“Get Kira!” I shouted the second I saw her mother was still breathing. Cam took off running for our house as heat started to ignite in my palms.
Healing… I’d done it once before with Cam, and Kira had said it looked like he’d already been healed… I wasn’t trained, but maybe I could stop the bleeding.
Falling to my knees before my best friend, I felt my heart squeeze at the sound of her sobs, the limp way in which her mother’s body lay, the wet rattling of her chest.
Elle looked up at me with such desperation I nearly burst into tears. We’d attracted a crowd now, and I didn’t want to fall apart in front of everyone. I needed to be strong for Elle and my people.
“Lil,” she whimpered.
The heat pulsed in my hands, and a fierce need to take her into my arms overcame me. Light emanated from my palms, and I reached out for her mother, taking her from Elle.
“I’m not going to let her die,” I promised my bestie as she released her grip on her mother’s frail body, depositing her into my arms. The second she dropped into my arms, pulses of buttery sunlight shot from my hands and into her body where I held her. The fae surrounding us, including Liam’s men, gasped and staggered backward.
“She’s a healer too?” someone whispered.
“A Queen of the people,” another said.
“Long live Queen Lily!” one yelled, and I tried not to cringe. I was a temp Queen, nothing more. Pushing their murmurs from my mind, I cradled Elle’s mother in my arms and pumped the light into her body. It was like a language, the pulses; they weren’t random. It was as if the light was tapping out a rhythm in her body.
After she took one final shuddering breath, her eyes snapped open, and she looked up at me. A cough wracked her body, and then she gasped long and clear, taking in deep lungfuls of air.
“Lily.” She cupped my face.
Relief poured through me, and the light turned off in my palms instantly as if it sensed it was no longer needed.
Elle leaned forward, taking her mother into her arms as they both held each other and cried. By the time Cam ran up with Kira… it was done.
I’d healed her… like fully healed her from near death.
I didn’t know who was more shocked, me, Kira, or the entire village.
Getting to my feet, I wiped my hands off on my clothes, streaking them with blood. “Tell me about the attack. We need to up our security.” I got right down to business.
As one of my fae from the farm started to explain what happened, Liam stepped up beside me, listening intently. I slipped my hand into his, no longer caring what my people would think of it. Liam looked over at me but said nothing, only squeezed my hand in understanding.
The farmer fae faltered for a second at the sight of me holding Liam’s hand, but then he carried on. Had word gotten around that Liam killed my mother? I hoped not.
“We had two bowmen try to track the creature, but she was a fast flyer.” The farmer fae told me.
Yes, the harpies were fast fliers, but we needed to do better.
“Your highness, if I may.” Jasper’s cool voice came from behind me.
I spun, facing him. “Yes, Jasper?”
“We are at war. With the Dark Fae, with the forest creatures, with an unknown foe. I think it’s high time you started a war council and assembled a court.” He held his head high in a smug way that only Jasper could pull off without being rude.
“Let me guess, you want a seat on said council?” I raised an eyebrow.
He shrugged. “Well, obviously as your lead warlock advisor, it would behoove you to have me on the council.”
Suddenly, Elle was there, covered in her mother’s blood, eyes red-rimmed and yet ready to be at my side. She had a book split open in her palms. “A war council would require a representative from each court.”
I frowned. “Like the elders?”
I didn’t want to bring them back in the know. I knew they had a lot of knowledge, but I couldn’t trust them.
She nodded. “Or new elders you appoint or a descendant from royal blood.” Her eyes flicked to Liam.
Ahh, yes. I understood now.
“Very well. Let’s assemble a war council. It’s time we rebuilt Faerie properly,” I told the surrounding crowd.
They looked at Liam hesitantly. Full of furrowed brows and frowns.
“Liam is of royal blood. He’s a quarter Winter and a quarter Summer. He’ll be joining the council and sitting on the court with me until the Queen awakens and decides what she wants to do going forward.”
Silence, even Liam’s men were completely still.
“I know there has been a lot of change lately,” I told the surrounding fae as they pushed closer. “But I need you to trust me. I’ve gotten you this far, haven’t I?”
One by one, they covered a fist over their chest and bowed their heads in respect. With that, I stepped away from them, Liam’s hand still in mine, and walked toward my new home, watching the crowd parting as I passed.
I was totally screwing this temp thing up. But I couldn’t help the smile that pulled at the corners of my mouth.
The warm hand in mine told me that I wouldn’t be alone.
Chapter 8
“We need to start a rumor.” Jasper said as Trissa, Elle, Liam, Cam, and I all sat around our new ‘War room table.’ We’d converted the library into the war room and pulled out the chairs, bringing in the large dining table from my childhood home. On it was a map of the fairy realm on the upper half and a map of Earth on the lower half. Mara sat in the open doorway with Liam’s mom, listening in at my request. I thought having a human, a portal keeper, a Son of Darkness, and
