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Blossom made a sound, a mix between a growl and a huff when Azazel stared at them and made no move to bow. Commander Grel moved in behind him, towering over him.
“Bow your head, disgraced angel,” Grel snarled, “before I bow itforyou.”
Aria shuddered next to me at the tone of his voice.
My respect for the Commander increased tenfold as he glowered at Azazel. I wondered briefly if he simply didn’t know the true strength of a fallen angel, or if he genuinely thought he could match Azazel.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Azazel scoffed. “I bowed to thetrueKing and Queen of the fae, not–”
The singing sound of a blade being whipped out of its scabbard cut his following words off.
“Bow your head,” Grel repeated, the tip of his sword at Azazel’s throat.
The music and dancing had stopped. Even the people wrapped up in each other had frozen. Grel’s face morphed into something scary as he bared his teeth at Azazel.
Tyler didn’t move a muscle to protect Azazel, and for one insane second, I held a smidgen of respect for him. If Azazel was egotistical enough, he would piss off the fae just because of his own perceived self-importance; I would enjoy the show.
Azazel’s eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth to say something else when the familiar rumbling of the Earth silenced him.
Aria and Reese tensed. They exchanged glances just before the Earth at the bottom of the stairs split, and then thick vines burst from it. They dropped into the ground like anchors—I held my breath as they seemed to pull something up.
In the sky, an owl circled, temporarily blocking out the moon. It shrieked, and I ducked instinctively when it swooped down into the crowd and settled on the shoulders of a man shrouded in darkness at the edge of the courtyard.
“What the fuck is that?” Marilyn hissed.
Reese chuckled. “Thatwould be Lady Magnolia,” she answered as a humanoid shape emerged from the ground. “Not sure how she’s out of the training grounds, but….”
I gaped, then asked incredulously, “Thisis the thing you fought on your first day?”
Lady Magnolia was suspended in the air by four thick vines that worked as her legs, causing her to tower above the courtyard. Small white flowers had bloomed along the area where her breasts and private parts were. She had no discernible features, aside from a mouth that she was now opening wide.
She lowered so that she was within arm’s reach of Azazel. I shuddered as the vines on her face seemed to tear each other apart as she spoke. “You do not bow to my Queen,” she snarled. Her voice was deep, and her words were mangled, as if she was speaking from a throat filled with broken glass. “You do not belong here!”
Grel had shifted out of the way of the vine woman; his sword was still drawn, and he eyed her warily as he gave her space.
Azazel was rarely ever spooked, but when Lady Magnolia’s arm reached for him, he stumbled back, his expression flashing to something ugly—then, he briefly turned to us.
I saw the very moment he acquiesced and bowed his head.
Lady Magnolia paused, her mouth snapping shut. If she had teeth, she’d definitely be grinding them together in frustration right now.
Her arm retracted. I really wished she had eyes because I would’ve liked to see her cast a scathing look at Azazel as she retreated, turning her back to him with a flick of her vine-like hair.
Tyler and his wolves had also backed away. They didn’t advance again until Lady Magnolia had returned to her place in the ground.
Tarragon was still not happy, but he stepped in front of his wife. “Eat and be merry,” he declared.
The music started up, and the dancers resumed.
I watched Tyler and Azazel approach us—a growl from our table made me glance at Mikey, who was glaring at them—but they skirted around our table to take the one not far from us.
I could hear Azazel warning the wolves not to indulge, telling them about the properties of fae food. I could also hear them ignoring him as a small horde of servers descended on their table, leaving it laden with food and drink.
A high-pitched giggle sounded out, and I winced. They were leaving it laden with fae muff, too, apparently.
The festivities didn’t continue for long before Grel appeared to invite us to the meeting room with the King and Queen. Azazel and his pals were escorted up to the conference hall as well.
Silence fell upon us as we took our seats. I could feel Aria’s nervous energy next to me and in me; she was anxious.
