Tyr cursed violently before he transformed into a large formidable white tiger and raced towards the city of Finlandia.
Emon hissed next to me. “I haven’t seen spycrows since my mother’s death.”
I narrowed my eyes up at the sky and winced at the chilling squawks. “A death omen. It was Deirdre’s favorite way to inform her enemies they were her next mark.” Fear filled me. “She must know Riella is here!” I lunged in the same direction as the tiger shifter.
Emon’s firm grip caught me and tugged hard at my arm, spinning me back around. “I need you, the best way to protect Riella is to make our stance here. Not to bring them towards her. Deirdre would expect that of you…of us.”
Wrenching my arm from his grip, I flashed my teeth at him. “Fine but I don’t have to like it.”
“Do we need to know who this Riella is?” Xi asked, despite having been quiet up to this point.
I glanced back to see both her and Riley drawing their lethal scimitars. They always did favor those curved blades. My shadows still draped lazily around them and they were at perfect ease with their presence, Xi even patted at them against her shoulder with her free hand.
There was a reason they were once part of the shadow forces.
Without time to explain, I used the one term they would understand.“Chickadee.”
Xi hummed and Riley nodded. “Riella equals kill anything that threatens her. My favorite kind of mission.”
No questions asked.
“I always knew the chickadees meant something to you.” Emon said softly next to me, still watching the swarming spy crows that were drawing nearer.
Tyr appeared just a second later, a subtle flash the only sign that he had shifted back. His purple eyes flashed angrily. “Ourforces are on their way and reported incoming wraiths from the south.”
Emon cracked his neck to the side. “They can cover all of the West Isles sky and search all of her lands but they will never find our city.” He glanced over at me. “She will stay safe.”
I twirled my blade in my hand and gave him a hard look. “Good. Now what aremy orders, your majesty?”
His brows raised.
“You said you needed me here. You wanted this alliance…it seems I still have one monarch left to serve.” I flipped my blade across my forearm and laid it out to him. “King Daemon Ash Strider, my blade is yours.” Bowing my head low, I waited with baited breath. It felt…right and if he rejected me now…my heart may never survive it.
“I accept.” He said gruffly.
Exhaling harshly and rising, I stilled at the fierce blazing intensity radiating from his predatory eyes. Enraptured, I could see every one of his emotions in that moment. Hope, admiration, awe, fear…and something else, something that was the answer to all my whys.
I inhaled sharply, stepping back.
Emon blinked, the bright intensity calming.
Growling, he glanced back up at the sky then back down to me. “I need the umbras to take out the spycrows.” The birds screeched down upon us, now flocking in the millions over the valley. “Every. Fucking. One. I don't want a single one of those pests surviving.”
I grinned. “Oh is that all, my king? And what will you be doing while I do all the hard work?”
Emon chuckled darkly and stepped closer to me. His hand reached outward and tucked back a loose strand of hair from my face. “Avenging your flower pissing gnomes it would seem. There are wraiths out there and I haven’t forgotten my promise.”
“In that case, save some blood wraiths for me too please.” I said sweetly, leaning into his palm. His touch felt way too goddess damn good.
“It’s never good when she uses that tone.” Xi whispered.
Riley and Tyr grunted in unison, identical wariness in their expression.
Emon ignored them, his hand caressed over my cheek and skimmed my smile with his roughened fingertips. “What a savageblood thirsty shadow fae you are. Shall I hold them down for you while you gut them too?”
I brushed my lips against his hand. “How kind of you, your majesty.”
Emon’s chest rumbled and his eyes bled with hunger…hunger that wasn’t for killing anymore.
