Ether

I fucking dropped her. I told her I would keep her safe and I dropped her. I swear to all that is Life I will never let her go again. She has no idea how special she is, and I don’t just mean the prophecy and her role with breaking the curse. There is more to Fern than just that. I can see it, sense it, feel it. Even the barest of touches has my skin zinging with fire. There have been many women over the years, but none of them have elicited such a reaction from me. Waiting weeks in Ever Vale whilst Queen Adrielle kept us under her control was torture, made worse because I couldn’t return to Fern. At least for her it was only a day. I’ve had a month to think about her quiet beauty, her core of steel. The way she looked at me in her kitchen earlier damn near stripped me bare.

Frankly, I would have started the war with the Queen myself just so I could get back to her. Meeting Accacia, seeing her bond with her men, only fuelled my desire to get back to Fern as soon as possible. Even though the stone taking us to Fern had proved Lissandra’s story to be correct, seeing that same ring on Accacia’s finger had confirmed to me what I’d known the moment our hands had touched; Fern is our saviour, and she is fated to us, prophecy or not. It is little wonder that Gabe is so drawn to her. The light Fern exudes is intoxicating… I shake my head of the thought. She has no damn clue of the hold she has over me, us.

Get a fucking grip, Ether.

Needing to concentrate on the task at hand, I lean forward and speed towards Gabe and the abomination that screams the same black magic that made me what I am. Tonight I shall be sending a clear message back to Queen Adrielle and this creature is going to be the damn messenger.

Deciding that the element of surprise is my only advantage right now, I climb higher into the clouds above the spot I can see Gabe fighting with the creature. All members of Clan Vitae have acute eyesight. I don’t believe the Queen had any intention for this to happen when she cast the curse. But what’s one advantage against the horrible fact we are nothing more than murderers? I’d exchange any positive side-effects of the curse for those lives I’ve taken by her command in a heartbeat.

Hovering fifty feet above them, I see that both Gabe and the creature are trying to rid the other of their wings. Gabe is holding his own, a dark fury possessing him. That creature may look formidable, but when Gabe is in this state no one has ever been able to defeat him. Still, I will not risk his life on chance. Deciding that the best course of action is brute strength and the element of surprise, I nose dive straight for the creature. Wind rushes past me, the cold air doing nothing to dampen the furnace that I carry within my chest always. It has burned brighter ever since laying eyes on Fern.

At the last minute, just before I am about to collide head-on with them, a well-aimed kick to the creature’s head dislodges his grasp from Gabe long enough for Gabe to summersault backwards through the air and rip a portion of its metal wing free from its body.

It lets out a rage-filled roar but rather than retaliate, something catches its attention and it flies away from us both. I look up sharply, following the creature’s gaze. Above us, Mihr is flying with Fern safely wrapped in his arms, but the blanket is missing. Fuck, she really doesn’t need Mihr marking her too. I can only hope he gets her to the Shadowlands soon. Being marked twice would be a disaster.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Gabe roars, knowing exactly where the creature’s heading. He chases after it, grabs its ankle and yanks it backwards. Given its size and weight it crashes back into Gabe and myself and we hurtle to the ground once more, but not before it has taken a swipe at Gabe with its clawed hand. Blood erupts from the deep gouges it makes in his chest, but Gabe is oblivious. His fury knows no bounds. Over the sound of the wind and the cries of rage I can hear the creature speak.

“You think you can betray Queen Adrielle and get away with it?” Grunt. “You think you can embarrass our Queen and not feel her wrath?” Grunt. “You think you can take sides with her brother and not expect retaliation?” Grunt. “I am going to rip your wings from your backs and your heads from your shoulders, and then I’m going to have my way with that pretty blonde before chopping her up into little pieces and serving her to our Queen,” the creature rasps.

“SHUT. YOUR. FUCKING. MOUTH,” Gabe roars, and with an almighty tug, pulls the creature’s half-torn wing from its body, then kicks him in the chest. I move away from its flailing arms, but not before it has ripped a handful of feathers from my own wing. A sharp pain registers but I push it away, not allowing it to darken my vision. Gabe and I pull back and for one second, before the creature drops like a mountain to the ground, I capture the man beneath the grotesque mask.

Abanthe.

“Is that who I think it is?” Gabe asks, pressing a palm against his chest. When he pulls it away there is blood, although not enough to be greatly concerned about, thankfully.

I nod my head. “Yes, seems Queen Adrielle has made him even more twisted than he already is.”

We watch Abanthe fall for long minutes, both of us needing to be certain that he isn’t going to return, at least not anytime soon and that’s only if he survives the fall. Though something tells me Abanthe will be back. Previously cursed as a member of Clan Lux who cannot go out in the sun and needs to drink blood to survive, Abanthe is now something far more twisted. Black skin like molten lava, metal wings and blood red eyes, he is a Dark Knight made into something infinitely worse. A demon formed from the darkest parts of Queen Adrielle’s soul, and now he knows about Fern.

And if he knows about Fern, then it won’t take long for him to report back to the Queen about another woman one of her clans is so desperate to protect.

I turn to Gabe and squeeze his arm. “It’s time to go. We have lots to discuss.”

Gabe nods sharply and we both fly towards the Shadowlands and home.