Page 52 of The Unseelie War
“Indeed.” His voice was carefully controlled, but Ava could feel the tension radiating from him like heat from a forge. “And from the scent on the wind, he is not being…subtle about it. Blood. Too much of it to simply be conquest. This is…slaughter. He has begun his work.”
A familiar weight settled in Ava's stomach—the crushing realization that while she’d been finding peace and love in Serrik’s arms, people were dying because of choices she'd made. The merger of the worlds hadn't just created chaos; it had created opportunities for monsters like Valroy to act without old constraints.
“We need to stop him. Now.” She started walking.
Serrik’s hand caught her upper arm. “Ava?—”
“No.” She turned to face him fully, seeing the conflict already building in his expression. “I know what you're going to say. That I’m not ready, that Valroy's too powerful, that we should retreat and regroup. That you don’t want to face him yet because you don’t want to murder everyone, and I get that. But people are dyingright now. And every moment we waste twiddling our thumbs, it’s just going to keep gettingfucking worse.”
Serrik was quiet for a long moment, his internal war playing outacross his features. The way his ancient hatred of the fae battled with something newer, something that whispered that perhaps not all of them deserved to burn. “You know what I become,” he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. “You know what I am capable of when my…restraints are removed.”
“I know.” Ava stepped closer, placing her hands on his chest. “And I also know that you won't let it go too far. Not with me there.”
“You have more faith in me than I do.”
“Then trust my faith.” She smirked, trying to project more confidence than she felt. “Besides, what's the worst that could happen? We die horribly and the world ends?”
Despite everything, that earned her a small smile. “Yes. I suppose that is the worst that could happen.”
Their moment was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps. Lysander appeared around the corner of a building that definitely hadn't been there an hour ago, his usually perfect hair disheveled and his eyes wild with panic.
“Ava! Serrik!” He skidded to a stop in front of them, breathing hard. “Thank the gods you're both here. We have a problem.”
“Let me guess,” Ava said dryly. “Tall, blue, and douchey?”
Lysander nodded fiercely, leaning on his thighs, catching his breath. “And he—he killed—” He shook his head in disbelief, his eyes wide in fear, panic, and…grief. “He killed Izael?—”
Ava’s eyes went wide. The teal haired goofy psycho? Wasn’t he an Unseelie duke or something? “What?Why?”
Lysander shook his head. “I didn’t get a whole lot of details out of the boggart who’d talk to me. Something about Izael questioning the future of the Unseelie after the war, and…Valroy not taking kindly to that.”
Serrik sighed, shutting his eyes. “Valroy has never cared for what came after his designs. It is not his way. His is the plague that killsalllife.”
“Leopards, faces.” Ava rolled her eyes. “Awesome.” Letting out aragged sigh, she looked out at the columns of smoke. “What about his wife, Alex?”
Lysander shook his head. “I don’t know. The boggart didn’t mention anything about her. I don’t think she was there.”
Odd. Very odd. But she wasn’t exactly close with the Unseelie couple, so there wasn’t much she coulddoabout it.
Bitty came bursting out of the door, iridescent beetle’s wings buzzing at her back. “Um! E-excuse me? I—I hate to—I hate to interrupt?—”
Turning to face Bitty, she smiled at the poor nervous little thing. She always looked so sorry to do anything. “What is it, hon?”
“Queen—Queen Abigail would like to speak with us all. She’s…she’s on the roof.” She pointed upwards as if nobody knew where the roof of the opera house was. “Um. She said it’s urgent.”
Nodding, Ava looked up at Serrik, whose expression was as grim as she felt. Their momentary interlude in the basement was likely the only chance at peace they were going to have. Possibly ever. And the briefest flicker of emotion that flashed over his golden eyes told her that he was having precisely the same realization at the same time.
Reaching up, she put her palm to his cheek and turned him to look down at her. “Hey.”
He said nothing.
“I love you,myspider.”
The hard edges of his expression softened. If only slightly.
Going up on her tip-toes, she kissed him. Gently, he cradled the back of her head in his hand and returned the gesture. When they parted, he had an almost wistful expression on his face. “And I you,myWeaver.”
Nothing was going to be simple or happy in this nightmare scenario. Nothing had been. So why would it start now? Turning back to Bitty, she nodded. “Lead the way.”
