Page 58 of Fire & Ice

One of Sara's hands clamped over mine, squeezing around the handle in a last-ditch effort to save herself. The residual magic of the ring and spells she'd been taught by Charlie flared to life. Power flowed through her, but not more power than Mine. I let my power flow freely, giving her a single command.

"Take the knife and drive the blade into your throat."

Sara trembled in terror, unable to speak. Her arm trembled, as the knife moved towards her throat by her own hand. I watched intently as Sara’s hands drove the blade deeper, and blood bubbled up around the wound. I leaned down to whisper softly in her ear, "Now you know exactly how it feels to lose your willpower, your control and be helpless."

Sara’s body shuddered as the blade went deeper and she desperately gasped for breath. I stood up and stomped on the knife until it hit the floor underneath her. After pulling her head back up by her hair, I viciously dragged the knife down and separated her head from her body in a single stroke. Uncaring, I dropped her head onto the ground as it turned to ash.

With a gasp I felt strong arms pick me up, a cold body pressed against my back. Beau. He breathed heavily in my hair, nuzzling me close.

"Tempest," he said with relief.

I spun around and threw my arms around him, burying my face into his healed chest as he held me tight.

"Are you okay?" He asked, voice full of concern.

"Me? Beau!" I lifted my head to look at him. I couldn't comprehend what had just happened - confused, terrified, angry - but the most pressing thought was whether or not he was alright.

A long sigh came from him before speaking, "Getting stabbed with a silver blade really hurts." His grip on me tightened. "But the thought of forgetting you and not being able to remember was even worse."

He pulled me closer, inhaling deeply - the scent of fire, cinnamon and ash mixed with the metallic tang of blood and magic surrounded us like a protective bubble. It was home.

I whispered into his neck, "I'm right here Beau. I'm not going anywhere."

"I know." He replied softly before kissing the top of my head. "Same here."

My heart swelled as I closed my eyes and uttered those three important words; "I love you".

He squeezed me tightly as he whispered into my hair, "I love you too. More than anything else in this world."

I smiled against his shoulder before pulling away to look into his eyes, which seemed to sparkle with an intensity all their own. With one hand still firmly planted on my waist, he reached down to stroke my face with the other and asked me the one question that had been burning in both our minds since it all began.

"How was any of this even possible?"

"I might have the answer to that,''

I leaned in, pressing my lips against Beau's. When I pulled away, I walked over to Sara's ashes, kicking them around with my heel until I found the ring. Then I fished the matching amulet out of my pocket and held them both up for him to see.

"These has something to do with all this chaos," I said. "Charlie was part of this and was behind all of the elemental anomalies."

Beau took the items from me, his eyes glittering with astonishment.

"Goddess above, you're stunning when you're feral," he murmured before gazing into my eyes.

My heart swelled at his words, but there was no time to bask in his affection-we had to get back to the masquerade ball and tell the King and Queen what had happened. Beau offered me his hand and I took it without hesitation as we made our way back to the castle.

Chapter 48

Tempest

Adrenaline fleeing my system, I followed Beau through the palace grounds. We were met with shocked stares from the guards, and my nerves flared as I looked over Beau as he strode purposefully toward the council chambers. Their prince, bloody and unkempt, was drawing their attention like dragons to a flame.

My fingertips brushed against a hard bicep as I squeezed his arm gently, feeling his muscles tense beneath the fabric of his jacket. I peered up at him and said quietly, “Beau, if we are going to be addressing the council, it should probably be in our cleanest clothing.”

My own dress was tattered, streaked with blood and ashes of the dead. I held it in place while gesturing my hand towards his attire. His eyes twinkled as they looked down upon me. “Yes, my queen—wise and perfectly correct.”

As we headed to our chambers, Marcus met us in the halls. The shock on his face at our deplorable state, was well deserved. His fangs descended as he barked questions about what had happened, catching his breath with his final query. "Why did you not call for me?"

Beau shook his head sadly before squeezing my hand reassuringly and replying sternly, “It is a long story that will only be told once. Send word to our parents, Gabe, and council members that an emergency meeting must be held immediately. We need them all in attendance."

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