Queen of Light (The Forbidden Fae Book 3)

by Linsey Hall

  “Are you sure?” he asked. “You seem… unsettled.”

  His concern warmed my heart, and I gripped his arms, holding on tight, not wanting to let go. “I’m fine. It’s was just… intense.”

  “What happened when you put the crown on? Do you need anything?”

  My heart began to thud in my chest, driven by the knowledge of what was about to happen.

  This would be my last night with him.

  I had wanted to wait until we had more time, but this was it. There would be no more time.

  “Just you. You’re all I need.” I stood on my toes and pressed my lips to his, throwing my arms around his neck and trying to get so close to him that we became one.

  He groaned low in his throat and drew me toward him. “What’s come over you?”

  “Nothing.” I trailed my lips along his neck, reveling in the taste of him. “I just want you. We have time. We can’t meet the others until dawn, and we don’t know what the battle will bring.”

  He pulled back, his gaze meeting mine. “We will be fine. The battle—if there needs to be one—will be dangerous, but we’ll come out on top.”

  I pressed my lips together and nodded, trying to blink back the wetness that I could feel forming at the backs of my eyes. “Of course.”

  Again, I pressed my lips to his, trying to distract him from my fear. I didn’t know if it worked on him, but it certainly worked on me.

  Warmth surged through me, heating me from my core to the ends of my fingertips. I drove my hands into his hair, pulling his face closer to mine as I kissed him with everything I had. Maybe I was too desperate, but he didn’t seem to mind.

  The low groan that broke from his throat spoke of his own desperate desire. “I’ve wanted this so long.”

  “Me too.” I gasped as he ran his lips down my neck. I tilted my head to give him more access. “Forever, it feels like.”

  I yanked my jacket off so that there were fewer layers between us. He gripped my butt in his strong hands and hoisted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and clung to him as he strode toward the bed.

  Still kissing me, he propped a knee on the bed and lowered me to the mattress. I pulled his heavy weight down and made room for him between my thighs.

  He settled on top of me with a groan, his hands going to the hem of my shirt. He dragged it up, taking my bra with it. His gaze lit on my breasts, going hot and dark. “So beautiful.”

  I fumbled for his shirt, yanking it over his head and revealing a wide expanse of muscle. My fingertips itched to trace the straight lines and gentle curves, so I did. This might be my last chance, and I wasn’t going to miss anything. I touched every inch of him I could find, unable to get enough.

  He kissed and touched, every motion passing in a blur of pleasure. Our boots came off, then the rest of our clothes. His hand went to my center, and with a few deft movements, the pleasure began to coil tighter within me.

  “Iain.” I gripped his shoulders as it exploded, waves of ecstasy making me go blind. “Now, Iain. Now. Don’t make me wait.”

  I gripped his hips, pulling him toward me.

  His dark gaze flashed up to mine. “I don’t have—”

  “I’m on birth control.” I knew where his thoughts were going, and my words were the truth. I didn’t expect to survive tomorrow, but if I did…

  “Now.” I pulled him closer. He shuddered as we made contact, and I arched, taking him inside of me.

  Pleasure exploded as he sank deep. He pulled me tighter to him, his movements sending me over the edge again. It wasn’t long before he followed, and I lost myself in the moment.

  Minutes or hours later—I had no idea—we untangled ourselves. He pulled me close, and I snuggled against him, determined not to think of anything bad. Plenty of that was coming my way, and I’d rather focus on the now.

  “I love you, Caera,” he murmured against the back of my neck.

  Warmth shivered through me, along with the strongest sense of awareness. Despite everything that had happened—maybe because of it—I loved him, too.

  But something stilled my tongue. It was so soon—I wasn’t ready to say it yet. And I didn’t want to be forced by time and circumstance. Somehow, being forced to say it now made it feel like I was admitting to defeat tomorrow. Like I was running out of time.

  No, that was crazy.

  I opened my mouth to say the words, but heard his breathing change, deepening into sleep.

  He’s asleep.

  My moment had passed.

  It was okay. It was better this way. I’d say it later.

  I squeezed his arm lightly, not wanting to wake him but wanting him to know I cared, even if it was while he was in a dream world.

  Unconsciously, he pulled me tighter to him, his breathing still deep with sleep. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus only on this moment.

  I woke feeling refreshed… at least a little bit. But five hours was all we could spare. Morning was coming. Cass and Connor would be meeting us at Potions & Pastilles, hopefully with news about how to find Nix and Del.

  As dawn approached, I stared at the ceiling, drawing in slow breaths. Iain lay next to me, totally exhausted and sleeping deeply.

  I was supposed to wake him—obviously I was.

  Instead, I ran my fingertips over his brow and watched him sleep, wondering if we would have more of this.

  But if last night was all I would get, I was glad I’d had it.

  His eyes fluttered open, meeting mine. “Caera? Is it time?”

  I nodded, my throat tightening. “Time to go.”

  Lying there like things were normal was too much for me. I threw myself out of bed, avoiding his perplexed look, and dressed quickly. I was determined to face this head-on. Del and Nix were being held captive, and I’d seen the damage the darkness could do. That it would do, if I didn’t stop it.

  Iain climbed out of bed and strode to his closet, gloriously naked. I couldn’t help but take one last look before saying, “I’m going to call for food.”

  This might be my last meal, and while I’d definitely prefer Connor’s pasties if I had the choice, he was too busy to cook right now.

  “Tell them to pack up a lot of it,” Iain called from the dressing room. “The others may want food.”

  “I will.”

  Dressed, I went to the bell I’d seen Iain use when he wanted one of the servants to come to the door. I rang it, and within a minute, there was a knock.

  I opened the door to a keen young man with pale hair and fine, elfin features. “You rang?”

  “Yes, thanks.” I placed the order, and he hurried away.

  Within ten minutes, Iain was dressed and several bags of pasties had been delivered to the room. I looked toward the window, spotting the gray light of dawn. “We should get going.”

  Iain nodded and strode toward me. He gripped my arms gently and bent to press a kiss to my lips. I smiled and leaned into him, taking one last second for myself.

  Then he pulled back and smiled down at me. “Let’s go.”

  I gripped his hand, and his magic flared. The ether sucked us in, spinning us through space and spitting us out on the sidewalk in front of Potions & Pastilles. Because of the time change, it was late at night. The street was dark, the bar empty. Normally, there might be some stragglers at this hour, but the shop was closed up tight.

  A half second later, Cass and Connor appeared on the sidewalk next to us, looking tired and windblown. Three men appeared next. Aidan, Roarke, and Ares. The FireSouls’ mates—Aidan for Cass, Roarke for Del, and Ares for Nix.

  I nodded to them, then turned to Connor. “Did you find them?”

  “Almost.” His brow was creased with worry. “Their trail went cold at the Tor of the Ancients. Even their familiars can’t find them.”

  “It’s because they’re in a realm beneath it,” I said. “There’s a portal there that leads to a place of pure darkness. One created by the evil that haunts us.”

  “I di
dn’t sense one.” Cass frowned.

  “And the Fae never spoke of it,” Connor said.

  “It’s always been there, but no one else knew. I just learned of it.” I turned to Aidan, Ares, and Roarke. “I’m sorry, you guys haven’t met Iain.”

  I gestured to Iain. “This is Iain of the Iceni, King of the Sea Fae.” I waved toward Aidan. “This is Aidan Merrick. The Origin, and also Cass’s mate.”

  The two men shook hands.

  Ares stepped forward, his eyes shadowed and dark with worry. Hollows were carved out beneath his cheeks, a testament to his worry. “I’m Ares. Nix’s mate.”

  Ares was a vampire, but not just any vampire. He was one of the most powerful in the world, one of the three members of their royal government. But he wouldn’t mention it. Not his style.

  The two men shook hands, and then Iain turned to Roarke, who introduced himself. “Roarke. Mate to Del.”

  He was half demon and Warden of the Underworld, a position that I still didn’t fully understand but knew was incredibly dangerous.

  “I think this is meant to be the big battle,” I said. “The darkness has taken Del and Nix to draw me to it.”

  Cass cursed, and both Roarke and Ares’s jaws tightened.

  I looked from one to the other. “I’m so sorry. If it weren’t for me—”

  “No.” Cass made a slicing motion with her hand. “This isn’t your fault.”

  “Agreed,” Ares said. “Let’s focus on the battle to come. Which starts now.”

  I nodded, throat tight. “We just need to find the portal to get to the realm under the Tor of the Ancients.”

  “The king and queen have agreed to allow us entry to the Fae realm before dusk,” Connor said. “So we can go almost immediately. I’ll alert our reinforcements.”

  “They know to come here?” I asked.

  “It’s where Nix and Del told them to meet when the time came. They’re on the alert.” Connor stepped to the side to make the calls.

  Iain gripped my arm and leaned down to speak close to my ear. “Since it seems we’re about to head into battle, I’m going to go collect my forces. We’ll meet you on Dartmoor, at the edge of the Fire Fae land.”

  I leaned up and kissed him quickly. “See you there.”

  He gave me one last look, then disappeared. I turned to the door to P&P and unlocked it. Our small group moved into the bar, and Cass flicked on the lights. The space filled with a warm golden glow, and my eyes devoured it hungrily. This might be the last time I saw P&P.

  I swallowed hard, fighting back the sadness, then looked at my friends and raised the bags of pasties. “I brought food. We can eat and refuel while we wait for reinforcements.”

  Cass joined me as we walked to the bar. “How are you? Better?”

  I nodded, unwilling to say the words since it made it more of a lie. But there was some truth I could tell, at least. “My power is stronger. More settled inside me. I won’t have a problem controlling it.”

  Fortunately, that wasn’t a worry. I could feel the magic even now, totally calm within me, ready to be used to fight evil. Unfortunately, I could also feel the evil that lurked right beside it.

  That was the messy part.

  “Do you know what magic you can do now?” she asked.

  I grinned, glad of the distraction as I made coffee and laid out pasties. “Actually, not entirely. But I’ll figure that out. It feels strong, though.” That was one perk of this. My trip to the realm of the Elemental Gods made me confident that I had a ton of magic at my disposal.

  Quickly, I ate a pasty without really tasting it.

  Connor entered the bar, shoving his phone into his pocket as he walked. “Reinforcements should arrive soon. I’m headed to the back to reload.”

  “I’ll come,” I said.

  He nodded, and I followed him to his potions lab in the back. We cut through the narrow kitchen, but at the entrance to his lab, he turned to look at me, his gaze assessing. “You’re better now?”

  I nodded, my throat tight. “Ready to fight.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  “I won’t be better until this is all over.” That was the truth at least.

  A wry smile tugged at his lips. “That, I can understand.” He pulled me in for a quick hug, then returned to his potions, filling up bags of bombs.

  I relaxed slightly, watching him work. He’d bought what I was trying to sell him, thank fates. Though I doubted he would try to stop me from going to the battle—he was accustomed to me going into deadly situations—I didn’t want him to have to bear that burden or that worry.

  “I love you, bro.”

  He looked at me, brows raised. “Feeling sappy?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe it’s the fact that Del and Nix are in unknown danger.”

  Concern flashed in his eyes. “I know what you mean.”

  “You almost ready?” I wanted to change the subject from my near-breakdown level of sappiness.

  “Yeah. I’m good.” He slung the bags over his shoulders, then nodded for me to precede him down the hall. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “So Nix and Del found a lot of reinforcements?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Quite a few, I think.”

  “Good.” I strode through the kitchen and pushed open the door that led into the bar.

  I stepped into the brightly lit space, and Connor followed. As soon as I entered, my gaze snagged on the sight outside of the windows. I stopped dead still, and Connor nearly bumped into me.

  There were dozens of people standing on the sidewalk outside of P&P, nearly a hundred. All were dressed in battle gear.

  Oh, thank fates. There were so many.

  16

  My eyes pricked with relieved tears as I stared at the crowd of supernaturals gathered outside the shop. “These are our reinforcements?”

  “It looks like we might need a bigger portal,” Connor said.

  I nodded. “Let’s get out there. No time to waste.”

  The FireSouls were already outside, mingling with the crowd.

  Connor and I left P&P. My gaze didn’t linger sadly on the bar as I thought it might have. Instead, I stared raptly at all of the old friends who had showed up to help Nix and Del.

  With this many powerful supernaturals, we really had a chance.

  Aerdeca and Mordaca stood at the front of the group, looking as wonderfully bitchy as ever in their white and black fight suits. Mordaca’s thorn wolf—a huge creature with thorns for fur—stood pressed against her side. Aerdeca’s hellcat, Wally, stood on her shoulder, smoky black fur wafting toward the sky as its eyes gleamed crimson. Behind them stood two tall, broad men—their mates, Tarron the Seelie Fae King and Declan the Fallen Angel.

  “The DragonGods are here.” Cass nodded toward the right, and I turned to look at the huge monster truck that idled on the street. The DragonGods called it the buggy, but it was such a mean looking machine that the name was obviously a joke. It was made of dark metal—no fancy paint job for this thing—with the top sawed off to allow fighters to stand on the bench seats. Fighting platforms were built over the front and back, and dozens of deadly spikes protruded from the sides.

  Three women stood on the front fighting platform. The DragonGods—supernaturals created by ancient gods and dragons. When I caught their eyes, they raised their hands to wave. Bree was the Norse DragonGod, Ana the Celtic DragonGod, and Rowan the Ancient Greek DragonGod. They worked for the Undercover Protectorate, a secret organization in Scotland that was dedicated to saving the world from evil.

  Which was basically… this situation right here.

  Next to the DragonGods stood three men—their mates—along with Jude, who led the most elite division of fighters at the Protectorate. I was grateful to see her there with a small horde of supernaturals.

  There was also a small herd of animals—cats, dogs, tiny dragons. Even a badger, a raccoon, and a possum who wore a flower behind her ear. Like Puka, they were familiars, though I could
n’t identify right off the bat who belonged to who.

  There were more people that I didn’t recognize—reinforcements from the Protectorate, fighters from Darklane, individuals from the League of FireSouls, here to fight for Del and Nix.

  I’d already spent so long staring at the crowd that it was probably getting a bit weird. Finally, I opened my mouth. “Thank you for coming.”

  Expectant silence filled the air.

  My heart was both heavy and light as I spoke. “There’s an ancient evil lurking in the Fire Fae realm—one that will try to destroy the moor and then beyond. It will never stop, burning and reaping until it has devoured all the life and magic in our world. It has kidnapped Del and Nix—” there were murmurs of concern and surprise. Did everyone not realize that had happened? “—but we’re going to go get them. And stop this evil in its tracks.”

  I drew in a breath to steady myself, and tried to continue in a steady voice. I didn’t know many of the details of what was to come, but they deserved to know what I did. “We’ll go to Dartmoor, where we will cross over into the Fire Fae realm. From there, we must find a portal that will take us to the realm of darkness, where…” I trailed off, my mind racing. “Honestly, I don’t know what we will find there besides an army of darkness. I have no more information than that, besides the fact that Del and Nix are also there. We’ll fight our way to them and save them. And then we’ll take out the evil that is killing Dartmoor.”

  I stared at everyone, realizing that this was my real Braveheart moment and I had no idea what I was leading them into.

  There was a brief silence before Jude said, “So, we’re going to wing it?”

  I nodded. “Yes. Basically.”

  She grinned. “Fine by us.”

  My throat tightened. “Thank you.”

  The fighters began to mill around, checking weapons and greeting old friends.

  “Thank fates all these people came for Nix and Del,” I murmured to Cass, squeezing her hand. “We’re going to save them.”

  “We are.” Her gaze met mine. “But they’re not here for Nix and Del. They’re determined to rescue them, yes. But they were invited by Nix and Del to fight a battle for you. For your homeland. Most didn’t realize until they arrived that Nix and Del had been kidnapped.”