Page 29 of Their Crowned Mate
Tomypeople.
I drew the magic to the surface of my palms, still not fully sure of what it was capable of, but it was a relief that I could use it consistently even when I was in my human form. I knew I needed to be prepared to shift, though, but my wolf's instincts were accessible to me as long as I didn't push her away.
In the beginning, I'd never imagined it would be possible for us to coexist like this with neither side vying for dominance. It was what I'd always dreamed of before she failed to make her appearance at my ceremony, but I wasn't complaining. It might have taken us a while to figure things out, but I would say we had at the very least.
I could hear the sounds of battle raging further into the palace, and I braced myself. Cole shifted and Marcus had his weapons drawn, flanking me on either side.
We rounded a corner, and there in the hallway stood two imperial elven guards. They were dressed in solid black from head to pointed toe, their faces concealed by helmets with spiraling horns.
I didn't give them a chance to react or challenge us. Instead, I unleashed some of my magic, sending a wave of energy that knocked them off their feet. Cole and Marcus wasted no time in getting rid of them for good, ensuring they would never hurt or subjugate anyone again.
I kept my magic close to me as we made our way through the palace. The more I used it, the easier it was to access. I had no idea what we might find in the emperor's chambers at this point, but whatever it was, I was determined to take him down once and for all.
And I had no doubt he would be hiding like the coward he was rather than leading his troops into battle. That was the kind of thing that made Joram the rightful king, no question about it.
As we proceeded further into the palace, my senses and magic suddenly gave me an unmistakable warning. Sure enough, when I turned around, I saw a whole team of guards rushing toward us from the other end of the palace. There were too many for the three of us to take on, but I flung my hand out instinctively and this time, rather than the burst of magic that had thrown the others back before, a portal appeared.
The guards didn't have anywhere else to go and it appeared quickly enough, masked in the dust and debris floating in the air, that the first few disappeared into it.
Well, that was a new way to use my power. I could create portals, not only travel through them? Holy shit…
I was starting to feel drained, but when the others got wise to what I’d done, I focused on creating a large portal in the center of their group that sucked them in like a black hole. I didn't know where the hell they were ending up, but good fucking riddance.
Now there was only one place left to go—the emperor's chambers.
Marcus stared at me, his mouth slightly agape. "I didn't know you could do that."
"That makes two of us," I replied with a smile before we started running down the hallway toward our final destination.
"Maybe we do stand a chance," Cole muttered.
I gave him a look.
"Do you always have to be such a smartass?" I asked.
"That's why you love me," he said.
I rolled my eyes, but he wasn't wrong. That was definitely one of the reasons, even if he did drive me up a wall sometimes. Not that I could really talk on the sarcasm front. It was kind of our thing.
As we proceeded deeper into the palace, we finally encountered a group of Alexander's men, and it didn't take long for him to come forward.
"Lavinia?" he cried, rushing over, glaring daggers at my escorts. "I thought I told you to keep her in the fucking cabin."
"You try keeping her somewhere she doesn't want to be, Nosferatu," Cole said, holding up his hands.
"He has a point," Marcus agreed. "Besides, when you see her new parlor trick, you're gonna be glad she came."
"Parlor trick?" I huffed.
Marcus grinned. "Figure of speech, babe."
Alexander frowned, looking me over. “Are you all right?” he asked, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. He didn’t seem to care about anything Marcus and Cole had just said. His only concern was my safety. I doubted it would’ve mattered to him if I’d found a way to turn the whole damn palace upside down.
"I'm fine," I said. "Where is Joram?"
"Looking for the emperor," Alexander answered. "We have the rest of the palace cordoned off. Joram's strategy was effective and his forces fell easily enough, at least the ones that are here, but the magic... he surrounded the palace with flames, and we've been trying to figure a way out. How the hell did you three even get in here?"
"That would be one of my parlor tricks," I said dryly. "I'm still learning the finer points of fae magic, but it's pretty useful. The flame walls are gone, in any case."
