Page 44 of The Nightmare Queen

His mouth drops. “How are you sure?” He asks.

“Because I’ve studied this tactic.” She states blandly not taking her eyes off of them.

The soldier’s eyes bulged, “You?”

I groan, not wanting to explain that another lovely aspect of my father’speaceful reign -meant no women soldiers. No woman should grace a battlefield in his opinion, too risky. Really what he means is, women are a distraction for men who don’t know which head to lead with.

Axel chuckles quietly from my side. Her lips curl into a sickly sweet smile as she extends a hand out and fixes the soldier's lapel. “Yes. Me. And you’ll be grateful that I know how to get your sorry asses out of it.” Her close proximity has him shrinking back until Will pulls him away.

Smart move to grab him instead of her.We have to stay on her good side - or whatever the equivalent of good is for Eveera - just long enough to rid ourselves of the Hadar leeches.I remind myself.

“Can you for one second be polite?!”Will hisses.

She shrugs, returning the fullness of her attention onto Axel.“Whatever you want, the answer is no.” He says quickly.

“Axel, I need you to punch me.”

We all shout, “WHAT?!”, in unison and she rolls her eyes. “Come on, Mecham. Right here.” She pats her right cheek while her left hand folds his into a fist. “Just…” she mimics the motion, “right here.”

Axel is staring, blinking slowly at her, “Evie I’m not going to—”

“You are.” She affirms.

His lips flatten as he violently shakes his head. “I’m not.”

“He’s not.” I add in.

She shoots me a glare before insisting again while still making that goofy mimed motion of punching herself in the face. “Just right here.”

“Eveera this is madness. He isn’t going to punch you. No one is going to punch her.” Ezra says.That’s going to be the only time the two of us agree.I think.

Her arms flail out to her sides in an exaggerated display. “Fine. None of you are any fun.”

“Someonepunchingyou sounds fun?” Will exclaims.

She doesn't answer him, grumbling under her breath that she'll just do it herself. Before any of us have a chance to stop her she takes out her dagger and slices clear across the cheekbone once and again through her eyebrow.

Axel presses his palms into his eyes while she starts ripping her dress and smearing the blood from her new cuts onto exposed skin. “What are you—”

“See you guys soon.” She winks and walks quickly over to Armond who's just joined us and touches his arm. In the next instant she’s gone, simply,POOF!

I whirl on him, “what just happened?! Why did touching you make her disappear?”

“She Voided.” He says blandly.

My eyes narrow into slits. “No shit.” I growl out. “Why the fuck wassheable to Void when she touched you. Her Wield doesn’t do that.”

He sighs, looking out at the field. My eyes follow to where his are and out there in the distance is Eveera, tripping and running into the belly of the beast. “No but mine does."

Max steps up next to him his hands planted on his hips as he stares at her shrinking shape, murmuring, "always a plan of her own.”

“So she just leaves you all. She gets to throw herself on the enemy’s sword and have you lot clean up the aftermath of her recklessness?” I snap.

“No.” Maxwell answers. “We make her clean up after.”

Bennett looks over to them voicing the one question I've been asking myself for days, “you’re not the least bit concerned she’ll get herself killed?”

Her men laugh. “Of course we're concerned, but—” Armond says.

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