Page 67 of Tell Them That I’m Coming

In one practiced motion, I unsheathe Thane’s sword. Then, remembering all of those practice sessions on our journey to the Gilded Court, I run at Queen Celeste and swing.

It’s not pretty. I’ve only had, like, seven lessons, but give a determined halfling a sword, some rage, and an enemy and, wow, you’d be surprised how easy it is to just go chop, chop, chop.

Queen Celeste’s head goes one way. Her body topples on the floor.

A hush falls over the entire hall.

I jab the gold blood-covered blade into the malleable metal of the floor. Binx scurries right over to me, standing like a guard ungez at my side.

I grin. “Anyone else want to threaten my mate?”

I’m ready to do a little more decapitating. Later, I’ll have to tell Thane how exhilarating it was, but for now, I dare anyone to come at us. The guards must realize that I’m serious, too, because they immediately release Thane.

Because of me.

Oh, yeah.

Alana of Sombra, total bad ass.

As one, the guards drop in front of Thane. “King Thandriel.”

It takes a second, then every other fae gathered in the room does the same. “All hail King Thandriel.”

Hang on.

What?

I’m not the only one who doesn’t understand. He holds up his hands. “What’s going on?”

“You are the only kin the queen has. By blood or not, she claimed you as her ward. As her nephew. Now that the Gilded Throne is empty, it is yours, King Thandriel.”

He blinks for a second before a small, slow, irresistible grin tugs on his lips as he walks around the genuflecting guards so that he can stand next to me. I wonder if he’ll have regrets that I, you know, killed his ruler/queen/aunt in front of him, but then I remember: this is Thane Aurex. They may call him the king, but he’s my mate, and I’ve seen him chop off so many heads this week.

In fact, when he nudges her fallen body with his boot so he can get closer to me, I know for sure that he’s still the male I mated.

Even if Thane swoops his hand around my waist and says with a cheeky tone: “Not bad for a bandit, huh?”

I lean into him, holding tightly to the sword, just in case.

He drops a kiss on my horn. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

“That you can order to guards to release Rafe from the cage?” I ask.

The shadows around him began to unravel as soon as Queen Celeste lost her head. It takes a moment before they’ve vanished enough to reveal the rest of Rafe. The ones surrounded his mouth seemed even darker—probably because Queen Celeste or her guards didn’t want to hear the way that Rafe had a tendency to chat your ear off—and they’re the last to go.

Once his mouth is freed, he lunges to his feet, grasping the cage bags between his claws.

“Alana? Alana! It is you. I can’t believe you found me. I…” His eyes go wide, words suddenly failing him.

Ducking out from under my mate’s hold, I hurry to the cage, laying my fingers over his knuckles. “I know, Rafe. I’m here. I’m gonna get you home.”

“Home?” His expression turns stricken. “Our moms are going to end us!”

I laugh. Maybe it’s not the most appropriate time to bust a gut like that. Rafe is still in a cage, even though a gesture from Thane’s newly royal finger has one of the guards rushing forward to unlock it, and I just, you know, committed regicide in front of her Court, but… hey. She messed with my butterflies.

No one messes with my butterflies.

While I step aside and wait for them to unlock Rafe so I can finally reunite with my friend and make sure he’s alright… and maybe introduce him to my new mate… Thane sidles over to my side again, tugging me up against him. Lowering his head, he places his lips right by my ear.