Page 59 of Beltane

22

Lex

My chest exploded into a thousand pinpricks of misery when Miri went down, but seeing Carter go shortly after her sent rage curling through my veins.

This isn’t supposed to happen.

“No!” Ivy scrambled to Carter’s limp form, but I didn’t need to see him to know what had happened. The king had murdered two people I loved. I kneeled next to Ivy and grabbed Carter’s hand, watching as the light drained from his brilliant indigo stare.

Those eyes had gazed up at me so many times with eternal warmth and sunshine. Without Carter Scott and Miriam Stuart in the world, there was no such thing as sunshine anymore. There was no air, no oxygen, nothing, and no one. I simply could not exist without these two people in my life.

How could she let this happen?!

The queen had said it would be my choice, my decision.

What the fuck is this?

Hot, angry tears spilled over my cheeks, and I watched as Ivy held Carter in her lap, rocking him back and forth while gut-wrenching sobs poured out of her. Miri’s body lay lifeless and pale a few feet away, the permanent blush on her cheeks now faded to a waxy pallor. The spiraling white and black clouds twisted around us faster, more violently, urging on the storm brewing inside me.

“Give in to me, Alberich,” Diana said. “Stop this madness.”

“Look at what you’ve done, Diana!” His voice came louder and angrier, almost demonic in its metallic pitch. “Look at the carnage you’ve wrought! This is your doing.”

Watching this maniacal motherfucker gut two of my beloveds hit me in the stomach, ripping apart my insides, a physical thing that nearly had me collapsing on that grass. But I had to keep going. We were supposed to be the strongest when we were together, but that didn’t matter anymore. There was no more together.Until the end.That had been our promise.

Thiswasthe end.

I had loved Miri and Carter as dearly as I could for as long as I could, and now I would follow them wherever they had gone. Pushing to my feet, I wheeled on the queen, sparks of this newfound green energy licking off me in thick waves, tingling through the ends of my fingers, crackling with each step I took.

I couldn’t manipulate it like Miri, and I couldn’t wield it the way Carter had to pull us through. Up until last night, I didn’t even know such a thing was possible. We were human. We weren’t meant to have magic like this, but fuck it.When in Rome, am I right?And if these two assholes thought they could just kill my spouses with no repercussions, they had another fucking thing coming.

I stalked across that field like a villain out of a horror movie, covered in blood, stuffing my pathetic emotions deep down inside of my chest like I’d done for all of my pathetic life. I willed that icy exterior to cascade over me, cooling my rage so that I could think more clearly.

I had to get me and Ivy out of this. I had to fix it somehow.

I found Poppy squatting by a rock inside the vortex, her hands over her ears, a silent scream on her lips. A million things raced through my mind all at once. I could force her to take me back in time so I could prevent the king from taking my loved ones. I could make her teleport me to Siobhan, Donnelly, and Finn for help. But I landed on the worst option, the one that would reveal the monster in me.

I found an axe on the ground, perhaps dropped there by one of theFiannaduring the initial blast, and I picked it up, closing the distance between Poppy and me with a few strides. Wrapping my fingers around her arm, I yanked her up and put the blade of my axe to her throat, staring up at the queen.

“Lex, no!” Poppy sagged in my hold, trying to get away from me, struggling against the weapon at her neck. I tightened my grip on her.

All of this mess started because of her, because of what she could do. We were right not to trust her. I lost Miri because of her. I lost Carter because of her. I would probably die because of her.

No.

“Diana!” I shouted, willing my magic around me, sucking up whatever remained of that green essence. “Diana!” My voice came out more mechanical that time, sounding like the king with its deep, sinister tones. “Stop this now, or I swear to all the fucking Gods, I will kill this changeling in front of you.”

Alberich laughed, and the sound skated down my spine with a mix of horror and vindication.

“You see,” he sneered. “Humans are all the same. Violent. Unpredictable. Do it, Alexei. Do it.”

“Is this who you are? Murdering an innocent child in front of its adopted mother?”Diana’s voice echoed inside my head while she spoke out loud to her husband. “Do not overlook your part in this, Alberich. All would be well if you would accept my terms.”

“Accept mine,” Alberich spat back. “It’s time we reconcile, Diana. It’s time we made peace.”

“Bring them back,”I said to Diana.“Heal them, and I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Lex!” Ivy’s voice came from somewhere behind me, distant and overshadowed by the rush of my blood and Poppy’s screams.

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