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“Oh, right, you can feel it. I forget that the fae are special, in touch with nature and its forces, your elemental magic always present, even when demonblood was your dominant trait for a long time.”
“And stop trying to flatter me,” I mutter.
“Really, Prince. I didn’t think you’d even notice. You’re so used to it, aren’t you? Used to the flattery and the sycophants flocking around you.”
“You think you know me,” I bite out, “but you don’t.”
“Not so hard to figure you out. A fae prince. Gorgeous, intelligent, powerful. You deserve so much more than a naïve girl from a church, raised on a diet of romantic novels and funny stories I told her to amuse her as she grew up.”
“This isn’t about Mia,” I say.
“You believe that? Then why are you with her?”
Inside me, my beast is stirring. My back burns and itches where the wings want to come out. My jaw aches, trying to shift into a different form. Clenching my fists at my sides, I bow my head and take a deep breath, strengthening my walls.
Her attack only intensifies, though, battering at my defenses as she smirks at me. “Don’t tell me she fooled you so thoroughly. Of all the boys, I expected you to have the most brains.”
“Are you saying Jason and Emrys are stupid? Hear that, you two? You…” I claw at my face as my bones burn, my skin stretches. I feel my eyes changing. “Stop this,kerel. Think you’ll convince me you want to help me by making me shift?”
“I’m not making you shift,” she says. “That’s your own magic. Have you so little control over it? Has Mia taught you nothing? Well, color me surprised. Or… not, like I said.”
“Jax.” I stumble toward the werewolf, my vision blurry. “Need… to talk to you.”
“Why don’t you relax, Sindri, sit down with me?” She gestures at the slope of the hillock. “We should catch up first.”
“Jax…” I try again, but the force of the magic sends me to my knees. “Call… Mia.”
“Mia can’t help you. What did she tell you, that holding you in her embrace might help? Oh wait, what did the little minx tell you? You didn’t sleep with her, did you?” She laughs. “Oh wow. You did.”
On my knees, I press my hands to my ears, as if that can drown out not only her voice but also the spell, but it’s not working. Unlike the demonblood spell put on us with those arrows, her spell calls on my elemental magic, pulling on it, making it flare.
I let my hands drop. It’s no use. Closing my eyes, I do my best to focus and retract the magical overspill. The ache in my head eases a little until I can breathe again.
My eyes clear and I realize Emrys has a hand on her arm and a dark scowl on his face.
“What are you doing to him?” he demands. “Stop hurting him.”
“Me?” She manages to sound stung. “I’m only demonstrating what I can do. What Mia can’t. Showing all of you who the strongest witch in the land is. I thought he needed to see that. He’s obviously confused.”
“You’re not the Queen,” I hiss between my teeth as the pressure diminishes more.
“You’re wrong about that,” she says. “Not only am I the Queen, but I was raised and trained to be one. I’m exactly what you need and you’re throwing it away.”
Jason comes to stand over me, reaches down a hand. I stare at it for a few seconds, not because I’m a prick but because I wonder if he means it.
Then I take it and let him haul me to my feet. I stumble a little, kind of dizzy, and he holds on, his eyes on me. “Thanks,” I mutter.
“What do you want to talk to us about?” Jason asks. “Come, let’s walk.”
“Jason,” Ophelia frowns at him, “we don’t have secrets, remember? This is a relationship built on trust—”
“Emrys, stay with her,” Jason says. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“You’d better,” Emrys growls, his hand still on Ophelia’s arm but he doesn’t offer to join us. He’s a tougher nut to crack, I guess, and it seems the only thing that has convinced Jason to talk to me was Ophelia’s use of magic on me.
Score, I think, though my back is killing me and my head is now thudding dully.
I’ll take it, though. Mia is right, Ashton needs us and for some unfathomable reason, I’d do anything to take his sadness away.
