Crown of Shadows (Court of Midnight and Deception #1) - K. M. Shea Page 0,119

beat me to it.

“Protect the queen!” Chase drew a hand axe from his belt and threw it at the closest spider.

The axe made a whooshing noise as it cut through the air, hitting its target with deadly precision. It sliced through the spider’s head like butter—a testament to Chase’s werewolf strength.

The spider dropped to the floor, its legs twitching as it proceeded to ooze green goo everywhere while it died.

The second spider bowled over the fae official, its many eyes fixed on me.

“Astrum!” I shouted, powering on my prism.

I heard footsteps as Chase’s people closed in on us, but I doubted it was possible for them to hit the spider without getting me since it had closed in on me.

I took a few steps backwards as I funneled magic through the artifact and created a purple ward on the ground.

Before I could finish the spell and make the ward grow into a barrier, the spider jumped the short distance between us.

It stretched out its front legs, attempting to wrap them around me so it could scoop me in toward its fangs. The wiry hairs on its legs barely brushed my arms, and then the spider jerked to a stop.

Silence pressed down from every corner as I slowly flicked my eyes to the side.

In the span of a heartbeat, Rigel had yanked out his hidden bracer daggers and stabbed them into the spider’s head, killing it instantly.

I stared, unable to believe what I was seeing—unable to fathom that Lord Rigel had saved me.

The spider collapsed, its legs giving out, and the glowing light of its eyes dimmed and went out.

Rigel stepped back to his place next to me, casually wiping his daggers off with a cloth he’d pulled out of his bracer. He stared at the ooze covered cloth and tossed it on top of the spider, then sheathed one of his daggers.

Unexpectedly, he turned toward me and slipped his freed hand down my back, stopping at my waist. His touch felt a little stiff and awkward—as if he was the uncomfortable one.

Maybe he’s not used to touching others?

He then looked over his shoulder at our Court as he lazily twirled his remaining dagger, rotating his wrist as he changed his hold on it. The action passed along a message I never thought he’d do for me.

A part of me was almost afraid to interpret what he meant. If it were anybody else and in any other case, I’d have said he was saying he’d protect me, and come after those who harmed me.

But that couldn’t be!

It seemed my Court didn’t share my reluctance.

Pandemonium broke out as my terrified nobles started screaming.

“It wasn’t us!”

“Who dared to betray our queen in this manner?”

“I and my family vow absolute loyalty to Queen Leila!”

I glanced at my parents. My mom had her hand over her heart, but Dad was patting her hand, and Lord Linus—seriously why?—was passing her a silver flask covered with elaborate etchings.

The Paragon was smirking at me, and when I met his gaze he raised his hands in a polite clap I couldn’t have possibly heard over all of the shouted vows. “Checkmate,” he mouthed.

I tilted my head, still very much aware of Rigel’s hand draped on my lower back. “What?”

“You won over your Court.” The Paragon knowingly tapped his nose, then sat back in the bench.

Aren’t they just afraid of Rigel? I glanced up at my fiancé/husband—I wasn’t quite sure which it was at this moment. He’d returned to looking bored, despite the frenzied fae.

“Quiet,” I said.

Instant silence fell over the room.

Every fae stared at me with absolute attention, and I realized the Paragon was right.

They feared Rigel, but they thought I held his reins. I had shocked them when I swept the top six spots of the Midsummer Derby, unsettled them when I revealed Myron’s actions and Chrysanthe’s innocence, and now they believed I had the Wraith under my control.

They really are my Court.

There was a pain in my heart as I saw the terror on their faces. I didn’t want them to be afraid of me.

I smiled a little, thinking of my pigeon-raccoon-griffin emblem. I think I can teach them to laugh. It will be a fight of a different kind, but it will be necessary to grind the power plays out of existence.

“Um, yes.” The fae official stood up and brushed himself off. “We shall conclude the ceremony…”

It passed by quickly—Rigel and I didn’t even pretend to kiss, we just stared at the official after he declared