Cold Queen - K Webster Page 0,35

other plans.”

“You won’t kill me,” she sasses, lifting her chin in that regal way that makes me want to kiss the hell out of her.

“No, Cold Queen,” I say with a wicked grin. “I’m not done fucking you yet.”

Cavon growls from beside her and then points. “They’re here.”

At first, it’s just a slight gray blur. Then, rather quickly, the blur emerges from the heavy snow falling and painting the distance black. The roars are unearthly and inhuman. Madness fuels these monsters. There will be no negotiations, and we won’t take prisoners. They’ve come to die.

Just as they reach the north side of Norta Layke, a blaze of orangey-red shoots through the trees toward the horde. One burning arrow won’t kill twenty thousand of The Damned. But the hundreds of arrows that follow, lighting up the white sky with fire, will certainly put a dent in them.

The screams grow louder as most of the arrows hit their mark, sending hundreds collapsing as they walk. The Damned charge right over the ones that have fallen, an unstoppable force headed our way. As another several hundred arrows fly toward them, I glance over at Elzira.

She glows.

Brilliant. Blue. A queen about to annihilate those who threaten her kingdom.

Tearing my gaze from the beautiful one, I watch as the horde splits in two around the outer sides of Norta Layke. This time, yelling can be heard on our end as a sea of white and black charges forth. Men with swords act as a barrier between the mad ones and their king and queen.

Minutes pass as our men round the body of water on both sides. And then a loud clash of swords meeting flesh and crazed screams echo through the air.

“Onward!” Elzira cries out, kicking her horse into action.

Her cape billows behind her beneath a mess of white hair as she rides full speed toward the bigger of the two hordes coming around one side. I snap my own horse into action and gallop after her. Ice pellets sting against my face, but quickly melt as my fires consume me.

A flash of blue explodes in front of me, and briefly, I’m stunned by the magic of it. The Punisher harnesses her beast within and becomes the weapon. Sharp as a blade. Lethal as a snake. Stronger than a massive blizzard. Her arms rise in front of her, turning brilliantly blue as she summons her ice, and then she slings her hands forward, shooting dozens of diamondblades toward her enemies. They cut through the icy air and meet their mark, dropping many of The Damned all at once.

She is The Punisher of The Damned and she doesn’t disappoint.

I charge past her, summoning my fires as I grip the hilt of my sword. Slinging it out, I allow the fires to heat the metal and catch aflame.

The Damned are meeting their maker this day.

All of them. One by one. We will eliminate them.

I slash through the skull of one of the crazed ones, slinging a hunk of stringy-haired scalp into the snow. Before this one can fall, expired, another one mows it down on its trek toward me.

Slash. Slash. Slash.

One charges for me with a diamondblade sticking out of its eye. Before I can sling my sword, several diamondblades stab through it, knocking it to the ground. I jerk my head to the right just in time to see Elzira’s smug smile before she’s back to throwing more blades.

Brave queen.

My beautiful, fiery, fierce lover.

I could stare at her forever.

Unfortunately, I have a massacre to lead.

I’ve barely taken out six more before something is shoved through my gut. I groan in pain, looking down to see a diamondblade sword sticking out of my stomach. My instinct is to look Elzira’s way.

Her eyes are lit up with more hatred than I’ve ever seen.

Still fiery.

Still fierce.

Still beautiful.

But also malevolent and evil and wicked.

And cruel.

I slide off my horse, landing on my knees in the snow as pain immobilizes me. If I can remove the sword—

Someone rips it out of me and then it’s shoved through my back again.

The white blurs to black.

Blinking away the daze, I lock eyes with my queen.

A king always kneels before his queen.

She’s mine.

From the moment I saw her, I knew she was mine. I never planned on taking her sister or leaving her. No, I was going to make her my queen in every way possible.

And that’s my truth.

Too bad she’ll never get to hear it.

My eyes go dark, and this time, they don’t