Page 13 of Defy the Fae

My fingers. My arms.

My burns. My cage.

Under layers of flesh, my wings shudder. They want to burst free and carry me into the sky, where I can patrol the tower grounds.

I would have felt the enemy moments ago. I would have felt their proximity through the wind, through my senses.

Aside from that, I belatedly remember Tímien is perched on the tower’s spire. Upon our return, my father had stationed himself there, set on monitoring the range and keeping vigil of the park. Not that he ever does otherwise, though this time he’d called for reinforcements, including the haven’s resident hawks, a fleet of vultures, and members of The Parliament of Owls. They’ve been cruising overhead, guarding the refuge’s borders all this time. If something had been wrong, the fauna would have known before I’d have.

Still, a raven had charged at us. One of my own had taken me off guard.

The enemy has sent a message. They’ve made a move, and they’d done so with superb brutality.

It can happen again. Itwillhappen again.

I tear out of the bath, my departure hauling a tidal wave with me. Water splatters the gazebo tiles and trails my footfalls as I stalk across the lawn and sweep my arm through the air.

At first, the wind doesn’t answer. Yet it must sense my agony, because it takes pity and responds to my summons once more. Its power links with my own, enabling me to whisk up a gale.

Threads of blue and silver glaze the atmosphere. They inflate over the park like a half-formed crystal ball. The wind’s shape and colors spiral, visible only to my eyes.

Mine and Lark’s. I’ve been teaching her how to see the wind, and it’s becoming easier for her to achieve now through the bond.

A set of hands materialize. They clamp onto my wrists as Lark wrenches me around. “What the fuck are you doing, Cerulean?” she trills. “What is this?”

But Lark knows, because she knows me, and she knows what I’m capable of. My mate knows because it’s the same thing she would do for those dearest to her. Thus, I remain silent.

So she pushes me. I stumble, the movement clipping the wind’s growth like a string before it can seal us in fully. The expansion pauses and whirls in place, covering only a portion of the grounds.

I snarl, “Dammit, Lark!”

“No,” she snaps, wet strands clinging to her cheeks. “Don’t do this. Do not fucking do this.”

“I have to,” I grind out. “The boundaries of Puck’s cabin are no longer secure. Elixir’s home may be next, or our home. If anyone—”

“They won’t.”

“They will.”

“For shit’s sake, Cerulean! You can’t lock us in here! Listen to me, you overprotective fucker!”

I stride nearer, until Lark’s naked body stands an inch from mine. “Donotfault me for keeping you safe. Donotunderestimate how far I would go for you.”

“You’re panicking. You’re overreacting.”

“Blasted, brash, breathtaking woman!” I shout back as the tempest swarms around us. “You are not an overreaction! I would split the sky in half for you, I would demolish this mountain range, and I would massacre anyone who tried to stop me!”

“You think I wouldn’t do that for you? Hell yes, I would. But this isn’t the way.”

“I won’t let them touch you, I won’t let them touch my father, I won’t let them touch Moth, and I won’t let them near these dwellers. I failed to protect my kin once, and I won’t do that again!”

“What about my sisters? What about your brothers?”

My chest heaves—and caves in. I curl my free fingers into a fist and lower my arm. I hadn’t intended to insulate us for long. Only until I could be sure, until my mate and I could figure out what to do.

I bow my head, brace my hands on my hips, and fight to suck in oxygen. “A member of the fauna was turned into a weapon tonight,” I murmur to the ground. “If that happens to more of them, we won’t stand a chance. The Fae can’t defeat their sacred dwellers any more than they can fell a hurricane. It’s impossible.”

Lark goes silent for a moment before taking my hand. “But the haven is neutral. And going the extra mile with a forcefield—no matter how impressive that stunt was—won’t solve anything,” she says softly. “It’ll only do the opposite. It’ll disarm us by keeping out the ones who mean everything to us.”

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