Page 104 of To Wake a Kingdom

Cunning malice shifted in the demon’s eyes. This creature didn’t belong to Mare. ItwasMare.

I was struck by how vastly Kianna had underestimated her sister’s power.

“Run!” I screamed, but it was too late.

Something heavy hit me across my stomach, and I flew several feet, crashing into the wall. An agonized scream ripped from my throat as my skin tore against the stone, sending shocks of pain deep into my bones. I felt like a cadaver, my skin flayed to expose muscles and tissue and bone.

Blood gushed from my stomach, anguish exploding in sharp, stabbing waves.

With a burst of flame, Mare aimed another attack at me, but Ronan dove in front, shielding me with his body. Heat singed every pore like I’d been wrapped in a curtain of lava. Sweat ran in rivulets down my skin, the fire blasting and burning for what felt like forever. The fear of losing Ronan again wrapped shackles around my wrists and my ankles, numbing my limbs.

Finally, the flame receded, and he pulled back, miraculously unharmed.

“How?”

“Fae blood,” came his reply, and I almost passed out from relief.

Maida shouted, and Mare swung her giant, black head. Though he was trying to distract her, there was nowhere to run. Fallen debris and Mare’s thick, muscled body blocked our only escape routes.

Ronan stood and surveyed the room, glancing over at me with a determined look. He closed his eyes, shoulders tensed. Pain scoured my body, my vision going dark. As I pressed my cheek to the ground, a strange rattling noise sharpened my focus.

It was the crowns. They were vibrating and twitching, jolting to life. Jittery and impatient, they danced on their pegs, like restless children fed too much sugar.

‘I found my magic.’

Metal. Rivers of it. A veritable wall of it.

Hundreds and hundreds of crowns made of every variety of gold and silver and pewter and iron had been enshrined in this room. They hopped and scooted, shuddering and shaking. And then, as if in slow motion, they began to slide forward. With the precision of a trained artillery unit, they moved together in unison as every crown shot from the wall and slammed into Mare’s demon hide.

Ronan twisted his hands, and they buried themselves into her thick skin like drills penetrating rock. Mare threw her head back and screamed so loudly that the entire room shook.

My head spun, the wound in my stomach gushing crimson.

Blood, black and oily, oozed and dripped as her macabre trophies buried deeper and deeper, snapping bones, piercing blood vessels, and popping organs like over-inflated balloons. The sound of Mare being shredded apart echoed in the screams of every princess she’d tormented for centuries.

A massive claw swiped at Ronan, but he jumped back and didn’t falter.

With a bellowing screech, Mare tipped over, collapsing on top of her throne. Dozens of spikes drove up through her head as she landed, her roars cut short forever.

Silence dropped over the room, and I fell back, staring at the ruined ceiling. My eyelids were so weighted down, I couldn’t stop blinking. My body was numb.

Arms circled me, loving and warm. Ronan pressed a hand to my stomach, trying to stop the blood. But even I could see there was too much of it. A flutter of green caught my eye, and Kianna appeared above me.

A Faerie godmother, fallen from the sky.

“Thorne,” she whispered, tears shining in her eyes. “I found you. I was so worried.”

“Can you help her?” Ronan asked, panic rolling in his eyes.

“I’ll try.” There was a rustle of fabric, and a gentle hand rested on my midsection.

At first, I felt nothing, but then there was warmth, the same as when Maida had healed me. I gasped as the wound slowly closed, the process almost as painful as the injury. Tears ran down Ronan’s cheeks, and I swept one away. Whatever Kianna was doing must have been working, because he exhaled an audible sigh and dropped his head to my shoulder.

Several minutes later, most of my cuts and bruises had healed. Though I still ached everywhere, it was enough for now.

Kianna was sobbing as she collapsed against me, her arms circling my waist.“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I’m so sorry for everything she did to you.”

“You saved me, Kianna. You saved my life.” I stroked her head as I whispered the words.

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