Page 5 of The Crown of a Fallen Queen
I let the light pass right through me, becoming invisible again.
My breaths are steady, my heart pounding with a smidge of elation as I crack the whip, the sharpsnapof the popper echoing in the silence. Light floods the path and cooks theirretinas through, incapacitating them all at once. The men howl in surprise and stagger backward, clutching their faces. A flurry of gunshots ricochet off the barn walls, striking down a few with friendly fire. One bullet buries itself in my shoulder, but I ignore the sting of pain and condense my magic into a dagger.
The man closest to me falls first with a swift strike to his heart, collapsing before he can shout a warning. I glide toward the next, my fingers tightening around the hilt of the blade. One by one, they drop, their confusion and fear palpable in the moments before darkness takes them. They will never know what hit them, only that their reign of terror ends here, tonight, at my hand.
When I call for William to open the door again, the ex-cop is pale as a sheet, his daughter curled up in his arms. Her sniffles and cries are muffled by the fabric of his jacket, the talisman’s chain now sticking out of his pocket.
“It’s done. You’re all safe now,” I announce loudly, becoming visible once more.
The other women are huddled in the back of the barn, and I congratulate myself for wearing dark clothes, the blood staining my sleeves and jacket not too obvious. I can’t afford to comfort them any further, not if I want to survive the night.
William takes one step out of the building, still cradling his daughter, and takes in the scene of death and destruction I painted with wide eyes.
He deposits his precious Angie on the ground, but she just curls around his thigh, never looking in my direction. He looks so winded and weak, I fear he might topple over. “Who are you?” he croaks, his voice trembling.
“I’m Devi Eros.”
William falls to his knees. “I am honored and humbled by your presence here today, Your Majesty.”
I grip his sleeve and pull him up by the arm. “By Eros, I’m not a proper queen anymore. Stand up.”
The little girl steals a glance at me then, like she’s heard of me, too. Somehow, the thought that mortals still whisper my name in reverence is heartbreaking—but also oddly comforting.
“Me and my family are forever in your debt.” He hands over the talisman, and I cram it deep into my pockets.
“Go back in there and wait for the cops, William. I’ll stay close by until they arrive, just in case.”
These women need nurses and social workers, now. I’ve done my part, though I’m going to get a nasty scolding from Mabel for murdering so many mortals and putting my life at risk. I figure I have about half an hour to spare before hell rains down on me.
It was worth it,my inner self snickers.
I bury my hands in my pockets to hide the bloody streaks marring my skin and begin to walk away, but William shouts, “Wait! What should I tell them about the bodies?”
I shrug, steeling myself against the shivers that rock my spine, the inflamed flesh around the bullet hole in my shoulder throbbing painfully at the motion. “Tell them to recover the footage from the cameras. They’ll see these men were stricken down by an invisible force you couldn’t possibly control.”
There’s a moment of silence before he adds, “Thank you.”
Other men might judge me for what I’ve done, but he doesn’t, and I offer him a tense nod. “Nick will be in touch to take the witches back home.”
They should have been allowed to train in the Red Forest, but instead, they suffer here, in a world that either denies their existence or tries to destroy them. They’ve been cast out, shunned from their rightful place in the worlds, just like me.
My gaze falls on the young girl glued to William’s side, now staring at me with the kind of directness and wonder only a kid can muster. “I wish you both the best,” I tack on, rusty when itcomes to goodbyes and eager to smooth over the memories that little girl is bound to keep of me.
I’ve lost faith in people, mortals and Fae alike, but it’s no reason to further traumatize a child. After they stripped me of my crown, after the monster who killed my mother managed to have me banished, I barely survived.
If I’m never to set foot in my native land again, never to be allowed to rule over the mortals’ hearts like I was meant to, maybe revenge should be my next calling. I could rebrand as a sort of avenging, invisible spirit.
Eros knows I’ve got enough anger simmering inside me to sustain such a life.
Chapter 3
Witch Hut
DEVI
The first sign of trouble is the rumbling of thunder in the distance. The previously cloudless sky darkens, burgundy clouds rolling in from the West. I need to head home, and pronto. Invisible, I tuck my head and shoulders in, waiting for the officers to arrive.
Two police cars pull up, keeping at a safe distance, their two-tone sirens casting red and blue hues against the dark fields. They radio for backup before finally stepping out of their vehicles, their weapons drawn as they take stock of the rampage I caused. Beads of sweat shine on their foreheads, and their pulses flutter at their necks. They’re afraid whatever creature killed those men is waiting for them in the dark.
