Page 130 of Finding Love with the Fae King

“Stay mounted. If I tell you to run, you take Apples and run back.” I grabbed my sword, not yet wanting to unsheathe it. My chest was bare to show no ill intentions, but I still wasn’t going in without a weapon. Stepping near the stream, I scanned my surroundings again, and behind one tree, I saw Tulip strolling toward me with her hands bound in silver.

Werewolves were proud creatures. She did not hold her head down, instead, holding it up defiantly as she walked toward us. Hoping it was truly Tulip, I still could not trust this scene. “Halt.” Tulip stopped and held up her hands. There were burns and scars on her arms. Her leather pants were torn, and her shirt barely covered her breasts. “What were you and Melina doing the last night of our stay in the Crimson Shadows Pack?” Tulip smiled and chuckled.

“Skinny dipping, but the poor thing wouldn’t take off her bra and underwear.” I let go of my sword and went to Tulip and ripped the weak ropes from her body. A slow clap came from behind the tree as Daphne stepped out.

“Congratulations, you have your Tulip. Now give me my mother.” Opal dismounted her horse and put her hand on my shoulder to walk toward Daphne. Daphne let out a huff in disgust. “You are not my mother. Did you go back on your word, Osirus?”

“I did not. I just brought your true mother,” I stated. Finley was behind me. His breath was on my neck. He wanted to tear Daphne to pieces if she did anything to harm his mate.

“You feel it, don’t you?” Opal took a step forward. “You have always felt it, but you ignored it.” Another step ahead, and Daphne released her hardened stance. “You felt it at the orphanage each time you came, but you couldn’t explain it.” Daphne stepped back a few steps.

“Nana…”

“It confused you, hurt you when you saw me hurt, but you continued to wreak your wrath on others around you. Your anger only grew when you realized when you hurt me, you only hurt yourself.” Daphne backed up into the tree; she had nowhere to go. Opal held out her hand to touch her daughter’s cheek.

“I am your mother, Daphne. Your father tricked me into sleeping with him and got me pregnant. He took you from me the day you were born. It broke me.” Opal’s firm voice quivered. “I love you, and I wanted to take you away, but I had become too weak because I had rejected him.”

“Now is your last chance to ask for forgiveness. There will still be punishment, and enough time to make amends. Make this right. I will nurture you to be the beautiful, soulful, wonderful daughter I know you can be. Let me love you as I should have. Please.” Opal’s aura could be felt even twenty feet away from me. The love Opal had for a daughter she never raised was undeniably strong. Opal was indeed as strong as Nyx made her out to be. I had high hopes that Daphne would take the offer.

Daphne’s eyes glistened as tears tried to escape. “Mother? You are my mother?” Opal nodded and put both of her hands on her daughter’s face. As I relaxed and motioned Tulip to mount Montu, the ear-piercing scream rushed to my ears.

“Opal!” Finley screamed, and his spell was broken on him, unable to keep his position a secret. Looking back at Opal, there was a dagger stabbed right in the middle of Opal’s torso. Her hands grabbed the dagger as she fell backward to her knees. Finley ran toward her. A warrior’s battle cry was heard as his sword was drawn. I instantly took my hand to mine as we rushed to Daphne, who smiled evilly and, in a swift motion, lifted her arm with a straight-up and down motion.

At least eighty witches and sorcerers stood behind the tree line Daphne had leaned against. The one hundred warriors I had brought may be an even match with magic, but we would need more help.

Alaneo, sensing my unease, reared back his horse as another witch dropped his cloaking and blew on the shifter horn. Any shifter within a five-mile radius could hear it and aid us if they were able. The witches kept our warriors cloaked so they could fight without detection. Unless they had a more powerful witch than the ones cloaking my men to rid the spell, we might last the battle.

My sword let out its cry as I started plunging it into our enemy. I stayed with Finley as he held Opal, who was barely clinging to life. Several witches came to grab Daphne, but Alaneo stopped them with a quick swipe of the sword. Then Alaneo plunged his sword beside Daphne’s head into the tree, trapping her. Her face twitched in fear. She thought I would be of honor and keep my word of not having my men, but she was mistaken.

“Let me go, or I’ll make sure Melina suffers the worst by the time it’s over,” she seethed.

“It is over!” I growled and plunged my sword deep into her chest. I gripped the handle and twisted, making sure there would be no recovery. The light in her eyes faded, mouth agape at the rash decision I had made. Daphne started a war, and I was to end it. I wanted nothing more than to torture her, but I would not give myself the satisfaction. I am ridding the problem once and for all and not prolonging it.

Pulling my sword from the tree, she slumped over as her head fell on a nearby rock. Alaneo had already mounted his horse as his sword swung at warlocks, throwing fire. Slowly, our warriors appeared on the battlefield; a sorcerer must have found our witches. Our witches were holding their own, backing up behind each other, covering each other from all sides. They wielded webs of electricity that took down several at a time, but the Blood Coven was stronger. They had the vampire blood running through their veins, helping them recover quickly.

Our witches were becoming weaker in their magic, using too much of their spirit.

Finley was on the ground, holding Opal to his chest. The knife was still stuck in her belly as the blood poured from the wound. She was in obvious distress. The color from her face was draining, and her eyes are becoming dull. Finley was beside himself, not using the proper tools or training he had been given.

“Finley, snap out of it. Treat her as a warrior. Remove the knife!” Finley’s shaky hand pulled the knife from Opal, and she gasped a cry as I held my hand over her stomach. Alaneo was nearby, using his skills to evade any attacks while we stayed somewhat hidden from the chaos. I pulled my satchel off my hip and grabbed the small vial containing a small amount of healing agent.

“Finley, pull back the wound,” I ordered. Several fae doctors made the healing agent. It helped slow down the bleeding of deep wounds, enough to get our wounded to a safe place. Finley pulled the skin apart as Opal struggled with the blood seeping from her mouth. “This will sting,” I tried to warn soothingly as it dripped into her stomach. Finley then gripped her stomach again. Our best course of action was to get her to the palace, but during a warlock battle might be tricky.

A loud howl came from the side of the woods. It shook the ground, and the dead leaves from the trees fell. I knew that howl from anywhere, one of the strongest werewolves known in the history books. His half-shifted form came stomping out of the woods. Alpha Kane roared again as hundreds of wolves poured into the battleground. Chomping, ripping, and yipping filled the air as the coven retreated.

Alpha Kane, now Torin, his wolf, stood over us.

“We end this,” he growled as he and his wolves marched through the Blood Coven territory. The coven wasn’t large, but if Prinna was still alive, there would always be a chance for them to regain their strength. We had to destroy their territory, their coven, and their leader.

Chapter Sixty-Six

Melina

“Thishastobethe most boring thing I have ever done,” I yawned as my father and Elaine continued to play chess. It wasn’t an ordinary chessboard. It had unique pieces, such as an actual fae king and queen and distinct ranks of generals and warriors. They had been at it for the past hour, and they both have given each other googly eyes.

I loved them both already in the short time I’ve known them, but this was getting ridiculous. I didn’t need to see my parents wanting to do each other over a chess game. The way they “accidentally” touched each other’s hands and had some crude little jokes secretly made me want to scream. “Can I leave?” I whined, and my father rolled his eyes.

“No, we can’t have you going after Osirus. You are my blood, and if I know anything about our family, you can be stubborn. Besides, you have absolutely no combat training.”

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