Page 74 of Fairies Don't Fall

“I stripped her power,” he said easily. “What do you think took so long? Not breaking through the infernal wards.”

Oh. Of course not. My Consort-mate was far too capable to do something like that slowly.

“Also the sorcerer guild is on their way,” the lawyer said, examining his nails.

The wolves howled louder, more hungry, raging as they shifted into beasts, each with a slight flare of red in their eyes. Oh no. No, no, no. I knew those eyes.

Max was right to be afraid of the Lupin Sorcerer who was him. Because he knew exactly what a creature like that would do with power. Conquer, obviously. He’d let the mayor die, which would please the fairies, and piss off the rest of the city. Everyone would come for us, the vampires, goblins, angels, gargoyles… Except weren’t the goblins our allies? Goblins didn’t mind war and death, particularly if it was at no expense to themselves.

I felt small, caught in a trap of death and war, when I was just starting to get used to not being miserable from death sickness. Max knew Singsong City. He’d been there for ages, learning all the habits of all the occupants. He was well-liked, even if people thought he was crazy. That crazy is what kept his lupin sorcerer at bay. Offering him to wash my hair wasn’t going to work. He was Slaughter. I couldn’t shock him with love when he was already braced for it. What else could I do?

My fairies were so loud, in the air and in my head, chanting for the mayor’s death. They’d need something to really get them upset enough to go to war against the city. What piece would the heartless Lupin Sorcerer be willing to sacrifice in order to inspire them and unite them? Me? Would they care if I was slaughtered?

I looked down at the blood dress I was wearing. No. Malamech had put part of his soul into my protection. It would be next to impossible for anything to harm me when wearing the fabric of his love. Ruin then. I would inspire them with my love for her. Maybe I was wrong. No, or the mayor would be healed by now.

What could I do about it? A glance in Vervain’s mind showed a fairy who was eager to expand our world into this one until the darkness was vanquished and my reign was even greater than my mother’s. Fairyland would bring peace and stability to a messy existence.

What an idiot. He hadn’t been in this world for very long, or he’d be a little less certain about our inherent superiority. Just because I could terraform a cavern and save poisoned people. And I guess I did rehabilitate a lot of fairies, although mostly by accident.

The terraformers were all here, filled with rage that my consort-mate was subtly fuelling. First thing first, I had to save the mayor’s miserable life, or it would be impossible for the people of Singsong, starting with their music master, to believe that Mega Max hadn’t been the one to kill him.

I shrunk to the size of a beetle and flew as fast as I could, dodging bodies until I got to the mayor.

Slaughter’s snarl went through me like someone ripped out my spine, but I ignored it. As soon as I got to the mayor, I climbed inside his ear and pressed my hands on the delicate skin, pressing my strength into him. He smelled like eggnog and demons. Not the best combination, but not the worst. Probably.

He was very still, drained, his energy going into my consort. How annoying. I’d specifically wanted him to save the mayor. How convenient that I was bound to Slaughter and could take his strength from him the way he’d done to Malamech’s mate and the mayor.

I drew on those bindings and filled the mayor with strength while cutting all of his ties to Slaughter. I simply took him as one of my subjects, bound his fairy blood to my queenship, and then it was done.

I focused on healing the mayor, bringing him back from almost death with an order of my supreme will. My subjects weren’t allowed to die without my consent, and I would not give it to the mayor.

I poured my energy into the mayor, binding him to life and my will until he was unconscious rather than dead. Good enough. I didn’t want him to be conscious, or he’d probably say something that made it necessary for me to kill him. He wasn’t going to be happy about his house, or about his failure to properly demolish Max’s mansion.

Wait a minute. The mayor was mine, and everything he owned was also mine.

I smiled as I flew out of his ear and hovered over the center of the mayor’s mansion. I was going to play a different game.

“Mate,” Slaughter growled, crouched on the edge of the pit, his terrifying wings flexed, showing his powerful muscles.

He could smell me, sense me, but he didn’t know exactly where I was.

I started growing a proper castle for me and my court. Max was going to be the alpha of Song in his house and the caverns, and I was taking over the mayor’s house. Mine. Like Slaughter was mine.

I unshrunk myself and faced my love, my home, my enemy, while I fished in the minds of all those extremely competentterraformers. We were going to do a fun project in the time it took to straighten out our relationship.

The fairies filled my mind with all the things I’d need while my wings unfurled and I hovered in the moonlight, looking ethereal and glorious. The fairy queen is in the house. That is, he melted the house, but I’d make a new one. My house. Right next door to his. It would be perfect for a dual rulership like we were going to have, if Slaughter didn’t decide it was more important to destroy than to love. Then I’d rule alone. Because if there was one thing I knew how to do, it was to carry the burden of the world on my shoulders alone.

He spread his wings and flew to me, quick as a swallow, circling me before he came to a stop in front of me, massive, deadly, powerful. He didn’t notice one of my fairies subtly cutting the mayor out of his chair.

“Mate. You are glorious beyond description. Why did you disappear?” he growled, while his eyes burned.

It’s almost like he didn’t trust me. I gestured carelessly to the right and a wall of pale purple granite speared the air, rising high and then curving over our heads. “Dual rulership requires a proper court for both parties. The grove is between the two houses, so it will operate as a protected domain where both races can mingle.”

I gestured to the left and another granite wall rose from the ground to curve above until it met the other wall, but curved around so there was a large circle like the full moon above us.

He grabbed my wrist. “Did you not hear? The great forces of Singsong City are uniting against us, my heart. We can build courts after they’re defeated.”

I really loved the feel of his skin against mine. But if touching me wasn’t going to distract him from his bloodthirsty urge to conquer, then I couldn’t let it distract me from my goal.

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