by Kim Schubert
Our rest in the hotel room had been brief, no one much in the mood for sleeping. Declan still hadn’t changed back forms and I had to admit, I liked the non-glamour side of him better.
I wanted this done. I wanted to find the Fae Queen, find my mother, and be done with all of it.
The ground shook beneath our feet, and our gaze swung away from the portal of black to a portal of white on the other side.
“Shit, that’s not us, is it?” I asked.
The portals jumped at each other, tendrils of power, with us caught in the crossfire. Logan was ripped from my side. “No!” I yelled, my voice lost to the abyss around us. I couldn’t see, a perfect darkness rendering my eyes useless.
“Daughter,” I heard whispered.
I tried to turn to find the voice of my mother. Flopping like a fish, my body tumbling head over feet, I didn’t know which way was up or down, or where the voice was coming from.
“Daughter,” it came again, stronger.
I abandoned the idea of trying to move with my limbs and merged into my second sight. Logan was there with me. I wrapped my energy around him, drawing him near.
Nothing happened.
Dammit.
I tried again, reinforcing the previously thin strands into thick cords.
Again, nothing.
Blowing out a breath, I reached out again, but instead of drawing him near, I tried pulling myself closer.
I moved, but had no voice for celebration. Logan’s arms reached out to anchor me to him. I searched for Declan next, reaching to the outer level of the darkness. It snapped, and a blinding light followed.
I sucked in my first deep breath, turning to find Logan at my side, both us sprawled on the desert sand.
“We are in Fae,” Declan commented.
“I hate this place.”
“You shouldn’t now, our magic will be more potent, more powerful here.”
I should have taken comfort in that. But the memories of being here and of Luharposn were threatening to give me a damn panic attack.
I looked around the stark desert landscape, grateful at least that the sun wasn’t blistering hot. Turning, I saw the grouping of trees in the far distance and growled. This was it, the memory, down to the perfect details.
“What’s wrong, Olivia?” Declan asked.
“Someone is playing with me,” I growled, and began walking. Just as before, the ground moved too quickly and we arrived at the impossibly tall trees in moments.
“Whoa,” Logan muttered.
“Stay close,” I told him. Was shifting magic? Would he be able to do it here? Was he just as defenseless as I once was? I would have asked Declan, if I thought it was safe to do so. He seemed to be veritable family with the Fae’s world.
Either way, we were all staying close.
The trees bent above our heads, forming a tunnel, and I heard my mother’s scream. Instinctually, I quickened my pace, even though she was the heartless bitch who had sold me as a baby. I suppose some instincts are just hard wired.
The tunnel opened into a clearing, tree limbs intertwining to form a perfect dome. I looked up at the massive space before my gaze came to rest on my mother, chained to bed, heavily pregnant.
“Daughter!” she cried out, reaching for me, one hand against her swollen middle.
“What the fuck?” I whispered.
“You must help me!” she screamed.
A form moving too quickly for me to track slapped her before coming to stand before me.
“Fae Queen, so glad to see you are back where you belong,” I growled.
“Oh, my darling Olivia. I am overjoyed that you have decided to join us.” Unlike her sister, with her cold and harsh facial features, this Queen was soft—gentle cheekbones and a button nose, her hair braided up in flowers and ribbons. It was a peaceful face, except for the eyes. Those were just crazy.
“I’m not joining you,” I told her.
She shrugged, looking all of thirteen years, except for the towering height. I marveled at her lithe frame, her perfectly unblemished skin.
“No matter, now I can build my army even faster!” With a wave of her hand, several more succubi and incubi appeared, all chained, all looking miserable.
“You’ve enslaved my race?” I asked, shocked. I might not have liked these people, but they were MY people.
She smiled, a crazy, unhinged, off-her-rocker smile. “They are all mine. They belong to me. My new pets.”
“You’re insane.”
And just like that, crazy bitch snapped, slapping me, wrenching my head around on my shoulders. Logan lashed out claws—well, that was a good sign—slashing though her skin. She screamed, flinging him into the intertwined branches.
“Bitch, that is my man,” I grunted at her, shoving her back. She flew backwards, hovering above the ground.
“Where the fuck is Bob when you need him?” I groaned.
“Here, Olie. I am here.”
I looked up at the tired jail to see Bob also chained. What the fuck?
I fixed my eyes back on the Queen. “So what, you are delusional and power hungry, going to take over not only your world but ours as well?”
“All of them,” she added, her eyes glazed over.
“Great.”
“Can I kill her now?” I asked of no one in particular.
“No!” Bob and Declan said.
“Great. Killing would be so much easier.”
“She will be hard to kill, anyway, but focus on maiming and injuring,” Declan supplied.
“Wait, you aren’t helping?” I asked.
“I can’t move,” he admitted.
I grunted.
“Your magical babies will be superb fighters,” the crazy Queen said.
“Bad news bears, I can’t have children.”
She tilted her head at me like a damn bird, at impossible angles, before snapping her fingers. “There, problem solved.”
My insides twisted and I screamed, bending over and clutching my lower abdomen. Logan was at my side as I writhed and kicked, needing some outlet for the intense ripping, searing, and utter agony inside of me.
It was then the bitch chained me. Flopping around, I was vaguely aware of the sound of metal clanking together on my ankle as I fought for control and a clear head. Logan growled, staying close to me, but unable to do much.
Finally, my breathing evened out and the raw agony diminished.
Logan looked down at me with a mix of concern, and dare I say hope? Had she actually repaired what Selena had broken? My hand trembled at the thought of shifter and succubus babies, well let’s not forget magician babies as well.
Logan followed my train of thought, reaching down to stroke my cheek. “Let’s test that theory later.”
I nodded. Right, crazy bitch to deal with.
“Declan, you still pretending to be a statue?” I asked, watching the Fae Queen circle him.
“Unfortunately,” he responded uneasily.
I couldn’t blame him, I was worried she was going to try and eat him, and not in the good way.
“Bob, you got any helping hints on getting out?” I called.
“No, these chains are impossible. Only—” The Queen turned, waving her hand, her eyes turning red while Bob choked, unable to speak.
“Silence!” she roared. I felt the command against my chest and the large jail she had created fell painfully silent.
“Well, that’s a neat trick,” I panted, needing to disobey her.
How the fuck was I getting out of here? I certainly wasn’t going to try to create a baby with Logan while chained to a bed—well, at least not with an audience.
Logan shook his head, he wasn’t restrained. She didn’t view him as a threat, but I wasn’t testing the theory about Logan having magic here. Wait! I could check. I blinked, trying to pull up my second sight.
Nothing happened.
I tried again. “Shit, these fuckers can block my magic,” I groaned to Logan.
He nodded, reaching do
wn slowly to not draw the attention of the crazy bitch. The scent of burning flesh accosted my nose and I moved to him as he pulled away. We both looked down at his hand, not healing.
“You have to be careful,” I whispered. He nodded. He’d die for me if I didn’t watch him.
I needed the chains off, and now. Turning to Bob, I watched him use a long and apparently sharpened nail to cut long, thin tracks on his arm that dripped blood.
“Did he go crazy?” I whispered to Logan.
Given Bob’s exasperated expression, I was missing something.
“Blood, Olie, “ Logan mouthed to me, jutting his chin at The Fae Queen.
I groaned, this was going to hurt. “Don’t interfere,” I warned him.
He took a step back and I took a breath.
“Hey, crazy bitch!” I yelled. Oh gross, did she just lick Declan?
Her eyes still red, she jerked her head to me.
“You dare speak to me?” she hissed.
“Yeah, hooker, I dared.”
Quicker than a damn vamp, she had me by the throat. “Not so talkative now, are we?” she preened, grinning manically.
I kicked her in the gut. She learned forward, unprepared for a physical assault. Hoping my nails were long and jagged enough, I raked them across her cheek.
Thin scratches appeared. I looked at my hand, finding that under my nails I had flesh, and a few drops of blood. Now to touch the shackle and hope that for once, Bob was telling the truth.
I dangled there like a fish, swinging my body weight, feeling her grip tighten on my throat. “You are more trouble than your offspring are worth,” she seethed.
My vision was darkened. My body not responding to the commands I was giving it, I struggled in earnest against her hold, choking.
I landed hard on the ground, the Queen on top of me. I sucked the beautiful oxygen into my lungs. She turned to face Logan.
His injured hand was at his side, dripping blood.
Dammit.
She was not going after him. I clawed her again, my nails separating flesh, and slapped my bloody fingers against the shackle on my ankle. It clicked open. Tossing it away, I stood, watching her move so damn fast to Logan.
I didn’t have a moment to think. Instinct guided my next move, imagining Logan in a protective bubble.
She bounced against it, her hair slowly rising with a life of its own. Guess I had my magic back. I flexed my hands at my sides. It was on.
She turned, fangs descending in her mouth. Well, that was interesting. I suddenly was super curious as to the vampires’ creation stories.
“You will not be the one,” she hissed at me.
“The one to what?” I asked.
Bob was moaning and bouncing around. “Give me a minute,” I muttered, not daring to take my eyes off her. Nor was I lowering the protective bubble around Logan, even with the stink eye he was giving me.
She came at me with the force of a bull and the speed of a damn striking pit viper. I flew back into the intertwined tree branches with a dull thud, before slamming into the ground.
“Ouch,” I grunted. Pulling myself to all fours, I looked over at Declan, calling up my second sight and seeing the angry red strands of Fae magic surrounding him.
I pulled from my stores of emotions, the raw pain and devastation at losing Garrick, forcing down a sob as I summoned their power. I infused her magic with it, letting my dark strands overtake hers of blood red.
I turned to look at her stricken face, a hand going to her heart. “What … what are you?!”
“I’m the fucking Queen,” I told her, slamming more speed into turning the braids. I watched as they crumbled, turning into ash.
“That’s better,” Declan said.
“Did she really lick you?” I asked in a whisper as we moved closer together to take on our common enemy.
“Is that really important?” he asked, exasperated.
“Yeah.”
He didn’t offer an answer, I didn’t expect one. I saw it, she had.
With a roar—that surprised me—she grew in size, coming at us. We didn’t stand a chance, blown back into the trees again. Well, at least Declan was free and Logan was protected. I slammed down on a knee and fist.
Play time was over.
Running at her, I used my weight to move her … like an inch. Fucking hell. Pulling back, I ducked below her fist blow. If she used her speed, I’d be shit out of luck.
I blocked low, my forearms screaming from the assault. I was panting, trying to keep up with her speed. Too bad she was crazy. She would have made an excellent sparring partner.
In frustration, she head butted me and I saw stars, stumbling backwards. Declan chanted, trying something magical.
She laughed, snapping her fingers and suspending him in the air.
“I just got you free!” I yelled at him.
“I’m aware!” he yelled back, trying to use his magic to free himself.
She tackled me from behind, landing blow after blow against the back of my head. I covered the best I could against her assault, but I wasn’t doing anything to get her off, either.
“OLIVIA!” Logan screamed.
Nope, not getting out, buddy, I thought to him or maybe myself. Either way, I needed to stop being her punching bag.
I pulled my knees up under me. Pulling my arms from over my head, I slammed my right elbow back into her head. The punching stopped. Turning around, I saw her dazed look and pounced, landing punches into her side and kicks against her knees, annoyed that I couldn’t reach her face.
With that damn impressive roar, she picked me up by the back of my jacket, dangling me in front of her massive jaws and razor teeth.
She opened her mouth and I fought harder, no fucking way she was EATING me! Nope, not today, sister.
I reached back, touching her fingers that held me. I had killed this way before, I could do it again. Instead of pushing, I pulled. I consumed the energy I took from her, feeling it fill reserves I didn’t know I had, sating a hunger I had grown accustomed to. I took and took and took, until I had depleted her magic and moved on to her lifeforce. Down I pulled the sweet nectar, gorging on the feast.
“Stop, Olivia,” Declan whispered.
“Enough!” Logan yelled.
“Kill her, daughter!”
Well, that was enough to jerk me to stopping, even if it was delicious.
I didn’t feel my knees hit the ground. I sat back, breathing heavily. With an audible click, the chains released the captives, but no one moved, not even my mother. Declan fell silently and popped the bubble around Logan.
He came to me, arms outstretched. “Are you okay?” he whispered, gathering me close.
I nodded, burying my head in his shoulder, the raw sensation of being magically full new and uncomfortable.
Placing his hand on my cheek, he looked me over. “Your eyes, Olie.”
“Black?” I asked.
“Red,” Declan said, coming to stand behind Logan, his gaze worried. I closed my eyes and leaned into Logan’s warmth.
I felt the Ice Queen’s presence along my overworked nerves.
She looked down at her sister’s prone form. “She is close to death.”
“She’s alive,” I said. “Now send us home.”
…
We landed back in the same clearing where we had started, only with the entire pure bloodlines of succubi and incubi now dumped there with us.
Including my pregnant mother.
“Well, it’s about time I was allowed my throne here.”
I pointed at her. “You will NOT be getting a throne.”
She shrugged. “We will see about that.”
“No, we won’t. Because you are going to be Dad’s responsibility, and if you step out of line ONCE, I will end you!”
“I am your mother!” she said, shocked.
“And I am the daughter you sold into enslavement! The only reason you are still alive is that innocent life inside of you!”
> “Selena sought to breed an army from me! You have no idea what that feels like!”
“You are right! Because no one could breed anything from me, since I WAS that army!”
She had nothing to say to that, so I turned, looking at everyone else.
“Let’s go, I gotta figure out how to get everyone somewhere safe. And if you screw with anyone, force anyone to do anything against their will, or in any other way harm humans or Supernaturals, I will kill you quicker than you can blink. Clear?”
“You are letting us stay?” whispered a beautiful female in front with honey eyes.
“Yes. I am.”
A cheer went up. “I’m going to regret this,” I groaned.
…
Somewhere during the long trip home, my phone beeped at me. Checking the message, I swiped the screen aggressively when I saw Raphael’s name.
All is well. I have taken Eduardo’s position on the Council and will guide the vampires back to their moral compass. Mal says ‘hi.’
Fucker. I wondered if he knew how similar a vamp’s idea of “well” was to mine of “fucked up as all hell.”
Chapter 15
The succubi and incubi spread out across the country. Some stayed close to us in St. Ann, others went back to Oregon or elsewhere. I didn’t care, they knew the rules. So far, no one had made it onto my radar.
Declan looked over the unicorn settlement. “Amazing. I can’t believe they are back.”
“I can’t believe they are real,” I said with a laugh.
Tommy giggled, riding one of the mares, too fast in my opinion.
I shifted Ginny on my hip. “Be careful!” I called down.
“I’m fine, Olie!” he yelled back.
Logan laughed quietly. “The unicorns wouldn’t put him in danger.”
“They better not,” I agreed.
I cast a look over at Jerry and Mark, reclining on a picnic blanket where Genevieve wriggled, her little fists swinging around.
I caught Logan’s gaze and nodded to them. “Keep an eye on Tommy,” I warned.
“He’s fine, Olie.”
I grunted. I’d take it out of his hide if that wasn’t true.
Ginny was only too happy to squirm out of my arms and crawl over to Genevieve.
“Will you take it easy,” I told her, sitting her down and calming her mimic of Genevieve’s swinging hands.