by G. Bailey
"Where is he, so I can thank him?" I ask.
"With Wyatt at the castle. A few vampires were attacked last night by demons in the next town. They just walked into the bar and went straight for them. The humans ran away, and there were only ten demons, but everyone has been called to the castle. Dabriel needs to heal them. They lost five vampires. Only three survived and just barely. They said the demons were too strong," Jaxson says, and I know why I feel so worried and sad. I'm picking up on Wyatt’s emotions even from this distance away.
"Oh no," I say quietly.
"You need to eat and get ready; I'm here to be a snack. I’m the only one you haven't fed on, and you need any help you can get in the fight," Atti says.
Jaxson stands. "I’ll get you some normal food, too. Have fun," he smirks at my shocked face and walks out.
"You sure?" I ask as I look at Atti, and he laughs. Atti pulls me onto his lap and turns his head to the side.
"Are you kidding me? I've been fucking waiting for this for months," he says, and I laugh. My laughter drifts off as I smell him. He smells so sweet, and I'm powerless to stop myself as I bite into his neck. He tastes better than anything I could think of, and he groans, pulling me closer with every second. I moan when Atti's hand slides down my stomach and even lower to my core, as I feed on him. The pressure is crazy, and I let him take me over the edge as he slowly moves his hand against me. When I stop and pull away, he removes his hand and smiles at me. I wipe the little bit of blood off my lips as he watches. It used to freak me out, drinking blood, but it doesn’t anymore.
"Winter, all I want to do is lie you down and make love to you," he says, making me turn bright red. I’m such a dork.
"I want that too, I feel incomplete without you," I tell him honestly.
"Soon," he whispers and kisses me.
We eventually leave the bedroom, and I shower. I find my leather outfit and my daggers folded up with a chocolate bar on top of them. That has Alex all over it, and it makes me smile. I decide to plait my hair into the same bun as last time.
When I'm all dressed, I come down the stairs and nearly walk into Jaxson’s back when I see Esta by the door.
"What the bloody hell is she doing here?" I ask a little harshly. Esta is dressed to fight, wearing tight black leggings and a short leather top that looks like it’s trying to replace her skin. There are guns strapped to her arms and thighs. She also has a large, silver sword on her back. Jaxson told me that a lot of supernaturals don’t use guns because the bullets are so small and only a tiny amount of silver. The only good thing is that if you fire enough, it will slow them down and give you time to make a final kill with a sword or something else. Esta doesn't bother looking at me as she speaks.
"I may not like you, my queen, but I have amends to make. Anna is a sister to me and begged me to help you. Katy is too young and Lucinda too old, so here I am; I have the power to move extremely fast, so fast you can’t see me. I will help you in the fight, for Anna, but I can’t shift. I can’t move as fast as a wolf, and it’s useless to you anyway," she says, and I turn to look at Jaxson.
"If I could help you I would," he says quickly, and hands me a plate with a sandwich on it. I eat it quickly.
"I don’t know, you are a big enough girl to maybe trick the queen into letting you fight," Atti says, and Jaxson turns to glare at him.
"Fucking asshole," Jaxson says, and Atti laughs.
"You have us confused, bro," he says, and I snort a little in laughter. Atti isn’t wrong.
Leigha comes into the room, dressed like a leather-loving, warrior princess. Two swords on her back and a load of daggers all over her outfit.
It's a wonder how she doesn't manage to stab herself when she sits down or, hell, just moves.
I would.
"Time to leave," she says, and I look over at Atti. It’s time to win this for him.
Sixty-Eight
Winter
Leigha and Esta are standing on either sides of me as we face the empty queen’s stand. When we first got here, the crowds of witches were going crazy, screaming my name and Taliana's into the slightly cold air. I glance up just as a few snowflakes fall from the sky.
It’s been a long time with us just standing here waiting. Leigha is tapping her foot, and my guys are sending me worried glances. The large, metal gate slowly opens, creaking as it does.
The queen walks out like she hasn’t got a care in the world. She is dressed in a long, black dress; it sticks to her small body as she moves and has two massive slits on the side. I guess it’s for easy movement. The main difference is that she has the black crown on her head. I haven’t seen it since the first day, and its power calls to me. Taliana looks paler than she usually does. I wonder why she doesn’t wear the crown all the time. It’s so powerful–like Jaxson’s and the vampire king’s that I’ve seen. The two witches I usually see with her are at her side, walking close to her under their large cloaks. I haven’t discussed it with the guys, but I knew she would fight me. Dabriel couldn’t have seen anything, as he would have told the others or me. The guys wouldn’t want me fighting her, but this is personal for her. She wants Atti. I’m the only thing in her way of taking Atti and the throne. She will get everything she has ever wanted, and I bet she doesn’t want to risk me winning this fight. Taliana stops around five feet in front us, the two witches at her sides undo their cloaks and let them all fall to the ground. I guess it’s three against three. At least the odds are fair.
"Let the best queen win," Taliana says, and she flashes straight in front of me. She throws a punch straight into my face, but I’m trained enough to duck. Thank god for my power as a blue wave slams out of me and straight into her. I watch her fly across the stadium and hit the wall hard by the gate.
No one is taking Atti from me.
My hands glow blue as I walk towards her, she stands up and flashes again, this time I don't see her as she appears at my side and slams a kick into my stomach. I fly across the arena and hit my side as I land on the dusty ground.
Air leaves my chest as she raises her hand, and a cold wave of wind pushes into me. I roll onto the ground, dust getting into my mouth and mixing with my blood. I hear a loud scream and turn to see Leigha just as she kills the light witch by shoving a dagger into her throat. I stand up a little shakily as my eyes meet Leigha’s, and she drops the witch’s body and runs towards me.
"No!" the queen screams in anger and flashes to me again, this time behind me, her hand slides over my mouth as her arm holds me tightly. I feel like I’m drowning, water filling my lungs.
“Winter,” Atti shouts in my head, seconds before Taliana’s hand is removed, and I fall to the ground. I cough up the water after falling to my knees. I turn to see Leigha fighting with the queen, both of them just as good as the other, as they throw hit after hit.
“Bye, wolfy,” I hear near me and snap my head over to see Esta fall to the ground, her stomach ripped open and blood everywhere. Her eyes meet mine, and I know she can’t heal from this. An uncontrollable anger fills me when I see the witch standing over her. The dark witch turns to me with a smirk and raises her arms. I pull a dagger out of my belt and rush over. The witch cracks the earth I’m running on, and I see her dark grey eyes glowing. Unfortunately for her, I just jump over the crack and kick her chest as hard as I can as I land. She falls backwards onto the ground. I follow, not feeling my feet on the ground as I walk slowly to her, seeing only my revenge. The fear in her eyes is clear as she watches me.
“My pack,” I say, my voice louder than before, and it echoes around the silent arena. I don’t think about the witch who pleads for her life as I slam my dagger into her heart. I watch the life leave her eyes before I turn and run to Esta. I pull her head into my lap, and she gazes up at me, blood is pouring out of her mouth. I can hear Leigha fighting with Taliana in the background. I have to give Esta these last moments; no one deserves to die alone.
“Ask the goddess to forgive me,” she coughs out. I barely
understand her words.
“Why?” I say quietly to her.
“It was me; I killed Fergus and let the vampires in. I wanted them to kill you, and then I would have Jaxson as my mate. I love him,” she says. I watch in shock as she dies in my arms. I’m not sure I know how to give her the forgiveness she wanted now that she is dead. Her blood feels warm against my hands as I hold her, and yet, she feels empty. Anna would hate her for this.
“I forgive you, and your life was payment for that mistake,” I say, and look up to catch Jaxson’s eyes across the arena. I know he heard every word by the angry look he’s giving me. I don’t think he’s angry with me, but with Esta. I can’t believe she did it. I let her body fall gently to the ground and glance over at Leigha as she fights Taliana. I’ve had enough.
I’m covered in blood as I walk over to both of them, my hands glowing, and my power rising. Taliana gets the best of Leigha when she sends a blast of wind at her. Leigha flies across the arena. Taliana flashes to me. Just when she reappears in front of me, I pull for my power. It comes out in a wave as she grabs my arm, this time we both go flying together. She slams into the wall, my body driving hers further into the wall, as her grip on my arm loosens enough for me to pull away.
I wipe the blood off my lip, standing at the same time she does. She smirks before throwing a stream of fire at me. With no time to save myself, and being so close to her, the blue fire consumes me.
"No!" I hear Atti scream in my mind. The ground shakes, and I have no doubt that it’s Jaxson’s power. The fire doesn’t hurt my skin; in fact, it feels good.
I walk forward, my clothes burning away as I pull the dagger out of my belt and hold it at my side. The handle is burning hot but doesn’t hurt anymore. This must be what I got from Atti. I can’t see the queen, but I don’t need to. I know she’s close to me, I can see her hand. I throw the dagger, and the fire disappears.
The crowd is silent as they watch their dark queen hold a hand over the dagger in her heart.
Taliana dies, my silver eyes reflecting back at me in her own dark ones, and the crown rolls off her head as she falls. I look at her dead body, feeling a little sadness. I didn’t want to have to kill her, but there wasn’t much choice. When did I become this person that just killed two people and didn’t feel anything doing it?
I glance over as Atti appears next to me, he wraps his cloak around my naked body, which I’m suddenly very grateful for. I don’t know how I forgot I’m naked. Bloody hell, Alex is going to love this story if I don’t tell her the whole part about me nearly getting killed. I glance at Atti, knowing I would do anything for him. I would do anything for any of my men. I reach down and pick the crown up, feeling its power rush over me. That’s why Taliana was so powerful; it’s the crown.
Atti keeps his hand on my back as I turn in his arms; I lift the crown with both my glowing blue hands.
"My king," I say loudly, and the witches cheer, their support almost deafening through the shouts in our minds and the sound of their clapping hands.
Atti lowers his head, and I put the crown on top. He straightens up and winks at me.
King Atticus Lynx of the witches has finally taken his rightful place.
Sixty-Nine
Atticus
"Does it feel weird to be king?" Winter asks as we sit in the high council rooms together. The council rooms take over the entire bottom floor of the castle; it's where all witches can come to have their grievances heard and where we enforce our laws. Our laws are not that different from human ones, and witches rarely break them. The room we are sitting in now has a long, gold table; our seats are in the middle. The rest of the council sits on our sides, four light witches and four dark witches. The room is split like that also, with half the walls white and the other half black. The floor is the same with a gold line in the middle leading up to our seats. The witches have always been divided, but things are changing. I’ll make them. Mags and Jewels were happy to get back to the castle; it’s much bigger for them, and they like the massive waterfall in the royal garden. They drink out of it like it’s their personal water bowl; it used to drive my mother crazy. The council all stare at us with worry and fear. They all rushed to put together a meeting the second Winter put the crown on my head. The power from the crown floats through me, making me feel like I can do anything with it on my head. It’s fucking strong.
What Winter did was crazy, powerful, and a sign of who she really is. I glance down at her as she watches me for a response; she is so lovely. Winter is dressed like a queen today, thanks to her friend’s help. She has on a long, white dress, which tightens in the middle and flares out at her sexy hips. Her long, dark-brown hair is straight with just the top part up in some plaits. I know she doesn’t even realise it, but she is something else to look at. Every time she walks into a room, she demands attention with her beauty and strength. No matter what happens from today on, she will always be known as a powerful woman. But the prophecy is still bugging me, there’s a lot in it that makes little sense.
When I saw her being covered in fire by Taliana, my fucking mind exploded. I tried to flash to her, but Taliana had cast a watertight ward around the arena, and she had two witches keeping it up. I knocked them both out with Jaxson’s help and then blasted the ward, but I only got through once Winter had killed Taliana. She must have gotten the power of immunity to fire from me. It’s actually a power I have; most witches do. Winter hasn’t said much about killing two witches today, she just told me she was okay. I hope the guilt doesn’t get to her, but if it does, I'll be at her side. I love her.
"Yes, very weird. I know what my mother warned me about now. The power boost from the crown is strange and a little overwhelming. We need to get you a crown now," I say.
She looks away. "I have one, but I can't, not yet Atti," she says. I get how nervous she is. Putting on this crown is accepting my destiny, which I’m meant to be. I never really thought I’d have to take the throne for many years, my mother’s death was not expected. I look around at the familiar faces of the council, the ones who stood at my mother’s side for years. It hurts that she isn’t at my side to guide me; I’m fucking clueless, but I’m going to do my best for her memory. For Winter.
"In time," I whisper and lift her hand. Her sparkling, blue eyes lock with mine as I kiss the back of her hand.
"My King and Queen. I wish to thank you for my place on the high council."
The words come from the first male on the witch council in hundreds of years. One of the queen’s friends had been a council member, so there was a space when Winter killed her, and I think we need this change.
"It was the right choice," I say, and he lowers his head.
"In fact, I want to show my queen the castle, so goodbye," I say and hold onto Winter's arm as I move us before they say anything. Winter and I have been stuck in meeting after meeting following the fight. The city was out of control, with the dark witches not wanting me on the throne. They are currently locked up until they calm down. Taliana’s parents were devastated, which I understand, but I did not condone their decision to try to burn the castle down. Thank god, I was close enough to pull water from the waterfall in the garden and flood that part of the castle. No one was hurt, but I had to lock her parents up. The council believes that they will calm down when things settle down. What we didn’t know is how the city has been attacked by demons in the last few weeks. Only groups of ten or so, but they are killing and walking through wards like they aren’t there. Thirty witches have been killed in the last two weeks. We have some serious problems, and I’ve called the witch guard to come here in the morning. The witch guard is a hundred witches who protect our city, and I want to know how they let the demons in. Not one of the witches who died was in the guard. It shouldn’t be that way.
"This is my room, well, the one I stay in when I have to be here," I say as we appear in the lounge of the rooms I have. It overlooks the whole city from where we stand; it’s similar to the rooms my mother h
ad. They’re gone; Taliana destroyed them all. I wish she were alive, so I could fucking kill her again.
"Wow, what a view," Winter says, moving away from me and standing close to the window. She turns her head to look back at me, a small smile on her sweet lips. Winter doesn’t even know what she does to me.
"It is," I say, looking only at her. She seems to realise this as she smirks at me.
"I'm surprised you didn't show me your bedroom first," she says with a little wink.
"That’s next," I laugh as I walk over to her and take her head into my hands, and I kiss her. Winter tastes like every sweet you wanted as a child but couldn't have. I move us to my bedroom and rip her clothes off as she pulls my belt open.
I've waited too long for this, for her, and I know she feels the same way.
I love her so much, and I want her to be mine.
When our clothes are gone, I explore every part of her sweet little body with my lips and hands. Loving the little moans she does, and the way she wriggles when I do certain things. I kiss up her soft stomach until we are perfectly aligned.
"I love you, Atti," she whispers as I fill her, and she arches her back. Every part of me demands for my magic to mark her as mine, and I don't hold back as I move inside her, she feels too good. I pull out and roll her onto her knees before entering her again. She seems to understand, or my magic is already affecting her.
She moans as I pick up my pace, and when I know she’s close, I rest my hands on her back and push my magic into her. The magic I’ve never let out, but have always known, blasts around the room as we both scream out each other’s names in pleasure. The mating magic is designed for just one person, and I have always known it, in the back of my mind. It’s meant to guide us to who we are meant to be with. Mine always knew it was Winter.
When I can finally open my eyes, Winter is lying on her stomach, her head tilted to look at me with a happy smile. I glance at her back and grin at what I see.