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Miles went by as I weaved through the streets, trying to close the distance between my prey and me. I had wrapped magic tightly around my body to force pedestrians to look away and not see me. It wasn’t so much invisibility but more of a spell that forced people to look away and forget they saw me.
At one point, he had to know that I was closing in because he sped up.
We are going into dangerous territory, Berry reminded me.
I glanced around, realizing we were in a little pocket park, mainly walking paths along a river with trees and bushes to give it a sense of privacy. It was a lesser known one, so there weren’t many people around. Nature was strong there, spreading out all around me. Definitely more dangerous.
“Don’t care.” I shoved through some bushes, feeling them trying to scrape along my skin, but my magic protected me.
Laikynn came to a halting stop, not far away. I didn’t slow down, needing to finally take him down.
Using more magic, I softened my steps, hiding my presence.
“I already know you’re there.” His familiar voice was warm and smooth, almost enticing. “Never thought the bitch would send you. Surprised she’d let you out.”
I stepped out. Laikynn stood, facing the river, giving me his back. It was obvious that he didn’t fear me or care about the danger he was in. His long black hair was pulled back in a French braid, his glamour completely gone. His ears were long and pointed, skin ivory white.
“She didn’t let me do anything.”
“Hmm, left on your own. Finally strong enough?”
“You know her. If she didn’t want me here, I wouldn’t be.”
He chuckled. “A deal. Aren’t you sick of it? Strings keeping you back, forcing you to be what you don’t want to be?”
Cautiously, I moved slowly until I stood next him. He spared me a glance, his bottle-green eyes sparkling, his power slipping through.
“That’s the kind of situation we are in.”
He snorted. “She makes all these choices, not giving a damn how they affect any of us.” He waved at me. “A human turned into Faerie Queen.” He waved to himself. “A fae practically turned into a human. Her whims destroy people.”
“So you want to end that?”
“I want to even the playing ground. An entity like her should not have all the power. I’ll weaken her, force her to have to step back.”
“And by doing so, you’ll kill thousands.”
“If it means no one will suffer under her, it will even itself out.”
“You seriously believe that?” I asked, my anger flashing. “Was that all Lavi was to you?” Saying her name was near impossible. There were only a handful of fae who I trusted deeply. Jahandi was one, Laikynn used to be, and Lavi was the other until her untimely death.
He grimaced. “She was never supposed to be there.”
“She loved you.”
“Enough!” He whirled around, his face twisted in pure rage. “Lavi would have been fine if it weren’t for Faerie. She was not supposed to be there.”
“But she was, and you slaughtered her along with dozens more. And now you are about to take other fae away from their loved ones. All because you cannot accept your lot in life.”
Pain briefly crossed his face. He had truly loved that spunky fae. We both had.
“What about you?” He sneered. “Have you accepted your lot in life? I have been paying attention, Joslyn. You and those three men. Your lovers. I remember the stories you told me about them. Seems to me you never got over them. I do this, and they will be yours. You will never have to worry about losing them again.”
I stepped closer, knowing exactly where he was going with this. If I didn’t fall in line with him, he’d hurt them. Or try to. “I’ll be dead. I won’t have any time with them.”
His eyes turned into cold slits. I knew the signs and was ready by the time he tried to blast me with magic. His attack was still more powerful than I was prepared for and I went flying, smashing into a tree, branches stabbing at my skin. I barely landed on my feet and tried to recover.
Laikynn wasn’t giving me a chance, already following up on his attack. His magic slammed into me. Pain filled every pore in my body, ran through my veins and attacked my organs.
I screamed, trying to stop it.
Berry roared and the next moment, the pain was cut off, giving me a moment to breathe. Berry had dropped his glamour and was in his battle form, almost as tall as I was at that point. He was trying to attack Laikynn, but our opponent kept doing something that kept him back.
How was he so powerful? He had been nothing like this when he left Faerie.
I gathered magic from my charm bracelet and sent it whirling at him. He swatted it away like I wasn’t one of the most powerful fae around. Then he grabbed Berry by the neck and tossed him hard.
Berry yelped as he landed on his side.
Running, I threw myself to Berry, skidding across the grass to check over his body. Blood glistened on his coat, and the pain in his eyes sent me into a small panic.
“What have you done?” I cried out, running my hand down Berry’s body to get a feel for his injuries.
“Do you really think I haven’t thought this through?” Laikynn asked, stalking toward me. “I should thank you, Joslyn. If you hadn’t come into my life, I would never have figured this out.”
I forced myself to my feet. “What are you talking about?”
“You were human and incapable of taking in magic. Faerie found a way around that to make you a queen. An unnaturally powerful one at that. That made me realize that all I had to do was find a way around the loss of my magic. If Faerie took mine away, I only needed a new resource.” He lifted his hand, fire forming into a swirling ball. “You are not the only powerful fae around. Not anymore.”
He threw the ball at me. I tossed out my arm, expelling a wave of magic to form a brief protective shield. The ball smashed into it before dispersing into sizzling steam.
“You’re slow,” Laikynn whispered at my back.
I jerked my elbow back, hitting only air.
His chuckle echoed all around, the steam lingering in the air, making it impossible to see him. The back of my neck grew impossibly cold before it zapped through my body. My legs caved and I crumbled to the ground, my neck so cold it felt like it was burning.
Joslyn! A whine came from Berry.
“My dear Joslyn.” Laikynn hovered over me with a sad expression. “I’m just as powerful if not more than you are now. I won’t let you hurt me until I get what I want.” Yelling came from the distance, and he sighed, as if the weight of the world were burying him. He leaned forward and pressed a painfully tender, brotherly kiss to my forehead. The same kind he used to give me all those years ago as we fought side by side.
He spared Berry a glance. “Later, old friend,” he said before disappearing. The yelling got louder as I stumbled to my feet, the blood in my veins so cold, my teeth chattered. He did something to me, but what? And how?
I didn’t understand. He shouldn’t have that kind of power, especially not on Earth.
“Josie!” The men came bursting through the bushes with wide, panicked faces. Judah was right behind them.
“I’m alive,” I said, managing to not collapse. That was as close to the truth as I could get because no, I was not okay. I hurt. I was freezing cold. And the haggard breathing from Berry was freaking me out.
“Berry,” I cried out, turning to him. He was still crumpled on the ground, now in a smaller form to show how weak he was.
I will live.
I blinked back tears of relief as the guys reached me. Foster was the first to pull me into a tight hug that drew a groan from me.
“Fuck, why are you so cold?” he asked.
“Laikynn did something to me.”
Jason’s eyes were bright with rage. “What did that bastard do?”
I reached behind my neck, feeling the spot where everything had originated. The cold burn jumped to my fingers and I gasped, jerking in Foster’s arms. He pushed my head into his chest as I bit my cheek, trying not to scream as another wave of coldness ached through me. Jason moved my hair and took in a sharp breath.
“Is that a burn?”
“She’s too cold,” Foster said, his grip tightening on me.
He used magic to hurt you, Berry said. I do not know what he did, but he hurt you.
Berry was still on the ground, Waylon checking him over attentively. Waylon was so careful with my familiar that I almost smiled, my heart melting at his thoughtfulness and gentleness.
Judah came into view, breathing heavily. “I found where he teleported out. I’ll be able to track him.”
“You can do that?” I asked.
His smile was challenging as he said, “I wouldn’t be good at my job if I couldn’t. I’ll find him, or at least, I’ll be able to narrow in on him. Once I know something, I’ll contact you.” He glanced over me before disappearing into the woods, not making a single noise.
“He’s the best when it comes to tracking people,” Foster admitted, staring after his employee.
“We need to get you back to the hotel,” Jason said.
I nodded, gripping tight to Foster as he supported me. Staying on my feet was a battle on its own. Waylon carefully carried Berry, not straining with my familiar’s weight. I met his eyes and gave him a weak smile. “Thank you.”
Waylon’s eyes widened, knowing how big of a deal me saying that to him was. He gave me a curt nod as he followed.
I tried to stay aware, but I was so cold and so tired. It felt like everything inside of me had been zapped out. Before we even made it out of the area, I passed out.
