My voice held no fear. I was not the sort of queen to cower before a dark fae. That was not how I would lead or protect my people. I had a unique opportunity to observe our unknown enemy. I needed to find out all I could.
Heeding my orders, he actually stopped, even though the mecca I’d pushed at him splashed across his chest, breaking apart as if I had thrown a harmless egg at him. Great. I was screwed.
He grinned, showcasing the dimples in his cheeks. Which might have been cute if it wasn’t for the freaky black eyes. “Mecca magic won’t work on me.”
“What do you want?” I asked again, preparing this time to shift into my wolf form. She was fast, and I was going to have to get away quickly.
The Dark Fae Lord gave me a half smile. “Oh, I thought that was obvious, Ari. I want you. I want to rule Earth with you by my side.”
Stage five creeper. How did he know my nickname? “Don’t call me that. I’m already mated, and he does not like to share.”
He gazed into the seemingly endless black crystal on his staff and frowned. “Oh, Kade? I’m afraid I’ve seen his future and it ends in death. Might be easier if you start to distance yourself from him now. Together we can rule the world … we can command the dark magic.”
His mention of Kade’s death sent ice water through my already frozen veins. My wolf howled within me and I wanted to join in. But I couldn’t let this fae see how rattled I was. “Talk about my mate again and you’ll be the dead one.” This time I let my fae magic swirl to the surface, mixing with the mecca.
“Yes!” he shouted, nearly making me jump. “That’s it. That’s the magic I need. Your fae essence is so unique, it can harness the dark magic, just like mine.”
No goddamn way! I wouldn’t believe that. I was nothing like him … was I? So what if I felt some sort of connection to this icy land, to that book we found in the Red Queen’s room. That was just because of my connection to the mecca and being half fae.
“What are you?” I asked him. “How can you wield the dark magic?”
He looked toward the crystal again. He was spending a lot of time staring at the stone, a slightly obsessed look on his face. “It matters not who I am. All that matters is the being I have become. I am strong now. Powerful. I was born of the Fall Court, and they rejected me because I was small and weak. So I sought out true power. I made myself formidable.”
Sounded like he’d stumbled across the dark stone and was easily corrupted. His weakness had made him an outcast in his fae court, so he decided to create his own world.
But how could he just stumble on the stone? “I assume the dark crystal was … drawn to you, because you’re special, right?”
Got to appeal to their ego. It was essential.
His eyes were on it again. “Oh, yes. I was in the royal library. The book was hidden within another book, and I found it. It was all fate. The book called to me, and I used it to find the stone.”
So Baladar was right. There were two books. Which meant we definitely should be able to use our book to find the stone.
“You don’t have to follow this path,” I told him, trying to appeal to the innocent he used to be. The world had hurt him, and he had fought back. “There are other ways to gain power. Why are you allying with the winter queen anyway?”
His smirk died, and I was faced with a torrent of dark anger. “She is giving me the Fall Court and the Earth side of the mecca. I will use the Earth power to control and bend the Fall Court to my will, teach them their place. The same way they did with me.”
This was all about revenge for him. He wanted to rule over his old court, and the winter queen was the only one able to grant him that.
“I won’t help you destroy two worlds.” My voice was firm. I took another step back on my frozen feet. “This is not the right path. The darkness has corrupted you.”
He grinned; it didn’t reach his eyes. “It calls to you, Ari. Deny it all you want, you’re convincing no one, not even yourself.” He tapped his staff. “I’ve actually seen it. I know what I’m talking about.”
I forced my expression not to change, even though my insides were twisting at the thought that he could use the stone to view me. I wondered if we could do the same with the book, or the mecca stone if we found it.
“The winter queen has promised the Earth side of the mecca to her son…”
I was stalling, trying to give myself time to build up a mass of my fae magic. It was swirling just beneath the surface of my skin.
He shook his head, acting like he was almost disappointed in me. “Your stupid father will believe anything she says. No. I have been assured that in exchange for helping win this war, I will be given dominion over whatever I want. And I want Earth and Fall. I have waited a long time for this.”
This fae was … broken. I could feel the cracks littering his soul from a life of abuse and ridicule. Cracks which were now pure darkness and could never be reversed. My heart ached for him, but I also knew I couldn’t let the sympathy I felt toward him cloud my judgment. Because I knew that now he had seen my fae magic. Now that he thought we could control the darkness together, he would never stop coming for me.
I was going to have to kill him. Eventually. Straightening, I let my magic swell even more, preparing to blast out at him, when he said,
“I promise none of your people will be hurt if you side with me willingly.”
I paused in my attack, just briefly, as I let the horror of that promise penetrate my brain. An offer to save all of my people? To keep this war from ever starting? It was like I was back in the Summit all over again, having to choose duty to my people over my love for Kade. I had done the right thing at first, and it only ended in everyone being miserable. Then I chose with my heart, and I got my people and my mate.
My decision was clear.
“Go to hell,” I told him. At the same time, I released the gathered magic inside of me, flinging it right at his staff. He let out a snarl, his smirk drying up. The moment my midnight-colored magic touched the crystal, I was falling, and then with a slam I woke up.
Surging up from the softness of my bed, I let out a yelp upon seeing Baladar and Kade standing at the foot of my bed. Finn was whining at my feet and I realized I was shivering, teeth chattering. Reaching down, I felt my feet and recoiled. What the hell? They were freezing.
“Ari?” Kade seemed at a loss for words.
I pulled the blanket up as he dropped down beside me and ran his arms up and down my shoulders, warming me. I snuggled closer to him, thankful that bear shifters always ran at a temperature akin to the desert in summer.
It was Baladar who found his voice first. “Where did you go?”
I shook my head, still trying to wrap my mind around it. “Some dream land with the fae lord.”
My answer startled Kade and Baladar; both of them looked alarmed. “You weren’t dreaming, Ari. You were gone,” Kade said gruffly.