Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception #1) - K. M. Shea Page 0,111

was a chrysanthemum.

Lady Chrysanthe.

The muscles in my back ached, and my legs shook as I shoved the flower into my pocket. “Everyone okay? Eclipse?”

Eclipse called to me—she was already farther up the street, pawing at the road and charging a few steps east. Toward the finish line.

Solstice, Nebula, Comet, and Twilight joined her.

Only Blue Moon waited at my side, swiveling so I could conveniently hop on.

“Really? We’re just going to keep racing like nothing happened?” Despite my grumblings, I hurriedly tried to mount Blue Moon—and only succeeded in flopping on his back like a landed fish. “You’re all crazier than I am.” I kicked my leg over and pushed my foot through the saddle stirrup before I grabbed his reins.

Blue Moon snorted, took a few prancing steps, then fell into a rolling canter. We blazed past the other night mares, who caught up with us within a heartbeat.

Just as they had on the walking trail, the night mares stretched out, galloping at an insane speed that blurred sights and sounds.

I’d just fought a monster, and it wasn’t a good thing that the magic my prism channeled had slowed down drastically during the fight, but that didn’t matter right now.

We’re going to win—to prove to the fae who underestimate us how wrong they are about the night mares, and to show them I’m not going to back down from their stupid games. I’m going to end this obsession with power in my Court, and show them just how a half human/half fae rules!

I clutched my prism, tangling it in the reins, and a smile crawled across my face as my night mares thundered around me.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Rigel

“Lord Umer has entered the final stretch!”

I ignored the announcement—which indicated that he’d entered the park and was not far from the finish line—and watched as the new drone that had been sent after Leila and the night mares investigated the area where the previous one had been wrecked.

There was nothing there. No monster, no horses, no Leila. A bunch of trash cans had toppled over, but nothing more.

“Look!” a human shouted, pointing down the length at the park.

At the very back—where cement barriers had been erected to keep the riders and mounts from crashing into the park and making them bottle neck in the stretch—a black horse jumped the barrier.

A second followed, then a third, and a fourth, and a fifth.

She couldn’t have pulled this off—not with a monster attack. It’s impossible.

And yet, that impossibility—mounted on the back of a dappled night mare—jumped the cement barrier.

Six night mares streaked across the park, fast catching up on the unsuspecting Lord Umer like wolves closing in on prey.

If she catches up with him, he’s going to attack her.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Leila

“Line up!” I shouted to my night mares.

They pulled out of their scattered formation, forming a long, horizontal line with the faster horses—like Eclipse and Blue Moon—holding back to keep pace with the slower horses—like Solstice.

The line broke in half as we closed ranks on Lord Umer and his sun stallion, with me and Blue Moon and Nebula pulling up on either side of him.

When Lord Umer saw us, he cursed. He slipped his foot out of the stirrup and tried to awkwardly kick me, but Blue Moon nimbly dodged him.

Next he leaned out of the saddle and grappled with me, trying to yank me from my saddle. Apparently Lord Umer didn’t give up easily.

Nebula, running shoulder to shoulder on the other side of Lord Umer’s sun stallion, bit the fae on the thigh, making him jolt in his saddle and yell.

I took the opportunity to swoop down and yank the stirrup off his foot, straightening just in time to avoid being smashed when Blue Moon and Nebula shoulder checked the sun stallion.

Moving in tandem, they cut in front of the golden horse, cutting it off.

It reared up, and Lord Umer toppled over the side with a yelp.

I wanted to shout some kind of taunt—like he should have worn a helmet, or I hope he landed on his head—but the night mares took off after we passed him, bearing down on the finish line within seconds.

“Hold the line!” I shouted. “Hold it!”

Up and down the line the night mares held, and together, with all six mounts, we crossed the finish line as one.

The humans who had cheered for me at the start of the race must have hopped in cars and looped around to the finish line, because they were screaming and cheering for me and the night mares