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“And they killed themselves rather than risk you forcing them to divulge their secrets?”
“No,” Trin interrupted before Rei could speak. “Their sacrifice was to power the spell.”
“What?” Yichen shouted as the creaking of the trees grew louder.
Trin pointed to the body of the king as blood poured from the open wounds into the ground. “He’s the king because he possesses royal blood. There’s power in that.”
“Fuck!” Rei snarled. He pulled free of Yichen’s hold and dropped to the ground. He dug his fingers into the soft soil and even pressed his cheek to the ground as if he were listening to the secrets it might still be able to tell him.
“I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Yichen’s heart had climbed into his throat. This wasn’t right. They defeated the king of the fae. They should be in the clear. It should be kisses and celebrating now.
“Killing him and the fae spellcasters didn’t stop anything,” Rei grumbled, pushing up to sit on his knees. “It actually looks like he was planning on dying here tonight. The spell the casters were creating is for spreading the woods outward and it’s fueled by the magic that lives in the blood of the court magicians as well as the king. You need to call Xiao Dan and the others. Tell them to get out of the woods now. Head west immediately.”
Yichen didn’t question it. He pulled out his cell phone and typed out a quick message to all the vampires and witches leading this fight, ordering them to pull back and head west as far from the woods as they could get.
He’d just pushed send on the message when Rei leaped to his feet and pulled him close. Just outside the circle, trees and other plants punched through the earth and raced toward the sky, blotting out what little he could see of the starry sky. Tree after tree grew, appearing to accumulate decades if not a century of growth in a few seconds. Shadows deepened as the forest around them became denser.
“I’m sorry,” Rei whispered, drawing Yichen’s eyes away from the trees.
“For what?”
“We failed. This is how he planned to take over Coldwater and wipe out the humans. I thought it would be a direct attack, but it was a spell. Right now, the forest is spreading outward to the east and south, taking over Coldwater as well as other cities in its path. Any human that doesn’t get out of the way fast enough will be consumed by nature…just like how I disposed of the bodies at Moon’s house.”
Yichen said nothing as he pulled Rei in for a tight hug, his chin resting on Rei’s shoulder. “You didn’t know.” There was no way they could have known. All their focus had been on killing the king in the belief that it would stop his plans.
“Yichen!”
He released Rei and lifted his head at the sound of Xiang calling his name. A moment later, Xiang and Xiao Dan squeezed between some trees to enter the circle. Both were splashed with blood and sweaty, but otherwise they appeared to be in one piece. Both he and Rei ran across the clearing, past Trin and his army, to join them.
“Are you all right? Where are the others?” Yichen demanded as he reached them.
“We’re okay. The rest of the fae army are either dead or on the run,” Xiang proclaimed with a wide grin.
“Chen and the others are protecting the earth witches. They’re trying to use roads as a barrier to block the new forest growth from the humans. Or at least buy them some time to escape,” Xiao Dan explained.
Xiang placed a hand on Yichen’s shoulder and squeezed. “We came back to get you. It might be hours before sunrise, but we need to start heading home now if we’re going to make it in time.”
“The king?” Xiao Dan demanded.
Rei stepped aside and motioned to the king’s corpse several meters away. “Dead, and we’ve got the bloodstone for Yichen.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Wait!” Rei turned toward Trin who had his hand resting on the hilt of his sword in its sheath at his side. “Trin, where do you stand now? Mother—”
“You’re asking a lot of me, Your Highness,” Trin sneered. “Killing Ash wasn’t much of a bridge to burn for either of us since we were at the top of his list. However, Belladonna is still my mother, and I might have a few other options that need to be considered.”
“Nothing she offers you will be as good as the deal I’m handing you,” Rei replied in an almost growl. Yichen could feel his mate’s frustration in the stiff way he held his body.
“Plus, you know you can’t trust her,” Yichen shouted. “How many of her other children has she helped Ash to hunt down? She just rid herself of a mate. Do you really think she wants to share power with her son?”
Rei glanced over his shoulder at Yichen and flashed him a half smile before returning his glare to Trin. “It’s not hard to see where my loyalties lie, dear brother of mine. Our paths are headed in vastly different directions as long as you allow them to.”
Trin grunted, his hand relaxing on his sword. “I’ll think about it.”
Aire crossed to Trin’s side and leaned close to his right side. “We should get moving. We don’t know what spies might be lurking in the area.”
But it was already too late.
