Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,37

many hanging on to my legs and sitting on my shoulders that I felt weighed down.

Tarron conjured a few more.

Little ears perked up, and hundreds of pairs of glowing, round eyes swiveled to look at the shiny piles of rocks. They glittered invitingly, sparkling in the light of the flame that Tarron held. Then they charged, leaping off of me so their nails dug in.

I winced and cursed.

They flowed as a mass toward the shiny rocks, moving like a wave.

An image of us, buried beneath their fangs and claws and fluff, flashed in my mind. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Burn disappeared, and we hurried forward.

We were about twenty yards away when Tarron stopped and turned. I mimicked his movements, watching the piles of fluffy murder mice writhe around each other, playing with their trophies. Tarron raised his hands and let his magic fill the air.

A wall of ice formed between us and the creatures, just clear enough that I could see them turn hundreds of eyes toward us, glowing like creepy Christmas lights. Fangs glinted.

“Good thinking.” I shot Tarron a look. “We don’t need a repeat.”

He nodded. “And this way, it will melt and not disturb their habitat.”

It was thoughtful of him. What if there were little murder mice babies on this side of the ice wall? If he’d built a wall of stone, they’d starve to death.

That would be a shame. Not that I ever wanted to see them again. But still…a shame.

“Good thinking. Wouldn’t want the fluffy murder mice to be separated from their babies,” I said.

Tarron shot me a look, brow raised. “Fluffy murder mice?”

“You know, big eyes, little fangs.”

“Oh, I followed. I just think they should be called killer kittens.” He grinned, then nodded his head toward the tunnel. “Let’s get out of here.”

We turned and hurried forward through the tunnel.

“We must be getting close,” Tarron said. “It’s been miles.”

“Fates, I hope you’re right.”

When the earth began to shake around us, I hoped even harder. “What’s that?”

“Feels like an earthquake.” He reached out, steadying himself against a wall.

“This region isn’t known for them.”

“Magic, then.”

“My mother?” Terror sparked in my chest. She could be above ground right now, wreaking havoc.

Dust fell from the ceiling as the earth shook harder.

“Run!” I sprinted forward, skin cold with fear.

Tarron raced alongside me. I sliced my finger as his magic flared. The trembling minimized a bit, and I added my magic to his, imagining myself controlling the rock walls around us. Keeping them firm and in their place.

Please don’t fall and crush us.

I pushed my magic as hard as I could, trying to keep the walls from shaking. Tarron’s power surged, filling the tunnel with the scent of an autumn day and the sound of wind whistling through the trees. My lungs burned as we ran, trying desperately to reach the stairs I prayed were ahead of us.

Dirt and rock chips continued to rain down, and my legs felt like jello as the earth shook.

“Nearly there,” Tarron said.

“You can tell?”

“Can smell fresh air.”

I put on a burst of speed as the ground shook harder. This was my mother. I knew it.

Finally, I spotted the stairs ahead of us. They were roughly carved out of the rock and extremely steep. I sprinted up them, Tarron right behind me. At the top, a huge slab of rock blocked my way. A tiny sliver of space allowed fresh air and light through, but the white rock itself was enormous.

I pressed my shoulder against it, heaving with all my strength. The Dragon Blood that flowed through my veins gave me extra strength. The rock budged. Tarron joined me, shoving his huge body against the stone and pushing. My muscles burned as I kept up the pressure, hoping our combined strength could do it.

As the earth shook around us, we managed to shove the rock away enough that we could scramble out. Tarron pushed me out first, heaving me up with two strong hands against my butt. I scrambled out into the sunlight and into chaos.

We were at the edge of the temple, in an area surrounded by the charred soil of the field of fire. Only a few yards from us, the ruins of the temple gleamed white in the sun. One of the columns had fallen into the field of fire, blocking the tunnel exit.

A battle raged ahead, magic and blades flying through the ruins of an ancient Greek or Roman temple. I hurled myself behind the cover provided by an enormous,