by Jaymin Eve
My eyes had been locked on the map, on my territories. I looked up to answer him. “I don’t think she will. Selene knows I’m the one weakness in her plans. She knows the people are not fully on her side. This is personal for her. She’s going to try and take me out alone. Prove she is stronger. Her ego will get the best of her.”
Violet backed me up. “Selene and Arianna have been locked in a power struggle for many years, one which Ari almost always beats her at. Taking the crown was the first time Selene ever came out on top. She’ll do everything in her power to make sure she not only keeps the crown, but is the hero to the people. She’ll attempt to kill Arianna herself, I’m sure of it.”
“I will be there too,” Kade said. “You, me, and Violet. All of us will be needed to shift the power back to the Otherworld.”
And me, Finn said in my mind, his voice firm.
I looked down at him, shaking my head and speaking out loud. “The familiars should stay behind. We need to sneak in and out, and three of us is already turning into a crowd.”
How about if we wait for you at Baladar’s? Then we will be nearby if you need us.
That I could live with, so I gave him and the eagle a single nod. “Waiting at Baladar’s is a great plan.”
I definitely looked like a crazy person talking to myself, but everyone around me understood. It wasn’t the first time Finn and I had carried on a conversation like that. I felt some sense of relief that a plan was set into motion. A plan which would hopefully have minimal casualties. Selene did not count. She had started all of this after all.
Please let this work. We had already lost too many shifters in this pointless bear versus wolf life we lived. It didn’t even make any logical sense. We were all the same, pretty much.
Annette and Gerald moved to the door then. “We will still ready the bears,” the war councilman said. “I have the rest of the council members arranging our warriors at the vortexes, in case you aren’t successful. Not that I’m worried.” He gave me a wink. “Good luck, sir.” That was for Kade, and then they were gone.
The others followed soon after, Kade the last to leave. “I’ll check in with my people and be right back. Meet you at the door,” he said as he pressed his lips to my forehead, before striding from the room.
I stayed behind with Finn to study the board for a few more minutes. Violet got halfway out before doubling back to my side. I was surprised as her hand wrapped tightly around my forearm. She never usually touched me like this, with such a firm grip.
“Sabina is mine.” Her voice was fierce and growly.
I took a moment to really see her. We had been running or fighting since the moment we’d found her in the Otherworld. I’d had no chance to really look at my best friend. Her suffering was written across every part of her face. Her pale eyes were dull, with dark circles beneath them. Her skin looked washed out, less of the vibrant glow than she normally wore. Even the leather outfit, so unlike her normal clothes, made her seem small and vulnerable.
She was broken, and she was worrying me. “Are you sure you’re up to all this? I mean…”
You were tortured almost beyond repair, is what I left unsaid.
Violet swallowed hard, her eyes locked on a spot just behind me, like she couldn’t look me in the eye any longer. Her next words were hoarse: “Being near death changes you, Ari. No longer will I cater to the whims of those who don’t deserve my respect or loyalty. Sabina crossed the wrong magic born.” She paused and I was relieved to find her meeting my eyes again. “Plus, I don’t want to waste time anymore. I want to live life fully.”
I chuckled. “And by live life fully, you mean rip Sabina’s head off?”
She grinned and said, “Exactly.” The sight of her smile filled me with a burst of hot, deep emotions. I could imagine it was akin to seeing your child smile for the first time, like an accomplishment.
Unable to help myself, and since she seemed to be all about the physical contact today, I pulled my dear friend in for a hug. As her scent washed over me I tried not to become too emotional. “I love you, Vi,” I murmured against her shoulder. It had to be said. One, or both of us, might not live past this night, and I needed her to know how much she meant to me. “I know you’re hurting right now and I want you to know that you can take as long as you need to deal with what happened in the Otherworld. It was a big deal. You need some time.”
I could feel her chest shaking under me, but her voice was clear as she said, “Not as much as I love you, sister.”
When we pulled apart, we were both misty-eyed. Swallowing down the massive lump in my throat, I forced a smile. “I’d better toughen up if I’m about to take on Selene. No weeping.”
Violet returned my smile. “The weeping is what makes you stronger than Selene, Ari.”
Then she patted my shoulder and left the room. As I turned back to the board, I stopped and gave myself five minutes to really think about everything that had happened recently, everything I had learned, especially about myself. It was shocking, but at the same time made sense to me. I mean, I would never have guessed my father was a full-blown fae prince, and an asshole – well, actually, that part I could have easily guessed. And as much as I had loved my pseudo-mother, she had always raised me at arm’s reach, which made a lot more sense now that I knew I wasn’t biologically hers. Of course the Red Queen had acted the same way, so maybe that was just the sisters’ way.
Finn remained silently at my side, just being there, like he always had. I never needed them. I had you, I said to him, his love warming my heart.
A knock at the war room door drew my attention. It was Annette, and she was carrying a portable landline handset.
“A certain five year old refuses to sleep until she talks to you. She overheard the news that you were back.”
A huge grin broke out across my face as I grabbed the phone and pressed it to my ear. “Winnie, I missed you so much, baby girl! Are you okay?”
“Sissy! I missed you too.” Her sweet cherubic voice cut right into my heart. I had to take down Selene, I refused to miss seeing my beautiful sister again. I wanted to be there when she grew up.
“Did you get Auntie Violet back?” she asked, the last part of her words cut off by a huge yawn.
“I did, Win. She’s safe and sound. I’ll get her to call you later. Now I think it’s bedtime for you, little one. I will come and get you very soon. There are just a few things I need to fix in Manhattan first.”
God, please don’t let this be the last time I heard this sweet voice.
“Okay, Ari. Love you.” She was nearly asleep. I could tell by the sluggishness in her voice.
“Love you too, bunny. Night, night.” I hung up the phone, holding the receiver tightly. I could feel the plastic cracking under the pressure, so I eased up, staring down at the table, willing myself not to lose it. A cleared throat startled me, and I realized Annette was still standing in the doorway. I’d totally forgotten she was there. She crossed over to me now and I extended my hand with the phone in it, guessing that was what she wanted. She did take it, but only to set it aside on the table.
She stepped closer, towering over me, and tipped my chin up to meet her eyes. “Winnie is an amazing little girl. You’re doing a great job, especially with all your other responsibilities.”
I shook my head. “She gets pushed aside for duty all the time, just as I was growing up. I know she has luxury and staff, but nothing replaces family.”
Annette tilted her head to the side, observing me with her wise eyes. “I didn’t know who my parents were, just the same as you.”
Her blunt confession caught me off guard. “You didn’t?” I never knew that about her.
She shook her head. “I was discarded and left on the doorstep of a den in Staten Island. The rumors were that I was the result of an affair between a single woman and a married man. Dropped off to the closest bear community.”
“That must have been hard, not knowing where you came from.” It was hit
ting deep in my soul right now because it was hard for me too.
She shrugged. “Not really. What I wanted to tell you is that you don’t need to know where you came from to know where you’re going. You don’t need to be anything like the winter prince or the Red Queen. Those are just genetics. The woman who just spoke to her five year old sister is nothing like the Red Queen.”
Her reassurance touched me. I had been having this growing fear that I was somehow innately evil because of my parentage, but what she said eased some of my worry. I wasn’t like them and I wouldn’t be. I would forge my own destiny.
I straightened, a genuine smiling tilting up my lips. “Thank you,” I said. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. The reality is, Calista is the reason we turned out so well. She’s been a true mother to me and Winnie. She’s the mother of my heart.”
Annette smiled as she smoothed my hair, which was loose and unruly. “Give Selene hell, child. Then come home and celebrate. I’m throwing a party for Kian and Violet’s safe return, to celebrate my grandbaby and daughter-in-law who I am blessed enough to know now. I want to add a newly-crowned queen to that agenda.”
I smiled. I had certainly lucked out having a future mother-in-law that was so cool. “Oh I plan to give her a lot more than hell.”
Selene had stripped me of my crown, my dignity, my family. I was going to exterminate her.
Annette and Finn were by my side as I left the room, though they both gave me some privacy to say goodbye to my dominants, who were waiting for me. They were silent, and I could tell from their faces that they had been filled in on the plan.
Blaine was right in my face, channeling the pushy little kid he had been in our youth. “We should be with you, Ari!”
Leaning forward, I wrapped my arms around him. It was a night for hugs, for goodbyes. “It’s too dangerous. This is a stealth mission, which means we need minimal people.”
Blaine returned my hug so hard my ribs creaked in protest, but I didn’t say anything. I would take this, I would take whatever I had to for my family. “I’ll come back to you, I promise.” I said this to each of them as Monica, Jen, and Victor all got their chance for a hug.
Then it was time to get out of here. Time to get my crown back.
Kade, Violet, and I stood at the vortex that would take us to Baladar’s loft. Once we were back in Manhattan, we would sneak into the royal estate and send the mecca back. It should be even easier than last time, because all of the army was out of the estate, at the vortexes, readying to take on the bears. Finn and Nix, who were supposed to head straight to Baladar’s, had informed us that they would go through first and scout.
They were already out in the alleys of Manhattan. As per usual, they had ignored my request, but I couldn’t be too mad, as now we had some up-to-date intel. Finn said the city was crawling with guards, but that from what they overheard, Selene wasn’t in the borough center. She’d left to check on her people manning the waterway between Manhattan and Staten Island.
“Lucky Baladar was able to change the times this vortex was functional,” I said, sitting on the bench with Kade and Violet. “Wednesday would have been a little late.”
It was Saturday, mid-August. By Wednesday many shifters would be dead. Our battles were fast and lethal.
Kade’s strong hand slipped into mine, more of a comfort than the weight of the sword at my hip. I no longer had my fae blade, that had been lost when the winter queen took me in the Otherworld. This blade was more than enough to take out Selene though.
We connected to Manhattan and Staten Island disappeared from around us, the familiar energy sucking us through to Baladar’s loft. Last time we were here, the environment had been dim and muted, the flowers dull, a clear sign of Baladar’s poor health and loss of power. Everything now looked just a little more vibrant, and I hoped that meant my friend was on the mend. We stepped out from under the tree and crossed the large garden, heading for a door on the far wall.
Footsteps to my left had me turning with my sword raised. Upon seeing Calista, I lowered the weapon. “Cal, you scared me.”
She gave me a smile. “I knew you would choose to sneak in and take out Selene before letting any of your people get hurt.”
“Am I that easy to read?” I said with a chuckle.
She shook her head, soft strands of brown hair falling in front of her eyes. “No, but I raised you right, so I know how you think.”
My throat tightened. The Red Queen might have been my biological mother, but I meant what I’d said to Annette. Calista was the mother of my heart. She was the mother I chose.
I ate up the gap between us. She reached out and grasped my hand. “I’m going to fix this,” I whispered.
Calista nodded, a fierce determination lining her ageless face. “I never doubted you for a second. You are kind and strong, two things Selene knows nothing about.” Her voice got very serious. “Just remember, Selene’s weakness is her overconfidence. She is high on power and you can use that to your advantage. Her ego will be her downfall.”
I was counting on that. Her support gave me a boost of adrenalin; she had just confirmed the information we had built our entire plan on. I felt much better about it now. Calista was brilliant at mecca chess; I based many of my own strategic plays on hers. “Learn your enemy” was rule number one, and luckily, after many years of clashes, I knew everything about Selene and that slimy snake.
“Say it,” Calista said, and I chuckled. Still, it felt right to have this moment.
“I will kill Selene! I will take back the crown! I will win!” The fierceness in my voice assured me I was more than ready to achieve these goals. Achieve them or die trying.
As Kade always said, an honorable death was worth much. But I preferred to live for many more years. I had plenty of honor to last me the distance. Calista nodded, looking every bit the proud mother. Leaning over, I kissed her on the cheek, and then it was time to leave. Turning on my heel, I followed Kade and Violet out of the door and into a fight for my life.
For my crown. For my people.
Chapter Fourteen
Mother dearest.
Finn hadn’t been kidding when he said the streets of Manhattan were filled with guards. They were everywhere. Of course, Selene had them decked out in bright purple shirts, the color of her heir line, which made it fairly easy to spot and avoid them. Finn and Nix were giving us feedback as they cruised through the streets. Neither of them would return to Baladar’s loft, but they were at least staying out of sight, even though both of them were pretty unhappy about not being able to join us.
At about 3 A.M most of the patrols halted and the guards started marching their way through Manhattan.
Selene is calling them to the vortex, Kade said. We were hiding out in a small alley, letting the masses stream past us.
I nodded once at him, but remained vigilant. The moment the street was clear, we were going to have to haul butt to make it in time. 5 A.M was the deadline.
Finn tried again to guilt me into letting him closer. Ari, we’re stronger together.
I know. Once all the guards are gone, come find me at the royal estate. We’ll be in the mecca stone room.
He was satisfied, and I fought against the instinct to order him back to bear territory, far away from the danger. But if I had learned anything from my time with the winter fae, it was that I couldn’t do it all alone, that Finn and I were essentially the same soul. If I died, so would he. I just wasn’t keen on it being the other way around. I’d still live if he died, but I wouldn’t want to.
“We should be able to go in ninety seconds,” Violet said from behind me. She was letting Kade and I have the lookout.
I swiveled to see her better, the dim light reflecting off her pale beauty. “Ninety seconds?” That was oddly specific, even for her.
She gave me a wink, and it almost felt like the old Violet was back. For a moment.
“I know things. Sometimes the universe is my friend.” Her crypti
c reply didn’t bother me. I accepted her secrets.
The seconds ticked by, and sure enough, almost exactly a minute and half later, the streets were empty. The quiet seemed extra eerie after all the noise that had just been echoing around. Kade took point, ducking out first. I followed close behind, and I could feel Violet’s energy right there with me. We stuck to the shadows. I sensed Nix right above us, which was reassuring. She was pretty great at spotting problems before they arose.
Kade took us a roundabout route, which was frustrating because time was running out. Selene wasn’t supposed to attack for another two hours, but I didn’t trust her to keep true to that. My nails were pretty much chewed to the bone now, nerves harassing me with the force of a small storm.
As we crossed the street to find ourselves near the back entrance of the royal garden, I had to smile. “We really need to try something new for our next date.” I winked at Kade.
He brushed his thumb down my cheek. “What, sneaking into an abandoned palace on the brink of war isn’t romantic enough?”
Suddenly a guard jumped out in front of us and Kade drew his sword. But before either of us could act, Violet threw a spell in the guard’s face and he collapsed.
Violet grinned. “That felt great! I really missed doing magic.”
I sensed this freedom was cathartic for her, so I would encourage as much as I could. “Go for it, my friend. You can use magic to take Selene’s people down until you’ve got nothing left.”
“I will be,” she said, as she moved forward.
Kade and I followed, stepping over the fallen guard, entering the garden. It was eerily quiet and I had the random thought that if I did survive tonight and take my crown back, where would Kade and I live? Would we have to build a house that crossed both boroughs? Or would the territories disappear altogether? Shaking my head, I discarded those thoughts. They were for another time.
We made our way to the elevator close to the back patio. Violet had sent forth some magical mojo, so it was already lit up and waiting for us, and we ran inside without pause. A streak of white ducked in at the last minute and I lunged forward to hold the doors open until Finn was fully inside. I grinned at my familiar, letting my free hand sink into his soft fur.