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“Perhaps. I know they’re on their way. But will they be fast enough to stop my sisters and me from dissolving every single spell you have in place right now?”
As Helen spoke, Pepper and Evie fanned out, one to the left, and one to the right. Both of them had their hands outstretched, and both of them were muttering under their breaths. Valerian stepped up to stand by my grandmother’s side.
“It’s over, Malys,” he said. “You’ve lost. Give up while you still can… we won’t ask again.”
“None of you have the power to stop me from snuffing her life force out in an instant,” Malys said. “If you want her to live through this, you are going to have to stand down.”
“There are three of us, Whitmore,” said Helen, “And only one of you. Any one of us can counter your magic before you say the words. Try it, and you’ll see.”
“Should we really be antagonizing her?” Gullie asked.
“Not now,” said Melina, “Let them handle this.”
“I would listen to the Pixie,” said Malys. “She’s the only one here who seems to be making any sense.”
“No,” I said.
“No?” asked Malys.
“I’m not letting them decide my fate. I’m not letting you decide it, either.”
“You should stop talking,” Malys purred against my ear. “Especially when you’rethisclose to death.”
I shook my head. “I’ve made peace with death. I made peace with being forgotten. Now I’m going to make peace with you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry you’re so lonely and hurt, you felt like you had to lash out at an entire world just to make yourself feel better.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m sorry my father came down on you with the entire weight of Winter and made you feel insignificant. He’s done that to me before. It’s how he is, and while that doesn’t make it right, he can’t help himself… because many of the Fae here are like that. Cold. Selfish. Even cruel.” I shook my head again. “I wish he were here so that I could tell him that I accept him for who he is, and I’ll always love him regardless.”
“I’m growing more and more tired of you,” said Malys, and she pressed her hand against my cheek. The moment she did, a wave of cold moved through me that was unlike anything I had ever felt before. It was an internal cold that pushed into me like a wave and went searching for my nerve endings, one by one shutting them down, numbing them so that I couldn’t feel anything.
I saw Valerian scream, his mouth opening into a wide O of sudden fear and alarm. My grandmothers raced into action, magic flinging from their fingertips. My brother leapt toward Malys, but a pair of Wenlow appeared in his path, delivered by lightning itself. He had no choice but to throw himself at them and keep them occupied, because if he didn’t, they would’ve torn through my grandmothers who were way too busy trying to reverse Malys’ magic and counter her spell like they had promised.
I was too numb to realize that I was dying, and too at peace with it to have cared if I’d known. I felt like my entire life had led me to this moment, but not just my life—my mother’s, too. I remembered her stories, the way she had struggled as a budding seamstress in London, having to deal with witches and mages who looked down on her because she wasn’t strong like they were, or beautiful as they were, or pure as they were.
Had she wanted to, she could’ve come back to Earth after it was revealed to her that she was Fae, and she could’ve made all those witches and mages fall at her feet. Because as much as they snubbed their noses as thelesserof their own kind, and the simple humans that existed a rung beneath everyone else, witches and mages revered the Fae as little Gods who walked among them from time to time.
But she didn’t do that. She was content in her life here, with my father, with my brother… with me. All my life she had tried to instill as much humility in me as she could. She taught me grace, fortitude, the value of kindness. My father taught me how to be immovable in my convictions, as hard as ice, and as formidable as a snowstorm.
I had been graceful, I had been resilient, and I had been kind. I was also unmovable once I’d made up my mind about something, I was tough as nails, and if I wanted to, I could wreak unimaginable havoc on a place or another person’s state of mind.
Be the storm, Snowdrop,I heard my father say into my mind.
Dad?I asked, in my head.
Be the storm.
I tightened my right fist, and launched my elbow into Malys’ gut, breaking her spell and releasing myself from her grip. “Fool!” she hissed, “You’ll die for that.”
I turned around to face her, and even though I was weakened, I was still standing. I threw myself onto my hands and feet and shrugged into my wolf form. “That’s the thing,” I said, “I’ve already died and come back—every one of us here has been there and back from the moment you took over. You can’t get rid of us. You can’t change fate.”
Malys lowered herself onto all fours and took on her panther form, her sharp claws digging into the stone beneath her paws. “There’s no going back for me now,” she said. “You’re going to have to kill me.”
I nodded, bared my fangs, and leapt toward her. Malys was quick enough to dodge out of my way and lash out at me with her claws, digging them into my hide and drawing blood. Valerian yelled and rushed toward us, but there were guards racing up the stairs. He, Gullie, and Melina had no choice but to try to hold them off, just as my brother had to deal with the Wenlow.
