Chapter Thirty-Six

I wasnt pleased to send Arach back to Faerie, but it was the best option, and it might be what saved us if things were currently on a bad course.

The rest of us waited an anxious five minutes before we left the Golden Citadel, just to be sure that Arach didnt return. His not returning was a relief. It meant I was back in Faerie and everything had gone well. Either that or something had gone very, very wrong. I considered mirroring Arach when we got back to Pride Palace. Just a quick, “Hey, are we good?” to put my mind at ease. But then I thought it might be a good idea to check on my children first. Those in the God Realm. Then I could make sure all was well with my Fey family.

In addition to Arach, we were down Odin, Re, and Azrael. They had gone to their territories to check on whatever magical items they had locked away. The plan was to bring anything dangerous back to Pride Palace. I grimaced at the thought. Normally, I wouldnt want dangerous god items around my kids. But in this instance, it was necessary.

I sent Trevor, Kirill, and Viper ahead to Pride Palace while I said goodbye to Odin, Re, and Azrael. Then I went into the citadels tracing room and went home. It was late evening in the Pride lands, but I was so mentally exhausted that it felt closer to midnight. I reformed, saw my husbands standing just outside the open door of Pride Palaces tracing room, and headed for them.

Thats when someone grabbed me from behind and stuck a knife in my heart.

As I gasped and crumpled, an overwhelming cold shot through my body. I recognized the feeling instantly and knew exactly what Id been stabbed with. Anubiss dagger. The very one hed been worried about. This was my second run-in with the blade, but this time, the cold spread in an instant. Because this time, Death was injected straight into my heart.

I never hit the floor. The trickster had a firm grip on my waist as well as one on the hilt of Anubiss blade. I was dragged backward as my husbands turned around, alerted by my gasp. I saw their mouths move, probably shouting as they ran toward me. But I was already being pulled into the Aether, the magic of that realm taking the trickster and me wherever they wanted to go.

Seconds later, we reformed. I shuddered, my heart trying to repair itself around the steel invader while my body turned into ice. The Fire in me went out. The Moon vanished. My Lioness whimpered into silence. With them gone, my star sputtered and went dark. Not dark as in evil. Just dark. No light. There but not on.

Then I was being carried. My head lolled. I couldnt focus on my surroundings. Floor—wood. Ceiling—white. Walls—blurry. I was laid on something soft. A bed? Why stab me and put me in a bed?

A shadow moved above me. The shape of a person. “Hello, my Queen,” a familiar voice said. Then the trickster pulled the knife from my chest. “Sleep now.”

And then I winked out too.