by G. Bailey
"The angels might help in the war, I’ll go to them after we take back your throne, Atti," Dabriel says, and I nod. "I'm staying here with the wolves and Winter," Dabriel tells us all, and I agree silently. He needs to be close to Winter. He can heal her if the demon king attacks, or he can fly her away.
"I'm going with Atti," Winter says. I snap around my head to look at her, and she stands up.
"No, don't even try to dissuade me from this," she says to me, her hands on her hips.
"You know I like it when you get mad, Love, but they’re right. I won't be welcomed back," I tell her. She needs to realise it’s going to be a fight from the start. The fake witch queen is fucking crazy if she thinks I'll just let her rule. I fucking wish I could get Wyatt to use his power on the witches and make them do what we want. If only Wyatt’s power actually worked on witches. They’re the only race he really struggles with. He can’t convince me to do anything. I know he can’t convince Winter to do anything, and I’m hoping that’s her goddess side, not her demon side. It would be useful if he could control the demon king. I have a feeling the fake queen will be powerful. The throne is mine, and the role of queen belongs to Winter. I'll die to make sure Winter gets to where she needs to be and is protected.
"So? I should be there. I'm not a damsel in distress. Don’t even try saying because I’m a girl, I should stay home," she says, pulling out the sexist card. I can’t say anything. I was brought up around women, and I know when not to talk. This would be one of those instances.
"I will come as well, as your protector, so I can defend you," Leigha says, coming into the room. She doesn’t even fucking look a little sorry that she was eavesdropping, again. Leigha is dressed in a full leather outfit, has daggers all over her, and is carrying a big-ass sword on her back. She looks ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
"I don't think this is a good idea," Leigha says to Winter, and she raises her eyebrows at her.
“Okay, army brat, your opinion has been registered,” she nods.
“I can’t wait to start your training again, this was only a temporary break,” Leigha says, and Winter goes a little pale.
“I’m good,” Winter coughs out, and Leigha walks out of the room with a laugh.
“Brat,” Winter mumbles under her breath, making both Dabriel and I laugh.
She turns to me, a serious look in her eyes as she smiles gently. "I have to do this with you. I’m at your side, always," she says, her words meaning far more than she has to say. The tension stretches between us as I look at her gorgeous face. She walks up to me and places a hand on my chest.
"Fine, but I don't like it," I finally say.
She leans up and kisses me. “I know,” she says against my lips and moves away.
I sit on one side, and she holds my hand as she rests her head on Dabriel’s shoulder. Dabriel switches the TV on, and we watch a show about a big group of friends. It’s funny, and I wish it could take my mind off the future to come.
It doesn’t.
Fifty
Winter
“Be safe, lass, I don’t want to have to kick Atti’s or Dabriel’s ass for letting you get hurt,” Jaxson says with a slight growl. The growl sends shivers down my spine as he holds me close to his side.
“You could try, and I'll leave you on the stage at a strip club, again,” Atti says.
“That wasn’t fucking funny,” Jaxson says loudly as Dabriel and Atti laugh.
“You nearly got eaten alive by those women on their hen night,” Atti says with a chuckle.
“You’re such a little fucker, Atti,” Jaxson moves forward, but I stop him with a kiss. These guys argue all the time about the small things, in a way it’s nice to see how close they are to each other.
“I think we should be going,” I say.
“Be safe,” Jaxson says with a nod and lifts my chin with his one finger. He kisses me once more before I move away. I already said goodbye to Wyatt at the castle. His people need him right now, and I can’t expect him to come with me. The same can be said of Jaxson.
Atti holds his hand out for me as I walk away from Jaxson. My crossbow is in my one hand, and my arrows are in a drawstring bag, tied to my back. Leigha has two small silver swords strapped to her back and daggers strapped to her leather-covered thighs. She looks like a warrior princess, whereas I, I’m sure, don’t look half as good as she does. Atti doesn't need weapons; he’s a weapon himself, a very attractive one to boot. Atti has his long, black cloak wrapped around him, the hood is pulled up, and I can only see his bright grey eyes as they slightly glow from what’s to come. Once Atti explained it to me, I finally understood why they use cloaks with large hoods. It’s because the cloak is woven with magic and blocks other witches from speaking into your mind when you have the hood up. I glance over at Dabriel; he’s wearing all white again, his wings folded tightly at his sides, and a long silver sword is attached to his waist with a belt. The sword is black at the end, with swirls carved all the way up it.
“That’s an impressive sword, almost as big as Jaxson’s,” I say to Dabriel, and the guys start laughing.
“I don’t think so, lass,” Jaxson gets out with a laugh.
“It’s really how you use it that matters,” Atti says in between laughs.
“I really don’t want to sit here and compare your dick sizes, can we go?” Leigha snaps. She is in a really bad mood recently. I know why, but I’m a little scared to try and talk to her.
Her dark eyes meet mine as I giggle a little, “I didn’t mean,” I trail off when Atti pulls me close to him.
“We know, Love,” he says, and I blush. Atti lets me go so I can move in between him and Dabriel.
They both take my hand, and I see Atti place a hand on Leigha’s shoulder before his magic moves us. The first thing I see is a large room with high gold walls and smooth silver-panelled floors. The room has massive ceiling-high windows that overlook a vibrant city with mountains in the background. The mountains look like they surround the city, or very large town, with dozens of sparkling trees in the middle. The houses all have different-coloured roofs; the whole city is filled with colour. It’s like nothing I have ever seen. The witches’ hidden city; it's so beautiful and alive. I don't have time to look much more before a massive gush of wind knocks me off my feet, and I go flying across the room. A warm arm snakes around my waist, and I slam into a hard body. I look behind me to see Dabriel flying while holding me in the air. His sword is out at his side, and he’s holding me with one arm like I weigh nothing. This could be good for my ego if it were a different situation.
A bang draws my attention back to Atti, and he’s glowing with a lot of different colours. His hands are on fire up to his elbows, and around ten people are on the ground, burning and screaming as he moves a whirlwind of air around them in a circle. Most of the witches aren’t fighting back anymore; they’re passing out or holding their throats. Atti doesn’t seem to notice as he continues to use his power.
"Atti!" I shout, and Dabriel flies us over to him. I glance over at Leigha by one of the windows, just as she hits a witch on the head with the back of her sword, and he falls into the pile of three other knocked out people near her feet.
“Atti, we didn’t come here to kill your own people. They are only doing their job,” I say loudly when we get near him. The heat from the fire on his arms is catching my skin, causing little burns as I try to get his attention.
“Atti, please,” I beg, and he finally looks at me. Atti’s eyes are grey and swirling like an oncoming storm. He looks at me like he doesn’t recognise me.
“I’m safe,” I say gently, his eyes don’t lose the stormy swirl, but his arm stops setting people on fire.
Atti looks away and waves his arm, which shines a white colour. Cold air shoots through the room, and the flames on the burning people are extinguished. All of them look unconscious, but I don’t think any of them are dead.
"You could have just knocked, Atticus," a sweet-sounding woman says,
walking into the room.
The woman is stunning, with long black hair that hits the floor, and it looks shiny and perfectly straight. Perfect, strong facial features make her look like a doll I used to play with when I was a child. On top of her head is a black crown with large, black stones imbedded in twirls. It draws me in and reeks of power. She has a long black dress on that reveals way too much, and a black cloak that slides across the floor as she walks. Her heels are clicking on the stone floors with every step she takes. Two more witches walk next to her, they stop on either side of her like a practised routine. They both must be witches, but I can’t see anything else about them as their hoods are large and stop halfway down their faces.
"You dare to wear my mother's crown?" Atti says, his voice booming around the room. I feel Leigha come to stand behind me, her hand presses on my shoulder once to let me know she has my back. Atti’s hands are still slightly shining with a variety of different colours. The woman, who I’m guessing is the new queen, watches Atti with far too much interest. I move closer to his side and rest my hand on his arm. That doesn’t impress her; every part of her skin starts glowing a little blacker, her dark eyes watching my hand on Atti’s arm.
"I have a deal for you," she finally says, breaking the tension slightly. I don’t think the offer is for me as she stares at Atti; he looks at me once before looking back at the fake queen.
"You can be king, and I shall be queen. We only need to mate and unite our kingdoms,” she offers, and she watches Atti for his reaction, obviously not caring about me at his side.
“That is never going to happen,” Atti says with a small, dark chuckle.
“The demon king is going to wage war on our city when he finds us, and we need to be united," she replies, her eyes narrowed at Atti’s reaction. She looks pissed.
Atti laughs deeply. His laugh is spreading around the large room.
"No," he says simply and moves to step forward.
The queen starts shaking in anger, black smoke flittering out of her fingers. “I do not wish to fight you. The battle for the throne was won in the arena. I did nothing wrong,” she says.
“Then let’s go to the arena. Call all of the witches, and we will see who fairly deserves the throne,” Atti replies.
“No, because I am not taking your throne from you. You can still be king,” she opens her arms as she speaks.
“Not with you as my queen. You will die for what you did to my mother,” Atti says darkly. There’s a glimpse of fear on the queen’s features before she schools her expression.
“Yet, I am queen,” she says with a raised eyebrow.
"What if I offer you something else?" I say, stepping in front of Atti before he kills her. I know he is seconds away from doing just that.
"The human from the prophecy finally speaks," she says.
"My name is Winter," I say, and she nods. A little of what I believe is happiness in her face as she looks at me. Why do I have a feeling that I’ve just walked straight into her trap?
"Queen Taliana," she introduces herself.
"A fair fight in the arena for the throne? I will fight you for the right to be queen,” I say, remembering what Atti said about his mother. Apparently witches approve of fighting in this arena. I have no idea if I can beat her, but I will train every night and day to try and win for Atti.
“No,” Atti pulls me back by my arm, but I shrug him away. He clearly lets me because he could stop me if he wanted to.
“To become queen, I had five fights chosen by the old queen. I won every one, and, in the last, I killed the queen. Well, nearly did, but she fled.” Taliana waves a hand like it’s not important.
“You fucking bitch,” Atti says moving forward, and Dabriel grabs both his arms to hold him back.
"I will fight three fights of your choice in the arena, and, when I win, you give me my crown and get out of my city," I say strongly.
"Three fights won of my choice, and I will hand you the crown," she says. A sardonic smirk on her face suggests that she isn’t going to make it easy for me.
"I will fight them," Atti says, shrugging Dabriel away.
Taliana laughs. "The offer isn't for you. Winter, the offer is yours alone. The crown will be yours to give back to Atti or mate with him and rule," she says with a smile. She clearly doesn’t think I have a chance. I probably don’t, but I’m not giving up. I have to try. I’m no coward, and I won’t run.
"No, she would never survive a fight in the witch arena," Atti says angrily.
"Deal, only if you swear on a blood bind," I say.
Atti shouts, "No, Winter, you will die," in my mind.
"We don't have a choice; you can't kill her and every witch in the city that believes in her. We need an army to fight the demon king, not a dead one or those who are left at war with their own king," I say to him. Watching me, he stalks over, neither of us saying a word, the swirling storm of his eyes drawing me in and making me want to be close to him. Atti has never looked this powerful or frightening to me.
“I won’t let you die, but I support you,” Atti whispers in my mind.
Taliana waves me over, and Atti stays close to my side, his hand in mine.
She pulls a silver dagger out of the side of her dress and cuts her hand.
"I swear on my blood to give the crown to Winter if she wins the three fights I choose in the arena. She will rule," she says, and I feel the magic like a vice around my neck. It should shock me, but the feeling is not all that different from when Atti uses his magic to move us.
“One more thing,” I say.
“Yes?” she asks impatiently.
“You swear to let us live safely in the city,” I tell her. She gives me a disgusted look. Like I would be mad to think she would try to attack me or send someone to. I’m not mad, I bet under those supermodel looks, she is just as conniving.
“Fine,” she says and swears the words I requested over the cut.
"All done. Now leave, demon child. Atticus, you are always welcome to change your mind," Taliana says, her eyes watching Atti.
Atti glares at her but lets me pull him away. Once we get to Dabriel and Leigha, Atti flashes us away quickly.
We reappear inside an apartment I've not been to before. There are four black leather sofas spread around and a massive TV that takes up one wall, and a white rug sits in the middle of the sofas with a small glass coffee table on it.
There are two doors in the room, and one swings open, looking like it leads to a kitchen. A large, familiar black cat walks in. I recognise her as Jewels. Jewels looks at us and walks past us to the sofa where she stretches out. She puts her head on her paws watching us, I’m really expecting her to go and find some kitty popcorn or something.
The tension is high when I finally get the courage to look at Atti.
He is furious.
“Atti–” I start.
He waves me away. He moves to the glass windows and looks out, his back to me, so I can’t see his expression.
"I will stay close and heal you, Winter. Atti and Leigha can teach you how to fight witches or anything else they put in the arena. It's not going to be easy, but I think you’re right. This is the only way the witches will see you as a queen. The wolves have accepted you, and the vampires have as well. The angels respect warriors; they are more likely to accept you as their queen if you can do this," Dabriel says. He doesn’t look happy about the idea, but he isn’t going to stop me. Jaxson, Wyatt, and Atti are going to be a completely different story. I don’t even want to be the one to tell Alex.
"I don't know what happened back there, everything somehow got out of control," I say quietly, but I know they all hear me.
“Your ass is not dying in that arena. I will make sure you are ready,” Leigha offers. Despite her sometimes cold demeanour towards me, I know she cares in her own way. Harris is right; she does have a heart.
“Thanks, Leigha, I think I can do this,” I say.
"No, Winter, you were only human a few
months ago, and you’re not invincible!” Atti roars and turns to glare at me, his hood falling away. He looks so angry. Not calling me ‘Love’ is a big sign that he is pissed. Atti rarely calls me by my name.
“I’m not human; I have never just been human. I know it won’t be easy, but life is not easy. I can’t walk away from this, from everything, because that’s what you want me to do,” I say to him. It’s true, I have to fight or walk away, and I won’t ever walk away from my guys. I know Atti isn’t mine yet, and I had trouble planning us all together in my mind at the start, but it’s changed now. I want our future, a life for us all at the end of this. We won’t get that if I take the easy route and just let Atti kill half the city, starting with the queen. He would never forgive himself, and we still wouldn’t have anyone’s respect. You don’t get respect from taking the easy route; it’s the hard route in life that will earn it.
“She planned all this, killing you in the arena will be the best way to prove you aren't the one meant to be queen," Atti says, his tone dark and lost.
"No pressure then," I say quietly, and Atti disappears, his stormy, hurt eyes embedded in my mind.
"Atti is just grieving, don’t take his words to heart, my little wildfire. He’s worried he will lose you so soon after losing his mother. I’ll explain to him that we won’t lose you. I would never let that happen, and I believe the goddess will protect you. You are meant for better things than dying in an arena. Let me show you the spare room in Atti’s home,” Dabriel says and comes over to me. I’m still staring at the space where Atti was, and Dabriel’s words snap my attention to him. He gently slides his hand down my arm and entwines our fingers.
“You can sleep with me in the one room. Leigha, there's a room for you as well," he says and looks at her.
"I’ll sleep on the sofa.” Leigha waves a hand at the sofas; only frowning briefly when Jewels huffs. Clearly Jewels has no plans on sharing with her.
“I think we should take turns standing guard. I don’t trust that witch’s word; anyone could attack us, despite it. Winter should not be alone while we are here. I’ll start now," Leigha says, all business in her tone, and I know she is right. The queen may not attack us, but I don’t trust her not to find a way around the blood bond.
