Page 126 of The Fae Warrior's Queen

He’s so intent on his task, he doesn’t notice when the door to the temple opens.

In my peripheral vision, there’s movement.

I turn my head.

Just before the door closes and cloaks the entrance in shadows, I glimpse the outline of a masculine figure holding a spear up. His arm is back and the sharp point is poised to be thrown right at us.

Ro

“Kai!” I shout.

My warning gives him just enough time to duck and avoid getting impaled through the eye. The spear sails over his head and lodges into the wall behind the casket.

Immediately, Kai’s wings bust out. He switches the mallet to his left hand and removes his sword with his right. Flapping his wings, he flies over me, lands in the center aisle, and assumes a fighting stance as he prepares to take on our intruder.

I can’t see the man very well because he’s hiding in the shadows, but I hear him tut. “I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but you’re trespassing, and that means I have to end you.”

Kai chuckles darkly. “Why don’t you come closer, and we can see which one of us dies?”

“I don’t need to come any closer.”

Suddenly, the head of Kai’s mallet starts to… melt?

“What—?” Kai tips the tool so the oozing metal doesn’t get on his skin.

The wet heap slips off the handle and plops to the floor like a wasted ice cream cone. Next, the wood splits apart with a series of snaps. Letting out a shout of alarm, Kai drops the ruined rod, too.

When he shakes his hand, a few long splinters are sticking out of his flesh. The sharp, jagged pieces are embedded, and some blood runs from the wounds.

Lifting his hand toward his face, he intends to pull them out with his teeth because he refuses to let go of his sword.

I rush to his side to help him.

When I grab his wrist, he rotates his body so he’s in front of me and barks, “What are you doing? Get away.”

His grumping no longer hurts my feelings. Because the root of his foul mood isn’t dislike or indifference.

It’s love and worry.

“Hush,” I shoot back, fussing over him as I tug the spikes out. “I’m not going to let you take on this asshole one-handed.”

“Did you just call me an asshole?” the guy inquires, but I still can’t see him because now there’s a big ass warrior in my way.

“I certainly did.”

“Sunny,” Kai lightly scolds. “Don’t move his wrath to you. I don’t understand his power. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Your man is wise. Listen to him.”

For some reason, I’m not intimidated by this guy. I’m just so insanelypissed off, and my anger is overshadowing my fear.

Who the hell does he think he is, barging in here and throwing shit?

Disregarding the advice of both men, I quip, “You know what? I’m tired. I’m tired of being scared. Tired of feeling like I have to be careful not to say the wrong thing to some psycho with a fragile ego. Fuck you, whoever you are.” As I remove the last splinter from Kai’s palm, I tack on, “Add coward to your title. Because only a cowardly asshole would attack someone first and ask questions later. But I’m not even surprised. That kind of ruthlessness is just spot on for one of Armand’s men.”

“Armand?” the man parrots with distaste. “I don’t belong to that madman.”

“Well, your tactics are much the same as his.” I poke my head around Kai. “As I said—cowardly.”

---