Chapter 16 #2
“The beast may return,” he warns. “We need to finish before the moon get to the top.”
Max holds my claws, dirty and covered in kills from the past days in the forest and exhales.
“Are you sure we do this?” he asks, warily. “We don’t know what Aoife has done.”
She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. We can break the curse.” Max smiles as me and sighs. “But I’m going to need you to listen. Trust me.”
I trust her with my life—with those of my sister and brother. I’d trust her with the soul of every person on this planet, because Max is good. She would never harm anyone.
Raising her hand, she shows me a pie of sparkling black dust. “Pollen,” she explains. Blowing it over me, I sneeze and wiped at my nose. It burns, whatever it was, and I start to fidget. “It will keep you still so we can do the rest.”
“Hopefully,” Baris mutters.
Taking a step forward, I wobble, but Baris, Reid, and Mal catch me. In the far distance, I hear the clicking of arrows—Dark Fae arrows. Even as my body starts to fall to the effects of the pollen, I can’t help but admire this woman. She came prepared.
I’m fucking proud.
“Gently,” she tells the males. They lead me to the circle and my body drops. I can’t stand, the pollen acting as makeshift chains, locking me down.
“That was much easier than I thought it’d be,” Reid remarks, rubbing his jaw.
Mal slaps his head. “Nothing is ever easy here, Reid.”
“Now what?” Max asks, looking to Baris. “The moon is high, he’s in the circle. Now what?”
Lazily, my eyes look skyward. The arch is covered in white stone with one singular hole in the center. The white moon covers only half the circle, rays bathing us in silver light.
Mal rubs his chin. “Mother never said.”
“Because she doesn’t want us to succeed,” Fee grunts.
Reid sighs. “We should really figure that one out.”
Wincing, the beast growls in my head, a splitting shriek that digs into my ears. He wants out. He doesn’t want to be trapped.
He doesn’t want us to win.
My fingers twitch. I feel him gaining strength, like a giant wave coming to take me under. The pollen is wearing off and soon, the beast will have full command of me.
I’m too tired to fight it. All my energy is drained, and my body is limp. There’s nothing stopping him.
Blinking at Max, I drink in her features. Her soft curves, the lifting of her lips when she speaks, the twitch of her nose when she’s mad. I memorize the depth of her eyes and the sound of her voice. If this is the last I’ll have of her, then I want to remember it all.
It happens like a flurry of butterflies, scurrying into the bright sky. The beast growls, shackles breaking and he lurches forward. Even with no strength, I fight him, risk everything to keep me, me. But I’m shoved away, forced to let the beast come.
And the pollen’s effects lift.
Standing, the beast swings out with my large arms, knocking away my siblings, shoving Mal. Max comes for me, only for the creature to throw her back.
I watch, horrified, as she flies through the air, back slamming against a boulder. She doesn’t get up.
The anchor in my chest flickers and I fall, defeated. I’m of no help—I can’t help my mate.
This is the most useless I’ve ever felt.
Baris flies forward, his wings pushing him to evenly match him to mine. Hands to my shoulders, he knocks me back until I’m pinned. Max moans from behind, and I exhale with relief as the beast fights with her father.
The old Fairy gets the upper hand. He dodges my swipes with quick reflexes, and throws me back into the circle.
Max’s hand strikes out, fingers already crimson, though her head doesn’t move. They bend and break, unnatural and beautiful in their monstrous way. The beast freezes and I laugh, delirious.
My mate is a crafty Witch. She remembers when I’m not in control, she can use me.
My knees fall to the ground, and my arms are out, held by invisible threads. Max staggers over to me, a trickle of blood from her forehead and looks to the full moon that covers the circle. She nods once.
Whatever happens next, is the last straw. It’ll work, or it won’t.
She rips the cork from a bottle with her teeth, spits out the top and dumps the tarry mixture into her mouth. Gagging, she throws it away, then grabs my face.
“Don’t kill me,” she warns, an echo of our time in the Fury’s nest. When all I wanted was her power, but chose to follow her anywhere. Even then, I was a goner.
She leans forward, her warm lips tracing mine. They nibble around the sharp canines and vicious tongue. As soon as I feel her, I close my eyes and sink into her touch.
If this is the last I have her, I intend to enjoy it.
But then, she moves away, and I fall, no longer held. The moon moves on, and I convulse, feeling my body twist and break. My limbs jerk, rattle, and I scream as fire erupts, burning my lungs. Every part of my body washes over with the pain and I double over.
Holding my face, I watch my body grow smaller in my mate’s big blue eyes, until I’m nothing but a Fae again. On my hands and knees, I pant, body smoking, free from fur and claws.
A tear falls off of Max’s chin, and I lean forward, pressing my forehead to hers—skin, to skin, soft and supple. “You’re back,” she breathes.
“You did it. You saved me.”
To the chorus of cheers, I wrap my hand into Max’s long hair, tug her close and consume her mouth. Because as surely as I thought I would die, I need to find life in my mate.