Chapter Thirteen

Arianna, the great winter.

I never expected fire could destroy the stone, or regular fire at least, as it did not destroy mecca, and the energy of this stone was similar. But I’d already noticed that there was something different about this dark lake of flames, this elven fire. Which hopefully meant the stone was gone. Forever. The defeated-looking fae was certainly acting like it was.

Kade, who was no longer limping, leaned down and snatched up the second dark staff, the one he had been training with. He returned with it in his grasp, face devoid of any emotion, almost as if he were a robot, and stared down at the fae still crumpled on the ground, oily blood seeping out of his face wounds.

A small, whimper-like noise escaped from me, and Kade turned in my direction. I almost screamed when I saw his eyes. Gone was that shimmery bronze that I loved, and in its place, pure darkness.

Oh shit.

When my mate turned back to his enemy, I lurched forward, halting myself. I didn’t know what to do. Should I be stopping Kade from touching any more darkness? Or would the death of the Dark Fae Lord return him to me?

Before I could make a decision, Kade swung the staff around so that the stone was facing the fae. He then lifted the weapon high, shifting into his half-bear form at the same time. I had no idea why, until he slammed the staff — dark crystal side down — into the fae’s chest. He must have needed the extra strength to make sure he could smash it all the way through, to make sure he killed the evil fae once and for all.

As the Dark Fae Lord fell backwards, Kade ripped the staff free, pulling out half or more of the fae’s chest. Everything in the clearing stilled, it seemed as if noise ceased, and then the fae grinned, blood stained teeth on display. “Darkness has … you …now,” he choked out, before coughing twice, and then with one last breath, he stilled.

The air charged with electricity, and then, in an instant, the thunder stopped and the sky shone a perfect, cloudless blue.

The Dark Fae Lord was dead.

I approached Kade slowly. “You need to throw the staff into the lake,” I told him. Already I could see the fire across that expanse was dying down. The evil was dispersing from this land, and when it was gone, so too would be the fire able to remove the crystal from this world. Or at least take it somewhere that was untouchable to any more fae.

Kade snarled in my direction, spinning, and running for his brother.

I was turning to follow him when a line of tall entities stepped into view. All breath choked out of me, and I stood dumfounded for a beat.

The … trees.

While Kade had been fighting the Dark Fae Lord, the trees had been amassing an army. There was a long line now, all of them walking over the ground; a true sense of life filled them, despite their blackened limbs. The darkness leaving had returned some of their power. I watched in awed silence as they started to toss the dark creatures into the lake—creatures who had fallen with their lord—cleaning the land.

I moved quickly toward one of them; it halted, waiting for my touch. Can you please place the Dark Fae Lord’s body in the fiery lake? I asked, when my hand was pressed to its middle.

With pleasure, it responded.

Thank you!

I turned then and ran, still a little awkwardly, toward Kian. As I dropped down at his side, on the opposite side to where Kade knelt, my mate lifted his face to meet my gaze. “He’s dead.”

Those words came out quietly, before he dropped his head back and the deepest, most grief-stricken bellow emerged from him. I heard an echoing cry, louder than before. Shelley was coming for her mate; she was going to see his lifeless body lying here.

“Kade…” I didn’t know what to say. I was terrified at the darkness in his eyes, and absolutely devastated about his brother.

Kade sat there for two seconds, frozen. Then his grip on the staff tightened. “Violet,” he breathed.

Violet? Violet couldn’t get here in time to help, and she definitely couldn’t bring people back from the dead.

“Kade…” I repeated slowly, hoping to jolt him out of whatever weird place he was in. Grief had obviously affected his mind, which was to be expected, but with so much darkness within him I was worried about his next actions.

The crystal on the end of the staff pulsed then, the black blood of the Dark Fae Lord sliding away; the veins in Kade’s arm that held it turned black. I could see rivers of ink throbbing up and down his arms.

“Violet showed me the way. She foresaw this,” he said in a voice I didn’t recognize.

“Kade, you’re scaring me. You need to let go of the staff now. It is changing you. Kade!” I moved closer, reaching for him, my energy already surging forward in preparation of siphoning the darkness from him.

“I can save him,” he said as the black ink in his veins continued to expand, surging up to his throat and down in under his shirt.

“At what cost?” I shouted, losing my cool as I dove forward, ready to rip the staff away from him. Kade anticipated this move, though, and while he didn’t push me away, he did angle himself so that I tumbled past him.

I crashed into the ground, and as I pushed myself up, Shelley came tearing through the woods. She was cradling Jota, Kian’s lifeless familiar in her arms. We hadn’t brought our familiars with us, but Kian’s must have crossed over to the Otherworld somehow when he sensed his bonded one dying.

“Kian!” she shouted desperately, slipping and sliding across the melting snow as she fell at his feet.

Kade faced me warily. I’ve got this, Ari. You need to trust me.

I recoiled as his darkness brushed against my mind, and I couldn’t get the fae’s last words out of my head, darkness has you.

What the hell was I supposed to do? Charge my own mate and rip that staff from his hands, or do as he asked and trust him? In normal circumstance that wouldn’t even be a question to ask. I always trusted Kade, but this was not my Kade. Not completely. The essence of him was slipping away from me, and I was afraid it might already be too late.

But what if he could save his brother?

If I stopped him, he would never forgive me. I would lose him either way. I remained frozen for a beat, taking in Shelley’s sobbing figure, the dead familiar, and my mate, who was strongly resembling the Dark Fae Lord right now. I lowered my arm, knowing there was no other option.

I would just keep faith that I had saved him from the darkness once, so I could do it again.

But I still had to offer him one last thought, so he would understand how I felt. “Are you sure, Kade?” I asked him. “Will Kian return as he was? Your brother. Or will death have taken him only to return a shadow of the shifter you knew?”

Could we truly be returned from the dead? Should anyone mess with something that was the domain of the gods?

Kade took a deep breath in, staring at me with his black eyes. “This will work, Arianna. The darkness took him and the darkness will return him. But I must hurry, there is only a short window before his soul is beyond my reach.”

I nodded, stepping back, giving him space. Kade raised the staff high over his head as that black ink visibly pulsed in his veins. Then he spun the staff upside down so that the dark crystal was hovering just over Kian’s chest and brought it down hard, smacking his brother in the chest quickly before pulling up again. It was the same movement he’d used on the Dark Fae Lord, only this time he didn’t pierce his brother’s chest.

Kian’s body jerked once when the crystal hit his chest, but then he fell flat again. Shelley sat up slowly, mouth open, eyes wide.

I took a staggered step closer. “Try again!” I said.

I’d seen something when the crystal connected — a flicker of mecca had washed over Kian.

Kade obliged, slamming the staff down a bit longer this time, but not long enough to … infect … his brother with the darkness. I was guessing my mate was using his power to filter pure creative mecca energy through the powerful crystal, but keeping the darkness inside himself — condemning himself to save his brother.

The next time he hit, more mecca shot into Kian and his whole body jumped up.

“More!” Shelley shouted at Kade, still desperately clutching Jota.

Kade slammed the staff down, his arms shaking with the power of holding the energy.

Suddenly the crow jerked in Shelley’s hands, letting out a loud caw. At the same time, Kian gasped for air. I immediately looked to Kade, and in an almost slow-motion movement, he turned his entire body in my direction, the staff clutched tightly to his chest. I swallowed my cry, trying not to burst into hysterical sobs as our gazes met. His eyes were now completely black, even the part that was supposed to be white. His veins were thick and black, and he looked … evil.

“So … much … power,” he rumbled, looking at the staff like it was a lover. Like it was precious. I recognized that look, I had seen it directed my way more times than I could count.

I swallowed hard, hot tears running down my face even though I was trying my best to keep it together. I couldn’t fall apart yet, I had to save Kade first.

My magic swirled closer to the surface, and as much as I wanted to reach out through our bond, I knew that wasn’t the right way to approach this. Not yet. I needed him to come back a little first, because I wasn’t sure I could fight him.

“Kade … babe, give me the staff.” I held out my hand. Please, please, please. I was not above begging, hoping and praying he would just hand me the weapon.

Kade’s nostrils flared but he didn’t say a word, staring at me as if he was trying to remember who I was. Movement to my left drew my attention, and even though I didn’t want to turn away from evil-Kade, I quickly flicked my gaze to Kian. I had temporarily forgotten him, but it was a relief to see his normal handsome face, seemingly devoid of all darkness.

Thank the gods. Only one crazy shifter to deal with.

Turning back to my mate, I reached inside my shirt, slowly, and pulled out the ring he’d given me, holding it up on the long chain for him to see. “You gave this to me. You promised me forever, and I know you’re a man of your word.”

I held his gaze, even though it was physically hurting me to stare into those obsidian eyes. My chest cramped tighter and tighter, making it almost impossible to breathe. But I did not break our eye contact, and I did not lower my hand holding the chain.

Kade shook his head then, startling me with the sudden movement.

“Ari … help.” His words were forced out through his clenched jaw, and it looked like he was gripping the staff tighter.

That was all I needed to hear; he was not completely gone.

I shot out with mecca — it was a controlled blast, and I was reasonably sure it wouldn’t hurt him too much. Maybe just enough to give me a chance. I knew he was fighting the darkness, but without help, it would win — there was too much inside of him now. My hit knocked him off his feet, shooting him backwards. As he slammed into the ground, the staff was flung from his grip — or maybe he found the strength to drop it. Kade was the strongest man I knew, so that was definitely a possibility.

Kade and I both scrambled for the staff, but before either of us could get our hands on it, Dante came out of nowhere, scooping it up. I changed course, diving across Kade, straddling him.

“No!” Kade bellowed, his desperate eyes locked on Dante. I expected my mate to use his strength and throw me across the field, but he didn’t. He just watched as the summer fae pitched the staff straight into the last fiery embers of the lake.

The moment it touched the surface the ground shook, hard enough to throw me off Kade. Every creature left alive in this godforsaken hellhole screeched. But my eyes were on my mate. His body was frozen, tense, his hands clenched tightly on either side of him. I could see there was a war going on inside of him. A war I was going to help him win.

I crawled back to his side, reaching out and placing my fingers on each side of his temples.

Zandu’s voice came from behind me. “Be careful, highborn. It could take you too.”

“If he’s gone, I’m gone anyway,” I said, my tone dead.

I closed myself off to the world, and using our bond, fully connected with Kade. I recoiled initially, fighting the urge to run as slimy, oily, insidious energy tried to cling to me and interweave with my power.

Kade, I whispered along our bond, searching for my mate in the darkness. He had come back to me before, he had given me the chance to destroy the staff. He had to still be in there.

I grabbed hold of the dark energy, and like a sticky spider web it clung to me. I began to pull it from Kade, allowing it to travel along the mate bond and into me. When it reach my chest I shivered, cocooning it with fae magic and transforming it like I did before. But this time there was too much, too fast. The more I siphoned from Kade, the more I felt like I was drowning in sadness and disease … in a heavy emptiness. The world was pressing in on me and I wanted to die. Anything to escape the absolute darkness of my world.

I was alone.

Useless.

Worthless.

I did not deserve to live.

Ari… Kade’s whisper caressed a part of my soul through the bond, bringing with it a sliver of light. It was enough, just that tiny speck of illumination, for me to have something to cling to. It gave me the power to blast the darkness within me, a sense of purpose. And the strength I needed to get to him, to open my eyes and breathe again.

But the darkness held me tightly, unwilling to give up its victim.

In my moment of despair, it wasn’t Kade that saved me — Finn’s voice slammed into me, loud and firm. Arianna, of the red house. You are capable of more than you know. You are the queen of mecca. You can control the stones, the energy, the very life force of all people. Do not forget who you are. The winter prince has come for New York and only you can save us.

Finn’s message was a slap of clarity. I sucked in as much air as I could, filling my lungs until they ached, drawing on my mecca in a way I never had before, all the way through the veil that divided the two worlds. I drew energy from the mecca stones of Earth, and for the first time ever, I also drew from the stones in the Otherworld. Together the two powers intertwined within me and eviscerated the darkness. I released it all with a scream of rage that was loud enough to shatter any remaining icicles of this world.

When I had no more breath or darkness to expel, I opened my eyes. Clumps of ash were falling from the sky.

Kade had me in his arms, holding me close to his chest.

My eyes fluttered as I pressed myself into his arms, allowing a few cleansing breaths to refill my starved lungs. I could have cried — in happiness — when my natural joy for life washed through me. The emptiness was gone.

I had never been a person who struggled with depression; it was something I was eternally grateful for. But after that moment of darkness, I understood it a little more. I understood why people couldn’t just “get over it” as they were often advised. It was like I had been wearing blinders and could see nothing but darkness ahead and behind. No matter how much light existed around me, I simply couldn’t see it. I couldn’t escape.

I never wanted to be in that place again.

It was so clear to me now. The dark stone never brought balance. The mecca was balanced; it could be used for good or evil, depending on the person. That darkness, it was only evil. I was glad to be rid of it, glad to see it destroyed.

“Ari, baby…” Kade cradled my face in his hands, my body still draped across him.

Familiar swirling, molten bronze eyes stared down at me. I reached out with our bond to find nothing but his normal mecca powers on the other end.

I pushed deeper, unwilling to let even an ounce of darkness taint my mate.

“It’s gone,” he said to me. “Every last sliver. For the first time in a long time, I am free. I couldn’t even see how much I was being affected.”

I swallowed hard, my voice a rasp when I said, “We underestimated it. The dark energy was clever.”

He nodded. “I tried to keep it from you. I knew it was bad, but I thought I could handle it. I thought I was strong enough to fight it.”

I wrapped my arms tightly around him. “You were strong enough. You did fight. But … it isn’t over yet. The winter prince is in New York. We need to get back now.”

Kade’s whole body flinched. “Our people…” he breathed.

“I know.” We had to stop the prince from finishing his mother’s job.

Kade stood, lifting me in his arms. He seemed unwilling to let me go, and I wasn’t complaining. There hadn’t been much time to realize it while trying to fight the darkness, but it was hitting me hard now.

I had almost lost him.

He started to walk, his eyes caressing my features. We only stopped staring at each other once we noticed we were now surrounded by our friends. Kian had his arms tightly wrapped around Shelley, Jota on his shoulder. Next to him was Dante and Zandu. I paused when I realized all four of them were staring at me very strangely, like I now had two heads or something.

“What?” I asked, looking between them all. They didn’t look alarmed, so I wasn’t panicking, but I was curious about that look.

Zandu crossed his arms, that inquisitive stare not fading. “You ate up the darkness and cleansed the land. I would have said that was an impossible thing to do, but … there is no denying it.”

It was then that I noticed the lake was no longer burning and the trees were no longer dead stumps. It didn’t look like a green wonderland by any means, but … the heavy veil of dark energy was gone. A grin ripped across my face. The trees looked healthy, tall, with a wash of red and gold leaves hanging from their branches.

And I saw now that ash was no longer falling from the sky. It was now snow. This land, which had been deprived of earth energy for so long, dying, hurt, was starting to heal.

We had done it. I almost couldn’t believe it, but the evidence was clear.

“You can put me down now,” I said to my mate. Kade’s strong arms were like bands of steel, even though they cradled me gently.

He lowered his face to mine, and we both breathed the other in. “I’m not sure I can, actually,” he murmured.

Despite those ragged words, he did set me down, his arm remaining across my body.

When I was standing, Dante gave me a low bow. “Not a dark creature lives, Your Highness. The reign of the Dark Fae Lord is over.”

I nodded. Still in shock at what I had done, at what I was capable of. It wasn’t over yet, though, there was still New York city and my people to save.

I connected with Finn. Are you all safe? What about Jen and Kevin? Did they get out okay? Where is Luca? I was mostly worried that the poor shifters standing in for Kade and me had gotten caught in the initial scuffle.

His reply was immediate, Jen and Kevin are fine. They got out at the last minute. Baladar got most of your people out, but Luca has taken the palace. He also captured some of your guards. A few resisted and were killed.

My wolf and I howled internally, rage and grief combining. I sent my essence out through the alpha bonds, reassuring and thanking my shifters. Without them I would never have beaten the winter queen. A queen was only as strong as her people. I wasn’t sure I had ever really understood that until becoming queen myself.

Finn joined me, our bond resonating strongly as we grieved and sent energy to our people. Eventually I let the alpha bonds go, returning to Finn. We are on our way back. Fill me in … how big is his army?

Only a few hundred fae. I think he assumes you and Kade are dead.

That was good news. No mass casualties, and he thought he had won simply by having his mother eliminate the monarchy. That had been their freaking plan all along, the reason for their waiting game.

But hurry. He has some type of magical weapon. It acts as a compulsion device, making anyone under its spell do his bidding. He hasn’t started using it en masse yet, but if he does, you’ll be fighting your own people.

That was his smoking gun, his secret weapon. It was a pretty good one too. We had wondered how the Winter Court thought they would just get shifters to start following their lead. Shifters who mostly hated fae.

Apparently, they had a way.

Prince Caspien had said something about each court having an object of power. This must be the Winter Court’s.

Get Baladar and Calista to start amassing our strongest fighters, just in case we need to battle the fae. I’m going to do everything I can to avoid that, but I will not let him take my city. See you soon.

I missed Finn so badly it was like having a constant ache in my chest, but I would see him, and soon. That was what I clung to.

Snuggling into Kade’s side, needing the closeness, I filled the others in. “Luca has taken over Manhattan. He has access to our mecca stone there. At the moment, he only has a few hundred fae, but Finn said they are using some kind of magical weapon which forces compulsion across shifters. So we have to get back to stop him before he controls all my people.”

Kade’s chest was rumbling at my side, and I felt the protective king bear in him rear up.

Dante gave me a head bow. “If you head back to earth now, I will inform King Roland and he will send his army across. Is there a safe place for us to cross?”

“Wherever Rowan is should be safe,” I told him.

Kade’s rumbly voice filled the air as he addressed Dante: “Make sure our people are informed, and that they return with the summer fae.”

I nodded. I wanted Blaine at my side, where I could keep an eye on him. Plus, we would need his skills and knowledge if this turned into a war.

A thought, which had been hovering at the back of my mind, finally made itself known to me. I had killed the winter queen, destroying a leader, which meant… “Is the Winter Court going to be okay? They just lost their leader.”

I directed the question to Dante, hoping he would have some idea. The assassin fae regarded me carefully, tilting his head as his brow wrinkled. “Do you feel any sort of surge in your ice energy?” The question blindsided me, and I paused for a beat, allowing my power to swell.

Blasts of ice shot out of me, narrowly missing the group around me. Whoops. I tucked it back away before that could happen again.

Dante grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I don’t understand,” I said slowly.

“In the Otherworld, the power to rule is not decided by a contest, or vote, or challenge. It is hereditary, passed down through family lines. When a monarch dies, their successor will be someone of the same blood. Unless there is no more of that bloodline left … and then it just gets messy.” No doubt it involved a lot of sacrifice and bloodletting.

“You and Luca are the last of Isalinda’s line, the last able to inherit the crown. The first one to touch the mecca stone of the winter land will be the leader.”

I felt my mind and body recoil at the thought. “I’m already a queen,” I bit out. “I don’t have time to rule another kingdom. The winter people deserve better than an absent ruler who has no time or energy for them.”

Dante shrugged. “If you do not touch the stone, you will not be their queen.”

But that only left Luca, and since I planned on killing him, that would leave them with no one.

“We can figure this out after we stop him.” Kade’s words lessened some of my worry. “I’m sure the court will be okay until then.”

Dante nodded, and I was relieved. “Okay, so we just need a portal home,” I said, staring around, like one would magically appear through words alone.

Zandu, who’d been quite quiet and observant until now, made a small noise in his throat. It sounded as if he was choking on a laugh.

I raised one eyebrow at him and he bestowed a rare grin on me. “You’re telling me that you can funnel dark magic, restore entire lands back to harmony, kill powerful queens, be a queen of multiple kingdoms … but you can’t create a portal?”

I didn’t think that was funny or helpful right now, and I was about to say so, when Kade turned to me. “He’s right. You have proven time and again that you are capable of great things, of things beyond most shifter or fae. Your magic is tied to both sides, to all sides of the mecca … the magic born fae can create portals. You most definitely can create portals, too.”

I shook my head by instinct. Creating portals was way above my pay grade. “I’ve never done that. I mean, other than in the mecca stone room at the castle. That’s the only place it works for me.”

Zandu stepped forward, his humor from before fading away into a serious and contemplative expression. “You do not need the mecca stones. From what I have observed, you are a mecca stone. I bid you farewell. My people want a report of what happened. It was an honor to fight beside you. The elven people are in your debt.”

Dante whistled low at that, as if those words were more powerful than their simple implication. I was guessing elves didn’t owe debts often. A thought struck me then, the way Zandu was looking at the newly-restored land with misty eyes … the way his people guarded the entrance…

“This was your land, wasn’t it?” I asked softly. “The Dark Fae Lord drove you out, and you’ve been trying to keep him from taking any more land from your people.”

A shadow crossed Zandu’s face, giving it a drawn and haunted look. “Yes. We were never part of the four courts. We were our own people. The Dark Fae Lord came and slaughtered us, stole much of our power, and relegated us to the edges of our land. We’ve been waiting centuries to reclaim it. We’ve tried before but never succeeded. Only ever losing more of our dwindling numbers.”

That made sense. Horrible and awful sense. They guarded the opening not to keep others from going in, but to keep the Dark Fae Lord’s beasts from getting out.

“Well, it’s yours. I mean, if you want it back … it’s yours,” I told him. I wasn’t sure if he needed permission, but in case he did, I was giving it.

It was like a weight lifted off Zandu then. He stood taller, his eyes covered by a misty sheen, which told me everything about the emotions no doubt churning inside of him. He simply nodded. “Be well, Arianna, the great winter.” Then with a blink of an eye he was gone, into thin air.