Basically, my worst nightmare.
When he opened his mouth, I shuddered to see not one but three rows of teeth. They glimmered with what looked like magic. Purple iridescent light glinted off his teeth. If he bit me even once, would that take my soul? The thought was horrifying.
My fear lasted all of two seconds before it morphed into rage. I could feel the coldness creeping up my body when a flash of heat chased it away. His eyes widened, and I screamed right in his face. An explosion of buttery sunlight exited my mouth and covered his entire being. He hissed, and then the pressure of his body was gone. I clamped my mouth shut, staring in shock at the pile of ash on my stomach.
He was… gone. And standing over me was Liam with a sword in his hands and his mouth open in shock. “That party trick never gets old,” he told me.
Relief washed over me. I blew air out through my lips and took his offered hand. When I was standing, he pulled me close to him, squeezing me so tightly I couldn’t breathe for a second. “You scared me,” he whispered.
I swallowed hard. “I think I scared myself.”
“Why did you hesitate? You were right behind me?” Liam frowned, pulling me back to look in my eyes. The pale moonlight barely lit up the shadows of his face, but his eyes were smoldering.
“Your mom. I wanted you to be able to see your mom.”
His lips were on mine then, kissing me passionately before pulling away.
“I’m going to marry you one day, Lily. Just warning you,” he stated matter-of-factly.
The breath was knocked out of me at his words. “Promise?” A grin pulled at my lips as he laced his fingers through mine, and we walked into the portal together.
He simply looked sideways at me, thoughtful. “If you’d have me.”
Oh, I’d have him, I’d have the shit out of him. I just nodded. Then, he nodded, and that was that. We both knew where the other stood, and it felt right. It felt good going into the unknown of healing Faerie and waking the Queen and then dealing with the Winter King. This we could know. This we could control. One day.
The portal did spit us out right near the healing pools, and it made me sad that the black ashy surface and cracking lava desecrated this beautiful place. I would come back as soon as I could with the Queen and heal it after placing all of the crystals and waking her. No doubt, she would need a few days to orient herself to her new surroundings before she took power again and restored everything.
I’d left five of Liam’s men at the portal to guard it against his father but took only volunteers. I knew it was a dangerous job. One of them had a horn and said if his father got through, he would blow the horn in warning. I’d made them promise to run if they were overpowered, and they’d agreed.
I couldn’t handle one more death, not one more.
We walked briskly, as a group, to the edge of the light wall barrier I’d made before I left. Liam looked shocked, and I’d forgotten that he hadn’t seen it. We’d left to rescue him and we had. And now the hefty bag of crystals was over my shoulder, and things felt right. We did it. We finally did it. I thinned a portion of the wall, and we walked through town, waving to everyone who cheered and clapped at Liam’s return.
Liam and I walked into the Tree of Life home with Trissa and Elle at our backs, everyone wearing huge grins. When we kneeled before the tree, a reverent silence fell over our small group.
All twelve. We finally had all twelve, and never again would I allow them to be taken. I’d post a twenty-four-hour guard at the tree. I’d build a fucking brick wall and a steel cage around it. Never again. And every fae who wanted to come home would be allowed.
With a shaky hand, Liam handed me the crystals one by one. As each one clicked into place, there was a collective gasp. New branches grew with pretty white and purple flowers, and the light. Oh, the light was magnificent. It filtered out into the entire room until we were all glowing.
When I held the final crystal in my hand, I gave it to Liam. “You do it.”
His eyes widened. “No. You should.”
I raised one eyebrow. “Liam, I am your Queen, and that’s an order,” I said playfully.
With a grin, he took the crystal and set it onto the disc at the base of the tree with a click.
When that final crystal clicked into place, there was a rumble in the ground. It wasn’t destructive like the other tremors of the past. This was… like a breath, like Faerie could finally breathe.
I turned back to look at Elle and Trissa. “Tell the village to prepare a feast in honor of the fallen and of a renewed Faerie.”
They both grinned and left the room.
“You’re amazing,” Liam told me, stroking my long pink hair.
Leaning over, I kissed his cheek. “I’m going to check on Kira and the Queen.”
He nodded, standing. “I’ll check on my brothers. Meet you in a few.”
With a quick hug, we parted. I grabbed a glass of water, knowing when she awoke, the Queen would want something to drink. I knew Indra had spelled her to sleep and kept her drugged, but I also knew the Queen’s energy was tied to the crystals somehow, and so she needed both to awaken: no sleeping potion in her veins and all twelve crystals. At least, that’s
