Page 67 of Fae Unleashed
I kept my gaze on Beryl. Her darkness still coated the sky with a greasy film. I would have shoved it away, but the woman was right in front of me. If she wanted to stop me, she could with a wave of her hand.
I wondered what she had on her side. Was it time? Was it skill? She seemed incredibly fast. If only I could master that kind of quick thinking and confidence. Then I would have everything I needed to stop her.
“Well?” I asked, forcing a cockiness to my tone. “Are you packing up and leaving?”
Everyone waited with bated breath. They watched Beryl the same way they would watch a feral beast. She could pounce on us all in a moment’s notice.
She lifted her brows like we’d asked the wildest question and the answer was obvious.
I stood and braced myself.
This fight wasn’t over.
Rhoan
I hadmy sights set on Beryl. Her back was turned to me while she spoke with Cerri. If I could get this blade through the woman’s heart, then all would be said and done. We would be able to move forward.
Tightening my grip on my sword, I watched for my moment. Cerri stared Beryl down, but I could see the way the princess wavered. Her entire body wanted to give out. She’d been going for days. The weight of all she’d done and all she still had to do was not being kind to her.
I slid one foot forward. The others watched, hands over their mouths to keep themselves quiet. One dryad lifted a notched arrow and gave me a nod to say that she would follow in my footsteps. The others, lent to us by Foxglove, stayed back.
They weren’t going to risk their lives for this court. If we failed here, then those men could go back to Foxglove and continue their lives like nothing ever happened. The dryad and the other small fae had so much more to fight for. They dreamed of a fae court that didn’t choose favorites. Their future hung in the balance today, and I wasn’t going to disappoint them.
My beast snarled in warning. Jerking back, I narrowly avoided Faust’s blade. It glinted in the air where my throat had been barely half a second before. An arrow whistled through the air as I fumbled back. Faust pushed forward, though his eyes were not his own.
Faust flinched with each thrust. He was fighting himself. The dark glow in his eyes belonged to Beryl, who laughed without turning her attention away from Cerri. Even now, as Faust threw himself at me, I watched Beryl’s cursed tattoo climb up his neck and onto his cheeks as if a pair of spectral hands were grasping him, directing him.
“Give up now and I won’t string you up like festive decorations over my court,” Beryl said.
“If you could have killed me, you would have done it already,” Cerri shot back.
I dove out of Faust’s way. An arrow pierced his back, but he didn’t stop moving.
“You keep trying all these underhanded ways to frighten and control me,” Cerri went on. “But it’s like you can’t actually kill me. What happened? Did someone put a protection glamour on me before you struck them down? Or are you afraid I’ll rise to my true potential and kick your ass ten ways to Sunday?”
Beryl grumbled something. She turned her head away and lifted her chin imperiously. It was such a fae gesture.
Faust slammed the hilt of his blade into my gut. I gasped and fumbled. Seeing that he had an advantage, Faust pushed. I staggered back to my feet and danced back to give myself space.
One of Foxglove’s soldiers stepped in and blocked Faust’s attack. The clang of metal on metal rang out over the roof. The soldier staggered. Faust pushed again. The pookah was incredibly fast, too fast for the untrained to keep up. I had to jump back in, but that meant taking my attention off Cerri and Beryl.
The moment I looked away, Beryl would strike.
My beast shoved forward. It was the only thing that would keep Cerri safe. I’d always been a shit fighter. It was the sole reason I’d gone to Faust in the first place. If I wanted to keep Cerri safe, then I would have to let the beast out. It was my only choice.
Cerri trusted my beast. Even if I thought it was an unseelie abomination, Cerri’s love for the creature allowed me to put my faith in it, too. All the beast wanted was to love Cerri. It would keep her safe. That much, I could trust.
Take the reins, beast. Do what you must to keep her safe.
I let the creature burst out of me. Its wings slapped the air furiously as we melded into one mind. My paws barely grazed the ground before I launched myself in Cerri’s direction and slid between her and Beryl.
The towering Unseelie queen backpedaled in surprise.
“Tame your pet,” she snarled over her shoulder at Faust.
I raised my head in indignation. No one could tame me other than my princess. For everyone else, I promised pain and destruction.
Faust cackled as if I’d made a grave mistake. He raised his hand, palm upward, and closed his fingers in a tight fist as if he were grabbing ahold of something invisible to the naked eye. I lashed my tail in the air as a way of showing my laughter.
