by Jaymin Eve
Calista gave us directions to the tree that hid the bears’ vortex disc, and we made our way into Baladar’s garden. The mecca energy was strong in this section. I could feel the vortex.
Blaine stepped forward. “Your Majesties, let me go first in case it’s a trap.”
He unsheathed his fae sword, which had somehow survived the trip across. Mine had been stripped from me when I was taken captive, and I wished it was still here. Kade gave him a single nod, and I did the same, even though my insides were frozen. For the first time he had addressed us both as his rulers, and alongside that shock was hope that maybe the bears and wolves could rule side by side.
“Thank you,” I said. “And be safe.”
Blaine stepped onto the disc, vanishing in an instant. Victor and Monica followed right after.
Kade turned to his brother then, who was waiting patiently with his family. “I’ll go through first, to make sure it’s all secure. I’ll leave Nix here with you so I can send word if it’s safe. She’ll shriek twice to alert you. Then you can come across.” He turned to his magic born. “Nikoli, can you make sure they’re safe during the journey across?”
Nikoli, who was standing very close to Violet – I’d noticed that he hadn’t been far from her since the moment I saw them all again in the Winter Court – gave his king a nod.
“I will protect them with my life.”
“I’ll help him,” Violet added, her tone hard to read.
I wanted to protest. I didn’t want her out of my sight, but I knew she would never accept me overprotecting her. I had to let go and trust in her ability to keep herself safe. Baladar’s home was secure, and this vortex should only lead to Staten Island, so I really had very little to worry about … which helped in no way at all.
Nix took off from Kade’s shoulder, hovering just above Kian and his family’s heads. Kade and I stepped on the disc – Finn remained close to my side. I took a deep breath. This was the first time I would travel in the vortex since finding out about my mother … about the Red Queen. It had been her voice in the vortex this entire time, and I wondered if she would try to contact me. Part of me was hoping she would, so I could hear her voice again, could ask her the million and five questions I had. Another part of me knew there was no time right now to deal with it. Unless she had some information or a weapon which could help in this war, a reunion would have to wait.
As Kade took my hand, I felt that familiar pull of mecca and let it take me, sucking me through the magical lines. I was tense the entire time, waiting to hear that chiming voice … but for once there was nothing.
In a blink, we were at the bench seat on Staten Island. Finn took off immediately, briefly saying: Will scout for trouble. Keep an eye on the vortex until everyone else is through.
Thanks, buddy.
I focused back on Kade, who had tilted his head down, his eyes asking me all the questions. I shook my head as we both stepped off the disc to get out of the way of the others coming through. “I didn’t hear her. There was nothing at all.”
His arms went around me then, lifting me up into his body as he gave one of those big bear hugs, a hug I was quickly becoming addicted to, like his strength alone was enough to keep me together. I could only hope I offered him the same comfort.
“We’ll figure it out. Once we return the mecca to the Otherworld, we can focus on the Red Queen. On how she is using the vortex to speak with you.”
Rising up on my toes to stretch as tall as I could – and still only reaching his chin – I smashed my lips against Kade’s. He was in my corner no matter what the world threw at me. A true partner in every single sense. Was there anything sexier than someone who completely and totally had your back?
Hell no there wasn’t.
Our kiss was just getting heated, Kade’s hands somehow finding their way under my fur coat to cup my butt and lift me closer to him, when the roar of engines broke through our haze of emotion. I was breathing hard when I pulled away. Kade reluctantly lowered me to the ground, although he kept an arm around me. As we turned toward the approaching vehicles, Blaine, Monica, and Victor walked into view, stopping close by us. I’d actually forgotten that they were already here. No doubt they had been giving us some privacy, but as the two SUVs closed in on us, pulling up by the curb, they were back on guard duty.
Gerald, Annette – Kade’s mother – and Jen my dominant who had stayed behind to be on the bear council, were all there with excitement on their faces.
Annette reached us first and she pulled me in for a hug. I was surrounded by warmth and energy and it was very clear where Kade had learned to hug so thoroughly.
“Thank the gods! You’ve returned safe and sound.” She pulled back when she saw my ears and blinked a few times, reaching out to graze her fingertips across them. The slightest of frowns crossed her lovely face. “Well, that’s interesting.”
Interesting wasn’t even close to covering it. “Yes, a lot happened in the Otherworld. It’s a long story though. There will be time later to go over everything. First though … we have some news for you.”
Kade took over then, stepping closer so his mother could wrap her arms tightly around him. I could just hear his low voice as he said, “Kian’s alive, Ma. He was trapped in the fae lands.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the vortex started making a popping noise behind us. Before I could even turn, Kade’s mother let out a cry, one filled with so much emotion I had tears pricking my eyes. Then she was running, pushing through all of us and leaping onto Kian. Seeing a mother reunited with a child, weeping in happiness, it brought a happy ache to my heart. Not just mine either, by the looks of the leaky eyes and cleared throats going on around us. Even Gerald, the big toughie, had shiny eyes.
Violet, standing close to my side, even reached out and gave my hand a brief graze. Neither of us looked at the other, but I could feel her torn emotions, her joy and sorrow. Her time in the Otherworld was still controlling her, but she would take this one moment to feel a sliver of happiness. Might as well take them where we could. We both knew there would be many dark days ahead of us.
Finn, who was back from scouting, pressed into my legs. I dropped my hands down into his thick fur. After that very emotional reunion, Annette led us to the cars and we split into two groups. I got into the first vehicle with Kade, Violet, Blaine, Monica, Finn, and Gerald, who was driving. Nix and Kian’s familiar, whose name I learned was Jota, took to the air. They would follow us in their preferred mode of transport: flight.
Leaning forward, I said to Gerald, “How did you know to meet us here?”
Kade’s war councilman chuckled as he started the powerful car and pulled away. “Calista emailed me a few minutes ago. Annette had us all out the door in about eight seconds. We’ve been so worried. The shifter world needs its leaders.” He cleared his throat a little. “We need our friends.”
It was totally a hugging moment, but Gerald was driving, so I settled for a hand on his shoulder.
“How’s Winnie?” I missed my little sister dearly and wanted to make sure Selene couldn’t get to her. One of the things on my to-do list was to ensure she was not touched by this war. I would protect her innocence.
Gerald turned down Kade’s street, heading toward the gates to his huge estate. “Winnie is safe on the Island, running the bear house like it’s her own. She has staff at her fingertips and she’s with some of the other bear children. Both parties have agreed to the Island being neutral ground. The pregnant women and children have all been moved there.”
A surge of relief pretty much knocked me back into my seat. Selene might have a sliver of decency after all. Of course, a sliver wasn’t enough to make up for all the damage she had caused, and I would not soften my stance on her one bit. The gates to Kade’s estate opened and the car pulled slowly in. As we got closer to the house, we saw the grounds were littered with a bunch of tents and RVs. A low gasp slipped out as I again leaned forward in my seat, trying to see everything.
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Wolf shifters!
There were wolf shifters milling around the camp.
“Are they prisoners?” I murmured. They didn’t look like prisoners, but it was the most logical thing I could think of in times of war.
The car parked and Gerald turned back to look at me. His normally hard eyes seemed softer. “No, Queen Arianna. They’re defectors. Said they will only fight for you. There are more too. Many have remained in the boroughs, but have pledged to fight for the resistance. You’re not alone.”
A sob rose in my throat but I pushed it down. Now was the time for strength, but still … my people were here. They’d risked their lives and went against all of their traditions to come to bear territory. Just to be by my side in the dark days ahead. Gerald reached over and patted my hand. “We get more and more every day. They’re camping on the beach, in our rental homes. We actually can’t house them all. There are hundreds.”
I let out a steady breath, still working hard to keep the tears at bay. I would exit this car and be the queen they expected, not a blubbering mess. Kade’s hand came up to wrap around my shoulder, his strong fingers gently rubbing my tense muscles.
“Let’s do this,” he said.
Sucking in a deep breath, I nodded a few times, calming and centering myself. I could do this. I was the queen they wanted, and I would take Selene out so I could unite my people again and fight against the real threat. The winter fae.
My car door opened and I stepped out. I was covered in dirt and dried blood. I had pointy ears and foreign features, but when my people saw me they fell to their knees, bowing in respect.
I slowly walked past each and every one of them, shaking the men’s hands and hugging the women. I looked each one in the eye and thanked them for supporting me. I promised them I would fix this and get our home back.
An alpha wolf stepped forward then, bringing with her a strong aura of mecca power. I recognized her immediately: Bianca, the alpha of Boston. The one with more than a little influence in the shifter world. She gave me a low head nod, and then stepped closer. “I am very pleased to see you returned safely, and with our stolen magic born no less. You have proven to be the very leader I anticipated and hoped for, one who could do great things for our packs.”
I returned her nod, mine subtler. “Thank you, I appreciate your support. I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent this war. I will remove Selene from power and I will take back my crown.”
I was channeling Calista with my positive affirmations for the day.
Bianca’s large eyes were very dark, almost reflective. She turned to gaze at the many wolves standing close by, listening to our words. “A queen is only as strong as her people, without support any leader is weakened. Selene is weak right now. Do us proud, and we will carry you through the toughest of battles.”
She reached out her hand, adorned in many glittering jewels, and I didn’t hesitate to clasp my own to it. With a shake I let my happiness spill across my face in a broad smile. “I will do you proud. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a battle to prepare for.”
A huge cheer went up, and Bianca seemed pleased as she stepped back, allowing me and the others to pass through.
Once we were through the crowds, making our way to the mansion, I noticed that Kian’s expression was quite emotional, his eyes looking lost as he stared up at the house. The look on his face was a mixture of sadness and unbridled joy.
Annette, who had not moved very far from her returned son’s side, wrapped her arms around him and said something quietly that I couldn’t hear. Whatever it was, Kian seemed happier as he pressed a kiss to his mother’s cheek. Kade and I were the first up onto the porch, everyone else following close by. I felt a sense of home wash over me, I loved this estate so much.
Gerald brought me back to reality by saying, “We have readied the war room.”
Just like that, expressions sobered, shoulders straightened, and we were in warrior mode. It was time to plan Selene’s demise and fix the mecca before it tore both of our worlds apart.
Chapter Thirteen
Why do the best plans always end with a murder?
“No! I refuse to let my people be slaughtered.” I stood in the war room with Kade, Gerald, Violet, Annette, Nikoli, and Kian. We were surrounding the round table with the boroughs map. Nix and Jota were on the men’s shoulders; Finn was standing tall at my side, offering his support as I pressed my point further. “We want minimal casualties. This isn’t a real war. My people are being used as pawns by Selene and the council.”
Violet had been quiet during most of the arguing and discussion. I recognized her expression, the one she used when she was deep in thought, calculating something huge. So far tons of ideas had been thrown around, but they all involved brute force and the possibility of massive casualties on both sides. I had to worry about my own people and Kade’s.
It was stupid and frustrating trying to deal with this fake war. If I were still queen, none of this would be happening. Meanwhile, we were not even remotely prepared to face the fae, who would be true enemies in every sense of the word.
Violet finally stood, interrupting our arguments. “We’re going about this all wrong. The only thing in Arianna’s way is Selene.”
“What are you saying?” Kade asked, more gruffness than usual in his voice. It was near midnight and the terms of war were that by 5 A.M tomorrow morning all bets were off. Word was that Selene had her army camped out at the vortexes, and that she was going to openly attack at first light. Kade’s people were ready on their side of the magical discs, but I wanted a solution that didn’t result in mass casualties.
Violet shrugged. “This war doesn’t even need to happen. What needs to happen is Selene gets gutted with a dull knife.”
I was torn between smiling and worrying. Violet had always been brutal and reckless in her own way, but it felt like she was ten times worse now. I feared she would do something to get herself killed because she was trying to assuage the pain inside of her.
“What are you saying? Assassination? Just sneak in there before the war even starts and kill Selene?”
Violet nodded, her thin arms crossed over her chest. Baladar had said not to be like the Red Queen, be more like a mother protecting her children. The Red Queen would go for the all-out war, killing those who stood against her, making sure no one dared to ever stand against her again. But maybe Violet was right. I didn’t want to punish my people for siding with Selene or being too scared to speak up. I really just wanted that crazy bitch out of power so I could protect my people from the real threat, the winter fae.
“Assassination…” I let the word roll off my tongue. Kill Selene and Sabina, fire the council, and let the people decide. I could rule them again or they could choose to call another Summit. Let the new heir lead them and I would step down. Maybe it was time the wolves did something a little different. Maybe the leader should be the one chosen by the people, not by an ancient law that didn’t even make sense.
I stood straighter, taking in the full map of the boroughs before me. “Violet is right … I think we should take Selene out before the war begins.” I stabbed my finger down on the Manhattan vortex. It was time for all of my mecca chess training and battle strategy. “She’ll most likely be here somewhere, but it’s going to be very hard to find her. The Red Queen used to have a battle strategy of having Sabina spell a few decoys to look like her, so we can assume Selene would do the same. It’s something I would do as well. I need to know which is the real one – I’ll only have one chance. If she knows I’m coming, she’ll go into hiding. So we need a plan. It has to be the best plan we have ever created, and we have five hours to do it all!”
I expected them to freeze or freak out and tell me it couldn’t be done, but no one did that. Instead they stepped up, they acted like leaders, and we worked out how to take the wolf queen down.
Kian, who had been looking quite thoughtful, finally said: “You need to figure out how to tap into your
Tuatha side. They have powers above and beyond the shifters. And you are something I have never seen before.”
Thanks, buddy.
“You have a dual heritage,” Kade said. “Shifters might have been born of human and fae, but you’re the first shifter to be born of fae and shifter. And your mother and father are both heirs. This gives you an unprecedented tie to the mecca. You’re ten times more powerful than Selene. We just need to work out how to utilize this.”
“What sort of things can the winter queen do?” I was looking at Kian. He was our fae expert now. “Besides the ice breath.”
He took a second to think. “She can freeze someone’s power. She can force mecca back into an individual and kill them that way. She can control the will of those weaker. She can influence minds. She can open portals anywhere there is a mecca stone and step through—”
I threw a hand up, interrupting him mid-flow. “She can open a portal to a mecca stone? Like a vortex?”
Kian nodded. “Yes, she is one of the only fae leaders who can do this … it was inherited by her son.”
“Which explains how I can do it too. I thought it was a glitch that the portal opened into the fae lands for us, but clearly not.”
Kade said, “If you manage to open a vortex into that mecca stone room, then what will you do?”
“I will send the mecca back to the fae. Selene will feel the loss of power. She’ll know it’s me, then she will come for me.” I turned to Violet. “I might need your help seeing and guiding the power.”
Violet nodded. “It’s not a full moon, so I might not be able to completely share my power with you, but I’ll do what I can.”
It would have to be good enough. I would figure it out somehow.
Kade clenched his fists on the side of the table. “How do you know Selene won’t bring her entire army?”