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“How exactly do you plan to save him, Cordelia? Do you think you can stop me?” she asked, tilting her head delicately. “I mean, you can beg if you wish. It might work, you never know.”
With strangled sounds, every guard in the clearing dropped to the ground, clutching their throats as Cor stole the air from their lungs. It was a small demonstration of both her power and her skill, but the Queen raised a shocked brow as she watched her entire guard pass out simultaneously.
“Release him,” Cor demanded as she calmly lowered her arm back to her side again, though the sparks still dancing between her fingers gave away her emotional state.
The Queen’s gaze darted briefly to Mina, who stood at the front of the pack group, before focusing back on her daughter.
“Neat trick. Clearly reports of both your power level and your whereabouts have not been accurate.”
I tensed further as a small, silver dagger appeared in her hand, but I knew I had no chance of intervening in time. I felt Cor’s panic shoot down the bond and mix with my own as the Queen spoke again.
“Still, it doesn’t matter, neither you nor your little pets will be in my way for much longer.”
With a cold smirk, she lifted the knife and threw it at Liam, the metal flashing in the last light of the day before sinking into his chest. He was thrown clear out of the trap of power with the impact, his body skidding over the ground and sending up a shower of dirt before settling in a silent, unmoving heap a few feet from the watching, horrified pack members.
Cordelia’s scream of defiance dimly registered in my mind, echoing over the pounding of my pulse in my ears as I stared in horror at my Alpha. At my best-friend. At the bright droplets of blood that were rolling down his lifeless arm onto the thirsty earth beneath him.
Chapter Ten
Cordelia
Theglintofsilverflashed across the space between us as my mother aimed a blade at my mate.
I couldn’t break the circle she had trapped him in, I knew that, but instinct took over as I let my power fly, trusting it to do what I needed it to.
That was the difference now. Trust. My magic was a part of me, like an extra limb, and now that I had embraced it my power felt natural. Moldable. Like a part of me. I wasn’t trying to control it anymore, or use it like a tool, and reaching out towards the moving dagger was as easy as breathing.
The problem was time. I couldn’t slow the knife down; I couldn’t change the fact it was already in motion, and I let out a shriek of anger as my conjured whip of air only managed to send it slightly off course. It slammed into Liam, throwing him back and sending him crashing to the ground, releasing him from the magical trap with a sickening thud.
Pain ricocheted down the bond, muddling with the shock and fear I was feeling from Noah, and I started towards him without considering my next move at all. I made it all of five steps before pain slammed through me and I was frozen in place, my mother’s cackle of amusement echoing in my ears as she engulfed me in her power now that Liam was free of it.
A haze of light surrounded me, leaving me standing but locked in place and utterly unable to access my magic. I desperately tried to squash down the panic that was bubbling up in my throat; I wouldn’t be trapped for long. I knew how much strength it took to hold that spell in place, to keep me paralysed and helpless, and even the Queen’s power was limited.
Still, it hurt. Tremors racked through my useless limbs as her cage locked around me, her magic scratching its way through my body as I watched an arrogant smirk form on her face.
“Never take your eyes off the enemy, Daughter,” she remarked airily, winking proudly at me before turning back to my pack.
My heart pounded as she advanced on Liam again, powerless to intervene as she looked curiously down at where he lay motionless on the forest floor. I could sense Noah behind me, thankfully staying still and quiet as he waited for a chance to help without attracting her attention. His frustration and fear echoed through our bond, and I could only hope that he stayed back like I had begged him to.
The Queen tutted as she stood over Liam’s prone form, reaching down to yank the silver dagger out from where it had buried beneath his collarbone. A low grunt escaped him as he visibly struggled to drag himself into full consciousness, my breath catching as she dangled the bloodied blade above him with a cold chuckle.
“Oh dear, did I play a little too hard with the poor Alpha?” she teased as the pack looked on, frozen in horror. “Never mind, I’m done with the games.”
Cold terror washed through me, almost drowning out my own pain as she brought the knife towards him, but a sudden shout seized all of our attention.
“Wait!”
My gaze tracked Mina’s small form as she stepped out of the small crowd of watching shifters, walking a few steps towards the Queen with an outstretched hand.
“You can’t kill him!” she called, anxiety and confusion clear in her tone.
The Queen arched a thin eyebrow as she straightened. “I think you’ll find that I can.”
“But…” Mina gaped, her green eyes wide.
My mother rolled her eyes in a way that was hauntingly familiar. “Surely you didn’t think we were actually going to discuss peace?”
Mina’s face paled, her mouth pressing into a thin line. She darted a look at me before glancing back down at Liam, her hand shaking a little where she still held it extended towards the Queen.
