Page 289 of Bitten By the Fae
Only, this time she shadowed away from it, causing the energy to fizzle out upon hitting the stone floor.
Clever,I praised her, spinning to send another to her new location. But she phased again, this time disappearing long enough for me to realize her true intent.
Escape.
I smirked and checked my watch while everyone glanced around in confused silence, searching for their missing queen.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
I yawned.
Six.
Five.
Oh, Aflora.
Three.
Two.
She returned with a loud “Oomph” as the spell I’d woven over her upon entry kicked in, yanking her back to me like an elastic band. She landed on her ass, her startled expression amusing.
I didn’t give her a moment to acclimate, instead shooting another net at her.
Cerulean flames engulfed her prone form, disintegrating the strands in an instant as she bounced up to her feet in a beautifully defensive maneuver.Nice,I told her. She’d completely disregarded all the rules, but that didn’t stop me from approving of her overall form.
The woman could fight.
Her skills clearly came from her bond with Zephyrus, which confirmed my suspicions about him being a formidableadversary. If she could channel these maneuvers from him, then he would be a force to reckon with in person.
I looked forward to meeting him. Maybe I’d let him live—if anything, so my mate remained as agile and gifted as she was now.
A burning thwomp sprouted in the middle of the room, causing several Midnight Fae to gasp. I studied the growing monstrosity, wary of her intent. Those were dangerous trees meant foroutside. They had a penchant for bursting into flames.
She added a sea of charcoal blades beneath it, the grass notoriously sharp.
“Aflora,” I warned. “This is a duel, not a death match.”
“Free me and I’ll let you live,” she countered.
“Free you?” I nearly laughed. “You mean like allow your powers to flourish to their full potential rather than drown you beneath a collar?” I looked pointedly at her neck. “You created that, sweet star. Not me. I would never dilute your abilities.” Although, watching her now, I could see why Kolstov had felt the need to. She was absolutely out of control, and she didn’t seem to understand the full extent of her abilities.
A fact she accentuated by throwing another WarFire sphere at my head. A second came right after it, nearly hitting the fae by the windows.
“Aflora.”
She ignored me and sent two more threatening balls in my direction, her control unhinged as she grew more powerful by the second.
Fuck.
I’d wanted to see what she could do, and she’d certainly come out swinging.
If we were outside, that would have been fine, but she’d unleashed WarFire and a burning thwomp in the middle of the damn castle. Upholding the complexity of the paradigm alreadyhad me at half my usual power. I couldn’t afford for her to disturb that balance, or I risked her hurting someone.
