Page 90 of A Dark and Lovely Devastation

Badbslippedintobeingas easily as breathing before Morrigan even exited Dagda’s room. An exaltation moved through her. Tomorrow the faerie queen needed to leave in order to make it to the bog witch by Samhain. If she didn’t, Badb and Macha would consume Morrigan by default. And when their weak sister entered the bog, she’d fail, freeing Badb and Macha.

And Morrigan had just given them a gift.

Despite the faerie queen getting the best of Badb, setting her back temporarily, Morrigan had accomplished something Badb had been seeking but could not achieve.

Time to test it.

She passed Keelin into the hall. As she did, her hand dropped, and she gripped the sword at his waist, pulling it from its sheath. She rammed the blade into his gut, then retrieved it with a savage twisting yank before giving him a vicious shove, sending him crashing to the floor of Dagda’s room. She jerked the door shut.

Then turned to face the other guards in the hall.

Morrigan had left Palon behind in her haste to speak to Dagda. Badb felt Morrigan’s horror from deep inside. Her grin grew.

Keep her down, Macha.

Yes, sister.

Badb went to work.

She sliced the blade into the neck of the first guard before he drew his sword, and with a twist, severed the head from his shoulders. Blood spurted up and the guard’s body crumpled. One down.

The other three startled guards unsheathed their swords, but Badb moved like lightning, parrying blows and striking within the small space. She shoved her sword between the shoulder blades of the next guard, incapacitated another, and was decapitating the third when a snarl sounded and a raging ball of fur bowled into her from behind. Badb spun, stumbling, trying to strike at the creature. She stopped when she saw Keelin’s werewolf faerie guardian. Energy flowed through Badb’s veins. Finally, a challenge.

The beast filled the hallway. It crept forward on huge paws, sharp teeth flashing. Badb waited for the wolf to make his move. She backed toward Dagda’s room, placing more space between them, preparing to respond to the creature’s attack.

An arm gripped her from behind, shoving her up against the wall. He pinned her blade with one hand and pressed his arm into her throat with the other. She looked up into the faerie king’s raging, hateful gaze. He slammed her sword fist into the wall over and over until she relented and allowed it to fall to the ground.

She let her expression go slack and her eyes rounded. “Dagda?” she said in a soft whimper, as if she had woken up from a nightmare. “Dagda, it’s me.”

He blinked, his eyes growing uncertain. His grip softened a little.

“Dagda.” She pretended to take in the surrounding scene in horror. “Oh god,” Badb breathed.

“Chels?” Dagda asked.

“Can’t you tell?”

He didn’t move, alarm alighting his eyes. And in that moment of hesitation, Badb knew. She felt Morrigan’s fear, as she must have realized the truth as well. Morrigan may not have ended their bond, but she’d damaged it to where Dagda no longer sensed who was in control.

Palon hurried up the hall, looking frantic. He paled as he took in the blood-soaked hallway.

Dagda planted his foot on the flat of the sword at their feet before he shoved Badb toward Palon. “Chain her to her bedpost.”

She hid the smile that tried to rise to her lips. Ah, things just became much more interesting.

Chapter 31

A numbness settled inside after what Badb had done in the hall. I stared at the wall for the rest of the evening, wishing for this all to be over, refusing attempts by Roisin to get me to eat, or to help me change out of my blood-soaked dress. The stains covered me, dark splotches within the ebony fabric, the silver threads dyed crimson. It dried slowly, stiffening my clothes.

The next morning, the day I was to leave for the bog, I woke with tingling arms still above my head, chained to the bedpost. A painful crick felt like needles pricking my neck, but mercifully, I had gotten some sleep.

The door to my room creaked open and Roisin and Palon stepped in. Roisin carried a plate of food, a determined look on her face.

“I do not care who you are, or what you say. You will eat,” she said, cutting to the chase. “I have Palon here, as you see. I am perfectly safe.”

I wasn’t so sure about that. Badb had taken over so easily yesterday and caused devastation in a matter of seconds. “How is Keelin? And the other guards?”

Roisin’s expression softened. “Keelin is on the mend. He is a bit weak, but he is determined to travel today. As for the others, two are recovering, and two are fallen.”I nodded.

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