by G. Bailey
“Fuck, princess...you beat me,” Leigha says as I offer her a hand up.
“Never thought you’d see the day?” I ask as I laugh a little and get my breath back. This is what training day and night for the past two weeks has done to me. I was close to beating her before, but I needed to do this.
“No, I knew it was in there, just needed a little push,” she chuckles.
“Yeah, there is pushing, and then there’s whipping my ass since we met,” I laugh out.
“Hey, I still let you eat chocolate,” she tells me.
“Only because I would have attempted to kill you if you stopped me,” I laugh, but it dies off as I look around the training room. There are so many of us training in here, and I spot Jaxson just as his wolf lands on another wolf. He lets the other wolf go and shifts back, completely naked and explains what the other wolf did wrong. I let my eyes run down his back, and his wolf mark on it.
“Wolves have literally no worries about nudity, do they?” Leigha asks, and I laugh.
“Not one little bit, but you should know that, you know with Harris,” I say, and she whacks my arm.
“We actually spend time, not naked, together,” she says with red cheeks.
“You love him?” I ask her, and she nods.
“I’m worried about losing him. The war is two days away,” she says, reminding me what I already know. It only took us a day to move in the halves and everyone else, but the amount of fights my mates and everyone had to break up was crazy. The people seemed to forget about winning the war to make enemies with the new race that moved in. It took a lot of work and arguments in council meetings to get everyone on board with the new plan. The other council members had mixed views on bringing halves into the meeting and giving them their rightful places, but no one had the guts to say anything after Jaxson punched one of them. They shouldn’t have said anything rude about halves in the first place, so I didn’t exactly disagree with Jaxson.
“I can’t tell you that you won’t lose him, but make the most of the time we have, while things aren’t certain,” I tell her gently, knowing that’s all I want to do. I want to spend time with my mates and the people I care about, but here I am in training.
“You should take your own advice, too,” Leigha says and nods towards Dabriel and Atti who are speaking to each other by the doors to the training room.
“Later, army brat,” I say, and she laughs as I walk off. Dabriel and Atti stop talking when I get close, and Atti pulls me into his side, kissing the top of my head.
“How’s training going?” he asks.
“I beat her, can you believe it? I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy to knock her on her ass,” I say, and Atti laughs.
“That angel is crazy,” I point out, watching as Chesca picks up two knives off the side and then throws them in the air, catching them perfectly. Unfortunately, she is wearing even less clothing than the first time I saw her. Now, there are just tight mini shorts and an even smaller black top.
“She kills the people she sleeps with, so no matter what she looks like, she is evil.”
“Chesca does what to her lovers?” I ask, because I’m sure I didn’t hear him right.
“She kills them,” Dabriel says.
“Why?” I ask as I look over at the dark angel with dyed-blonde hair. She is very beautiful, and a few guys are staring at her, you can’t blame them.
“I’ve heard it’s because she gets jealous,” Dabriel shrugs, and Chesca chooses that moment to look over at me. She winks.
“How do you know that about her?” I ask Dabriel.
“She was exiled from the angels after her trial five years ago. I remember it well because she was a half. The angels kept her as a baby, and the council raised her, not knowing for sure what she was but that her mother was angel. She killed two of her lovers, both angels and then tried to run away with her newborn son. The child was taken off her, and she killed another angel trying to get to the child, before she was forced to leave.”
“Why would they take the child off her?” Atti asks.
“She couldn’t be trusted with a child after her killing spree. The council said they had proof she had killed more than just the two we knew about. Her only excuse in the trial was that those men had used her for sex, and she didn’t want them to be with anyone else,” Dabriel answers.
“And the child? Is he here?” I ask.
“No idea,” Dabriel answers with a sad look. We both know how many angels died in the attack, so she could have very well lost her child. I watch as Chesca walks away into the castle and then look around at the army of training soldiers.
“How is the training going? How are the halves doing today?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.
“Training is going as well as can be expected at this point,” Dabriel answers.
“The halves are something to be admired. Their power is amazing, and I feel more confident than ever about winning the war,” Atti says, and nods his head over to the left. I follow his direction to see a man sitting on the ground with his hands in the dirt. All around him, three small trees are growing slowly from the ground.
“Good, but I’m going back to my room, want to join?” I ask. I would try to make my tone more seductive, but I know I’d end up just sounding weird. I also don’t know which one of them I’m even asking. I know they both won’t come with me, but I just want to be alone with them.
“Let’s all go,” Atti says, shocking me when Dabriel nods, placing his hand on Atti’s shoulder, and Atti uses his power to move us. I’m not surprised when I see it’s my bedroom, they don’t seem to use their own very often.
“Let us,” Atti says, leaning down and kissing me. I never thought much of the idea of being with more than one of them at a time, but as I feel Dabriel step behind me and start kissing the side of my neck, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea. Dabriel rips my shirt and training bra off, the ripped material falling to the floor as his hands slide between me and Atti to roll his finger around my nipples. I moan and break away from Atti’s kissing to lay my head back on Dabriel’s shoulder. Atti kisses down my chest and my stomach before he pulls my jogging pants down and my knickers with them. Atti doesn’t wait as he kisses my core and lifts one of my legs onto his shoulder. The mixture of Atti’s tongue and Dabriel’s kisses on my neck as his hands slide around my breasts, makes me lose control in seconds. Just before I’m about to finish, Atti stops and looks up at me with a grin.
“Not yet, we have only just started,” he says, and they both spend the rest of the day showing me that that was only the start of a long night of pleasure.
Eighty-Eight
Winter
“Elissa, this is the four men I told you about. The wolf, witch, angel, and vampire.” Demtra’s voice drifts through my mind, and it takes me a few tries to open my eyes and see the massive ballroom we are in where Elissa, the ancestors, and Demtra are all standing together. I recognise the ballroom as the training room now, but it once was amazing. The wall is a shiny gold that matches the glossy, gold floors. There are five crystal chandeliers, lit up with hundreds of candles, the light touching everywhere around the room which is heavily decorated in green flowers. There are hundreds of different supernaturals, dancing in unusual dress to the loud, unfamiliar music being played. The female supernaturals all have white and black Greek-style dresses on, and the men just have togas that cover their lower halves. Their marks are visible as they sway to the music, and I find myself admiring the different animals that are also in the room. There are three large, purple birds I’ve never seen before sitting on a branch by the window, and there are large cats, wolves, bears, and even a horse. The horse is pure white, and as I look closer, I see the horn in the middle of its head. Oh my god, it’s a unicorn. I can’t believe it.
“May I have a dance with the goddess’s sister?” the witch ancestor asks, getting my attention from the unicorn in the room, just in time to see Elissa as she blushes and nods. They walk off and star
t dancing as I stand and watch. I look over to see all the ancestors watching them, they loved her from the start. It’s clear to see in the way they look at her. Demtra walks slowly towards me, and stops so close, I almost imagine she can see me.
“War is coming, the past won’t help you now,” Demtra says, but her words aren’t for me, they are for the demon king who sits at a table behind me. I turn to see the demon king simply smile in a cruel way. Despite the fact he is in the vampire king’s body now, he has the same smirk and evil quality in his eyes. It’s his soul that screams evil more than anything else.
“The past always controls the future,” he replies.
“No, it doesn’t, and you won’t control her,” Demtra says, her voice calm despite her harsh words.
“Gods control all,” he sneers before walking away, and I close my eyes as I’m pulled back to sleep.
* * *
I blink my eyes open, remembering the dream and how it all started, how my grandmother fell in love with the ancestors, and they loved her. How the demon king was always around, always ruining what could have been special. I guess I should be thankful in a way that he did, because my mum would never have been born if the demon king and Elissa hadn’t been together all those years ago. But then, I have to die anyway, so it will all be for nothing. All this death, over many years, will be ended with my death.
“Such a serious face when you first wake up,” Dabriel whispers, and I turn my head to see him lying on the bed next to me. I place my hand on his warm, naked chest, tracing my finger around.
“Dreams and war have a way of making me serious,” I comment.
“Didn’t we help you forget that a little last night?” Atti asks, sliding his hands around my stomach from behind, and I feel how naked he is as he pulls me against him.
“Yes, but we have to plan today, make the hardest decisions for tomorrow,” I say, reminding them both of the meeting planned today. I have an idea to tell them, and half my mates are going to hate me for it.
“Then we best get up and be the royals we need to be,” Dabriel says and kisses my forehead.
* * *
“How are we going to get into the vampire castle and win a fight there?” Lucinda asks, through the noise of everyone trying to shout their ideas into the room. There are sixteen of us in here: the council we have made up to try and win this war. They are a mix of every race and the halves. To say they didn’t take it well when Chesca, Soobeen, and Mila walked into the room, despite me warning them this would happen, would be putting it lightly. There was a fight, and Chesca punched one of the witches, it just didn’t go well. Luckily, Atti stopped them, but as the shouting gets louder, I know another fight is not far away.
“Enough!” I shout, slamming my hand on the table, and I look down to see my hand glowing blue. I must be glowing like a Smurf again.
“I have an idea,” I say and stand up, walking to the whiteboard. I pick up a pen and start drawing while they silently watch me.
“So, you all know that demons can go through the demon ward around the vampire castle. It’s how I got out, and it’s how I will get in once more. I spoke with Milo, and he will take one person into the castle, and I believe I can pull one person through the ward as well,” I say.
“I will go to the vampire castle with Wyatt because he knows it best, and Jaxson because his wolf can smell demons nearby. The rest of the kings and people will stay and fight here,” I say, and my mates give me mixed looks of shock and anger.
“No way, Winter,” Atti says, his voice dripping with anger.
“I need to close the portal, only me. The demon king is not going to come here and fight. I don’t remember much from my time there, but he never left the castle for long because the portal is his weak point. With my crown on, I can fight him, push him in the portal, and close it. This is what I’m meant to do, and I need to,” I tell everyone in the room, and there’s silence for a long time as they think over my words. I know I don’t stand much chance of beating him, but I stand a chance of getting him through that portal, and that’s all that matters.
“He could kill you,” Dabriel points out.
“I want you all with me, but his demons are going to kill the people here. Our people,” I tell Dabriel, who tightens his jaw but nods. I look over to see Atti finally nod in agreement with me.
“We will take a hundred mixed supernaturals with us, just in case. They can wait outside the castle and, hopefully, kill the rest of the demons he will keep with him when the ward drops. Also, we might need to fight our way to the ward in the first place, if the demon king has any of his demons outside,” Jaxson says.
“It’s not a bad plan,” I comment, agreeing with him.
“Then I will be at your side,” Jaxson nods, but the slight glowing of his green eyes is telling me his wolf isn’t happy with everything.
“You know my answer,” Wyatt says, and I smile at him with relief. I look around the room.
“The Fray are bringing weapons and their army to fight for us, but we cannot trust them. I would suggest placing all the women and children into the castle basement. The rest of you spread out around the castle for the fight,” I say.
“We can plan for a war here, My Queen,” Lucifer says.
“Then we have our plans. There is a lot still to be done,” Soobeen says, and there’s agreements said around the room.
“Winter, you need to see this,” Freddy says, running into the room, holding his iPad.
“Freddy, what is it?” I ask, knowing he wouldn’t rush in here with just anything. He puts the iPad down on the table, and we all gather around it.
“The wall around Paris has fallen, and whatever happened in there, is not good. I’m fairly sure we are looking at a mass killing of thousands, with thousands still missing. Many were killed in their homes–” the news woman says as she is recorded speaking in front of what is left of Paris. They must be just inside the city, in the streets as some of the houses are on fire, and there are what look like bodies behind her on the street.
“We have a survivor,” a woman shouts out, and the camera shakes as they run over the road. A little girl about ten looks into the camera and then at the camera woman.
“Can you tell us who did this?” the woman asks, sliding her arm around the little girl.
“Magic people,” she says quietly, but I hear it.
“We are hearing many reports of wolves and witches. Things we only believed existed in fairy tales, but it seems they are real,” the camera woman says, and there is silence around the room.
“The government won’t hide this, us. This is a mass killing of one of their capitals. They will blame the supernaturals, and humans will hunt us for this,” Lucinda says, and I nod my agreement. I don’t need to say anything about the humans, as I listen to them rant on about the evil supernaturals. They will never see us as the good guys now.
“You had a witch that can listen for halves and then find them?” I ask Soobeen.
“Yes,” Soobeen answers.
“I want you to ask her to put a call out for any supernaturals, tell them that here is safe. When we win the war, we will get Atlantis back, and then we will have two safe havens for supernaturals. And the pack lands at some point,” I say, and she nods.
“Yes, My Queen.”
“Many supernaturals hide with humans, maybe they will be safe,” Atti comments.
“I hope so,” I say and look down at the iPad as video recordings of destroyed Paris appear.
Paris is gone.
Eighty-Nine
Winter
“Winter. Winter. Winter!” the child-like voice screams in my mind, sounding in pain and making me place my hands on my ears before I even open my eyes. The voice is still screaming as I take in the white, snow-filled field and the one tree in the field that sways in the breeze.
“So little time left, so much left to fight for,” Elissa’s kind voice says as she and Demtra walk towards me from behind the tree. Despite her
being quite far away, I can hear every word she says. They look like they always do, in white dresses, and when I look down, I see I’m wearing the same. If I dream-call them, why am I dressed like this?
“And it’s only you that can win this,” Demtra says, her bright eyes locking with mine, and I nod. I know it’s only me that can do this, I’ve known from the second I heard the prophecy. I have a feeling I’ve known I’m meant for something my whole life, but I wonder if everyone feels that way?
“When you need us, call us. The power is inside you,” my mother says, stepping out from behind the tree. Her words are spoken in my mind. I watch in silence as I look between them all, all three of them watching me as the snow gets heavier, and I struggle to keep my eyes open.
“I will win this for you all,” I say, my words lost in the cold wind.
“The prophecy was never for anyone other than you, Winter. Only you,” Elissa says, and everything turns to white as the snow causes me to close my eyes.
* * *
“We need the queen and all of you; the Fray leader is demanding to see the queen and kings,” Harris’s voice drifts over to me, and I sit up in the empty bed to see Jaxson holding the door open. It’s the war today, and when I pull Jaxson’s phone off the side to see if we slept in, it’s only five in the morning. I groan as I sit up in bed, pulling the sheets closer around myself.
“Fine. Tell the fairy we will be there soon,” Jaxson snaps. He is not a morning person, and neither of us got much sleep last night. Both of us are worried about today–the war. It’s finally here, and in some ways, I’m glad it is; it means I finally finish this. The prophecy leads us all up to this point, and I don’t regret a moment of it. I have my mates because of it, even if my death is the price I have to pay. I would pay it a thousand times for the short time I got with my mates.