Page 63 of Fae Unleashed
As if on cue, the castle shook. Rhoan snatched me and pulled me into his chest while the castle around us groaned. Dust and tiny debris rained down over our heads. The shaking stopped. We paused and waited for disaster to strike.
I hoped, for a heartbeat, that it’d been a fluke. I hoped it’d been nothing more than natural movement of the earth, but this wasn’t the mortal realm. The ground didn’t quite work the same way here.
Outside, a gloomy cloud eclipsed the sun and bathed the domain in dim light. My stomach sank. Rhoan clutched me tighter. His fingers turned into claws that pinched my back, but I paid them no mind.
Beryl wanted to take the domain back while we were all here. I needed to make a flash decision. Did I evacuate the domain and give it up to Beryl to ensure everyone’s safety? Or did I stand and fight at the risk of losing those who trusted me?
Why couldn’t I do both?
Hands to Rhoan’s chest, I pushed back so I could look up at him. “Get everyone out. Get them all back to my apartment. It should be safe there.”
He snarled and yanked me back into his chest. The man’s beast was fighting to be in charge, but I had to pull Rhoan back to the surface.
“This won’t work, chimera. You need to give back the man, or else we’re going to lose today.” I cupped his cheek and gazed into his oil-slick eyes.
The beast gave me a dubious, doubtful expression. I lifted my brows in challenge. I wasn’t going to be disobeyed today. The beast didn’t scare me. It couldn’t frighten me into obeying. As the future queen, I was the one to be obeyed.
The beast caved. It knew that time was of the essence. It had to give Rhoan back to me.
He bent and pressed his forehead to mine as he cupped the back of my head. The castle shook again. Outside, the sky darkened. Shouts were starting to ring throughout the castle. We had to act fast before Beryl took any more of the domain.
How was she even doing it? I didn’t have time to wonder as I grasped the sides of Rhoan’s face and pulled him in for a quick kiss. While I knew that we shouldn’t, I also had no way of knowing if this would be the last time I ever saw him. Today could be the final stand against Beryl.
I turned on my heel and ran for the nearest staircase. Before climbing, I cast one last look back to see Rhoan watching me from the other end of the hall. He stretched a hand towards me right before the castle shook again.
All around us, the leaves and flowers turned a deep shade of wine red and started to bleed. The crimson liquid dribbled from the center of the flowers and down the walls to pool in the crevices of the stone floor.
“Go!” I shouted. “Get everyone out! I’ll hold her off.”
I turned and raced up the stairs. There was a rooftop where I could make my stand against Beryl. From there, I would pour more power into the seed that I’d planted in my first visit. The seed anchored my power and kept the domain in my control.
If I could make it stronger, maybe Beryl wouldn’t be able to take the castle back.
Above, the sky dripped with red like it’d been splattered with paint that rained down to coat the landscape in a dismal light. My core trembled. Every part of me wanted to run. Visions of the life I could have had raced through my mind, but I could feel Rhoan’s lips on mine still.
Beryl’s bodiless voice laughed at me when I raised my arms to the sky. I knew it looked silly, but it felt kind of right. She could laugh all she wanted while I took my home back from her.
I wished my friends were here. Vi could have cast enough light to push Beryl out. Ness could have commanded the woman to stop. Addie and I could have joined our arcana to create an unstoppable force. Yet, I was here alone. I had to figure this out by myself.
The garden of my arcana was still laden with crimson petals and red-tipped leaves. I grabbed ahold of the power stored in them and pushed it into he ground where it could mingle with the gold arcana of the seed I’d planted. Together, the red and gold was pretty. It wasn’t Seelie or Unseelie, but it was a sight to see.
“Give in,” Beryl whispered beside me.
I jerked, startled. But when I looked, there was no one there.
“You can still leave and live your dreams,” Beryl said softly.
I grimaced. I knew what she was doing. A part of me yearned to give in. I could pull back, I could walk away, and I could live safely.
Beside me, a portal opened. Rhoan stood on the other side with his hand extended towards me just like he had moments ago. Only, this time there was peace on his face. He smiled softly, his eyes filled with heat. Beyond him sprawled a sunny café with plants hanging in the window.
My hand moved without my knowing. With my fingertips grazing Rhoan’s upturned palm, he felt too real to be an illusion. His hand closed around mine, but he didn’t pull. He waited for me to follow him into this free world.
But I knew that any exit Beryl offered had to be a trick. The man I loved was busy saving our people. He would never let them succumb to Beryl’s cruel ways ever again. He’d watched Beryl destroy one court. Together, he and I would keep her from destroying another.
“Who keeps letting your ass in here?” I asked, forcing an annoyed tone into my voice to cover my rising fear. “I’m going to have to lock all the doors myself from now on.”
Beryl discarded her illusion. It collapse before me. I let out a sigh of relief. Imaginary Rhoan had been staring me down, and I’d been about to snap. However, my relief was temporary. Beryl’s power raced across the sky. It washed over the castle and cast the world in darkness.
