Page 7 of Shadow & Stars
Yeah, tee-fucking-hee. Excuse me while I piss myself.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
That wasn’t him. I jumped out of my skin, only now noticing Margarite standing slightly behind me. I turned to look at her. Her bronze skin glittered the same as mine, her eyes a vibrant gold.
I’d stabbed her eyes out, driven my blade into her stomach…
Fuck.
“How are you feeling?” she repeated, her arms straight beside her. “What can I do for you?”
She was supposed to be dead. But she stood there in black casual clothes, her long gray hair tied into a French plait. No longer the UK’s witch queen, and possibly awaiting my orders.
What the fuck?
“Not good,” I answered, my voice scratchy.
Spittle Guy leaned in closer, his breath a toxic sewer. “She won’t leave your side.”
I kept my mouth shut.
“Did you do this to her, Shadow? Did you end magic and hurt Her Majesty?”
They’d been breaking her out of whatever place she’d been held in after her daughter, Piper, got her removed from power, taking over the throne.
Man, so many people wanted war, onboard with Margarite’s hateful rhetoric.
What a bunch of bloodthirsty beasts.
I winced from the pain in my head, not giving the prick an answer.
“Don’t worry, we’ll get it out of you.” He chuckled, baring his teeth. “Fuck with our queen, we fuck with you.”
Yeah, I wouldn’t be sticking around to find out what that entailed.
Now I was awake, temporarily putting my sorrow to bed, I could put my new skills to the test.
“Here’s that water,” the other guy declared as he returned.
Being careful and clear with my words, I thought,Take me to Xavier.
Spittle Guy went to say something then froze, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Boss?” the water guy said.
The spittle-spraying prick grabbed his chest, blood leaking from his mouth. Within a few seconds, he dropped down dead.
“Boss!”
I puffed into glittering gold particles, soaring out of the warehouse’s skylight and raced through the air at breakneck speed, probably breaking some world records.
“Roman!” the queen bellowed from beside me.
Had she tagged along?
Before I knew it, I puffed back together in freezing winds, appearing on an island of ice. Xavier tore across it, coming straight at me with Darcy on his back, an army of demon monarchs hot on his heels.
Oh. Shit.
