish I could take all of that away from you,” I said, my words husky with emotion. “I would have taken your place if I could. You should have never had to go through that.” She had protected me, almost at the cost of her own sanity. “I love you,” I choked out. “And I am not going to let her win. I will destroy the winter queen.”
Violet’s sobs were loud and violent, and in a move I did not expect, she leaned forward and wrapped me tightly in her arms. “I love you, too. I would take the torture again if it meant you were safe … that you had the power which was rightfully yours.”
I pressed myself into her shoulder, absorbing the strength of her magic, relishing her heart beating so strongly. This was a rare thing, to be hugged so tightly by her. I was going to take every second of it I could get. “I will always come for you. Always,” I told her.
Violet nodded into my shoulder and pulled away, wiping her eyes. We sat in our chairs, staring at each other for a few long moments.
Then she smiled at me, and for a second it felt like everything was right in the world.
She nodded a few times, that smile going nowhere. “Wow.” She breathed, surprise lighting up her wide eyes.
“What?” I asked, leaning forward, drawn to her happiness.
She took in a deep breath and then exhaled. “I … actually feel so much lighter. She’s going to lose her grip on me, if it’s the last thing I do.”
I smiled. “Oh, yes, she definitely is.”
We sat there for a few more moments, in the sort of comfortable silence that had been missing from our relationship of late.
Violet was the one to break it, a quirk of a smile lighting up her wan face. “So … I couldn’t help but think that our trip into the mecca world was a little … unnecessary. You and Calista are the best at strategy. No one beats you at mecca chess. No one. You even have Kade to run things past, and he is hot, smart and built like a linebacker, the bastard. So … was there another reason for this visit?”
Her question took me by surprise, and my immediate reaction was defensive. I opened my mouth to justify myself … I had only been queen for what felt like all of five minutes, and four of those I had been dethroned, so, I wasn’t sure I was exactly making fantastic decisions lately. I was desperately in need of guidance. Still, I couldn’t ignore the part of me that agreed with her.
“I think, maybe, I was looking for an excuse to see her again. Without even realizing it.” I was hesitant, pretty much working out the motivations for my actions as I put the sentence together. But the moment I said it, I knew that was the truth. I finished in a rush: “Ever since I found out she was my mother, it has been this niggling thing in the back of my mind. Because I know she is still sort of accessible to me.”
There was no judgment on Violet’s face. None. The only thing shining from her was a deepunderstanding. “It would be a lot for anyone to take. You’re handling it all pretty friggin’ well, if you ask me.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, hoping it would ease the roughness in my chest. “I’m just taking it day by day.” I jumped to my feet, needing an ease of the emotion overload. “But, since we now have an attack to plan, I’m quite excited to be moving ahead. I’m ready to have it all be over. I’m ready to end this.”
Violet joined me, determination shadowing the planes of her face. “Right there with you, sister. Let’s go and plan an assassination.” She paused. “Again.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. When had this become our lives?
I faced Kade in the basement. He had the staff in one hand, the other hanging loosely at his side. He wore a look of absolute fury. “Tell me you’re kidding!” His scowl deepened as he stared me down. “No, Arianna, be reasonable. I almost lost you to her once. What do you think will happen if she gets her hands on you a second time?”
I fought to keep my own anger from rising. I knew he was just stressed and worried. I completely understood after just watching him almost die. But I didn’t have a choice.
“We have waited long enough, playing the submissive, waiting for her to attack. It’s time for us to take the fight to her, end this once and for all.”
He slammed the staff into the ground, and by instinct I reached through our bond. The darkness he was handling still worried me. Thankfully, there was only normal purple mecca energy flowing through his body. “Why does it have to be you, Ari? There are plenty of shifters trained in the art of assassination in both of our packs. Hell, I could have ten here in the next hour.”
I snorted. “Yes, Almighty One, I know you are the king of the assassins.” They had been dormant for a few years, no longer actively training, but bears and wolves both used to have special leagues of warriors specifically skilled in the art of murder. Blaine actually had some of that specific training; it was what made him a lethal warrior. The others were scattered around, lost to time and history. But clearly, Kade thought he could dig them up.
“It needs to be me,” I said quietly. “She has ice magic and so do I. No one else can rival her. I’m also the only one with magic that can counter the Dark Fae Lord, since Earth-side mecca doesn’t work on him. Besides, you know there are very few who can stand against the power of amonarch.” There was a reason I always sent my queen out to battle in mecca chess.
“Except another monarch,” Kade finished.
I nodded. “Exactly. Either they are building up to some big assassination plan of their own, or something more sinister, but now is the time for us to act — before they decide to get really serious about it.”
Kade’s fists tightened on the staff, and despite its power I could have sworn it started to bend. “You won’t go alone. I need to be there, to keep you safe. I can wield this staff. I can take down the Dark Fae Lord.”
I wanted to argue. The entire point of a stealth attack was that you went in quietly and got the job done. But we were stronger as a team, and I was also coming to terms with the fact that I might have been able to fight the fae lord, but Kade was probably the only one who could use the weapon that would actually kill him.
