Finding the Power Within

by C. C. Masters

  I couldn’t keep the scowl off my face, they needed to stop referring to me as an object.

  “That’s what you’ve come to report, Fallon?” King Illian asked

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” He replied with a bow. “Brother.” He gave my prince a nod and a smirk. “But I am in the process of acquiring more females that have the same curious mix of fae and wolf magic, so that we will be able to breed a larger population than the Summer Court.”

  I looked at him in horror. Did he not realize he was talking about people?

  Drake scowled. “Acquiring them from where?”

  Fallon smiled triumphantly. “There are plenty of wolf packs that don’t appreciate their females or treat them properly in the human world. With a little kindness for the females and money for the males, we can create a small army in a short amount of time.”

  The king didn’t respond, but shouts started in the crowd around us. Apparently, not everyone here agreed that creating an army of creatures that had the potential to become more powerful than themselves was a good idea. The king held up a hand for silence after a few minutes of arguments and the room quieted down.

  He gestured for me to approach where he sat on the dais. I smoothed my dress nervously, and after a less than subtle nudge from the prince, I started towards the king. He stood as I approached, and held out a hand to help me up the stairs.

  I very cautiously placed my hand in his – the prince had already warned me that the king was what the humans would consider to be an incubus. I was worried about what power the king might try to use on me, but he merely assisted me to stand on the dais across from him.

  A small smile curled across his lips as he ran his eyes over me from my head to my toes. “I see why my son is fond of you.”

  I blushed, but decided it was best not to respond to his comment. I was fine with letting the king think the prince and I were a thing if it kept me safe from his intentions. The king took both of my hands in his and I was surprised – and relieved – that I didn’t feel any magic radiating from him, only the warmth that a normal human’s hands would give off.

  That thought had barely crossed my mind when the king’s magic slammed into me like a freight train. I was completely unprepared and caught off guard, which is probably why he did it. The throne room had completely disappeared in a flash of light when the king attacked, and I was locked in my mind with him.

  I felt like I was careening through space in a helpless spiral and I fought to get my bearings. Laughter echoed around me and I felt a hand reach through the darkness to grab my arm.

  Light exploded all around me and the king stood across from me. Once again, we were in his throne room – but this time we were completely alone. The king roughly took hold of my upper arms and stared into my eyes. “Let’s see what you’re made of.”

  I realized just how gentle the prince had been with me as the king combed through my mind. He roughly pulled my memories from me, causing me to cry out in agony as my mind felt like it was being ripped apart. Memory after memory was wrenched from me for the kings perusal and then discarded. I tried my best to struggle against him, but the pain made me weak and my disorientation made it difficult to get a grip on reality. I was a quivering mess by the time he was finished with that and tore into my magic.

  I cried out again as he shoved into the very center of who I was, ransacking my magic and taking it for himself. When Morpheus and the prince had taken my magic from me, it had felt like I was being drained. This felt like my very essence was being ripped away from me, leaving me a shredded mess of remains.

  I thought the pain would never end, but after what seemed like an eternity, the king released his hold on me. Reality folded back around me and I tumbled off of the dais, unable to keep standing. The prince caught me with a look of pity and handed me over to Froston.

  Despite all the eyes on me, I was barely able to keep the tears from flowing. Froston held me close to him and rubbed my back as I tried to keep my shuddering sobs inside. I buried my face in his shoulder, unwilling to let the fae world see my shame.

  The king casually made his way back to his throne and sat, unconcerned with the trauma that he had just inflicted on me. The satisfied look on his face set a fire inside of me that replaced my fear and pain with anger. I still clung to Froston for support, but my tears dried up. I was not willing to let him destroy me like this.

  “You’ve done well.” King Illian told Drake. “I am impressed with the potential that she has.”

  The prince preened at the praise and I couldn’t hide my scowl. Now that my pain was fading, my anger was growing inside of me.

  “Prince Fallon,” the king called to Drake’s brother. “I approve of your plans to acquire new females to create more of these.” He waved a hand in my direction, making it clear that by ‘these’ he meant me.

  I felt Froston stiffen with tension, but I was still too physically weak to stand on my own. “And my daughter?” he asked softly.

  Dread radiated through me when the king was silent for almost a full minute before answering. “She is too old for my intents, and is already defectively formed. I need new, fresh subjects to mold into what I want. Your daughter has served her purpose for now, do as you please with her.”

  Froston relaxed and let out his breath. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  “But Lord Froston?” King Illian called. “I want her within reach if I have need of her again.”

  Froston gave a sharp nod and the king turned to address his subjects. “I have decided that we will be pursuing a new avenue in our fight with the Summer Court…”

  My eyes narrowed at the kings words. I was defectively formed? He was going to need new, fresh subjects? It sounded like he wanted to take female wolves, breed them, and then take their babies to shape into killers. Innocent children would be used as cannon fodder for his stupid war against the summer fae.

  I got angrier the more I thought about it. I was not going to let him get away with this. My rage set my veins on fire and I started to breathe heavier. I stepped away from Froston and tapped into my magic, letting what little I had left swirl around me.

  Froston watched me curiously but didn’t try to stop me. Several of the fae had drained my magic and I had just stood there and let them do it every time. I had been pushed and prodded and manipulated since I got here. But letting the fae and the King do the same to innocent children? I couldn’t stand by and let that happen. Fury filled me.

  I reached out my awareness and started to draw energy in, the way that Froston had shown me with the lightning. But this time, I wasn’t drawing it from the world around me, I was drawing it from the fae who couldn’t protect themselves from me. Magic whipped around me in a vortex that grew with the more energy that I took in. Shock was etched on the faces of the fae around me when they realized what was happening, and then the entire room exploded into motion.

  Lesser fae ran for the doors, not wanting to get caught up in my magical tornado. I pulled harder on the magic that I sensed all around me and the fae who were already caught up in my maelstrom collapsed to the floor. All my rational thoughts were gone, I was completely consumed by my anger and a lust for more magic.

  I saw Froston in the panicking crowd; he had enacted a barrier around himself, similar to the one he had taught me to protect myself from Morpheus draining me at night. He was watching me with an unreadable look in his eyes, but didn’t seem to be interested in interfering with what I was doing.

  Drake was standing back and watching me as well, with a similar barrier to protect himself. But he had a wide grin on his face and a maniacal gleam to his eyes. There were other fae that had used barriers to protect themselves, but they were quickly heading for the doors, seemingly unwilling to engage me in a fight.

  Confident that I wasn’t going to be getting opposition from the fae around me, I turned back to the king. He was the reason I was brought here. He was the one who saw my kind as disposable weapons, objects for him to use.r />
  The king was standing strong in front of his throne, watching me with interest. “I wasn’t expecting this,” he said with an amused grin. “Just how much magic can you take in?”

  I took a step towards him and snarled, “You’re about to find out.”

  The king was untouchable behind the barrier that he had created, but I had broken barriers before. The king casually walked down the stairs of the dais, heading towards me. I let him come, preparing myself for what I had to do.

  No one else was going to stand up to this king. No one else was going to protect the females he wanted to go after. No one else was going to defend the helpless children against him. I was the only one standing here against the king. I was alone, but I could do this.

  I pulled harder at the magic, drawing in everything from all around me. My awareness spread outside of the throne room, reaching the fae who thought that they would be safe outside of my sight. They weren’t. I drew their magic in easily, the stone walls not hindering me at all. I didn’t stop to question how I was doing this or even to think, I just did it.

  My body felt like it was about to burst from all the magic that I had taken in. I felt like I was floating in the clouds and I couldn’t stop a huge grin from spreading across my face. The king had made a huge mistake – thinking he could take me on now.

  The king stopped a foot in front of me and reached forward to clasp my arms. I let him – I wanted to draw my prey in. I felt him as he connected with me and attempted to draw out my magic the way that he had before, but this time I was ready for him.

  When I felt the tug of his magic pulling on mine I pulled back. There were a few moments of tug of war and a frown shadowed his face. I yanked as hard as I could and the frown turned to horror as his magic started to flow into me. He fought me with everything that he had, but it simply wasn’t enough now that I had a good grip on his very core of magic. I ripped a metaphorical pair of claws through that core, shredding the fight that was left in him and causing him the same pain that he had given me earlier. His struggles became weaker and I didn’t try to hide my elation.

  I thought I was high before, but the king’s magic was nothing like everyone else’s. It was warm and golden like the sun’s summer rays. Warmth filled me and the king staggered. I used my massive horde of magic to hold him in place and kept draining. I felt it the moment that he stopped struggling and gave into me completely.

  With this much power humming through my veins I could do anything. I felt like a goddess. The king was gasping for breath, terror in his eyes but I kept draining. I kept consuming him until he slumped in my hold and there was only emptiness in his eyes. I let his body slump to the floor. The most powerful fae in the kingdom, who everyone was so afraid of, was now just an empty husk laying at my feet.

  I threw back my head and laughed. I was high as a kite and I didn’t care. My gaze drifted to Drake, who was looking at his father’s corpse with glee on his face. Drake had hurt me, but he had also helped me. He felt my gaze and looked up at me with adoration. “Anna, you are more than I could have ever hoped for.”

  Content that he wasn’t a threat to me, I turned to Froston. Froston’s face was molded into the pleasant mask he used to hide his true feelings. I narrowed my eyes and strode towards him. Now was the time for me to get the truth out of him.

  He held up his hands as I approached as if he were trying to calm a wild animal. “Anna, you need me to get home,” he murmured.

  I circled around him. Deep down, I had rational thoughts that were trying to surface through the haze of magic that clouded my brain. I shook my head to focus. I did need Froston to get home.

  Home. Thoughts of home penetrated the hazy mist in my mind and memories of my pack surfaced. I needed to get back to my guys. Cody was waiting for me back at Froston’s castle, but the rest of my pack was still searching for me in the human world.

  “Anna,” Froston called to me softly. “The fae are going to be regrouping and not all of them are going to be as pleased as Prince Mandrake at what you’ve done. We need to get you out of here now.”

  Reality started to sink back in and I looked at the king’s corpse again. My magic wasn’t swirling around me in a frenzy anymore, it was slowly sinking back into me. But I felt uncomfortably full, like I had just indulged in a feast and was unable to get up from the table. I stared at the king’s body, gauging my emotions. Yes, I felt some regret. But for the most part, I felt that my actions were justified.

  But the king wasn’t the only one who had nefarious plans for the wolves. Where was Prince Fallon? I looked around the throne room, at the bodies of the fae who had passed out from my attack, at the food and drinks that the servants had dropped in their hurry to run from me. I didn’t see Prince Fallon anywhere.

  “Anna,” Drake said as he walked up to us with a pleased smile still on his face. “I have a feeling that Froston is going to offer to take you back to your world.”

  Froston gave him a nod of agreement but I watched Drake carefully. Was he going to try to stop me?

  “I want to ask… would you consider staying?” Drake asked hopefully.

  I looked at him as if he was completely insane. After everything that had happened? After everything he had done to me? After what he did to Cody? Why would I agree to stay?

  I took a deep breath and tried to settle my mind. My buzz was fading, and my thoughts were becoming more like my own. I could feel the magic inside me, filling me up, ready for me to use. I relaxed and realized that I had been fighting my magic in the past, I needed to let it become a part of who I was. This time, the magic didn’t feel like a foreign presence inside me, it felt a little more natural.

  My silence made Drake frown. “Together we could best my brothers and take the throne. I need someone like you.”

  My eyes snapped open. “Like me?” I said in disbelief. “Someone for you to-”

  Froston cut me off, which was probably a good idea. “I think it’s probably best for Anna if she goes back to her world. Not many fae will be able to follow her there and those that can will be too occupied with fighting for the throne to chase after her.”

  Drake looked disappointed. “Is there anything I could say to convince you to stay? I don’t…” He looked as if he was struggling to find the right words. “There isn’t anyone else like you here. No one else is… honest with me.”

  I just stared at him. His gentle tone and exposed vulnerability had softened my anger towards him. Yeah, he was probably used to everyone just doing and saying whatever they thought he wanted to hear because they were afraid he would murder them. I was probably the only person stupid enough to treat him like a normal person on occasion. But was he trying to manipulate me now? Was he trying to get under my skin and appeal to my softer emotions because his offer of power didn’t appeal to me? Or did he honestly have feelings for me?

  “I don’t belong here,” I told him firmly. “This world would kill me. You don’t need someone like me, you need someone who can stand beside you as an equal. Someone who will fight beside you, not against you.”

  “But that could be you,” he insisted.

  “No. That’s not me.” I answered with a tone of finality.

  Drake stared at me sadly for a moment before putting his trademark smirk back on. “I didn’t think you would, but I had to try.” He shrugged and gave me a wave before sauntering out of the throne room. “Be seeing you, I have a throne to take.”

  I watched the prince with mixed feelings. It was impossible for me to tell if he was being honest or just trying to manipulate me. I hardened my heart and turned to Froston, he had promised to take me home.

  “How many others can make portals?” I asked Froston as the prince left. If I went home to Seaside, would others follow? Would I put my pack in jeopardy?

  “Any portal? There are as many as ten or so. But a portal into the human world takes more power and expertise. There is one other in the Winter Court, but several in the Summer Court,” Froston answered
me.

  I frowned at his answer. I hadn’t met anyone from the Summer Court. Would they leave me alone? Or would they come after me, too?

  Froston created a portal back to his castle and helped me through. After it snapped shut we stood in his courtyard. He surveyed the long walk across the icy path to the entrance of his castle and sighed before turning to me. “You haven’t seen the last of Prince Mandrake. He’ll be occupied with the fight for the throne for a while, until he realizes that having you at his side might tip the scales in his favor.”

  I frowned. “He’s probably already forgotten me.”

  Froston shook his head. “No one is going to forget about you after the amount of power you just demonstrated.”

  My heart sank. “You think they’ll come after me?”

  Froston sighed. “Drake and his brothers will be too busy fighting each other for the throne for the time being. But let’s hope that Drake wins, at least we can count him as an ally.”

  Froston took my hands. “You have a good heart – and an honesty and an openness that most of us lose in childhood. Manipulation, coercion, and blackmail are things that the fae excel in from an early age. You have to if you want to survive court intrigue; that’s why I didn’t want you to grow up here.”

  I nodded slowly. “And you think that the prince is attracted to me for those qualities?”

  “I think that’s part of it, but what the prince doesn’t realize is that if you were to stay here, you would lose the very things that make us all love you so much,” Froston told me quietly. “If you didn’t lose those qualities, you wouldn’t survive here. And if you did harden your heart and completely become one of us?” Froston just shook his head. “There’s more than one reason I wouldn’t want to see that. The world is safer if you keep your kind heart.”

  I sighed. “So, you’re taking me home?”

  Froston gave me a warm smile. “I’m taking you home.”