Page 12 of Fates of Monsters

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After havinga hot shower and getting changed into black leathers, I go back into Emerson’s room. He sits on the end of his bed, next to my glittering sword. He hasn’t tried to pick it up yet, and I’m curious if he can hold it at all. Emerson is one of the most powerful males that I have ever met, and the sword… it would make him indestructible. It could make me the same, but too much power is lethal. It’s all-consuming and addictive, and I feel that every time I touch that sword.

Emerson’s black crystal crown, a different one than I’ve seen before, is firmly fixed on top of his head, nestled in his soft black locks of hair. He usually wears a green or silver one, but perhaps the black marks him as a mated king. He joined me in the shower before leaving me in it after we both got way too distracted, and he ended up taking me against the shower wall. I have no regrets. I never will when it comes to him. Loving Emerson. It’s like being alive and breathing after drowning in the sea for my entire life. I was waiting for him, searching for him in every monster I hunted, and he was looking for me, too.

I take a moment to run my gaze over my mate, enjoying how perfect he is to me. His thick black leather top and trousers show off every one of his muscles, and he has his wings out, curved around his back. His swords are strapped to his back at a cross angle, and he has several daggers clipped to his waist. A cloak that looks like it is made of darkness falls from his shoulders, and it has slits that let his wings out. He looks like a king of darkness, and if he is, what does that make me? I glance at myself in the mirror. The thick black leather matches Emerson’s, but my pink hair is like a wave of brightness in the dark as it sweeps down my back. “Come here, Doe.”

Now that he has explained the nickname to me, I love when he calls me it. It feels like a secret between us, one born of love. I blink, pushing my gaze from the mirror, and walk over, to see he is holding a crown. It’s familiar but I don’t know where I’ve seen it before.

“What’s that?”

Emerson looks up. “It’s yours. It’s a Fae Queen crown, passed down for generations. It was my mother’s crown.” My heart clenches. “Now that I remember everything, I’m glad I did not destroy it when it appeared in our vaults. I believe my mother put a spell on it so it would come here when she died so I could keep it for the female I fall in love with and make my queen. The crown has been altered from when I saw it. It’s yours.”

It’s a beautiful gold crown and looking at it, the full pressure of being a queen seems to hit me. If I put that crown on, I have people I must protect and fight for. I will be a queen of the Wyern race. The gold crown has been changed with pink and black crystals added to it, making one of the most beautiful crowns I’ve ever seen. It’s lined with pink diamonds all the way around the base. “I was debating whether to make you a new crown, a Wyern Queen crown. There are many crowns in the vaults, but this one screamed at me. It will remind us all that you are the Wyern Queen, but you’re not just my queen, you’re fae. You were once mortal, and I know you will welcome all. I think this crown equally represents all the parts of you that will be remembered.”

Tears fill my eyes. He has always accepted every part of me, loved me when I was just mortal and screaming at him that he was a monster. He loved me when I hated myself as a fae, when I couldn’t see any good in it and wanted it all to end. Emerson loved me, through the darkness and the light, and made me his queen.

Emerson rises to stand in front of me, his scent surrounding me. “My queen.” He places the crown on my head, and it perfectly fits. In more ways than one. Emerson cups the back of my neck. “I hate that I’m crowning you when we’re on the cusp of war, but there’s nothing I can do to stop war coming for us. I promise I will protect you, and you will be standing when this war is over. I wish that I could crown you in front of our cities, in front of millions, and celebrate for weeks inside you.”

My cheeks burn, and he leans down. “We will combine the celebration of our mating and the war being won. We will get that time.”

“We fight for our time,” I whisper to him. “And for our people, our family.” I lean up and kiss him softly, which only sparks every part of my body and makes me want to get undressed really quickly.

He groans, breaking the kiss, and I’m glad he had the strength to, because I didn’t. “You’re far too tempting, my queen. I’ve just had you and I want you again. I’m tempted to say fuck it and make them wait longer.”

“We both know they’d be waiting all night if I let you,” I mutter, going around him and grabbing the sword. I slide it into the holster on my back, and even through my clothes, it’s power sinks into me.

Emerson watches, his purple eyes dark. “You look paler every time you touch that sword.”

I take his hand and lift it to my mouth, placing a kiss on his knuckles. “I’m okay. If it gets too much, I will tell you.”

He grumbles at that but leads me to the door. “Lorenzo has gone to the witches. He didn’t want to waste any time.” I’m glad he has his memories back, even if I don’t like him being away from us all. We need the witches’ help, and Emerson has an alliance with them, which they will hopefully uphold.

I also brought back the memories of my chosen family. I used the sword to break the spell on Zurine and Solandis and everyone in the inner court before we went for a shower. It was good to have Zurine remember. I missed her.

I try to distract myself with anything as my heart is racing fast along with my thoughts. But with my hand held in Emerson’s, I don’t feel as terrified as I thought I would, walking into the packed throne room. It’s full of Wyerns, all of them with hostile looks that seem to only get worse when they see the crown on my head. Zurine is a friendly face, along with Solandis as we walk down the middle of them, next to the two thrones. There only has been one throne in this room, but Emerson clearly has been at work, because there is a matching throne next to his. They are equal, like us.

Emerson walks me straight through the whispering Wyerns before waiting for me to sit on one of the thrones, and he sits down next to me. Everyone goes instantly quiet as they wait for their king to speak. Emerson looks at me. “This is Calliophe Eveningstar, Queen of the Wyerns and my true mate. We have been mated.”

There is silence and some of the hostile glares have faded from their eyes, but not all of them. The room grows darker, shadows and darkness rising up the walls like a fog settling in. I’m not sure Emerson is even aware he is doing it. “To act against her would be to act against me. Death would be too kind to those who dare to lay a finger on my queen, but you will pray for death to save you, regardless.” The hostile looks disappear. “Now bow for your queen.”

There isn’t even a pause, even a moment, before a whole room full of Wyerns bow to me. I can’t help the flush that fills my cheeks. I look to the side and see Posy by the wall, and she inclines her head. Even Posy bowed. I turn back to the Wyerns and stand up. “I know many of you are not happy with a fae queen, and I don’t blame you. The fae have been calling you all monsters. Your court was cursed by the Fae Queen for years, and you have been made outcasts in the world by them. The world is changing, and we can change with it. I want the history books to tell about how the world of the fae fell, and it was the Wyerns who saved this world. It was the Wyerns who changed, who turned hate into mercy and proved they are not monsters.” I look at Emerson and see nothing but pride in his eyes. It gives me confidence. “I was born mortal, reborn actually, and then forcibly turned into a fae. Throughout all of this, I loved your king. He is my mate and our lives were destined for this. I don’t want you to follow me because you are frightened of your king, but instead, I want you to follow me into a war because I will fight for you. I will never stop until the Rift King is dead and his army alongside him. Anyone who sides with him is a traitor, and when we save this world, no one will remember you as monsters.”

Emerson stands off his throne, taking my hand. “As you are aware, war is on our doorsteps. The Rift King, Calliophe knows him personally from when he was a mortal child before he was taken, killed, and morphed into the monster he is now. He has power, but so do your royals. We will stop the Rift King, but we call upon you to take out his army.”

He looks at the crowd before continuing. “I won’t sugarcoat this for you. He has massacred three cities and killed millions. He will kill everybody here. Female, elder, child. It makes no difference to him. They all die. He wants to remake this world, and that means getting rid of anything that can fight him. He left us for last because he knows we are the biggest threat to him. All three of the great cities are gone. We, along with the witches, are all that is left, all that stands between him and his goal. To survive this war, there will be many losses. I cannot promise that you won’t know someone that will die. But if we survive, if we manage to, we will no longer be hidden in this mountain. We will no longer stay in the shadows and pretend that we are heartless monsters. I will not sit on a cold throne in the mountains and let the world pass by.”

I smile to myself as he echoes my words I once said to him in this room. “We will join this world,” he promises, “and we will rebuild it in peace between our races. There was a time where I hated the fae because of what I believed my mother had done to my true mate’s soul. It was not true. She spent her life, all up to her death, protecting me. My father lost his mind protecting me. I was born to bring the gap between the fae and the Wyerns to a close, and for years I chose to live in a world of hate rather than accept the fate I was born to.” He looks at me. “We are changing, if we can survive this war. The fae will not be our enemies any longer, as I am their king. I am taking the fae throne with my queen and uniting us.”

The doors open and fae walk In, most of them I know well. Lady Sahana Trixnoble, Ailen Riverbell, and more from the court who I met in passing. I smile at them before they each bow in front of Emerson. “These are the new members of our court, which will forever be more than just Wyerns. We will welcome any refugees into the city while the war is continuing. Any person who can fight, male or female, must fight for our future. Prince Lorenzo will be back from his journey to the witches, and they will be fighting with us in accordance with the terms of our alliance. War is coming. Go be with your families for the short time. Train. Get your best weapons and be ready. More plans will come forward in the next few days.”

“To our king and queen!” Nathiel shouts, stepping forward. He claps once, but it is swallowed up by cheers that echo out of the throne room and shake the mountain. This is where it changes for all of us, and we go forward. I stay at Emerson’s side, holding his hand as he begins to walk us out of the throne room. After we speak to so many people, I lose track. When the throne room doors are shut, Emerson kisses my forehead. “You did well.”

“So did you,” I reply.

Several members of his inner court are following him out, and they wait for Emerson. “Are you going to come with us to discuss the war plans?”

“I want to see Nerelyth first,” I softly explain. “But then I’ll come back to you.”

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