Page 71 of The Ruthless Fae King
Okay, a dark start, but I was trying to take inspiration from that.
“The single emotion that controls winter magic… is anger,” he said.
I looked over at him, surprised to hear him admit such a thing, and he nodded.
It made sense then, why he was so powerful. Every time his father struck him or verbally cut him down, Lucien just stored up more fuel for his power. It also made sense with what I’d felt so far from this winter magic I held. It was volatile, like anger.
His breath was warm across my neck. “Think of the single most infuriating thing that’s ever happened to you and channel it through the winter power.” He pointed to the demarcation line between the two realms, a small dotting of rocks and melting snow. “Then aim it there,” he added.
The dragon king was hovering over the spot I needed to concentrate my power, so I took a deep breath in, afraid to go into what my most infuriating memory even was. I thought of my father selling me to Marcelle after promising me to Lucien, but deep down I loved my father and so it didn’t hold enough anger. I then went to Marcelle forcing me to marry him in the carriage, and that fueled the fire inside of me, but not enough.
It was in the memory of Marcelle taking my purity that ignited a bomb. I hadn’t truly allowed myself to process that trauma and all it meant to me. I’d been living in survival mode since the moment Marcelle kidnapped me from my father’s study.
I allowed everything he’d done to me to come to the forefront of my mind and the anger exploded in my chest. A scream ripped from my throat and tears slid down my cheeks as I remembered the violent way in which Marcelle took what I’d saved for Lucien.
Flinging my hands over the basket, I threw a torrent of wind, ice, and snow onto the battlefield.
Lucien’s hand slipped over my thigh and squeezed as if he knew all too well what it was like to hold this anger.
The temperature in the air around us plunged to frigid depths and my teeth chattered, but I kept on. I pushed on the power and fused it with my anger, creating a storm of epic proportions. Slowly but surely, a wall of ice built on the ground. I could see it, like a barrier of growing glass, and I could feel it in the tips of my fingers. It was hard to explain. The troops had to break up and run back to their respective sides as the wall got higher and higher. At the same time, the snow and wind blew at the Nightfall army, pushing them to retreat to the safety of their realm.
“That’s it, keep feeding the power,” Lucien coaxed.
His father flashed into my mind. A man I barely knew, and yet it angered me that he’d refused to get help for his condition. That he’d chosen a bottle over his own son.
With a growl of frustration, I threw as much magic as possible and Lucien gasped as the wall of ice suddenly shot forty feet into the air.
Drae flew backwards to avoid being hit by it and I finally let go of the anger I’d held onto.
“You did it,” Lucien breathed.
Cheers sounded from the battlefield below and the dragon king started his descent. Lucien pulled my hand into his lap and stroked small circles into it.
I grinned, peering down at the giant ice wall, and then over at Lucien. I wasn’t prepared for his frown and downcast gaze. “What’s wrong?” I asked over the sound of the wind.
“I am of no use to you or my people now that I don’t have my power.” His admission filled the entire space, saying everything unsaid.
No longer caring for propriety, I took his face in my hands and pressed my lips to his. I ached for him to know how much he meant to me, how fond of him I’d grown in such a short time. How everything he perceived as a flaw was what I loved most about him.
Pulling back from his mouth, I looked him in the eyes. “Lucien Thorne, you willneverbe useless to me.”
There was a fire in his eyes, one lit by passion, one that I knew could only be quenched by more kisses.
When we landed, a messenger rode our way. “The Nightfall army retreats!” he shouted, and everyone cheered, hoisting their fists into the air.
“She’ll be back tomorrow with more men and more anger,” Lucien said to me.
“Then let’s make the most of tonight.” I kissed his neck, feeling his quickening pulse beneath my lips. “Marry me before this war gets too big.”
“Yes, sugar plum.” He leaned forward and kissed my nose.
* * *
Within hours,we were ready for a wedding. I had no white dress, there was not enough fancy food, we had no band, and neither the cathedral nor the ballroom could hold all of the fae and elves and dragon-folk present, but it was perfect. Spring, Summer, and Fall had all arrived moments ago, ready to fight for King Thorne and I. The elves and dragon-folk had heard of the war brewing at the ice wall and made their way too, and that’s how we had over six thousand warriors at our wedding.
We’d long ago ditched the ballroom idea. The garden was out too because of the size. The beautiful cathedral his mother had built wouldn’t cut it either. Instead we opted for the town square. It was filled to the brim with warriors and families. Tents were erected to smoke meat and make beans with rice to feed everyone. It was not the wedding that I had envisioned as a little girl, and yet somehow it was more than I imagined. After all of the pain that the separation caused, our people had finally come together. United.
The priest handed me the single candlestick, fire flickering as I touched it to Lucien’s, igniting his flame. Together we touched them both to the larger candle, and when it was lit, we blew ours out.
