He nodded. “I tried to keep it from you. I knew it was bad, but I thought I could handle it. I thought I was strong enough to fight it.”
I wrapped my arms tightly around him. “You were strong enough. You did fight. But … it isn’t over yet. The winter prince is in New York. We need to get back now.”
Kade’s whole body flinched. “Our people…” he breathed.
“I know.” We had to stop the prince from finishing his mother’s job.
Kade stood, lifting me in his arms. He seemed unwilling to let me go, and I wasn’t complaining. There hadn’t been much time to realize it while trying to fight the darkness, but it was hitting me hard now.
I had almost lost him.
He started to walk, his eyes caressing my features. We only stopped staring at each other once we noticed we were now surrounded by our friends. Kian had his arms tightly wrapped around Shelley, Jota on his shoulder. Next to him was Dante and Zandu. I paused when I realized all four of them were staring at me very strangely, like I now had two heads or something.
“What?” I asked, looking between them all. They didn’t look alarmed, so I wasn’t panicking, but I was curious about that look.
Zandu crossed his arms, that inquisitive stare not fading. “You ate up the darkness and cleansed the land. I would have said that was animpossible thing to do, but … there is no denying it.”
It was then that I noticed the lake was no longer burning and the trees were no longer dead stumps. It didn’t look like a green wonderland by any means, but … the heavy veil of dark energy was gone. A grin ripped across my face. The trees looked healthy, tall, with a wash of red and gold leaves hanging from their branches.
And I saw now that ash was no longer falling from the sky. It was now snow. This land, which had been deprived of earth energy for so long, dying, hurt, was starting to heal.
We had done it. I almost couldn’t believe it, but the evidence was clear.
“You can put me down now,” I said to my mate. Kade’s strong arms were like bands of steel, even though they cradled me gently.
He lowered his face to mine, and we both breathed the other in. “I’m not sure I can, actually,” he murmured.
Despite those ragged words, he did set me down, his arm remaining across my body.
When I was standing, Dante gave me a low bow. “Not a dark creature lives, Your Highness. The reign of the Dark Fae Lord is over.”
I nodded. Still in shock at what I had done, at what I was capable of. It wasn’t over yet, though,there was still New York city and my people to save.
I connected with Finn.Are you all safe? What about Jen and Kevin? Did they get out okay? Where is Luca?I was mostly worried that the poor shifters standing in for Kade and me had gotten caught in the initial scuffle.
His reply was immediate,Jen and Kevin are fine. They got out at the last minute. Baladar got most of your people out, but Luca has taken the palace. He also captured some of your guards. A few resisted and were killed.
My wolf and I howled internally, rage and grief combining. I sent my essence out through the alpha bonds, reassuring and thanking my shifters. Without them I would never have beaten the winter queen. A queen was only as strong as her people. I wasn’t sure I had ever really understood that until becoming queen myself.
Finn joined me, our bond resonating strongly as we grieved and sent energy to our people. Eventually I let the alpha bonds go, returning to Finn.We are on our way back. Fill me in … how big is his army?
Only a few hundred fae. I think he assumes you and Kade are dead.
That was good news. No mass casualties, and he thought he had won simply by having hismother eliminate the monarchy. That had been their freaking plan all along, the reason for their waiting game.
But hurry. He has some type of magical weapon. It acts as a compulsion device, making anyone under its spell do his bidding. He hasn’t started using it en masse yet, but if he does, you’ll be fighting your own people.
That was his smoking gun, his secret weapon. It was a pretty good one too. We had wondered how the Winter Court thought they would just get shifters to start following their lead. Shifters who mostly hated fae.
Apparently, they had a way.
Prince Caspien had said something about each court having an object of power. This must be the Winter Court’s.
Get Baladar and Calista to start amassing our strongest fighters, just in case we need to battle the fae. I’m going to do everything I can to avoid that, but I will not let him take my city. See you soon.
I missed Finn so badly it was like having a constant ache in my chest, but Iwouldsee him, and soon. That was what I clung to.
Snuggling into Kade’s side, needing the closeness, I filled the others in. “Luca has taken over Manhattan. He has access to our mecca stone there. At the moment, he only has a fewhundred fae, but Finn said they are using some kind of magical weapon which forces compulsion across shifters. So we have to get back to stop him before he controls all my people.”
