Queen Mecca

by Leia Stone

  There were a few shifters at the counter and they bent their heads low to me as I passed. The waitress came to seat us in the private back room and I caught sight of a familiar face in the kitchen as we passed. Stan? He was the last wolf I had expected to see in there.

  Stan was an old wolf with old ideas. He had petitioned to not be made to mingle with the bears. Now here he stood in Manhattan, which was bear and wolf territory, holding a pizza box. I guess old habits died hard. Bronx pizza wasn’t the same as Vinnie’s.

  I decided to let it go and let him have his pizza. Maybe he was coming around. I knew he and Vin had been old friends. It pained me that some of the shifters couldn’t get past the ways of old. The last thing we needed right now was a division between ourselves.

  “Something wrong?” Violet asked me. My friend was always in tune to what I was feeling.

  I brushed it off. “Yes. I need a triple meat pizza with a side of jalapenos, STAT,” I joked.

  Violet and Kade both grinned. They knew I was not a woman to be messed with when hungry.

  Victor, Monica, and Jen sat at a small table just outside the door that led to our private sitting room, guarding us, as always. In public they would be extra vigilant. Rowan, Violet, Nikoli, Calista, and Baladar, joined Kade and I, none of us speaking as we pretty much inhaled the most delicious pizza in New York City.

  All good out there? I checked in with Finn. He was keeping watch outside with Nix, which was fine by me, but I would save him a few pieces of sausage.

  All quiet. I have rarely seen the city so … still.

  Let me know if anything stirs up.

  You got it. Now enjoy your pizza.

  I disconnected from his mind, coming back to the table, Violet was telling Kade a funny story. Well, she had a lightly amused tone on, but there was sadness mingled there also.

  “The kids would taunt me for having such light skin, and white hair, and white eyelashes,” Violet explained, and I saw Nikoli nod in understanding. The fair look of the magic born was different, and different always invited ridicule with young children.

  “I decided I was sick of getting picked on for my looks, and since Ari told me I couldn’t spell everyone who pissed me off, I decided to dye my hair.”

  I smiled. I knew this story, and now I understood her amused tone.

  Nikoli shook his head. “I’m pretty sure I know where this is going.” He looked to be holding back laughter.

  Kade’s brows were bunched as he looked between the two of them. “What happened?”

  Now I was trying not to laugh as I remembered how freaky she had looked.

  Violet popped a pepperoni into her mouth. “Well, apparently, our hair is magic and cannot be dyed. Ever. It rejects all color, forever to be pigmentless.”

  My eyes flit across the table and I could see even Baladar was smiling. All of the magic born knew, except for Rowan. She seemed intrigued. Since I knew the winter queen had a black-haired magic born, I could only assume fae magic born were not exactly like the shifters.

  Kade crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “Okay, so it didn’t work...”

  Violet leaned closer to him for full effect. “Not on my hair. But my skin...”

  Kade’s eyes widened, and a sparkle lit up their copper depths. “Seriously?”

  “Yes!” Violet shouted. “The skin under my eyebrows and my scalp was black for a month! While my hair remained white as cotton. I looked like a Halloween creature, and I wasn’t trained in magic then. Well, not enough to change it.”

  I couldn’t hold it in anymore, laughter exploded out of me. “Why didn’t you let me take a picture?” I said between my chuckles. “How much better would this story be with photographic evidence?”

  She had genuinely looked horrifying. But it taught her something — and me too. Accept your natural beauty for what it is. Don’t fight nature.

  Violet rolled her eyes, at the same time leveling a vicious scowl in my direction. “Because at the time I was sure my life was over and a picture would just remind me of the time my life ended.”

  Her eyes shuttered, and I guessed she was back in the land of Faerie, remembering how her life had really almost ended. Perspective was a funny thing. She shook it off quickly though, smiling and joking with everyone around the table. I was pretty sure that only I noticed the weariness that remained deep in her eyes, in the tilt of her shoulders, in the tension of her hands.

  She wasn’t completely lost to me, though. She was improving, slowly coming back to us. Whatever the queen had done to her — taken from her — it was fixable.

  “Dylan Mathews still asked you to the summer solstice that year,” I reminded her.

  Violet sat a little taller. “That he did. I was going to say no, because I thought it was a pity or dare thing, but you slapped me around a little and told me that some of us were just born to stand out.”

  Our eyes remained locked for a few long beats, and so much love and so many memories flashed between us in that time. “You could have dyed every part of your body, Vi. You would never have dulled your shine.”

  She looked like she was going to cry, and it was a relief when Kade broke the moment by saying, “Well, at least now we have a plan to scare off the winter queen and the dark fae. We just need Violet to try to dye her hair again.”

  That got Violet laughing again, and I was grateful for that. Baladar’s booming voice echoed around the room as he launched into a story of his own.

  Kade leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Be right back.”

  I lost track of Baladar’s story as I let my focus rest on Kade. I couldn’t believe at a moment when the entire world was falling apart, I could still be so happy. It seemed … wrong. But also, it was the best kind of right that had ever happened to me.

  Kade paused briefly to chat with Victor, Monica, and Jen, and when they started to get up, he waved them off, no doubt reminding them he didn’t need someone to hold his hand to the bathroom.

  I love you. He was going to get a big head, considering how many times I’d told him that, but I would never stop.

  His chuckle drifted through my mind, and the heat that followed was like a rush of warm water. I love you, Ari. I’m going to tell you every single day. Multiple times a day. For the rest of our long lives.

  Fear trickled through the warmth of his love, and I pulled away to not only give him privacy, but to also hide my own growing anxiety. Those damn fae were trying to take away my happiness. We couldn’t let that happen. I refused to give up. Not now. Not ever.

  Calista leaned over to me and patted my hand. “We will win this war.” Apparently, I was hiding none of my emotions today.

  Before I could respond, I felt Finn’s energy darken and then bristle with anxiety. Kade’s hurt.

  Those two words flushed ice water through my veins and I stood abruptly. Tapping into my bond with him again, I was immediately hit with sharp pain and anger. Oh shit.

  “Kade’s under attack!” I shouted.

  Baladar stood, throwing his hands out. His magic slammed into all of us; it threw me back a few inches, but once it cleared I burst into action. What was it with the damn bathrooms here? Last time we were here I was attacked by a fae in the bathroom.

  Baladar must have thought the same because he said, while running right behind me, “It isn’t fae. That spell was designed to reveal all … and I only sense our kind.”

  I was in the lead, and upon turning the corner, a rage so strong and potent I could taste it filled me. Six dominant wolves had Kade pinned down in the hallway, just outside the bathroom door. There was a blanket of magic over the top of him, and they were slashing out with weapons. I took a split-second to catalogue the scene for any other possible attacks, but the only other being in here was Vinnie, and he was knocked out in the corner.

  I let out an enraged scream; my ice magic burst from me without thought, slamming the six wolves into the wall. The training I’d been doing with Rowan and Violet had helped immensely w
ith tapping into it almost unconsciously. The shifters were back on their feet in seconds, turning to brandish their weapons at me.

  I snarled, loud and animal-like. My wolf was prancing close to the surface, wanting to break free. No, we need our magic.

  “You are all guilty of treason!” I said, my words slow and drawn out, my fury spilling over in each. “You have attacked your king.”

  Kade was still trapped under the magical netting, I had no idea where they had gotten such a thing, but I planned on breaking it. It also looked like they were outfitted with magically enhanced weaponry. That was the only way they could have gotten the drop on my mate, I knew that without a doubt.

  I recognized them all; it was Stan and his inner circle. They had been very outspoken against Kade and I joining the two packs together. How had they known we were coming here tonight? Had it simply been that Stan had seen us and called in reinforcements? Or had we been betrayed once again?

  Stan spat at my feet. “He’s no king of ours, he’s the enemy. You are the enemy also. A fae, mated to a bear … this is blasphemy. You both should die for what you’ve done to our world. You’ve destroyed the ways of old, and we will not stand for it.”

  He flung a knife at me; it must have been concealed in his free hand. Mecca and fae power burst from me, aiming to halt the blade. Only it wasn’t halted; it cut through my magic with ease, almost like it had been designed to do that. A low groan escaped me as the blade slammed into my shoulder, all the way to the hilt. The pain burst across my senses, but it was dulled by my adrenalin and anger.

  Kade roared from the floor. His huge body started to shift as he fought the netting.

  I’m okay, I told him, but he was too enraged to hear.

  “How did you know we were here?” I asked, uncaring which of the traitors answered.

  Stan chuckled. “Everyone knows your love for Vinnie’s. I figured it was only a matter of time. We’ve been hanging out here daily. You were too stupid to keep an eye on the wolves who did not want this new leadership.”

  Not stupid. Trusting. I was trying to appease both sides of the argument. Some days I understood why the Red Queen was so brutal with anyone who didn’t fall under her rule. Look what happened when I tried to allow freedom from monarchy. I got anarchy.

  “Those are pretty special weapons,” I said, gritting my teeth against the throb in my shoulder. “Looks like you too, have aligned yourself with the fae?” I lowered my voice, letting my magic seep into it. I knew these weapons, and they were not of this world. I just hoped he would tell me who the hell gave them to him.

  When the energy brushed against them, they slashed out with those weapons, dissipating the magic.

  “They were left on our doorstep. Someone knew we would need them to kill you, fae-traitor-bitch,” one of them sneered.

  “Distract them,” I murmured to Baladar, Violet, and Rowan, who were all standing around me.

  The magic born didn’t hesitate, they started blasting spells at the six wolves, most of which were deflected by their fancy weapons. Forcing myself to focus, I tapped into the pure fae power inside of me, specifically the energy I used to shatter spells. I directed it at the net holding Kade. It took quite a bit of my control; I had to funnel it for a minute or so, and only aim for the netting, but, eventually, with a push, it shattered into a thousand magical pieces.

  The wolves should have taken more care to watch the threat behind them. They thought they had trapped Kade, that he was no threat. They were wrong.

  In a flash, he was up on his hind legs, bear paws slashing through the six of them with ease. Body parts flew everywhere, and the rest of us took a step back so as not to accidentally get in the path of an enraged bear.

  When the room was covered in blood and severed bodies, Kade stood there half shifted, his chest heaving as he fought the anger still riding him.

  Kade, love, I’m okay.

  His head shot up; his eyes locked me in place as he stalked slowly over the gory scene to me. I could barely make out his tawny skin he was so covered in the blood of our enemies, and for a brief second I almost wanted to run.

  “You okay?” Violet eyed the knife in my shoulder.

  I nodded. “I’m fine.”

  Ignoring me, she stepped forward, pulling a vial of a green swirling fluid from her pocket.

  “Oh look, it’s a bird!” Violet pointed to the ceiling.

  “Wha — ow, muthaf — ” My curse was cut off as I panted in and out, trying to calm my racing heart. She had just yanked the knife out, quickly murmuring a short incantation and pouring the green fluid into my open wound. My entire shoulder went ice cold then, before warming, and then the pain was gone.

  “I’ll look at it again later, but that should stop the pain and bleeding for now,” she said.

  “Thanks,” I replied, before all of my focus went to Kade. He was breathing slowly, trying to find his humanity again.

  “Okay. Call us if you need help. We’re going to check around back and make sure there are no more attackers.” Violet threw one last worried glance at the pile of bodies before she left with the others.

  When Kade reached me, I was glad to see he had returned to his normal giant size, not that half-morphed bear he did so well. Uncaring about the blood, I reached out and placed my hand on his chest, right above his heart.

  “I’m okay. I promise.”

  His eye flicked to the blood that had stained my dress.

  “It’s just a small wound,” I said.

  Some of the dark angles of his face softened, and he cupped my chin gently, rubbing his thumb across my cheek. “I got a bit of blood on you,” he murmured, and I had to chuckle at that.

  “You got a bit of blood on everything, mate. I think your lips are the only thing on your body not covered.”

  Kade bent down and picked up the blade that had been lodged in my shoulder and held it up for me to see. “Where have we seen weapons like these before?” he asked.

  I looked a little closer. It was a dagger, smooth and white. The handle was a bone of some type — actually, the entire thing looked like it was carved from a bone — The handle was thick, with symbols etched into it, before it tapered up to a very sharp point.

  “It’s fae,” I breathed, confirming my earlier suspicions, unease cramping my stomach. They often carved weapons from the bones of magical creatures. It made for quite the powerful piece, as had been demonstrated here today.

  “Who would have dropped off fae weapons on their doorsteps?” I asked, trying to make out the other blades they had held.

  Kade shook his head. “Someone who knew the wolves were looking for a chance to end us. Someone who also thought we would never suspect our own people and they would be able to get close.”

  “The winter queen,” I snarled. That bitch. It had to be her, or the Dark Fae Lord. Either way, they were using far more underhanded methods than I had expected.

  A groan from the corner distracted us both, and Kade stepped forward, his hands claws at his sides. I pushed past him when I realized it was just Vinnie. The older man was blinking rapidly, looking around as he tried to figure out what had happened. When he saw the state of the hallway to his bathroom, he went very pale.

  I helped him sit up. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded a few times, unable to look away from the bloody carnage Kade had left in his hallway.

  “Glad to see you’re okay, King Kade.” He looked away finally, up to the bear shifter who was standing above me. “The way you held your cool, tried to reason with them. Well, it was nice to see a bear not just attack, even when you had all the right.”

  I freaking knew they wouldn’t be able to get the drop on Kade. He had let them go, trying to stop a fight, trying not to hurt my people. And they had ambushed him with fae magic. Vinnie must have still been conscious for that part.

  “Sorry about the mess, Vin. I’ll have my magic born clean it up.” I extended a hand and Vinnie took it, grunting as he lifted himself up
.

  “It’s not a problem. Won’t be much of my pizza place left if we don’t win this war.” He looked at the ground, trying to smooth out his features.

  “We’re going to win,” I assured him. That was my place, to assure my people even if I wasn’t sure myself.

  The next few hours passed in a blur. Violet, Nikoli, and Rowan thoroughly checked the surrounding area for more rogue wolves, and thankfully there were none. Then they all worked with Baladar to fully clean and close my wound. Violet’s temporary care had kept it pain free for a short while, before it started to weep and throb with pain again. Baladar was reasonably concerned about the weapon, and said he would do some research into what sort of bone it might be. I explained my theory about the winter fae leaving it there, which definitely increased his worry.

  By the time we got back to the royal estate, there were no outward signs we had been attacked. Clothes were changed, blood cleaned, faces blank. Panicked shifters were the last thing I needed; they were already on edge. I would hide as much of this from them as I could.

  I went straight up to my office, to find Blaine waiting there. He took one look at me and jumped up from his chair.

  “Ari, what the hell happened?” His large hands wrapped around my biceps as he pulled me closer.

  I collapsed a little into him, and in hurried whispers told him everything. By the end of the story, he was pacing back and forth across the room, looking far less cool and collected than usual. “Are you sure it’s a good idea for me to go to the fae lands now? I don’t want to leave you unprotected.”

  I sank into my office chair, thankful there was only the slightest twinge in my shoulder now. “I would love to keep you with me, mostly because I want to make sure you are safe.” We had already lost too many of our inner circle. My dominants. With this new attack, I was rethinking everything. “But if the war is coming, we need to share information between our armies. I need someone I can trust in the Otherworld. Someone who can keep an eye on everything. That someone is you.”

  He didn’t argue again, even though he didn’t look particularly happy. A knock sounded against my door, and I called out, “Enter.”