Winter's War (Her Guardians series Book 4)

by G. Bailey

  When I eventually pull away, he whispers, “We could kick the wolf out and have some fun. I don’t have to go to the council meeting straight away,”

  “The fray are here, or I would. We have to meet them, and you have to deal with the council before we can all do that,” I say, and he groans as he steps away from me.

  “I’ll meet you later, but I need a minute to calm down,” he says, and I see the outline of how turned on he is through his trousers.

  “Well, I’m about to strip, so I doubt that will help,” I say, and he groans before walking out. I take my time dressing in the leather outfit I have worn to all my fights. It’s easy to move in and has places for all my daggers. I leave half my hair down and put the top half up in some plaits. Nothing complicated, but it looks good. When I’m done, Jaxson walks out of the bathroom, fully dressed in jeans and a normal shirt that has a belt around his chest which will hold his sword.

  “I’m going to get my weapons,” Jaxson says nothing else as he walks out, and leaves the door open. I know that our moment in bed together is over now, and we have to be the royals our people need. They need us to be strong and deal with the fray. I go over to the box by the side of my bed, and open it up. The crown calls to me as I pick it up and put it on my head. I walk over to the mirror, seeing myself with the crown on for the first time. I’m slightly glowing blue, and my eyes are brighter than they ever normally are. They have a slight silver quality to them, suggesting they might turn silver at any moment. The crown’s power is hard to ignore, but I know I need to.

  “My Queen,” Atti says as he leans against the wall outside my room. Atti has his own crown on, and his black cloak is covering his clothes. The cloak has silver tree marks stitched down the parting, and he is crossing his arms as he watches me, making his shirt tight on his chest. Atti has shaved his hair on the side of his head, but left the top part long, with his fringe just falling on his forehead. His stormy, grey eyes take their time looking me over.

  When he finally gets to my eyes, I say, “My King,” with a little bow, and he laughs.

  “We sound so formal when all I can think of is shutting this door and fucking you until you scream my name,” he tells me. I don’t think it’s a bad idea at all, and my mark warms on my back as he watches me.

  “I don’t think we have time,” I say with red cheeks and he chuckles as he walks over to me, pushing my body against the door with his own.

  “It’s a plan for the future, then,” he tells me gently before kissing me. Atti moves his lips slowly against mine, and the kiss feels like it’s over way too quickly.

  “They are waiting, and a fair warning, they are stuck up, rainbow-hair-coloured assholes,” Atti says, and I can’t help the laugh that escapes my lips.

  “‘Rainbow-hair-coloured assholes’?” I ask through my laughs, but unfortunately, the door at the bottom of the corridor opens, and one of the said assholes walks over. The man is taller than me, but I’m short so that’s easy, and has dark-blue hair. His eyes match his hair, and I can see flower tattoo-like marks on his neck, which are some kind of blue flower. He has blue eyes that slightly glow, and there’s a strange feeling to him that gives him away as a fray. Another thing, is he is extremely hard to look at, he is stunning. Every part of him is extremely beautiful, but in a fake way. It feels like when you eat a chocolate cake that is too rich, and you can’t eat all of it.

  “I got tired of waiting,” he says, his sharp tone means he heard every word. Way to make alliances, Winter.

  “You should bow,” Atti snaps, stopping us from walking closer and puts his arm around me.

  “You are not my queen or king,” the fray man snaps out.

  “And, you are in our home. Sent here to fight for us, so you should show some respect,” I say, my tone sharp, and the man’s eyes widen as he stares at me, even taking a step back. I glance down to see myself glowing brighter. Damn, I’m scaring the fairy by glowing like a damn fairy.

  “Are you the leader?” Atti asks with an annoyed sigh as he strokes a hand down my arm, and the man shakes his head. It seems like the fray man is annoying him.

  “Yes. I’m the second in the royal court of the fray. The queen will not step foot into this world as it makes her weak,” the man says, but there’s a quiver in his voice.

  “Shame. I wanted to speak to Lily,” I say, and leave out the fact I want to punch her for tricking me.

  “Queen Lilyanne sends her kindness and asked me to say hello to you,” he tells me, but I highly doubt she said it nicely, or she isn’t as smart as I know she is.

  “I’m sure she did,” I arch an eyebrow as I speak, and the man nods.

  “Why would it make your queen weak to come here?” Atti asks.

  “Full-blooded fray cannot stay in the human world for more than a day, or we start to lose our powers.”

  “You are being very honest despite working for a queen that is no longer a friend to any of our thrones,” Atti replies, tilting his head to the side as he looks at the man.

  “What’s your name?” I ask him, before the door behind him is opened, and Dabriel comes storming down the corridor. He picks the man up by his neck and slams him into the corridor wall making cracks appear down the newly painted wall. The man squirms, and lightning appears on his fingertips.

  “Your people killed one of my angels in a fight. I suggest you deal with them before I start mass killing of fray,” Dabriel says, his marks glowing brightly, and his wings are moving slightly, making him seem like he is floating.

  “Y-yes,” the man blurts out, and Dabriel lets him drop to the floor.

  “Dab?” I ask, and he looks over at me with a kinder smile, but tension is written all over his face.

  “The army they promised you is full of untrained soldiers who have no idea what they are doing. The weapons they promised can only be used by people with fray blood, and most of the soldiers are just picking fights. We had to put a few hundred of them in the dungeons underground, and our supernaturals teamed up to kill a few who flat out wouldn’t play nice,” Dabriel tells me, shooting a disgusted look at the fray on the floor.

  “What?” I ask, looking down at the man who only stares at the floor.

  “The weapons are things like sword handles, which have silver swords come out of them when a fray touches them. There are strange bracelets and other things I have no clue how to use,” Dabriel says.

  “Why shouldn’t we kill you, send a message back to your queen about how we don’t like to be tricked?” Atti says walking over to stand next to Dabriel, and I wait for the man’s answer.

  “The army she sent are all prisoners of the fray war, some may be able to fight, but most are too weak from being kept in the dungeons for years. The queen would never risk her royal army, and she doesn’t care about a single fray here,” the man says, his words aimed at the floor as he doesn’t look up at us. “Just kill me now if you wish.”

  “There is a war in fray?” I ask, ignoring his offer.

  “Yes, and there has been for a long time. Ten years ago, Lilyanne made an army. She hunted down every royal fray and killed them. There is only her left, now. We have no choice. My family are being held captive, I have no choice but to do as she asks. When I return to fray within twenty-four hours, if any of the fray here come with me, she will kill them all,” he tells me, only looking up at me for a second, and the guilt is written all over his face. I believe him when I can see the pain in his eyes, and in some ways, I know Lily is smart enough to do this.

  “I believe you, and I won’t kill you for telling me the truth. Lily is the only one I want dead right now,” I say.

  “You say all the royal Fray are dead?” Dabriel asks.

  “Yes. I don’t know every detail of how the war started as I once was a simple man that lived in the city and worked as a jewel miner. There were once four families for the four royal courts. The autumn court, Lily, is the only one left now,” he says.

  “Lily made a promise with me, she
told me she needed a half-royal fray that lives in our world,”

  “Then, there is hope,” the man breathes out, and for the first time, there’s relief all over his face. “You must never touch the royal fray, no matter what. She is not safe in my world, but I will return. If the royal ever comes back, I will be there at Lily’s side. She needs me to control the miners in the city,” he says.

  “I will never touch the royal, I never want to make good on my promise,” I tell him honestly.

  “You may never want to, but magic of the old Gods will make the promise come to pass. Promises are always fulfilled,” he says, and I just look away from him. I know they have their own Gods and their own magic, the lily marks on my wrists are proof of that.

  “So, we have thousands of refugees, instead of an army?” I muse, looking through the glass windows just as the sun rises up in the sky.

  “Yes,” he says.

  “Get everyone in front of the castle, so they can see the balcony. All the fray and supernaturals,” I tell the man, who nods and scrambles off the floor, running out as Dabriel still glares at him. I don’t see him as a threat to me, but I’m not stupid, I’m going to be careful.

  “I will call my witches and ask them to bring everyone as well. I hope you have a plan, or we all need to come up with something quickly,” Atti says and presses a kiss against my forehead before he steps away. Dabriel walks over, and I wrap my arms around him.

  “I’m sorry about the angels who were killed,” I mumble quietly.

  “What’s the plan?” he asks gently as he pulls me as close as he can to his chest.

  “I need to do what I was born for, I need to be a queen,” I say, resting my head on his chest.

  Chapter 20

  Winter

  I look down at the thousands of people on the ground watching me. It’s strange to think how many different races there are down there, mixed races, and yes, they all may have differences, but we are here together. All of them are dressed for war, even the women and children are standing with weapons in their hands and determined looks. There are so many people that they stretch out into the forest edges as they wait for me to speak. I try not to remember the human woman who would have laughed if I told her she would be doing this in a year. I’m not her anymore; I’m the queen of four races of people who need my help. They need to see me strong, to remember me like this. Remember me leading them into war for one thing: for peace. For a life for our children. I glance to the side of the balcony, where Freddy is standing, dressed every bit the prince he is, and the small crown on his head reflecting the sunlight. The sun is high in the sky as everyone looks up at me and my mates. I glance behind me once more to see all four of them standing next to each other, each one looking every bit like the kings they are. Wyatt is the only one without a crown, but he doesn’t need it; he commands power on his own, like they all do. The crown is nothing without the powerful king that wears it. I believe that. I turn back to the people; the silence is only broken by the cold wind as it blows against the castle. The fray are standing to the left of the supernaturals, a clear gap between them, and no one seems to want to move. The fray all have strange, bright-coloured hair and old, ragged clothes, and they clutch weapons in their hands. They honestly look terrible, and over half of them must be teenagers or women. There are even some children dotted around, and one woman holding a baby in her arms. Right at the front of the castle, is a group of fray, all big men with determined eyes as they look up at me. A ward is around them, and I know they must be the fray that started the fights and killed the angels. Not the best way, but then if they have been kept in dungeons for years it’s likely their families have been too. I know I would do anything to keep my family safe, and I bet they think coming here is just Lily’s way of killing them.

  “Thank you for coming. For those who do not know who I am, I’m Queen Winter. These are my mates, King Jaxson, King Wyatt, King Dabriel, and King Atticus.” I introduce them, and there is silence as I look back at the people. I want to say they can call me Winter and not be formal, but I doubt it’s a good idea when I’m trying to get their alliance.

  “I have heard that the fray are at war, a war very much like the one that comes for us today. I’m not going to stand here and ask people who have been kept in dungeons for years to fight for me, for supernaturals who they don’t know, and frankly, don’t give a damn about. I’m no fool to ask that of you,” I say, my words seeming to be carried by the wind.

  “This castle was my grandmother’s and my great aunt’s. They were Goddesses, and my aunt made the first witch, vampire, wolf, and angel. They all lived together in peace in this castle until my grandmother fell in love with a demon. She loved him blindly, and my mother was the only good thing that came from that love. The demon king destroyed this castle, murdered her other mates, and has murdered every blood relative of mine,” I say and pause as some of the people start whispering.

  “I know the queen of the fray must have killed some of your family, killed people you love.” I tell this to the fray and then look to the supernaturals.

  “The same way the demon king has killed many of our loved ones in this war.”

  There are mumbles of agreement through the crowd as I wait for them to be a little quieter, so everyone hears my words.

  “I’m not going to demand you fight for me, or ask. I only stand here and tell you that I will fight for you. For every single one of you, and the fight is for freedom. No more wars, no more death, and a life for our children!” I shout, and cheers follow my words. I wait for them to calm down before I shout.

  “I will kill the demon king and make sure that you are safe. Many of the fray here may not want to fight, and if you don’t, we will keep you safe, regardless, because we are not evil. We are not the bad guy here. We want peace and a safe place for all kinds. It’s that or death, and I hope everyone here agrees with me that I choose to fight.”

  “But, if any of you can fight, please join us,” I direct that at the men in the ward, and a few of them nod at me.

  “I’m not asking for me, I’m asking for a chance of freedom here. I will welcome you to live here and your children will be taught alongside ours,” I say, and I wait for them to say anything. A man steps forward and bows his head, and then another. The rest of the fray follow and so do the supernaturals.

  “Freedom!” Wyatt shouts as he moves next to me,

  “For Queen Winter,” Dabriel says as he steps forward.

  “For those we lost,” Jaxson says as he stands next to me, and his hand finds mine.

  “And, for the future,” Atti finally says and steps forward. We all hold hands as the people cheer and for the first time we watch as they actually help each other. The first step in creating peace. Now, we need to win the war.

  “Be safe,” I tell Dabriel, and he gently kisses my nose, making me giggle. Dabriel doesn’t need to say any words as we look at each other, all the love he feels for me is written in his eyes. Dabriel only nods before walking away and out the doors of the castle, to his angels to be at their side in the war. I wouldn’t expect him to be anywhere else, but worry still fills me when I watch him walk out.

  “Queen Winter?” a small, familiar voice says behind me, and I turn to see the half fray child, Nathaniel.

  “Nathaniel, right?” I ask, looking down at him a little. Nathaniel pulls out a dagger from his cloak, the blade is glowing purple and there’s silence around the room as several people stop to stare.

  “I can make weapons more powerful than fray touched, and I made this for you. I’m not that strong, yet, and this took me days. I want you to win,” Nathaniel says, and I pick the dagger up from him as Soobeen walks over to us. The dagger feels powerful, I can tell. I slide it into a space on my dagger belt.

  “Thank you. I won’t forget this, and it will help me win,” I tell Nathaniel, who shyly nods.

  “Nathaniel, we must go,” Soobeen says as she wraps an arm around her son.

  “You h
ave an amazing son, you must be proud,” I say, and Soobeen looks down at her son.

  “Very proud,” Soobeen says and walks off with her son as I watch.

  “Winter?” I hear Alex say, and I look behind me to see her with Drake and Atti. Drake is dressed for war, there is literally no other way to describe him. He has weapons on every single part of his body and some of them I’m not sure I would even know how to use. They just look like sharp things. A small sob comes from Alex, who wipes her eyes with the men’s jumper she has on over her leather leggings.

  “You okay?” I ask her, and she nods quickly, putting on a brave smile. I know that smile because it’s all I’ve done all day when I’ve spoken to anyone. Act brave, or that’s what I kept telling myself.

  “I can’t lose you,” she says, and I hug her. I can’t give her words of encouragement, not when I know I have to die to close that portal. There isn’t another way. I hate that I won’t get to meet her little one, but at least I know her child will live. Since Atti saved me, I’ve tried to swallow the fear and guilt of leaving my mates behind, but I know it’s no use. It’s me or the rest of the world, and as I pull away and look at Alex, I know she has to survive this. Her baby needs to be born into a good world.

  “You go and kill him,” Drake says to me, and I nod. Alex kisses my cheek before walking off with Drake. I smile at Harris as he pulls Leigha into a deep kiss by the door. I know they will look after each other.

  “Be right back,” Atti says and walks a few steps away from me to talk to a couple of witches who seem to be arguing.

  “Winter!” I hear Freddy shout and turn to see him running over to me from the stairs. I hold him close as he nearly knocks me over when he gets to me. I pull back when I see his swords strapped to his back, and the reality that he is going to be protecting the women and children with Alex sets in. It’s strange that the kids of this war are needed to help, and what childhood Freddy could have had is lost in war. The poor boy has lost so much, and I don’t want him to lose anyone else. I don’t want to leave him.