“Mon—”
Before I could finish shouting for my guard, the woman threw her arm out and slammed me back into the wall behind the toilet. Then she raised her arm, dragging me upwards using her powers, tight tendrils of magic choking the oxygen from me.
I tried to be calm, tried to think, but it’s amazing how easy it is to panic when a dark fae has cut off your life-giving air.
Finn! I need you. Dark fae in bathroom of Vinnie’s. Hurry.
I just had to survive long enough for him to get here and help me. Allowing myself a moment of stillness, I focused on my training with Kade. This woman was using mecca magic to hold me in place, and I was queen of the Earth side of the mecca – the stronger side now.
Taking hold of the electrical essence of my power, I let it crash out of me. With that one push, I broke the magical binds that held me and sent the woman flying backward into the sink, breaking it off the wall.
She was on her feet in milliseconds; her old-lady illusion dropped and I was face to face with a snarly female fae. She was taller than me, at least six feet tall. Her hair was blacker than death, her skin tinted with a greenish hue, and she had wide fae eyes and pointed ears. Not to mention the small nubby horns atop of her forehead, which told me all I needed to know. Not that I had much experience with it, but one would think horns were never worn by good people.
On my way, Ari! Finn’s message blasted through my mind and I could feel his anger.
Monica was banging on the door now but it wasn’t opening. Looked like I would need to get out of this one myself. My wolf was rattling my human body like a cage, trying to break free. We hadn’t shifted for a while, which had my control shot. She was not going to take no for an answer, and I liked the idea of letting her fight the fae.
I dashed into another one of the toilet cubicles, sending my energy out to bar the door. I channeled as much as I could, pulling from whatever mecca was inside of and around me. A heavy thump slammed into the door but it held. I ripped my clothes off and let the energy of my wolf wash over me. Another thump on the door, but I couldn’t lose focus. Shifting took time, but I needed to be quick today. The third rattle squeaked the door open a little, but my mecca binding pushed it back.
“You can’t escape from me, Princess.” The bell-like voice brought bumps across my skin. It was oddly singsong and creepy. “We’ll end this before you end us all.”
I wanted to care about what she was saying, but I was too busy having my body crushed into pieces and rebuilt. When the shift was almost over, I lost control of some of the mecca shield I’d erected; the fae crashed into the door and nudged it open a few inches. My energy didn’t shut it again, so she managed to get her arm and leg through, inching the rest of her body through the gap.
She screamed out a war cry and lunged for me, her hands wrapping around my wolf legs. She then tossed me back out into the main part of the bathroom, and I yelped as I crashed against the wall. My side ached for a few moments as I shook off the hit. Water was pouring from the busted sink behind me, coating my fur.
I got to my feet. My shift was complete now, which meant I could tear this bitch limb from limb. This was why I wanted the wolf. She was animalistic in a way I could never be. She would not stop.
My wolf bared her teeth and the fae did the same. These fae kept coming to Earth, expecting I was an easy kill. Yes, I had guards. Yes, I was under constant protection, but none of that was because I weak. I would prove that right here and now.
With blinding speed she launched at me, just as I sprang up to meet her halfway. I called the mecca to me, building up a shield so that when she reached for me her hands were blasted backward. She’d done the same thing with mecca, shielded herself, but in her case it was weaker than mine, which meant I was able to reach her.
My jaws opened and I sank my teeth into the delicate flesh of her neck. Her blood hit my mouth and I wanted to recoil. It was like oil, a chemical taste. Mix that with the coppery floral smell coming off her and I wanted to vomit. But I held firm and shook her neck like a ragdoll, tearing through skin, bone, and muscle. Her razor-sharp nails slid down my back and I wasn’t able to maintain any shielding; she cut through my fur, peeling back layers of skin. My instinct was to detach from her neck, but I forced myself to hang on. I had no true idea how to kill a fae, besides what the magic borns had written on the board, but I figured it was similar to how to kill a shifter. Our regenerative power was in our blood, so I was going to drain this fae.
My back was on fire with searing pain, but I kept ripping at her neck, trying to pull out the mecca energy I could feel inside of her – pull it into me. Draining her of power and blood seemed like a good fight plan. She’d surely need one or the other to survive.
She fought with everything she had; my back had to be torn to shreds by now, but at least the mecca energy inside of me was only growing.
That gave me the strength to fight the pain and hold on. It seemed to take forever, but eventually she slumped. Needing to make sure she wasn’t trying to trick me, I held on until I could no longer hear her heart beating.
All of the fae who had attacked us so far, held vastly different levels of power. The ones who had struck at the vortex on the night of the Red Queen’s death had been the weakest. The dark fae who killed Derek was still the strongest so far. Both he and this female before me tasted of old, powerful magic. Hence the reason I was lying in pieces on the floor right now.
The pounding on the door was louder now, rattling the hinges. “Arianna!” Kade was bellowing, very bear-like. An action I was pretty sure had been going on for some time, but I’d been too occupied to notice.
Focusing back on the fae, I remained diligent. Her heart might have not been beating, but it took a few more minutes for the magic to fade from the fae. I felt the last of it drain, and in that same instant the door blasted off its hinges.
I tried to shift away from the fae; I kept slipping in her nearly black blood, which was already coating my muzzle and body. It was thick, like oil, and I wondered if I’d ever get it out of my fur. Kade and Violet took in the whole scene, from the mangled horn-headed fae to my shredded wolf back. The bear king was partially shifted, in his massive form, clawed hands and bushy beard.
“Damn, you go, girl,” Violet stated, and I gave her a weak but wolfish grin. I was pretty sure my best friend was incapable of being serious.
I could sense Finn charging his way through the crowded restaurant.