by A C Wilds
Anna seemed nice enough. I feel bad for threatening her, but Logan is all I have left. Well, he was, until Azra. Even though I hate him being away from me, it’s what’s best. How can I drag a kid into this war? He’s too little, too precious to be subjected to the violence ahead. Anna is safe. She has other children to watch out for. She’s trained in defense, and I can see the fire in her eyes and the passion she has in protecting these children. I doubt myself every day if I’m doing the right thing by him. It was thrust onto me when our mother died, the responsibility of raising a child by myself. Gods, it gets me so angry when I think about the mess, I put him through.
“Are you idiots done arguing? I can’t listen to this shit anymore. You do realize that nothing you say or do is going to change her mind, so either get with us or get the fuck out, Cass. You’re hurting her by being such a dick,” I say, looking at these two morons.
“You should talk! All you do is run around angry at the world. Starting trouble, and making everyone you meet feel like shit,” he replies, projecting his feelings onto me.
“Oh, fuck you, prince. I have a right to be angry. Your father imprisoned us. Made me hunt for him. Took away my freedom. Next time you want to come at me with your fucking pity party you better be prepared for battle,” I yell, walking away from these dicks. I need to leave before I fucking crush him.
Chapter 7
Gathering Courage
I wake up to a dark room. The curtains are drawn open, and I can see the stars in the sky. The air blowing in from the window, caresses my skin, causing goosebumps all over my arms. Getting out of bed, I feel a lightness that I didn’t have when I went to sleep. Looking over my shoulder I see that my wings are no longer there. This may buy us some time to find another place to go. Whatever made them go away, I am grateful. Even though, it would’ve been really cool to learn to fly.
The bathroom is calling my name. I quickly do my business and wash up before I make my way into the lounge. The smell of smoke and burnt furniture is still in the air. The guys are sitting all around. Grey is near the window looking as pensive as always. Shax and Cass are sitting rather close on the couch. There’s a bond forming there, and I smile to myself. Logan is back, and when he sees me, he rushes right over.
“Az, I was so worried. What happened? You gave Greyson wings? How did you do that? Is he not human anymore? Do we have to leave now? I made a few friends today. They are great, but I understand if we have to go,” he rushes out. This kid has so much energy.
“One thing at a time, ok?” I ask. He nods his head, placing his hand in mine, and leads me over to the couch. I give everyone else a small smile and sit down. Turning to Logan, I start to explain what happened. “Grey and I got into some trouble. My powers set the room on fire, and in order to save him, I had to share some of my energy with him. That’s when we both got wings, and he turned into a Fae. I don’t know how I did it, but I guess that’s one of my abilities now. We aren’t sure.”
His eyes are as wide as saucers. He looks so amazed right now. “Could you make me Fae? I don’t want to be the only human,” he says, with childlike innocence. He doesn’t realize what it means to turn a human, hell I’m not even sure I understand the full scope of what we did.
“No, she can’t,” Grey yells. “You will not be going through all that, EVER!” He’s a bit harsh, but I understand what he is trying to say. It was so painful for both of us.
“But I…,” Logan stutters. He can’t even get out what he’s going to say because Grey cuts him off. He has tears in his eyes from being rejected. He wants to feel included, and Grey isn’t taking his feelings into consideration.
“Maybe you should explain why, Grey. He’s not going to understand otherwise,” I suggest. It dawns on him then, and he takes a deep breath in.
“I can’t have you go through all that pain, so you can be like us. It was torture kid. I felt like my whole body was burning alive. There’s no way I would ever put you through that,” he says a little calmer. He comes to kneel down by Logan and for the first time, I notice he doesn’t have wings either.
“Where did your wings go? Where did mine go?” I ask, looking toward Cass or Shax to explain.
“We think your wings respond to the flight to fight response. I did some research on Fae wings, and there’s lore that they only come out in times of need or distress. We’re lucky that little myth is true,” Cass explains. I’m still fucking pissed at him, so I just give him a small smile, and turn toward Grey.
“I am not sorry for what I did. I didn’t know what would happen, but I couldn’t see you die,” I plead, asking for forgiveness. My face is awash with anguish, and I feel the tears start to form. They drip slowly down my face, and I go to wipe them away, but Grey stops me. He puts both hands in mine.
“You saved my life. That’s more than anything these dicks would’ve done. In my mind, Fae are all the same. Selfish, ignorant, pieces of shit who could care less about the others around them. What they did to me, what they did to us, I can’t forgive, but it’s time that I start separating you from them. Be patient with me. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight, but I’m going to try. Mate,” He projects the last part in my thoughts.
Holy shit! We’re mates. He must see the look of shock on my face. I hadn’t realized it with all that was going on, and how shitty I felt after what happened. Now that I’m checking in on myself, I can feel him there. A pulse of energy in my chest right beside Cass and Shax.
We can’t keep this from them. They will start to sense you soon. Cass didn’t take long to realize Shax was part of the bond.
Not now, soon. I just can’t deal with another fight at this moment. You should’ve heard these two idiots while you were asleep. A grin comes over his face as he continues to stare into my eyes.
“What are the two of you looking at?” Logan asks, pulling us away from our connection.
“Nothing Sport,” Grey says to him. “You never told us about your time at the rec center. Did you make friends? What was it like?”
“There were lots of kids there. Some were bullies, but I found these two guys, my age, and they were really cool. Their names were weird, so I just called them Mike and John. We played a game that is sort of like basketball, but the net moves, and you can only dribble a certain amount of times before you either shoot or pass. It was really fun,” he says, looking at Grey like he hangs the stars.
“That sounds really fun. I think tomorrow I’m going to come with you and meet these friends. What do you think?” Grey responds, with a smile.
“Yeah, that’s cool. It beats having to do all those chores. I like it there. Anna is nice, and she said I can start lessons with the other kids. I know I’m going to be behind, but that’s ok, I know I can learn fast,” he says. His energy is projecting his nerves, but he wants Grey’s approval.
“Why would you have to learn fast, and not be on the same level as kids your age?” I ask him. He’s smart I wouldn’t think he would be behind. Maybe he has a learning disability?
“I stopped going to school when we went to the Light, they don’t send the human kids to learn. We weren’t allowed in the same areas as the Fae kids,” Logan tells me.
“They didn’t allow you to go to school?” I ask. I’m already unstable with my emotions, which causes my control to start to slip. I feel like my body is heating up. I need to get out of here before I light something else on fire or electrocute someone. Turning toward the door, I quickly walk out. Behind me I hear footsteps, but I don’t look back. I don’t need to, I already knew Cass was going to follow me, but he stays two steps behind me. Smart Fae.
I somehow come to a set of doors that look like they lead outside. I open one up and push through. Walking out into a garden of some sort, I see benches and trees all around. There are wildflowers all over, and the air is fragrant with lavender. I stroll to the middle and lay down in the grass. The night sky is similar to ours, except it has a more purple tint to it. It almost look
s like twilight is permanent here. There are millions of stars, but two moons. One looks further away than the other. I take a deep breath and try to calm down. There’s so much hurt and pain rolling around inside of me. I just don’t understand how Cass can try to convince me we should leave things as they are. Look at Logan. He’s one of the main reasons why there needs to be change.
“Can I lay with you?” he asks, in a quiet tone. He knows he fucked up. I can feel the guilt and sadness coming off of him in waves.
“Sure, there is plenty of room,” I tell him. Looking up into his face and seeing the kind man I fell for. He’s so stuck on being a Fae, he forgets that I’m here to make things different. I guess when you’ve lived over 500 years without change, some things aren’t going to come easy.
“Azra, I’m sorry. What I said before, I was scared. I just don’t see how we can come out of this on top. You’re proposing changing thousands of years’ worth of tradition, and you’re expecting both sides to agree. You have a better chance of my father giving up his crown than you have of all the Fae agreeing to this,” he confesses. He’s worried. I get it, I am too.
“What makes you think they have a choice, Cass? I’m not doing this for them. I’m not doing this so one group comes out on top of the other. I’m doing this so shit like what happened to Logan, never happens again. Don’t you see the filth and perverted mess your father has made? He created a system where using humans was ok. Taking them from their homes or having them born in captivity to serve him. This is not something that’s going to ever happen again for as long as I am alive. And the Queen, while she doesn’t use humans as he does, and most are treated well, she doesn’t treat them as equals. I can’t in good conscience let a race of beings be bullied and tortured by another. I won’t have it, and if you love me the way you say you do, well then you better get on board quick.”
“I haven’t told you I love you yet,” he responds, with a smile. My cheeks turn a wonderful shade of pink and I quickly glance away. Fuck, I can’t believe I said that.
He kneels on the grass beside me and gets in my face. “Look at me,” he demands. “I wanted to say if for the first time, but since you took that little bit away from me, I’ll say it out loud now. Azrael the Changer, I love you with all of the recesses of my being. I’m completely enamored by your beauty and grace. The way you care for people, even those of us that don’t deserve it, just eludes to the wonderful person you are. I fell in love with you from our first meet, and I want to love you for all the days that I have left.”
He closes the rest of the distance and kisses me softly on the mouth, projecting all his emotions into our kiss. Letting me know how sorry he is and making me understand he was just scared. I deepen it and grab a hold of his hair. I drag him down on top of me in the grass and moan sweet pleasures into his mouth. That’s when it happens -- the ground begins to shake.
Chapter 8
Castles and Dragons
We quickly get up off the ground and grab onto each other. All of the trees in the garden are groaning with the movements of their roots, and the castle walls look like they could give in at any moment. I try to project my energy out and see what is causing this, but I can’t. It’s like there’s something blocking my powers. I start to run toward the castle doors, and Cass is right behind me.
“Wait, what if we go in there and it crumbles around us? You’re too important to lose,” he says, in a worried tone. His eyes look wild, and I can sense his fear.
“My mates are in there! Logan is in there! I can’t just do nothing,” I shout while turning around, and coming to a stop at the entrance. The whole entire way is blocked. There’s stone everywhere, and we wouldn’t be able to get through anyway.
Sensing a commotion on the other side of the garden, I take off for the gate. I hop over it with a speed that I never knew I had. My wings are out and helping push me forward. Fuck, I’ll worry about that later. I need to get to my guys.
Cass jumps easily down after me, and we take off toward the commotion. I’m in awe of the sight in front of me. A dragon is wreaking havoc in front of the castle. He is massive, the size of a fucking building, stomping his feet, and roaring fire. Shax and Grey are standing toe to toe with this thing. Grey is holding up his hands and a shield is being projected from them. His wings are out as well, which informs me of how much shit we are in.
Shax is throwing fireballs around the shield, hitting the dragon in the side. It doesn’t seem to have much of an effect though. The Queen is in the distance, standing and watching this whole display. She has a sick grin on her face like she knows exactly what is going to happen. I can feel her sinister energy from here, and it tells me she has something to do with this. She’s viewing the scene like she’s at a play. If she wants a fucking show, then that’s what she is going to get.
I pull my blade from my scabbard, and it ignites with my fire. The heat and electricity come to the surface, combining as one. Lightning crackles down the blade as I approach the dragon. He’s so fucking big. I have no idea what I’m going to do, especially since I have never wielded a sword before. I’m just an equestrian show jumper from New York. They don’t teach us how to fight dragons in the real world.
Grey looks over at me, and I can see the fear on his face. Don’t you fucking come over here. Get back inside. I need you safe. He projects in my mind.
I smirk at him. Yeah, I’m going to just stand here, and let you guys have all the fun. I clamp down the bond so he can’t argue with me. I’m scared out of my mind, but I won’t let it hold me back from what I need to do. Protecting my mates, and Logan is all that matters.
Stretching the wings on my back, I give them a little flutter. It seems like they will hold me, so I try and fly up. I get about 2 feet off the ground before falling back to my feet. I try again, but it doesn’t work. Cass is running to meet the guys, wildly shooting lighting at the dragon. It penetrates his thick hide seeming to hurt him at least a little bit. The dragon winces at the shock, and his attention turns full on to Cass. I have to do something. I begin to run, pumping my arms as I go, then launch myself up in the air and flap my wings. I get a good enough height and launch myself at the dragon. I manage to land on his foot. Doing the only thing I can think of, I stab down. The combination of the lightning and the fire create a crack in its skin that soon spreads up its leg. It takes only a second to ignite. The dragon roars in pain, as the fire consumes him. He bucks and tries to get me off.
I pull the sword out and jump, using my wings to guide me down, in a not so graceful movement. The ground rushes up to meet me and I slam into it with a painful smack as my shoulder takes the brunt of the fall. My wings crush under me and I tumble ass overhead across the grass. Coming to a stop, I stare straight into the eyes of the biggest wolf I have ever seen. Its yellow eyes stare into mine. It has a fluffy black coat and a white marking on its chest. Its lips are pulled back, with teeth bared. They are huge, as long as my pinkie. It gets right in my face, and some drool drips down onto my cheek. I cringe back and close my eyes. Is this another monster brought out by the Queen? I need to get back to my guys. I feel its warm breath on my face and the huff of its breath. It inhales and takes a nice whiff of my scent. I slowly try to reach my sword, that has landed next to me. My hands almost come into contact when it lets out a growl and stomps a foot down on my arm. Claws dig into my arm, as I scream out in pain. I can smell my own blood dripping from my arm. Too quickly I feel my body run cold with chills.
A huge shadow comes from above the wolf, and suddenly it’s no longer on me. I quickly jump up and do a crab walk backing away from the new fight in front of me. Red is here, in all his Arion glory. His face is has changed into that of a predator. His fangs are distended and the veins under his eyes are so prominent. He raises his hooves and kicks the wolf in the chest, as it jumps up to meet him. A whimper breaks from its lips, and my Arion neighs in challenge. The wolf backs up clearly injured. Red is pissed, I can feel it in my chest. His eyes start to glow a
pure silver, as his nostrils flare. Heat starts to glow in his chest, and before I can guess what is going to happen, fire comes shooting out of his mouth. The wolf has no chance. It isn’t quick enough. The smell of burnt meat and howls fill the air. I can’t do anything but stare.
Red trots up to me. “Are you alright?” he asks me. He is out of breath and smoke is coming from his mouth.
“I’m fine. Where the hell did you get fire from? Are you like a vampire dragon Arion now?” I ask getting up to see the destruction around me. The guys are still fighting the dragon. Even with one disabled leg, it’s still causing major havoc.
“I’m none of those things, it’s insulting you think so. The fire is from you, good thing too because that wolf wasn’t normal, now get on.” I waste no time jumping onto Reds back. We take off to help the guys.
“Get me to the other foot, I need to disable it somehow,” I say, squeezing my thighs a bit tighter, and folding my wings in. The last thing I need is to fall off.
“You’re going to have to get up on its back. You need to stab it in between the shoulder blades where the wings meet. It will change back to human form after that,” he explains.
“How the fuck am I going to get up there, it’s like a million feet!” I yell. There is no way I can do that.
“You fly. Use your power. You’re stronger now, you got this!” he yells back, picking up speed. He is racing so fast; my wings lift off my back any way. I’m terrified they are going to pull me off Red, but I’m too much in fight mode to figure out how to get rid of them.
“What are you? A fucking motivational poster? There’s no way I can get up there.” I am so nervous. If I’m the only one that can wield the sword, we are all going to die.