Chapter 20

Twenty

"Everyone alright?" Dan asked.

"Yes, none of us are hurt," Adelaide replied. "Good work, Caleb and Nico."

Caleb looked down at Lily's tear-filled eyes, spun around, and started glowing red. After looking closer, I realized that no, he wasn't actually glowing, I could just see his anger as an aura. "It came from there," Caleb said and pointed outside of the arena.

"I see them," Emrys growled and released wings from his back.

Caleb released his dragon's wings, turned to us and said, "Bran and Tris, stay here and protect the queen and princess. Riddick, with me." Riddick stepped up and the two took off, Riddick being carried by Caleb under the armpits.

I took my seat and put her on my lap again. "Whew! That was scary. Good thing Papa protected us."

She trembled a little, but I blew out a breath to spread some calmness, and she stopped shaking.

Jolie rushed over and sat in Caleb's vacant chair, smiling at Lily. "That's why people shouldn't play with fire!"

Lily laughed. "Fire, not for playing."

Adelaide sat in Emrys' seat, scales along her temples and neck. "Lily, do you want some water?"

Lily took the offered water bottle and drank from it, looking at the people in the stands who had returned to their seats once they realized there wasn't more danger.

Caleb roared from where he was fighting with whoever had sent the fiery ball at us and the sound echoed through my entire body.

Lily tensed a moment, shook her head, and exhaled loudly. "He mad."

"Yes, he is mad," I agreed, and pet her hair again. "He doesn't like that you could have been hurt."

An unfamiliar man teleported in front of us and within a breath, I had a shield around Jolie, Adelaide, Lily, and I. He hit the barrier with his fist and tried to use a spell against it.

Adelaide shifted into her dragon warrior form and growled loudly.

Jolie shifted into a combination warrior form, stepping in front of Lily and I.

Branson and Triston ran forward at the same time that Ezio and Dan did, the four of them apprehending the mage quickly, binding him with strange cuffs Ezio had brought.

It all happened within seconds, but felt like minutes to me.

"Good job," Adelaide praised me. "That was an incredibly quick barrier."

"It's almost automatic now," I said, chuckling shakily. There was … something still wrong.

"You can let it down," Adelaide informed me.

I shook my head. "I can still feel … malice. It's close."

Her brows furrowed and she started looking around. "Rhys!" she shouted and pointed into the stands.

I hadn't even seen the princes, but immediately, Rhys and Deryn jumped off the terrace. Rhys flew through the air while Deryn shifted into warrior wolf form and ran towards a man holding a strange object in his hands.

"Normally, I would blame Jolie for this incident," Adelaide said, her eyes fixed on her son fighting against the man. "However, I think this time I get to blame you."

"There's no blame to be given," Jolie said, her voice deeper as she used her mates' powers. "Just against those people attacking us."

"Are we safe?" Lily asked, clutching me as I held her in my arms.

I nodded, but didn't take my eyes off those around us. "Yes. Your nanas here are very strong and all the others around us will keep us safe. See, Bran is coming back with Tris to keep you safe."

"This is outrageous," Amos snapped as he stormed back towards us. He looked at me. "What is it about the women the princes choose? Why are you all so fraught with danger and –"

He didn't finish that sentence as Dan open hand slapped him across the face.

Everyone gasped, myself included.

Dan wiped his hand on his pants leg as though wiping off filth. "You would do well to watch your tone and remember who you are speaking to. That is the Queen of Hybrids and Queen of Mages. They are my daughter and granddaughter. If I ever hear of you disrespecting them again, I will remove you from your place and you won't like our next interaction. I restricted myself with a slap so as not to alarm my new great granddaughter. Next time, I will let the women handle you."

Both Jolie and Adelaide had their fists clenched at their sides, looking ready to attack him.

Amos' face was dark red as he spun and walked away.

"Well, that had to feel good," Adelaide said. "Although, I'm a little upset that you did it before I could."

"I'll let you slap him next time," Dan promised with a wink.

"That man is mean," Lily whispered.

"Yes, he is a mean man," I agreed with a nod.

"Thanks, Dan," Jolie said and walked to hug him. "I don't think I could have held myself back if you hadn't stepped in. I don't care what he says about me, but bringing Ember into this was uncalled for. He's such an old, prejudiced bastard."

"Oh! Nana Jo said a bad word!" Lily yelled.

Jolie put her hand over her mouth. "Sorry!"

All of us laughed and the tension eased a bit more.

Caleb, Riddick, and Nico teleported to us, covered in soot and a bit of blood.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I rushed forward. "Are you injured?"

"We're fine," Nico said quickly. He looked at Dan. "What were you guys doing over here? I felt Jolie's anger and then surprise."

"Amos overstepped and I corrected him," Dan said and brushed invisible dirt off his arm.

"Nana Jo said a bad word!" Lily announced.

Jolie groaned. "Of course, that's what she remembers."

My eyes returned to Rhys and Deryn fighting the man with the strange object and I gasped as they both fell to the ground on their backs.

Jolie screamed and jumped off of the terrace, dragon's wings popping out of her back as she dove towards them.

Nico teleported to them and started fighting against the man with the object.

"Fuck!" Dan shouted. "That's a magical bomb! Everyone, evacuate!"

The people in the stands had moved away from the fight, but were close enough I didn't doubt they were still in the blast radius.

I thrust Lily into Caleb's arms, shifted into warrior form, and used my enhanced rabbit-human legs to leap from the terrace towards them.

The man used a spell that knocked Nico out next to Rhys, Deryn, and Jolie.

Putting a shield around myself once near him, I said, "Not today, you bastard."

"You cannot stop me," he snarled. The sphere started glowing orange and I knew I had limited time.

Where could I send him? Oh!

I had to stop using a shield, but I just needed a single moment, so it had to be enough. Opening a portal beneath his feet, I sent him to my former home, to a section of the woods that I knew even if someone had moved in that they likely wouldn't venture to as it was surrounded by thick brambles full of thorns and was miles from the house.

"No!" he screamed and tried to jump up at the portal, but I closed it before he could.

My victorious smile was short-lived as a man with a knife leapt at me.

Lily screamed from the Terrace at the same time Caleb roared and people in the stands around us screamed.

Triston stepped in front of me, taking the blade to his upper right chest. The blade meant for me.

Riddick swiped his claws across the man's throat, killing him.

Triston stumbled back and I barely caught him before he fell. Gently, I lowered him to his back. "It's okay," I whispered. "I've got you. It's okay."

Triston smiled up at me. "You were brilliant, Em. It was smart to teleport him somewhere the bomb wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Stop talking," I snapped as I put my hands on either side of the knife and started to heal him. "Riddick! I need you!"

Riddick dropped to his knees on the other side of Triston. "What do you need?"

"You're going to have to pull out the knife on my command. You!" I shouted at a male nearby who I could sense was an alpha.

His eyes widened, but he quickly came over. "Y-Yes, Your Majesty?"

"I need you to help hold him down. He's going to react when the knife is pulled out, but I need him to stay down," I instructed.

He nodded, then looked over his shoulder and said, "Tysen. Abraham. Come help."

Two additional men, both alphas, came over and they knelt around Triston, hands on him to hold him down.

"Ready?" I asked.

Triston closed his eyes and his heart began to pump slower. Shit! Was it poisoned?

"Kara! Poison!" I screamed, my heart hammering in my chest. Shit. Shit. "Okay. On three, pull the knife and you three hold him down. One. Two. Three!"

Riddick jerked the knife out of Triston, who roared and tried to get up, but the three held him down.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the wound and closing it.

"I'm here," Kara said and I felt her hands rest atop mine. "I'll extract the poison while you heal. Fox! Help heal!"

Fox set his hands on the other sides of the wound from mine. "It's okay, Rubyhare, we're here. He's going to be fine."

Tears leaked down my face and I couldn't speak, too focused on saving my mate.

"He's going to react when I start extracting, so hold him down harder," Kara ordered the men helping us.

"Yes, Your Majesty," they said immediately.

A hand rested on my shoulder and I sensed Caleb and felt our connection open more as he gave me some of his power. "Deep, slow breaths, Emmy," he whispered.

The stands were deathly silent as we worked, everyone waiting to see what was going to happen.

Kara started drawing out the poison and Triston roared, howled, and hissed in pain, thrashing beneath our hands as he tried to escape.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I whispered as I continued to heal him. My healing powers weren't strong enough to close the wound quickly, but with Fox's help, we finally got it closed.

Opening my eyes, I looked down at the peacefully sleeping Triston and nearly collapsed in relief.

Caleb knelt down and hugged me one armed. I wondered why he was only hugging me with one arm until I felt Lily's hands and head rest on my shoulder.

"He okay?" she asked softly and her hands trembled slightly on my shoulder.

"Yes, he's okay," Kara said and smiled at me. "Great job, Ember. You've really improved this past year."

"I couldn't have done it without you all," I said and looked at everyone. Then, I bowed my head. "Thank you for helping me save my mate."

"She's bowing to lower ranks?" someone asked.

"You don't have to thank us," the man I'd first called over said. "You saved all of us from the bomb. It's all of us who should be thanking you."

Caleb helped me to my feet and I stared in disbelief as the entire stadium dropped to their knees and bowed to me.

"Thank you for saving us, Queen Ember!" they shouted in unison.