by Leia Stone
“We’ve decided to end it now,” I finished.
King Samson nodded, eyeing the staff in Kade’s hand for a second, before pausing at his desk and reaching out to pick up what looked like a pencil. One made of bone with symbols etched into the side of it. He twirled it in his fingers as he continued, “I have been worried about what they have been planning. It’s not like Isalinda to show restraint. Usually she uses brute force for everything. But if you can thwart her in the midst of a plan, it just might work.” He focused on me then, dropping the pencil back down. “You will need a guide. Last I heard, the winter queen had left her court and was elsewhere.”
A guide … I didn’t want to be rude, but we had four people already. What was it about a stealth mission that no one understood?
“Your Highness, I appreciate the offer but—” A knock at the door interrupted my polite refusal.
“Enter, Dante,” the king bellowed. The door opened and a huge cloak-clad fae stepped through. As he dropped the hood, bringing his face into view, I blinked a few times.
I … knew that face. It was familiar, but in a vague way. Where had I seen him before?
He turned toward me, and with a slight smile tipping up his full lips he gave me a low bow. As those blue green eyes locked on mine, I recalled exactly where I’d seen this fae before.
“You got out of the Winter Court!” I exclaimed. He looked different. His hair was no longer dirty-blond, it was now a shining mass of gold pulled back at the nape of his neck. His skin was golden too, and he beamed with strength and vitality. When I’d seen him in the winter queen’s dungeon, he’d been proud but hurting. I could see that.
“Thank you for your coat,” I added. “It was more help than you probably know.”
Dante’s grin stretched. “Thanks for the keys. I planned on escaping soon anyway, but the keys made it easier for me to get the other prisoners out.”
His voice was deep and rich; it filled the room. I sensed that Kade, Kian, and Shelley were all very confused by this conversation.
“Dante was in the winter queen’s dungeon when I was there,” I explained. “He gave me his coat, I gave him the keys so he could escape and release as many prisoners as possible.” I turned back to him. “Did you save the children? The little girl who they were hurting to get to me?”
He gave me two short, sharp head nods. “Yes, Your Majesty. I got them all.”
A tension I hadn’t even realized I was carrying seeped out of me. Thank the gods.
King Samson gestured to Dante. “This man is the best assassin we have. He can track anything that walks, and kill anything that breathes.”
Dante’s expression did not change as he said, “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Kade and I met each other’s gaze. One more man wouldn’t hurt. Especially if he is as good as his king boasts, Kade said.
I agreed. “If he’s willing, knowing this is going to be a very dangerous mission, we would love his help.”
Dante, who had no idea what the mission was, looked pensive. But also curious.
Kade quickly filled him in. “We intend to kill the winter queen and the Dark Fae Lord before the war can even begin. I have a weapon which can destroy the darkness.”
Dante’s expression morphed into one of a lethal predator. I wondered what had happened to him while he was at the queen’s mercy. I could see there was no love there for Isalinda. “I can definitely help with that. Give me ten minutes to pack.” There was not an ounce of hesitation in his tone, he just bowed to his king and Prince Caspien before striding from the room.
Over the next ten minutes I took the time to go through our travel bags as the king’s assistants brought us more dried foods and weapons.
“Kian obviously ate fae food while he was here.” I looked at the fae. “Does that mean it is safe for he and Kade to eat it now?”
Shelley cleared her throat. “The winter queen had deliveries of food from Earth, and sold some for high prices at the market. She was very partial to your food. I always made sure Kian ate only from those batches.”
No doubt that was thanks to some sort of trade deal between my parents.
Caspien piped up then. “Yes, I think Shelley and Queen Arianna should be the only ones to eat our food, as we are not sure how it will affect those without fae blood.”
Even though shifters had some fae blood, I understood what he meant. It might be too diluted, and it wasn’t worth taking the risk.
I packed the fae food in my bag, and then Kade and Kian shared a pack with the food from Earth. I also chose a nice lightweight serrated blade and slid it into a sheath at my waist, while the others chose their weapons from the king’s personal stash. Just as we were finished packing, Dante slipped back into the room, a medium-size pack on his back. His clothes were different, black, heavy material.
King Samson moved forward and clasped hands with all of us, one at a time. “Farewell, my friends. We will come if you need aid. Dante will know how to send us a message.”
“Thank you,” I said. It was a relief to know there was backup there if needed. But I was really hoping we would manage this without resorting to more lives lost.
I turned to Prince Caspien. He made a fist over his chest and bowed lightly. “It is a great honor to be allied with you and King Kade.”
His words touched me. The entire Summer Court had been nothing but supportive and helpful since we’d started our relationship. I could barely remember the time I knew next to nothing of the Tuatha, de Danann, and the little I knew had been rife with fear and suspicion. The old me would never have believed I could ally myself with them, let alone be half one. It felt right, though. It all felt right to me now.
“We are well met, Prince Caspien,” I told him.
It was time for us to leave. Just as we were striding toward the door, Caspien pulled Dante aside and whispered something in his ear. The assassin fae nodded once, before rejoining us. He led us out of the castle and into the courtyard. I wasn’t sure what the plan was. We would need to discuss some things before we went any further.
Dante led us deep into the forest that surrounded the summer castle, pausing beside a large oak tree. I was just opening to mouth to ask what he was doing when Dante took to one knee, arms outstretched above his head, and began to whistle an odd tune from between his teeth.
Kade, Kian and I shared a look of confusion, but Shelley’s face brightened into one of understanding.
“You’re blessed with animalas affinity?” she said, prickles of awe in her voice.
Before he could respond, over two-dozen small bright yellow finches flew down from the trees and landed on his outstretched arms. I then noticed the bird seed in his outstretched palms, which all of the finches had a turn at eating.
“Animalas affinity?” I whispered to Shelley.
She was smiling, her expression soft as she watched the birds. “A very rare gift. A fae that can communicate with animals.”
Interesting. Like they were all his familiars. That would be very useful for an assassin. Animals could blend in a way that people couldn’t; they were often overlooked, and came in all different shapes and sizes, with different abilities.
Dante remained silent, I assumed speaking into their minds. They had stopped eating and were all looking at him, heads cocked to the side. Finally, one of them chirped and then the rest echoed their agreement, taking off from his arms and flying to the skies.
The fae assassin stood. “I’ve been able to speak to the minds of animals since I was a young boy. It got me through some very tough times. Animals have always been there for me, in a way that my family never was.”
Just like Finn for me. “So they will track the winter queen and fae lord and report back?”
“Yes, but until then we should make our way towards the Winter Court. Isalinda is never too far from her territory. We need to get closer first, and there is no way to open a portal near their court without the queen knowing. We have to go in the old fashioned way.
”
“On foot?” I guessed.
He nodded. “Yes, we will make too much noise with horses. But don’t you worry, I know all the shortcuts. I will have us there in no time.”
“How is it that the king’s top assassin found himself locked in the winter queen’s basement?” Kian asked. He sounded a little suspicious, and I didn’t blame him. We were putting a lot of faith and trust into someone we didn’t know at all. Someone who made a living from killing people.
Dante smiled, or more like bared his teeth. “I was in there to take out one of the guards. A guard who murdered someone close to King Samson. I killed him the first day, but when I saw how many innocents were in the cells, I knew I needed to get them out. I didn’t have the intel or weapons to achieve this, though.”
“So you got yourself locked up on purpose?” I guessed.
Dante nodded. “Yes, I needed more time. I needed to study the inner workings of the dungeon. I would not risk leaving any of the innocents behind.”
An assassin with a conscience. Who would have thought it?
“Guess I came along at the right time,” I joked.
He let out a low laugh. “Yes, Your Majesty. You most certainly did.”
As we started to walk, the general sounds of the summer woods slowly changed. I was starting to hear some clashing, even a few muffled yells. Enough to tell me that we were no longer alone.
I halted, and when Dante turned to me, I said, “We need to stay out of sight. It will not help having our position revealed to the queen before we get there. We don’t want her preparing for this.”
He nodded. “Prince Caspien said you wanted to see your people before you left, the ones who are here training with our army. They’re on the edge of these woods. I was simply leading you closer.”
I had almost forgotten about Blaine and Bianca. Planning to assassinate someone could do that to a girl.
“Just Bianca and Blaine at this stage.” I turned to Kade. “Right? You don’t need your bear guard?”
He shook his head, and I turned back to Dante.
“I will lead those two to you,” he said, asking no more questions.
We hurried along this time, staying close to Dante as he led us through a veritable maze of trees and shrubbery. I couldn’t keep anything straight; it all looked the same, but the noise of battle was definitely getting clearer.
“Wait here,” he told us after about ten minutes of walking.
Using the trees to keep ourselves hidden, the four of us remained in a tense bundle, waiting for the fae to return. I wasn’t sensing betrayal from him, but … we had to remain vigilant. Dante was not someone I knew or trusted, and I would continue to treat him with caution.
Footsteps crunching through undergrowth gave me a few seconds’ notice before a figure darted out from the trees and strong arms wrapped around me, yanking me up into a hard chest.
“Princess! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Blaine pulled back, his eyes raking across me, taking in my no doubt tired face and battle-ready clothing. He grew more serious. “What happened?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his expression formidable.
I marveled at how fit and healthy he looked, his skin golden, kissed by the sun of this court, wearing fae leathers that fit his broad shoulders and slim hips to perfection. I knew Bianca was standing close behind him, but my focus remained on my old friend.
“We are here to assassinate the winter queen and Dark Fae Lord,” I said in a low voice. “I wanted to let you know, because if we are not successful, you need to head back to Earth and prepare our people. There will be a war.”
Blaine continued to stare down at me, his silence unnerving. I knew he was upset; he had the telltale signs, the shaking of his arms, the small flame deep in his eyes. A hand crept up across his shoulder, resting against his biceps. Bianca pressed in close to his side, and he finally tore his gaze from me to stare down at her. Something passed between them, a moment, and that flame dulled somewhat from Blaine’s green eyes.
Happiness burst to life in my chest, and I found myself swallowing the sudden flurry of tears threatening to pour from me. I had loved Blaine forever, but I would never be in love with him. He hadn’t felt the same way, and there had been a lot of rocky times between us since Kade and me. But … there was something with him and Bianca. I saw it. And apparently so had Violet. This had to be the prophesy she spoke of. It all made sense now.
Bianca continued to comfort him; she had tamed my hotheaded friend with one look.
“What else do you need from us?” Bianca asked me, staring straight at me. I had always liked the Boston alpha. She stood by me through the Selene thing, and was strong and respected by her pack. She was a good match for my Blaine.
“Continue what you are doing now and wait for our word,” I said to her, while still flicking glances at Blaine. “One way or another, you should know in the next day or so if we are successful, or if you need to head back to New York to regroup.”
“Prince Caspien will let you know,” Dante added. “Even if things do not go to plan for us, he will get you back to Earth.”
Blaine was shaking his head now, that formidable expression still plastered across his face. “No, Ari, you cannot do this. You cannot sacrifice yourself to try and save everyone.”
Kade let out a little growl of agreement. Of course. I should have expected I would have to have this same argument with the other dominant male in my life. “I am the queen of the shifters,” I said, my tone filled with my annoyance. “This is the sole reason for my existence, to make sure I keep my people safe, that I take the first hit so they don’t have to. A true leader stands on the front line, not behind. You know this.”
“Let me go instead.” Blaine’s voice rippled with a growl, and Kade’s bear was suddenly in our midst, his own rumbles growing in strength. Blaine, with his very annoyed wolf shining from his eyes, just lifted his head and met my mate’s gaze. They had a silent conversation over my head, and must have come to some sort of agreement, because Kade backed off a little.
“You’re not going,” I bit out, hating to pull rank, but we didn’t have time for this. My mate could protect me. I could protect myself. Blaine needed to just let it go.
Blaine’s lips twitched at the corners, before finally he let out a long sigh, rubbing tiredly at his temples. “Why can’t I at least come along to guard you?”
Despite my annoyance, I still wanted to comfort him. Reaching out, I placed my palm flat against his chest, right above his heart. “Because if I fail … and I’m not planning on it, just so you know … but if I do, I need you to lead the army.”
When he exhaled in a loud huff, I knew he had accepted it. He would do as I asked. He didn’t like it, but he would respect my position as queen.
“Just … don’t die, Princess,” he finally said, leaning down to give me a quick hug. “Where you go, I go.”
Violet, Blaine, and I had been saying that to each other since we were kids. Three musketeers. All for one and one for all.
“I’ll be back, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.” The lighthearted tone was missing; my joke fell flat.
Before he could comment again, I turned to Bianca and she bestowed her charming smile on me, not looking at all upset at the interaction between Blaine and me. “Look after him for me. I’m really happy you two found each other.”
She surprised me by reaching out and giving me a hug. “Thank you for choosing me to come to the Otherworld. Not only have we learned a lot working side by side with the fae, but I found…” Her eyes shifted to Blaine. “I found something I didn’t even know I was looking for.”
I thought about my first meeting with Kade. Well, second one really — the first I was way too young for a serious romance. “I know exactly what you mean.”
We shared a girl moment, one I hoped I could expand on in the future.
“We have to go now,” Dante warned. “The longer we linger, the greater the
chance the queen hears of your plan.”
Blaine gave me one last look, his eyes speaking volumes, before he spun and strode off into the trees. I knew he was still upset, but he had Bianca. He would be okay.
Kade stepped into me then, and I found myself leaning back against his strength. “You handled that very well,” I murmured, as his arms came around me.
His chest shook as low rumbles of laughter left him. “I’m glad you weren’t paying attention to our bond.”
I tilted my head back for one last kiss, and then it was time to go. This time we walked away from the noise of training and chatter. We walked in companionable silence for over an hour, each of us preparing, in our own way, for the task that lay before us.
Eventually, Dante made a hand motion for us to stop. He got low to the ground and sniffed, looking up at two trees off to the left. They were curved into each other, making an archway.
“This way,” he whispered.
Kade tightened his grasp on his staff. I readjusted my pack so that it was firm against my back, and we followed Dante to the entrance of the tree arch. He was peering into it.
“Damn,” Dante whispered. Shelley broke away from Kian’s side and peered through the archway as well.
“I can help,” she told Dante in hushed tones.
“What is going on?” I asked.
Dante walked back a few feet and we huddled around him. “There is a magical portal here that takes us right into the Fall Court. From there we find the next portal to enter the Winter Court.”
“These portals would have come in handy last time we were here,” I said.
He shook his head and some of my excitement faded away. I prepared myself for the bad news. “This portal is guarded. As soon as we exit the portal, they will alert the winter queen.”
“Winter? You said it was Fall Court?” Kade asked, his keen eyes tracking Dante’s every movement.
Shelley was the one to answer: “The winter queen rules the Fall Court as well. Those fae are actually her guards. I recognize them. But I can confuse them with my magic and make them let us through.”
