The bolt disappeared quickly, but her entire body glowed and buzzed with crawling vines of electricity. She screamed as the electric vines sliced through her skin, her blood vessels blackening and bursting outward from the point where she was struck.
She seized, and then she was still.
Her clothing was singed and curled.
Her eyes—now red from the burst blood vessels—stared blankly up at me.
She was dead.
And the knife had fallen onto the ground in front of Julian.
He was okay. She hadn’t gotten to him in time. I sobbed in relief and buried my face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.
That had been close. Too close. If I hadn’t been watching closely—if I hadn’t seen her reach for that knife—that would have been it. Julian would have been dead, and Bridget would have been healed by the gods.
But she’d sacrificed herself when she ran into his knife. So why the sudden change of heart in her final seconds? What had she seen that had made her decide to fight?
I’d never know. But after all of this, there was one thing I knew for sure.
I wasn’t going to stand on the sidelines and wait for anyone to protect me ever again. I was going to fight for myself, and I was going to get out of this alive. So were Julian and Cassia. I was going to fight with them until the Nephilim army found us and put an end to this once and for all.
I refused to be a pawn for any longer.
So I pulled myself out of Julian’s strong arms, stood up, and faced Octavia.
She sat straight and proud on her throne inside of the Royal Box. The golden wreath gleamed on her head as she looked down at me with pure, unbridled arrogance.
She was enjoying this.
I took a few steps toward her. With each one, my magic buzzed stronger and stronger. It pushed its way out of my palms, two bolts of electricity arcing upward and joining above my head. I fell to my knees, and the magic poured out of me, strands of bright light swirling to create a glowing dome around me.
“You shouldn’t have made me your enemy!” I screamed up at Octavia, and the crowd silenced, my voice echoing through the arena. “You underestimated me. But now you see how dangerous I can be. And I won’t rest until I make you pay.”
39
Lilith
Six Months Ago
I sat on the edge of my four-poster bed, admiring the two faerie tokens I held in my palms. They’d taken me years to acquire. I’d run into so many dead ends and false clues. But finally, they were mine.
A familiar knock rapped on the door.
“Come in,” I said, and the two people I’d called for stepped inside of my room.
“Fallon,” I said to my daughter. With her dark hair, slim figure, and porcelain skin, she was nearly a spitting image of me. “And Lavinia.”
The dark witch, Lavinia Foster, could have easily passed as one of my daughters as well. It was thanks to the traces of my family’s blood that ran through her—and the rest of the Foster circle’s—veins.
“You called?” Fallon asked, her hands resting on her hips in annoyance.
I’d probably interrupted her flirting with one of the many men who passed through the area. Oh well. I was far more important than they could ever be.
“Yes.” I opened my fists and revealed the golden tokens, one in each of my palms.
“Faerie tokens,” she quickly identified them. “Why…?” She looked to me, leaving the question lingering in the air.
I understood why she was confused. Because as far as she knew, the fae were nothing for us to worry about.
Lavinia, on the other hand, knew differently.
“You found them.” Lavinia smiled. “Finally.”
Fallon just stared me down, tapping her foot on the ground as she waited for me to explain.
“I’m afraid I’ve been keeping a secret from you,” I told her, and Fallon stilled, like I knew she would. “As you might remember, soon after we came to Earth, we had a gifted vampire under our control. A prophetess.”
“Skylar Danvers,” Lavinia said proudly. “Her visions were phenomenally accurate. It’s a shame we lost her to the Earth Angel.”
“It is.” I nodded in agreement and turned my attention back to Fallon. “While Skylar was under our control, she was forced to share her visions with Lavinia, and with Azazel, may he rest in peace.” I lowered my eyes in respect for my fallen brother. “There was a pattern to her visions. Whenever she was asked for information about our enemy, she rarely spoke of Avalon. Mostly, she spoke of the fae.”
“But we have no qualms with the fae,” she said.
“Not yet,” I said. “But we cannot ignore the warnings of the prophetess. We must take care of the fae. These tokens will transport you and Lavinia to a remote location in the Otherworld, where you’ll complete your task of wiping out their entire race.”
“Just the two of us?” Fallon looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “How, exactly, are we supposed to do that?”
“As you know, demon blood is poisonous to the fae,” Lavinia started.
“Only if they drink it,” Fallon interrupted. “And we can’t force the entire Otherworld to drink my blood. They’ll kill us before we get very far.”
“That was the challenge,” Lavinia said with that knowing smile on her face that I loved so much. “I had to figure out how to get your blood into their systems without putting our lives at risk. It took me many years, and I needed help from others in my circle. But eventually, we created a spell.”
“What kind of spell?” At the talk of dark witch magic, Fallon was all ears.
“The perfect spell,” I took over from there, eager to be the one to share the news with my daughter. “One that turns our blood into the deadliest, most dangerous of weapons. A highly contagious plague.”
Who will win the next Emperor of the Villa competition? Will Selena tell Julian that they’re soulmates? And most importantly… will Selena, Julian, and Cassia all make it out of the Games alive?
Find out in the next book in the series, The Faerie Mates, coming this winter!
Pre-order The Faerie Mates on Amazon ➜ CLICK HERE
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Are you new to the Dark World universe? Then I’m excited to share that I have two other series’ set in this world—The Vampire Wish and The Angel Trials. Read on to learn more about them! (You may have to turn the page to see the covers and descriptions.)
Annika never thought of herself as weak—until vampires murdered her parents and kidnapped her to their hidden kingdom of the Vale.
As a brand new blood slave, Annika must survive her dangerous new circumstances—or face death from the wolves prowling the Vale’s enchanted walls. But sparks fly when she meets the vampire prince Jacen. She hates the idea of falling for the enemy, but her connection with the mysterious prince could be the key to her freedom.
Because if she can convince him to turn her into a vampire, she’ll finally have the strength she needs to escape the Vale.
Grab The Vampire Wish on Amazon ➜ CLICK HERE
She thought magic didn’t exist. She was so, so wrong.
Raven Danvers was a typical student… until a demon attacks her on the night of her birthday. Luckily, she’s saved by Noah—a mysterious, sexy wolf shifter who appears and disappears before she can ask him any questions.
Then Raven's mom is abducted by the same demon who came after her. And who turns up at the scene of the crime again? Noah. He’s hunting the demons who are taking humans, and he’s ultimately heading where Raven needs to go to save her mom—the mystical island of Avalon.
Now Raven’s joining Noah’s demon hunting mission whether he wants her there or not. Which he doesn't. But nothing stops Raven, so she and Noah will have to learn to work together—if they don’t kill each other first.
More importantly, sh
e has to survive his crazy demon hunt. Because surviving is the only way to get to Avalon and save her mom’s life.
Grab The Angel Trials on Amazon ➜ CLICK HERE
About the Author
Michelle Madow is a USA Today bestselling author of fast paced fantasy novels that will leave you turning the pages wanting more! Her books are full of magic, adventure, romance, and twists you’ll never see coming.
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THE FAERIE PAWN
Published by Dreamscape Publishing
Copyright © 2019 Michelle Madow
ISBN:
This book is a work of fiction. Though some actual towns, cities, and locations may be mentioned, they are used in a fictitious manner and the events and occurrences were invented in the mind and imagination of the author. Any similarities of characters or names used within to any person past, present, or future is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Brief quotations may be embodied in critical articles or reviews.
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The Faerie Pawn (Dark World: The Faerie Games Book 2) Page 16
