“Well, you’re the one who is armed.”
“What?” She couldn’t breathe.
Teague shook his head, reached out, and grasped her forearms roughly. Mina winced from the pressure and started to panic, pulling away from him.
“You have about ten seconds to calm down and release the knives from whatever spell you control them with, or the Fates will have no choice but to dispose of you, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“Knives?” She snapped out of her reverie and eyed the two knives that were still suspended in midair.
“Yes. Knives. Right now you are holding a weapon in the midst of the Royals. It’s treason. Unless you drop it, your punishment is death.”
“I didn’t know. I don’t know if I can. I’m not sure how I stopped them there in the first place.” The words jumbled out of Mina’s mouth and she could feel herself beginning to lose control. She was the one who’d stopped the knives? It was her? How?
Teague shook her roughly, and her knees knocked together. Over his shoulder she saw the large double doors open, and more Fae guards entered with swords drawn. They circled around Mina and Teague but kept their distance. The knives slowly turned toward Mina again, making Teague’s back the perfect target now.
Fear was making her freeze up. Her eyes started to water. She didn’t know how she stopped the knives, and if she couldn’t undo it, she would be killed right here on the spot. It was instinct on the human plane when she’d pushed Nan and Ever out of the way of the truck. It was instinct that made her try and save herself here.
It wasn’t instinct to stop doing what was coming naturally and unbidden.
“Help me,” she breathed out as a tear escaped down her cheek. She was desperate. “I don’t want to die.”
He looked a little irritated at her lack of understanding, but he seemed to see her fear as genuine. When he realized she couldn’t do it, he jumped into action.
“Look at me.” He pressed on her arms and she struggled to drag her eyes away from the soldiers and their swords.
“Look. At. Me,” he demanded again, but slower.
Her eyes locked onto his dark blue eyes as if he were her anchor. She was too scared to look away now. She knew that she was accessing the Fae power, but she knew nothing of how she’d done it.
“That’s good. Good. Listen to my voice. Listen to me,” he soothed. “You’re safe. Nothing’s going to harm you. I’m safe. Nothing’s going to harm me. You’re not going to harm me. At least I don’t think you want to harm me, do you?” He winked.
Her soul cried out at those words, and a little sob escaped her lips. Teague thought it was because he was holding her arms too tight, and he loosened his grip. His thumb rubbed the underside of her arm, quite an intimate gesture at the moment. After all, she was still a stranger.
“Take a deep breath,” he coached again.
She did, and then she took another one, focusing on his eyes. On the color. She had to clear her mind.
“Close your eyes,” he said. “Think of somewhere safe.”
Home. Home was safe, or at least it was until she became involved with the Grimm curse.
Finally, a picture formed in her mind. A picture of Jared. He was a safe place. He’d been her protector. He looked out for her. It took a while, but she’d come to realize that whenever she was with him, she would be safe. She pictured his strong jaw, his dark tousled hair, and his stormy gray eyes. A smile slowly formed on her lips.
“Jared,” she whispered under her breath. She heard the sound of metal clanking on tile and knew that she’d released the knives. It still blew her mind that she’d been able to save herself like that.
She knew she was beaming from ear to ear, but she opened her eyes to see Teague’s frustrated face.
“Who’s Jared?”
“A boy,” she replied, immediately wishing she hadn’t. Teague dropped her arms coldly and turned away from her.
He moved to stand next to his parents, and she could hear him giving curt answers. Something about her being scared and not being able to control her powers.
Queen Maeve seemed skeptical, and Mina was able to catch bits of what she was saying. “What Fae girl of her age can’t control her powers? Maybe we should send her home now, before we test her. We certainly have cause. Besides, her results are sure to be weak, even without using the bowl.”
Her words dug deep beneath Mina’s armor and wounded her. She’d just done something great. She saved her own life as well as the six other girls’. Coming off that high only to be treated as worthless was a huge kick in the stomach.
King Lucian rubbed his golden beard. “Perhaps, but you must admit, these were not normal circumstances.”
“What if she’s an assassin as well?” the queen asked.