by Erin R Flynn
I didn’t give him a chance to respond, spinning on my foot and kicking him in the head before sending him flying with a power clap. Then I used my barrier to bring him right back and shove the heel of my hand up into his nose.
He recovered from his shock and realized this was really how things were going to go. He reached out to strike me or at least grab me to stop my next attack, but crashed his hand into my barrier, snarling in pain. Neldor jumped away and threw up his own barrier, smirking at me as if to say we were at a stalemate then.
But I wasn’t nearly so quick to give up, even if I couldn’t get through. I thought the rune for electricity and focused the energy into whips like I had when I’d fought the Underground months ago. I lashed them out and cut slashes into his barrier, shredding it until it fell.
The shock on his face was priceless.
Sending him flying again and using the rune to break bones to take out his legs was even better. His eyes couldn’t hide how he never thought I’d go there.
He’d heal.
I reached through my barrier and punched him back down when he tried to sit up. Rage filled his eyes and he called on electricity, using my own trick against me.
Except his whips didn’t cut through my barrier.
Mine was stronger.
“Interesting,” I hummed, smirking at him. I didn’t linger on it, using the fairy rune to call vines to completely cover him and tie him down to the cold ground. I stepped on his healing leg until he gave a shout of pain and then placed my shoe on the middle of his chest. “As I said, you showed your hand last night.”
“I did as you asked to work as a team and—”
“You are not as shielded from me as you think, Neldor,” I busted, finally letting that cat out of the bag.
“Oh shit.”
“Yeah, ‘oh shit’ is right,” I purred, letting him know I heard that too. “Yes, you found Cluym because you thought it would give me the kick in the ass I needed after I’ve been so disheartened that I got you when I was promised fairies were awesome. But, you also want him because he’s a dark fairy and loyal to you. Very loyal to you, from your thoughts.
“And would influence Geiger to push me to your way of thinking. Cluym might have switched sides to help bring peace, but he was one of your faction tired of the queens fighting and believed it was time for a king to take over if the realms were to be combined. So you have another agenda, as you always do. You’re not acting in good faith. You’re trying to pull a fast one, and I’m not stupid enough to fall for it.
“You were also going to use this as an ace later and make sure everyone knew that I only wanted to free Cluym because it benefitted someone I cared about and I don’t value other fairies as I should. That I’ve been poisoned by the humans and not truly one of you and need to be guided, controlled, on how to handle this power and what to do going forward.
“And you planned to play the card that you gave me the choice I wanted so you got a choice next, as you think is fair. The ones you let me pick next would be carefully chosen, and I’m dense and flippant about the whole thing, so fucking abused and injured that I’m easily manipulated and would free everyone you wanted first to push your narrative.”
He opened his mouth to argue or defend himself, but I broke both of his arms, a loud cry of pain coming out instead.
I squatted down, my foot digging into his arm in a way I knew had to hurt. “You will get in line or you’re out on your own. You are a guest here, and I allowed you to stay because you promised to help. So this is the last talk we will have and you will cut your shit out, or I’ll order my pack to fucking burn you right now, and I won’t have to worry about anyone trying to take over anything.”
His eyes went bug wide and his thoughts raced with too much so fast, it was hard to keep up.
“Wait, Tamsin, that’s too—” Larson interjected.
“He is a threat to her and even more so now with what she learned,” Zack snapped. “You think it will get better once he’s got people at his back? Our job is protecting her. We’re on her side. Remember that!”
“I do. I am and—”
“Oh yeah? Really?” Ray challenged. “So why is he Prince Neldor and she’s Tamsin when you talk to them. Are your family dark fairies?”
“Yes,” I answered, already having figured that out. “And I don’t fucking care.” I nodded when Neldor’s thoughts raced on that. “I don’t care that you’re a dark fairy. That’s your biases and fights and bullshit that has done so much damage. You say ‘our people’ to pull at my heart strings, but they are. They are our people, light or dark. I don’t care. I know you can see it in my eyes. Fairies are fairies to me.”
“They are,” he whispered in awe, pain still lacing his tone. “I don’t understand that.”
I shrugged as I stood. “You don’t have to, Neldor. We weren’t raised the same. I’m starting to wonder if that wasn’t an accident after all.”
“What do you mean?” he demanded, frowning at me.
But I didn’t answer. I didn’t want to smear the legacy of Queen Meira that she would drop her daughter off with random humans to become no one only for me to end up tougher than I would have been if given to Geiger. I had no proof of that, and I’d said enough against her with what I knew.
I didn’t think I was wrong though. If she had the power of foresight, she had to know more about Neldor than he would think. She couldn’t have been blind to him wanting to take over if she knew to protect all fairies from his mother’s evil.
And if Geiger had raised me to be a perfect royal princess… Could I have stood up to Neldor as I needed to now? I really wasn’t sure.
“I want your word of honor as a fairy and royal that you will cease this plan immediately or I tell the dogs to burn you,” I told him instead.
He couldn’t hide his shock. “Just this one? Wait—which one?”
I sighed, breaking his legs again when I felt them healed. “You are not going to sow distrust and dissent. You will not lie to our people, Neldor. That is what you are swearing. I was not poisoned by humans. I do care about them all. You know this. You don’t agree with me on everything? Fine. But no more lies! No more fighting! We have bigger fucking problems so start fucking listening!”
“I agree,” Larson muttered. “You’ll get all of the fairies killed if they don’t listen to her, who has been living in this world while you have all been frozen. They have to trust her enough to at least value her wisdom on this as they won’t other supes. Fight about the rest and who rules later, but survive this part or you will get her killed.”
“And then you can’t take her over and own her, and Faerie won’t let you rule without an heir at your side,” White mocked.
Oh, that was interesting to know.
Even more interesting? I got the answer to Craftsman’s question from Neldor’s mind when the pain made him fuzzy.
And insight as to just how selfish the Prince of Darkness truly was.
Horror filled his gaze as he realized what I’d heard.
“You would paint me the selfish one that I would free Cluym because I only care about Geiger, but you would let them all stay frozen longer—not caring how much longer—if it means keeping me vulnerable to your getting me under your thumb? And yet, you know the truth that I would bleed for all of them, but I simply won’t kill myself again after what I got was you.”
My magic shattered several of his large core bones the way it did metal when upset without my even making the conscious decision, and I didn’t feel bad about it.
At.
All.
5
I was fairly impressed he didn’t pass out in pain, but before I could push him anymore, I heard several thoughts from the pack. “No, he didn’t lie to you. He didn’t hurt me and did help last night, so you can’t burn him for that.” I nodded when I caught more. “But yes, he is a threat to me and my safety. I can’t even argue that.”
“He did lie to me,” Zack growled.
/> I bobbed my head around. “Yes and no. Any kick in the ass and motivation is a form of manipulation.” I raised an eyebrow at Neldor, daring him to even try to deny it. “I think you’ve pushed everyone too far thinking you’re so much smarter. Maybe it’s time to swear what I want you to.”
“Just that?” he checked, ignoring when others growled.
“No, that you’re done fucking with her and you won’t try to—” Lucca interjected.
I shot out a barrier at him without even breaking my staring competition with Neldor. “I’ll get to you, bear. You don’t fucking answer for me.” I nodded at Neldor. “Yes, only that, as I’m fair. I’m asking you to swear to me you will play fair and put our people first—our survival first, and stop with this sort of shit. We’ll handle the rest later, but I’m not going to threaten your life that you stop being an asshole.”
Which was more than he would do if the positions were flipped.
Well, probably. I hoped he had more integrity than that.
Mostly likely. He seemed steamed when he saw the accusations in my gaze.
“I swear it,” he bit out. “You have my true and heartfelt vow.”
I stepped off of him. “Good. I’m glad to—”
“Which is easy for me to give as I hadn’t decided for sure yet,” he continued. “Those were thoughts. Ideas. Possibilities.”
I let it go. He wasn’t wrong but… I understood a lot more context than he was giving me credit for. They were pretty firm ideas and thoughts, not simply passing ones.
“Julian, I need you a moment,” I said instead of addressing what he was saying.
“No,” Neldor snarled, trying to get up even if there was no chance yet. His magic flared with healing, but he couldn’t do it fast enough.
“What’s up, love?” Craftsman asked as he moved next to me.
I took his hand in mine and opened my mind to him, showing him the fairy rune he’d wanted to use before. “Try it. Use it on him. However you piggyback on my magic and tap into me or whatever.”
He was confused but didn’t ask, taking the chance I would open up to him even for something so simple. He was thrilled I had asked for him, wanted him near me for anything or any reason.
Craftsman linked our fingers and raised our hands to his lips so he kissed my skin before doing as I wanted. I felt his magic surround mine and then they mingled together. It was incredibly intimate, as if our souls were brushing up against each other like our bodies did when we used to make love. I was that naked and open to him.
And him to me as I was flooded with everything he was feeling.
He turned me so my back was against his chest, our hands still linked but his arm around me protectively as we faced Neldor. He focused on the dark fairy and without even having to write the rune, used it to restrain the prince all over again.
“What is this?” Craftsman whispered, his voice shaking.
“How a fairy confirms if a warlock or witch is truly their mate, not simply an ally who can piggyback their magic if they allow it,” I explained, knowing I was giving away secrets. “Which means I can also allow White the ability to piggyback me as well as she’s an ally.” I glanced at Chief. “Tell the other packs. White is a daughter of a fairy and my elder and will be treated as such, allowed into the fold.”
The pack agreed given she’d proven herself time and again that she would put me first and was fighting for what she should.
“It also means you can guide me to push harder and unlock what’s holding me back faster,” I added. “Which was what Neldor wasn’t going to tell us because he didn’t want to risk you were truly my mate and it would unlock more of my potential—our potential—when he was fairly certain I was already more powerful than him.”
White snorted. “We already knew that if you could unfreeze fairies and he couldn’t. Your raw power is more than his in just over a year of being unlocked. You will destroy his by leaps in bounds in no time if you keep working as you have.”
“Yes, yes I will, and he knew if Craftsman was truly my mate and we could work together in this way, it would be more than he could try to put the stopper back on.” I turned away from Neldor and met Craftsman’s gorgeous eyes.
He leaned in and kissed my nose, not making me say it. “This changes nothing for you, and you haven’t forgiven me. I understand. I’ll still help as I want to save your people too, love. I told you I’m all in and I meant it. I was never with you for your magic. This probably won’t help you think that, but—”
“No, I can feel your grief in learning this can help your power and magic, but also might cost you any chance of getting me back,” I whispered, gasping as I saw something flare around him. “What am I seeing?”
He blinked at me. “Colors?” He smiled when I nodded. “Apparently I share with you too, love. You’re seeing my gift with auras and unlike when you hear things—”
“Auras can’t lie,” Larson muttered. “You can mute them or turn them off—as you do—but they cannot lie. What you see in his aura is real.”
I studied it and realized who I trusted most to tell me the answers. “Izzy, help me?”
“Always.” She waited for me to tell her what I was seeing, both of us knowing she would see some of it too as she had a knack for it. “Most of that is love and joy, probably that you’re mates, but that coloring on the outsides is fear. He’s scared how you’ll react to what you’ve learned or maybe how Neldor will behave now that you have a mate with magic who can help you get stronger and thwart his plan.”
“Both,” Craftsman confirmed. “Well done, Izzy.”
“Thanks.”
“We can talk more later,” Craftsman murmured when I opened my mouth. “Privately. Right now, I think you have an Alpha bear you were going to put in his place.”
I sighed. Heavily. I nodded and let go of him, feeling our magic disentangle, but still closer to him, tingling from the experience almost. It was like how the comfort of a hug could follow me long after the action took place.
It made sense in my head.
“Keep your word,” I warned Neldor. “And any other talks you want to have in the future will go like this. I don’t give a shit you’re a prince any more than you give a shit I’m the heir and who Faerie will truly recognize. You’ve not shown me one ounce of respect besides to placate me. The feeling is mutual. Don’t test my patience again if you want to keep breathing.”
I didn’t wait for his response, focused on the seriously pissed off bear shifter I had contained in a barrier.
“Force him to shift. Take that away from him,” Zack said in my head. “The moment my mate did, my wolf shut the fuck up about being boss. Well, as much. You don’t have time for the subtle or gentle like she was with me.”
“No, no you don’t,” Ray agreed.
I nodded that I heard them both, except had no clue how to do that.
But my magic did.
“Shift,” I ordered, the magic of my barrier giving Lucca a jolt of something that didn’t seem pleasant and moments later, he changed into his bear. And it did not look fun.
Yikes.
“You are not the boss here,” I told the bear firmly. “I trust Lucca that we’re truly mates, but you need to get your fucking head out of your ass that you’re Alpha and boss of me and our relationship.”
The bear did not like that and was also pissed I was nicer to Hudson’s dragon than I was to him. That was actually fair and I acknowledged it, which gave him pause.
“I know Hudson’s dragon better,” I defended. “We played during our runs but because of your damn human, I thought you were someone else. It traumatized me. That’s not your fault, but I need to get to know you again. So far, all you’re doing is being a dick Alpha and being disloyal to me. I’m done with that if you want to keep me as your mate.”
That confused and pissed him off more because mates couldn’t leave each other and it was forever. I reminded him we weren’t mated yet. We hadn’t sealed the deal and I wouldn
’t for a while, certainly not if he kept acting like he was.
When he got pissed and bitched at me in his jumbled thoughts, I lost what little patience I had. I used a wind rune to throw him up in a tornado, catching him in a barrier at the last moment so he didn’t hit the ground and splat in a way I didn’t think he could recover from. Next, I bounced him around in the barrier for a good five minutes before taking it down.
Then I attacked. I used some magic with my strikes and took on the bear without any fear, knowing I could more than best him. He could feel I was so certain and that finally gave him pause instead of getting pissed I was challenging him.
I knocked him down again and again, the bear not giving up or quitting. Zack and Ray were equal parts annoyed and impressed Lucca could keep going and was so stubborn. The guy had said he wasn’t the typical pain in the ass Alpha bear.
This was a chill Alpha bear? Or maybe it was because we were having issues and not secure?
Fuck if I knew.
They gave me suggestions of what else worked with them and I did all of it. Finally, Lucca and his bear had nothing left but fire that they didn’t want to give up.
And I still had one play left. I smirked down at the bear and showed him I wasn’t winded or had so much as a scratch on me. I whistled for Chief, noting how Lucca’s bear was smart enough to fear a fae dog.
“Show him your fire but don’t burn him,” I ordered Chief. The bear had never seen it for real, felt it near him.
To say the reality of it was even more terrifying to the bear was an understatement. Chief felt it too and let the flames die out, coming over by me and sitting obediently at my feet.
“You fear him and he is mine,” I explained to the bear. “He shows me his belly and is sworn to me.”
Chief flopped onto his back and showed Lucca just to make it extra clear. I squatted down and rubbed Chief’s stomach, giving my dog lots of love.
“He’s Alpha of his pack of fae dogs, much stronger than a bear shifter, even an Alpha bear shifter like you. And they all submit to me because I’m stronger and their boss. Why are you being mean to your mate and starting this trouble? Do you not want me as a mate? Are you trying to drive me away? That’s what it seems like to me.”