“Now’s the time to unleash all your power,” Austin said.
“I’ll be weak afterwards.”
His electric blue eyes met mine. “I’ll protect you.”
I didn’t hear as much as I felt the truth in his words from our bond. I gave a quick shout to my army, “Stay behind me.”
I let my power simmer before letting it boil. Extending my arms towards the thousands of demons, I forced their greatest fears to play out in their minds. This had them stopping in their tracks. I was tired of fighting. I needed to end this sooner rather than later. I let my wisps snake to the outsides of the level. The black smoke uncurled from me as it hung to the edges of the plane. The demons were in my snare. I continued to bombard them with visions of pain. I closed my eyes, and as a steady burst of power flowed out of me like a volcanic rush, I tilted my head back and screamed. My army became deadly quiet as everyone turned to watch the power uncurling from me. Energy streamed from me in intense waves, even as my knees hit the ground. My face was drenched with sweat. I dug from my core and with one last push, I sent out a wave that had my thick braid flying in the air. I opened my eyes to find the fire demons lying on the marble floor, dead. Their eyes were open and unblinking. I had killed them. I slowly made my way up to my feet, as everyone stared at me in shock. I had figured out the third way to kill a demon. To crush their soul.
Demons who hadn’t rushed into level twelve when the battle was raging came walking in slowly. I had a feeling they were late to the game because they didn’t want to fight. They took a second to take in the scene before they decided to kneel. I made my way to my uncle’s body. I had a moment of deja vu as I took the crown off his detached head. I dusted it off before I placed it where it belonged. It sat crooked on my brow. I realized what it took and what it truly meant to be queen. The burden was so heavy I didn’t feel triumphant over this battle. I felt tired.
I cleared my throat and shouted above the fighting, “It is finished.”
We had zero casualties, although some of our group had injuries. Thanks to their fast healing, though, they should be back to normal after some rest.
A witch doctored Dansby, making cooing sounds. I smiled as Austin clapped him on the back.
I walked over to the two. “So you are the infamous Dansby?”
He shyly looked up at me. “I am. This is not how I wanted to meet Austin’s mate.”
Austin’s brows drew together. “How did you know Carmen was my mate?”
Dansby groaned. “That old woman, Ariana, came and woke me up at my house.” His brown hair fell into his eyes. He quickly shoved a hand though his hair. “She said that Carmen was your mate. She also said that if the both of your powers didn’t align, Carmen would be dead within a couple of months, and you would be dead within a year. Then she told me I could be of help. I asked her how, and the rest is history.”
I stared in horror at his right hand with the missing pinky and the bruises covering his body. At first glance Dansby didn’t look very strong in fact he looked weak, but in reality he was a warrior at heart.
Austin shook his head. “I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that to save me, but I will be forever grateful that you saved my mate.”
I knelt down in front of him. “Yes, Dansby, thank you for all that you have sacrificed.”
He gave me a cheeky smile. “No worries. Ariana was completely up front, and she did tell me that in your new army there was a shy, but cute, girl named Tiff that could regenerate my finger for me. She said it would take her multiple tries, but eventually she’d figure it out. Besides I can say I had a hand in not only bringing you two lovebirds together, but in securing the key.”
I rolled my eyes at Austin. “A key that Ariana turned over to the witches. That’s how those low-level witches got the key in the first place.”
Austin said, “Really?” the same time that Dansby said, “Semantics.”
We all laughed. I stood up and excused myself to give them a little time to talk. I made the rounds and spoke with every single person that was in my army, congratulating them on a job well done. For the first time in my life, a sense of peace washed over me. Everything might not be perfect, but it was pretty dang close. Crooked crown and all.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
An hour later and everyone’s adrenaline was still pumping. They reenacted the fight but this time with laughter instead of fear. After talking amongst the demons in our group, I decided to put Thane in charge of the underworld. Anyone who wanted to stay could. Even though the witches offered to make potions to hide the fire demons’ true identity, the fire demons felt more at ease in the underworld. Thane would be in charge of a good chunk of fire, smoke, and shadow demons. I would check in with him bi-weekly, just to make sure everything was still running smoothly.
Austin had made a couple of quick phone calls and had rented out some houses for the witches, wolves, and other supernaturals close to downtown Charleston. The witches were jumping up and down. They acted as if they were moving into a sorority house. Poor downtown Charleston would never be the same again. We went over the rules once more, and then we sent everyone on their way.
Tally flew in, halting when he took in the carnage. “Whoa. Looks like you were busy.” At my nod, he said, “Ariana was nowhere to be found.”
“Oh well. Looks like we didn’t need her input, anyhow.”
His eyes narrowed in speculation. “You didn’t need her advice, did you? You just didn’t want me here.”
I knew he was about to start yelling at me, so calmly I said, “Tally if you would—”
His tiny hands squeezed my face, stopping me from talking. “You love me. That’s why you sent me away because you were scared you would lose me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe.”
He laughed before he kissed my cheek. “I love you, too.” Before I could flick him, he flew out of range. “It’s okay. I know your true feelings.”
I groaned. “Go away.”
“Speaking of away, would you mind if I helped Whitney move into her new place? I stopped to talk to her on the way in. You see she had a thing for Steve, the sensitive, yet slightly intimidating werewolf, but then he dumped her for Bethany, and she hasn’t been handling the break-up very well.”
I tried to hide my smile. “Absolutely. In fact you might want to travel around to each group to make sure they are settling well.”
He gave a fierce nod. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. Some of the witches and wolves are really young. They might need someone to talk to.”
“And who’d be a better listener than you?”
“Plus, it’ll give you some alone time to maybe go on a honeymoon? Hey, did you know all the witches were out there by the exit gossiping about how hot it was that you and Austin pulled from each other’s power?”
“Yeah, it was cool.”
“Officially mated, huh?” Embarrassment flooded me. “I’m proud of you, kiddo.”
That was the first time I ever remembered hearing those words. “Thank you, friend.”
He saluted me. “I’ll check back in with you.”
I didn’t like the fact that he wouldn’t see me every day, but I was glad he’d be helping others. Besides, it wasn’t like he’d disappear from my life. He had found himself a full-time job amongst my army, and as long as Tally felt like he was useful, I had a feeling he’d hang around.
Austin came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. “You ready?”
“For what?” I asked.
“I have a surprise for you.”
I looked around for Dansby; the last time I’d seen him he was laughing with a busty redhead.
“Where’s your friend?”
“We found Tiff, and she has convinced him to come with her to whatever house she was assigned. She’s actually really excited to be working on some spell to regenerate Dansby’s finger. He was so nervous when she talked about an accident she had with a toad, but he couldn’t get out of her snare. His
feet were dragging, but she acted like she didn’t notice as she pulled him along.”
“Poor Dansby.”
“Poor me. I’m ready to go.”
“But look at this place.” We both gazed at all of the fallen demons and the blood coating everything. I grimaced, as I stepped on something squishy. “We can’t leave like this.”
“Oh, I’m already way ahead of you.” Austin whistled and at least fifty tiny shadow demons rushed towards us. All of them were hopping up and down, causing me to smile.
“Majesty, Majesty, we clean up mess, yes?”
“If you’re sure?” At their nod, I grinned. “Thank you.”
They all cheered with glee as they went about cleaning up the dead bodies. Like tiny ants, they started to carry the fallen demons.
I shook my head in amazement. “Oh, before I forget, the key—”
“It’s in my pocket.”
“Yes, well, how easy would it be for you to put half the key back in the enchanted maze? Make everything exactly the way it was minus the elite guard?”
“It’s doable. And what would we do with the other half?”
“I’ll put it somewhere safe. Maybe under my pillow.” I gave him a wink. “I mean, who would want to wake a demon?”
Austin laughed as he gathered me in an embrace. “I love you.”
My face burned, as I felt something whoosh inside of me, constant and steady. This was the second time he had thrown around the L-word, and it made my heartbeat erratic. The worst part was because of our connection, he knew it, too.
Cheers erupted around us. I tried to pull back from him. I felt like I had gotten caught with my hand in the cookie jar.
Austin twirled me around before he teleported me. I had no clue where we were going and it didn’t matter. I was free and in love; what more could I ask for?
Chapter Thirty
The white beach house sat on almost an acre of land. A long dock stretched from the backyard to the ocean. Seagulls flew above us as the wind blew the seagrass.
“It’s yours, ours, if you want it. Do you like it?”
“The house is ours?”
He nodded, and I flung myself into his arms. “Oh, I love it. Where are we? Not that it matters, but I feel like I should know the name of the place I call home.”
“Isle of Palms. It neighbors Sullivan’s Island, the entrance to Charleston Harbor. We’re right on the beach, and the queen is close to her subordinates.” He said the last part with a wink.
“I love it. It’s perfect.”
He swooped me into his arms as carried me over the threshold. “I can tell you love me.” At my disgruntled look, he laughed. “You don’t have to say it, mate, I can feel it. But what I really want to know is, do you trust me?”
I had never trusted anyone before, but I really thought about his words. If you genuinely cared for someone, then without love, there could be no trust, and no trust without love.
“Yes,” I said, as he sat me on our new kitchen countertop. I wanted to take a look at our magnificent house, but whatever he was about to say, I knew it was important I gave him all of my attention.
“My mother knew that her time was limited. You see, she was best friends with Jo’s mom, who also saw the future, and she had told my mom that her time here on earth would be short-lived, so my mom wrote my sister and I a letter. I had mine tattooed onto my back. At the time, I didn’t exactly know what my mother was talking about. I just wanted a piece of her with me, but now it all makes sense. Her words are for us.”
He slowly took off his T-shirt and turned around, letting me look at the ink. I ran a hand lovingly over the words, as tears gathered in my eyes. My voice shook as I read out loud, “The queen of your heart can warm you with a fiery flame. Guard each other well.”
I remembered the look on his face when we were in the portal searching for Malakian, and I had lit a fire. I had said something eerily similar that night.
“I had it written in Latin. A language that I cannot read fluently, but I knew that it was important that it be in Latin. That’s your first language. I also had it be spelled, so no one could see the tattoo. Can you imagine how shocked I was when you first saw it?” He turned back around. “You were meant for me. I will love you until my dying day, and then I will continue to love you from the other side.”
The hay with seeing the house. It would still be standing in an hour. I wrapped my arms around my mate’s neck. “I’m sure there is a master bedroom?”
His eyes twinkled. “I think I might be able to find it.”
He picked me up and carried me through the gigantic house. My hand found the tattoo once again. I was meant for him, but he was also meant for me. Together, we would be unstoppable, and we would anchor each other in the storm. I was finally free of my chains holding me down to something I never truly wanted to be. I was untethered and happy. Something no demon had ever achieved before. I smiled as my anchor impatiently kicked the bedroom door in. Life was finally going to be worth living.
Also by Brandi Elledge
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Other books in the Wheel of Crowns series:
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The Werewolf Queen
The Queen of Witches
The Vampire Queen
Acknowledgments
To the most amazingly awesome people in my life that love me unconditionally. God for giving me the following people to acknowledge. Matt my awesome husband who feeds me and loves me. Cole and Caity for allowing me to be an uptight overprotective helicopter mom. Who me? Whatever. Later in life you can send me your therapy bill. For Mom and Dad or mainly just mom because I’ve already told you dad you don’t get a shout out until book five. So mom, love you big time.
To my aunt B and aunt Pam for being the best aunts in the south. My cousin Brook for beta reading my books and loving them. Tacha, Tony, my sweet little precious Andrew who plays archery and Fortnite with me, Hannah Chelle, and Beth. Love you crazies.
To my best friends for always being super proud of me and laugh when I’m salty and extra.
To the Aelurus Publishing team: Rebecca Jaycox, who understands my potential and will not let me settle for anything less than fantastic. You’re extraordinary. To Katherine for being an amazing proofreader. You rock and one day I’ll tell you that in person. And for Jeff Collyer for making all of this happen. Blessed to be part of this fantastic group.
About the Author
Brandi Elledge lives in the South, where even the simplest words are at least four syllables.
She has a husband that she refuses to upgrade ... because let’s face it he is pretty awesome, and two beautiful children that are the light of her life.
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https://brandielledge.com
The characters and events portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Aelurus Publishing, November 2019
Copyright © Brandi Elledge, 2019
Cover design by Molly Phipps
All rights reserved. Unauthorised distribution or reproduction is strictly prohibited without the express written permission of the publisher.
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ISBN 13: 978-1-912775-34-7
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www.aeluruspublishing.com
The Demon Queen Page 21