Crown of Moonlight (Court of Midnight and Deception #2) - K.M. Shea Page 0,33

front of Kevin and Whiskers, grimacing at their wounds.

They’ll be fine—Chase’s men carry healing potions for situations like this.

The point of my prism dug into my palm, and finally I felt my magic reach the farthest edges of the parking lot.

“I’m lighting ’em up!” I announced.

Rigel frowned in my direction. “You’re what?”

I mentally tapped the extensive, glowing network of criss-crossing lines, and they flared to life, glowing brighter and brighter.

Pure, white light that made my eyeballs ache invaded every corner of the parking lot.

The monsters growled and dissolved as the light ruthlessly tore through them. I had to shut my eyes against my own spell as the light grew brighter and brighter.

Please work.

When I tried to peel an eye open everything was white. I couldn’t make out anyone, or even the shapes of the buildings perched on either side.

Everything was just light.

There were hisses and these awful guttural growls, and then I felt the fae magic of the spell crack and disappear.

For a second I felt a very old, very foreign magic, that was somehow sharp like a sword and wild like a forest. And then it was gone.

I cautiously opened my eyes, my shoulders settling in relief to find it was just us in the parking lot.

The monsters were gone.

I whirled around, my heart in my throat as I dropped to my knees next to Kevin.

The shade had collapsed on the ground, blood oozing from his side wound, though when he saw I was looking at him he tried to wag his tail.

Tears stung my eyes. “Oh, Kevin!”

Chase’s men careened down the sidewalk, nearly running Lady Chrysanthe down in their hurry.

“The threat’s been taken care of,” Chase said. “But the cat and the dog need medical attention. I want the rest of you to start an investigation.”

A sharp faced dryad zipped across the parking lot, unbuckling the satchel that smacked her side as she ran.

She had two crystal bottles of blue healing potions out by the time she crouched next to me. She whistled when she saw the nasty gash in Kevin’s side, and plucked a third potion from her pack—this one bright purple. “Does he need to be restrained?” she asked.

I petted Kevin’s head, sniffing a little when he licked my hand and whined. “No—he’ll stay still for you.”

The dryad nodded, then glanced at Kevin’s crimson eyes and gulped before she poured the purple potion on his wound.

Kevin flattened his ears, but he rested his chin on his paws as Whiskers meandered up to us and started licking the top of Kevin’s head.

When Kevin sighed, I knew he was going to be fine. I stood up, thoughtfully rolling my prism between my fingers as my forehead puckered with worry.

Why was my magic slow? It was kind of a strain to pull more of it through the prism, too.

I frowned at my prism, then glanced across the parking lot. Lady Chrysanthe still stood at the entrance, awkwardly fidgeting as she watched Chase’s men swarm the area.

“I’ll be right back. Both of you, be good.” I dropped a kiss on Whiskers’ head and gently stroked Kevin’s neck, then moseyed on over to Lady Chrysanthe.

“Lady Chrysanthe,” I called out to her as I got closer.

She curtsied. “Queen Leila.”

“I appreciated your help in the fight.” I was careful to phrase my thanks so she couldn’t construe it as a debt—just some more fun that came with living among fae!

Lady Chrysanthe lost her awkward stance and straightened, growing as stiff as a plank of wood. “It is the duty of a noble fae to protect their ruler.” She sniffed, looking dignified and beautiful in her floral print dress and her white hat that tilted fetchingly over the side of her head.

I cleared my throat to keep from laughing—not at her beauty, but her words. Before today I would have said Lady Chrysanthe was about as interested in saving me as she was in becoming a worm farmer. Duty was not an especially strong call to her.

But I managed to keep a straight face. “All the same, I still appreciated it. Kevin was in trouble, and I’m grateful you helped him.”

Lady Chrysanthe gave me a tiny nod.

I smiled at her and nodded a few times, expecting she’d leave.

She didn’t.

She kept standing there, her posture straight as she watched me.

Is she waiting for a reward or something? Except she said it was her duty, and I was pretty careful in my wording.

I inspected her clothes more carefully—I’d come to learn that fae clothes were all