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9. Vale

Chapter 9

Vale

T his wasn't the first time I had been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Hell, this wasn't even the first time that I’d been stuck in the middle of a snare in the last week. But as the guards emerged from the trees, I realized just how precarious our situation was.

“There's a chance we could leave,” Rune murmured, his voice almost a whisper as if he was trying not to be overheard.

“What do you mean a chance? Can't you just zoom into the sky? Because if that's an option, we should definitely do that.”

Was I a frantic mess to even suggest flying off? Absolutely.

But I’d been the one to convince Idris this was a smart plan. It had been our mental conversation that had turned the tide to come here. If this was what got my men killed, I’d never forgive myself. My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of any of them getting hurt because I’d been too stupid to see the obvious trap in our midst.

“There's too much magic. We were allowed to land. It felt off as soon as I reached the tree canopy. When I say ‘chance,’ I mean a slim one.”

Fuck.

Freya and Xavier had told us this was a horrible idea, that Talek’s warning about Selene was a carefully crafted trap that we had just waltzed right into. And someone had to have told them we were coming. With Kian’s illusion magic, no one would have been able to see us, even if they’d been looking right at us.

No, this was worse than the mountaintop. At least on the mountain, Rune hadn’t been caught with me—he could have saved Kian and Xavier and Idris.

He didn’t, but he could have.

“Plus, we need to be here,” Rune hissed, his conviction rattling inside my chest. “If Arden wins the continent, we are beyond saving. The continent will fall to the guild. We have to get Selene on our side.”

The guards raised their spears, inching closer as Kian and Xavier moved to defend Rune, and by extension, Idris and I. “Sort of looks like she's already chosen her side, Rune, otherwise, we wouldn't be met with a trap.”

“You don't know her like we do. What you see as a trap, she sees as a clever welcoming party. Granted, it could turn into a trap later, but sirens are known for their games. She has just informed us that she wants to play—whether we like it or not.”

Fantastic. I always wanted to mind-game my way to survival.

It was my favorite.

A sleek figure approached, prowling through the courtyard like she owned it. I supposed she did. Her white hair was arranged into an intricate braid that swung down her back, the sparkling jewels and iridescent pearls threaded through the strands winking in the setting sun.

That said nothing of her dress.

It was as thin as gossamer while also managing to cover her most important parts. She moved as if she were gliding through water, the set of her shoulders so effortlessly commanding, even on the back of a dragon I felt inferior. Her skin was nearly as pale as her hair, highlighting the sheen of blue scales dotting her neck and collarbone. Sea-green eyes glowed with her magic, the swirling depths of them nearly calling me to her.

Selene was a force to be reckoned with, of that, I was certain.

“How good of you to visit,” she cooed, her innocent expression belaying the pull of her voice. It was melodic, intoxicating, but there was a thread of danger there that had me gripping the pommels for reassurance.

She was good, I had to give her that, but I would not be swayed.

“She’s using her siren power, right?” I asked Rune, but all I got back was a disgruntled growl.

I took that as a yes.

“How good of you to welcome us with such tight security,” Idris growled from behind me, his hold not leaving me once. “And here I thought we were friends.”

Selene’s smile showed off her sharp fangs, the move likely intentional. “You came to my home with three dragons unannounced. I thought we were friends. If I waltzed into your home with an army, you’d take it as the threat it is. And I’m painted as the bad guy here? Doesn’t seem fair.”

The lady did have a point.

Or at least she had one until she snapped her fingers.

Sea-green magic flooded from her hands, wrapping around Kian and Xavier before either of them could move. The sharp crack of bones snapping had me flinching, my fingers reaching for the daggers at my belt before I thought better of it. Their grunts mingled with moans of agony as they began to shrink, their bodies reforming into their human shapes.

As soon as I heard their pain, I yanked a blade free of its sheath.

If she thought she could snap her fingers and hurt my mates, I’d make sure she wouldn’t have any fingers left to snap.

A snarl erupted from my throat as my power bloomed from my skin, the golden glow expanding into a dome of magic, knocking the closest guards backward. Slicing through the belt at my hips, I slid off Rune, the dragon almost frozen as he, too, seemed caught in Selene’s snare.

Oh, no, she did not.

The grass at my feet blackened with each step as my power swelled to encompass Rune and Idris before blanketing over Xavier and then Kian. Gasping, they clung to the charred ground, their eyes dazed as Selene’s magic hung onto their minds, even behind my shield.

“Release them,” I ordered, rage roiling in my gut. Fire filled my lungs as fury boiled my blood. I ripped Idris’ cloak from my shoulders as I drew another dagger. “We meant to come in peace. But if you don’t stop fucking with them, you’ll see what happens when I stop trying to be nice.”

Selene squinted, her eyes glowing brighter as the green of her spell stabbed at my shield. Tiny pricks of pain dotted behind my eyes as if she were trying to penetrate my mind.

That bitch.

“That’s cute, but now all you’ve done is piss me off.”

Growling, I crossed my arms at the wrists and shoved, my magic exploding outward. The shield doubled in size, its border sending guards sailing off their feet into the courtyard wall as the rocks beneath me cracked from the heat. The pretty fountain I’d admired wobbled as the ground pitched, the water boiling on contact with my power.

“So much power for such a young little thing. Will you burn out, too, little Luxa, like all the rest? Or will you show me what you’re made of?”

Rune had been right. This was all a game—one I not only didn’t want to play, but one that might kill me no matter what I did.

A welcome presence at my back nearly had me sagging in relief. I hadn’t started bleeding yet, but I didn’t have too much left in me before I lost face. Idris curled his arm around my middle, his magic mingling with mine as my body started to tire, reinforcing my ward.

“ Stop , Selene,” he growled, his voice thundering through the courtyard. “Or it won’t just be my future Queen you’ll have to deal with. I may not be the king I once was, but do not forget where your power comes from.”

Her smile was simpering yet a little disappointed. “She doesn’t seem so tough. I just wanted to test her a little. How could I be sure she’d be able to break your curse if she couldn’t withstand a little prodding ?”

Idris let out a dark chuckle, the sound so sinister, it made me remember all the stories of just how evil the beast of a king was rumored to be. “She’s already killed one person today. Let’s not make it two.”

“Don’t back down, my brave one. She’ll see it as a sign of weakness.”

For the first time since we’d breached the canopy, Idris spoke inside my head. As relieved as I was to hear it, he honestly should have saved it for a less obvious statement. Selene still hadn’t backed down an inch, and I could almost feel Kian’s pain, Xavier’s agony, the helplessness of them being lost to her magic.

I wasn’t just pissed off, now I was made of pure fury.

Closing my eyes, I imagined spikes forming at the edges of my shield, stabbing into her power just enough to make her listen. At her guttural hiss, my eyes flashed open, and I watched with glee as blackened blood oozed from a cut on her cheek.

Okay, so I might not have been as conservative as I’d intended.

Oops?

Her form flickered, the glamour she’d projected melting as the planes of her face got sharper, leaner. Her magic softened her features, but now her pale skin was less white and more on the gray side, her eyes now missing a pupil, her lips less full, revealing a double set of sharp fangs and razor-like incisors.

“I believe my mate told you to stop,” I hissed. “I suggest you heed his warning.”

The green of her magic receded almost instantly as her eyes went wide. “Mate? You should have said so in the beginning.” She bowed her head, her knees hitting the stone pathway in respect. “Aevír ni thrystun ef vátta ek henne var skuld til tú.”

I had no idea what she’d said but Idris seemed to relax. “Vér eru ei skuld enn. Vér bíeum nótt vígs. Enn hvert hótun vie hana er hótun vie mik.”

“I would love it if someone spoke in a language I understood,” I groused, squeezing Idris’ hand at my waist.

He squeezed my middle, but it was Xavier—my sweet Xavier—who spoke to me inside my mind. “She was apologizing for attacking the king’s bonded mate. He explained that you two were waiting for the wedding, but she should treat you as if you were his queen already.”

I fought off the urge to fall to my knees in relief as Xavier and Kian began to come back to themselves. Xavier remained on his knees, his labored breaths making my heart ache for him. Kian managed to get to his feet, standing at our side as if he was prepared for battle. Naked as the day he was born, his skin glistened with sweat as steam seemed to rise from his body.

“She doesn’t know that you have more than one mate, and you should keep that to yourself. Fateborn mates are rare. Rarer? More than one.”

I fought off the urge to nod. Personally, I thought Idris probably should have kept our lack of a bond to himself. But who was I to advise in matters of diplomacy? So far, I’d been of the camp of burn first, ask questions later. I had no interest in stirring the pot any more than it already was.

Xavier and Kian seemed to be of the same bent.

“You can drop the shield, little witch,” Kian croaked, his glowing amber irises still in the slit of his dragon. “Selene is smarter than she looks. Attacking the fateborn mate of her king is an act of war.” His head slowly turned to the siren queen. “Isn’t it, Selene? You do remember how much I love war, don’t you?”

As I dropped my shield, Selene’s glamour seemed to settle back into place, the hard planes of her features smoothing to her own definition of beauty.

“I recall you enjoying more than most, General.” She said it with a seductive purr that made my hackles rise.

While Kian was the first man I’d ever made love to, I knew I had no such claim on him. Somewhere inside, my heart was tearing itself in two as bitter bile raced up my throat. Instinct had my face blank as parchment, but inside I was screaming.

“Do not tell me you’ve bedded that woman, Kian. Don’t you dare.”

Kian’s gaze flashed to me before returning to Selene. “Don’t flatter yourself, siren.”

He had. He’d fucked that woman, and now I was supposed to play nice while she tried to flaunt it in my face.

“Don’t let her see weakness, my brave one. She’ll exploit it.”

Again, Idris telling me something I didn’t need to be told. I’d grown up in the guild. I knew a predator when I saw one.

Forcing myself not to react, I returned my daggers to their sheaths, settling back into Idris’ hold.

Somehow, I doubted the games were over.

No, I had a feeling they were just beginning.

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