Queen of the Fae (Dragon's Gift The Dark Fae #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,47

But that damn crystal of hers had really done a number on them.

We reached the road and headed toward the town, which consisted primarily of small, elegant buildings constructed of pale stone. When we reached the village, we stopped at the edge, inspecting it.

Magic sparked on the air, distinct and unavoidable.

“Supernatural town,” Tarron said.

“Better for us.” I searched for what I thought might be a shepherd’s place and spotted a small house at the edge of town that backed up to a big corral full of multicolored goats. I pointed to it. “That place is as good as any.”

“Aye, looks promising.” Tarron started toward it.

Aeri and I hung back a few feet, and I watched him walk ahead of us, his stride confident and sure.

Could this really be the man I was fated to?

It sure felt like it.

But had fate really seen fit to give me a noble, powerful, handsome king?

That was a tall order.

He turned to look back at us. “Any particularly reason you are lagging?”

“Not lagging.”

“You’re the quickest woman I know. You never let anyone get in front of you.”

Fair enough. I looped my arm around Aeri’s. “Just chatting.” I nodded to his legs. “Anyway, you’re going really fast and you’re six and a half feet tall. Of course you’ll cover more ground.”

He grunted and turned back. We kept up the pace behind him—which was really swift, actually—and I leaned toward Aeri.

“Do you think the Fae kingdom will have the reinforcements it needs?” I asked.

“I don’t know. There were plans to evacuate if you didn’t stop the queen, and I’m sure they’re enacting them now. But a lot of the Fae can’t leave. Some are bound there by magic.”

“Against their will?” I was aghast.

“No, not really. Their strength is tied to the place—the young, sick, and elderly, primarily. They rely on the magic of their realm for strength.”

“Well, shit.” That meant that the Seelie kingdom was full of the most vulnerable. The people we were most required to protect.

If Tarron’s death were the only way to stop my mother’s fire, he would step right up to the plate.

“Exactly,” Aeri said. “As you can imagine, most aren’t leaving. Even if they could, they want to stay to protect the others. But how the hell do you protect from a flame that devours everything?”

“You don’t.” And they had to know it. They’d been familiar with the myth of the Eternal Flame. They knew that staying meant dying, but they wouldn’t leave their family behind.

I wouldn't either.

The damned Unseelie Queen.

I wouldn’t think of her as my mother anymore. Not if this was what she’d planned—and it so clearly was.

Pain stabbed me through the stomach, and I doubled over, a cold sweat breaking out on my skin. As if in response to my disloyal thoughts, the queen’s magic tugged hard at me, compelling me to go to her.

Shit. We’d never gotten a charm to block my transport magic.

Aeri bent and supported me. “Mari! Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I gasped the word.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tarron standing right next to me. He’d clearly seen me double over and had appeared at my side in a second, silent as the grave.

His strong hands gripped my shoulders, supporting me.

I drew in an unsteady breath and straightened. “I’m fine. Just her magic pulling on me.”

“It’s a doozy, huh?” Aeri asked.

“She doesn’t do things in half measures.” I felt like it would tear me apart—and that was with Connor’s potion to lessen the effects.

“Can you walk?” Tarron asked.

The unspoken worry in his tone voiced the second question—are you even capable of this journey?

“I’m fine.” I straightened my spine and made sure my voice was sharp. “Let’s go. We’re nearly there.”

We set off again, but this time, Tarron made sure to keep his pace so slow that it was irritating.

“I appreciate your concern,” I said. “But don’t. We need to do this. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.”

His brow furrowed, and he sounded disbelieving. “Not worry about you?”

“He seems to think that’s a dumb idea,” Aeri translated.

“I get it, Aeri.” I shot her a look. “Sisters are just the best.”

She grinned.

But his concern warmed me. Despite all the truly horrifying shit that was staring down the barrel at me, that still managed to warm my cold, dead heart.

I sucked in a breath and shoved it aside. There was no time for sentiment. Just action.

We approached a small house, and Tarron knocked on the door. I waited, foot tapping and tension