by Amy Sumida
I mentally called out to my men, and we coordinated our efforts; having our people send whatever long-distance magic out that they could manage. Killian's Firestorm swept over the Golems while tidal waves hit other sections, and boulders rolled through the masses. Darkness slithered through it all; catching the Golems in its grip and eating them whole. Hana, Kaden, and Raza flew over the mayhem; snatching up the golems who were missed and tearing them to pieces. It was brutal. After having a brief glimpse of victory, our forces were frustrated and furious; intent on ending this one way or another.
I steeled myself for an endless battle, and racked my mind for a way to contain the golem warriors; perhaps bury them once more. But then I noticed that the wounds they took weren't healing. Bodies fell to the earth and stayed there; crumbling into dust moments later.
As soon as the failing of the golem spell became evident, our collected armies started to cheer, and they all rushed forward to finish what the distance attacks had started. I breathed a deep sigh of relief and looked around at the remnants of Lana's rebellion. The survivors instantly cast down their weapons and surrendered; without the Golems, they were ridiculously outnumbered.
Clean up would be minimal; the Golems blew away on the wind, and the damage to the tomb and museum would be left to explain the disappearance of the terracotta warriors. I'd leave it to the human government to decide on a story, but I imagined it would be more along the lines of an act of God than an act of war. There were dead to deal with and mourn, but the losses were far less than I expected, and when we finally drove away from the Lintou District, we did so with lightened hearts and shoulders.
The final battle had been won; just as my dragon promised.
Chapter Forty-Three
In situations where humans and fairies worked together to defend Earth, the rules of the truce altered. Since three kingdoms had participated in this war, in addition to the Wild Hunt, the fairies had a claim on the seditionists. And Raza had promised me enough blood to ward off any future rebellions. So, he bargained with the Triple C to give us half of the prisoners, and we took them with us; to execute publicly in Fairy. The Extinguishers arrested the rest and flew them directly to Ireland and the High Councils, where the traitors would await trial.
Raza's actions did not sit well with me. I may have agreed to make the battle ferocious, but I never agreed to execute fairies after the fact. We argued over it for the entire flight back to the United States. Danu's apple had worn off, and we no longer had the ease of knowing each other's thoughts, so we had to argue out loud; driving our companions crazy enough to give us the plane's bedroom all to ourselves.
“The Councils will extinguish the fairies they arrested,” Raza said as he slammed the bedroom door shut.
“The Councils will give them a trial,” I corrected.
“And you know what the results will be,” Raza huffed. “Those fairies are doomed to die. The only difference between them and the ones we claimed is in their executioners.”
“What the Councils do is on their conscience.” I crossed my arms resolutely. “What we do is on ours.”
“And why does your conscience bother you now, Extinguisher?”
“Because now, these are my people, dragon!”
Raza and I were breathing fast and heavy; staring at each other with fury and then—suddenly—passion. He snatched me to him; lowering his mouth to mine as he did. I went eagerly; hands sliding up around his wide shoulders to pull him down to me. Seeing Raza get hit by lightning had left a knot in my belly and arguing with him was making it worse. I needed a different kind of connection, and so did he.
We spun about; knocking into the built-in furniture as we clutched at each other. Raza picked me up and slammed me into the plane's wall; against the cool panel of a window. I threaded my fingers through his hair and grabbed a handful with one hand as my other reached down between us and started rubbing the hard length of him. I grabbed Raza through his pants roughly, and he broke our kiss to cry out in delight.
I undid Raza's belt and then his pants; slipping him out quickly. The red tip of his cock gleamed with pleasure, and I rubbed the slickness down his shaft with firm strokes. Raza growled and pushed me away so he could yank off my jeans; bending to pull them from me and then toss them away. As he rose, he grabbed me beneath the hips and turned me about; to set me down on a counter. He sliced my panties away with his claws and shoved my legs apart before diving between my thighs. Raza's mouth covered me, and his tongue began a furious lashing. I writhed as his hands slid up over my breasts; to knead at them through the covering of my shirt.
There was still too much clothing between us. So, I flung off my jacket, and then my shirt, before reaching down to yank on Raza's collar. He broke his intimate kiss to stand up and fling off the barriers between us. Raza's eyes burned into liquid gold as he set his intent stare on my bra. As he reached for me, he glamoured away his talons. Even in his most savage moments, Raza wouldn't hurt me. But his hands still grasped at me wildly, and the bra went flying. Finally, Raza picked me up and tossed me on the bed.
A moment later, Raza was covering me; his massive body nearly enveloping mine. I grabbed his ass and pulled him tightly between my legs as he bent his head to my neck. A moan rolled up my throat as Raza bit his way down to my breasts and then sucked a nipple into his mouth forcefully. My hands went to his head as one of his hands sought my sex. Raza slipped his finger inside me and worked me into a frenzy before he rose up suddenly. His golden stare fixed on mine in question. I answered him by positioning his shaft against me, and he drove in without hesitation.
We cried out together; hands curling into each other's flesh as we tried to pull ourselves together even closer. Our hips collided violently, and I pushed my feet up on the mattress to amp things up further. The slap of flesh on flesh echoed in my ears, as did the savage sounds emerging from our throats. The vision of Raza falling through the sky filled my mind again, and I snarled; pushing him over onto his back. I slammed down on him wildly as my hands slid up to his face and held him imprisoned.
We stared at each other as pleasure took us, and then Raza grabbed my hips and held me tightly as he thrust upward with one final shout of rapture. I cried out and fell over his muscled chest a moment later, and Raza wrapped his arms around me to keep me there. With him still inside me, I laid my ear to his chest and reassured myself with his strong heartbeat.
“There was so much death today,” I whispered against him. “And yours was nearly one of them.”
“Is that what this is about?” He asked gently as he stroked my hair. “I'm not so easy to kill, mo shíorghrá.”
“Even dragons can fall.” I lifted my head to look at him. “I never want to see that again.”
“Then let me kill the traitors,” he said.
“Ugh!” I pushed off him; the slide of his sex leaving mine making me shiver.
It was enough of a hesitation to allow Raza to snatch my hand and pull me back into the bed.
“Just take a breath with me,” Raza murmured as he tucked me against his side. “Just a moment of peace before we take up arms against each other again.”
“I don't want to fight with you.”
“I don't want to fight you either, Queen-Extinguisher,” Raza teased. “But I really don't want to see you stumble beneath the magic of another fairy army again. So, if I must battle you to keep you safe, I will.”
“And if I must battle you to protect my people, I will,” I shot back.
“That's not fair,” Raza said calmly. “They're my people too.”
“I don't want to be an executioner anymore.” I sat up; done with our peace.
“You never were one.”
“There was a time when I was more executioner than extinguisher,” I reminded him.
“That was your grief.” Raza shook his head. “Not you.”
“I won't go back there, Raza.” I began pulling on my clothes angrily.
“You don't have to.” Raza stood
and began doing the same. “I told you that I would take care of this, and I shall. End of conversation.”
“The fuck it is!”
“The honeymoon is over,” Conri's voice carried in from the main cabin.
“Fuck off, Conri!” Raza and I shouted together.
Chapter Forty-Four
As our Guards carefully carried the entwined statues of Bress and Conn down to Gentry's rath, Raza finally got through to me.
“Do you want to go to war again, mo shíorghrá,” Raza asked gently. “Because I do not want ever to see you behead another woman.”
I went quiet; watching our knights try to maneuver the statues through the rath's gate. No; I didn't want things like this to happen again. We had made an impact on the Human Realm, but would the inhabitants of Fairy feel the weight of what we'd done? Would they know how foolish it would be to come against us?
“So be it,” I whispered.
“You don't have to be there.” Raza pulled me in against his chest and hugged me; a long sigh of relief leaving him.
“Yes; I do.” I pushed back to look up at him. “I can't just agree to this and then hide in my room while you kill fairies.”
“They are fairies who broke the truce and threatened the lives of your loved ones, Queen Seren,” Daxon said gently.
“What; I'm not 'Princess' anymore?” I asked him.
“No,” he said steadily, “you're not. You're a queen, and I have faith that you will make the best decision for your people.”
“There is a time to be lenient and a time to be firm,” Tiernan added. “This is the time to show strength, Seren. If it's done right, you will never have to do so again.”
I looked over at Killian, and he shrugged.
“You know me, Twilight,” Killian said. “I got you. You want them dead? I'll drop the ax myself. But if you want them to live, I'll stand up to these yahoos with you. What'll it be?”
“She's already decided,” Raza growled.
“It's a lady's prerogative to change her mind.” Killian smirked while he kept his gaze on mine. “I'll follow your lead, baby. Just tell me where we're going.”
And that's what helped me decide. I love all of my men in different ways, for different reasons, but Killian is consistently the man who understands me the best. When you want me to do something, you have to let me decide to do it on my own. Pushing just confuses me because I don't know if I'm protesting simply to retain my personal power or actually to fight for what I believe in. By telling me that he had my back, either way, Killian forced me to take another good think about what I wanted and why.
“Thank you, Kill.” I hugged him tightly and then kissed him. “I see it now.”
“Good,” Killian said. “But I don't really have to swing the ax, do I?”
“No.” I laughed. “How did you know I'd decide to go that way?”
“Your face, darlin',” he said somberly. “I knew as soon as I saw the sadness in your eyes.”
“They're right,” I whispered. “We need to show strength.”
“But being right doesn't always feel so good,” Kill observed.
“No,” I said. “And I suppose that's part of being a queen.”
I went to the rath, and the men followed me through. When we came out on the other side, Danu was already there, with Bress and Conn kneeling at her feet; alive and un-stoned. She looked up when we stepped into the meadow.
“Thank you for attending me,” Danu said with a snarky smile.
“We had to work something out,” I said as I bowed my head to her respectfully. “Thank you for the apple; it helped.”
“You're welcome,” Danu said as she waved Conn and Bress to their feet. “Now, here is another prisoner to add to your captives.”
Danu gently pushed Conn toward us. I froze; my eyes widening as I realized what Danu was saying. We couldn't execute the fairy prisoners without doing the same to one of their leaders.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
“What's happening?” Bress asked. “Somebody fill me in—and fast.”
“We've decided to execute the traitors.” Raza waved his hand toward a long line of fairies being led out of the rath by his Guard.
“Then you'll execute my father as well?” Bress asked as his eyes strayed to Conn.
Conn flinched but then took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “I accept your sentence, Your Majesty. It's a fair decision.”
Bress looked panicked. He had fought his father, but in the end, Conn had tried to save him. I think Conn had been right; Bress wouldn't have hurt him. He was just reacting. Bress would have blustered and then calmed; as was his way.
“I pardon Conn Dealan of Seelie,” I said before I could think it through.
“Seren!” Raza snarled.
“I can't do it!” I shouted. “I can't execute our people, Raza. And I definitely can't kill my cousin's father. I've watched enough of my family die. Hell, I've killed enough of them myself. I can't take away Bress' last living parent. If that makes me weak; then so fucking be it! If I have to fight another war, then I will.”
Raza closed his eyes and bent his head. “How can I fulfill my promise to you if you won't let me?”
“I'm sorry, a chroí,” I whispered to Raza—using the Gaelic endearment for “my heart.” I had learned it, intending to say it to him in a more romantic moment, but it just came out. “I don't hold you to your vow.”
Raza shivered and pulled me in tight to his chest. He buried his face in my neck and breathed in deeply. I could feel the muscles in his jaw working as he swallowed convulsively.
“I would do anything for you, mo shíorghrá,” Raza said. “I would tear the worlds apart only to rebuild them in your honor. But you ask me to do nothing, and for a dragon, that is asking the impossible.”
“I don't want to fail you,” I whispered. “But I can't be that kind of queen.”
“And I wouldn't want you to be anyone other than who you are.” Raza kissed me tenderly.
“Then what do we do with them?” Tiernan asked as he waved a hand toward the terrified prisoners.
“You give them to me,” Danu said as she held her arms out wide. “Has it been so long that you've forgotten the tradition of sacrificing to your goddess?”
Tiernan, Daxon, and Raza looked at each other in revelation.
“That sounds an awful lot like execution,” I said.
“No; it isn't,” Daxon assured me. “Danu takes the offering and decides their fate. Only she can see into the hearts of the Fey, and so she is the perfect judge. If death is deserved, she will take them quickly. But if the fairy deserves a second chance, she will pardon them.”
“As you just did with Conn.” Raza stroked a taloned finger down my cheek.
“But it must be done properly,” Danu declared. “Bring them to my sacred island, and I will accept your sacrifices there.”
Danu disappeared without another word.
“I can deal with that,” I said to the men.
“And the Fey will see that we can be fair and traditional,” Tiernan said.
We all nodded in agreement, and most of the prisoners looked relieved.
“Danu may not have pardoned me, but your princess has,” Conn said to his son. “I intend to make the most of it; starting with earning your forgiveness. Will you give me a chance, Bress?”
Bress looked at his father sadly before his expression hardened. He turned and started walking away.
“I will prove to you that I can be a good father!” Conn called after him.
Bress flinched but kept walking.
“I won't waste this pardon, Your Majesty,” Conn said to me. “I'm truly sorry for what I've done, but I did it for my son.”
“Parents do some stupid things to protect their children,” I said. “But no matter how horrible it is, it comes from a place of love. The fact that you love Bress enough to act like a fool gives me hope; both for you and him.”
“Your Majesty, if I may say one mo
re thing,” Conn bent his head.
“Go on.”
“King Uisdean and Queen Iseabal both ruled with fear and violence,” Conn said softly. “The fact that you refuse to do so gives me hope. Fairy needs change, not more of the same.”
Chapter Forty-Five
In between bouts of arguing with Raza on the plane, I had scried my father to tell him that I was all right and ask him to send carriages for us. So, only a few minutes after Bress had stormed off, the carriages arrived. One of the knights informed me that a horse had been provided to Marquess Bress, and he was on his way home. Conn had visibly relaxed with the news.
But Conn wasn't going to Twilight; he was going to Seelie with Tiernan. Tiernan, his Guard, and Conn were given a ride to the nearest Seelie rath while Raza, his Guard, and the prisoners were taken to the Unseelie rath. The Unseelie Army had gone home through a rath in China with Chiwen, Hana, and Kader, but Raza had wanted to travel with me for obvious reasons. Lastly, the Twilight Army had twilighted home with the dusk and was already relaxing at the castle. But dawn was hours away, so my Guard and I would be taking the scenic route home.
I said goodbye to my husbands, but Killian, Daxon, and Daxon's Elite accompanied me to Twilight. We had to prepare for the sacrifice to Danu, and I was certain that my father would want to attend. So, all of us would meet at the Isle of Danu the next day.
On the way home, we stopped at the Elf Village. The Elves saw us riding up, and a large group had assembled before our carriages rolled into the center of the village. Dagur and Hinrik came to the front of the group and stood there expectantly.
“Wait here,” I said to the others as I climbed out of the carriage. “This won't take long.”
Killian returned to his nap, but Daxon lifted an eyebrow at me.
