Chapter Twenty-One: Chaotic

Blood splashed across the front of my tunic causing me to cover the Choco Blast in my hand, “If you get blood on my chocolate, I swear to Divines. I will shove my sword down your throat.”

The man in the yellow tunic gurgled back a reply as he coughed out more blood.

“Well, you don’t have to be a jackass about it.”

Sinking to his knees, he raised a hand out to me.

“Uh, no. I don’t share my snacks.” I informed him, arching a brow.

Leaning back on my bed, I watched with mild disinterest as the short man choked on his own blood at my feet. Fitzgerald ‘Grumpy’ Ó Maoilriain was the last deal I had that could give us an advantage in the war. Wellll…technically there was one more deal I could call in, but I’d rather not see her unless I absolutely had to.

Stubby little hands fisted in the carpet under him as he gave another wet gurgle.

Sighing, I took a bite out of the chocolatey treat, “You know, I thought I would enjoy this more but I guess you’re just not the right man. And now I have to get a new carpet. ”

A sausage-like middle finger was shoved in my direction.

Rolling my eyes at the gesture, I counted to three and right on cue the little guy gave a dramatic gasp before flopping face down into the carpet. Reaching out with a foot, I shoved him onto his back and waited.

“How long does this go on for?”

Sliding my eyes over to look at Dani, I murmured, “For as long as he keeps refusing to fulfill his side of the deal.”

“And what did you do for him again?”

“If I remember correctly, I gave him the money he needed to save his mine right before I went to prison. So technically, I’m a co-owner.”

“That’s why he hates you.” She said, eyeing the small male. “We should’ve brought the others to get him.”

“Dwarves are greedy.” I yawned, looking down at the man before glancing up at Dani. “And what? I’m not enough back up for you?”

“Macha. We had to kidnap him from his home and kill five of his guards to get him here.”

I scoffed, “What’s this we? I did all the work while you nagged me about how we shouldn’t be doing this. I even carried the little shit.”

“Because this is Grumpy Ó Maoilriain!”

“Yea, half owner of the Mac’Ha Mines.” I said, giving Grumpy another kick.

Her pink hair flew as she gestured wildly at the groaning male, “No, that’s his day job. At night, he’s the biggest smuggler this side of Tir Na Nog.”

Huh. Brows in my hair line, I look back and forth between her and Grumpy. “You’re talking about him, right?”

“Yes.”

My eyes glanced over the Dwarf’s large nose, bushy brows and the puffy bags beneath his eyes. Eyes that were now starting to slowly blink open as I motioned between him and Dani, “Grumpy Ó Maoilriain?”

She flashed sharpened teeth, “Do you see another bloody Dwarf in here that I don’t?”

Fighting back a laugh, I looked down at Grumpy in time to see his little butt poking up in the air. With a smirk, I whispered to Dani, “Five gold pieces says he runs.”

“…Six.”

Stilling for a moment, he waited until he was balanced before turning around to look at us. Coal colored eyes looked us over slowly as he raised his gray hands in a placating manner, “Alright, alright.”

Taking a bite of my neglected Choco Blast, I used it to point at him, “Why’d you panic when you saw me, Grumpy? We could’ve done this at your place but you called the guards. That’s kind of fucked up.”

His body tensed at my voice, “I didn’t recognize you. It’s been a long time.”

“So you’re saying that I’ve aged?”

Dani made a tsking sound.

A bead of sweat slid down the side of his gray face seconds before he pulled a small dagger from his boot. After chucking it at me with a screamed ‘Die’, he charged for the tent entrance as fast as his flat feet could carry him.

Raising a hand, I stopped the dagger mid-flight from connecting with my knee and ripped a chain from around my waist. In one fluid motion, I snapped the chain forward and around his waist right as he stepped outside. He released a grunt when I yanked on the chain and grabbed onto the sides of the tent flap.

“Help! Help! She’s trying to kill me!”

Rolling my eyes at his dramatics, I placed my treat on the plate with the others and yanked on the chain with both hands. His feet left the carpet as he was pulled parallel to the floor with his grubby little hands gripping the blue fabric. The guards stationed outside my tent leaned in to look at him and then at me with questions all over their faces.

“Oh please, you gotta help me! I’m just a poor innocent Dwarf! I don’t deserve this.” He yelled out loud enough for the whole camp to hear.

Winding the chain around one forearm, I gave another harsh tug that had him flipping head over heels back to me. Tumbling to a stop on his ass in the middle of the tent, I called the chain back to wrap around my waist, “You done?”

Panting, he swiped a hand over his damp forehead, “Ye-yeah.”

“Good. Because that was just sad.”

Pointed teeth clicked in my direction, “You’re a bitch.”

“The very first one, Babes.” I mused, flicking my hair over my shoulders.

Dani walked over and peeked out of the tent before calling over her shoulder, “Dougal’s walking this way.”

Divines, of course he is. “Let’s get to the point before you die again for the tenth time, Grumpy. Why are you refusing to hold up your end of the deal?”

Fixing his yellow tunic, he held his big nose up in the air, “I will not work with a mass murder and Dwarf killer.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, squinting at him in confusion.

Shaking his bald gray head, he stood back up to his four foot five height and pointed a stubby finger in my direction, “You will not corrupt me demon! In the power of the Divines I repel you!”

Tilting my head, I looked over at Dani with the same mirrored ‘What the fuck’ expression. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I sighed, “First of all, I’m very obviously Unseelie Fae. And secondly, you’re mixing religions which I’m pretty sure you can’t do.”

The Dwarf huffed and puffed before sliding another dagger free of his boot while screaming, “I will exact vengeance for my brethren!” Right before he charged me.

Watching him in just…complete disbelief at the size of his balls, I waited until he was within reach. That was when I lifted a single leg and kicked him right in the head, sending him flying back and slamming into Dougals legs, who had just walked in. Surprised, Dougal reacted without thinking and gave the Dwarf a hard kick that sent him rolling back to me.

Laughing, I called any metal left on the Dwarf to land in my open palm. Two more daggers, three ninja stars and a nasty pair of spiked brass knuckles weighed my hand down. Whistling, I dropped them all on the bed and looked over the brass knuckles, “I don’t remember you having these in the movies.”

“Do I look like a fucking Seelie Dwarf to you? I should eat you just for saying that!”

I snorted, “To ride this ride the male height requirement is over six three. You’re about two and a half feet short, Babes. You don’t even reach the female requirement.”

“You wish you were so lucky.” He spit out as he preened.

“What the hell is going on in here?”

Looking away from the cocky little shit, I laughed as I took in Dougal’s exasperated expression, “I honestly don’t know anymore.”

“Well, how about you start with why the most wanted smuggler in Tir Na Nog is in your tent?”

“Oh, yea.” Releasing another yawn, I picked up my Choco Blast again. “So, me and Dani went to go collect on the last deal that could help us. Fitzgerald,-”

“It’s Grumpy, you fairy.”

“-here. Is the Faekind on the other end of that deal but now, he won’t fulfill his side of it.”

“Macha, that still doesn’t tell me why he’s here. In your tent, in this secret camp.” Dougal stressed.

Pausing, I blinked heavily and thought over what I just said before exhaling on a chuckle, “No, I guess it doesn’t.”

Walking further into the tent, he went to stand by Dani to ask her, “When was the last time she slept?”

She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, “IIIII…Don’t actually know.”

“Last night, babes. A full healthy nine hours.” I replied with an innocent look when two sets of eyes looked over at me. And they still had the audacity to look unconvinced. Waving a dismissive hand, I looked back at the Dwarf trying to quietly make his way out of the tent, “Where do you think you’re going?”

At my question, he straightened from his hunched position and spun back around, “Nowhere.”

“Mmmmhhh. Why don’t you explain what you were screaming about earlier?”

His face took on an overly judgmental expression, “I heard alllll about you. How you’re a mass murderer and a Dwarf killer.”

I gave a slow blink, “That’s it? That’s what you’ve heard? Out of everything I’ve done, that’s what I’m remembered for? Divines, what a let down.”

“Ahh ha!” He shouted. “You don’t even deny it!”

“Because it’s half true.” I responded with a roll of my eyes, “I’ve committed…I want to sayyyy…about a cool ten massacres. And I mean come on, who hasn’t killed a Dwarf? You guys are assholes.”

“See! I will not hold up my end of the deal with someone like you!”

Furrowing my brows, I snapped, “Excuse me? You’re the one who did a deal with someone like me.”

“I was desperate! And now you want to take everything I have!” He snarled, stomping his little booted foot.

“Who the fuck said that? I only asked you to use the mine, that I’m part owner of by the way, to supply us with the Fae metal we need to make weapons for the war.” I said, throwing my hands in the air.

He paused, “Is that what you said?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.” Grumpy’s coal colored eyes glanced around the room, “So, you don’t want my smuggling empire?”

“No. I don’t smuggle things into Tir Na Nog, I proudly travel here with whatever the fuck I want. That’d be useless to me.”

He pushed his chest out, “Not all Faekind can travel, you know. It’s actually a pretty lucrative business that many enemies have tried to kill me for.”

“I’m sure your Goblin guards are a huge help with that considering I killed five of them.”

“You what?”

Finishing off my Choco Blast, I spoke around the chocolate, “Look, can we get back on track? There’s no sense in dwelling in the past.”

“Fine.” He grunted, crossing his arms over his chest. “That’s all you want then? For my mine to supply you with the metal you need?”

“Our mine, you named it after me. And for the duration of the war, yes. After that we can talk about a better deal for the both of us. Agreed?”

Grumpy wiggled his big nose, “Will I choke to death again if I don’t?”

“That would be a yes, Babes.” I confirmed while playing with a piece of braided hair.

“Then I agree to your terms, you purple haired harlot.”

My entire body stilled as I snapped my head towards him, “What. Did you just say?”

“You heard me, Grape Head.”

“Excuse me?” I snapped, jumping to my feet. “My hair is blue, you colorblind Pixie. Royal blue.”

Dark bushy brows pulled together on his scowling face, “Pixie! Pixie! Come over here and say that to my face!”

“I would but I don’t feel like literally stooping to your level.”

He raised his small fists, “Imma turn your eyes even purpler!”

“Call my Fae color purple again and I’ll drop kick your ass into the stars!”

Dougal stepped between us when I took a step closer to Grumpy, “No. No fighting the Dwarf.”

“Fuck you, Purple Giant! I’d like to see you try!” Grumpy roared.

Baring my pointed teeth, I shoved past Dougal and pulled a sword from over my shoulder, “I don’t care if you’re four five, I’m going to whoop your ass like you’re seven two!”

“What the fuck is going on in here?”

Flicking my eyes to the side, I trailed them up a pair of muscular black leather clad legs and a black tunic covered chest to meet silver eyes. Sighing, I threw my arms in the air, “And here we fucking go.”

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Lmaoooo. Like the title of the chapter that was a lot of chaotic energy in one tent.

Sorry I haven’t been that consistent lately, my fall semester just started so I was getting into the swing of things. I got my schedule down though and I might start updating twice a week. We’ll see how that goes, though.

As always, feel free to like or comment your thoughts. Big thanks to everyone who’s read my little book up to this point! I appreciate every one of you!!🤎🤎

Smooches, Verbabge💋

Chapter Twenty-Two: Horse Killer

“Yea. Here we go. What’s going on?” Cillian snapped.

I glanced over my shoulder to look at Dani and Dougal before turning back to him, “What’s it look like?”

“It looks like everyone’s been ignoring my orders for the past week and a half.” He replied, pinning each of us with a sharp look as he stepped further into the tent.

“I meannnn…come on, did you really expect us to listen?”

Cillian gave me an expressionless look before flicking his eyes down, “Why is there a Dwarf here and why were you two fighting?”

“This is Grumpy and he’s going to give us the metal we need for our weapons.”

“What’s he getting in return?”

Looking down, I snagged the back of Grumpy’s bright colored tunic, “Why do you keep trying to run? You already agreed to fulfil the deal.”

His beady eyes were wide as he twisted in my grasp to whisper loudly, “Do you know who that is?”

“No. Who is it?” I whispered back at the same volume.

Tugging himself out of my grasp, he stepped to stand half behind my left leg and held onto my thigh, “That’s Mab’s Commander! My cousin heard from his friend, who heard from his brother-in-law, that he told a village in Tiveal that you were a unstable murdering psycho who couldn’t be trusted.” The second he finished his sentence the end of a battle axe slammed into his forehead and knocked him out cold.

Brow raised, I pulled my head up to look at Cillian, “Is that true? You’re the one ruining my good name?”

“At what point in time was any mention of your name good?”

“I know but a murdering psycho? That’s pretty harsh, I think my feelings are hurt.”

With gleaming silver eyes, he responded, “Thanks for reminding me. We need to talk. Everyone out.”

My gut reaction was to deny that we had anything we needed to discuss but then I remembered the epiphany I had when I visited Kai. Keeping eye contact with him, I announced, “Everyone out. Dougal take Grumpy home, Dani will show you where he lives.”

Cillian’s left brow lifted ever so slightly while everyone else in the room paused. When I made no move to repeat myself or look at them, Dani and Dougal slowly started towards the exit. Stopping beside us, Dougal bent down to grab the Dwarf around the waist before standing tall.

Gray eyes flickered between me and his son for a few seconds, “I’m not sure what’s going on…but don’t kill each other.”

“If I haven’t by now, I think it’s safe to say I won’t.” I muttered on yawn while sliding my sword back in its sheath.

Turning around, I left them standing by the tent entrance as I shrugged off the double sword sheath strapped to my back. Pulling my arms free of the leather, I straightened out the straps and hung it on the side of the privacy screen. Reaching my arm back, I picked up the plate of Choco Blasts I left on the bed and plopped down at my desk.

As Cillian and Dougal shared a look, I thought over how I was going to say what I needed to say. Admitting that I had been hypocritical was not something I enjoyed doing. Shit, in the past I never would’ve even considered admitting that I was wrong. But here I was, becoming a better person. Ughh.

Grimacing, I swiped another Choco Blast off the plate and aggressively bit into the rich chocolate. I didn’t have to forgive him for sending me to Slykhelm but I did have to accept the fact that he wasn’t at fault for everything after that. The person responsible for that was the same person responsible for everything else that went wrong in my life. Mab. And that wasn’t an exaggeration. She was literally the reason for everything bad that had happened to me since the minute I was born.

“Why did the Divines give me such a heinous cunt of a birth mother? I mean, what could I have possibly done in my past life that’s worse than what I’ve done in this one?” Thinking about it for a minute, I took another bite and then almost choked when I realized what I could’ve done. “I was a horse killer. Oh Divines, no. I think I hate myself now.”

The men at the entrance looked over at me with mirroring expressions of concern before Dougal told Cillian, “I don’t think she’s slept since you left.”

“You think? What’s she been eating besides chocolate?”

Dougal hefted the knocked out Dwarf higher up on his hip, “Everything you told Bria to bring her.”

“Did you watch her?”

“Like I told you before you left, Asshole. I’m not a child. I ate.”

Flat out ignoring me, he kept his eyes on Dougal until he answered, “No. We didn’t think it was necessary.”

“Right.” Tone clipped, he turned his back on his father and walked over to me. “When you come back, bring her a plate of wild rice and a small scoop of kili pasta.”

Jaw tight, Dougal nodded at his son’s back and left the tent with the drooling Dwarf in tow.

“I don’t like kili pasta.”

“I didn’t ask, Cell Bait.” Cillian said flatly, sinking his large body into the chair across from me.

Leaning back in my own chair, I squinted at him, “We have to talk.”

“Your saying that like this wasn’t my idea.”

“I need to be able to trust you Cillian and right now, I don’t. As my Commander in an upcoming war, that’s a big problem.”

Scooting forward in his seat, he placed his elbows on the table, “I know that. So, I’ll ask you again. What do you need from me to be able to trust me?”

“I need a Cluiche Grudge.”

“Done. What else?”

Raising a blue brow, I looked over his indifferent expression, “You don’t want to think about that?”

“What’s there to think about? If you need me to do this to move forward, I’ll do it.” He responded with a shrug. “We’ll need witnesses, so by the end of the week. The sooner the better.”

Nodding in agreement, I took a few breaths before asking the question that really mattered, “Why Slykhelm?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why’d you send me there, why did that prison roll off your tongue so easily?” I questioned, tapping my fingertips on the desk as I watched his expressionless face go blanker.

His arms shifted to cross over his chest, “Why are you asking me that?”

“It’s a simple question. Answer it.”

“No.”

Brows furrowing, I jolted forward to lean across the desk, “The fuck do you mean ‘no.’?”

“I mean, I’m not answering that.” He said, silver eyes flashing.

Falling back into my seat with a huff, I gave a bitter laugh, “Cillian, I’m trying to give you a chance here. To put all the shit between us in the past for the better but to do that, I need this from you. I can’t move past what you did until I know why. ”

“I can’t.”

“Why?” I gritted out, fighting down my rising anger.

The veins in his arms rose as his jaw clenched, “Ask me anything else.”

“No!” I snapped, slamming my fist into the wooden desk. “I’m asking you this one.”

“And I’m telling you to ask another one, Macha.”

Pinning my blue eyes to his silver ones, I stared him down for what felt like the longest minute in my entire life. Rage caused tingles to race over my skin and the wood beneath my fist to creak in distress.

Silver eyes shot to my hand before he locked eyes with me once more, “Later. After the Cluiche Grudge.”

Searching his eyes for any type of lie, I flexed my hands flat against the table and choked out, “Fine. But I am only doing this because you will answer me at some point. Whether voluntary or forcefully with my boot up your ass.”

“Oh I believe it, Cell Bait. I remember from our youth.”

Smothering a smirk, I scrunched up my nose and eyed him. Damn him.

His lips twitched, “I always could make you laugh.”

“No. You always could piss me off.” I corrected him, slouching back in my seat.

“Practically the same thing with you.”

This time I couldn’t hide my grin, “Fuck off.”

“Have you really only been eating chocolate since I left?” He asked, nudging the plate.

Grabbing another one, I took a bite and patted my stomach, “How do you think I keep this figure, Babes?”

A silver brow rose, “Don’t call me that and you need to eat the meals I give you before you pass out from malnutrition.”

“I do eat them. I just like chocolate better.”

“Macha, you just admitted to eating only chocolate for almost two weeks.”

Tilting my head, I thought over my sentence before the last and then laughed tiredly, “Holy shit, your good.”

The shaved down sides of his head flashed as he shook his head, “You never would’ve said that if you weren’t severely sleep deprived. Which is a huge problem, Macha. You need to take better care of yourself before you start making bad decisions.”

“I slept for like eight hours last night. I’m fine.”

“That’s why you’ve been blinking heavily this whole time?”

Giving an experiential blink, I felt a heaviness fall over me like a blanket and my head sway slightly. Forcing my eyelids to part, I looked at him under low lids, “I don’t know whayour talking about.”

“It took you almost five minutes to open your eyes and you’re slurring your words.”

Making a face at his blurry one, I said, “Woah. Why are you lying?”

“I’m not, Cell Bait. You’ve gone without sleep for too long, you’re crashing.”

“Babes. I’m not even driving. Are you okay?”

Something that sounded suspiciously like a smothered laugh filled the silence.

Snuggling down against the armrest of my chair, I shushed him, “Imma just rest my eyes for like two seconds. Not sleeping. Don’t wanna sleep.”

“Why not?”

“You’re trying to get answers outta me. That’s a pretty low blow, even for you.” I replied, cracking an eye open to look at his hulking form.

“I don’t need answers. I already know about your nightmares.” The blurry figure responded.

I waved a dismissive hand, “Sure you do, Babes.”

“I also know how sometimes you have blood on you afterwards too. Is that why you don’t like sleeping?”

“Divines, who are you? Dr. Phil?”

Wood creaked, “I don’t know who that is.”

“So you know Sleeping Beauty but not Dr. Phil? Suspicious.” I snorted before sighing and snuggling deeper into my chair.

“You watched too much human T.V. in prison, Cell Bait.” He said, his voice sounding a lot closer than before.

Licking my lips, I murmured, “Yea, well. It was my only escape.”

With my eyes closed, I felt my chair being pulled away from the desk and thought two things. One, this motherfucker was going to pick me up. And two, I could let him and feel up his chest or I could be the independent Queen I am and move to the bed myself…..

A pair of thickly muscled arms plucked me free of the chair and I immediately used my unpinned hand to feel his chest, “Wow, so your muscles aren’t just for show.”

“What are you talking about?”

Slitting my eyes open, I blinked to see him looking down at me, “Well, I beat the shit out of you and then that Troll got the drop on you…”

He cocked his head, “Are you calling me weak?”

“You said it, not me.” I sighed, closing my eyes again.

Cillian jostled me in his arms before walking over to the bed, “Then expect to get your ass kicked in the Cluiche Grudge.”

“Mmmmhhh.” I muttered.

“Macha.”

“Shhhh. Just set me down, Babes.”

“I would but you’re caressing my nipple.”

Cracking my eyes open, I blinked to clear the fuzziness and immediately started laughing, “Holy shit, I am! I didn’t even know I was doing that!”

The chest I was pressed against disappeared as a moment of weightlessness overcame me and I bounced across my fur covered bed. Smushing a pillow into my chest, I shoved my head deeper into the furs and then kicked my feet, “Boots. I can’t shleep with boots…on.”

Distantly, I felt a tug on the laces of my leather boots as Cillian spoke, “Why the sudden change, Cell Bait?”

“….Huh?”

“Why are you forgiving me?”

Slipping into unconsciousness, I garbled out a response, “Not forgiving. Just accepting…that everything…after wasn’tyourfault. Made…similar decisions too.”

“I’m glad, Cell Bait. Because I’m tired of you calling me Cillian.”

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YASSSSSS! Actual real progress! Can someone scream finally? Lmao. The plot is finally going to start picking up the pace a little bit from here. And y’all are gonna get some much needed answers out of Dougal and Cillian.

Feel free to like or leave your thoughts on the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty- Three: Breakdown or Breakthrough

“When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming.”

Grinning, I shifted around in the hard plastic chair and murmured the last three words that the crazy blue fish uttered. Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming. Bobbing my head around to the little tune, I went to grab the remote when the chain around my waist tightened. Huffing, I scooted forward in my seat and tried to grab it off the low table in front of me. The stupid chain linking my cuffs and the waist chain was barely long enough to drink from a cup. And even then, I had to curl over a little and bend my head to get a sip at all.

The other inmates in their colorful gray outfits milled about the room, wandering from place to place with nothing to do. They cursed and shoved at each other when they made eye contact or when someone else wandered a bit too close. Groups whispered to each other under their breath as newer inmates looked around at everything in hidden fear. Every single Fae locked up in Slykhelm was the absolute worst of the worst. There wasn’t a Fae in here who hadn’t committed some type of atrocity but unlike me, most of them weren’t chained up every second of the day. Or had their faces blurred.

Which meant that in the minds of the other inmates, because I was one of the longest living inmates in the history of the prison and the extent of my sentencing tattoos, I was a target. A lot of them came in with the bright idea of going after the Fae with the deadliest reputation to gain respect or a sort of protection. They quickly realized that coming after me was a very very unwise decision but that didn’t stop groups of them from trying. Namely the Unseelie.

From the corner of my eye, I watched as the inmates shuffled quickly from the room while another group entered. Sliding the back off the remote, I leaned back into my chair and snapped the edges off so it had a point. Relaxing my form, I placed my attention where it belonged. On the little blue fish swimming around the screen who reminded me of myself.

The soft clip of their lace-less shoes caused the hair on the back of my neck to raise in alarm as they came up behind me. Still bobbing and humming, I curled my hands around my little plastic knife and waited for the ringleader to speak. The talking turtles on a current had just popped up on screen when a woman stepped up and blocked it. Ignoring her, I tipped my head to the side to see the movie and then sighed in irritation when she moved to block me again.

Slouching in the hard chair, I raised my eyes to look into her yellow ones, “Move.”

“You know, I’ve been hearing a lot about a faceless Unseelie. Gotta say, I’m not impressed.”

“Gotta say, I didn’t ask.”

“They say you’re crazy, that true?”

“I don’t know, is the sky blue?”

The woman folded her iron bracelet clad hands in front of her as she spread her feet, “Your sentence might make you think your tough shit but you’re not. Out there you might’ve been someone but in here? You nothing. I run this prison now.”

Snorting, I flicked my gaze down to the silver sentencing tattoo that ran up her arm and touched her neck, “What’d you do? Burn down a tavern?”

“With an entire family inside. I don’t like when people don’t give me what I’m owed.”

Blinking, I looked around at the other Fae around me with similar in-length sentencing tattoos, “You guys really shouldn’t go around starting shit. Your sentences are laughable.”

“Listen bitch, I don’t care who you think you are or how long you’ve been here. Everyone in this prison pays fealty to me starting today. And it’s time for you to pay up.” She snapped, yellow eyes flaring.

I tightened my hands on the plastic at the word fealty but grinned when I asked, “Or what?”

“Excuse me?”

Leaning forward, I repeated, “Or what? What are you going to do to me, Babes?”

“I’m not scared of you like everyone else, pay me or die.” She growled, pointing a sharpened iron nail at me.

I laughed, looking between it and her, “Bitch, I really hope you know how to use that.”

“Oh, don’t worry. We all do.” She replied with a smile.

A quick glance at the others around me showed that they all held a sharp piece of iron. Acting fast, I raised my chained feet and slammed the short table into the woman’s shins. The second she stumbled into the T.V., I was already up and gripping the plastic chair in my closely bound hands. Laughing, I swung the chair wildly and clipped one male in the head before striking the third in the gut. Shuffle charging the fourth one, I used the chair to pin him up against the wall with my body weight against it as my hands wrestled the long iron nail from his.

Grunting from the impact of someone hitting me from behind, I had just ripped the long nail from the male when something pierced my back. A sharp object ripped into my flesh just above my right hip multiple times sending searing pain shooting through my nervous system. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I raised my hands and stabbed the iron into the neck of the male I had pinned. Pivoting quickly on my heel, I drove the same needle into the heart of the female behind me at the same time as she sunk her weapon into my gut.

“Cell Bait?”

Hunching over a little from the wounds to my back and stomach, I kept my eyes on the other two across the room from me while the bodies dropped to the floor. I gave the pair of assholes a tired smile as the blood loss began to set in, “What’d I say?”

The yellow eyed bitch snorted, “Your gonna die before you touch us.”

Panting, I tossed my hair out of the way and smirked, “I’m going to carve your eyes out.”

Said eyes narrowed before she charged me and took me down around the waist. Back colliding with the hard concrete of the floor, I groaned in pain while an odd tightness overcame my wrists. Blocking out the pain blooming across my cheekbones from the force of her hits, I focused on unlocking the cuffs

The pressure around my wrists increased further the harder I worked to free myself. With a snick, the cuffs fell- The yellow eyed woman’s weight shifted as she sat back on my stomach to raise the nail over her head. Except it wasn’t the yellow-eyed female on top of me anymore but Cillian with an iron stake.

“Macha, wake up.”

No, no, no, this isn’t what happened. My cuffs fell off, I got them off and then I carved this bitches eyes out like I promised. Cillian wasn’t there and I got free. Panic set in from the confusion of this new set of events. With wide eyes, I watched the stake plunge downwards and tried to pull my hands up to block it. But something like a heavy weight pinned them to ground causing me to struggle harder in order to protect myself.

“Macha.”

No. I thought, watching the stake get closer to my heart. NO. This isn’t what happened. I won this fight. I’m not going out like this. I am not going out like this! Not again!

“Macha!”

Eyes snapping open, I used the other persons hold on my wrists to pull up and slam my forehead into theirs.

“Fuck.”

Rolling off the wooden cot, I dove for the small piece of sharp plastic only to be tackled to the floor. Struggling against their grip, I bucked and twisted as the person above me fought to keep me pinned. Blue hair flew up and further obstructed the view of my attacker but I managed to wedge a leg in between us and flip them over me. The second my wrists were free, my chains scraped against the concrete floor as I scrambled to grab the makeshift weapon.

“Damnnit, Cell Bait. Stop!”

The plastic was inches away from my fingertips when hands grabbed hold of my ankles and flipped me onto my back. Frustrated, I screamed, “Get the fuck off me, you piss eyed bitch!”

“Cillian, what the hell are you doing? Get off of her!”

The hands around my ankles tightened and pulled me closer to them as another voice sounded out, “Get out, Bria! She wouldn’t want anyone seeing this.”

“No way, get off-”

“I’m going to rip your eyes out with my bare hands! Get off of me!” I raged, my chains jangling from the wild swinging of my fists at the person holding me.

Knees pressing into my thighs, their hands struggled to grab onto mine when they suddenly roared out, “Bria, get the fuck out! No one comes in this tent without my okay, that’s an order!”

“But-”

“Out!”

Using their distraction, I surged up and sunk my sharpened teeth into the side of their wrist.

“Mother- That is it!”

A hand roughly took hold of my hair and yanked my head to the floor as a forearm was placed tightly across my chest. Successful pinned to the floor, I restlessly struggled against the person above me while trying to get my teeth into them again.

“Macha, enough. It’s me, it’s Cillian.”

Panting, I clawed at their arms and tried to squint through my hair, “I’ll kill you, you lying whore!”

“You had a nightmare, Macha. It’s me, I’m here with you. You’re okay.” When I continued to fight, their hand left my hair to shove the blue strands out of my eyes, “Look at me. What color are my eyes?”

Bucking my hips to try dislodging them, I released a scream of frustration when they didn’t budge.

“Look at me!” The person roared, the pressure on my wrists increasing. “What color are my eyes, Cell Bait? Look! Really, look.”

Stilling slightly at the sudden familiarity that the nickname struck within me, I looked at the person above me. Blinking, I shook my head and really looked at the silver eyes staring down at me, “C…Cillian?”

He released a heavy breath of relief before nodding, “It’s me, Cell Bait.”

Confused, I shook my again, “No, no, I was in….” I cut myself off when my eyes caught on the fur covered bed to my right and the carpeted floor around us.

“You had a nightmare, Macha. It was just a nightmare”

“But I saw– felt-I was-it was real, Cillian. It was real.” The tight feeling around my wrists had my attention gliding over to see that there were no thick iron cuffs binding them together but Cillian’s hands pinning them to the floor.

Cillian spoke softly as he relaxed his hold on me, “No, Cell Bait. It was only a nightmare. You’re okay.”

I…wasn’t in prison. No one was trying to jump me. I wasn’t shackled from wrists to ankles. I-I was in a tent surrounded by the people who wanted me as their Queen. I wasn’t in a cell block watching the same movie for the hundredth time just to hear that one line keeping me from getting lost in the pain. But I thought I was. I’d been awake and still believed that I was in that prison. I was never going to be free of it. I was never going to be free.

I couldn’t go on like this, what if I attacked a guard or someone else and I killed them? I wasn’t mentally fit to be the Queen my people needed. Something was going to give and I was going to hurt someone or worse, multiple people. But most importantly, I was tired of living like this. I didn’t want these Divines damned nightmares anymore…I wanted help.

Gaze scanning over everything that wasn’t Cillian, I tried to get my emotions under control. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming. My eyelids fluttered in slight panic as the little tune didn’t cause a flood of calmness to consume me. It wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working?

One of Cillian’s hands cupped the side of my face and gently turned it back towards his, “What isn’t working?”

Swallowing thickly, I felt my eyes begin to burn as I looked up at him again and whispered, “I can’t swim anymore.” I’d been on the fraying edge of insanity for too long and I was finally drowning. And it was more terrifying than I had ever thought it would be.

Silver brows twitched before he stressed, “You don’t need to swim when you have me, Cell Bait. I’d never let you drown.”

The uncharacteristic softness in his eyes had my jaw tightening and the burn in my eyes intensifying. It was time I took the life line he’s repeatedly offered me. It was either that or spend the rest of my life rocking in a corner somewhere. Pulling my face away from his tender grip, I stared blankly at the empty space beneath the bed, “Get out.”

“No. Not until-”

I pressed my cheek harder against the carpeted floor and forced my voice to sound normal despite the tears sliding over my nose to hit the ground, “I am fully aware that I can’t continue like this and for the people, I will allow you to help me. But for right now, in this moment, I need you to leave.” When he made no move to get off of me and leave the tent, I whispered brokenly, “Lilly, please. Just get out.”

I didn’t want him to see me completely break down. If I didn’t have anything else, I still had my pride. A long moment passed where his eyes burned into the side of my face before he finally rose to his feet and stepped over me. Laying in the same position he left me in, I kept my eyes trained to the space beneath the bed and listened to his footsteps get further and further away.

The cloth of the tent entrance whispered open and I felt his presence pause in the threshold, “…I’ll be right outside if you need me.”

Squeezing my eyes closed, I gave no response as my bone deep grief raced over my nose and cheek to the floor. The second I knew that he had left, I ripped a fur covering off the bed and turned on my side. Hugging it tightly to my chest, I curled in on myself and bit into the fur to muffle my sobs.

Tonight, I’d release it all. And tomorrow…tomorrow, I’d get help.

———————————————————

My poor baby😭😭😭😭 But it’s more than past time for her to get some help. 😭I’m so proud, lmao. She’s really getting her shit together. Oh! And that ‘Lilly’ moment!? That hit me like a stack of bricks!

As always, feel free to comment your opinions on the chapter! Silent readers, I appreciate your views!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty-Four: Secret Free

Swiping the sudsy rag over my neck, I sighed as the cold water glided over my heated limbs. After sobbing myself to sleep the night or day before, I wasn’t entirely sure what time everything had gone down, I woke up sweating with dry tear tracks covering my cheeks. The sun was high in the sky this morning and the heat of the rays burned their way straight through the tent walls. Covered in sweat with throbbing eyes, I decided that before anything else could be done I needed a bath.

The silver ink covering my fingers winked in the sunlight coming through the seams of the blue tent. Everything seemed to hold a strange fragility today, like a sharp breeze could come along and sweep us all away. Even the way I was moving was soft and gentle, which was unnerving but not unpleasant. Better than feeling the embarrassment of last night’s events though. I didn’t particularly care that I attacked Cillian but it was the false reality, that I had been submerged in while doing it, that was terrifying.

Dropping the rag, I raised both hands to my eyeline and looked at the bare skin of my wrists. For some reason, the only chains that had ever bothered me in prison were the ones on my hands. The restriction of not being able to defend myself…the forced feeling of vulnerability. A shiver trailed over my shoulders at the thought and I shook it free from my head. Slapping my hands against the sides of the tub, I curled my fingers around the edges and pushed myself beneath the water.

Skin sliding over metal, I exhaled the air from my lungs and took comfort in the absolute silence surrounding me. No one was urging me to forget the past and move on, no one was questioning if I was stable, no one was calling me Queen. I was just Macha. Macha, the Unseelie Fae, who went up against Mab and lost. Macha, who went through an unspeakable amount of pain for the past seven hundred and fifty years. Macha, who liked chocolate and laughed when sliding a sword into someone’s gut.

More importantly, in this tub, I was the Macha who had the time to heal and accept what had happened to her. But as a pair hands grabbed onto my shoulders and ripped me from the water, I realized that I was the version of myself who’d always have to put others before my own needs. I just hadn’t realized how hard that’d be.

With my moment of tranquility ruined, I sucked in a large gasp of air and shoved my hair away from my face, “What in the Great Divine Fool do you think you’re doing?”

Silver eyes raced over my face as his hands squeezed my shoulders tightly, “What am I doing? What are you doing? Were you trying to drown yourself? I told you, I’d keep you above water.”

Brows furrowed, I gave him a disgruntled look, “I am not trying to kill myself. And even if I were to drown, it wouldn’t kill me.” When he continued to look at me, I flicked some bath water at him, “See? It’s not even laced with iron.”

“That’s not funny, Macha.” He barked, spying my smirk.

Rolling my eyes, I huffed sarcastically, “Apologies, If I scared you Commander but I’m fine. You didn’t need to burst into my tent like your ass was on fire and ruin my bath. Why does everyone ruin my baths, anyway?”

“I did not burst into your tent. I called out to you from the otherside of the privacy screen but you didn’t answer. So, I peeked around to check if you were even here and I found you underwater. And after what you said last night, I was worried that you…What do you mean everyone’s ruining your baths?”

“I told you that I was going to let you help me last night. You shouldn’t have assumed.” I replied, ignoring his question.

The furrow in his silver brows deepened, “That’s right and we’re starting today. I brought you oatmeal again and you’re going to eat every bite. I’m going to watch you too so don’t even think about burying it underground.”

“Do you enjoy watching me eat? Is that like a fetish for you or something?”

“Macha.” He said, tightening his grip on my drying shoulders to the point of pain. “Be serious.”

Scowling, I wiggled in his hold, “Alright, alright. Can you let go of me now? What have I told you about the touching?”

He blinked and quickly pulled his hands away, “Right.”

“Divines. If I bruise, you’re going to be the one explaining that to your father.” I whined, rubbing at my shoulders.

“Don’t be a baby, Cell Bait.”

I snorted, “Whatever, Asshole. Are you going to get out now so I can change or what?”

“Oh, yeah.” He responded, standing up from his crouched position and taking a few steps back.

Raising a brow, I looked him up and down, “Either get in or get out, Commander.”

An odd tightness came over his features before he walked back behind the privacy screen. Cackling at the asshole’s discomfort, I stood up and stepped out of the tub. Serves him right, barging into my tent and practically ripping me from my bath. He’s lucky I like bubbles or else he would’ve seen a lot more than just my upper chest. Chuckling, I patted myself dry with an extra tunic and then shrugged into my undergarments. Slipping into a sleeveless gray tunic, I tugged on a pair of black cotton pants and finger combed my long wet locks.

Giving myself a quick glance in the small mirror, I shrugged and walked barefoot out into the more open area of the tent. Cillian’s eyes traveled over my outfit but said nothing as I took the seat across from him. With a little shove, he sent the wooden bowl full of oatmeal skitting across the table towards me. Scooping it up, I flattened the top before digging up a spoonful and taking an exaggerated bite.

Apparently this didn’t amuse him at all because the first thing out of his mouth was, “Tell me everything.”

“About what?” I muttered, pretending to be interested in the bland oats.

His fingers tapped against the table to get my attention, “Macha, come on. You said you wanted my help.”

“I know, I know.” Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I straightened up in my seat, “Just ask me specific questions. I don’t know where to start.”

“Okay, let’s start with why haven’t you been eating.”

Giving him a look, I sighed out, “Because it hurts my stomach. What they were bringing me before was too rich in flavor after almost a thousand years of eating tasteless food.”

“But you have no problem eating chocolate?”

“It’s the pure unsugared stuff and chocolate is chocolate.”

He shook his head, “What about the food I told them to bring you while I was gone? It was all bland.”

“I’m not used to eating three meals a day, Cillian. T.V. was the only luxury Mab allowed in Slykhelm. She wouldn’t allow her prisoners to go mad before she got the chance to crush their souls.” I replied, devoid of emotion.

“Only eat half of that then. You’ll eat three small bland meals a day with the flavor slowly increasing.” He nodded to himself in conformation before saying, “Now, about the nightmares.”

I took another bite and forced myself not to tense up, “What about them?”

“What are they about?”

“None of your business.” When he only patiently stared back at me, I snapped, “Daisies and rainbows. What the fuck do you think they’re about, Cillian? Torture and deadly situations I got myself out of.”

He folded his impressive arms over his chest, “Tell me about them.”

“No.”

“Then at least tell me about the one from last night.”

Huffing, I slid my eyes back down to the oatmeal, “One of the many times a group of Unseelie tried to jump me.”

“That’s why you freaked out when I woke you?”

“Sure.”

“Macha.”

Tossing my spoon back in the bowl, I met his eyes dead on, “The nightmare switched, alright? Instead of that yellow eyed bitch about to sink a iron nail into my chest, it was you with an iron stake. I was panicking that the dream had changed because I know I killed all four of them. I passed out from the blood loss after but I won.”

“But when you were fighting me, you thought I had yellow eyes?” He questioned, having the decency to at least soften his tone.

Frustrated, I spit, “I don’t know. I don’t know why, okay? I didn’t even realize I was awake. I thought I was still in the rec room, I could feel the chain on my wrists and the concrete flooring.”

“Has that happened to you before?” He asked, his deep baritone drifting even lower.

My first reaction was to say no until I remembered that that wasn’t entirely true, “Yes but it wasn’t as bad. I was awake and I knew it wasn’t real.”

“When?”

“When we were with the Trolls.”

“I remember that. What triggered it?” He questioned, his brows falling lower between his eyes.

Rolling my neck in discomfort, I forced out between a closed jaw, “I don’t…do well…in places that I can’t immediately escape from.”

“I see.”

“Are we done?”

“For now, but you need to sleep more regularly. The lack of sleep is only making your nightmares worse.”

“Thank fuck because this is depressing.” I exhaled, jumping out of my seat. “Let’s go see your father.”

He got to his feet as I passed him,“For what?”

“Why for answers, of course.” I grinned, twirling my way out of the tent.

“Wait, what answers? And you’re not wearing any shoes.”

Ignoring him, I exited the tent and immediately looked at the man guarding the entrance, “Where’s Second Commander Dougal?”

“In his tent, My Queen. With the General, I believe.”

“Perfect. Thank you, Soldier.” I winked before tipping an imaginary hat and traveling away.

The grass bottomed out beneath my feet and in the span of a few seconds was replaced by the soft carpeted floor of Dougal’s tent. Opening my eyes, I cocked my head in confusion at the way everything seemed higher than me. Catching sight of a wide eyed Dougal, I asked, “Did you move everything up higher?”

His short gray dreads swayed as he shook his head.

“Ehem, My Queen?”

Cringing a bit from the breath on my ear, I turned and locked eyes with Erick, “General. Is there a reason you’re practically in my lap?”

Brown eyes narrowed at my tone, “Yes, My Queen. Because you’re in mine.”

“Wha-” Looking down, I started laughing when I realized that I had traveled right into his lap.

“Fahbt Siúcra, maybe you should move before-”

“Do you find your position appropriate, General?”

I jumped slightly at the sudden snap of Cillian’s frosty tone and twisted in Erick’s lap to look up at his cold face. Hard silver eyes were pinned on Erick and the way he spit General made it sound like Erick cleaned out shit buckets for a living. He must really not like being left behind.

“No, Commander.” Erick clipped.

“Then move.”

Popping up onto my feet, I eyed Cillian, “Enough. I’m here to get an answer out of your father, not to watch you rip Erick a new asshole.”

Cold eyes shot in my direction, “What answer?”

“An answer for the question I’m about to ask.” I bristled, not liking his demanding tone.

“And what question is that?” Cillian commanded.

Brows furrowing, I was just about to tell him to go get fucked by an iron spike when Dougal interrupted, “No fighting in my tent. Macha, ask your question.”

Not wanting to waste time, I turned to face him completely, “What’s the third secret?”

Dougal stilled for a moment at my words before his gaze shot to Cillian.

Shaking my head, I leaned over the desk and got in his face, “Nu-uh. Do not look at him, Dougal. Your Queen is asking you a question.”

Gray eyes slid back to mine before he straightened in his seat, “Your right. Erick go get Puck.”

“Why does Puck need to be here?”

“He just does.”

“Father-”

“No. She asked, Son. So I’m going to tell her. It’s about time anyways.”

With growing caution, I stepped back and away from the desk until I could see both men. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait long in the tense silence before Erick reappeared with Puck in tow. The golden headed boy shook out his locks and then gazed around the room with a large grin. Striding across the tent, he dropped down into the only free chair by the desk, “What’s up, guys?”

“Read the room, Poppy Stalk.”

Golden eyes gleamed up at me, “I actually like that one, it’s cute.”

“Of course you do.” I sneered in disgust.

A bang against the desk caused everyone to look at Dougal, “Do you want to know what I’ve been keeping from you or not?”

“I need to know, Dougal. I can’t keep doing this half in the dark.” I replied, getting serious for once.

He gave me a short nod before looking around the room.

“Wait, do you all know?” I asked, looking around the room myself. When the others nodded or only stared back in answer like Cillian, I felt anger flare up in my chest. Ryan had been right. “Fucking tell me already.”

Dougal cleared his throat before standing to look me in the eye, “I have always told you that you were born for bigger things than to be a bastard. And I was telling you the truth, Macha.” He paused to take a deep breath, “You are the last living Divine.”

———————————————————

The secret is OUT!! People, I repeat the big gigantic secret is OUT!!! Lol, alright alright. So did I do a good job hiding and hinting or did y’all see it coming from a mile away? I know the people who are constantly reading did, lol. I’m the same way.

As always, feel free to do your thing in the comment section! Next chapters in Cillian’s P.O.V.

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty-Five: Answers At Last

~Cillian’s P.O.V.~

Everyone inside the tent held their breath and waited for Macha to do or say something, anything. But the tall female just stood there frozen in place and blinking at my father in an increasingly concerning way. Gazing at the rest of the men in the room, I caught the oblivious grin Puck was sporting and the growing judgment on the so called Generals. The shit haired male was looking at Macha as if she was going to attack us at any moment.

Lip raising at the face he was making, I turned back to lock eyes on my father. I ordered you not to bring about her breakdown, Father.

And I didn’t. She asked me, Son. We couldn’t lie to her forever. He replied, gray eyes sliding to meet mine for a split second.

No, but you could have stalled her. We’ve barely started making progress, this could set her back completely.

Then it will have all worked out.

Brows furrowed, I snapped, No. It wouldn’t have. She’s not ready, don’t you care at all that she could lose her soul?

She won’t.

You. Don’t. Know. That.

Loud peels of laughter interrupted our mental conversation and drew all attention back to Macha. Long blue hair swayed as she bent forward slightly with a hand pressed against her chest at the force of her laughter. Slapping her hand against the desk in time with her laughs, she leaned back and released a long choppy sigh. Sparkling blue eyes flashed around the room to catch our expressions before she started laughing all over again.

“Macha?”

At the sound of my father’s voice, she started laughing harder than I would’ve thought possible. Tears streaked down her face as she finally calmed down enough to take gasping breaths of air. Placing a hand on the back of Pucks chair, she leaned over it while her shoulders shook in silent guwaffs. Concerned at her reaction, I took a hesitant step forward just as she wiped her eyes and straightened up.

She glanced at our faces once more before setting her amused gaze on my Father, “That is literally, thee most cringiest clichè bullshit I have ever heard.”

Father shook his head in disappointment, “It’s the truth, Macha. This is what everything has been about.”

“Are you seriously standing there trying to tell me that I’m a God?”

“No.” Father replied, giving her just enough time to relax before continuing, “You’re a Demi-Goddess but to our people, yes. You’d be a Goddess.”

Blinking rapidly, Macha nodded slowly while sidestepping over to me. The second our arms touched, she leaned in close to whisper, “Cillian, on a scale of Afric to me…how batshit insane is your father?”

“He’s not insane, Cell Bait. This is what we’ve been keeping from you. What I didn’t want to tell you yet, for this exact reason.” I responded, trying to fight down a laugh.

She took a step back and ran a hand through her blue locks, “And all of you believe that I’m a God- Sorry, Demi-Goddess. Why, exactly?”

“Because of who your father is.” Puck said, giving Macha a bright smile. “Oh! And the Prophecy, of course.”

As annoyance rolled through me at the way he so casually announced that, Macha’s face scrunched up in confusion. Her blue eyes shot to mine and then my fathers, “My father? My father’s a nobody, just some male who knocked up Mab and then disappeared. I’m reasonably sure that she had him killed too.”

Father sighed, “No, Fabht Siúcra. He wasn’t a nobody. He was-”

“Woah, wait. Do you know who he is? Have you known this whole time?”

The catch in her voice had me pressing my arm more firmly against hers in an effort to offer her silent support.

My father took a moment before answering her, “…Yes.”

“And you’re only telling me this now? Dougal, how many times as a child had I asked about my father? Only for you to say you didn’t know.”

“You weren’t ready to be told-”

Macha pressed her palms to her temples, fingers spread stiffly and her eyes squeezed shut, “Divines! Stop. Just stop! I can’t take this anymore, Dougal. Enough with all this cloak and dagger bullshit. Tell me everything.”

“Your father was Malachy, the Great Divine Liar. And yes, he named you after himself. You’re a lot like him, Macha. ”

“Your saying, my father…was the Divine Liar?”

My father rounded the desk to lean against the front of it, “Yes. He came to Mab claiming to be an exiled noble from the Seelie Court. From there it wasn’t long before Mab became infatuated with him and the way he spoke. His tone was always as smooth as silk and he spun his lies an half truths seamlessly. Malachy’s hair was also a rich shiny blue like yours, except that his was curly.”

A kernel of pleasure bloomed in my chest as blue eyes flew to mine at my father’s words looking for confirmation. Progress, this was the progress I had been waiting for. For her to lean on me when she was unsure of her own mind. Looking back into her eyes, I nodded, “Your father was the Divine Liar. He was already the last of the Divines when he and Mab fell in love. When Mab got pregnant, Malachy had a vision about your future.”

“One of the last things that he did was confide in me and Oberon about who he was and his vision. He knew that Mab was going to kill him and he was fine with it as long as you got to live. She didn’t know who he was or who you’d grow up to be but she made sure she killed him. Liquid iron in his dinner goblet.” My father finished off.

Macha furrowed her brows, “But why? Why kill him?”

“Mab grew increasingly paranoid that he was going to use her pregnancy to snag the throne out from under her. So, she killed him before anyone could find out but I managed to convince her to keep you. I told her it’s what Malachy would’ve wanted. She loved him deeply.”

Heaving out a huge breath, Macha walked over to Puck and shoved him out of the chair before taking the seat herself.

“Hey!”

“Stuff it, Power Puff. I’m in the middle of a life crisis if you haven’t noticed.” She snapped.

Striding over to my father, I waited beside him and carefully watched Macha’s expression. The features of her rich brown face flickered through anger, sadness and confusion. She was handling the news of her father pretty well but she still didn’t know about her own destiny. That was going to be a real test to her mental state and unlike my father I was praying to the Divines that she didn’t transform. I knew, I just knew deep down that she wasn’t going to be able to handle the transition. And it was becoming more and more obvious to me that if she did burn away her soul, I couldn’t be the one to put her down. A month ago, I could’ve but now after last night…all I wanted to do was save her from herself.

“Okay, let me get this straight. The Great Divine Liar, Malachy, who I’m named after apparently, was my father. Mab killed him because she thought that he was going to steal her throne. Before he died he named me and then confided in you and Oberon about his vision.” She said, pressing a silver tattooed hand to her forehead.

“It’s a lot to take in, Cell Bait. Take your time.”

Sighing, she slumped back against the chair, “Puck, I’m guessing this vision he heard from my father is the real reason Oberon hunted me as a child?”

“I wouldn’t say hunted but he did search for you because of the Prophecy that the vision held. The Prophecy that does makes you a god in the Fae’s eyes.”

“What Prophecy?”

Father stood up and rounded the side of his desk to open the drawer at the very bottom. A low whistling sound echoed throughout the tent as he pushed a small amount of air into the lock. With a snick it, he reached inside to pull out a rolled up scroll. Rounding the desk once more, he sat back against it and held the scroll out for Macha to take.

Jumping up from her seat, she snatched the scroll and moved over to the tent entrance. Holding it in the light coming through the cracks of the flap door, blue hair curtained her face as she looked it over, “What is this made out of? Skin?”

“Gnome skin to be exact.”

She snorted, “Even three thousand years ago, people hated gnomes.” Her eyes glanced down before shooting over to me, “Have you read this?”

“No, but my father told me what it says.”

“Get over here, then. I’m not going to read ink off of a Gnome’s skin alone like some jackass.” She said, nodding me over.

In a few steps, I was viewing the scroll over her shoulder an inch away from touching her bare skin. The greenish ink used on the pale skin was faded but still legible enough in the center of the ragged edges. Macha’s finger ran below the lines of the Prophecy as she read aloud, “Born of my spirit line with a will as strong as mine, Taking the power She’ll go from royal to Divine, With Her on the throne the all kingdom will rise, Even Her enemies will bow to Her power or meet their demise, A false Queen will test her ascension but all of FaeKind will recognize the true Queen in time, The truth of Tir Na Nog lays at the bottom of my spirit line.”

After a pause, Macha turned to look at my father, “This is the Divine Prophecy.”

“You’ve heard of it?” He asked.

“When I was conquering the Outerlands, I heard bits and pieces of it from elders. Some Fae woman that would unite the Faekinds under one banner, The Fae Queen. They thought I was the one spoken about in the scroll too.” Her head bowed to look back down at the scroll as she spoke, her voice drifting off.

When she looked up, she took a step away from me and met each of our eyes with a hesitant smile, “You guys can’t really believe this shit. Sure it says Her but my father could have had other daughters. This could be about one of them.”

“You father didn’t have any other children. He said that he and the other Divines all made a promise not to have them. That their unlimited power would end with them.”

“But he lied to them, Dougal. He’s the Divine Liar for shits sake! He could’ve lied about having other children. Hell, this so-called Prophecy is probably just one big ole lie to get his rocks off in the stars.” Macha spat in exasperation.

“No, Macha. It’s all true. You’re the one he saw in his vision, the one that the Prophecy foretold and Malachy’s only child.”

But her head was already shaking, “No, no, no. You’ve got this all wrong. I’m barely sane enough to play Queen and now you’re telling me that I’m a god. A God.”

“How else would you explain your ability with both Unseelie and Seelie elements? Even mixed children don’t have those abilities, in fact they normally have no ability.” I reasoned, using what was hopefully a logical tone.

“I-uh-I-I don’t know! Just lay it all out, what exactly are you all of you trying to tell me right now?”

Moving in front of her, I cut off her view of the others. I needed to be the one to tell her, it was the only way that she would believe us. Looking into her eyes, an odd feeling lodged itself into my throat at the reflection of silver mixed into her blue ones. With the silver littering her body it was hard not to imagine the same color mixed into her hair…No.

Blinking the thought away, I focused on everything she needed to know. “Macha, you’re not fighting against Mab to just bring her down. And you’re not fighting to be Queen of the Outerlands again.”

“Wait a minute, I don’t want her throne. I never wanted to be Queen of the Unseelie.”

“And you won’t be. The throne you’re going to claim is the throne of Tir Na Nog. With everyone, from Seelie to Unseelie, from Trolls to gnomes, Pixies to Nymphs, underneath one flag. Your flag.”

She scoffed, eyes wide, “Your fucking insane, that has and never will happen. The Seelie will never follow the rule of a Unseelie and the rest hate me. In fact, they all hate me!”

“If the Seelie hated you, they would’ve revolted against Oberon for giving you command of his troops. They know about the Divine Prophecy and they believe in you. The rest will follow once we spread the news. And technically, you’re not Unseelie. You’re neutral. Like the Divines.”

“Shut your whore mouth. I’m Unseelie.” She rushed out, stabbing an aggressive finger against my chest.

“Half.”

Her lip raised to show sharpened teeth, “Full. The Divine Liar would’ve been Unseelie.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Cell Bait.” I smirked, lightly. “But you’re half.”

She shoved the scroll at me, “None of this proves that the woman he talks about in the Prophecy is me.”

Shoving the scroll back at her, I took pleasure in proving her wrong, “Is the Prophecy the only writing on the scroll? Malachy said he wrote a message in his blood that only his heir would be able to see and read.”

“I feel like I’m in a shitty preteen drama.” She snarled, pulling the scroll open harshly. As her eyes scanned the scroll, a smirk starting to stretch her lips, “See, I told you guys. You got the wrong bitch-” The color drained from her face as she flipped the scroll over and stared down at the bottom left corner. “Oh, fuck a gnome.”

“See something?” I questioned, innocently.

Eyes as hard as ice shot to me, “No.”

“Macha…”

Dismissing me, her eyes raced over the corner of the skin scroll with an increasingly furrowed brow. “Hold on.”

“What is it?” The General spoke.

My head snapped to him in mild surprise, I had forgotten the male was still in the tent. Brown eyes met mine for a split second before looking back at Macha. When she spoke, I pulled my narrowed eyes off the male to look at her as well.

“I’m not a Divine yet. I have to go through some type of transformation?….That could burn away my soul if I feel unworthy or don’t accept it… Son of a bitch. How long have you guys known about this transformation?”

“Me and Oberon have known about this your whole life.” My father answered.

Macha’s chest heaved as she took a step back, “Then you know how screwed I am. I either transform or lose my soul and I can’t transform.”

“Yes you can, Cell Bait. This is what we’re going to work on. Getting you into a healthy mental state so that you can survive the transformation.”

“No, you don’t understand. I can’t transform. I am the last person who should have the power of a god. The power went to my head as a Queen, can you imagine the damage I could do as a God? No, I can’t. I’ll beat Mab without turning into a Divine.”

“You may not have a choice,” I reminded her. “Anything could trigger your transformation.”

“Then I’ll let it burn my soul and I’ll die.” She replied simply, eyes shooting around the room.

“You wouldn’t die, Macha. You’d become soulless and without magic, but you wouldn’t die.”

She paled once again, “You’re not serious.”

“I am.”

“Then you’ll have to kill me. Because if that happens, I’ll give into all of my darker urges. And if you think I don’t have restraint now? You’re in for a rude awakening.”

I shook my head, “I won’t kill you.”

“Cillian, I could destroy the very realm you want me to save. You’ll have to. Dougal won’t do it and even without magick I’m still deadly. You’re the only one who can.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No. That’s why I’m helping you. So, I won’t have to.”

Squeezing the scroll in her hand, she flashed her sharpened teeth in my face, “I shouldn’t have access to that much power, Cillian. I know it and so do you. I won’t transform. And if you don’t kill me the second my soul burns away then you’ll be responsible for the death of thousands.”

Without giving me a chance to respond to that, she blinked out of existence with the scroll in hand.

“I knew it. She isn’t strong enough to be the Queen our realm needs. How are we supposed to follow someone who still doesn’t believe in herself?”

For the first time, Puck lost his ever present smile, “How dare you question your Queens ability, General. Tir Na Nog is her birthright. She might not be ready now but she will be. She was born for this and I won’t let some lowborn Fae drag her name through the mud. You are in no position by blood or rank to doubt her.”

“Enough. She just found out who her father was, what her destiny is and what she’s supposed to become. Macha needs time to sort all of this out in her head. She might not believe in herself but I do. And anyone who doubts her, General. Has no place in this army.” After giving him a hard look, I left the tent to search out the impossibly frustrating woman who refused to trust herself.

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This chapter was surprisingly hard to write. With something major happening to Macha but writing in Cillian’s P.O.V. Hopefully, it’s okay. But finally, y’all know the WHOLE truth. Well y’all are still missing some minor details here and there, hehehe.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty-Six: Pure Insanity

They were joking. They had to be.

They wanted me to take on the power of a God? A God? Didn’t they learn anything the last time I held power? I mean, I was doing a better job now but that was only because I knew what I was in for. I was conscious of the mistakes that I had made in the past and I wasn’t about to repeat them but…That much power humming underneath my skin, it would be…intoxicating, consuming.

Pressing a hand to my aching chest, I focused on the grass tickling my bare feet as I paced. Fuck this. If it wasn’t one thing threatening to pull me under it was another. Of course, though. Of course, my father had to be a Divine. He couldn’t have been a blacksmith or some lowborn asshole. Noooooo, he had to be a God and leave behind some screwed up destiny or legacy or whatever the fuck to his equally screwed up daughter.

Gritting my teeth, I raised my clenched fists to my face before flinging them back down, “Even unknowingly, that bitch is STLL fucking me over!”

A rumble vibrated the ground seconds before a sharp crack snapped over the clearing and the ground on either side of me split wide open. Ignoring it, I sped up my pacing between the foot wide cracks in the earth. At the end of the day, it didn’t even matter what I wanted. It never did. Like Cillian pointed out, the transformation could be triggered by anything at any time. But I wouldn’t take the power like the Prophecy declared, I’d let my soul burn first. The only problem was I wouldn’t die and everything holding me back like a conscience and morals would.

My father’s message for me at the bottom of the scroll hadn’t offered a third option either. Just to make sure I didn’t miss anything when I skimmed it, I ripped open the skin scroll and read it again.

Macha.

If you’re reading this, I’m dead and Dougal has done what needed to be done. I am the Great Divine Liar Malachy and you’re my daughter. I’m sorry for what you’ve gone through at the hands of your mother. If I could have stopped it without changing the course of time, I would have. But everything you’ve gone through has been building up to this point in time. You’re a Divine, babygirl. The last living, breathing God. (Don’t let anyone try to sell you on that Demi-god or Goddess bullshit. You’re my daughter, you’re a God.) There will come a moment that will trigger your transformation. Each Divine transforms differently. Some feel unexplainable euphoria…while others come out bloody and swearing. It’s important that you have someone you trust at your side at all times, who can protect you through the process. Reality will disappear during the transformation but all you need to do is accept it. Accept the power or doubt yourself and burn your soul, Macha. You’ve spent the majority of your life in chains. But with this amount of power or without a conscience, no one will ever be able to put you in chains again. I’ve seen both possibilities and someone will always love you either way, as will I. Burn them all or save them, the choice is yours but don’t ever let them put you in chains again. I’ll be watching from the stars.

Love, Malachy. (Your father.)

P.S. I’m a known liar and I adore lying but this is by far the most truthful I have ever been. (It kind of hurt.) Also, I vote for burning at least half of the realm. Your mother’s half.

Snorting, I rolled it back up and stuffed it in the waistband of my loose pants. Yup. There was no way out unless the transformation was never triggered but that was too unpredictable and I’ve never been that lucky. To burn the world or save it, funny how he didn’t put that in his little Prophecy. He also didn’t mention how I wasn’t fit to have that much power. Why was that not registering in peoples heads?

Frustration had my muscles tensing to the point of pain as I squeezed my eyes shut. A Hero. That’s what they were really asking me to be. Someone for the people to look up to with hope shining in their colored eyes. Kissing babies and shitting sparkles. But that wasn’t who I was. I didn’t give a damn if some stranger was dying in front of me if it meant saving someone else who I actually cared about. I was selfish and fully uncaring of that fact. I liked breaking things and making deals with dire consequences for the other person.

“A Hero.” I scoffed in disgust, throwing my hands high and watching the nearby trees splinter apart. “Do I look like everybodies fucking Hero?”

Closing my eyes against the flying pieces of bark, I nudged the ground and felt the roots from deep underneath break free. Through slitted eyes, I watched them snap wildly at the air in front of me before lifting my hands again. Palms facing up, I felt the cool metal slide into my grip. Laughing, I tipped my face to the sun in time to see dark clouds rolling over the blue sky. Twirling my swords in hand, I raised them up and slashed down across the storm clouds. They ripped open on cue and released a downpour that had me drenched within seconds.

Spinning around in the muddy puddles, I began to slice and twist my way around the clearing. Blue metal flashed in and out of my vision creating a whistling sound that I could barely hear over the roar of the heavens. Pointing both swords at the ground on my right, I slashed them through the mud and over my head before they hit the ground again. Two lines of fire erupted from the gashes in the muddy grass and sped towards a pair of trees a few feet away.

More laughter poured from my lips as the trees went up in an inferno. The heat of the blast kissed my skin briefly despite the rain and burned out quickly. Dropping my head back on my shoulders, I gazed up at the rumbling sky and screamed, “Hey! Malachy! You think just because you left that note, you’re my father?”

I shook my head and laughed, swiping another line of fire through the mud with a sword, “No. You’re just another shitty parent!” Melding the twin swords together, I pointed my new longsword up at the ever darkening sky, “The Divine Liar and Mab! Oh, I really hit the lottery in the gene department. Didn’t I? No wonder I’m a fucking mess! And you want me, me to be the God the realm needs?”

Clasping both hands around the handle, I let the sword fall until the tip hit the ground and cut a large circle around me. A ring a fire erupted and I laughed at the weak threat as water pelted me from above. “You really screwed the pooch on that one, Asshole!”

A flash of light cutting through the black clouds above caused my chest to heave in rage, “Don’t like being disrespected do you? Well, too bad! I’m not the Hero you want me to be! The one that everyone wants me to be! I just accepted getting help for my personal issues and you throw this in my lap? You son of bitch! I wish you were alive just so I could kill you too!”

Deafening cracks of thunder and lightning ripped across the sky like a warning yell you gave to a child. Spreading my arms wide in challenge, I continued to scream at him over the noise, “You know what! I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to find out where you’re buried and stab an iron sword straight through your rotted OLD bones!”

I spun quickly at the sharp explosion of lightning touching down at the edge of the clearing and laughed cruelly. Cutting my eyes back up to the sky, I continued, “You couldn’t have fucked literally anybody other than Mab, huh? You had to leave the realm with me as a savior? You daft slag!” Dirt and tree roots rained down on me as lightning viciously struck the ground right outside my ring of fire. “In what plane of the multiverse did you actually think I’d be who they needed?”

My eyes grew wider as the rain continued to pour but the loud claps of thunder and lightning halted. Mind racing, I gasped at the realization and squinted through the rain up at the clouds, “You motherfucker! You thought I was just going to burn the realm and be done with it! You never thought I’d transform, you lying Gnome!” Lighting cracked down all around me, temporarily blinding me as I was pelted with rocks and dirt.

“Macha! What the fuck are you doing! Get out of the storm!”

I jerked back slightly at the response, thinking my father had finally used his words until I blinked away the white splotches in my vision. Standing at the edge of the clearing, beyond my ring of fire, stood a completely drenched and furious Cillian.

Pushing the wet hair from my face, I called back, “He never thought I could do it, Cillian! He assumed I’d fail!”

“Who, you lunatic? I’m the only one here!” He snapped, jumping back as a bolt of lightning hit the ground inches from where he stood. Guess Malachy was a little protective then.

Baring sharpened teeth, I locked my eyes back on the sky above me and pointed my sword at where I thought he’d be hiding in the clouds. “My father! Who turns out is an even BIGGER gaping asshole than you are! I can’t believe you never had the smallest smidge of faith in me, Malachy!”

Cillian shouted something but it was drowned out by the seven bolts of lightning striking the ground around me. Standing tall, I kept my burning eyes on the small patch of sky that I could see and laughed mockingly. When the white at the edges of my vision returned to the dark grey and green of my surroundings, I ground my teeth together in agitation.

“MACHA!”

“Were you trying to SMITE me? ME? I’d like to see you try that again, you dried up corpse!” Dark clouds rolled in on each other as thunder clapped aggressively. Sneering at the bright patch of light growing right above me, I raised my aching arms higher and pointed the tip of my sword right at its center, “Bring it on, you son of bitch! I’ll even make it easier for you! I know how hard it is for OLD LYING GEEZERS to see straight!”

The air around me crackled with electricity as the blinding light shot straight down aiming for the tip of my sword. I couldn’t tell how close it was to hitting the metal and frying me but it never had the chance. What felt like a mountain cashed into me from the side, sending me tumbling out of the flaming circle and into the muddy ground. A jarring weight hit me from all sides as I tried to dig my nails into the ground for purchase, trees and muddy ground flashing across my vision. Pressure from the mud building up beneath my nail beds made my fingertips sore and did nothing to stop my flailing body.

After what felt like a year of my limbs banging into the hard ground and Cillian’s body, I grunted as my back collided with the trunk of tree. The relief of my stop was short lived though as Cillian slammed right up against me and the tree. A concerning bending sensation made itself known in my spine while a throbbing ache started up around my ribs.

Opening my eyes, I watched as Cillian peeled himself off of me with a groan only to fall onto his back. Cringing, I slowly unwrapped myself from the trunk to immediately fall on top of him making us both moan in pain. Carefully tipping my head a few inches, I looked at the underside of his mud splattered jaw before asking, “You alive?”

“Unfortunately.” He groaned roughly. “You?”

“I’ll survive.”

“Good. Then, get off.”

Panting in exertion, I muttered, “Not a chance in ifreann. Crawl out from under me, I think I broke my back.”

“Cell Bait, you’re crushing my already crushed ribs.”

“You shouldn’t have slammed into me then.”

“Oh, so I should have just let that gigantic lightning bolt hit you?”

“It wouldn’t have killed me, Lilly.”

His body jostled underneath me as he let out a cough, “So, I’m Lilly again?”

Have somebody you trust at your side at all times. “I still need the Cluiche Grudge. But after this…I trust you.”

“Why?”

I chuckled and then immediately curled in on myself when pain pierced my ribs, “You’re helping with my personal issues and you risked getting smited in order to unnecessarily throw me out of the way. Lilly, if I can’t trust you then I can’t trust anyone and I’m going to need someone I can trust.”

“I’ve been telling you this from the start, Macha.” He sighed. “You’re not in this alone, you have me.”

“If you see me abusing my power, you’ll stop me?”

“Of course.”

“And if I start making bad choices?”

Lilly groaned as he tilted his head just to look at me and roll his eyes, “I’ll tell you. Now, will you tell me what the hell just happened?”

“I’m going to transform, Lilly.” I smirked while my thoughts reconnected from the head hits I took on our tumble. “That talking skeleton thinks I can’t do it so I’m going to.”

“The talking what?”

“My father. He told me, he never believed that I’d actually do the work and become a Divine slash savior of the realm.”

Clarity like I had never felt before expanded over my mind like a cool fluffy cloud. I, now, knew exactly what I had to do. What I’ve been telling myself since the beginning of this thing, that the people came first. So, I was going to become the God and savior they needed me to be but I was going to do it my way. I was going to heal from my past trauma, become a God, unite the realm and kill Mab all in my own way. I guess lying fathers are good for something after all.

“Macha…Your father’s dead. You couldn’t have been talking to him.” Cillian said, slowly like he didn’t just witness our conversation.

I snorted and then winced, “You think all that lightning and thunder wasn’t a Divine’s anger?”

“No, I do. Yours.”

Raising a weak hand, I patted the side of his face, “Oh, Lilly. You don’t have a whole lot going on upstairs, do you?”

Lilly’s laugh turned into a pained cough, “I’m obviously no match for your brilliance, My Queen.”

“Don’t feel bad, not many are.” I preened before trying to move further away from the tree still digging into my side, “Divines. I feel exactly like I did after I got hit by that semi. Getting tackled should not hurt this bad.”

“About that…”

Tensing, I looked back up slightly to meet his silver eyes, “What.”

“You’re not the only special Faekind descended from an extinct species.”

I raised a brow, “Are you seriously trying to upstage me on the same day I found out I’m a Divine?”

“Have you never wondered about my lack of ability or why I’m so tall?” He asked, shifting so my head fell back comfortably into the crook of his upper arm.

Shrugging lightly, I replied, “I always thought you had a weak will and who am I to judge? I’m six three.”

“My mother’s a Frost Giant and I take after her the most. That’s why she’s so good at wood carving.”

“Frost Giants….Frost Giants…” Squinting at him, I tried to think back to what little I knew about them. “You guys are tall, good with carving, ridiculously strong…which is why that Troll’s hit to your head didn’t knock you out immediately.”

He nodded, “Males typically have pure silver hair while the females vary in coloring. We can also telepathically converse with family members and our mates.”

“So your half Unseelie and half Frost Giant?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t believe you thought you had a chance at upstaging me on the wow factor. Today of all days, Lilly.” I grinned.

“I’m only telling you because after everything that’s happened today, it wouldn’t be right to keep you in the dark on something else.”

Giving him a pat on the chest, I smirked, “I glad you did. I was starting to think you’d get me killed.”

“Why would I get you killed?” He asked, silver brows dipping.

“Because during the transformation, Malachy said my reality would disappear and I’d be vulnerable. So, I’m going to need you to guard me during my Divine transformation. Which thankfully, you’re strong enough to do.”

“Of course, but you’re serious about going through with the transformation? Macha before you-”

“I know what I said before.” I replied, rolling my eyes. “But that was before I knew that my asshole father thought I couldn’t do it.”

He gave me a look that I was starting to think of as his special look just for me. A wonderful expression of exasperation and fear. “Please tell me you’re not doing this just because you think your father told you he never had faith in you.”

Shoving into his side, I ignored his groan and flipped onto my back beside him. Glaring up at the sky, I gave it a mocking smile, “Oh, I am soooo doing this just because the old geezer thinks I can’t. He tried to smite us, Lilly. Smite us! I’m going to make him twist in his probably unmarked grave.”

“To be clear, you’re saying that the storm was your dead father talking to you?”

Turning to look into his eyes, I replied in my most serious tone, “Yes. I’ve never been this clear headed in my entire life, Cilllian. I’m going to fulfil the Divine Prophecy to spite him.”

He squinted, “You’re going to become a God by going through a transformation that could have a worse consequence than death if you fail, unite all of Tir Na Nog to go to war against your mother, kill her and then rule as the first ever Queen of the realm… All out of a pettiness stemming from an argument you had with a storm who you believe was your dead father telling you, he never believed in you?”

After a moment’s pause, I blinked and responded, “I feel like you’re just repeating what I’ve already told you in a disbelieving tone.”

“Are you trying to drive me insane?” He suddenly snapped.

“No. Are you trying to drive me insane?” I snapped back. “What part of my plan are you not understanding?”

His head dropped back against the muddy ground, “I think I liked it better when you wanted to kill me and kept your ‘plans’ to yourself.”

“You’re rude. I’m telling your father you’re an asshole.”

“I’m sure you’ve said worse things about me to him than that, Cell Bait.”

I cackled, “Wayyyy worse things, Lilly. Way. Worse.”

———————————————————-

Y’all this whole scene…I wrote this all day Monday and stayed up editing until 3am to post it right now. I feel like I lost some sanity writing this but hey! The progress between Cillian and Macha is getting realllll.

As always, feel free to comment your thoughts on the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Renaissance Vibes

The smell of smoking vegetables seasoned the air as Fae children ran screaming in delight between the tents. Their parents mingled with one another while keeping an eye on their children as they discussed tonight’s event. Cillian and I had agreed that waiting a week to do the Cluiche Grudge was excessive in our situation. But when I had announced the match between him and I…my soldiers didn’t quite react how I thought they would. A woman with long bright red hair apologized when her long skirt caught on my boot.

Every single Fae was dressed as if it was the Renaissance Era. The women wore rib breakingly tight bodiences over peasant blouses that shoved their breasts towards their chins. Not that I was complaining….I thought, eyeing another passing woman and the generous amount of flesh jiggling above a light blue corset. Raising my gaze, I shot the short black haired beauty a wink that she laughed at as her cheeks turned red.

“Are you even listening?” A voice snipped.

Ripping my attention away from her, I glance down to my left side, “Huh?”

Pink eyes rolled into the back of her head, “You are the worst around pretty women.”

“Pretty men too. And I didn’t ask to be this good looking, Babes.” I preened, gesturing down my torso.

“Fabht Sicura, where is your tunic?”

Turning around, I raised a brow at the father and son duo, “Where’s your son’s?”

The hard muscles of Cillian’s chest and abdomen flexed with every step he took as the sun caused his dark skin to shine seductively. Tipping my head a little, my eyes narrowed in on the way the waistband of his leather beeches hung low. The air turned heavy as my throat suddenly went dry enough to choke me. Lifting my gaze back up to his chest towards his face I couldn’t help but think that while Cillian wasn’t pretty in the typical sense…I’d still ride the hell out of his face.

“Men don’t wear tunics in a Cluiche Grudge, Macha. Women do. It’s tradition. It’s inappropriate for your subjects to see you, their soon to be Queen, half naked.”

Keeping my eyes on his son, I replied, “Dougal, you know I thrive off of impropriety. Besides, my breasts are bound, don’t be a prude.”

Cillian’s silver eyes traced over the tattoos that swirled around my stomach and chest despite how they were cut off by my chest bindings. My skin heated underneath his sharp gaze.

Dougal heaved a sigh, “That’s not the point. You and Cillian will be fighting without the use of magick. It isn’t not proper for him as your Commander to be touching so much of your bare skin.”

“That’s if he even lands a hit.” Dani sneered at the oblivious Cillian.

I huffed a laugh at her words that had Cillian’s metallic eyes springing to mine, “Something funny, Cell Bait?”

“Yeah. The fact that we’re even talking about this. I’m going to decimate you.”

Eyes narrowing, he rolled his shoulders back to broaden his chest, “Don’t get cocky. Just because you need this doesn’t mean I won’t put up a fight.”

“Aw, Lilly.” I purred, taking a step forward to scrape my nail over his heart. “ I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s not fun if it’s not rough.”

He tipped his head down to pin those heated pools of silver on me, “Careful, Cell Bait. You’ve never handled me without a weapon before.”

I laughed before flashing him a grin filled with sharpened teeth, “I’ve never needed a weapon to bring a man to his knees. In fact, they usually go willingly.”

Cillian huffed, the corner of his lips twitching, “Is that right?”

“Oh, you poor thing. I’m going to ruin you.” I smirked.

“Don’t you remember what I told you last time?” He murmured, stepping forward until our chests collided. “Nobody likes a tease, Cell Bait.”

And just like that, the heat running through my veins turned to ice.

Voice dripping frost, I sneered, “How could I forget? It was after you permanently scarred my body with that iron stake.”

His expression turned rock hard, “You know why I did that and I thought you said you understood.”

“Accepting what you did doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you. And you still haven’t told me why you sent me to Slykhelm.”

“I won’t.” Cillian clipped, taking a step back. “Not now and I won’t apologize either.”

Frustration ripped through me like a jolt of electricity, “Right. Because the great Cillian Grymes can never be wrong.”

The Fae milling about came to a slow stop around us as his deep voice cut sharply through the noise, “It’s not about being wrong. It’s about how my decision saved your fucking life.”

“Fuck you!” I snapped, my hands curling into fists.

Dougal placed a hand on his son’s shoulder to push him further back, “Cillian, Macha. Not here.”

Shoving off his fathers hold, Cillian lurched forward to roar in my face, “What the hell is your problem?”

“You are!” I screamed back. “You and the fucking audacity of you to talk about it like the aftermath didn’t cause any harm!”

Silver eyes narrowed further, “This is about how you think I betrayed you for Mab, isn’t it? This is what the Cluiche Grudge is really for. Because I hurt your feelings.”

A sharp blast of wind set me stumbling back into someone’s hold causing my knuckles to graze Cillian’s nose instead of slamming into his sharp cheekbone. Hands tightened around my forearms as they drew me back harshly against their chest and whispered, “If you hit him before the Cluiche Grudge begins you forfeit, My Queen.”

Seething, I digested what Erick said before glaring at Cillian threw a curtain of blue hair, “Don’t you dare try to simplify my feelings into something so trivial.”

“I wasn’t and you get off-”

Ripping out of Ericks hold, I flashed sharpened teeth Cillian’s way, “I’ll see you in the arena, Bitch.”

With fury ripping through my veins, I gave them all my back as I quickly strode to the open field surrounded by Fae-made bleachers. Nails digging into my palms, I forced my teeth apart and sucked in a slow even breath. It was easy to speak with Cillian when the act of what he had done was far from my mind. I could pretend like it had never happened until he opened his uncaring mouth. The way he spoke about what had happened caused all that rage from the past to come speeding to the forefront. He was so arrogant and stubborn when he spoke that I just wanted to rip his head from his neck.

“Well, that conversation gave me whiplash.”

“I’m not in the mood, Dani.”

Holding up her hands, she stepped out in front of me as we reached the side of the field, “I know. I know. And I’m glad.”

“You’re glad?” I squinted down at her.

Black and pink curls bobbed around her face as she nodded, “I was wrong to try and rationalize what happened between you two. While you’re a Queen, you’re still a person. And you’re entitled to feel angry and resentful. So, do it. Let it all out on that field, Macha. Kick his arrogant ass until you feel that rage fade away. Because this is for you, not the people. Today you can be the you that’s hiding away inside yourself. Today you’re allowed to be selfish.”

Speechless, I could only blink back at her.

The skin around her pink eyes crinkled as she smiled, giving me a nudge, “Come on, did you really think I wouldn’t notice? We’ve been friends forever, Macha. It’s okay to not be okay.”

Swallowing around the emotions clogging my throat, I asked, “What gave me away?”

“Despite your wandering eyes, you haven’t actually flirted with any of the pretty men and women we’ve seen since your release,” She grinned. “Which is a huge red flag.”

Laughing to ease the heaviness of the moment, I raised a brow, “Are you calling me a whore?”

“No, I’m calling you a flirt. Buttt,” She stressed, glancing behind me with a smirk. “If you want to prove me wrong, don’t react.”

“Don’t react to what?” I questioned, just as a wave of desire curled itself around my bare skin.

“My Queen.”

The soft voice had me turning around to look at the leaf clad Nymph, “Sy, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you before the match.” Heat climbed the young woman’s pale cheeks as her eyes wandered over my exposed skin, “And I’m the ceremonial Nymph.”

I grinned, putting all my weight on one leg and pushing the other forward to emphasize my curves, “So, you’ll be marking our bodies then?”

From the corner of my eye I caught Dani rolling her eyes as Sy replied, “Yes. It’s a great honor, My Queen.”

“You said you wanted to see me before the match?” I prompted as her gaze froze on something to my left.

“That’s right.” She nodded, looking a bit pale suddenly. Light green eyes snapped back to mine as she shifted more to the right,“Because the Fae decided to go all out, I wanted to give you this.” Dropping a hand to her hip, she pulled a small square of pale yellow fabric out of the hem of her leaf skirt. Holding it out for me to take, Sy’s pale heart shaped face beamed up at me, “I wasn’t born yet but I heard that Lady’s would give these to Knights for good luck.”

Chucking at her pure expression, I raised a brow, “Am I a Knight for good or evil?”

“Is anything ever that simple, My Queen?”

“Good answer. I will accept your favor, My Lady.” I mused, eyeing the pretty little Nymph.

She grinned as I started to reach for it but a quick look to the left had her straightening her shoulders and moving forward. Surprised, I stared down at her as she pressed herself up against me and tucked the cloth into the waistband of my leather beeches. Fingers skimming the skin of my left hip, she purred, “See you on the field, My Queen.”

And with that, she flounced her way to the field leaving me confused. Turning to Dani, I gave her a look, “What was that? I was only conversationally flirting.”

“You were, that wasn’t for you.” She laughed, shaking her head. “But I will say that Nymph is brave, now go. They’re waiting for you on the field.”

Shrugging, I turned and immediately glared back at the pair of silver eyes staring me down from across the field. Lip curling, I refused to look away as we closed the distance between us to the cheering of the crowd. The anger from earlier surfaced at the look he was giving me, probably still pissed I called him a bitch. Amusement mixed with my anger causing my lips to tilt into an angry smile that seemed to piss him off further.

Dougal moved in front of us to face the crowd and raised a hand to signal the crowd to quiet down. After a moment they quieted enough to allow his voice, enhanced by his ability, to boom over the field, “The rules of the Cluiche Grudge are simple! No weapons or abilities allowed! The pair is not allowed to leave the arena until the grudge is no longer held! And the most important! The violence stays in the arena! Once the pair leaves the grudge is dealt with!”

Nodding to Sy, she walked past him with a sway in her hips towards us. Crouching beside us, she pressed her palms against the ground and stood with clumps of dirt in each hand. She paused in her approach at Cillian’s brutal scowl but quickly overcame it with the straightening of her spine. Pressing her hand against the middle of his chest, I cocked a brow at the way his lip curled in distaste the entire time she rubbed the dirt into his skin.

Eyeing him as Sy finished and moved towards me, I watched the way his body tightened up like a bow. Ignoring her, I stared back at him over her head as she began rubbing the dirt into my upper chest. Hard eyes glared back at me in a way that felt accusatory, causing my blood to boil in frustration. Narrowing my eyes back at the asshole, I reached up and pulled Sy’s hand away when her fingertips edged into my bindings.

“Not really the time, Babes.”

Stepping off to the side, she bowed her head, “May your grudge be left on the dirt you fight on.”

“Let the Cluiche Grudge begin!”

Silver eyes left mine to sneer at the Sy, who paused to wish me luck before walking off to join the others on the bleachers.

Keeping my attention on the rigged male, I began to slowly circle him, “What’s your problem?”

“I don’t have a problem.” He snapped, turning with me to keep us face to face. “You have a problem, that’s why we’re here.”

Brow furrowing at his harsh tone, I snapped back, “And I thought you didn’t have a problem doing this.”

“And I don’t.”

“Then why are you suddenly in a bitchy mood?”

Cillian stopped, bare chest flexing as he heaved in a breath, “That is the second time you’ve called me a bitch.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt your fragile masculinity? I wasn’t aware you had any since you stab women in the chest.”

Silver eyes narrowed before his entire demeanor relaxed, “I know what you’re doing, Cell Bait. You’re baiting me.”

“Am I?” I taunted, tilting my head with a smile. “How interesting…I only bait prey and weak Fae. I wonder which one you are?”

“Neither. We’re equals.”

Laughing cruely, I gave a dramatic grimace, “Babes, we wouldn’t be equals even if you suddenly shrunk three inches. I’m sooo far out of your power league, it’s almost embarrassing.”

Lip curling, Cillian flashed sharpened teeth before jolting forward and kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Grinning, I spun to the side and dropped into a crouch as something cut through the air over my head. Fingertips nestled in the ground, I stared at Cillian’s shadow as the dust cleared enough to make out his tight expression. Eyeing me, he spread his feet into a warrior’s stance and raised loose fists to hover below his chin.

Cocking my head, I ran my tongue over sharpened teeth, “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

Springing into action, I pushed off the ground and charged straight for him. Ducking underneath the heavy swing of his fist, I rammed into him driving my knee into his gut and slamming my elbow into his bare back repeatedly. Quick to react, he kicked my leg out from underneath me, sending me sprawling into the dirt beside him. Flipping over, I sneered at his smug look and snapped a leg out to connect my heel with his knee.

Cursing, he dropped to his knee and caught hold of the foot I had planned to drive into the side of his head. Jaw tightening, he yanked me towards him by pulling my leg over his bent knee until I was directly underneath him. Raising a brow at our position, I wrapped my other leg around his waist and bucked harshly to the left. His big body jolted but instead of flipping our positions, Lilly locked his hands around my wrists to keep them pinned beside my head.

“Are you done, Cell Bait? This is ridiculous.”

Lurching up, I slammed my forehead against his nose and laughed when I felt the bone snap under the force. Rolling my hips up and drawing my legs to my chest, I slammed my boots into his hips and sent him soaring over my head. Scrambling to my feet, I approached Cillian as he got to his own feet and forced his nose back into position. Grinning, I slammed my fist faster than he could react into his freshly broken nose and followed it up with an uppercut to his sharp jaw. He stumbled back with an angered flash of his teeth and wiped the blood from his upper lip.

Raising my right fist to my mouth, I kept my eyes locked on his as I flicked my tongue over the bloodied knuckles, “Huh. Revenge really does taste sweet.”

Cillians muscles flexed, giving him away seconds before he lunged forward and drove a fist into my gut. Curling into the hit, I angled my body into his and then rammed my elbow into the side of his neck. Not willing to let up, I followed as he stumbled to the side and twisted to send a powerful roundhouse into the side of his head. A dust cloud erupted around his body as he crashed to the ground with a pained groan. Panting, I stared down at him while emotions warred within my body causing a wave of despair to swallow my mind. Why wasn’t this making me feel better?

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to react in time when Lilly swept my legs out from under me. Slamming into the ground beside him, I spit out a curse when my head snapped against the ground. A throbbing pain pounded against the back of my skull causing irritation and frustration to overshadow my other feelings. Throwing myself to the side, I gripped Cillians bicep in both hands and sunk my sharp teeth into the muscle.

“Fucking-” Diggging a hand into my hair, Lilly roughly yanked my head back.

Unlocking my jaw, my hands flew to where his hand gripped my precious locks, “Not the hair, Asshole! Who the fuck pulls hair?”

“Who the fuck bites people?” He snapped back, releasing my hair to shove my face back.

Rubbing the back of my head, I sat up and punched him directly on the bleeding teeth marks he was eyeing bewilderedly, “Don’t shove my face, Lilly.”

“Son of a-”

Batting his hand away from trying to push my face again, I pointed a finger at him, “I’m warning you, don’t shove my face.”

“What are you going to do? Bite me? Again?” He snarled, pressing a hand to his bleeding wound.

I made a show of running my tongue over my bloody teeth, “I will and with very little provocation if I want to.”

He made a face before looking down at his still bleeding wound, “I swear your teeth are sharper than normal.”

“Oh, yeah.” I laughed. “That’s because I file them.”

Silver eyes flicked up to my blue ones, “You what?”

“I file them.”

“Why?”

I shrugged, “I like to have the sharpest teeth in any room.”

“Why?” He repeated, looking completely dumbfounded. “We don’t even use our teeth anymore.”

Huffing, I threw my hands into the air, “For the aesthetic, Lilly. The aesthetic. Having the sharpest fangs is like having the biggest dick in any supernatural dominance display. And I will have the biggest dick.”

He stared at me before sucking in a deep breath, “Are we done here?”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t have this conversation with you like it makes sense.”

I jerked my head back with a look, “What do you mean ‘like it makes sense’? It makes perfect sense.”

“No, it doesn’t. You don’t need to have the biggest dick to be the most dominant. Like you, some women are the most dominant in the room and they don’t have dicks.”

“Divinessss, Lilly.” I groaned with a roll of my eyes. “How old are you? It’s not literal.”

He narrowed his eyes at me, “I know it’s not because it makes no sense.”

“You’re giving me a headache.”

“I’m giving you a headache?”

“Yes.” I clipped, flopping back onto the ground. “The Cluiche Grudge is over. Go away.”

“No.”

Throwing an arm over my eyes, I kicked my legs in the air, “Whhhhhhyyyyyy?”

“Because-”

“Hey, how big is your dick?” I asked, pulling my arm away to look at him.

Silver eyes grew a fraction wider, “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” I replied, rolling over to prop my chin on my palm. “You said dick size has nothing to do with dominance but you’re pretty dominant compared to others. So what are you packing? Length, girth, width. Or is girth and width the same thing?”

Expression blanking, Lilly got to his feet, “Stop talking to me. The Cluiche Grudge is over.”

I pouted at his retreating back, “Oh, come on! I’d tell you! I mean if I had a dick it’d be at least eight inches! In fact, we didn’t have a name for it back then but I used to have this strap-”

He blinked out of existence before I could finish my sentence.

Cackling maniacally, I rolled onto my back and flung an arm back over my eyes, “Too easy.”

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Lemme know what y’all think, I actually really like how I added this chapter. I feel like it makes the next chapter more context if yall read the first version of this book.

As always comment or like if you feel like it!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty-Eight: An Insomniac’s Plan

Three marble sized balls rotated in a quick rhythm above my head, the blue metal glittering in the dark. Watching them spin until they began to blur together, I was forced to blink when my eyes dried out. Sighing, I wiggled my shoulders further into the furs and twisted the metal into odd spinning shapes. Following Lilly’s instructions after the Cluiche Grudge, I had taken a warm bath and drank the soothing tea his mother had prepared for me. It was supposed to lull me to sleep but every time my eyes had closed, images of my time with Fearghas would flash across the inside of my eyelids. After the fourth failed attempt to sleep, I gave up and tried to keep myself entertained throughout the night. I did everything from flips to warping the wood of the desk which is how I ended up spinning metal over my head.

Low voices coming from the front of my tent informed me of the guards changing shifts which meant it had to be past midnight. Groaning softly, I pushed myself up into a sitting position and looked over the room. What to do…What to do… Like a weight lifting from the top of my head, it suddenly hit me as hard as Lilly had earlier. What the hell was I doing just laying around, when I had an entire war to plan?

Leaping from the bed, I slid onto the desk chair and pulled the drawer open. Taking out the necessary items, I spread them out over the surface of the desk. With a tap of the pointed stylus in the small jar of ink, I began drawing up possible war plans. Currently we had three hundred Fae, five thousand Banshees, and as roughly as many Trolls with the Clan Kings promise of bringing more soldiers into the fold. Drawing a little picture of each species on the tan paper, I drew a few other pictures of Trolls with lines leading to the Clan King.

Mmmmm.

Dipping the stylus into the ink once more, I tapped it against the edge of the small jar as I thought. Soldiers. I needed a lot more soldiers in order to match Oberon’s army soldier for soldier. I could go to Afric and ask him to rally support from the other Banshee Dens….Nodding to myself, I drew a few more stick figure-like Banshees. With one last flick of the stylus, I looked over the rough strategy plan once again. The bigger question at the moment was where I was going to get more Fae support from…it was a Fae War after all.

The most effective way to go about it would be to talk the Noblity into fighting on our side. Unseelies will be harder to convince because of their fear of Mab but the Outerland Nobles should be more willing if they didn’t completely hate me. Which meant I needed to start making an organized list of who to go to first. Scribbling Macha’s Outerland Hit List in the corner of the paper, I swiped a line underneath it and started writing names.

1). Lady and Lord Dunn: Because it’ll be entertaining. Also they have 1500 soldiers

2). Lord and Lady O’Sullivan: 2000 soldiers

3). Lord and Lady Murphy: 600 soldiers

4). Countess and Count MacDuffy: 5000 soldiers (Tricky)

5). Baron O’Ceallaigh: 3000 (Old)

6). Lady and Lord Walsh: 5000 soldiers (Manipulative)

Pausing, I looked over the six families I had listed. During my reign as their Queen, these were the six major families that had influence over the others. If I got these Fae back in my corner the rest of the Nobles would follow along without resistance. Hopefully after all this time they still held sway over the others or I was screwed. As soon as I started to make the public rounds for allies, Mab was going to come after me with everything she had. If she followed the same routine she was doing now, she was going to try and kill me before the war started.

A smart play for her because everything about who I really was, was bound to come out and make her look bad. Not to mention all the die hard religious Fae who believed in the virtues and words of the Divine would come running to my side. Which just left the Unseelie Nobility… I had a few old friends in Mab’s Court, spies that are hopefully still alive. But even if I got them working for me again I still needed soldiers…So I had to flip Fae from her court to my side. The problem was, I didn’t know who had enough soldiers to make the effort.

Lilly did though.

Yawning, I stood from the desk to stretch and ruffle my hair. Taking a moment, I looked over my drawn up plans and then rolled up the paper. The jewelry adorning my body clinked as I moved towards the entrance where the guards were already pulling the flap aside. Giving the yellow haired male a smile, I exited the tent and turned to his female counterpart.

“Bria.”

The green haired female bowed her head, “My Queen.”

“Where’s your brother’s tent?”

“He’s in that blue one over there.” She replied, pointing to a blue tent slightly smaller than my own just a couple feet away.

Snorting, I slid my eyes back to her green ones, “I should’ve known he wouldn’t be far. Thanks.” Turning on my heel, I headed towards his tent only to turn back to her, “Bring us some Choco Blasts will you Babes?”

“Sure but I’ll have to wake my mother.”

“No need.” I shook my head, “Dougal always makes sure there’s some in the pantry for me. Should be next to the preservatives.”

When both of them nodded and headed off to the cooking tent, I shouted a thanks and kept going. Not seeing a need to sneak in, I pushed the flap aside and walked into Lilly’s tent. A lantern was lit at the edge of his desk cluttered with papers and books but otherwise the room looked unlived in. The sitting area to my right was completely bare and the divider for his tub had nothing hanging off it. In the bed to the far right, black furs covered a large lump but his feet were left exposed.

How could anyone sleep like that? I thought, curling my lip.

Padding barefoot over the white carpet, I grabbed the lantern and brought it closer to the end of the desk by the bed. I was turning to the bed to wake Lilly up when I thought of something. During the argument with my father, I bent fire to my will faster than I ever had before. So what if the way to work the element was by simple hand gestures and intent. Picturing a brighter flame in my head, I snapped my fingers and chuckled as the flames’ light intensified. Damn, I’m good.

“What are you doing in my tent, Cell Bait?”

At the sound of his rough ‘half asleep’ voice, a tingle crept through my body. Pushing it away, I turned around to face him and swallowed around a dry throat. Holy…Divines. Leaned back against the headboard of the bed with the furs around his waist was a shirtless Lilly. His silver eyes gleamed underneath his hooded lids by the low light and tore at my self control. I mean…we’re both adults, I thought, glancing at his muscular chest. We were the type of people who could detach feelings from sex and I was intrigued by his submission comment….It’s not like it would be totally inappropriate. And since when did I care about being inappropriate…Well, I didn’t care until he opened his big fat mouth. Sometime while I was standing there convincing myself to just give in and do him, Lilly’s eyes had gone hard as he looked me over.

“Oh, I see.” He said, tone cold and bordering on snappish as he stood. “Which one was it?”

Confused, I couldn’t even enjoy the fact that he was only wearing a pair of cotton shorts similar to mine. “What?”

“You know what, Macha? It doesn’t matter, just give me their name and I’ll take care of it.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, watching as he picked up one of his axes.

Stepping into my personal space, silver eyes glared down at me, “Was it the Nymph or the General?”

“Sy or Erick?” I questioned, refusing to back down. “Lilly, what the fuck are you talking about?”

“Just tell me, Macha.” He snapped.

Growing irritated, I snapped back, “I would, if I knew what the hell you were talking about.”

“Which one of them did you fuck before coming into my tent to ask me to take care of it?”

Jaw dropping, I squinted my eyes in disbelief before shoving him back a few steps, “Fuck you. I didn’t sleep with anyone.”

He just gave me a look before gesturing to my slightly skewed shorts and tunic.

“It’s called sleepwear, Dickhead. And not that I have to explain shit to you but I couldn’t sleep like usual. I came here to share my war plans with you.” I spat, raising the crinkled paper in my fisted hand.

The grip on his axe loosened, “I-”

“And another thing, It isn’t any of your business who I do or don’t sleep with. Not to mention that trying to slut shame your Queen is not a good career move. If I was a king would you be acting the same way?”

“I wasn’t trying to shame you, I’d never do that. I apologize, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” He sighed, dropping his axe back against the bed. “I just assumed because it’s late and you look disheveled…You have a lot on your shoulders right now, Macha. The last thing you need is to be distracted by someone unworthy.”

Still a little tight around the shoulders, I ripped into him again, “I know. I barely have a stable relationship with myself, you think I’m going to bring someone else into my shit? I’m a few centuries short of three thousand years old, Cillian. Do you really think I’m going to fall for some Nympths sex kitten act? Or sleep with one of my own Generals? You should know me better than that. You should think better of me than that.”

“You’re right. I don’t know why I lashed out at you like that. I’m sorry, My Queen.”

Watching the top of his head bow, I blew out a long breath and pushed away my irritation. “Well, you know what they say about assuming. It makes an ass out of you and me. Don’t do that shit again.”

“I won’t.” He responded, earnestly. “Again, I really am sorry.”

Nodding, I believed him. We talked a lot of shit to each other but this was the first time he’d ever said something like that. I was willing to let it go because I knew he wasn’t used to his emotions and being out of sight of Mab was bringing them up to the surface for the first time in a long time. I saw them peaking out here and there during our conversations, he just needed to get a better handle on deeper ones.

Putting this little…whatever this was in the past, I took two steps to the side and jumped on the bed. Using my legs, I kicked the furs off the mattress until only the pillows remained. Scooting up with a pillow in one hand and my war plans in the other, I wedged the pillow between my back and the headboard. Getting comfortable, I crossed my legs underneath me and spread the plan out across the flat mattress. Positioning it so that Lilly could see when he sat down, I glanced up to find him standing where I left him.

“What are you doing? Sit.”

Silver eyes glanced at the space beside me, “Are you sure you want me to?”

“We had a fight, Lilly. We fight all the time. We literally fought five hours ago.” I replied, with a roll of my eyes. “Just sit, we have bigger things to worry about. Besides, you already apologized.”

He stood staring at me for a moment more before he came and sat on the bed across from me. Criss crossing his legs to match my position, his brows furrowed as he looked over my impressive war plan, “Cell Bait, what is this?”

“What do you mean?” I responded, snatching up the paper to look at it and then shoving it in his face. “It’s my war plan.”

Taking the paper back, he looked at it closely, “This is your war plan? Macha, it’s a list of Outerland Nobility and bad drawings.”

“The drawings aren’t that bad.” I pouted, pulling the paper back to me. “And the Nobility listed are the ones we need on our side. We get these six major families, we get them all.”

Silver brow lifting, he yanked the paper back to him just as his sister walked into the tent with the love of my life in her hands.

“Woah, am I interrupting something?” Bria questioned, turning her head the other way.

I was confused for a split second until I realized that Cillian was still in nothing but his underwear. Sadly, our earlier conversation made him ugly at the moment so I felt none of the things I had earlier. When he became attractive in my eyes again, I’d maybe, possibly, reconsider.

Lilly twisted at the waist to look at his sister, “No, you’re not. What’d you bring?”

“She brought my Choco Blasts. I was going to share but after what happened earlierrrr…”

Catching my pointed look, he held out a hand for the treats, “I’ll take them.”

Handing the plate to her brother, she tucked a piece of green hair behind her ear before meeting my eyes hesitantly, “You’re okay being alone with him, My Queen?”

“I’m fine, Bria. I’m sorry you had to see me like that a few nights ago.” I responded with my eyes glued onto the plate Lilly was handing me.

“Alright. Just making sure.”

Glancing up, I gave her a smile, “Thanks, Babes.”

Nodding, she left the tent without another word.

“Okay, back to your war plan. Combined these families have about seventeen thousand soldiers, this’ll help us. But what are the little comments you put by each of them?”

Swiping a chocolate treat off the plate, I asked, “Which comment?”

Silver eyes flicked to the paper and then to me, “The ‘tricky’ by the Count and Countess.”

“Oh, them.”

His head tilted, “Them?”

“They’re mated but like a third option, you know?” I said, taking a bite of the chocolate. Mmm so freaking good!

“So, why is their preference tricky for us?”

Chuckling at the judgement in his tone, I waved the Choco Blast side to side in his face, “Because they’ve tried to get me into bed multiple times. Even scared off a few of my partners. If they think I’m in a relationship or that sex with me is completely off the table, they won’t help us.”

Spotting the coldness starting to creep back into his eyes, I cut him off before he could even speak, “Before you say something that’ll piss me off, no. I’m not going to sleep with them. Call me old fashioned but why get mated if you’re just going to share your mate?”

“I agree.”

“I’m also a Queen. I don’t need to play their games and I won’t. They’ll play mine.”

He eyed my grin before his own lip twitched, “What about this ‘manipulative’ by the Walsh’s?”

Swallowing another bite, I nodded, “They like to act like the perfect Seelie couple but they’re far from it. They’ll want a boost from Lady and Lord to Counts.”

“And the Baron?”

“He’s just old.” I shrugged.

Giving me a small smile, he asked, “Is this information still good?”

“Here’s to hoping.” I winked, raising my treat and doing a little toast tilt.

He shook his head with a yawn and looked down at the paper, “We’ll start on your list immediately.”

“Good, I want to get it done before you leave. And I need you to make a list of Unseelie nobility for me to visit too.”

As expected, he balked, “I’ll make it when I come back.”

“Lilly, we don’t know when you’ll come back and you know that you can’t be there when I meet with them.” I tried to reason.

“You can’t meet with them alone. I won’t let you.”

“And blow your almost thousand year cover before you can get your hands on Mab’s war plans?” I laughed. “Not a chance.”

Rolling off the bed, I strode over to his desk and opened it to take out his stylus and ink. Turning, I held both of them out to him with a grin, “Start writing, Lilly. It’s time for us to actively take part in this war.”

——————————————————————————

Y’all I am so ready for some blood and guts, lmao. I’ve been pestering myself for more fight scenes and Imma grant my own wish soon. Shits finally heating up. How do you guys feel about Cillian this far in the book? I’m kinda on the fence about him myself.

As always, feel free to comment or like at will!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Guilt

“Sorry, My Queen!”

Waving off the yelled apology, I twisted out of the way of the speeding cart and continued through the bustling camp. After leaving Lilly’s tent early this morning and earning myself more than a few curious looks, I went straight to Dougal. Not wanting to wake his mate, I gave him whispered instructions to get the necessary soldiers ready to move out on an Ally Tour. Taking a company of twenty including Lilly, Erick, and myself, everyone was rushing around to make our bags and say their goodbyes.

Since we would be gone for a rough estimate of about a week and a half, I needed to speak with Afric before we left. I wanted him and his own people doing an Ally Tour throughout the Banshee Dens as well. I couldn’t speak as to how many of his fellow Banshee Den Heads actually liked his lunatic ass but I knew he wouldn’t disappoint. He was a lot like me in the charm aspect and for all his concerning traits, I was starting to think of him as a kindred spirit.

Carefully stepping around a thick patch of mud, I approached a large white tent. Two pale guards in black cloaks on both sides of the doorway immediately dropped to one knee as I entered their view. With one hand on their knee and the other clutching their staff, they spoke at the same time, “Graced by your presence, we ask to look upon our God Queen.”

“If I am your God then you are my disciples, to look upon is your right too.” I hummed, excited by our exchange.

Long black hair brushed the ground as they lifted their heads to lock their yellow tinged eyes on me, “How may we please the rumored Divine? Is it our King’s time? Our life lines?”

I raised a brow, “Your life lines, I have no need. But your King’s time is important to me.”

“We see. Enter the Den as you please. The King will never deny his God Queen.”

A woman could get used to being called God Queen, I thought. Giving them a sincere grin, I passed them to pull the flimsy entrance aside. The sunlight burning against the tent walls casted a warm glow over everything inside of it, including the moving lumps on the bed. Grossed out, I was about to look away when Afric’s head along with two others popped up from underneath the furs. Three sets of identical yellow tinged eyes stared back at me in silence as I stood there like a statue.

“God Queen.”

“Afric.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

“Looks like you already have two.”

“For Faekind like us, this is nothing new.”

My lips twitched at his unembarrassed expression, “With clothes on? That’s untrue.”

“I found it, My King.” The male on Afric’s right interrupted, his hand moving underneath the furs.

“Uh- I’m not much of a watcher so if you don’t mind…” The rest of my sentence trailed off as the male pulled his hand out from under the furs to reveal the hair clip he held. A hair clip.

“Yesss. Good job, Conner.” Afric responded with a grin, snatching it from the males hand and pulling his long hair back. “I thought I’d lost it for good this time.”

The Banshees immediately stood from the bed, fully dressed, and silently left the room after dropping to one knee in front of me. Turning my head back from watching them leave, I secretly jumped as Afric suddenly passed by. Spinning on my heel, I followed him away from the bed to the dark wooden desk taking up the middle of his tent.

“God Queen, what do you need from your dear devotee?”Afric hummed, his eyes racing across the paper flooded desk.

“I need you to go on a Ally Tour of the Banshee Dens.”

Eyes glowing with insanity flicked up to meet mine, “Dens? Dens? You want me to visit my Den Head brethren?”

“Yes, sway them onto our side. Tell them the truth about who I am.”

“Some will be willing but others will be hard. They’ll want a council position.”

I shook my head, blue hair flying, “No. The council position for the Banshees is your’s. I trust you. We have history.”

“Because our eyes hold the same sparkle, yes?”

“Insanity does shine brighter than gold.” I snorted.

His almond shaped eyes blinked for the first time, “A God can be neither sane nor insane. They hold a higher understanding of the world and cannot be held to the same standards of sanity as low borns.”

“Afric, are you saying I’m sane?” I purred, flattered.

He giggled, “Oh! A true Banshee God, a God for all. At last. Under your reign, I see blood and screams. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“You need to stop before my ego explodes, Afric.” I laughed, pressing a hand to my heating cheeks.

“Not to worry, God Queen. I’ll tell all my brethren that your side is the true side of Tir Na Nog.”

Nodding, I started towards the door, “Good. Dani will be going too, to be the sane in your insanity.”

As he shrieked in laughter, I glanced over my shoulder to say, “Oh, and if you believe that one of the Den Heads is working for Mab? Travel me the evidence, wait for my word and then exterminate the Den.”

………………………………………

“You want me and Bria to go with Afric?”

“That’s what I said.” I confirmed, shrugging into my sheath.

“So you, Cillian, and Erick will go visit the old Outerland Nobility to collect allies. At the same time me, Bria and Afric tour the Banshee Dens?”

Sighing, I turned to face the crowd loitering around inside my tent, “Is anyone else hard of hearing like my good friend Dani?”

“Best friend, bitch. And I just want to make sure.”

Rolling my eyes at her, I went over everything again, “You, Afric and Bria tour the Den’s for allies. Dani, you’re in charge. Me, Lilly and Erick will harass the nobility for support. I’m, obviously, in charge. Dougal and Puck, you’ll stay here and man the camp. Dougals in charge. The Grymes family knows how to stay in touch with each other so if you need to get a message to me, tell them.”

An array of colored eyes stared back at me before they nodded or verbally announced their understanding. Cracking a smile, I raised my hands and pulled the wet braid out from the back of my blue tunic. Letting it thump against my shoulders, I tugged my long sleeves lower over my wrists and picked up my bag.

Throwing it to Lilly, I announced, “Let’s get going, motherfuckers.”

Filing out of the tent in a small crowd, I followed behind them while snorting at Lilly’s costume. He wore an ankle length royal blue cloak with the hood pulled up and a full face silver mask that in my opinion did little to hide his identity. The mask was a thin silver mold of a generic face shape I’d made myself to match the silver battle axes strapped to his back. The only Fae in history to wear an outfit like the one he was wearing now were the fabled Acolytes. Deeply religious followers of the Divine who served as their assassins throughout the little disputes they had.

Exiting the tent, I led him and Erick over to where our group of soldiers stood. The men and women wearing my color bowed their heads at my approach, making a distant pinch echo in my chest. Dismissing it, I gave them all a grin before getting down to business.

“Does everyone here understand the risks of the trip?”

“They’ve-”

Cillian’s smooth baritone sharply cut Erick off, “They’ve been informed of the trip’s purpose. They understand the risks. They also know to call me Acolyte during the entire trip, in public and in private.”

“Perfect. Then let’s head out and make sure you establish a travel trail. The last location I had for the Dunn’s Estate was in Cathair at the center of the city. During our short stay at the Estate, stay alert and if anything seems abnormal tell me immediately.”

As soon as I finished, the soldiers around me began to blink out of existence in pairs. I opened my mouth to inform the men beside me I’d be traveling out when a heavy arm fell around my shoulders and the world bottomed out beneath me. Panic surged in my chest before I turned into the hold and pressed myself against his chest, the masculine smell of metal and heated skin filling my nose.

“You couldn’t ask?”

“You would’ve said no.”

Smirking, I slid my arms around his hard waist, “Probably.”

“Don’t take unnecessary risks at the estate.” He grumbled, tightening his arm and sliding his hand up to cup the back of my neck.

Divines. Not the hair. Not the hair. I thought, desperately and suppressed the shiver threatening to give my attraction to him away. “That’ll be hard since Lord Dunn already hates me.”

His fingers slid into my hairline as our feet hit the ground before it disappeared again, “What are you talking about?”

“Oops? Did I not mention that?” I replied, trying to roll my head away from his hand.

The tingles at the base of my skull finally stopped as his hand lifted only for him to grab my braid and pull until my face was tipped up to his, “Macha.”

Eyelids fluttering, my eyes rolled back at the sensation of a million little fireworks going off at the base of my skull and neck. Nails digging in his back, I could only thank the Divines that he couldn’t see shit. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I spoke normally but even I knew it lacked my normal bite, “Hair pulling? Again? What are you a hundred?”

“What did you do to the Lord?”

The bounce of the ground hitting my feet for a split second was enough to drag my mind completely out of the gutter, “Drop my braid and I’ll tell you. You’re still ugly to me.”

He let go of my braid to hold the back of my neck instead, “Since when?”

Ugh, so confident.“I gripped the Lord by the balls and crushed them in front of my entire court.” I replied, choosing to ignore his arrogance.

“…Literally?”

Laughing, I dropped my forehead on his chest, “No. He likes to control his wife. Lord Dunn made the mistake of doing that in my presence and I set him straight.”

“He talks down to his mate?” He questioned, disgust dripping off his tone.

“Yea, so don’t be surprised if he’s more than a little reluctant to side with us.”

“Noted.”

On the seventh time our feet hit the ground, a breeze smelling of salt and brine wafted over my warm skin. Pushing out of his hold, I turned towards the breeze and took a deep breath. I’d forgotten that Cathair was a port city on the coast of the Gorm Sea. Grinning at the air that seemed to pump life into my lungs, I threw my arms wide and closed my eyes to feel the breeze ghost over every one of my nerve endings. The winding fingers of the wind slipped between strands of my hair and cut through my tunic to caress the delicate skin of my stomach.

Soaking in the moment for as long as I could, I dropped my arms and opened my eyes at the awareness of others surrounding me. With me in the center, the soldiers of my company formed a wide circle with their backs towards me. Looking over their shoulders I saw that we were in the heart of the city. Wooden stalls filled with various goods for sale lined the road all the way up to the Estate gates. The Fae on the outside of my protective circle stopped to stare at me with a few fearful looks thrown Lilly’s way.

“Let’s move.” I called out, springing my soldiers into action.

Lilly glued himself a step behind my left side as the others formed into crowd blocking lines on either side of me. The citizens we passed looked unsure of our presence, probably because this was their first sign of the coming war. They’d no doubt heard whispers about me and Mab but in Tir Na Nog there were always whispers of a war. Me showing up in their city so boldly was giving them a heavy dose of their new reality.

Our procession moved slowly through the parting crowd of silent Fae. When we got within ten feet of the stone Estate, guards walked down to meet us. They didn’t speak but instead led us up past the main entrance and into the courtyard where the slam of the gate sounded out behind us. My eyes scanned over the area from the orange and brown tunics to the moss covered stone walls. A large D carved into the middle of the house’s double doors caused my brows to rise.

Tilting my head towards Lilly, I muttered, “If I ever become this pretentious, kill me.”

Like the good Acolyte he was pretending to be, he didn’t make a sound but I knew that he was laughing on the inside. He had to be, I was hilarious.

The wooden doors groaned and squealed as two guards pushed them open from inside. They followed the doors to stand on either side of the entrance while a couple flanked by more guards strode out to greet us. Lady Aoife Dunn was clothed in an old fashion ball gown the color of sea foam with a lacy black trim along the edges. Her orange hair streaked through with brown was piled high on her head with a lone curl resting against the left side of her chest. Aoife’s orange eyes took us in from her position slightly behind her husband as they stopped before us.

Lord Sean Dunn held his head high in his three piece suit with a handkerchief the same color of his wife’s dress in his breast pocket. His round brown eyes connected with mine in a way that had his lip curling, “So the rumors are true.”

“All the best ones are.” I winked, making the edge of Lady Dunn’s lips tilt upwards for a second.

The Lord’s brow furrowed, “You’ve been gone a long time, Macha. A lot has changed.”

“It’s Queen…or God if you prefer, Sean.” I replied, stepping out from between my guards to tower over his five ten height.

Eye to..sort of eye now, I could see the hate he held for me in his gaze, “Last I heard you were a wanted fugitive with no one and nothing on your side. The people of Tir Na Nog hate you.”

“Oh, Sean. Poor misinformed, living on the edge of nowhere, Sean.” I winced dramatically, enjoying how red his face was turning. “My full name is Macha O’Riodian, first born bastard of Mab. But more importantly, I’m the only daughter of the Divine Liar Malachy. Now help me out here, If I’m not mistaken that makes me a royal and a Divine. A God Queen if you will…”

“Blasphemy!” Lord Dunn exploded in rage. “I should cut your tongue from your lying mouth.”

Lilly stepped up beside me and pulled an axe from over his shoulder menacingly, but my attention was the Lady. Tilting my head a fraction, I watched her take a small step back from her furious husband and press a hand to the left side of her ribs while her eyes locked on the ground. Could it be? No. He wouldn’t dare. But like he said, I’d been gone a long time. Slowly, my narrowed eyes slid back to her husband as a cold feeling slithered over my mind.

“I’d like to go inside now.” I clipped, interrupting the Lord’s rant. Knocking my shoulder against his as I passed, I held out my elbow to Aoife, “Escort me, Lady Dunn.”

Eyes never leaving the ground, she gave a deep curtsy before placing a hand in the crook of my elbow, “Right this way, God Queen.”

Her heels clicked over the stone flooring of the court yard as we walked until the sound muted slighting on the Estate’s dark wooden flooring. Natural light streaming through the multiple open windows gave the sitting area, she led me into, a lively aura. The gray walls matched the white furniture and dark brown fireplace giving me a heavy ‘We live at the beach’ vibe. I could even hear the waves crashing against the rocky cliffs the city sat on.

The moment our feet stepped over the sitting room threshold, I slammed the sliding doors closed behind us with a half assed flick of my wrist. Aoife jumped at the sudden motion and released me to stand by the doors with her head tilted down. Her fingers twisted and knotted together as I turned to face her. The once lively and proud female, who wore pants and wielded a mace, was nowhere to be found.

“What happened while I was gone, Aoife?”

Her eyes flicked up to meet mine before she sped over to the couch and began fluffing pillows, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“What did he do to you?” I asked, the soft tone of her voice grating on my nerves. That wasn’t her natural voice.

“You shouldn’t say that. Lord Dunn might hear you.”

Walking up to the back of the couch, I ripped the pillow out of her hands, “I could give a fuck what Lord Dunn might hear. Is he hitting you?”

Her eyes snapped to the sealed sliding doors when a pounding shook the wood on its hinges. “No.” She whispered. “He wouldn’t do that.”

“My will is holding those doors shut, Aoife. There isn’t a soul alive that can force those doors open. It’s okay, you can tell me.”

“Lord Dunn is my mate. What you’re suggesting is disgusting and untrue.”

Softening my expression, I glanced at her shaking hands before meeting her orange eyes, “Aoife…I know he used to degrade you. Is it more than that now?”

“Lord Dunn loves me. He only wants what’s best for me.” She replied, taking a step further away from the pounding doors.

“You can trust me, Aoife.”

“Trust you?” She hissed quietly, her spine straightening and showing me a glimmer of her old self. “You? Why? Everything was fine, we were fine. Sure, he could be a little demeaning at times but nothing I couldn’t handle. You kept him in line, the hovering threat of punishment by your hand stopped him. Until you left.”

Tendrils of guilt and shame wrapped around my throat and tightened until I could barely breathe.

Bright orange eyes shimmered with fury behind a glassy film of tears, “You were my Queen, you promised to always protect us and then you left me alone with a monster.”

“I’m so sorry.” I choked out as my mind warred between fury and regret.

She took another step away from the door when yells joined the vibrating wood, “Are the rumors true? Are you going to war against Mab?”

“Yes.”

“And you really are a royal and a divine?” Aoife rushed out.

“Yes.”

Her eyes stayed pinned to the doors as she asked,“You want my soldiers? My loyalty again?”

“You don’t owe me anything-”

“You’re right but I could’ve left. I could have told you at any point before the battle that I wanted a separation but I didn’t. So, I’m telling you now. As my Queen and Divine, I want a separation in the eyes of your Court.” She announced frantically, pressing her back up against the back wall as the pounding at the door turned more aggressive.

“Done.”

Spinning on my heel, the sliding doors crashed back on their hinges with a swipe of my arm. Lord Dunn’s brown eyes widened as he stumbled through the entrance before his gaze caught on his wife. Cillian and Erick stepped around the frozen Lord to make their way over to my side. Guards from the hall poured into the room like a sea of blue, orange and brown to line the edges of our group.

“Acolyte, stand beside Lady Dunn. Her mate isn’t allowed near her.”

Eyes locked on the Lord, I felt Cillians presence shift through the room until he stood where I knew Lady Dunn was.

“What do you think you’re doing? You have no power in my Estate.” Sean snapped, eyes bouncing between me and Aoife.

Taking a step forward, I purred, “That’s where you’re wrong, Sean. Lady Dunn just named me her Queen and Divine. Which means the Estate is now under my domain and protection.”

“She doesn’t have the authority to do so.” He sputtered.

Reaching him, I started to wind around him in a tight circle, “The Dunn Estate belongs to Lady Dunn, passed down to her by her father. You have no rights here.”

Spine straightening, he tracked me from the corner of his eyes, “I don’t know what she’s said but it’s all lies.”

“Lies?” I whispered, letting my fingers trail across his chest. “You would call your mate a liar?”

“No, of course not. I just meant-“

Stopping behind him, I leaned in until our faces were side by side, “You just meant any accusations of abuse are false?”

“Yes! Exactly!”

“And how did you know she’d accuse you of abuse?”

“Wha-what?”

“Ooh, Sean.” I sighed, sliding a hand into his orange streaked hair. “You really are a fool, aren’t you?”

“I-”

Tightening my grip on his hair, I twisted and bent his head until we were eye to eye. “Do you remember the punishment for mates who take advantage of their partners in my court?” I murmured, softly.

His throat contracted thickly as his eyes did everything not to meet mine, “I didn’t do anything!”

“You didn’t do anything?” A voice interrupted harshly. “Then what’s this?”

Sliding my eyes to the side, I watched Aoife fist the material on the left side of her rib cage and tear the fabric. The skin peeking out from the tear in her dress was a greenish yellow bruise that was in the middle of healing. Soldiers in the room shifted uncomfortably at the sight and shifted hard eyes to the Lord.

Aoife pointed a finger at the darkest park of her bruised skin, “Anyone care to guess what this is? It’s the imprint of his ring.”

“Does anyone in this room oppose the Lord’s punishment?” I announced, scanning the room.

When no one opposed, Aoife stepped out from behind Cillian and demanded, “I want an Old World separation.”

The metal around my waist slithered up my body to melt into five clawed caps on the fingers of my right hand. Holding the wiggling Lord’s body tight with my left entangled in his hair, I raised my right hand to show him. Flexing my hand, I laughed loudly when he doubled his efforts to get free. Loosening my grip enough for him to turn his head forward, my right hand slid over his left pec.

“The punishment is always the same. Do you want to know why?” I purred, pressing the sharp tips over his heart. “Because with the first strike of their fist they shatter their mate’s heart. And in my opinion, I don’t think that entitles them to one of their own.”

Sinking the clawed tips of my fingers into his chest, I tightened my hold and hissed, “In the eyes of my Court, I, God Queen Macha, sanction this separation on the grounds of heinous acts committed by Sean Dunn to his mate Aoife Dunn.”

His struggling ramped up as I pushed my fingers up to the first knuckle into his chest. Slipping my arm around his neck in a chokehold, I ignored his screamed promises that he’d never do it again. Hooking my fingers, I squeezed the cloth and warm flesh in my hand before yanking it outwards. The mini-vibrations of muscle shredding apart spread over my palm while his blood dripped down my wrist.

Throwing the chunk of muscle at Aoife’s feet with a splat, I grinned at the look on her face. With more force, I spread my fingers and pushed the sharpened metal claws deep underneath the muscle. Tilting my head, I watched blood spill out and over my hand to stain the white dress shirt beneath his jacket. Fascination overcame me after ripping the third chunk of flesh from his chest.

“Shhhhhh.” I snapped, “You’re screaming right in my ear. I think I can hear your heartbeat.”

Chuckling a little, I tapped the spiked nail tips in the now gaping hole in his chest. The moment I tapped against something hard, I hummed and forcefully wrapped my hand around it. Pulling it forward with a wet crack, I held the white bone glistening with blood up for all to see. I casted a look over the sick looking crowd with a small smirk and tossed it Aoife.

Her pale hand snapped out and caught it as I joked, “Here. A souvenir.”

Burying my hand back in his chest, I wedged my hand between his ribs, “You have very soft insides, Sean. Is that weird to say?”

“P-please…stop.” He panted out before going slack.

“Good idea!” Releasing him to fall on the bloody floor, I kicked him over onto his back and straddled him. Pushing up my red stained sleeve, I gave him a slap that had his eyes blinking back open. “You’re going to want to see this.”

Shoving my hand into the hole in his chest and past his ribs, I squinted as I felt around for his heart. Mmmmm…no, that’s too long. Nope, that’s a rib…..I don’t know what the hell this is……AH HA. Carefully curling my fingers around the plump organ, I sliced through the arteries keeping it in his chest. The muscular organ contracted and pulsed in my palm like a fluttering bird as I pulled it free of his body.

Aoife clattered to her knees beside me to gaze at the organ with tears in her eyes, “This is it.”

“You know what to do.” I encouraged her with a smile.

Bright orange eyes shot to mine as she frantically nodded with a shaky grin. Slowly, I slipped the still beating heart into her cupped hands. After I was sure she had it, I yanked a barely conscious Sean up and held his head to face her. Locking eyes with him, she bared her sharpened teeth and bit into his heart. Blood smeared the sides of her mouth as she pulled a piece of the organ free and chewed.

The air around us vibrated with old magick and when she swallowed the old ritual did what it was meant to do. Before my very eyes, the brown streaks in her hair lightened and blended into her original color. She was officially separated. Frantically she pulled her hair free of the pins to search it for the streaks she once had, smearing it with blood.

Finding none, she lunged at me and knocked me clean off of her dead ex-mate. It took a moment for me to realize that she wasn’t attacking me but holding me tightly as her body shook with sobs.

“Thank Divines. Your back. You’re really back.”

Guilt clogged my throat as I ran a comforting hand over the back of her head and whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

——————————————————————————

Sorry! I feel like I kind of disappeared on y’all for minute there. Hopefully this extra long chapter make up for it! Rest assured, that you will get two more chapters this weekend. Those updates might spill over into early next week but you will get them! And finally, finally, we get some fucking gore! Am I right people??

As always, comment or like if you enjoyed the update!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Thirty: The Dinner Party

It was late afternoon the next day when I finally felt that Aoife was stable enough for us to leave. She had spent the entire night crying in relief between telling me about the horrible things that Sean had done to her. My stomach rolled during her tales, not only because it was her mate doing these things to her but because I had never thought about it. It never occurred to me that I unknowingly left some of my citizens in dangerous situations. I had been Aoife’s silent protector this entire time without knowing, who’s to say I wasn’t others as well? How many Fae had I left behind to face similar situations?

Clearing my throat at the knock on the bedroom door, I finished folding the tunic in my hands and called out, “Come in.”

“You wanted to see me, My Queen?” Erick asked, half inside the room with his hand hanging on the doorknob.

“Yes,” I replied, stuffing the tunic in my pack. “You and two other soldiers will be staying with Aoife.”

“All due respect, My Queen. But I’m a General, I’m sure there’s someone else who can babysit Lady Aoife.”

Stopping, I turned to look at him, “You think securing Lady Aoifes control over her Estate is babysitting? A woman who was just freed of her abusive mate, you want to leave her unprotected and in an unstable environment?”

“No, of course not.” He tried to reason. “But you don’t really need a General for this.”

“I wasn’t asking your thoughts, General. Aoife is the rightful heir to this Estate, yet the soldiers sworn to protect her family and this city allowed her mate to take over. I don’t trust them to wipe their own ass, let alone stay loyal to me and Aoife. You’ll be staying behind to stabilize the city under my name and weed out all the unworthy soldiers.”

His tan face lost its affronted expression once he realized the importance of his mission, “My Queen, forgive me. I didn’t mean-”

“If you think I can’t win this war or have what it takes to make the calculated decisions necessary, then leave. Otherwise don’t assume that I don’t know what I’m doing.” I remarked coldly.

His head bowed deeply, “Apologies, My Queen.”

Lip curling, I gave him my back as I restarted packing, “Go pick who will be staying with you.”

There was a pause before the door to my room shut with a metal click. Sighing, I looked at the rest of my clothes on the bed and grabbed a handful. Using one hand, I held the bag open and with the other I shoved the unfolded clothes inside. Pushing them down until I could close the top, I gazed at the bundle with a proud smile. Leaning forward, I ignored my braid sliding over my shoulder and grabbed my swords.

Standing straight, I held them by the handles and twisted them this way and that way. The blue metal glimmered and shined as they morphed into thick armbands from my wrists to elbows. Holding my arms out, I looked them over with a growing smirk before a thought entered my mind. With a harsh mental order, two inch tall spikes shot out from around my forearm bands with wickedly sharp points. Ooooooo, I thought, gazing at the pretty weapons. This is definitely a new piece to my body armor.

Retracting the spikes, I picked up my bag while the silver chains snapped around my hips. Giving the light brown and white room one last look, I walked out into the hall and retraced my steps from the night before. As I went, I noticed the paintings of Sean had been taken down leaving behind a square ring of dust and age on the wall. Boots thumping along the wooden floor, I turned to the right and started down the main hall to the Estate entrance.

Ten feet away standing beside the door stood Lady Aoife in another old fashioned ball gown. This one was a nice powder blue color with white puffy sleeves and a tighter bodice. Beyond her in the quartyard, my soldiers wandered about talking to each other or double checking their packs. Except for Cillian, who was heading towards me with what I knew to be a blank expression underneath his mask.

Stopping in front of Aoife, I met her puffy eyes with a warm smile, “How are you, Babes?”

“Better, My Queen.”

Lifting a hand, I used my pointer and middle finger to lift her chin high, “My General will be staying behind to make sure that your Estate returns to how it’s supposed to be. But don’t forget that your people need to see you take control again.”

“I will. Thank you, My Queen.” She responded, pushing her shoulders straight and meeting my eyes.

Grinning, I gave her shoulder a squeeze before moving past her to stand next to Cillian. Swinging my bag up, I slammed it against his chest and took a few more steps forward. Noticing my approach, the soldiers turned their attention to me and clumped together in an oddly shaped crowd.

“If you haven’t been picked by General Erick to stay behind with him then your next destination is Coill Beithe. The Murphy Estate. We’ll meet in the center of the city.”

This time the soldiers disappeared in pairs, probably finding it easier to travel with a partner then alone. Excessive traveling like we were doing could be disorienting to some which made having someone else with you an advantage. Ten soldiers of my new group of eighteen had left when a body pressed up against my back and a strong arm wrapped around my waist to grip my left hip.

Molded together from thigh to shoulder, I barely noticed the ground dropping out underneath me. Okay, this is ridiculous. I’m obviously touched-starved. That’s the only explanation for my reactions to his touch. The warmth from his body heated me up from the outside in as my awareness of him skyrocketed. Breathing normally, I waited in silence for him to say something while staring into the void.

“I wasn’t aware you knew the Old World tradition for separation.”

Relief flooded me as he saved us from an awkwardly tense travel, “Not a lot of people remember it but I do. Just in case.”

“Just in case?” He asked, my back vibrating with his deep timber.

I shrugged, “You know, for reasons like yesterday and in case my mate turns out to be a major dick. My taste in partners is a little…”

“Tragic?”

“Tragic?” I demanded, offended. “All my partners were beautifully….”

“Dull? Demented? Shitty?”

“Would you let me think.” I snapped. “Beautifully…short term.”

His chest bumped against my back as he huffed, “Have you ever even been in a relationship?”

“Yes,” I replied as I thought back fondly to my most recent ex. “She was a wildcard. A dark cloud to my thunder storm. We were together for almost fifty years.”

Cillian went rigid behind me but I dismissed the cause as our feet suddenly hitting the ground, “What happened?”

“We weren’t a good fit. It was fun while it lasted but it turned ugly towards the end. We both agreed to end it before we started to hate each other.”

“Did you love her?”

I hummed in thought, “I thought I did. But looking back, I realized that I was in love with the idea of her.” After a moment of silence, I asked, “What about you? Any relationships?”

“A few but I always felt like they were missing something.”

I laughed as his hand tightened on my hip, “You need to drop your high expectations, Lilly. Or you’ll never find a mate.”

“And you will?” He grunted.

I shook my head in amusement, “Definitely before you.”

“Sure, Cell Bate. We’ll both be old and wrinkly by the time we mate.”

When his words registered, I elbowed him in the gut, “You have a serious wording problem.”

“My wording is fine.”

A stupid smile fought to stretch itself across my face like I was some preteen Fae but I smacked it down in time. The golden glow of the sun burned my eyes as we finally reached our destination. Unlike the port city of Cathair, Coill Beithe was a mixture of browns and greens with crisp earthy air. The city was located in the middle of a forest much like my own camp and the Fae here excelled at camouflage.

Fae milled around us, staring as they went but for the most part looked unsurprised. It was obvious that the Murphy’s had put some weight behind the war rumors and alerted their citizens to stay vigilant. In the near distance, I could see the high log walls surrounding the Murphy’s Estate with their flag- Instead of seeing the expected split flag of black and purple, the bottom half was solid pink.

“Son of a bitch. They joined houses.” I blurted out. Shocking my soldiers, who were in the middle of forming crowd blocking lines on either side of me.

The edge of Cillian’s cloak brushed against the bare skin of my shoulder as he moved to stand beside me. Nudging his shoulder against mine, he nodded to the Estate.

Rolling my eyes at the not so stubble hint, I started the walk up to the Estate with the rest following on all sides. He didn’t get it. I wasn’t being dramatic about them joining houses…okay, I was. A little. But that’s only because the Murphys are going to want something else along with a council seat. And I wasn’t sure I wanted to give them a council seat. Lady Murphy was a power hungry bitch that wouldn’t be content with just the O’Sullivans to boss around. Which gave me a different idea.

The feeling of being watched intensified as we entered the thin trail leading up to the Estate. Pebbles and twigs lined the dirt path making it difficult to take even steps to the thick log gate. About two thirds of the way, I felt the air shift seconds before guards in the same color tunics as the flag dropped from the trees. My guards stiffened but refrained from pulling their weapons long enough for an Estate guard to approach.

“Queen Macha, the families have been expecting you.”

Oh, I bet they have. “Lead the way.”

The gray haired male bowed his head and turned to motion at his fellow soldiers. At his movement, the guards turned and followed him up the path while giving us a comfortable amount of space. Another motion from the lead guard had the large log gate creaking open enough for us to pass through to the courtyard. What looked to be a good sized garden lined the left half while a stable took up most of the space to our right.

The log Estate wasn’t overly impressive but it was bigger from what I remembered before I was imprisoned. Looking up at the burning sensation drilling into the side of my head, I found about ten guards lining the top of Estates walls with their eyes pinned to me. My shoulders tensed as I fought the scowl pulling at my lips, I didn’t appreciate the prison deja vu. I was getting an intense almost irrational urge to start a riot just to fuck with the guards.

A calloused hand slid over the sensitive skin of my wrist and pulled my attention away from the guards. I was mid head lift to look at Cillian, since I was sure he was the only one who’d risk touching me without permission, when a man entered the courtyard. The metal doors of the Estate entrance swung back underneath his touch as he passed over the threshold.

Dressed in brown leather trousers and the same tri-colored tunic as the others, the pale man strode up to us in a haughty manner. With his nose held up high and his back ramrod straight, he paused in front of the soldiers blocking him from getting closer to me. When it became clear they weren’t going to move out of his way, he looked at me through the gap between their arms.

The five foot something light yellow haired male then spoke in an arrogant tone, “The Murphy’s and the O’Sullivan’s are getting ready to sit down for dinner. You and your chosen second have been graciously invited to join them and to spend the night. The rest of your soldiers will be fed and housed in the barracks.”

With his voice grating on my nerves, I opened my mouth to respond when the uppity little fuck cut me off.

“This way, now. They’ve laid out the proper attire in fear that you’d appear to us like…this.” He said, looking me over with a grimace.

Apparently finished with me, he twisted on his heel and began to walk back into the Estate. It was only when the male was a few steps away from the entrance that he realized no one was following him. His light yellow eyes shot back to meet mine over his shoulder when he turned to look at us.

Brow raised, I refused to move from where I stood and told him as much with my eyes.

He seemed to fight with himself for a moment before slowly coming back to stand in front of my soldiers. “Is there a problem?” He asked, tilting his head to look past the soldiers to me.

“Tell me, Nameless. Are you suffering from memory loss?”

“Pardon?”

I forced a warm smile to curve my lips, “Because that could be the only reason as to why you just ordered me around like I was the stablehand’s daughter.”

He blinked and looked around at the stone-like faces staring back at him before slapping a hand to his head, “Of course. Please, forgive my forgetfulness. Queen Macha, if you’d follow me to your rooms?”

“Acolyte, with me. The rest of you, Nameless, will be back to show you to the barracks.” I replied, taking in his lowered eyelids and outstretched hand gesturing towards the Estate entrance.

Boots crunching over the rocky dirt of the courtyard, we followed the small male inside the cool interior of the Estate. The walls were made up of the horizontal curves of dark tree trunks with different kinds of amour tacked to the wood. Gold breast plates and bronze colored spears along with other items decorated the winding halls we were led down.

Until finally, Nameless stopped between two doors. Palm up, he held his hand in front of the door on the left, “Queen Macha, this is your room. Your attire for tonight is in the dresser.” Switching hands, he motioned to the door on the right, “Acolyte, this is your room. We assumed that your second would be a female so there’s no attire for your male and the rooms are adjoining. Is that alright, Queen Macha?”

“That’s fine.”

He nodded, “I’ll be back in thirty minutes to take you both to dinner.” With that said he headed down the hall and disappeared around the corner.

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A little peek into Macha’s past! And who else loves the Macha and Cillian private travel time? Cause I know I do.

As always, like or comment your thoughts on the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋