Chapter Sixty-One: Do What You Want 101

Glancing over my shoulder, I watched as the zipper rolled to a stop on it’s own in the gold gilded mirror. Straps made of silver chain sparkled in the low light connecting the back of my dress that stopped just below my shoulder blades. Turning with a click of my metal heels, I smoothed down the front with a childish grin. The tight black velvet corset hugged my chest enough to give the illusion of cleavage at the same time it clenched my waist. Connected to an equally as tight skirt that hugged my mid thigh before flaring out around my knees. A thin pattern of lace on each side exposed skin all the way up to my hip and matched the lace gloves that stopped above my elbows. It fit perfectly and was exactly what I was hoping for.

Grabbing one of the silver chains hovering patiently beside me, I broke a link to close it again around my hips. Wrinkling my nose at the look, I shrunk the chain until it was snug around my waist. Taking the other chain, I broke it in half and made a loop on each side of my hips. Pulling my hands away, I twisted my hips side to side to look at it as it swished against the tight fabric of the dress. What was it missing? Hmmmm. Inspiration from earlier struck me hard and I held out a hand towards the bed.

A small length of chain that I had twisted both of my swords into appeared in my hand with a small flash of blue light. Jumping a little, I blinked away the shock and the glare of the light. So that’s just happening now? Okay, then. Breaking the small blue chain in half, I pressed each half to the silver chain on either side of my hips and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath and then releasing it, I pictured exactly what I wanted the metal to shape into. When it began to twist and wiggle in my grip, I loosened my hold with a grin as it slipped from my grasp.

Opening my eyes, I gazed at the charms now dangling from my newly designed waist chain. Evenly spaced between the chain links, hung quarter sized metal medallions of my recently thought up crest. Silver lilies hung from the chain framed by little blue flames twisted around the petals of the lilies. They were a beautiful addition to my dress of black velvet and lace paired with silver chains. Lifting my hands, I straightened the blue diamond hanging from my neck and trailed my fingers over the scars littering my chest.

Puckered a light pink, the wounds underneath each of my collarbones weren’t quite healed. They broke through my back leaving a pair of identical scars on the other side that cut through the swirling design of my tattoos. Sliding a hand over to my heart, I pressed the lace covered tips of my fingers to the faded wound. The shine of the tattoos almost hid it completely unless you knew exactly what you were looking for. However, the long locks of my blue hair weaved through with braids and silver charms covered the scars on my back from view.

Humming, I slid my gaze to the mirror and stared into the eyes of a God. Royal blue, there was a sharpness that always seemed to linger in her gaze along with the reflective glint. Squinting, I tried to see what they all saw in her but I couldn’t see past the blue of her eyes. It could have been my imagination but they almost seemed to glow in a hypnotic way. Head tilting, I stepped closer to the mirror and curled my lips into my signature grin. Very Malachy-esque. I really was the female version of my father, though I’d argue that I was funnier and better looking.

A knock on the door ripped my gaze from the mirror and away from my thoughts, “Come in!”

Turning, I watched the door slowly swing back to reveal the vision in black standing there. Clad in a black long sleeved coat with a high collar and the matching slacks, he was practically edible. Though, plain looking at first glance the elegance was in the details. Dark blue stitching highlighted the coat’s design and the large C embroidered over his heart. His twin battle axes, no longer hidden by their silver coating, gave an extra pop of color to his all black attire peeking up from over his shoulders.

“You look stunning.”

Meeting his eyes, I was proud that I only got distracted for a second when I noticed his freshly shaved jaw. So brutally sharp. “And you look ediblily handsome.”

“You think so? Enough to be on the arm of a God?” He smirked.

I laughed and walked over to the bed, “Not yet, Lilly. You’re missing a few things.”

“I noticed but this was all that was in the garment bag.”

Hearing the disappointment in his voice, I smiled warmly and grabbed his accessories, “That’s because I have them.”

“Oh.”

Swiveling on my heel, I headed towards him with the long chain in hand. Hips swaying, I listened to the charms clink while smirking at the way Lilly’s gaze seemed riveted there. Stopping in his personal space, I started pulling the blue chain through one of the small black loops sitting on top of his right shoulder.

“Have I ever told you how much I like your waist chains?”

Smothering a laugh, I stepped closer to guide the chain across his back and under his sheath, “No, you haven’t.”

“I especially enjoy how they’re silver. Why is that?” He asked, his deep baritone a rumble.

Pushing the chain through the next loop on his shoulder, I murmured, “I’ve always worn silver. The color has always appealed to me.”

Cillian hummed in response and then I felt his fingers slipping through my hair, tapping the silver charms littered there.

Finished with the chain, I dropped my hands to my waist chain and plucked two charms from the links. Others were already replacing the ones I took as I lifted them to his high collar. One at a time, I pinned them to each side of his throat. Unbuttoning the top button, I pulled the sides apart to settle more comfortably around his neck before smoothing out his coat. Stepping back, I looked him over critically and fixed the blue chains dropping from his right shoulder to his left hip.

With a nodd, I announced, “Now, you look fit to be on the arm of a God. And very Kingly, if I might add.”

His expression sobered into a blank mask that I had gotten used to not being directed at me, “I can’t be King in the event of your death, Macha.”

“You have to be.”

“I’m not like you, Cell Bait. I have no desire to be in power, my strengths lie in following orders.”

I snorted in disagreement, “Lilly, you have rarely followed my orders at any given time. You actually bark more orders than you take.”

He shook his head, “That’s different. That doesn’t make me a King.”

“You are the only one I trust to steer Tir Na Nog on the right path if I die. You can abdicate the throne at a later date if you want, to someone you trust but it needs to be you.”

“I have no idea who I’ll be if you die and neither do you. I could shut down on myself, I could become a tyrant, I could- I don’t know but I’m not fit to be King of the Realm.” Cillian repiled, his large hand coming up to grip my hips and pull me against him.

Placing my hands flat on his chest to give us some distance, I looked him directly in the eye and responded, “Then we have a serious problem.”

Silver eyes scanned my expression as emotion leaked back into his face, “What do you mean?”

“We’re mates, Lilly. I’m a Divine and soon to be Queen of the Realm. Being mated to me is going to put you in a position of power. A position, you apparently are just now telling me you don’t want.”

“That’s not true. I don’t have a problem being your King Consort, I just-”

I shook my head, “You can’t be my King Consort.”

Lilly eyed me cautiously, his grip slipping a little on my hips, “What?”

“I’m going to take Puck as my King Consort.”

This time his hands did fall from away from me as he took a step back, a blankness quickly hiding the emotions in his eyes, “What the fuck are you talking about, Macha?”

“Bad wording, bad wording.” Holding up my hands in placating manor, I pushed away the ache in my chest at his look, “Listen before you freak out. Oberon and Fiadh enlightened me on something earlier. The Seelie will never settle, they will never fully come to terms with my rule if I don’t have a Seelie at my side. Puck is the perfect choice. He’s of the royal family, he’s already in a relationship with Bria and I’m pretty sure he’s the Kingdoms sweetheart. But instead of claiming the title of King Consort, I’m changing it to Divine Confidant.”

Silver brows pulled together, “Explain. Quickly. What a Divine Confidant is.”

“It’s basically King Consort renamed. He’d be a figurehead to the Realm to make the Seelie feel appropriately acknowledged but it wouldn’t be seen as an intimate relationship. Me and Puck’s current dynamic wouldn’t change, he’d just get a fancy title for being a friend.”

He took a deep breath and released it, “And you say my wording is shit.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.”

Reaching out, he hooked his fingers in my chains and tugged me to him. Dropping his forehead against mine, he asked, “If you demolish the title of King Consort, where does that leave me? As your mate?”

“As my King and mate.”

“Macha…”

“I know, you don’t want to be King. But would you really be satisfied as being a footnote in Fae history when you’re so much more than that? Would you be satisfied with barely being mentioned? I wouldn’t. You should be mentioned just as much as me.” Seeing him waver, I continued, “You’d have the same responsibilities you have now. Making sure I don’t burn myself out, make the wrong decision or kill everyone. That’s it. Everything else I’ll take care of, unless you want to take on more. Hell, you can just be King in name and eat grapes by the pool all day if you wanted. But I need you to take on the title.”

His hand pressed against my neck, his thumb rubbing over my jaw, “Why?”

I furrowed my brows at the ridiculous question, “Because we’ve always been equals.”

Lilly crushed his lips to mine at the same time his hand slipped back to grip the hair at the base of my neck. The little tinges of pain sent desire racing through my veins and I crossed my wrists lazily behind his head to bring us closer. Angling my head to the side, I opened my mouth in response to his teasing tongue and let him in. A brief fight for dominance began before he ended it by yanking my left leg up around his waist. Fitting us impossibly closer, his tongue plunged deeper into my mouth as he started grinding his hips into me. Gasping into the kiss, I dropped my hand to the buttons of his coat when he abruptly pulled back.

“We can’t.”

“We can, actually.” I replied, trying to pull him back. “It’s called two consenting adults who mutually agree to get each other off. Preferably with a little kink thrown in.”

He laughed, flashing that bright smile of his, “I mean, we literally can’t. We have a ball in your honor to attend, Cell Bait.”

“And?”

“And, we have to go.” He said, snagging my wrist and pulling me toward the door.

Dragging my feet, I whined, “But why, Lilly? All they do is smile, it’s fucking creepy.”

“Because as the future King of the Realm, it’s my duty to get the Queen to her event on time.”

“Really?” I perked up, grinning at him. “You’ll do it? You’ll take on the title?”

Sending me a smile from over his shoulder, he cockily replied, “It took a second but I could get used to ordering an army around.”

“Oh, so you get the army? What do I get?”

Turning completely to face me, he pulled me closer, “Council meetings, diplomatic events, prison sentencing, an entire realm….”

Unimpressed, I arched a brow, “In other words, everything you don’t want to do?”

“You’re almost too smart for words, Cell Bait.” He grinned, bending slightly to pull my dress back down from where it had hiked up during our disappointingly brief makeout.

Laughing, I shoved his shoulder, “Fuck you.”

Straightening up, Lilly leaned in to whisper, “Maybe later.” Dumbfounded, I stared as he gave me his back and opened the door before motioning me forward, “Come on, we can’t be late.”

My head fell back with a loud groan,“Biggest fucking tease ever.”

He laughed in return and started pulling me through the halls.

…………….

By the time we arrived at the large glass doors with the rest of the group, the ball was in full swing. Through the glass, I could see hundreds of blue butterflies flapping freely through the air underneath the large chandeliers. Three in total, twisted from white gold and dripping in summer inspired jewels that sparkled in the candle light. Fae nobility milled about between cream and gold decorated tables below the thrones positioned across the room on a raised dais. Flowy pastel colored dresses swished around smiling ladies as their lords in matching colors spun them across the dance floor. Near the band with their backs to the glass wall behind them, that showcased the Castle’s lavish gardens, that played a light happy tune.

“This ball sucks. Why is everyone fully dressed? Where are the Nymphs? I don’t even see one bottle of sugared alcohol!”

“I second that.”

Grumpy sneered up at me, dressed in a little all black tux, “Don’t agree with me, Grape Head.”

“I will punt your ass through those glass doors, Pixie.”

“I hate you for bringing me here!” He snapped, stomping a tiny booted foot.

Flipping him off, I snapped back, “Your not my kid so I don’t fucking care!”

Bria stepped up beside us, “I might have to second that, Macha. What’s with the music? Where’s the bass?”

I side-eyed her, taking in the tight knee length black leather dress she wore, “That’s what you’re wearing to meet your boyfriend’s parents for the first time?”

“What’s wrong with it? I should have gone with the semi-sheer one, huh?” She questioned nervously, running a hand over her straight dark green hair. “This one matches my hair better though.”

“No, it’s perfect. Your tits look great but isn’t that a little too long for a ‘meet the parents’? They’re going to think you’re a prude. I’d have gone with a hem right below the ass.”

Cillian made a nose in the back of his throat causing me to look over at the grimace on his face, “Do. Not. Tell my baby sister her tits look great, Cell Bait. And the length of her dress is fine.”

“What? I can’t compliment her?”

“Yea.” Bria smirked. “She can’t tell me my tits look great if they look great?”

His bewildered look as his silver eyes shot between us had me suppressing a laugh but Afric saved him from answering. The bare chested Banshee came swirling to a stop in front of us, “A ball is not a ball without the bell, Death God. And this ball needs a splash of Unseelie spirit.”

For a moment, I could only stare, “Afric, is this your Ball attire?”

His long black hair hung freely down his bare back as leather straps cross-crossed over his pale chest. Black leather pants hugged his skinny legs and disappeared into thick leather boots with silver metal over the toes. The long staff in his left hand dipped as he leaned over to look at himself before his yellow tinged eyes lined in blue kohl looked up at me, “Yes. I’m glad my second told me to bring it. Could you imagine the embarrassment if I had to wear my robes?”

“I could. Thank Divines, I would have been embarrassed for you.”

Are you being sarcastic?

I shot Lilly a curious look, Not at all. Why? Did I sound like I was?

No, you didn’t. That’s why I asked.

“No more chatter, Critters. Let’s get this shitty party over with.” Coaimhe announced, brushing past us in her dark blue tunic and leather trousers.

Eye twitching, I gripped Cillian’s arm to steady myself and raised a heeled foot before slamming it against her lower back. Taken by surprise, she lurched forward gracelessly and crashed through the glass doors. The shattering glass caught the entire ball’s attention and a hundred or so Fae watched her Troll ass roll down the staircase. As she landed in a heap at the bottom, their eyes flicked up to us drawn by the sound of Afric’s laughter and the Kelpie’s amused naying.

Dropping my leg, I fixed my dress with a smile and sent them a wave I saw on the human’s princess shows. With a nudge, Lilly began leading me down the short flight of stairs while the Seelie recovered. A rainbow of colored eyes were pinned on our descent and I caught a few wandering eyes on my legs. And what a pair my legs were. But I had a feeling it had more to do with how everyone was covered up like prudes except for my group. Ifreann, even Cillian was showing more skin than these men and his collarbones were just barely peeking out of his coat.

Reaching the bottom, I plucked a long stemmed flute from a red haired male and sent him a wink, “Thanks, Babes. All this starring is making me parched.”

My metal heels clicking over glass flooring sounded ominous as the Fae parted, creating a path to the Seelie Royalty. Puck waved wildly as we approached, sitting at a long table below his parents’ thrones. His older brother with wheat colored hair sat in the middle of the table directly below Oberon with a large grin aimed in our direction. Taking a sip from the glass, I grimaced and tossed it over my shoulder to hear it land with a crash. Gross, sugared champagne.

“Not to the Unbreakable Divines liking?” Oberon’s booming voice echoed through the grand hall with a chuckle.

The charms around my hips clinked together as we stalked closer. With a teasing grin, I called out, “I prefer-”

“Sugared Whiskey!” A feminine voice squeaked out.

I blinked as the ballroom erupted into soft laughter that turned the young girls’ tanned cheeks a muted red. Light auburn hair was braided back against her scalp tightly in long shiny looking braids that disappeared behind her covered shoulders. She wore a long sleeved forest green dress decorated in gold embroidery that brought out the color of her eyes surrounded by her rounded features. But the wink of silver paint swirled over her fingers and palms had amusement thrumming through me.

The rest of the Fae in attendance had gone back to their conversations and laughter by the time we reached the table. Coming to a stop in front of the embarrassed child, I offered her my hand, “I don’t believe we’ve met, Babes. My name is-”

She shot to her feet knocking the table with her knees and gripped my hand, “Macha O’Riordan. Your Macha O’Riordan, the Bastard Queen, the Blue Devil of the Unseelie, the Banished Queen of the Outerlands, the Unbreakable Divine, the-”

“Babes, if you repeat all my names we’re going to be here for a while.” I laughed as she continued to shake my hand zealously.

Wide auburn eyes blinked up at me, “Right, right. You must get that a lot, sorry.”

“Actually, I get a lot of Fae trying to drive a sword through my chest. Not too many want to shake my hand.” When she continued to stare, I gently prodded, “And your name, Babes?”

“Oh! My name is Aine and this is my twin Eire.” She replied, finally releasing my hand to gesture to the girl beside her. An exact replica of one another, I raised a brow in growing amusement at the way the girl sat there gawking up at me.

This place is bad for your ego.

Funny, I had the complete opposite thought a few hours ago.

Cillian snorted softly when the girl finally snapped out of it to stand, hitting the table with her knees like her twin had. Eire grabbed my gloved hand in both of hers when offered and shook it frantically, “I’m Eire. It’s an absolute honor to meet you, Your Divinity.”

“Thank you, Eire. It’s nice to meet you both as well. I love the silver paint.” I grinned, pulling my hand way to motion towards Cillian, who still had my other hand resting in his elbow. “This is my Commander, Cillian Grymes.”

Two pairs of auburn eyes shifted to him and they grinned while Eire said, “We know who you are too.”

“You do?” He asked, raising a silver brow.

Aine bounced on her toes, “Are you kidding? You’re legendary among the soldiers, you’re the Commander of a Divine’s army. You spend every minute with her, everyone wants to be you! Plus they say you’re otherworldly with a battle axe.”

Someone has a fannnnn….

His lips twitched, “You must be the one that wants to be a soldier. What’s your weapon of choice?”

Her eyes flicked to me quickly and then away before murmuring with tinted cheeks, “Twin swords.”

“Excellent choice, Babes. A little tip, flexibility goes a long way when wielding two weapons at once.”

She nodded rapidly, soaking in my words like a sponge and then her eyes widened, “Where are my manners! Please sit, sit!”

We rounded the table as they pushed the chairs around to make room for us. My gaze ran the length of the table finding the rest of our group already sitting and looking bored. Well except for Afric, who was blathering something that was causing the Crowned Prince to blush deeply and Bria, who was up on the dais talking to Pucks parents. Sliding into the seat Cillian pulled out for me, we sat side by side sandwiched between the twins. It took only seconds for us to be pulled into conversation, me with Eire as Cillian and Aine spoke about soldier things.

“You shouldn’t want to be me, Babes.” I replied in response to Eire shy admission.

Her head tilted, “Why not? You’re a God and you’re going to the Queen of the Realm. Why wouldn’t I want to be you?”

“I’m a villain to half the realm, my past is tainted in blood and pain. That paint might be pretty but don’t forget what it is. It’s a prison sentence that spans my entire body, not a God thing.”

Eire’s face fell slightly, “You’re right, I don’t want to be you. I don’t think I could go through all that. But I do want to be like you.”

“In what way?”

Her lips parted in reply but something caught her eye bringing a shadow to the unique shade. Following her gaze, I saw a smiling black haired male dancing with a light gray haired female. They spun past the table with a laugh in their light colored attire and didn’t spare the younger female beside me a glance. Shaking it off, Eire looked at me, “You’re so free. I mean, you shoved a Troll down a flight of stairs and then princess waved at us like nothing happened. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to do something so…spontaneous.”

Humming in thought, I asked, “Babes, you can do anything you want. Your royalty. What’s holding you back?”

“I don’t know. It wouldn’t be proper.”

I snorted, “Screw that. There’s two lessons I learned at an age younger than you are now. If you want something, you fight and kill for it. If you want to do something, you do it. What the fuck are they going to do about it? Not a Divine’s damned thing if they’re dead.” When she blinked in reply, I asked, “Was it the girl or the boy you were looking at?”

“Boy.” She sighed. “His name’s Padraig, he’s from a Noble family.”

“You like him.” It wasn’t a question, I had seen the look in her eye. It reminded me of how I used to look at Cillian when I was her age. She adored him.

“It isn’t proper. He’s from a less prominent family, I’d be marrying down and that isn’t allowed.”

“By who?”

“The Court, my father.”

I laughed, “Babes, who cares about them? Fuck them! If he’s who you want, then give it a shot.”

She sputtered, “But- No, I couldn’t possibly.”

“You said you wanted to be like me, right?” Twisting to face her in my chair, “Tell me what you want.”

“Huh?”

Grabbing her shoulders, I shook her with a grin, “Don’t think, don’t second guess. What. Do. You. Want?”

“Too loosen this insufferable dress.” She blurted and then immediately clapped a hand over her mouth.

Laughing, I raised a gloved hand and the blue rings taking the shape of a knife, “Allow me.” Leaning forward, I gripped the hem of her long sleeved white gold dress and created a slit up to her mid thigh.

She gasped and touched the fabric with a giggle, “Oh my Divines! I can’t believe we just did that!”

“Did what?” Cillian noisily questioned. “Macha, what are you two doing?”

Smirking at her, I replied, “Bringing a Seelie to life, Lilly. What’s next, Babes?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Wellll, you did say you wanted to be like me right?” I hummed with a wicked grin as the knife slipped back over my lace covered knuckles and back into their ringed shapes. “So, let’s dance. And that’s an order, you can’t deny a God.”

Standing, I held out a hand for her to take and hooked my heel in the chair. Eyes began to wander to us as she stood up and took my hand while I spun the chair with a screech. Hiking up my gown, I placed a silver heel on the seat of the chair and climbed up onto the table. With my grip on her hand, Eire was forced to climb up after me as everyone looked at us. Laughing, I let go of her to twirl across the table kicking vases and plates as I went. With a hesitant grin and glance around the silent room Eire copied my movements, sending decorative pieces crashing to the floor.

Humming an old tune, I reached the end of the table and pointed down at Afric, “Deep and slow, it’ll pump through your veins!”

Unseelie began to slam their fists into the table in a beat as Afric leaped up beside me, “Intoxicating and seductive, it’ll take control!”

“Wild and unpredictable, it’ll bleed into your soul!” Bria screamed with a laugh, grabbing Puck and pulling him to the dance floor.

Flinging a hand towards the band, the metal of their instruments started to move on their own. A deep pulsing beat with a rhythmic crash of the drums started to echo through the ballroom, vibrating the glass flooring. Raising my arms in a twisting movement, I nodded to Eire and laughed as she copied me again. Swaying my hips to the beat, I grabbed her hand and twirled Eire before dropping her in a low dip that had her giggling.

“The power of the Fae, it can’t be contained!” Grumpy chanted, riding past us to the dance floor atop the Kelpie.

Flinging Eire into Afric arms, I crooked a finger down at an reluctantly amused Cillian, “So, come with us! To Tir Na Nog! Where we dance all night and play all day!”

Taking me by surprise, Lilly jumped up beside me before grabbing my hand and moving us to the fast beat, “We promise not to bite! So just come for the night!”

Laughing as our feet stomped and twisted on the white table cloth, I called out, “Forget what you heard! We’re the sweetest of our kind! Let’s make a deal smoother than sugar wine!”

“Who are we, you ask!” Bria yelled from the center of the dance floor, helping Puck quickly learn the steps.

Seelie slowly began to trickle onto the dance floor with small chuckles as they started up their own version of the dance. Fae twirled and twisted on their feet quickly matching the pace of the beat as it continuously got faster. My blue hair jumped and whipped around me as Lilly and I danced across the table from end to end. Grinning, I slipped my hands into his as our feet kicked and stomped in an intricate dance long forgotten and forbidden. The one used to lure humans dancing to their graves.

Caoimhe thumped onto the dance floor with an ecstatic looking Aine on her shoulders, “Why, sweet human! We’re the Unseelie! Pure of heart and honest words!”

“You’re unsure, you say! Look at us! Would we lie to you?” I laughingly screamed out the line and like always malicious snickers filled the air as our sharpened teeth slipped free.

This time every Fae in the ballroom called out, making the room swell with more than twirling skirts and fanning hair, “Oops, your feet moved to the beat! Now, you’ll dance until you die! Little Human, don’t cry! Didn’t they teach you that the Fae alway lie?”

Cackling in glee, I saw the glow of my eyes reflect off Cillian’s own grinning face. From the corner of my eye, I could see my small group of Unseelie meshing with the Seelie seamlessly. They learned each other’s movements until a mix of the two dances emerged and everyone danced to the quick beat in the same way. Even the royal couple got to their feet and danced in front of their thrones. The dance floor was practically a blur of movement and my heart swelled to see everyone having fun for once.

“Only you could sing an outlawed song and not have it blow up in our faces, Cell Bait.” Cillian grinned, sharpened teeth gleaming in the candlelight.

Did I ever tell you how proud I am of you?

Huh?

You’ve really come out of your shell, Cillian. That couldn’t have been easy. I’m proud of you.

Pausing in his movements, we stared deeply into one another’s eyes and I watched his’ actually soften as he looked at me. The moment must have been too much for him because the next thing I knew, I was in a very deep dip with one leg wrapped around his hip.

I raised a brow, “If you needed a break old man, you could’ve just said so.”

“We’re practically the same age.” He scoffed.

“No, we are not. One of us is much closer to four thousand than the other.”

He rolled his eyes, “Three thousand six hundred and seventy is not that close.”

I barked a laugh, “It’s a fuck ton closer than two thousand nine hundred and sixty-six.”

“You guys are seven hundred years apart? Me and Bria are only sixty!”

Turning my head, I squinted at a stunned looking Puck before looking back at Cillian, “Now, do you see why I get so annoyed? It’s up there but it’s definitely not the biggest age gap in Fae history.”

“It’s not?” Puck exclaimed, bug-eyed. “How is that legal? Shouldn’t there be laws against this? Because I feel like there should be laws against this.”

“Bria!” Cillian roared. “Come get your Seelie! Now!”

Spinning to a stop beside him, Bria pulled Puck back into the dancing fray with her.

I laughed as Cillian shook his head but missed what he said when a bright flash of light caught my eye. It was the color that yanked my attention and caused my heart to skip a beat. Arching my back further, I stared out the glass wall behind the memberless band in grim silence. Lilly slowly pulled me back to my feet, my hands clutching his biceps as his wound around my waist. Our eyes never left the floor to ceiling window and I barely noticed when the music came to a fading end. A heavy silence fell over the room sucking the joy from the ballroom as everyone gazed out the window.

Above the colorful blooming garden, off in the far distance, the very tip of the Unseelie Kingdom was visible. But it was the storm raging above the center of the kingdom that stole everyone’s breath. Dark swollen clouds rolled over the sky flickering with electricity, casting the Kingdom into darkness. With the music no longer playing, a faint sound like crashing waves could be heard along with the ear shattering cracks of lighting. Deep purple flashes of lightning spider webbed across the sky before they flashed and struck the ground at random intervals.

Mab’s rage ravaged across her Kingdom in a powerful show of cruelty. Her paranoia had finally won out at the news of a double betrayal, which meant those weren’t crashing waves we heard.

They were her citizen’s screams of terror.

Swallowing, I broke the silence of the ballroom, “The war has officially begun.”

——————————————————————————

Okay, I don’t know how Macha’s time at the Seelie Kingdom turned into a musical but…I’m not mad at it. And that last scene…y’all I gave myself chills, lol.

As always, feel free to comment if you enjoyed the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Two: On The Front Lines

Panting, I tried to keep my breathing quiet while searching the shadows of the trees. The men and women beside me tried their best to do the same as they patched up those who had gotten injured. Gripping the tree, I gritted my teeth at the pain shooting up my left leg from the deep gash on the back of my calf. Fucking Gnomes and their fucking biting. Who the fuck bites anymore? My eyes flew down at the touch to my ankle and I instantly went to shoo away the medic’s third attempt to bandage the wound. But the sight of tightly spiraled silver curls stopped me in my tracks and I allowed him to continue.

On one knee behind me, a dirt covered Cillian ripped the sleeve from his blood stained tunic. Shoulders curled in fatigue, he grabbed his cantine of water and poured some out on the sleeve. Winding it around my calf over the wound, I grimaced as he yanked it tight and tied it off. Pulling my cantine of water from my waist chain, I held it up over my shoulder for him to take when he got to his feet and leaned against me. His deep gulps caused his chest to brush against my back and I felt the droplets of water that missed his mouth soak into the shoulder of my tunic.

Ever since we had left Seelie territory two days ago, we’d been fighting in battle after battle without a break. Mab’s troops pushed beyond territories slaughtering entire villages and cities in search of our camp. There were even public bounties on me and Cillian’s heads, worth over five million gold pieces for just mine alone. I thought it was funny but Lilly informed me that Mab putting a price out on us was not amusing to him. What wasn’t amusing to me however, were the innocents dying in her quest to find our main base.

So while my troops did their best to protect the cities and evacuate villages, we attacked Mab’s bases. Seven in two days and the troops with me were growing tired. Many of them had been replaced with fresh soldiers when they needed to rest or were too severely injured to continue. Others like me and Cillian had held out, reassuring everyone that they were okay to continue. Some of them fought with their families in mind giving them strength and others fought with a burning sense of duty in their souls. No one wanted to allow a future where Mab ruled the realm.

“The base is twenty feet in front of us. Fifty soldiers inside.” Cillian rasped out, handing me back my cantine.

I took a swig before clipping it back to my chains, “I know. This is our last one and then we head back to camp.”

“Good. We could all use a few hours of sleep.”

I nodded and then shoved away from the tree, crouching in a low sprint through the bushes. Soldiers in royal blue tunics peeled away from the trees and followed after me. Cillian was close enough that I could hear his boots crunching the grass right behind me. Keeping low to the ground, my swords slipped down my back and over my arms to solidify once again in my palms. Flames from torches began appearing between the trees the closer we got to base.

With the sun going down, the soldiers must have started lighting the torches along the perimeter in early preparation for tonight. Pressing against the closest tree trunk, I peered around the side of it and motioned the others to stay down. Soldiers in purple walked the perimeter in pairs creating the first line of defense for the tents behind them. The tent design of the base would make it easier to take down than the concrete compounds at other bases.

Raising my hands just enough for the others to see, I angled my hands in an upside down V before sliding one hand under the other. Wiggling my fingers of the hand on top, I waited until I was sure everyone saw it, including Cillian, and then moved. Seelies with the ability to bend fire beneath their will shadowed me closely. As a small team of ten, it was much easier to move around to the back of the base without the thirty-five others accompanying us. Without a word, we left the shadows of the trees and positioned ourselves behind a pair of soldiers.

Flipping my grip on a sword, I swung my right arm out and slashed the blade through their spinal cords in a violent motion. And that’s why we don’t stand side to side with our backs to the forest when on perimeter duty, kiddos. Stepping over their bodies that crumpled to the ground like wet wood, I caught the gaze of a frozen soldier and smiled. Before he could shout or cry out, I cut the tip of my sword over the dirt in his direction. A thin line of blue flames raced over the ground towards him and obliterated him with a boom the second it made contact with his boots.

Warning yells rang through the base as the Seelies with me began exercising their abilities. Balls of angry red flames ripped through purple and white tents like paper. Smoke quickly thickened the air as multiple tents in the camp erupted into flames. Balls of ice and water were flung back at us in an effort to extinguish the flames to no use. Pushing past the pain, I ran towards a circling group of Fae and flung a sword their way. It broke apart midair and pierced each Fae through a vital organ as a large female raced towards me.

Even as exhausted as I was, I couldn’t help the grin that crawled over my face. Calling my sword back to my hand, I crossed the blades in time to block the yellow dagger hurled my way. With a ping it flew back to its owner and she hurled it at me again, this time connected to a thin chain. The dagger whistled through the air like a whip and I dodged the initial hit with a well timed front flip but it caught my side on the pull back.

Hissing, I caught the chain the next time she tossed it and yanked her forward. Dropping my swords, I pulled my fist back and gave the bitch two jabs to the jaw. Dazed she fell back a step as I swung the chain around her neck and pulled. Choking, she grabbed the yellow chain in an effort to free it from me. Grinning, I went to give it a final yank when a glint of metal flickered in the bottom of my vision. Throwing my head back, I gritted my teeth at the stinging line of pain that erupted on my chin. The yellow dagger flew higher into the air between us before I ripped it from her will with a snap and willed it back down.

The dagger slammed into the middle of her forehead up to the hilt and I dropped the metal. Swiping the back of my hand against my chin, I sneered at the blood on my skin and called my swords back into my palms. The second wave of my soldiers had flooded the base taking advantage of the panic that the fire had caused. A few feet away, Cillian cut his way through a small crowd of soldiers with his blue axes making it impossible for them to be ripped from him. Twirling my swords, I looked for my next victim but a dull roar stole my attention.

Turning around at the sound, I raised a brow at the line of Unseelie standing about ten feet away. Hands linked together, the large mass of water above their heads swished in an angry mimic of their combined wills. It wasn’t something my kind did often but when another Fae’s will was too strong, they worked together. As I watched, the water mass curled and hardened into large shards of ice that hovered with their points in my direction. Taking a deep breath, I released it and relaxed my body pushing away all the tension that had gathered in my muscles.

My swords slithered down to cover my arms and molded over my chest in a thin flexible breast plate. Eyeing them, I cracked my neck and bent my knees, “What? You waiting for a fucking formal invitation, Babes?”

A few broke, their short tempers snapping them into action and sending ice shards whistling towards me. Bending quickly to the side, I felt an ice spear grate against the metal covering my side. Lip curling, I threw my body to the left and hit the ground in a roll as ice shards pelted the earth behind me. The earth turned springy underneath me, giving me enough bounce to propel myself on to my feet at a dead run. Leaping with a twist, I turned my shoulders in line with my legs and narrowly slid between two sheets of sharp ice.

Laughing, I twisted on my heel and pushed my will over the water but a sneaky shard slammed into my shoulder knocking me off balance. Arms pinwheeling, the ground underneath me shot me into the sky causing me to flip repeatedly through the air. Ice followed me, piercing through the sky around me with a whistle at an unnatural speed. Wheeee, I thought with a grin. Spinning my body in a flip, I pressed my hands together and dived back to the ground. Using my arms, I maneuvered around the shards still racing towards me before I finally managed to get it beneath my control.

Water and ice began to circle around my descent as the Fae on the ground started to scurry for cover. Spreading my fingers out, thin shards of ice hailed to the ground in deadly precision. Fae in purple tunics abruptly dropped to the ground with spikes of ice poking out from their chests or necks. Ten feet from face planting harshly into the ground, a hole opened up and swallowed me whole. Dirt pushed against the bottoms of my feet, propelling me in an underground dive until the tunnel I created curved upwards. The golden light of dusk met my eyes once more as the earth opened up and spit me back out.

Taking a deep breath of air, my boots hit a solid surface when I fell the five feet back to the ground. Coughing, I pulled the metal holder from my hair and shook out the long locks. Little clumps of dirt fell from the grit dulled blue strands and I started slapping my hands over my clothing. Dirt plumed from off the fabric making me shake my head in distaste, metal rolling over my limbs to reform into my swords. Giving them a glance, I dropped my grip on them and watched them glide over my head to slide back into their sheath.

“Macha!”

Head snapping to the left, I squinted through the smoke to see a flash of silver. Feeling lazy, I closed my eyes and traveled to his side. A brief sense of weightlessness was all I got and then my boots were connecting with the dirt once more. Eyes opening, I glanced over the two short rows of soldiers in purple kneeling in the blood clumped ash and dirt.

“This is all that’s left of the base.”

Nodding, I stepped forward, “You have a choice to make. You can either join me or you can die on your knees for a Queen who would never do the same.”

“Long Live Queen Mab!” A male with brown hair shouted pridefully.

I shook my head in disappointment as a blue axe embedded itself in his chest. Looking them all in the eye, I grew frustrated at their stubborn expressions, “What do you see her? Why give your loyalty to a Queen who just decimated a good portion of her Kingdom two days ago? Where is your Queen now? Because she sure as shit isn’t fighting alongside you! Is it fear that grips you? Speak up! Don’t give your lives for a Queen who views you as nothing more than numbers on a map!”

The soldiers on their knees didn’t shift or blink in response to my words. Tired and frustrated that this would be the third base marked by massacre, I spit, “Fine. Then you can all die in the name of your beloved Queen.”

With a harsh slash of my hand from my left shoulder to the ground on my right side, the earth rumbled. The vibrations grew until the dirt under the soldiers shifted and began to break apart. Nothing they did changed their fate as they tumbled into the mass grave I had created. Stepping up the edge, I gazed down in disappointment at my brethren, “Tell my father, he’s still an asshole for bringing me into this world.” And with those parting words a layer of earth slammed over them, hiding their bodies and screams away from the realm.

Cillian put a hand on my shoulder as I stared at the earth, “Let’s return to camp. There’s nothing here for us.”

……………….

“Macha! Thank Divines, you’re here!”

“My Queen, the Seelie are having issues-”

“Your Divinity, we are-”

“Macha, are you-”

Sucking in a deep breath, I spun around at the entrance of my tent and gazed at the group that had been clamoring for my attention since we appeared. “I have exactly one minute to spare. One at a time, go.”

Seeing my eyes on him, the Troll immediately started speaking, “Your Divinity, Coaimhe wishes to know when the Trolls will be taken off protection duty.”

“When I say so. Next.”

“My Queen, the Seelie are having issues with the Banshees.” Erick quickly announced.

Sighing, I began taking off my sheath, “Tell Afric, flowers don’t grow in the winter. If that doesn’t solve it, come get me. Next.”

Bria stepped forward, “Macha, the water Fae want to know what they can do to help.”

“Tell them, I’ll come speak with them later.” I said, shooting Lilly a thankful look when he helped pull my sheath free of my arms. “Next.”

“Macha, are you okay?” Dani questioned, sincerity shining in her pink eyes.

“Ask me again tomorrow. Next.” I replied, grabbing the hem of my tunic and pulling it up with a wince.

Lilly swiftly moved in front of me and started crowding me into the tent, “Okay. That’s enough for now. Fuck off, the Queen needs to sleep.”

Blinking heavily, I left him at the entrance and pulled the rest of my clothing off on the way to the tub. Dirty blood covered clothes created a trail to the tub behind the privacy screen where I filled it with hot water. The steaming liquid flowed from the pot to the tub on its own as I sunk down into the bath. Laying my head back against the rim, I released a content sigh at the way the water burned my aching muscles and open wounds. Keeping my eyes closed, I didn’t have the energy to ask what he was doing as my hands were pulled from the water.

The gentle scrape of the soapy washcloth rubbed from my fingertips to my shoulder in a soothing motion. Sinking deeper into the water, I was barely conscious as I listened to Cillian ring the washcloth and scrub my skin clean over and over again. Distantly, I felt him go from limb to limb before slipping into the tub behind me. Shifting us, my head rolled back against his shoulder as he gently scrubbed my neck clean of blood and dirt. Water dribbled back into the still water of the tub when he rang it dry and, I’m assuming by his little movements, started to clean himself off.

When I came to, I was beneath the furs of the bed with Lilly’s body heat radiating around me. Reluctant to move, I glanced around the pitch black tent and smiled a little when a blue flame lit the candle. With everything bathed in a soft blue light, I caught sight of the trays on the desk and the dirty clothes still littering the carpeted floor. Lifting an arm as slowly as possible, I flicked my fingers sending my swords, a waist chain and rings from the floor to the desktop with a clink.

Lilly’s arm crushed me back against him as his sleep laden voice rasped, “Sleep.”

Well if he’s already up….“Did you really have the audacity to put my metal on the floor?”

“Sleep.”

“How did you even get my chains off? I don’t remember doing it.”

He released a huge sigh that ruffled the hair on my neck, “You didn’t. You got into the tub with them. I chopped them off.”

Eyebrows flying up, I twisted around to face him to his great annoyance, “You chopped them off? How?”

“Only one. The looser one. With my axe.”

Pausing, I realized there was another warm, lighter, weight around my waist. But still…“You could’ve killed me, you dick.”

“Probably. Didn’t, though.”

Huffing out a laugh in disbelief, I raised a hand and forced one of his silver lashed eyelids up, “Why didn’t you just leave them on me?”

“Oh.” Lilly tried to blink but my thumb didn’t allow it. “I didn’t think about that.”

I laughed and he groaned, flipping onto his back to stare up at the ceiling, “I’m awake now. You woke me up.”

“That sucks. Goodnight.” I murmured, giving him my back and snuggling into the warm furs.

The mattress bounced before I felt his knuckle run down my bare back, “You’re not really going to sleep are you?”

“Oh, would you look at that? After turning me down three times, I get to turn you down. This might be better than sex. Actually,” I grinned, climbing from the bed. “some chocolate would make this be-”

Yelping as I was yanked backwards in a spin, my hands slapped against his hard chest before he rolled us across the mattress. Fingers laced through mine, he pinned my hands to the soft bedding with the fur between us keeping our bare skin from touching. Breath mingling, I raised a brow at the amusement ghosting over his sharp features.

“You think I don’t want to fuck you? I always want to fuck you. ” He said, punctuating his sentence by grinding his erection down between my hips. “But between you almost dying again, the Seelie Ball and these past two days of nonstop fighting, where would we have found the time?”

“At any point in time during those events if you weren’t so responsible.”

Silver pools gaze down at me, “Did you really expect us to have sex in the middle of a battle?”

I shifted my eyes to the ceiling above him in thought and huffed, “Well, when you say it like that. I sound like some unreasonable sex maniac.”

“You kind of are.” He laughed, dropping his head to press kisses along my neck. “But we have time now…”

I grimaced, “Yea but now I feel like some kind of predator.”

“Macha,” He replied, barely audible through his laughter. “Don’t you remember how Puck reacted to our age difference? If one of us should feel like a predator, it should be me.”

“That’s right! I feel so much better now.” I purred, rolling my hips up against the fur still between us. “Maybe that’s why I find you so attractive. You have the distinguished silver fox look without the actual aging.”

Lilly pulled his head from my neck to give me a look, “Should I be concerned that that’s why my looks appeal to you?”

“No. It’s just my daddy issues manifesting. ” I shrugged and then leaned up to press my lips to his.

Lilly held still for a moment like he wanted to discuss that more but thankfully let it go. His hands tightened around mine, keeping them flat beside my head as his tongue pushed into my mouth. Tilting my head to the side, I deepened the kiss and slowly lowered my head back to the pillow. Tongues gliding in a languid motion, I bent my knees causing him to slip down tighter against me and pull moans from us both. Though mine was more out of frustration that the fucking fur was still between us.

Cillian must have felt the same because one of his hands left mine for a second and then we were blessedly skin to skin. My fingers flexed in his grip as he pushed them over heads, pressing out chests together and fitting his hips tightly to mine. A surprised breath left me when I felt his member slip between my folds and the slow grinding began. Back arching, I threw one leg over his back and pressed down on the mattress with the other to rock up against him. Never entering, his shaft rubbed through my wet heat and dragged agonizingly slow over my clit.

The sound of loud panting filled the air the longer he kept up his teasing motions and I started to squirm in search of release. Silver eyes glinted down at me in the dim blue light and he slowed to a stop, his hands trailing from my hands to my hips. His calluses caught and scratched over my skin before gripping the warm chain around my waist and tugging. More interested in our pleasure, I pushed my hands between us and wrapped a hand around his shaft. His eyes narrowed in warning but I smiled innocently back, giving his hard flesh a firm stroke.

While he released a groan, I took advantage of his distraction and shoved him to the side. By the time he realized he was on his back, I was already straddling his waist with my nails digging into his chest. Sharpened teeth flashed my way but I ignored it to watch little pink welts raise up on his torso in the wake of my nails. A hard hand wrapped around the top of my throat, pushing my head back as he jolted up. His free hand yanked on my chain again while I panted at the growing heat between my thighs at his angry expression.

“Take it off.” He ordered, voice harsh. “In two. Now.”

I cocked a brow in mock offense, “Please?”

The hand on my throat tightened, restricting my air flow and making my eyelids hood in arousal. His other hand snuck up and pinched my nipple making me jump in response as he spoke in a hoarse whisper, “You submit while I dominate in the bedroom, Macha. Don’t act like you don’t enjoy that. Now, do what I asked before I make you scream loud enough to wake the camp. Unless that’s what you really want.”

And holy fuck, was it the way he finished with a lick and then a bite to my lips that had me giving up all thoughts of being difficult for fun.

The chain fell from my waist, breaking in two without another order and my core clenched in response to his tone. He gazed down at me as he dropped his hand from my throat to pull my arms behind my back. “Because I don’t trust you to keep your hands where I want them.” He said, winding the short length of chain around my wrists. I melded the links together when he finished pulling it taunt and fidgeted in overwhelming lust as he leaned closer to look over my shoulder.

A deep groan pulled from his throat when he saw the way my wrists were bound behind my back and I tried to press my thighs closer to ease the ache he awakened in response. Lilly pulled away to lean against the headboard with hooded eyes that resemble heated pools of silver. As his eyes trailed over my bound body, I watched his hand disappear beneath his pillow and come back with a condom between two fingers. Cillian continued to watch me watch him while his hands slid the covering over his member.

“I don’t need to get you ready, do I? I can feel the heat coming off you.”

I swallowed hard and shifted until I hovered over his hard shaft without a word.

His right hand brushed over my tattooed thigh before lining himself up with my core and nudging the head against my entrance, “This is your favorite position, right? Because it gives you control? Let’s see how much you like it when we do it my way. Drop down, take just the head inside.”

“Cillian.” I moaned, following his direction and barely resisting the need to take his length completely at the way the tip filled me.

“Eyes open.” He replied.

Opening my eyes, my hands flexed in their restraints as I caught sight of the other half of the chain dangling in his hands. Bringing it up, he laid it over the diamond pendant before pulling my hair free. Panting, I squeezed down around his head causing the veins in his neck to budge when he brought the lengths together on either side of my neck. Knowing what he had in mind and completely on board with the idea, I sped up the process because my thighs were beginning to shake and I wanted him inside me now.

With a pictured thought, I molded the metal of the pendant and the chain to create a smooth silver collar with the brilliant blue diamond nestled in the front. A thin silver chain ran from the middle of the collar down to Cillian’s hand where I mentally wrapped it around his fist. I grinned at the look of dark hunger that spread over his face when he looked at it and then cried out when his free hand brutally yanked my hips down. His length drove up to the hilt inside me with that one thrust that was equal parts pleasure and pain.

“Fuck.”

“Shit.” I panted out and rocked my hips to chase the overwhelming sensation.

When my head dropped back as I began to lift and drop back down on him at a steady pace, he pulled on the chain and brought my gaze back to his. The eye contact should have felt awkward and way too intimate for comfort but it increased the sensations of the moment. Our breathing turned labored once again and the blue light gave our sweat slicked bodies a shiny tint. My stomach tightened as my orgasm started to build, my hips picking up the pace to drive me there quicker. Sensing my new urgency, Lilly’s hips snapped up to drive himself deeper inside me.

“Macha, Cillian, wake up! We need to talk to you-Oh, my Divines!”

“What are you- NO. NO, no, no, no, no. So much skin, too much skin! My eyes! MY EYES!”

“Chains, why are there chains! Bria, why are there chains?”

Brows coming together in irritation, I tried to push their frantic voices from my head that threatened to ruin my orgasm by riding Cillian harder.

“Get the fuck out!” Lilly roared angrily and leaned over to throw something that I completely ignored.

Come on, come on, almost there. I’m almost there. I thought desperately, trying to keep my arousal from waning.

Cillian wrapped arm around my waist and rolled us aggressively to the side. My bound arms pinched from my position on my back but was quickly forgotten when he started drilling into me. His thrusts were hard and angry in a way that was definitely going to hurt later but was successfully bringing me back into the moment. Unable to match his pace, I arched my back and took everything he was giving me with a moan. My orgasm rose quickly within reach and I clenched down around him, crying out in pleasure when he yanked the chain of the collar harshly.

The sound of his ragged breathing filled my ears as his thrusts turned choppy and his muscles bulged, “You need to cum, now.”

In any other situation I would have laughed in pride that he was about to cum first but unbelievable sexual frustration had tears building in my eyes, “I can’t….it’s…I need…”

Grabbing my left leg, Cillian yanked it up over his shoulder and slammed his hips down one final time with a shout of my name. The sudden switch of the angle had a short scream bursting from my throat and tears slipping from my eyes at the over stimulation his pulsing member provided. We stayed in the same position, chests heaving and bodies shaking as our orgasms tore through us.

Minutes or hours later, who the hell fucking knew or cared, his hand dropped from my leg as it fell off his shoulder. The metal binding my wrists slithered away and I tugged them out from beneath my back to lazily shove at Cillian, who was practically dead weight slumped on top of me. He groaned in response and buried his face deeper into the mattress against the left side of my throat.

“Lilly…get off.” I panted out. “You’re crushing me.”

He muttered something and then pushed himself over to land on his back beside me. Our eyes were pinned to the ceiling for a few moments in silence as we fought to catch our breath before Lilly broke it, “You screamed.”

“It was very short.”

“Still counts.”

“Fuck off, you almost came first.”

“Almost and can you blame me?” He panted. Lifting a hand, he gave the chain connected to my collar a gentle tug as he looked at me from the corner of his eye, “I like this….I like this a lot.”

My core gave a painful pulse that had me trying to shift away from him and groaning, “I know, so do I. Divines, I’m going to be feeling you for days.”

“I think my hips are numb.”

“No one told you to hate fuck me into the mattress.”

Lilly snorted, “You did the same thing, you didn’t even stop when we got interrupted.”

“Why the fuck would I stop? This is my tent.” I panted. Looking at him from the corner of my eye, I raised a brow, “Did you throw something at them?”

“Yeah. My axe.”

Laughing, I asked, “How much do you think they saw?”

He raised a brow back at me, “Based on their hysterical screaming? Too much.”

“We should call them back. It sounded like they needed us.”

“Now?”

“Yes.” I laughed at his disgruntled expression and used my limp arms to sit up.

Lilly pushed himself to his feet, took care of the condom, and then came back to sit up against the headboard. Grabbing the furs, I positioned it over his waist and then tucked it under my armpits as he pulled me into his side. Tucked under his arm, I laid my head against the side of his chest and watched the two little idiots bumble into the tent. Bria had one hand on Puck and the other waving in front of her as she blindly led them inside. Puck had both hands over his eyes while taking slow steps behind his girlfriend.

“Are you decent?” Puck called out.

“Why would we tell you to come in if we were still fucking?”

Bria bumped into the desk before stopping, “I don’t know, the last time we came in I saw wayyyyy too much of my brother and my Queen for that matter.”

“You mean, when you came in unannounced?” Cillian rumbled.

“You didn’t even stop, Cillian. Do you know how traumatizing that was for me?”

He rolled his eyes, “You didn’t see anything.”

“And you threw an axe at me when my eyes were closed!”

“It’s not like it hit you.”

Bria gasped, “I’m telling mom.”

“Go ahead. I don’t care.” Cillian huffed, unconcerned.

“Liar.” Bria snapped back as she and Lilly locked narrowed eyes.

“You guys really should have put a warning sign or-”

“Yes, Flower Stem. Let me announce to my entire army that I’m getting fucked.” Rolling my eyes skyward, I snapped, “What was so urgent that you two almost ruined my orgasm for?”

Puck spread his fingers to peek at us while Bria fake gagged before he dropped them, “We need to get our informant out now.”

“What are you talking about?” I sighed.

“He reached out to me an hour ago, he’s not safe with Mab anymore. We need to get him out. Like within the hour.”

I sat up, “How did he reach out to you?”

“Normally, we meet up at a spot we used to hangout at as kids. We’ve been meeting every Monday and Friday but this time he didn’t show up, someone else did. They gave me a message from him, he’s in trouble.”

“How do you know it isn’t a trap?” Lilly asked, sitting up as well.

Puck shuffled forward, looking at us with worried eyes, “Because he used the word apricot. He’s only supposed to use it if he was in serious danger.”

“Who is he?” When he didn’t answer, I tried again, “Puck, I know you don’t want to tell me but I need to know who we’re going to rescue.”

“I can’t. If I tell you, you won’t go save him.” He replied with a pleading tone. “He’s like my brother, Macha. We need to go get him. He’s helped us so much.”

“Where is he?”

Puck looked at Cillian, “I can take you guys there.”

Me and Cillian shared a look.

Could be a trap.

What isn’t these days and the informant did help us. Without him giving Mab the proof about Tidhg, Mab might not have had a breakdown.

We have no idea who or where he is.

Puck does.

You trust, Puck?

I shrugged, We have a deal.

“Tell the others and get ready to leave in thirty minutes. If he’s not dead already, he won’t be dead when we get there. Move your asses, we have an informant to save.”

Puck cheered and grabbed a still glaring Bria before racing from the tent.

——————————————————————————

I went through so many emotions throughout this chapter, lmao. I think this might be the kinkiest sex scene I’ve written so far and I no longer blush a little when I post these. In other news, the informants identity is finally reveled in the next chapter!

Thank you to everyone who’s read my book this far, drop a comment if you wish! My silent readers, I adore you as well!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Three: It’s You?

“Do I really need to wear breeches?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Cillian popped his head out around the privacy screen, “What do you mean why?”

“I mean, why do I need to wear breeches? Who decided that?” I asked, waving the leather fabric around. “And why the fuck are we always wearing leather?”

“Cell Bait, what is happening right now?”

Throwing the offending clothing to the floor, I flopped back on the bed, “I’m not wearing pants. That’s what’s happening right now.”

Splashing water sounded out as Cillian climbed out from the tub and started dressing, “Macha, you cannot go into battle half naked.”

“Afric would understand.” I groaned, pulling myself from the bed and walking around the screen. “I’m doing it.”

“Your friendship with Afric is something I try very very hard not to analyze or think about, Cell Bait. ”

Flipping open the trunk, I started digging through it, “Good. Your normal little brain would fry under the strain.”

“I’m sure. And you need to wear pants.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Macha..”

“Cillian…” I mocked his warning tone, while pulling one of his tunics free from the chest. “Not to be crude, but you really tenderized all my tender bits so there is no way in hell I’m putting on a tight ass pair of breeches right now.”

“Not to be crude.” He mocked back, moving closer to dig through the chest himself. “The leather protects our legs in battle. That’s why we wear them.”

Tugging the long sleeve over my head, I laughed, “What a load of bullshit! That gnome bit right through my breeches leg. TWICE.”

“He bit you because you dropkicked his mate.”

Pulling the hem down around my thighs, I scoffed, “What I should have done was skewer the little fuckers on my sword.”

He laughed, pulling something from the chest, “They surrendered, even after you begged them not to.”

“I wanted to bite him back, damnit. What’s that?” I asked, nodding to the cloth in his hands.

“Trousers.”

Eyeing him, I pointed a finger at his face, “I swear on myself, Cillian. If you come at me with those trousers, I’ll kill us both.”

Silver brows flew up in the most surprised expression I’ve ever seen him make, “What?”

“What?”

His lips twitched into a full blown grin, “You’d kill us both? Not just me?”

“I mean, I’d still kill you first.”

“That must be your Seelie side because that was incredibly sweet.”

“I’m serious, Cillian. I’ll gut you like fucking fish. Stop coming closer!” I snapped, backing away from him and the trousers.

He shook his head, moving closer with a mischievous glimmer in his eye,“Put on the fucking pants, Macha. They’re not even leather.”

“No.”

We stilled, sizing each other up before we both moved. Turning, I leaped onto the bed and over to the other side as he lunged for me. Laughing, I grabbed a pillow and whacked it against the side of his head. Knocking the pillow away, Lilly charged over the bed and tackled me around the waist sending us both to the ground. Rolling us as we fell, Lilly took the brunt of the fall but I still grunted at the impact. Fabric was shoved into my chest but before anything could be said, we were interrupted.

“If you two are done playing grab ass, we’re ready.”

Shoving the fabric back into his face, I scrambled to my feet and walked towards the entrance, “Let’s go.”

“Pants and shoes, Macha.”

Ignoring him, I smiled at Dani and left the tent as the familiar weight of my weapons attached themselves to my body. The sounds of a frustrated Cillian followed me outside causing my smile to turn into a grin while coming face to face with my troop. My normal group along with Puck, Erick, and five soldiers of each of their warriors stood with them. Afric and his Banshees were bent over something off to the side while Caoimhe and her soldiers muttered about them. Grumpy and his little troop of chaos cackled up at an annoyed Erick and Bria.

Spotting me, Puck rushed up with anxious energy that drew everyone’s attention, “Are we going? Where are your pants?”

“Yes and don’t worry about my pants.”

“Yes. Don’t worry about her pants, Puck. We’ll leave in a minute.” Cillian said from behind me, gently pulling on my elbow to get me to face him.

I said no, Cillian.

Think about it for a moment, Cell Bait. Do you really want blood and dirt all over your bare legs if it can be avoided? Not to mention all those flips you love to do?

Taking it under consideration, I pulled the trousers from his hands. They were a soft cotton material and loose fitting. I do love flipping myself around…And not flashing Mab’s army would be ideal… “This is why you are my sanity, Lilly.” I grinned, stuffing my legs into the flowy pants. “But I will not wear shoes.”

“Compromise, Cell Bait. That’s all I’m asking for.”

Laughing, I pulled his oversized tunic I wore over my pants comfortably, “Then that’s what I’ll try my best to give you.”

“How disgustingly domestic, can we go kill shit now?” An irritating little voice barked.

Flicking my eyes down, I stared down at Grumpy until he got awkward and flipped me off. Smirking, I looked everyone over and stepped forward, “This mission is purely optional. Only Puck knows where we’re going and who we’re saving. It’s a big risk, I know that but I trust the Seelie Prince. Plus we have a deal that makes it impossible for him to lie to me. So anyone who doesn’t want to come? Leave now.”

Nobody left but Afric did raise his hand.

“Yes, Afric.”

“Are shoes also optional on this mission? Because if so, we’d like to go barefoot as well.”

“You can go bare ass into this mission for all I care, Afric.”

“No.” Cillian snapped, along with a few others. “Everyone is wearing clothes.”

Yellow tinged eyes flickered between us before he pouted and turned to his brethren as they started taking off their shoes. While they did that, I padded over the few steps to Puck in a casual stroll that went unnoticed by everyone except of course Cillian. Puck looked up at me as I gave him a smile and pushed a golden curl from his forehead sweetly, “If you somehow managed to get around my deal and this is a trap? I will pluck those golden orbs from your head and put them on my mantle like decor, understood?”

He grinned, “Thanks, Macha! I really needed that reminder of your natural predilection for violence. Now, I know we’ll get him back!”

Fingers hooked, I was about to cat scratch the fuck out of his happy little face when I was pulled back into a hard chest.

Lilly’s five o’clock shadow scraped my temple as he murmured, “You can’t kill your Divine Confidant before you actually name him your Divine Confidant.”

“Divine Confidant?”

Shooting Lilly a dirty look, I answered Puck, “It’s King Consort renamed. It’ll settle your people to my rule if I have you somewhat by my side. It’s basically a fancy title for an esteemed friend.”

“Like a best friend?” He asked, eyes growing uncomfortably round.

“No.”

“It sounds like a best friend.”

“It’s not.” I replied quickly, my eye starting to twitch.

“Are you sure?”

“Painfully sure.”

Puck tipped his head, sending his curls falling to the left, “But I’ll be at your side?”

“Somewhat by my side.”

“Two best friends! Oh, I can see it now! They’ll write stories about the Unbreakable Divine and her best friend slash Divine Confidant, Puck!”

Sharpened teeth bared, I sneered, “The only time my name will be written with yours is if it’s-”

“Marked by tragedy! Of course, like every great tale! We’ll make Shakespeare rise from the dead in joy!”

“Don’t we have a Divines damned informant to save?” I snapped, pinching the bridge of my nose in irritation.

“Yes! Yes! That’s right! Let’s go! Let’s go! Everyone grab hands!”

…………….

Tough grass scratched against the soft soles of my feet the second we touched down in the dark clearing. Opening my eyes with a blink, I dropped my hold on Puck’s arm and took a quick look around. Inky darkness collected between the gently swaying branches of the trees creating a thick web of shadows. Red orange flames flickered in the distance looking more like weak candle light than anything else. While the absence of sound tickled my nerves and raised the hair on my neck in a way I didn’t like.

“Where are we, Puck?” I whispered, weary to break the silence.

Lilly answered lowly instead, “This is my old compound.”

Do you think he’s playing us?

I don’t know. I can’t think of who the informant could realistically be.

Pulling my swords free of their sheath, I slid my eyes over to Puck as the others slowly fanned out, “Who is he, Puck? We need to know who he is so we don’t accidentally kill him.”

“You won’t. As soon as I see him, I’ll call out but I can’t Macha. Please. I really need you to trust me like you say you do.”

I held his eyes for a long moment before nodding, “Cillian, you know this place. You take point.”

His large form brushed past me and crouched down beside the Dwarves, whispering with them. A minute later, the six of them scurried off into the darkness in the direction of the camp. Sliding an axe free of his sheath, he stood and turned to us, “The Dwarfs will create a distraction at the back of the compound while we attack from the front. We’ll attack as discreetly as possible while Puck, Macha and I go get the informant. There are more than a hundred soldiers here so no one attract any unnecessary attention.”

I rolled my eyes when he looked straight at me, When have I ever attracted unnecessary attention?

Lilly ignored my genuine question to focus on Puck, “Do you know if he’s been placed in an interrogation room or is still free to walk about? I’d rather not waste our time looking for him.”

“His message sounded urgent so I would bet Mab already placed him in an interrogation room.” Puck stated.

Nodding, Lilly responded, “Okay, everyone understands the mission objective? Stealth is our friend tonight. Let’s go.”

Following his large shadow, I carefully picked my way over the expanse of wild forest between us and the compound. We halted at Lilly’s abrupt hand motion and waited as he disappeared into the darkness only to come back with a grim expression. Pressing forward, it became increasingly clear what had caused his features to take on that expression. Wooden spikes lined the perimeter of the compound, dried blood crusting from the top of the spike down.

Fae, backs arched with their knuckles grazing the ground, hung lifelessly from them. Dull eyes, wide and unseeing stared up at the starry sky with slacked jaws telling their stories of agony. The letters T and S were drawn in blood on their foreheads, marking them as Traitors and Spies. Though the sad truth was that many of them were wrongly killed in the name of Mab’s paranoia. Torch light created haunting shadows across their sharp features that danced as we passed them.

Shorting my swords into a wrist guard and a thick blade, I yanked Puck’s tunic so he was positioned between me and Cillian. Lilly slowly led us from the shadows into the short field of tents as the others branched off. Voices could be heard from somewhere behind the compound and several soldiers jogged behind the building to see what was happening. With one hand on Puck’s back, I constantly scanned our surroundings the closer we got to the entrance. Nerves and my own hereditary paranoia scurried up my spine making me tense.

Lilly raced forward keeping low to the ground and pressed himself into the shadows of the concrete wall. Silver eyes glinted in the dark before he motioned us forward from our position against the side of a dark purple tent. Double checking that the coast was clear, I shoved Puck forward only to yank him back against me by the collar. Reaching over him, I grabbed the shoulder of the female that had just exited the tent we were going to run past. My blade was shoved deep through the flesh of her throat before she could do more than widen her eyes.

Pushing Puck closer to her with my chest, I yanked my blade free from her neck with a spray of blood and shoved her body back into the tent. Looking around, I grabbed Puck’s wrist and dragged him over to the shadows beside Cillian. He spared the Seelie Prince a long look before slipping into the brightly lit compound. Another push to Pucks back, had him jumping into action and quickly following after Lilly.

Blinking against the light, my bare feet were silent as we raced through the halls at a breakneck speed. Bodies had begun to pile up in the halls by the time we reached the area reserved for the interrogation rooms. Panting, Cillian peeked around the hallway for a brief second and turned to us with a curse. Lifting his hands, he held up six fingers and then wrote the letter G in the air. Six guards. The informant was definitely here.

Scoffing, I pushed off the wall, reformed my swords and rounded the corner humming a tune before anyone could stop me. The light glinted off my swirling swords as I grinned at the guards lining the walls. I totally misread that hand signal. Lilly meant fifteen, not six guards. Giggling softly, I winked at the shocked guards, “Can anyone direct me to the nearest bathroom? I seemed to have lost my way.”

I was about to slice and dice my way down the hall as the guards closest to me reached for their weapons but then Cillian’s words ran through my head. Stealth is our friend tonight. So with a sigh, I whipped both of my swords down the hallway. As they spun end over end, little pieces broke off and impaled the guards in vital areas before slicing upwards. With a yawn, I leaned back and waved them into the hall when the last body dropped.

Lilly took one look at the hall and threw me an unimpressed look while kicking a spleen out of his way, “Disembowelment, really? You couldn’t think of anything messier?”

“Well, I could have blown them up from the inside out but you said we need to be stealthy. This is stealthy, even if it’s incredibly boring.”

Puck’s golden eyes snapped from the gut splattered floor and walls to me in a rapid succession, “This is boring to you?”

I shrugged, walking down the hall and ontop of multiple organs, “Being a God’s made killing almost devastatingly easy. But feeling their organs squish between my toes is kind of cheering me up.”

A gagging sound came from behind me making me grin as I stopped next to the door they had been guarding. Twisting on a heart, I positioned myself to the side of it and motioned to the thick iron with a flourish, “This is the door you seek, young adventurers. But I must warn you that whatever you see can not be unseen.”

Lilly shook his head at my overdramatic haunting tone and brushed past me to open the door with a smile tugging on his lips.

“If only someone told me that before I walked into your tent an hour ago.”

Surprised at the dry tone, my eyes snapped to Puck, “What was that?”

“What was what?” He beamed, trying to walk past me to enter the room after Lilly.

Grabbing his shoulder, I slammed him up against the doorframe with narrowed eyes, “You little shit! You have been fucking with me this whole time!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Macha. Are you feeling okay?” He asked, big golden eyes gleaming in concern.

I jerked forward making his head smack back on the doorframe as I pressed our noses together, “If I wasn’t so impressed right down, I’d rip your little head off. You marvelously manipulative, Sun Ray.”

“Macha.”

Turning my head, I laughed, “Lilly, you’ll never believe-”

I cut myself off when I caught sight of who else was in the room. Pale hands bound in iron cuffs that were locked to the center of the table led to stained tunic sleeves belonging to a royal pain in my ass. Dead lavender eyes rolled over us while still managing to hold an air of importance with a large scrape spanning the left side of his face. When they landed on Puck, his shoulders lost some of the tension gathered in them and I was officially annoyed.

“No. No, fucking way is this prick our informant.”

“Thank Divines, you’re okay Daithí! I was worried we were too late.” Puck said, rushing over to fret over his wounded face.

Lilly’s grip on his axe tightened, “All your cryptic and threatening bullshit, was actual bullshit?”

“What can I say, Commander. My sister isn’t the only one who enjoys her entertainment.” Daithí shrugged, his eyes coming to life for the first time.

Macha, this a completely different version of Daithí. The Prince I knew doesn’t act like this.

Noted.

“Half-sister.” I stressed, walking into the room.

“I distinctly remember you calling me brother the last time we spoke, Sister. What’s changed?”

I scoffed,“Listen, you pretentious cunt. I was being sarcastic then, I don’t have family.”

A light purple brow arched, “Not true. Your father is dead. Tidhg’s dead, may that asshole forever roll in his grave. Divine knows that Mab should have been born sterile but she’s alive because you somehow still haven’t managed to kill her. So, I’m the only one that really matters and I’m alive. Therefore, you have family.”

“Well, excuse the fuck out of me. If you think you can do so much better,” I said, taking a step back and pointing to the door. “Please, feel free to kill the bitch. Oh, wait! You’re in iron handcuffs, how embarrassing for you.”

“I tried but the poison failed and her guards managed to catch me by sheer luck.” He replied, shifting to face me when Puck blocked his view.

“You tried to poison her?” I snickered in disbelief.

“Poison is the gentleman’s choice.” Daithí lifted his chin so Puck could get a closer look, “The last time we spoke you came across a lot more…rational.”

“Yeah, well.” I shrugged. “It’s not everyday you get called out of bed past midnight to come rescue your little half-brother who you thought hated you as much as your mother.”

“I don’t hate you. I don’t even know you but I know of you.” He replied. “And that was enough for me after Mab had Tidhg slaughter my mate-to-be in front of me. You weren’t raised with us, with Mab. So you’re different, better.”

I leaned forward with narrowed eyes, slamming my hands into the table and giving me a tickling sense of familiarity, “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“Are you kidding me? Cillian’s a good actor but you two were fucking gallivanting around town with his identity exposed for awhile. You think people didn’t talk? That word didn’t spread about a silver haired giant seen with Macha the Unseelie Traitor? Who do you think killed that little story? Spoiler alert, me. Literally.” He said, eyes moving from one of us to the other in amusement. “I don’t know if you two have bravery and confidence up the ass or if you’re really just that arrogant. And don’t even get me started on Baris.”

I groaned, “Are you kidding me? Don’t get me started. You don’t even know half the shit that boy-”

“Eh-hem.” Puck delicately interrupted. “Not that it isn’t heartwarming to see you two getting along or a little unnerving that I never noticed how alike you two are. But we are in the middle of a rescue so if you could hurry this up?”

“I agree with the Seelie.” Lilly spoke up from his spot by the door. “Someone’s going to find those bodies sooner rather than later.”

Daithí shook his hands, rattling the chain,“They took the key.”

“I can pick it,” I started causing Puck to grin and then finished, “but I won’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because, Cloud Filler. I don’t trust this little snake farther than I could throw a Troll and trust me, that’s not far.”

Daithí’s lips quirked at Puck’s on-the-spot nickname before he mocked, “You don’t trust me, Big Sister? I’m hurt.”

“I’m sure you are, Little Fucker.” I replied, eyeing the pale boy. “You might be helping us now but what about after the war? When you inevitably backstab us all to try and claim the throne?”

“You’re more like Mab than I thought.” He laughed. “You don’t have to believe me but I don’t want the throne.”

I snorted and headed to the door, “Right. Let’s go.”

“Macha!”

“Power and prestige, even fearful respect but not the throne.” Daithí called out. “If there is anyone in this realm, I’d bow to willingly? It’d be no less than a Divine.”

Turning, I gave him a calculating look, “What’s in for you?”

“I get everything I want without the responsibility. After all, who’d deny the Divine’s little brother and only living relation? Soon to be Prince of the Realm?”

“Prince of the Realm?” I repeated, incredulously but walked over to him anyway.

He nodded regally, “Of course. You have no children or a mate. I’m well versed in all things pertaining to political blackmail and manipulation, who else would take over if you died unexpectedly?”

Shaking my head, I wigged a thin blue needle into the cuffs lock, “Planning on poisoning me as well?”

Pale lavender eyes shined in amusement, “Haven’t decided yet, Sister. I wanted to kill Tidgh since I could walk, maybe you’ll be different. I’d be nice to have a sibling for once.”

I hummed, freeing his wrist from the iron cuff to unhook it from the table before snapping it closed around his skin once more, “The cuffs will stay on until I say so, Little Fucker.” Flicking my eyes up to his, I gave him a few words of wisdom, “And I’d advise against trying to kill me, not only will it piss me off but I have a nasty habit of coming back.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Let’s get the fuck out of here, I think this is the same room they had me in when I was here.”

Daithi stood, grinning, “Look at that, we’re already bonding on shared experiences.”

“Yeah,” I snorted. “Pain and torture are real building blocks of a family bond.”

“We’re O’Riordans, Sister. Pain and torture are our bread and butter.”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed him by the tunic and dragged him to the door, “Let’s go.”

——————————————————————————

Alright fess up, who saw this coming?

Also, when you guys are writing whether it’s an essay, poem or your own books, do you ever feel like it’s shit? And then you go back and your like wow okay that’s actually good? Cause that happens to me a lot, lmao. Or I think it makes absolutely no sense only to go back and be like this totally makes sense?

As always, feel free to comment if you enjoyed something in the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Four: Moonlight Walks

“If she’s so dangerous, then why do they let her eat with us?”

“Look at her, she’s covered in iron chains and they barely give her enough to avoid starvation. What’s she going to do?”

I flipped the burnt piece of toast over on my tray with my fingertips, listening as I hummed.

“I heard she killed four prisoners last century with a chair.”

“Bullshit!”

“I swear! And Tara in D block told me that her face is all fucked up from the torure, the spell hiding her face is so she doesn’t scare everyone.”

How very original, I thought with an internal snort. What do you think, Little Blue Fish?……Yes, I agree.

“I heard that too.” A third voice broke in. “I also heard that she’s been here longer than anyone.”

“Obviously, Dumbass. Look at her fucking sentence, it goes from her neck to her ankles!”

“I wonder what she did.”

“Me too.”

“Idiots! Did you two live in a cave? Don’t you know who that is? That’s Macha, Queen of the Banished and the one who tried to take Mab’s throne!”

“No way!”

“I don’t believe it. I mean, look at her! Her hair’s a knotted mess, she smells like shit and she’s always rocking in her seat humming that fucking tune she always does. Like Jenny said, no way she was a Queen. She’s obviously crazy, maybe she snapped and killed a bunch of kids or something. Same thing happened to my great aunt Maeve.”

Abruptly pausing my rocking and humming, I raised a hand to pinch the grey fabric covering my shoulder and lifted it to my nose. The two women and the man who sat further down the long metal table, startled at my sudden movement and scrambled from their seats. Dried blood, the burning smell of iron, and sweat. Not the most appealing smell but I was lucky that Fearghas hated the smell of piss and shit. Otherwise, I’d never be allowed to wash. Wash, wash, wash. Did a harsh hose down over my open wounds really count as a wash, though? My little blue fish didn’t think so.

I tapped my cracked and bleeding nails, on the table with a laugh that drew cautious stares. One, two, three, three pairs of eyes that piece together my face. But what do they see? What do they see? Loud peels of my laughter ripped through the low murmur of the mess hall causing the Fae around me to shift uneasily. Nothing but a blurred mess unless they focused. Focus, focus, focus! My eyes jumped from one Fae to the other but none looked at me when I got like this. I scared them. Made them nervous.

“What did I tell your crazy ass the last time you did this shit?”

But I didn’t make all of them nervous. I was a challenge to some, most, all. The males, the men, the ones with dicks. I laughed again at my inner thoughts as a pair of large hands slammed against the table, caging me in and causing my tray to jump.

“I’m talking to you, Lunatic. You’re ruining my fucking meal.” Lorcan spat in my ear, his chest bumping into my shoulders.

I ignored him, my eyes following his men circling the table, “Shifting, twisting, turning. Like fish.”

A rough hand spread over my throat, yanking my head back on his shoulder, “How long do you think you can keep this up? Talking and laughing to yourself? Making everyone steer clear of you, so you can’t be one of my girls?”

“Your girls? Cared for? Well fed? Loved? I think not. The blue fish wouldn’t allow it.” I whispered, finding it difficult to keep my eyes on his men in this position.

His nose pressed against the side of my neck, trailing it up before licking the shell of my ear, “Tell your blue fish that I can make your life in here so much better, Baby. If you dial back the crazy.”

I grinned, “One of your girls? Girls? They cower, bend, bruise, and scuttle about the halls like rats. It’s an infestation.”

Lorcan tightened his hold on my throat, cutting off my air supply, “Listen, Bitch. I’m getting real tired of you walking around here like you’re untouchable. I’ve been here long enough to see how you act, making the others scared with rumors.”

My eyes caught a flash of blue as my vision started to waver and I choked out, “Skin on skin..is a touch. A kernel of truth…is in every lie.”

“That’s it. I’ve had enough.” He snapped in my ear, releasing my throat and pulling me from my seat. “Past Queen or not, all bitches are best trained on their backs.”

The loud clanking of my chains went unnoticed as I sucked in large gulps of air with my eyes on the other side of the table. A flicker of rage coiled deep in my belly caused my hands to curl around my chains. The lack of oxygen paired with the haze that always clouded my mind these days, made action difficult. Lorcan slipped a hand underneath my prison tunic to grip my breast tightly while his men watched, hooting in laughter.

The woman across from me, however, sneered in distaste at the show with a lifted chin. Black leather clad legs crossed beneath the metal table while narrowed royal blue eyes glared at me, “What the fuck are you doing? There was a time you’d never let anyone get this far.”

“My will isn’t the same. Death calls.” I murmured.

The woman waved a dismissive brown hand, free of tattoos and curled her lip, “Death calls? How pathetic. Look at you, weak.”

The flicker of rage in my gut flared, I tipped my head with narrowing eyes, “I’m not weak. I’ve never been weak.”

Lorcan muttered something in my ear, thinking that I was talking to him and dragging me away from the table.

“Oh, you’re not?” She laughed cruelly, a blue brow arched as she spread her arms wide. “That’s not what I see, Babes. We used to rule thousands. We conquered the Outerlands without mercy. Fae used to fear us. Terror used to coil in their chests at the sight of our flag. But look at what you’ve turned us into. A nothing, a nobody.”

“That’s not true.” I hissed, digging my feet into the floor as fury rolled through me.

The woman’s eyes turned icy in rage and for a beat she was completely still. And then long blue hair flew around her head as she jumped to her feet screaming while slamming her hands into the table, “LOOK AT US! LOOK! AT! US! There used to be a time that a Fae would never dare to touch us without permission! And now some low rent pimp grab our breast like it’s his? And you stand there talking about how tired we are? That death calls? FUCK, DEATH. We are Death!”

“Yes!” I screamed.

“Then do something, you crazy bitch! Your fucking Macha O’Riordan!” She roared, slamming her fist on the table with a fire in her eyes. “Make an example out of him! Make him a fucking educational warning! Rip this motherfucker inside out! Show the other inmates why you got the largest prison sentence in history! KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILLLLLL HIMMMMM!”

I jerked my elbow up and back in a flash of movement that cracked Lorcan’s nose with a loud crunch. His hand slipped from my breast and the other pulled away from my waist to grab at his nose with curse. Inmates around the room began to shout and cheer, slamming their trays in delight at the show of violence. Twisting on my heel, I dropped to my knees and slammed my head into his crotch while ripping the makeshift knife out of his left sock.

Lorcan stumbled back with a howl of pain as his boys closed in on me but at the small sound of a lock snicking everyone froze. Every pair of eyes were glued to my body as I slowly stood up. Guards shifted uneasily, glancing at each other in question of what they think they heard, hands wrapping around their high powered tasers.

Grinning, I shook my hair from my face and tossed the long mess of chains and cuffs at Lorcan’s feet. “Hello, Babes. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced.” I purred, sliding a step closer to the pink haired brute. “My name is Macha and I’m here for treason against the mighty Unseelie Queen Mab.” The sound of pounding steps echoed through the concrete room as the guards raced down the stairs followed by the blaring sound of an alarm. “Want to know a secret?” I whispered. “All bitches are best trained covered in the blood of their enemies.”

The makeshift knife I stole from him, tore across his throat in a jagged line before he could speak. Dark red blood spurted from the gash in time with his rapid pulse and jetted through his fingers to spray my chest. Droplets of blood splattered across my face as I stood there watching with a grin until he fit the floor. Laughing, I watch prisoners begin to run and fight while guards pushed past them in their race towards me. The iron in the wall kept me from my abilities but that was okay. I had a knife.

Scrambling over the table, I tackled one of Lorcan’s men to the ground while repeatedly stabbing him in the side of the neck. Releasing him as we hit the ground, I rolled to the left and rammed the blade into the back of another man’s ankle. Getting on my knees at the same time he fell to his, I locked eyes with a guard as my arm wrapped around the man’s head and slit his throat. Laughing at the frozen guard, I stood up, kicked the body to the side and looked around. Guards in purple circled around me as red lights flashed in time with the blaring alarm and a full fledged prison riot roared around us.

Launching myself onto the nearest table, I stuffed the handle of the blade into my mouth and started running. The soles of my feet slammed into the metal like the beat of a drum before I reached the edge and jumped. Twisting midair so my back was to the wall, I kicked off a table someone had flipped and gave myself another foot of height. My hands caught the bars of the second floor railing with a harsh jolt that pulled a grunt from me. Yells and shouts rang out as I tightened my core and pulled my legs up.

Blue hair curtained around my face while my feet scraped the ceiling in my handstand before I dropped them to the floor with a smack. Yanking the knife from my teeth, I slammed it into the chest of the closet Fae and drove my fist into the face of another. Making my way down the hall, I killed everyone between me and the ‘guards only’ door at the very end of the hall. I was a few doors away when a pair arms shot out from behind me and wrapped around my throat. Choking, I brought the knife down and rammed it into the side of their thigh before ripping it to the front.

A scream rang out behind me but their grip didn’t loosen making me snarl in anger. Three guards raced down the hall to us, I wasn’t going to make it to the door. Releasing a scream of rage, I kicked out against the wall driving me and my attacker backwards. We collided with something hard and I jammed my elbow back again and again into their side until they finally let go. Spinning, I thrusted the blade into their gut repeatedly but in my haze of anger I had forgotten about the other guards.

Jolts of electricity connect to different points on my back and sent vibrating pain lacing through my veins. Muscles spamming and locking into place, I lost my grip on the knife and listened to it clatter the ground. Following it to the floor, I stared at the ceiling with gritted teeth as my body jerked without permission. When it finally stopped, multiple hands grabbed me in their harsh grip and flipped me over.

“That was my sister, you fucking monster!” A guard screamed down at me.

Body still spamming from the high voltages of electricity, I forced my head to jerk and I spit in his face, “Fuck. You.”

“You got five minutes, Collins.”

Strong hands gripped my ankles and dragged my prone form into a darkened cell, “That’s all I need.”

A second later, a booted foot slammed into my side in a rib cracking hit. Rolling to my side from the impact, I tried to shield my softer parts from the punishing blows. Kick after heavy kick was delivered to my back before a hand slipped into my hair and pulled my face up. Pain exploded in my jaw followed quickly by another hit to my left eye. Agony pulsed through my body but I could do nothing in my state, my nerves fried from the electricity. Something glinted in the light and I followed it closely as it got near my face, the tip ripped through the fragile skin of my cheek.

“No one will see your face anyways.” The guard rasped, his voice thick in grief. “It’s the least I can do for my sister.”

So he cut and sliced the flesh of my face but it was when it drifted to my scalp that I broke my vow of not pleading during torture, “No.”

He didn’t reply, just dug the blade under the skin of my hairline.

“No.” I repeated strongly but he didn’t listen and desperation tore through me when fiery pain raced over my scalp. Not again. I couldn’t go through that again! I started to struggle but it wasn’t enough and the blade reached the back of my neck, “No. Stop.” Tears rolled from my eyes not from the pain but at the sight of the long strip of blue hair still attached to the bloody skin of my scalp that fell beside me. I fought harder to no result as the blade touched the front of my head once more and pain, physical and internal crashed through me, “Stop,-”

My eyes snapped open on a gasp that broke the silence inside the darkened tent and saved me from the rest of the nightmare. Heart racing, I jerked upright and immediately reached to feel my hair. My fingers threaded and fisted the long blue strands as I took deep ragged breaths to calm myself. Two months. Two fucking months with out a nightmare. I had even started to think that I had burned away that piece of my soul but I guess that was too much to ask. Sucking in air like my life depended on it, my shoulders hunched under the strain of the memories weighing down my head.

A shift of the mattress and light touch to my bare back had me jumping but thankfully not attacking this time. Silver eyes glinted back at me in the darkness and I quickly swung my gaze back to the area in front of me. He saw. It wasn’t a question or a guess. The heavy look in his eyes, the unasked questions flickering across his face told me everything. Because of our temporary mind link, Cillian had bared witness to my nightmare. Pulled into my head with a front row seat to one of my most hated memories of Slykhelm.

Scalped. The motherfucker had beat and scalped me for killing his sister. The guard had no idea how damaging his actions really were. My sense of identity was torn from me once again in a way that had felt more final than anything else. The pain was nothing compared to the agony of psychological turmoil his actions had thrown me into for a century afterwards. Like everything I seemed to do, that had been a large step forward into sanity and several jumps back into insanity.

Rubbing my fingers over my scalp, I tried to give myself piece of mind by feeling the connection between them and my skin. But Lilly’s gaze on the side of my body was heavy and thickening the air. Clearing my throat, I pressed my hands to the front of my face and realized I had questions of my own.

“Did you watch from the outside or were you in my body? Everything or parts?” I asked, my voice sounding strained and thin to my own ears. The questions probably didn’t make sense but I didn’t have it in me to ask again or look at him.

“It was like I was you. I felt and saw everything you did.”

His deep voice that was normally soothing to my ears grated on my nerves at the admission and I rose from the bed. I could feel his gaze on me as I grabbed his tunic from the day before and slid it on along with a pair of bed shorts. My hands played and gripped my hair at every opportunity as I thought over my spontaneous decision and blurted it out.

“You can ask me two questions.”

His shadow shifted on the bed, “I thought you said you didn’t-”

“I know what I said. But I asked you two questions so it’s only fair, you ask me two.” I rushed out, giving him my back as I shoved my feet into my boots. “Hurry before I change my mind.”

“That man, Lorcan, what he was talking about. Did that ever happen to you?”

I filled in what he couldn’t say, “Was I raped or pimped out? No, I was one of the few spared that fate in a co-ed prison. If I had, we wouldn’t be what we are now. You’d be in the ground.”

“Macha, I’m-”

“You have another question.”

“Your mental state in that nightmare. Was that the worst it got?”

I risked a glance at the bed before moving towards the tent flap, grabbing my swords on the way, “No.”

“Where are you going?”

“Out.” I tossed over my shoulder. And then continued when I heard the bed creak, “Alone, Cillian. I’ll be back. I just need air.”

Flipping back the entrance, I nodded at the guards stationed around the edges of my tent. The chill in the air cooled my warm skin and helped my lungs expand until I felt like I could finally breathe. Sweeping my eyes over the tented city laid out before me, I started my stroll down the narrow paths that curled between the temporary homes. Smoke from dying fires twisted in the moonlight as they rose to greet the stars.

My chest rose and fell with deep even breaths that helped to settle my soul. Melding the two swords into one, I lifted my free hand to my hair and pulled all of it over my right shoulder. The soft royal blue tresses captured my gaze as my feet led me in an unknown but calming direction. Grass crunched beneath my boots as I turned down a path of white tents and I slowed to a stop before the largest one. The one that currently housed the Unseelie Prince Daithí, otherwise apparently known as my little brother.

I hadn’t given him much thought the first time we met. There wasn’t anything I cared to learn or think about that concerned him. At first glance, the pale purple headed boy was cold and expressionless just like Mab. His eyes had been devoid of life and the amusement of youth, which to me made it obvious why he was rumored to be Mab’s favorite. But the young man I met last night was different in almost every way. Daithí had come alive in our presence and even helped us sneak back out of the compound.

It could be an act. He said himself that he excelled in blackmail and political manipulation. But. The similarities he shared with Cillian are what gave me pause. Cillian had worn the same uncaring and cold persona in Mab’s Court to survive. And it was only now, month’s later and free of Mab that his personality was beginning to flourish. Could Daithí be going through the same thing? Or was this more boyish side of him the act? Was it wrong that a very small part of me wanted to get to know him? Was it naive of me to crave a family bond after everything being an O’Riordan had cost me?

Or was this the end game of it all? Daithi would play the dutiful little brother until I let my guard down and then he’d strike? Was that how I’d finally leave this realm? Betrayed by yet another person who was meant to care for me? Pulling my gaze from the white fabric rippling gently in the breeze, I twirled my sword with a slow roll of my wrist. My feet followed the direction of my eyes and I was once again walking without a clear destination in mind.

“Wow, you really weren’t going to come in and say hi? Rude.”

Snapping my eyes to the right, they connected with Daithí’s slim form standing in the shadows, “You’re not allowed out of your tent.”

“I’ve been confined to that tent for the past day and a half, Sister. And you haven’t come to visit me once.”

Turning so we were face to face, I raised a brow, “Why would I?”

“Why are you up?” He asked instead, walking out of the shadows.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

“Me either.”

We looked at each other for a moment before I nodded my head forward and he fell into step beside me. The iron cuffs around his wrists caused my instincts to tingle in awareness of their numbing sensation. Even the smallest amount of iron had always been enough to spike on my radar, though I wasn’t sure if that was a Fae thing or a Divine thing.

“You’re giving her the upper hand, you know.”

I glanced over at him as we turned a corner, “Am I?”

“You’re attacking her bases and supply routes while defending your lands but you’re on the defense.” He said, lavender eyes sharpening in intelligence. “Mab likes that. She thrives on it. You need to attack fast and hard. Make her come to you.”

“We have.”

He shook his head, “No, I’m talking about something big. You need to make a statement.”

“We just stole you right out from under her. I say that’s a statement in itself.” I countered, nodding to a passing Seelie Banshee who looked at us quizzically.

Daithí laughed, “You’ve annoyed her, Sister. She probably thinks you already killed me and doesn’t care.”

“You want me to draw her out. Piss her off further.” I side-eyed him.

“Shouldn’t be too hard. You’ve done it your entire life.”

I released a dry laugh, “Yes. One of my many accomplishments.”

“Meet her troops head on in the Unseelie territories around the Kingdom.”

“No.”

Daithí stopped abruptly, “The longer we prolong the war, the more time she has to create a new set of war plans.”

“I’m aware.” I stated, continuing to walk forward.

“Then why aren’t you trying to end this before more lives are lost?”

I paused, bringing my right foot back beside my left and looked over my shoulder, “Those territories are where I lost to her the first time. You never fight a war on the grounds of a failed one. It’s bad luck.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Something that would make the old me proud.” I mused, meeting his pale eyes with a smile. “I’m going to lay siege to Mab’s Castle.”

——————————————————————————

I always get a little heart ache when I’m reminded of what Macha went through. She’s so strong and badass that even I forget she’s been through hell.

As always, feel free to comment or like!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Five: Taking Charge

“My Queen, I must advise against this. We should make her come to us.”

Frustrated, I shook my head, “No. I let her come to me the last time and I lost.”

“But My Queen, the outcome of this attack is too unpredictable. Anything could go wrong.”

“It’s already been put into motion, Erick.”

This caused many sitting at the long table to pause and then a loud buzz of voices erupted inside the large tent. Earlier this morning, I had a group of soldiers line up three large tents back to back. Creating a long makeshift room that was adequate enough for me to hold a council meeting with both the Unseelie and Seelie representatives. Two of each species in the realm sat at the table, the Seelie on the left and the Unseelie on the right, and listened to me explain what needed to be done. Though not everyone was happy about it.

“The purpose of this council was to give each of us a voice in decisions that directly pertain to us! She has stolen our voice already!” A Seelie Troll barked. “Who’s to say this isn’t our future!”

His Unseelie counterpart, Coaimhe, yelled her own opinion from her position across from him, “This is a war, you idiot! One that is taking the lives of our people everyday! She doesn’t have time to take everyone’s opinion into account!”

“I second that!” Grumpy snapped, slamming his little fist into the wood. “The quicker this war is over with, the longer my Dwarves live! If Macha thinks this is the right call, then it’s the right call!”

“Of course, you’d agree with her! You’re Unseelie! How can we know this plan will even work? This isn’t another battle, it’s going to spark the climax of the war! Is the Divine even ready to face Mab? How can we be certain she’ll win?” Screeched a Seelie Pixie, the high pitched voice nearly lost in the chaos.

“It has to be done!” The Seelie Lamia hissed, purple eyes glaring down her side of the table. “We can’t afford to drag out the war any longer! Our people grow weary and the number of dead rises everyday! We need to be aggressive! I agree with the Divine’s decision, we need to attack the city!”

“This is insane! We cannot attack Mab in her own Kingdom! She’ll have the upper hand, how can-”

“Enough!” I shouted, banging my hand on the wooden table to gather their attention. “I have already put things into play that cannot be undone! As we speak, our allies within the Unseelie Territories and the Kingdom itself are mobilizing. Half the troops here are already marching their way to the outskirts of the Kingdom. The water Fae have been given orders to disrupt the Kingdom’s water supply and to defend our allies along the coast. This meeting is to get us all on the same page, not to debate the decision. It’s done. By dusk, we will be inside the city. Our forces will hold the kingdom as Mab and I finally put an end to this.”

“Dusk! You mean to face Mab tonight!” The Seelie Troll snapped, brown eyes wide. “We should have been told before you put our soldiers in danger!”

Fed up with this assholes negative attitude, I jerked upright in my seat and pointed at him, “What the fuck is your name? Cause you got a lot to fucking say but I bet, I bet! I won’t see your low wall looking ass on the battlefield later.”

“Excuse me? I have never been so-”

“You’re excused.” I snapped, rising to my feet and glaring at them all. “You all agreed to put me on the throne for a multitude of reasons. You all knew the kind of Fae I was, heard the rumors about me and how I do things. Yet, you put me on the throne. And while I will always try to take your opinions into account, this is not one of those times. We’re in the midst of a war for the realm. Now, is not the time to second guess or pussy foot around. This is what we’re doing, we go to war for the realm tonight. And after this if you want me off the throne, that’s fine.” Giving them a hard look, I finished with, “But keep in mind, I have no room for weak Fae on my council who’d rather spend their time talking than doing something to save the lives of their people.”

Silence stretched inside the tent until Oberon stood up beside me, “Macha is right. We chose her to lead us into this war, now is not the time to second guess her actions. She has fought with the troops since the beginning and put herself directly in the line of fire unlike any other ruler. Myself included. Unofficially this war has been going on for months and now that Mab is losing herself to her emotions, it’s time. We can’t afford to wait anymore and I believe Macha is more than capable of taking Mab down.”

He basically just repeated what I said. Why do they all look like they’re listening now?

Because he didn’t insult them all. You’re going to have to learn to be diplomatic at some point, Cell Bait. Your bulldozer approach to everything is not going to work every time.

Irritation rolled through me as I straightened up and pulled my hands from the table, “We leave in an hour. Ready your soldiers.”

Turning, I left without hearing them out and headed directly to my tent. The camp was bustling with the noise of excited soldiers and clanking metal. Two large tents were set up by the lake with Dwarves hard at work inside, trying to pump out enough metal to create last minute weapons. The lake itself was rippling as water Fae came dripping from it’s depths to help in any way they could. Large groupings of soldiers sparred against each other, warming themselves up for the real battle later. Forest Fae sharpened their wooden spears and bows at the edges of the clearing while some Unseelie shared with the Seelie how to best defend against Unseelie abilities.

Nodding to those I passed, I held out a hand and snatched something that a Banshee tossed to me before he quickly dropped to his knees. Continuing on, I opened up my palm to look down at the squishy object I was given. Bluish red, the small heart in my hand had probably belonged to some kind of bird or rodent. I would have been mildly grossed out if it wasn’t for the fact that the Banshees have been offering me sacrifices since they heard we were going to war. Two growing piles of dead animals and organs had even sprung up on either side of my tent entrance. Afric said it was customary to offer their chosen patron a sacrifice before going into battle. And since I was still alive and therefore didn’t have a shrine, this was the only thing they could think of doing.

Allowing the small heart to roll off my hand and into the pile beside my tent flap, I pushed it back and walked in. Only to immediately groan at who was waiting for me inside and the pain already pulsing at my temple. Striding to the tent, I ignored the boy sitting at the desk and the other sitting on the bed. Taking the pitcher of sugared whiskey Afric had given me as his sacrifice, I poured some into a brass cup and tossed it back. The burn in my throat relieved some of the stress from my shoulders until I looked at them again.

Light green eyes tracked my movements since I entered the tent with a cautious expression from his spot at the end of the bed. While a pair of cool lavender orbs watched me with amusement in his reclined position at my desk. But when the pale pain in my ass opened his mouth to speak followed by the brown pain in my ass, I held up a finger. Pouring out another three finger serving, I downed it in one impressive gulp that set fire to my chest.

Giving a little shiver at the taste, I slammed the cup onto the wood, “What the hell do you two want? And again Daithí, you are not supposed to leave your tent.”

“Sister, you don’t really expect me to. So why disappoint?”

Rolling my eyes, I pushed his feet from my desk, “What are you doing here?”

“We want to fight.”

“We?”

Baris stood, shaking his head, “We didn’t come here together to ask you. I was already here when he showed up.”

Pinging my eyes from one to the other, I nodded slowly and rounded the desk. Grabbing the back of the chair, I smiled down at Daithi and then warped the wood so his ass hit the floor with a thump. He grumbled, looking very un-princely and then got to his feet to stand in front of me beside Baris. Looking from one dumbass to the next, I kicked my feet up on the desk and leaned back.

Lacing my fingers over my stomach, I raised a brow, “You two want to fight? Fight where? Fight who? Each other? I don’t think I’d even pay to see that, Babes.”

“In the war.” Baris answered first. “To prove myself.”

“To gain your trust since that seems important to you.” Daithí answered dryly.

“A war, Babes? What war? Are we going to war? People really don’t tell me anything, how irritating.”

“Macha.”

“Sister.” Both of them dead panned at the same time.

“There is no way you two twats, actually think you’re going to fight in my war.” I said, voice thick with disbelief.

Lavender eyes narrowed before Daithí mocked, “Isn’t it the realms war? Don’t we have a right to fight for our world’s safety?”

“Yeah.” Baris chimed in. “Isn’t it inhumane to deny us our rights?”

I laughed, “What rights? You’re on thin ice with my army and you’re a prisoner of war.”

“A prisoner of war? This is how you treat your beloved brother?”

“Beloved?” I laughed harder, cheeks warm with the heat of the whiskey. “Divines. You’re lucky I haven’t cleaved your head from your neck! Beloved!”

Baris stepped away from the slightly amused looking Unseelie Prince, “Well, what about me? Watching you get hit with those grappling hooks really shook me up. This is history in the making, it’s life or death for hundreds of Faekind. I want to do my part.”

“Your ‘part’ is staying your ass here, so I don’t have to worry about you getting killed on the battlefield.” Pausing, I looked him over, “Isn’t there something you want to do? Besides being a soldier?”

“It’s my legacy, everyone on my fathers side has been a soldier or something similar.” Baris replied, sounding vulnerable. “Are you discharging me from your army?”

“I haven’t decided yet. But Syrus isn’t a soldier, you don’t have to be either.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, furrowing pastel green brows, “I don’t know anything else.”

Letting him stew on that, I turned to Daithi and cut him off before he could speak, “No. I don’t need the distraction of waiting for a sword in my back while fighting Mab.”

“Sister, honestly. I could have run away or gotten one of the Unseelie soldiers you flipped to release me by now.” He replied, lips curling into a smirk as he lifted his cuffed hands. “I want to see you win.”

I dropped my feet from the edge and sat up with a fake surprised gasp, “Well, when you put it that way…..no.”

“What if we do a deal? I hear you’re excellent at those.”

“A deal?” I purred, my interest peaked.

He nodded, “If you let me fight against Mab, I promise my actions will only be to help you.”

“As tempting as that is, I have a better idea. You keep Baris out of trouble and away from the war and in return, I take your cuffs off.”

The two boys side-eyed each other in distaste making me think my idea was a damn good one. Pale purple eyes swung back my way, “Isn’t he too old for a babysitter? Wouldn’t my talents be better spent helping you win the war?”

“You’re telling a prisoner to watch me?”

I stood up with a smile and rounded the privacy screen, pulling my metal off as I went.

“Macha.”

“Sister.”

Laughing, I switched out my white tunic for a long sleeved royal blue one, “I didn’t hear the magic word.”

“How old are you? Why are you so immature that you need me to watch you?”

“How old are you? Why are you so untrustworthy that you need to watch me?”

Listening to their bickering, I watched my blue metal coat my forearms and lift with little spikes. Taking a small piece of silver off my waist chains, I tightly braided my long hair to lay down my back underneath the sheath. With my swords securely strapped to my back, I walked back around the privacy screen.

“Do you know how many times I could have ratted you out to Mab? You’d be dead if it wasn’t for me.”

Baris made a face with a tilt of his head, “I must have missed the part where that entitles you to anything concerning me?”

“You two sound like a more respectful version of me and Cillian.” I snorted, moving to the desk.

“Where is my brother?”

I poured out another serving of whiskey, “Helping the troops get ready to move out in the next thirty minutes.”

“Should you really be drinking before going off to fight our mother for the realm, Sister?”

I shook my head before swallowing the whiskey, “No. But alcohol helps to numb the physical pain that I will be going through in a couple of hours.”

“Having doubts?”

“Mab is going to wound me, there’s no question about that. It’s just a matter of who deals the final blow. Hence the whiskey, cause it will be me. Even if I’m headless, I’ll kill the bitch.” I replied, locking gazes with his pale lavender eyes.

“How would that work exactly?” Baris questioned.

I laughed as I walked towards the exit, “I’m a God, Babes. I don’t have to explain shit. And that deal expires the second I step out of this tent, Daithí.”

A weight settled in the air the closer I got to the exit until the Prince’s voice rang out in a dry tone, “You have a deal, Sister.”

Light shined against the royal blue fabric of the tent at eye level as I ran my tongue over my sharpened teeth and flashed him a grin over my shoulder, “Good choice, Little Brother.”

“Then why do I feel like I’ve entered a dangerous game with no rules?”

Laughing, I exited the tent, “Because you have.”

……………………

“How are they looking?”

Cillian glanced over at me, “Good. The younger ones are excited but it’s their first war so it’s expected.”

I nodded, looking over the field filled with mobilizing soldiers, “Do you think it’s too soon?”

“It’s abrupt, Cell Bait. But it’d be naive of everyone to think it wouldn’t be. There’s no gentle build up to a war.”

“What if I can’t do it?” The weight of his gaze drilled into the side of my head but I kept my eyes forward, “We’ve all fought so hard and lost a lot to get to this point, what if I fail everyone again?”

“Do you really believe that? Because that’s the biggest load of bullshit to come out of your mouth in a long time. You’ve come so far, Macha. You’re not the same woman you were the last time you faced Mab. You’ll win and you’ll put that bitch in the ground where she belongs.”

“But if-”

“You will.”

Turning, I grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face me, “Cillian, listen. If it looks like I’m losing, retreat and evacuate the domestics camp to the human realm. Head to the cabin in the woods where you found me with the wolves. Kaiya will help.”

Silver eyes glance over my shoulder, “They’re waiting.”

Giving him a long look, I turned to face the thousands of Faekind lined up in front of me. Taking a deep breath, I shouted out over the silent camp, “I know many of you thought we still had a while before the war! Some of you may be scared or second guessing your part in this, so am I!” Fae gasped and shifted in nerves, glancing at each other at the admission. “I’m here to tell you that’s normal! We’d be just like our enemies if we didn’t feel that way! The difference between a civilian and warrior is the way you wield those feelings! And make no mistake! The second you walk off that battle field, dead or alive, you’re a warrior! So use your emotions! Use that anger, use that fear and let it drive you! Let it fuel you but never let it cloud your judgement! Do you hear me?”

Soldiers banged their weapons together in answer with a grunting call.

“Then let’s move! We have a motherfucking war to win and history to make!”

Blood pumping, Faekind began to disappear from the field in large groups still cheering in bloodlust. It was both a prideful and bitter thing to witness, the souls we would lose today already weighing on my tattered soul. May the Divines grace those brave enough to die.

…………………

Traveling to the edges of the Unseelie Terrioritories, we met up with the rest of my army and began pushing our way through the cities. My allies had already gained control over most of the area making it easier to reach the Kingdom. The port cities were still fighting against Mab’s troops but from what Bria told her brother they’d have it within the hour. Afric and the Banshees scurried through the shadows ahead of our large presence, scouting out the areas for Mab’s soldiers. But so far we’d only been met by stragglers and small enemy scouting groups.

Gripping the reins tighter, I cautiously scanned the empty street we were marching down. Mab had to know we were here, she could probably see our approach from the tallest point in her castle. Which begged the question, where were all her soldiers? Cillian rode beside me on his own Kelpie with a white knuckle grip on his axe, tense in apprehension like the rest of our army. Seelie and Unseelie alike along with thousands of Faekind marched at my back as we decreased the distance between us and Mab’s Kingdom to twenty feet.

The concrete and stone walls of the Kingdom began to cast a shadow over us caused by the dwindling sunlight. A feeling of unease creeped up my spine as I looked along the tops of the wall to find the soldier posts empty. Clopping Kelpie hooves and stomping boots echoed over empty streets giving an eerie feeling to everything. Narrowing my eyes, I raised a closed fist beside my head and listened to the sound from behind me come to a sudden stop. Silence poured over us as the last of the sun disappeared behind the frame of Mab’s castle. And that’s when I caught it.

Just a small metallic wink in the night sky but it was enough for me to spring into action. Pressing my hands into the base of Kelpie’s strong neck, I pushed down hard and swung my legs up onto her rump in a crouch. Standing, I snapped my hands out wide and raised them in a smooth motion that caused a wall of earth to rise with them. The dirt wall littered with roots rose up high above my soldiers heads and shielded us from the attack. Large metal and ice cannon balls slammed into the wall hard enough to make the ground shake and rain dirt down over us. Fisting my hands from the strain of holding it strong against the physical attack and the Fae trying to yank it from my will, I turned around.

Seelies casted balls of flames over their palms to lighten the darkness I casted over them. Thousands of rows upon neat rows of bodies gazed up at me from their feet or Kelpieback, some with poles that carried my royal blue flag proudly. Looking over their shadowed faces, I nodded down at Dani and waited until she moved up to place two fingers to my throat, “This war is everything you’ve been fighting for! It’s everything your parents dreamed of and it will be everything your children thank you for! This is your chance for freedom! Freedom Mab has stolen from us! She made a deal with the realm when she sat on that throne and has delivered nothing! She grew complacent as we grew angry and resentful! That was her mistake! For thinking for even one moment that we had given up! ”

War screams and pounding hooves answered my roar, threatening to block out the ear shattering cannons battering against the wall at my back. “Tonight, we bring terror to her door and a river of blood to her city! It’ll be her people left bleeding out in the dirt like cattle! It’ll be her home we bring crashing to the ground! It’ll be her death that marks the pages of history on this day!”

A bead of sweat trailed down my temple from the strain on my will but they were worth it. They were all worth it. Banshees thumped their staffs with bellowing screams and Trolls stomped causing the ground to shake as the Lamias hissing vibrated the air. “Tonight, all of us will leave a piece of our soul in this war! Because tonight, WE WRITE OUR VICTORY IN BLOOD AND ASH!”

The army in front of me rolled with energy and bloodlust as their war cry’s increased in volume. They pushed forward, drawing their weapons, ready to charge forward. Turning, I dropped down on my Kelpie and pulled my swords from their sheaths. My will was beginning to fray underneath the group of Fae trying to wrestle the wall from me, but I had one more thing to say before I dropped it.

Looking to the left, I met silver eyes, Cibé sna réaltaí nó i mbua, buailfimid le chéile arís.

Cibé sna réaltaí nó i mbua, buailfimid le chéile arís. He repeated with a nod, his voice sure and confident.

Taking a deep breath, I dropped the wall on my exhale.

——————————————————————————

Cibé sna réaltaí nó i mbua, buailfimid le chéile arís.

Means: Whether in the stars or in victory, we will meet again.

I like the dynamic between Daithí and Macha, I wasn’t sure how it’d work but I’m satisfied. Did anyone miss Baris? Is there ANY Baris fans? Lol. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve spelt Syrus twelve different way by now.

Leave a comment if you found the chapter enjoyable!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Six: Divinity Vs. Tyranny

The mass of earth collapsed back into the ground with a deafening rumble that crushed the enemy soldiers closest to it. Chaos immediately ensued as the two armies crashed into each other, no longer held back by the wall. Tightening my thighs around the Kelpie, I leaned into her neck to increase our speed as she charged into the fray. Screeching metal and soldier’s bellowing war cries drowned out everything else as I struck out at anyone wearing purple. Blood and dirt sprayed through the night turning my skin sticky with grime.

Eyes darting around the messy war-zone, I swung my left arm down to block the axe aimed at my thigh. The weapons hit with clang before I twisted at the waist and brought my other sword down into the center of her chest. My Kelpie’s speed ripped the sword from the soldier’s chest and brought an ache to my shoulder. Using the momentum, I whipped my arm back and released my grip to send the sword spiraling into the crowd. The metal winked as it broke apart mid-air into spikes that began drilling through rows of purple tunic’d soldiers.

Balls of different colored flames catapulted from behind me, slamming against the walls of the Kingdom. Black marks marred the brick as the flames leaped and fizzled out, managing to catch a few archers on the way. Eyes narrowing, I yanked a chain from my waist and snapped it up at the archers. The silver links wrapped tightly around the ridge of the wall instead of the neck I had been aiming for, giving me the perfect idea. Giving it a yank, I loosened my legs around the Kelpie and tightened my grip on my sword. Snapping out a mental order, I formed the end of the chain into a handle seconds before it pulled me from the Kelpies back.

Wind pulled and sliced at my body harshly as the Unseelie below caught sight of me soaring overhead. Flinging my free hand at the ground, I curled it into a fist and laughed when the ground opened up beneath them. Soldiers in purple tunics screamed as they slipped under the earth’s surface while some of the smarter ones traveled out. White hot pain flashed to life across my wrist, drawing a hiss of pain from my lips and weakening my grip. Gritting my teeth, I forced my fingers to curl tighter around the handle as my body slammed up against the wall.

Planting my feet on the brick, I sneered up at the archers notching their iron arrows. I was about to swing myself to the side as they let the arrows fly when I found I didn’t need to. A thick vine surged past me covering me entirely, the tips of the arrows piercing the thick green skin to stop inches from my face. Sliding my will over the vine, I gently nudged the warm presence holding it until it slipped away. The vine curled around my waist as I let go of the chain, bringing me high above the battling armies.

Grinning, I waited until it slithered underneath my feet and shot forward to form a bridge into the city. Jerking my hands out, palms down, royal blue flames bathed the tops of the walls bringing more screams from below. Strolling forward, flames roared from my palms as vibrations rumbled up the vine. A quick glance over my shoulder showed my soldiers clambering up the vine toward me bringing a wicked smile to my lips. Pulling at the vine, a small portion of it flattened into a small disc like shape and lifted me higher into the air.

Faekind in blue tunics raced over the thick bridge of piling vines to flood the inside of the city as I kept them safe from the attacks below. Like a mighty dragon, my flames torched the enemies on the ground while I opened up the earth periodically to swallow the ones I missed. Spikes of ice and metal whistled through the air in an effort to bring me to the ground, well if that’s what they want…Crouching, I gripped the small platform I was on as it sped towards the ground outside the Kingdom walls. Instead of stopping it before it hit the ground, I drove it deeper beneath the ground after I flung myself into the brawling masses.

Boots skittering over the torn up dirt, I ripped my sword from my sheath and called the other back into my hand. Striking out, I dragged them both across the back of a large male before spinning around him and driving them into the next Fae’s gut. Blue metal glinted out in the moonlight as I cut my way across the field towards the Kingdoms gates. Blood splashed across my face spurting out from the headless female’s corpse that quickly slumped to the ground. Charred bodies crunched under my sprinting feet as I raced towards the large gates keeping most of my army outside the city.

“MOVE!” I roared at the Trolls tunneling underneath it and swung both swords to my right side.

Still running, I slashed the tips across the ash covered dirt in a violent motion that had my entire body spinning horizontally through the air. Instead of flames, the large vine from earlier broke through the ground and rammed through the gates as if they were made of glass. My feet hit the back of the vine and I rode into the city on it like a large worm with a maniacal laugh spilling from my lips. The sounds of war ravaged my ears at an increased volume as my soldiers collided with Mab’s true army.

From my vantage point, my eyes soaked in the thousands of purple tunic’d soldiers blocking our path from the midpoint of the city to the castle. Narrowing in on the thin line where the two armies met, I tipped my head back and gave a scream of bloodlust that seemed to echo through the air. Shrill howling screams answered back and a wave of darkness raced towards the front of the conflict at a supernatural speed. Laughing, I stepped off the vine and dropped down into the racing hoard of Banshees.

The flapping of their black cloaks caught the walls of the buildings as did their giggling laughter and bellowing screams that promised death. Grinning, I pushed my will over the ground and willed it to propel me forward to match their speed. Our soldiers parted to make way for us, giving the other side a view of us that had them screaming for a retreat. When we were close enough to see the whites of their eyes, I slid my tongue over my sharpened teeth with a sneer. Planting a foot on the soldiers shield, I launched myself into their ranks as the Banshee’s began picking them off one at a time.

The city was a mess of warring abilities, that tore the Kingdom apart, and the bodies of the fallen. Stumbling over a lifeless Troll, I shortened my swords into long daggers and slammed my spiked forearm guard into the face of the male trying to cut the back of my thigh. Panting, I opened up the ground around me and watched the enemies slip into its depths. Spiked vines whipped past me to make a hole in Mab’s surging army for me to dive through. A recently arrived Bria twirled in beside me, cutting down any Fae stupid enough to get close to her.

Ducking underneath the swing of a sword, I rammed my dagger underneath the female’s collarbone and ripped it across. Turning, I swung wide with my left arm and- My teeth snapped together at the agony that ripped into my left shoulder thrusting me back a few steps. The iron spear began to sting and numb the surrounding area as the bitch welding it drove it deeper. Fuck. Flinging my right hand out, I managed to slash her across the eyes before a blue axe cleaved her head from her neck. Cillian’s dirt and blood splattered body appear before me with a dark look clouding his features.

Watch my back.

Always. He replied, flicking his gaze to the spear sticking out of my shoulder before Bria appeared beside us.

The Grymes siblings circled me, dropping every purple tunic’d soldier that caught sight of me. Dropping my weapons, I panted out a pained grunt as I gripped the numbing metal. Royal blue flooded the sides of my vision caused by the passing soldiers stopping to cover me as well. Bracing my feet with gritted teeth, I ripped the spear from my shoulder on an enraged scream. Agony gripped me but I pushed it away and dropped the spear. I was done fucking around. Turning, I went to hiss that I was heading for Mab when I was roughly shoved to the right.

“Son of a bitch!” I snarled, whipping around to kill someone for slamming my injured shoulder and immediately froze.

Brown eyes stared up at the starry sky as his body jerked with each painful gurgle that left his throat. Deep red blood pumped out around the cylinder shape of the arrow’s body that stuck out from the front of his neck. Before I could move, I heard a scream of pain and watched Aolfie come sliding to her knees beside Erick. A sob tore from her throat as her shaking hands hovered over his bloodied face and around the iron arrow in his throat. Ignoring the war around her, she whispered to him and clutched his weakening hand.

Red rimmed eyes swung up to mine and sobbed, “He gave his life for yours. Make-make it count.”

Giving her a hard nod, I called my weapons back into my hands as the earth rolled to cover them in a protective dome. I hadn’t known Erick as well as the others but that didn’t make his death any less painful. He had lived a long life but he deserved a longer one and that was something Mab had stolen from him. Erick had died a death that wasn’t his, that iron had been meant for me.

Tendrils of rage curled around my mind prompting a stomp of my boot that had the earth rocketing me into the air. Objects of ice and metal speared through the sky around me narrowly missing me and adding fuel to my rage. Brow furrowing, I snapped the wills connected to them and sent them back to their creators. Fae dropped like dominos across the streets the soldiers fought on while I hurled myself at the closest rooftop. Pulling my right arm into my chest, I took the impact on my un-injured shoulder as I hit the gravel strewn roof.

Rolling, I planted a foot out and forward using the momentum of my roll to propel me to my feet. Striking out with both daggers, I cut through the archers lining the sides with barely a breath between kills. Sneering with sharpened teeth, I slammed my boot into the last female’s back and sent her toppling from the roof to the fight below. Ignoring her scream, I put two fingers to my mouth and gave a sharp whistle that cut through the sounds of war. Arrows pierced the roof around me, knocked off course by a sharp wind from a helpful soldier.

Blue flames followed my line of sight as I looked to the left and then to the right causing the archers to travel out or jump down to avoid being burned. Dark shadows swelled along the bottom of the buildings where the Banshees waited for their meals to come barreling down. Turning, I charged across the roof and took a leap of faith into the fray on the next street. Panting in adrenaline, I flipped my long daggers and drove them into the shoulders of the Fae I landed on. Feet slamming into the ground, I ripped them from his body and slashed them across the chest of his comrade in a twirling arc.

A sudden kick to my ankle knocked me off balance and sent me to the ground hard. The weapons flew from my grip as my chin smacked against the hard packed dirt and dragged a gasp from my lungs. With an imaged thought, the ground pulled me under its surface, rotated me face up and forcefully spit my body back out. Blinking the grit from my eyes rapidly, I latched my arms and legs around the male who attacked me. Laughing maniacally at the surprised amour covered idiot, I buried my head into his uncovered throat and sunk my sharp teeth into his jugular.

The odd flesh and chewy sensation threatened to distract me but I sunk my teeth deeper at his gurgled screams and locked my jaw. Shaking my head like I’d seen Kaiya do in her shifted form, I viciously yanked my head back and released my hold on him. His body slumped to the ground in a loud clang of armor that sounded too loud for a war as I turned to face the side of the street leading to the castle. The Fae fighting on the street in purple and royal blue tunics alike had paused mid-warring to stare at me with different emotions in their eyes.

Opening my mouth, I let the flesh fall to the dirt with a thump and a high pitched laugh that sounded crazed to my own ears. Soldiers snapped out their shock as belly laughing Trolls crashed through the buildings to attack. Grinning, I waited until my daggers slapped back into my palms and nudged the earth. Before I could move, however. I heard it. A sharp crack split the sky and deep purple strikes of lighting rained down on the Kingdom. My eyes narrowed when a strike on the street further down, sent soldiers from each side flying into the buildings.

Looks like Mab finally came out to play.

Taking out the archers allowed us to push closer to the castle. It’s time, Macha. Are you ready?

I cracked my neck and quickly stretched my limbs, I am.

Where are you? We’re three blocks from the Castle.

I am too, must be somewhere to the side of you. But stay there, keep our army back.

Macha-

I don’t need any distractions while fighting Mab, Cillian. We talked about this, everyone stays back.

Fine.

I knew he wasn’t happy but it was for the best. This all started with me and Mab, it was going to end with me and Mab.

Spotting a clearish area further up the street, a blue haze took over as I traveled to that spot. Pain flooded through my veins as something slashed across my back causing me to spin and shove my dagger underneath their chin. Pulling it free of their head, their body dropped and I traveled again. I continued like this until I reached the Castle gates, with every stop I made becoming more and more hostile. Lightning strikes became more frequent until the Kingdom was a show of purple flashes and blue flames for as far as the eye could see. Cuts and bruises littered my body but thankfully the only major injury was the one to my left shoulder.

In front of the deep purple and steel colored gate, I took a deep breath and forced my will over the gates. Flinging open at my command, I cautiously strolled into Mab’s inner domain. Flexing my fingers around the handles of the forming swords, my eyes shot around the silent courtyard for any sign of Mab. Pale skin and long purple hair flashed in the corner of my right eye before a bright flash of deep purple sent my body tumbling back out of the gates and onto the street.

The fabric of my tunic tore exposing my skin to the rough dirt as my swords slipped from my grip and excruciating pain rattled my bones. My body bounced harshly across the street and reopened wounds burned at the touch of dirt until my back slammed into the brick of a building. Gasping in pain, I slammed my hand to the ground and pushed up slightly to peer through the cloud of dirt. Sharp purple eyes peered back at me as she crossed over the threshold of her castle and into the street on velvet slippered feet. Her long deep purple robe lined with gold swept the ground with every slow step while sharp features curled in disdain at the area around her.

Mab’s cold voice slithered through the air to my ears, “You never learn do you? Bastards have only one destiny and that’s to hobble in the shadows unnoticed.”

“Fuck you.” I spat through gritted teeth, shoving myself to my feet. “I’m a hell of a lot more than a Bastard.”

“No, you’re not.” Mab replied with finality in her voice that would have cut me deeply centuries ago. “But I’m not surprised you’d think that. You never could settle in your place.”

I gave a bitter laugh, watching her closely as she began to casually move further away from the castle, “What place was that? Chained up in your dungeon? I was a child.”

“You were a nuisance I should’ve killed in the crib. And you’re nothing more than an irritable pest now.”

I tilted my head with a grin as my swords flew back into my hands, “Awww, you’re too kind.”

Instead of answering, she nodded to the bottom of the small hill the castle sat on, “You brought your people to die again for a throne you don’t belong on.”

“Yeah. Well neither do you, Bitch.”

Deep purple eyes swung to meet my gaze, “That throne will always belong to me. And so will the Realm. It’s my destiny.”

“You’re just an unfun basket of bat shit insane, aren’t you?” I replied, stepping forward. “You’re a tyrant, not a Divine.”

A pale hand lazily dragged through the air as malice flashed across her sharp features, “I took the power, it’s mine. All of it is mine and I’m going to show the realm what it means to cross a Divine, tonight.”

Electricity crackled in the air causing the hair on my arms to rise in awareness as a dome of dark purple lightning caged us in. The flickering dome casted a purple light over us, turning the buildings within the makeshift cage to ash. Coughing as particles filled my lungs, I began moving closer to her with squinted eyes. The war below us winked in and out of the bottom of my vision as Mab’s hard voice rang out again.

“I have more pictures, you know. You didn’t burn them all in that Estate, perhaps I’ll make a gallery of your pain for the masses to enjoy after you die. I have videos as well. Looks like you were good for something after all.”

Fury consumed me at her words and vines sprung from the earth as a result. The thorn laden tips ripped through the air, surging towards Mab’s still form violently. Frost quickly crawled over the vines stopping them inches for her unphased form, shattering them into millions of pieces. Eyes narrowed, Mab and I stared at each other over the expanse of ice and ash covered ground. A dark purple brow arched and my rage increased but I refused to strike first again so I did what I did best. I toyed with the weak.

“I thought you were the Divine, Mab. What’s wrong? You don’t have the power you claim to have? Not surprising. You always did have others winning your battles for you.”

The dome above us cracked harshly and Mab’s lips twisted into a deadly scowl seconds before she flung a hand at me. Diving out of the way of the large ball of ice speeding towards my chest, I rolled as it crashed into the ground with a devastating blow. Jumping to my feet, I sprinted towards her while slashing the ground with the tips of my swords. Blue lines of fire shot out ahead of me, melting the ice around her and burning the ground close to her slippered feet.

A sudden downpour of rain doused my flames enough for Mab to freeze the ground and my feet in place. Shorting my swords into daggers, I pulled my arms back and launched them in her direction. Focusing on the ice, I pushed my will over it and fought back against the presence that clung to it. A shriek of rage rang out and the will I was fighting against disappeared. Melting the ice, I created a muddy wave that rolled me towards Mab like a roaring freight train through the thick rain.

A sharp pulsing started at my temples as she tried to forcefully take the mud from me. Freezing the liquid dirt around my feet, I squatted down and increased the speed of the wave I rode. Lightning crackled overhead and before I could react, a blast of raw electricity hit me directly in the gut. My hold over the mud faltered enough for her to rip it from my will as I flew several feet back. Winded, I scrambled to my feet and created an arch of earth above my head that shielded me from the sharp icicles raining down.

Panting, I looked down and lifted the hem of my tunic to see the damage. Gritting my teeth at the way the fabric pulled away from the raw skin, I gently probed the charred skin above my belly button. Livable. Dropping the hem, I ignored the pain that sparked with every breath and ran out from underneath my covering. My boots pounded into the muddy ground that was quickly hardening as I approached Mab. Blood slid down the left side of her face from the small cut on her defined cheekbone, dramatizing her murderous look.

The dome above cracked again but this time I was ready. Snapping her control from the water, blood trickled down my nose as I dropped to my back and used the water to propel me forward. Lightning struck the ground centimeters from my scalp several times before my legs crashed into Mab’s. Toppling over me, I gripped her shoulder and slammed my elbow into her jaw repeatedly as we continued to slide across the muddy ground. Nails digging into my arm, Mab shot spears of electricity into my veins that had me gritting my teeth.

Pressing my thumb into her eye, I relished her scream of agony as blood dripped onto my face. Body shaking from the electricity frying my nerves, I slammed my free fist into her rib cage and flipped us. Straddling her waist, I sneered as my swords pierced her shoulders and pinned her to the ground. A purple eye glared up at me in irrivacobable rage while her chest heaved in pained breaths. Forming a sharp icicle in my left hand, I shifted back and rammed it into her hip causing her back to bow as another scream ripped from her throat.

“Look at that. Now, we have matching wounds.”

Mab’s pale face twisted darkly in her rage, “You little bitch.”

Raising a flaming hand, I went to end this once in for all when a blast of purple light stole my vision. Agony flooded my system so intensely that I couldn’t stop my back from arching or the scream that ripped from my throat. What felt like a vibrating white heat surged through my body burning everything it’s path as my limbs locked painfully in place. Air refused to enter my lungs while I screamed my throat raw until the pain finally stopped. Sagging I fell into the mud at her side, breathlessly gasping as my mind refused to form a coherent thought.

Grunting sounded out beside me and then a bleeding Mab kicked my head to the side, “Did you honestly think you could win? You’re nothing, not even worth the dirt you died on. Bastards hold no claims to a throne, Daughter. Especially not a bastard like you.” The dark purple dome fell, allowing a crowd to surge forward. “Which should I kill first? I think I’ll start with my wayward Commander. Betraying the Divine for the False Queen, no. I can’t let that go unpunished.”

Eyes widening, I searched the crowd charging forward and realized I knew everyone heading towards us. Silver shined in the dim light of the night as a stoic Cillian led the charge and my sluggish heart started to race in fear. Flicking my gaze between them and Mab, I tried to reach out mentally to stop him but the connection was lost. Rolling painfully to my stomach, I dug my nails into the dirt and tried to shout for them to stop but no sound came from my raw throat. Dark purple light flooded the corner of my eye and I realized she was going to smite them.

Smite them like she was the God. Smite them light she had the right. Take everything from me all over again. Fuck that. Pushing my hands into the dirt, I gritted my teeth in a silent scream as my vision wavered and my legs trembled in my effort to stand. I was Macha fucking O’Riordan and I refused to let this bitch kill everyone I cared about again. A soothing sense of energy rolled over my body as a blue light flooded over the ground in front of me. I was the last living Divine. I was the rightful God of Tir Na Nog and it was my fucking time to rule.

Energy hummed through my body as I got to my feet, “I’m not dead yet, bitch.”

Blue light tinted her muddy clothing and face as she turned to face me, “How?”

“Because I’m the last living Divine.” Forcing my lips to part in a sharp grin, I steadied my feet as the earth rolled under us and a deafening crack filled the air, “And your on my fucking throne.”

Her purple eye pinned itself over my shoulder as her castle crumpled in on itself with a ground shaking rumble. Dust exploded outwards when the last tower fell inwards and the screams stopped coming. Releasing a crazed scream of rage, Mab shot the lightning bolt that had been gathered into her hands directly at me. The bright dark purple energy cracked and sizzled as it cut through the air towards me but never met my skin.

Lifting a hand, the bolt of lightning pooled together in my palm, creating a dark purple orb of crackling energy. Flicking my gaze to Mab, I sneered, “You think you have power?” Closing my fist around the energy, it fizzled out with a loud pop that caused Mab to cry out in agony. Tsking, I purred in a voice that sounded completely different then my own, “This is power.”

Raising my arms to the sky, the rain halted as dark clouds rolled in smothering the stars from view. Brows furrowing at the strain, I pulled on something deep inside of me that felt right and watched as royal blue light flickered through the clouds. Blue flashes brought light to the realm before plunging us all back into darkness, allowing me to take a flickering glimpse of the glorious fear crawling over Mab’s face.

The ground bucked underneath us, causing buildings to crumple as deep crevices of water sprung up from the cracks. With one thought, royal blue lightning began to rain down from the sky in a spiderweb of electricity around the entire Kingdom. Water whipped through the air to curl in on itself, pummeling the soldiers in purple as several typhoons started spinning through the streets. Metal twisted and impaled it’s owners in purple with a sharp mental command that brought a hysterical laugh to my lips. Spreading my fingers, royal blue flames jumped from Faekind to Faekind burning them alive as explosions rocked the ground further.

Ripping my eyes from the city, I lurched forward taking Mab by surprise. Digging my nails into her shoulders, I ignored the tickle of blood sliding over my lips and reached deeper into myself. Bright shocks of blue and purple lighting rained down from the sky in thunderous bolts that seemed to shake the very realm. A blue light began to radiate from underneath my hands causing Mab’s body to bow backwards in a shrill scream that brought pleasure to my soul. The light flooding her body almost drowned out her features entirely as her bones began to break.

The loud crack of her spine had a grin curving my lips and the feel of her shoulders crumbling in my grip caused a warmth to fill my chest. Bringing her closer to my face until the light from my eyes caused her to close her one good one, I whispered, “You should’ve just loved me, you cruel cold-hearted cunt.”

Pulling back, I gripped her head in my hands and gave it a hard twist that caused the frail skin of her neck to rip. Blue light shone out from her neck for several seconds before her body crumpled to ash. Panting, I stared down at the pile that was once Mab and felt….empty, hollow. Lifting my head, I looked over the terrifying show of my power and willed it to stop.

Like it had all been a hallucination, the lightning ceased as the clouds parted to allow the moon and stars to shine down on us again. The giant cyclones of water fell gently to the ground, slipping back to where they came from as the earth sealed shut behind it. Metal fell to the ground with a clang and then I was staring down at thousands of slack jawed Faekind.

A small amount of Fae in purple tunics dotted the sea of blue as the rest of Mab’s army littered the floor. The night was completely silent as I gazed down at them all and they stared up at me. Stumbling a few steps forward, I watched a good amount of them flinch and felt my heart pinch a little. They were afraid of me.

A commotion caused the crowd at the very front to split and then Cillian was there. Shooting me a proud grin, the blood and dirt covered giant maneuvered his Kelpie so he was facing the crowd. Lifting a blue axe, his whiskey voice roared out, “ALL HAIL THE UNBREAKABLE DIVINE AND THE TRUE QUEEN OF THE REALM!”

The crowd broke into cheers and calls of victory as they screamed back, “LONG LIVE THE GOD QUEEN!”

“-THE DEATH GOD!”

“-THE UNBREAKABLE DIVINE!”

Yeahhhh, they really needed to settle on a name, I thought with a gasping laugh as I raised Mab’s head into the air making them roar back their satisfaction. And then promptly crumpled to the ground as the pain finally caught up with me.

——————————————————————————-

Woah.

Let me know your thoughts!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Aftermath

A week later…

“So, I heard a rumor.” Daithí drawled, flinging back the tent flap to come inside.

Shuffling the papers that littered my desk with a furrowed brow, I muttered distractedly, “What’s that?”

“Did you rip some soldier’s throat out? With your teeth?”

Finding the map of the Tir Na Nog, I pushed everything aside as I laid it out, “Vaguely remember doing something like that.”

He laughed dryly, sliding his body into the chair across from me, “The war was just last week, Sister. How do you vaguely remember? Have you slept at all?”

“Bloodlust is a hell of a thing and I was unconscious for three of those days. I haven’t slept since.” I replied, trailing my finger over the mountains and hills with a furrowed brow.

Daithí leaned forward to look at the map, “You haven’t slept for four days? What are you doing?”

“Just because Mab’s dead doesn’t mean the war is over.” Sliding my hand from the map, I slumped in my chair to rub at my eyes.

Immediately after I’d woken up, we began the process of dealing with Mab’s soldiers. Most of the Unseelie Nobility had been killed when I crushed the castle along with a good portion of the soldiers during my show of power. But there were some that had taken advantage of the distraction and fled into the forests. Cillian and a good chunk of the troops were out hunting them down while I somehow got stuck fleshing out territories.

Almost as soon as I recovered, the Pixies and Dwarves attacked. Representatives on both sides began pestering me about the hills directly between the Unseelie and Seelie territory. Apparently there were myths and legends on both sides that told them the hills belonged to their species. But it was fucking ironic that it wasn’t Unseelie against Seelie claims, no. It was the Unseelie and Seelie Pixies against the Unseelie and Seelie Dwarves. And it was a fucking headache. Not to mention that once other species found out about it, I was suddenly swimming in claims on the land between the two dismantled Kingdoms.

“How was it?”

“How was what?” I sighed, wishing I could’ve stayed in my bath from a few hours ago a bit longer.

The wood of his chair creaked, “Killing Mab.”

I stilled, dropping my hand from my eyes to stare at him, “I don’t know.”

“You…you did kill her, right?” He asked, pale hands tightening around the arm rests.

“Of course, I did.”

It was odd, speaking the words aloud. Everything had happened so fast. I spent centuries salivating over Mab’s death and how glorious it would feel to have her die at my hands. But now after finally killing the woman responsible for everything that had happened to me…I felt hollow. It didn’t feel like a Fae of Mab’s stature could be here one moment and then be gone the next. I was elated that she was dead but at the same time, I couldn’t completely wrap my head around it. Had I built her up to be some kind of god-like figure in my head despite everything or had she been weaker than me all along? And more importantly, how did I continue on when I spent my entire life breathing just to spite Mab?

Daithí fingers played with the edges of the map, “It feels weird, doesn’t it? The absence of constant tension and paranoia?”

“I never realized how much Mab weighed on me. It’s strange to feel so…so…”

“Free, Sister. That’s the word you’re looking for.” Lavender eyes held mine, “You didn’t just free the realm of Mab, you freed us as well.”

Drumming my fingers on the desk, I hummed before asking my question, “How do you feel now that she’s dead?”

Daithí paused, pale lavender eyes flicking over my features, “Unsure. I was brought up in Mab’s court, I knew how to play my part. Now, I don’t know where I fit in.”

“I get it. I was brought up by Mab’s cruelty, it drove me.” I shrugged, “Now, I don’t know what will.”

He grinned, “Damn. She really knew how to raise kids, didn’t she?”

Laughing, I shook my head, “You’ll find your place, Daithí.”

“And you’ll find something else to drive you. Like maybe, making sure the realm actually finds peace again.”

I rolled my eyes, “These assholes are already jockeying for territory, I doubt we’ll get peace anytime soon.”

“Your God Queen of Tir Na Nog, Sister. They’ll take what you give them, especially after your show of power.”

“Great, so they do fear me.” I groaned, dropped my head back to look at the ceiling.

The wood of Daithí’s chair creaked as he stood and rapped his knuckles on the table, “Come on. I was sent here to come get you. There’s something you need to see.”

“Can it wait? I have to go through all these territory claims and then help get the pyres set up. We can’t leave them out there like that. They deserve better, Erick deserves better.”

“The others can do that. You’re going to want to see this.”

Groaning louder, I pushed myself to my tired feet and followed him from the tent, “Aren’t you supposed to be watching Baris?”

“I did. I stopped his dumbass from running into battle twice. Which reminds meeee,” He turned, drawing out the words and holding his cuffed hands out to me. “It’s time for you to hold up your end of the deal.”

“I’ll take them off but your deal isn’t done.” Pulling a small piece of metal from my waist chains, I straightened it into a thin needle and picked the lock.

Rubbing his wrists, Daithí raised a pale purple brow, “What are you talking about? I kept him out of trouble and the war.”

I raised a finger with a grin, “Ah. But like I just said, the war’s not actually finished and you haven’t kept him out of trouble.”

“You bitch.” The boy hissed. “Your saddling me with that fuck up until you trust me, aren’t you?”

“I love being called a bitch first thing in the morning.” I mused on a hearty exhale, taking off down the path we were headed again. “Makes me feel like I’m starting the day off right.”

“And if I refuse?”

I raised a brow, “Do you really want to find out?”

“How in the ever-loving-fuck do you expect me to keep that boy out of trouble?”

Laughing, I shot him a smirk, “I honestly don’t know. But I do know, it’ll keep me from killing him out of frustration and it’ll keep you too busy to plot against me.”

“Just when I was starting to like you, Sister. I hate you.”

“Thank Divines, we dodged that bullet then.” I replied, dryly.

Daithí gave a heaving sigh, “Every time he blinks, Baris gets himself into some bullshit.”

When he stopped walking as we reached a familiar tent, I turned and gave him an innocent smile, “With that in mind. Daithí, where is Baris now?”

“Fuck.” Grumbling underneath his breath about how he was a feared former Prince of the Unseelie and not a babysitter, he traveled out of sight.

Chuckling, I turned on my heel and entered the tent. Only to be struck by the sheer number of mirrors covering nearly every surface of the tent. Despite being familiar, I never actually been inside Dani and Calvins tent. Just seen them come in and out of the white tent over the past couple of months. But I really shouldn’t be surprised, I mean I expected something like this with Calvin’s personality.

Flashes of blue hair and silver tattooed brown skin reflected back at me from multiple surfaces as I moved further inside. Mumbles flowed out from behind the privacy screen along with Dani’s encouraging sentiments. Brows climbing, I stopped just on the other side and called out, “Can I walk around or are you two in the middle of some weird kinky sex?”

“Why does it have to be weird kinky sex? Why can’t it just be kinky sex?” Dani sassed as I heard what sounded like a whisper cursing Calvin and the sound of rustling sheets.

“Because it’s you two.” I answered in a flat tone.

She snorted, “Fuck you. Come around.”

“No!” Calvin shouted, making me retract the foot I was about to step forward on.

“Cal, stop. It looks amazing, she’s going to love it.”

“Dani, it’s not finished.” Calvin hissed back, sounding very offended. “I don’t show unfinished work.”

“You’ve been working on it all week. It’s finished. Macha, come around.”

“Macha, stay there! Dani, it’s not even a commissioned piece! She wasn’t even supposed to see it! Why did you tell her?”

“You act like you’re not the best painter in Tir Na Nog since the Creative Divine, Cal! It’s a fucking masterpiece!”

“I know I am but this is shit! I was just doing it for fun-”

Intrigued and over listening to their bickering, I slammed a hand against the privacy screen and flung it back. The thin screen folded back on itself to settle against the tent wall with a clack, revealing a startled looking mated pair. Calvin stood, a little hunched over, in front of a canvas with a sheet thrown over it while Dani stood in front of him, both bug-eyed at being caught.

With a cough, Calvin straightened out, “Macha.”

I arched a brow, “Calvin. I have reason to believe you painted me.”

“Lies. Malicious lies.”

“Calvin.” Dani stressed, exasperated with the perfectionist.

“It’s not finished.”

Huffing at his whining, I shot Dani a look.

Once she nodded in agreement, we sprung into action. While I shoved him away from the painting, Dani sent a small puff of wind at the canvas that blew the covering off. Laughing at Calvin’s shriek, I turned my head to look at the painting and choked on my next breath. Dani was right. It was a masterpiece. Done with brushes crafted from the Trolls cane that Dani had gifted him at their mating, it was a living masterpiece.

Lines of electric royal blue cut through the black rolling clouds at the top of the canvas to flash against the walls of the painted Kingdom. Miniature soldiers in blue flooded the base of the hill, running from the cyclones of water littered with Fae in purple tunics that ravaged the streets. Shadows were casted across the canvas due to the lightning, showcasing the significant amount of detail Calvin had put into it. Blue flames danced across the tiny buildings, leading my eyes to the scene slightly larger than the rest.

Clothing torn and splattered with the gore of war, stood a Divine being at the top of the hill in front of the crumpled ruins of the castle. And that was the only way I could think of describing her. With long royal blue hair seeming to float out around her head and eyes that shined out like two blue headlights in the dark. The woman looked like a God in the mist of the chaos she created and it wasn’t even the best part.

Leaning closer to the painting, I watched my hands reach out to close around Mab’s head and ripped it off as the bitch’s body incinerated in a flash of blue light over and over again. Grinning at the pleasure that erupted in my chest every time I watched Mab go ‘poof’, I asked, “Can you make it bigger?”

Calvin shifted closer, wringing a paint stained cloth between his pale hands, “I know, I know, I told Dani I wasn’t finished. The sizes are all over the place-”

“Shut your decietful whore mouth! I love it!” Straightening, I turned to him gleefully, “Can you make it bigger?”

Black almond shaped eyes blinked, “What do you mean bigger?”

“This scene of me and Mab.” I said, pointing a finger at it. “Can I commission you to paint this single scene on a canvas this size?”

“Yes but just that-”

“And I want another one like this but on a much bigger canvas. Say about a six by four foot canvas that I can hang in my dining room.”

Calvin nodded rapidly, “I can do that. It’d be an honor.”

Grinning, I slapped his shoulder affectionately, “How much?”

“Around four hundred thousand gold pieces.”

Dani gasped, kicking her mate in the back of the leg, “Calvin. Macha saved the realm from Mab and you’re going to make her pay?”

“She can literally turn any metal to gold. It’s not like she can’t afford it and I should be compensated for my genius.” He snapped.

Laughing, I pulled my chains free of my waist and clumped them together in my hands. Tightening my grip on the metal, I pushed my will sharply over the links until they started to wiggle. Morphing in my hands, I walked over to the bed just in time as gold pieces started to spill from my palms. Dropping them all with a bouncing clank, I shot them a look, “Here’s my down payment. Let me know how much I owe when they’re finished.”

Dani shook her head as Calvin immediately started rummaging around for paints and mumbling about making a custom canvas, “Thanks. Now, I’ve lost my mate for the next few months.”

I shrugged, walking backwards to the tent entrance, “You’re the one that mated an artist.”

“Like yours is any better.”

“I’m not mated.” I smirked.

She smirked back, “Cillian’s troop came back for supplies and sleep, two hours ago.”

Boots halting on the carpet, I frowned, “Then where the fuck is that big headed prick? And why am I not his first stop?”

——————————————————————————

Soooooo, I kind of left that little situation between Daithí and Baris dangle there because…..I’m sorta open to the idea of coming back after the series is finished and making short little stories for favored side characters of each book. Maybe, possibly, but if I do…the short story for this book would be about Daithí and Baris’s characters. Cause I feel like they’d be the most interesting to see more of.

As always, feel free to leave a comment if you enjoyed something in the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Guy Talk

~Cillian’s P.O.V.~

A sharp wind cut over my exposed skin as I stepped into the clearing with the familiar cabin sitting at its center. Boots crunching over the snow, I raised a hand in greeting to the neon green sweater clad male. Propping the axe up against his shoulder, black brows pulled together slightly in what was no doubt confusion while he awkwardly raised a hand back. I hadn’t been planning on coming to the human realm but when I heard it was my troops’ turn for some rest, I just found myself here. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. I’d been feeling a sense of urgency to put a name on what I felt for Macha.

With me busy hunting down what was left of Mab’s soldiers and her getting familiar with her Queenly duties plus the time she was unconscious, we haven’t seen each other all week. It also didn’t help that our temporary connection had ended in the middle of the war so we couldn’t speak mentally. All of that together made me want to be able to see her for the first time in a week with some kind of declaration. She’d been able to express her feelings to me by calling me her sanity. The least I could do to make sure she knew I’d been thinking about her was to come back and express myself. Which was the real reason I was here, to talk to the one person that I thought could help me.

“Hey. Cillian, right? Macha told me a bit about you.”

Gripping his extended hand, I gave it a firm shake, “Probably all bad things, I’m guessing.”

“She was colorful in her description.” He chuckled, releasing my hand. “I’m Ryan, Kaiya’s mate.”

“Nice to officially meet you. I know the last time…I don’t come off the friendliest.”

He waved me off with a snort, “Don’t worry about it, neither does my mate. What can I do for you? Is Macha alright? Do you need Kai for something? She’s out on patrol but I can link her partner if you need her.”

“Macha’s fine. I’m here to talk to you, actually.”

“Me?” He blinked in surprise. “Uh, sure. What about?”

I rolled my shoulders a bit before stating, “Feelings.”

“I’m sorry, did you say…Feelings?”

“Feelings.”

Ryan rubbed a hand over his mouth to stifle his grin, “This wouldn’t be about a certain blue haired female, would it?”

“Otherwise known as a beautiful pain in my ass, yeah.” I replied.

Laughing, he slammed the axe into the stump, “Yes! I knew it! I knew you two would get together! I saw the chemistry between you guys the first time I saw you. Oh, I have to tell Kai. She thought I was crazy for shipping you two together! Ha! My poor Buttercup. She’s still so clueless about these things. I’ve been trying to-”

I cleared my throat to cut him off because something told me he could go on for days.

“Right, Right. Feelings. How can I help?”

“I can’t identify them.”

Brown eyes with a quarter of bright red scanned over me, “Shouldn’t you be able to read people? Isn’t that part of your job as a…a warrior? Soldier? Supernatural Bounty Hunter? Hit Man? Assassin? I’m sorry, I have no idea what you do.”

“I’m the Commander of Macha’s armies and King of the Realm.”

“King of the Realm? Like the whole realm? Realm as in the world realm?” He blurted out. “You’re a King?”

I tilted my head, didn’t Macha tell them all this? “Yes. We seized Mab’s Kingdom and then Macha killed her. With Macha being a Divine it’s only right that-”

“What’s a Divine?”

“They are our Gods. Macha’s father is one so that makes her-”

“A Goddess?” The male practically shrieked. “I had a living breathing Goddess in my pack house? Oh my Moon. My mate’s friends with a Goddess and the worst part is she probably won’t care!” He blanched suddenly, “She sat on the pack couch. We had a Goddess sit on the pack couch that I’m seventy percent sure at least one she-wolf has given birth on. I’m going to faint.”

Taking a step forward with a small chuckle, I grabbed onto his elbow and helped him sit heavily on the stump, “She prefers to be called a God, not Goddess. And Macha most likely didn’t know she was a God when she sat on your couch, if that helps.”

“That does- that does help.” Ryan stuttered out, taking a deep breath. “Now, where were we before I almost had a heart attack?”

“I can’t identify my own emotions.”

“Which I’m guessing is a problem if…”

Moving off a little to the side, I sat on the edge of the porch, “If she already told me how she was feeling and I still haven’t. We’ve also been apart since we won the war and I want to reassure her.”

The wolf-shifter gave a whistle, “You think she’s having doubts about your feelings?”

“It’s Macha so I have no idea, but I want to tell her.”

“Ohhhhh.” He nodded like he completely understood. “You’re having doubts that if she doesn’t know, she’ll start having doubts. Makes perfect sense.”

“No. I know how I feel about her. I just want her to know how I feel about her because she deserves to know.” I denied.

Ryan snorted, “Dude. You’ve got it bad.”

“I have a feeling you were much worse than me.”

“Oh Moon, I was so much worse.” He cackled. “I nearly maimed every ready-to-mate male in the pack!”

I cracked a smile, “I think it’s something in the supernatural blood. ”

Ryan laughed harder, “Moon, that’s horrible. If we were human…”

“In the words of Macha, we’d be gigantic gaping assholes.”

“Don’t-don’t tell me she called you that?” He wheezed out between laughter which turned into silent guffaws at my amused nod.

When he settled down, I nudged the conversation back on track, “So, do you think you can help? I know, we don’t know each other but you’re my only option.”

“Please, our mates are friends. That makes us friends too annnnd holy shit! You guys are our first couple friends! How exciting! I can’t wait to-And I’m off track again. How about you tell me about these feelings you can’t identify?”

Shifting the weight of the axes between my shoulders, I cleared my throat, “Well…uh, she feels like…” Fuck this was harder than I thought it’d be. “Like warmth and security, I guess. Whenever I’m with her, I feel free to be myself which isn’t always easy for me. I don’t understand what that means but I know I can’t live without that insane, warmongering, female.”

“Cillian-”

On a roll, I moved back a little to sit firmly on the porch edge, “I don’t know. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, you know? It’s something pure and secure that makes me feel…content? Like I can forget all my worries for the moment and just…be. That probably doesn’t make any sense but everything about us being together, it’s just right.”

Ryan grinned, “Dude, I don’t-”

“I know, it doesn’t make sense! How am I supposed to tell her all that?”

“-think you have to anymore.”

Looking at him in confusion, I jumped in surprise when someone wrapped around me from behind. Acting on instinct, I gripped the arm sliding around my neck and arched my back to flip them up and over my head. A laughing mass of royal blue, brown, and silver tumbled across the snow, making Ryan pull his feet out of the way and me to slide my axe back in its sheath. Macha tumbled one last time, feet over head, before landing on her stomach.

Placing her hand underneath her chin, she kicked her feet in the air and batted her lashes, “Lilly! You do care about me!”

“How did you find me?” I asked, in disbelief.

Blue eyes rolled, “I took a nap and ended up with Malachy. So while he,” Pausing, she flipped onto her back to scream up at the sky, “TALKED MY DIVINES DAMNED EAR OFF,” Finished, she rolled back over to her original position, “about how I could’ve died with my stunt, I looked for you.”

“Who is she yelling at and who’s Malachy?” Ryan whispered loudly, the red in his eyes growing.

“Her dead father, who lives in the stars.” I muttered back before, turning my attention to Macha. “So, you heard what I said?”

“I did.” She purred, eyes flashing. “And we’d already be fucking if I wasn’t convinced Ryan wouldn’t implode. Unless…” Blue eyes swung to the wolf-shifter, “Are you a watcher, Ryan? Would you like to watch us?”

The poor guy blushed bright red before stuttering, “N-no, I-I’m not a- Not to say your ugly-it’s just-I’m not- I don’t-”

“Be nice, Cell Bait.” I chastised her, putting Ryan out of his misery as the guy released a large sigh of relief.

Macha pouted, still laying in the snow, “But, Lilly. He’s a blusher, it would be a crime not to see him blush.”

I shook my head and fought the smile that wanted to spread over my face, “Is everything you do for your own amusement?”

“I mean….yes. What else are these people for if not to amuse me?”

“Wow.” Ryan blinked, his voice filled with mirth. “You really are a God, aren’t you?”

She preened, raising her chin, “I do radiate otherworldliness, don’t I?”

A motion coming from behind Macha had me standing only to sit back down at the raspy voice that called out from the trees, “Your back. Why?”

Macha laughed, rolling onto her back before propping herself up on her hands to look in the voice’s direction, “One would think we weren’t friends.”

“We are. You claimed to be best friends multiple times and Ryan has assured me we are.” The woman replied, coming out from between the tree’s.

Wearing a practical outfit of boots, brown cargo pants and a dark green wife beater, Bright red eyes looked us over as she made her way to Ryan. The males eyes noticeably lit up while the blush faded from his cheeks and he gave his mate a wide smile. Kaiya stopped beside him and leaned into his hold as he wrapped an arm around her.

“We’re besties and to answer your question, I’m here cause he’s here.” Macha replied, standing up and skipping over to drop into my lap.

Grunting, I wrapped my arms around her waist and twisted her until her swords were out of my face. Macha’s elbow slammed back into my gut at the noise I made and I laughed at her flash of sharpened teeth. Leaning in, I whispered against the shell of her ear, “Your threats don’t work on me anymore, Cell Bait.”

She grinned with sharp teeth, “Who said it was a threat? Which reminds me…” I got a face full of blue hair as she turned to the others. “Kai! I ripped someone’s throat out last week!”

Macha’s declaration got three answers simultaneously.

“Chewy, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“Does your kind even do that?”

Laughing, she reached back and patted the side of my face placatingly as she replied to Kaiya, “Sooo chewy. Not bad but not great.”

The she-wolf shrugged, “It’s not for everyone.”

“Uh, again. Do Fae even do that?” Ryan asked.

I maneuvered my head around Macha to answer him, “No. At least, not the sane ones.”

The male’s unique eye’s shot between us, “Riiiiight.”

Standing up, Macha grabbed my arm and yanked me up beside her, “It was lovely visiting you both, Babes. Kaiya, I’ll be back soon. I have someone I want you to meet, he’s our new best friend!”

“Another one? How many does one usually have?” Kaiya asked, sounding utterly confused.

Although Ryan was confused by another part of Macha’s sentence, “I’m sorry, did you say…he?”

“Say goodbye to our friends, Lilly.” Macha urged, giving them her back to wrap her arms around my waist.

I nodded at the couple, “Bye. Thanks for the help, Ryan.”

“No problem, man.”

The ground dropped out from underneath my boots seconds before a blue haze took over everything in my vision. Blinking to settle my sense of motion at the incredible speed at which we moved. Macha’s arms tightened around my waist to lay her head against my chest, a sweet gesture that startled me a little.

Raising my own arms, I hugged her back tightly as the world whizzed by around us, “What’s this for?”

“I just missed you.” She murmured. “It was strange not having you in my head nagging me about how I haven’t slept in four days.”

My grin faded into a scowl, “You haven’t what? Macha, what the fuc-”

“Shhhhhhhh,” Pulling back, she pressed a finger to my lips, “We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you and how you finally told me your feelings!”

I jerked my head back at her near squeal with narrowed eyes, “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“You know what.” I snapped at her false doe eyed look of confusion.

Blue hair bounced as she shook her head, “No, I don’t.”

“Macha…I warning you.”

She bounced on her toes with a grin too quick for me to jerk back from and pinched my cheek, “You’re just so cute! I also think you’re the only person that feels safe and secure around me.”

“I didn’t say safe and secure.” I grumbled, prying her hand off my face.

She barked a laugh, “You a hundred percent did.”

I sighed and slammed a kiss to her forehead, “Your very annoying sometimes, too carefree, enjoy doing insane moves in battle that hardly make sense, have a friendship with a certifiable Banshee that scares me-”

“But….”

“But,” I relented, looking down into glowing royal blue eyes. “I’d burn the realm to ashes in your name if you asked.”

She grinned brightly, eyes warm with emotion, “We really were meant to be because you’re the only thing that’d stop me from burning everything to the ground in a fit of rage.”

“…Should I be concerned that that made sense to me?” I asked, my brows coming together. But when she gave me that grin again, I almost jerked out of her arms, “No.”

“What?” She laughed. “When did you get so suspicious?”

“The moment I started to understand you better. You pinch my cheek again, you’re getting punished.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time, Your Majesty.”

I rolled my eyes, I should have known better than to make it sound like a challenge to her mind. Spending the rest of our long lives together was going to be equal parts vexing and intriguing but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t enjoy it. Son of a- I dropped my arm and gave a hard slap to her leather clad ass that caused her to drop her hold on my cheek

Macha’s nails dug into my back, “The collar?”

My eyelids hooded at the mention, “Is that really a question?”

Her cackling laughter echoed around us as she traveled us home and I blame the fact that I got hard at the sound completely on her.

——————————————————————————

Might be my favorite chapter, seeing all my babies in together. Lol, this chapter gave me all the fuzzies.

One more chapter to go😭

Smooches, Verbage 💋

Epilogue

Two month’s later…

Slipping out from underneath the furs, I carefully tiptoed across the cold stone flooring of our chambers. Calling a thin piece of metal to me, I finger combed my long locks free of braids today and tied it up in a messy bun. Cringing at the creak of the drawer, I peaked over my shoulder and released a sigh when Lilly’s sleeping form didn’t move. Putting on my undergarments, I shrugged into a pair of brown leather pants and a long sleeved white tunic. My swords and waist chains settled onto my body comfortably as I bent over to pick up my boots.

“Where do you think you’re going, Cell Bait?”

Cillian’s gravelly morning voice almost had me crawling back into bed but I had promises to keep, “To the human realm.”

“And this wouldn’t have anything to do with our portrait being painted today, would it?”

“Whaaaat? Is that today? I completely forgot.” I exclaimed, sitting on the edge of the four poster bed to stuff my feet into my boots. “Sorry, Lilly. But I made plans I absolutely cannot cancel on.”

“Mmmhhh.”

Tying the laces, I continued, “So, it looks like you’ll have to do your solo portrait with Calvin first.”

“Oh, no. No way, you’re the one who wanted these portraits taken. And I didn’t agree to a solo one, I barely agreed to a conjoined one.” He spat, bed furs rustling.

Standing, I stared at the way the black furs pooled around his hard abdomen, “Yes, but our portrait is for the grand hall so everyone can gawk at our radiance as a couple. Your’s is for my private collection.”

“I am not letting Calvin paint me naked. Forget it, Macha.” Cillian stated blandly, full lips twisting into a scowl.

Faking offense, I waved my hands around, “Whoa! Who said anything about a naked portrait?”

Scanning my face with narrowed eyes, he flopped onto his side and pulled the fur over his shoulders, “No. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Come on, Lilly. Don’t be a prude. You’ll look amazing in oil paints.”

“No.”

I pouted, “But I wanted to hang it in my office.”

“Where? By the live painting of you repeatedly killing Mab?” He snorted sleepily, wiggling into the mattress.

I blinked, “Wow, actually that’d be perfect.”

“Not happening. Unless you’re…doing onetoo.”

Grinning at his sleepy mumble, I thought about that, “Sure, it wouldn’t be my first.”

The covers flung back down to his waist and wide awake Cillian stared at me, “What. Do you mean it wouldn’t be the first?”

“That I’ve been painted before, Cillian. Duh.”

“Naked?”

“There’s only two ways to be painted. Post battle and naked, so yea.”

His oak colored chest rose heavily in a deep breath as he pressed his palms into his silver eyes, “Macha. Are you trying to tell me that there is a naked portrait of you floating around the realm?”

“Of course, not. Don’t be crazy.” I laughed. “It’s somewhere in the human realm.” Seeing the fiery look in his silver eyes, I backed away slowly with raised hands, “In my defense, it was the 1400’s and everyone was doing it. But I can see you need some time to make your decision, so I’m going to leave you to it.”

“Macha, get your ass-”

Grinning at his charging naked form, the rest of what he had to say was cut off as the hard stone of the castle dropped out beneath me. In the past month, I’d been able to divide the territory between the two old Kingdoms between the Faekind. It was grueling and I wanted to kill some of them to make it easier but Lilly stopped me. He also completely took on the task of hunting down the last of Mab’s supporters which helped his image to the public or so Puck told us.

More importantly though, Cillian’s help has allowed me to erect a giant ass castle in the middle of Tir Na Nog.With enough rooms to house my entire council, guests and a few entertainment areas, plus a dungeon that I insisted on. Lilly tried to say we didn’t need one but after I formed an entire military wing for him, he quickly came around to my style of thinking. I huffed at the memory of his awestruck face, like a violent child in a weapons chamber.

The vibrant blue haze surrounding me cleared up to show the quaint cabin as icy bits of snow melted on my skin. I grinned at her timing and stepped out of the tree line when Kai came stepping through the doorway. Bright red eyes locked on me immediately, tilting her head in question while walking down the porch steps.

Meeting her halfway, I bounced on my heels in the crunching snow, “Loving the red cargos, Babes. You really should go fitted, they look fabulous on you.”

“This was my last clean pair.” The she-wolf grumbled in that gravelly voice of hers. “I don’t like these.”

I grinned down at her, “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Holding out my elbow for her to grab, I raised a brow when she snatched my hand instead, “I’m cool with holding hands but I didn’t take you for the affectionate type.”

“You’ve been bitten.” She snarled, turning my wrist this way and that to look at the temporary scar.

“Oh, that.” Taking advantage of her hold, I linked our fingers to my amusement and her distaste, “Don’t let go, Jack.”

Kaiya didn’t even blink at the blue haze around us as her grip tightened, claws scraping my skin, “Who?”

“Well, it’s a long story but to make it short there was this ship and-”

“Macha, who bit you?”

Touched at her snarling rage, I answered truthfully, “Cillian, to give us the temporary mindlink that mates have. It’s also how I can get us to Arseniy’s apartment.”

Kaiya calmed considerably, “The man you announced as our new best friend?”

“Yes!” I grinned as my boots hit a solid surface. “And Babes, I didn’t know you had a protective streak!”

The red eyed female grunted and dropped my hand to survey our surroundings.

It was a tastefully modern apartment with high ceilings and dark hardwood flooring, exactly how Cillian remembered it. Spotting the expensive looking leather couch, I stalked over and dropped into the unbelievably comfy surface with a sigh. Tapping my fingertips on the black leather, I nodded at Kaiya, “Anyone here?”

She went eerily still and turned her left ear to the empty hall past the kitchen, “Yes. Someone is here and…they’re very calm.”

Raising a brow at her comment, I tipped my head back against the couch and shouted, “Hey, Arseniy! Get your ass out here!”

My voice echoed off the walls moments before a door opened and closed down the hallway. Kaiya straightened up, narrowed eyes scanning over the male she could see while I could only hear his footsteps. Grinning, I watched the familiar bored looking male lazily stroll from the hallway and into view. Dressed in black slacks with a tan turtle neck half tucked uncaringly behind the golden snake shaped buckle of his belt, Arseniy looked like a male model. A high end male model with the thick gold watch on his wrist and the gold rings on his fingers but…

“Two questions,” I announced. Holding up two fingers and putting them down as I asked, “One, where are your glasses? Two, are you a model or a pricey escort? No judgement on the last one.”

His lips twitched in mild amusement before dark brown eyes swung my way, “Contacts and neither. I don’t have the cheekbones and I don’t need the money.”

Laughing, I motioned to Kaiya, “Arseniy, this is my best friend and your new one Kaiya. Kaiya, this is our new best friend Arseniy.”

They nodded at each other before Arseniy looked back at me, “I thought I told you we’d meet up after my semester ended, yes? My semester hasn’t ended.”

“You don’t like rules,” I shrugged with a grin. “I do what I feel like doing and Kaiya is very literal. This is going to be very interesting.”

“I think you meant, very chaotic.” He drawled in a bored tone, glancing at his watch. “And as very tempting as that sounds, I’m late.”

“For?”

“An important meeting.”

“About?”

Arseniy smirked,“Something important.”

“You’d have made an excellent Unseelie.”

“What are you?” Kaiya rasped. “Your heart rate hasn’t changed the entire conversation. And it…it smells…”

Leaning forward, I urged her, “That’s it, Kaiya. What is he? Deep breaths, sniff him.”

“You brought her here so you could figure out what I am?” Humor coating his tone for the first time as he watched Kaiya stalk him.

I snorted at the way Kai took cautious steps forward, sniffing the air as she went, “It was part of the reason we came, Kaiya was interested about that too. But the purpose of the short visit was to give you a ring.”

He arched a thick brow.

Taking the blue ring from my right thumb, I tossed it slightly to the left of him with narrowed eyes. My own brows rose at the way his left hand snapped out to catch it, in a fluid motion that rivaled his relaxed state, “You’re a lot quicker than you look, Babes.”

“His heart rate didn’t even spike.”

“This isn’t my ring. My ring is on your thumb, yes?”

I jumped to my feet and quickly crossed the short distance between us all,“Yes, it is. But now we have friendship rings!”

Brown eyes slid from Kaiya to me and back again before he slipped the blue ring onto his finger. Checking his watch one more time, he pulled a pale gold ring from his left hand and held it out towards Kai, “You’re going to need one too, Kaiya.”

Plucking it from his fingers, her red eyes narrowed in on it, “What are friendship rings?”

“Ryan will explain it to you later.” I replied, handing her one of mine as well. Looping my arm through hers, I spoke over the ringing coming from Arseniy’s pocket, “We’ll leave you to it, Babes. See you soon!”

“Drop in next month. We’ll make plans, yes?” He asked, freeing the sleek red phone from his pocket. We nodded our goodbyes as he hit a button on his phone and brought it to his ear, “I know, I know….fuck. Skazhy yiy, shcho ya mayzhe tam. Tak.”

As he sped over to the door, the world fell out under us and I immediately turned my head down to Kaiya, “So?”

“I’ve never smelled anything like him. But he does smell similar to a lizard I once saw in Arizona.”

“Damn. No way is he a lizard, the only lizard shifters are the chameleons and he doesn’t fit the type.”

“Why?”

“They’re all albino.”

Kaiya huffed, “When I touched him, his body temperature was low.”

“What do you mean low?”

“His skin was cold.”

I scrunched my nose in confusion as we popped back into existence, “I guess the apartment was drafty?”

Kaiya shrugged.

“Right. We’ll figure it out next time, Babes. Until then,” I grinned and then waved at a bed headed Ryan standing on the porch. “Go snuggle with your mate.”

Before she could respond a royal blue haze coated my vision and I disappeared from her view. Humming, I twiddled the remaining rings on my fingers in boredom. I should probably make more metal soon. Actually, having a stock pile would be smart. I gasped with a forming grin, And I could make a secret room in the middle of the castle to hide it in. A slap of leather on stone, brought me back into focus and I immediately stripped down.

Stepping up onto the chest, I launched myself like a starfish straight down onto a sleeping Cillian. Silver eyes snapped open seconds too late and groaned when I slammed into him, “Why?”

“Snuggling, Lilly. We’re snuggling.” I grinned, wiggling deeper into his chest.

His arms fell heavily across my back, “Well, I think your ’snuggling’ cracked one of my ribs.”

I snorted, “Asshole.”

“Bitch.” He huffed, tightening his grip on me and rolling us to the side.

Grinning, I threw my leg over his hip and pinched his cheek, “You’re so cute when you’re trying to be mean.”

“You drive me absolutely fucking insane.” Cillian snapped, slapping my hand away and pinning me to his chest. “Sleep.”

Snickering, I fell asleep in the warm suffocating embrace of my mate.

——————————————————————————

Skazhy yiy, shcho ya mayzhe tam. Tak.Translation: Tell her, I’m almost there. Yes.

Thank you to everyone who’d read this book to completion! 🤎 Especially those that have been with me from update to update. I love your guys’ comments and it makes me happy to see how many of you enjoyed Macha and Cillian’s story. I truly appreciate all of you, it means a lot to me.

Macha’s P.O.V. was so fun to write, I’ll miss it but it was time to put them to bed😭 We’ll see glimpses of them throughout the series but this is it for their P.O.V’s.😭😭😭 But I can’t deny that I’ve already had scenes for Arseniy’s book floating around my head. Hope some of you join me for his book! It’s going to be interesting to say the least!

Like, comment, and review to your hearts content! And please remember that this is the unedited first draft so if it felt lacking, hopefully the edited version will satisfy you!

Smooches, Verbage💋