Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,14

from his mind.

I’d suspected it, but seeing it play out in front of my eyes made it so obvious.

The Unseelie raised his hands. “No, please.”

I could just barely hear his words as he begged for his life.

I nearly lunged for them, determined to stop Tarron from killing the smaller Fae.

But Tarron’s blade hesitated.

He could see what I did.

Despite his rage with the Unseelie for what they’d done to his kingdom and his brother, he stopped.

The Unseelie crawled away. Another came at Tarron from behind, his eyes bright with the light of my mother’s influence.

“Tarron!” I shouted.

The king turned and spotted his attacker. Swift as a wraith, he raised his sword and cut down the Unseelie who lunged for his throat, obsidian blade gleaming in the light.

Fates, this sucked. Some of these Fae were genuinely against us, but others probably weren’t. It didn’t matter when they were trying to kill us, though, and I was probably cutting down those who didn’t deserve to die.

To Tarron’s right, Burn leapt at the throat of a third Unseelie. The wolf looked faster and stronger—twice as big.

Oh right. Tarron had once told me how an attack could make the Thorn Wolf grow stronger temporarily. He was the perfect fighting machine, and the massive attack from the Fae with the energy blast had given him a real hit of power. He tore through the Unseelie with a speed and rage that paralleled Tarron’s.

“Fight your way back to the portal!” I shouted.

We had to try again. There had to be a way through.

I looked behind me, making sure no attack was coming, then crouched behind my shield and ran. I didn’t want to fly—that would give them one more angle to hit me from.

As I sprinted, I drew a potion bomb from the ether. I was really plowing through them today, and I wished that the stock Aeri and I had made hadn’t been destroyed in the attack on our home.

An Unseelie lunged out from behind a tree, raising a flaming hand. His eyes gleamed with a crazed light, and I threw my potion bomb, aiming for his chest. It slammed right into him.

Whatever tug I felt in my conscience for hitting someone who might be under the influence of my mother’s magic, I ignored it. They would kill me as long as her power ran through them, and I couldn’t afford to die.

Not when the Seelie kingdom might burn.

Another sprinted toward me, sword raised. It glinted silver in the moonlight, and the Fae’s wide eyes met mine. The manic light glowed within them.

I drew a steel sword from the ether and charged, my blade clashing with his. With our swords locked at the hilt, I lunged toward him, kneeing him in the balls. He choked and doubled over. I yanked my sword free and plunged it through his gut, then kicked him away.

Panting, I swung around, searching for the big threat—the blast of magic that had thrown the three of us into the air like piñata pieces.

In the distance, I spotted a huge Fae, far taller and broader than any I’d ever seen. The magic that seethed around him made the air shimmer.

That had to be the guy who’d thrown the massive, murderous energy blast.

And I doubted he needed my mother’s magic to sway him to do bad things. I could smell his dark magic from where I stood.

He raised his hand, which was nearly impossible to see because of the way the air waved around it and distorted the image.

My heart jumped into my throat. I so did not want to get hit again. Somehow, I knew he’d been pulling his punches the first time.

“Tarron!” I shouted.

He looked over, then cursed, diving to the side as the giant threw his magic at him. The blast was too big.

Tarron wouldn’t make it.

A second hit like the first could kill him.

I lunged in front of him, bracing myself for the hit.

Please let this work.

My heartbeat thundered as the magic shot toward me. I called upon my new power to reflect the magic back at the sender. Cold sweat broke out on my brow right before the blast plowed into me. Then it hit.

I went blind with the pain and slammed backward into the ground.

Using this power had never hurt so bad.

“Mari!” Tarron’s agonized shout sounded from behind me.

I tried to rise, but I couldn’t.

Had my power even worked?

Strong arms pulled me up, cradling me close. Through bleary vision, I saw the collapsed form of the powerful Fae