"She will understand." He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me with such reverence that tears filled my eyes. I breathed him in and felt like I was home. I wasn't sure his wife would understand, not to mention my husband, but I pushed those thoughts away. I couldn't believe this man loved me. How did I get so lucky?
"Enough," The Corrine yelled from her frozen position. Damn it, I'd forgotten to weld her mouth shut. "He's mine. He will always be mine. I can make him stay."
She was fucking insane.
"Unfreeze me or I will send the word to maim the baby. He's a horrible child and I hate him," she hissed. "He has ruined my palace and turned hundreds of Fairies all colors of the spectrum, but Ethan loves him," she spat with disgust. "That is how I will bind him to me, you stupid whore. I will destroy the child unless Ethan mates with me. Tonight," she screamed at a volume that echoed through the ballroom with its vitriol. The Fairies began to wail and moan.
I was many unflattering things, but whore was not amongst them. I'd had enough of her. She wanted to be unfrozen? Fine. She'd get her wish and then regret it.
"You're supposed to trade the child for the life of the false Queen. It is her baby," a dangling Fairy yelled angrily. "Not to use as bait to get a worthless Vampyre."
I was now quite pleased I'd forgotten to mute all my prisoners. The angry rumblings from the crowd were going to work in my favor.
"You know," I said as I walked to the end of the stage and faced the floating Hell that hung before me. "It's not Gemma's baby. The false Queen is The Corricukee and she stole the wrong child. Your True Queen has no child. You have nothing to barter with, you assholes."
"She lies," The Corrine shouted. "And my name is The Corrine, you heathen."
"That's what I said." I smiled sweetly. "And I wouldn't use the word heathen around me. My Uncle God won't like it."
The crowd gasped. They were wondering who in the Hell I was. I only wish I knew…
"Oh shit," Susu screeched.
Oh shit and then some…I had not taken into account the power of The Corrine. She broke the spell and ran to the side of the stage. She raised her arms and all of the Fairies dropped to the ground with sickening thuds. This was bad. They rushed the stage and all Hell broke loose. The Corrine took off through a side door. Damn it, I have to deal with her later. There were entirely too many Fairies coming at us.
"Motherfucker," Martha yelled as she decapitated two fairies that had jumped onto the stage. "There's a shitload of these homosexual bastards."
"Now, now, Martha," Lulu admonished her as she tore into and began to eat a Fairy. "That's rude and untrue. You mustn't speak like that."
"Sorry," Martha grunted as she maimed three more Fairies that were gunning for her.
How in the Hell did Lulu do that? I'd been admonishing them for their un-PC comments for years.
The sheer amount of Fairies coming at us was overwhelming. Our odds were bad. I contemplated blowing them all up, but I was certain not all of them were pure evil. They lived in abject fear of an evil ruler—they were pawns in her game. I couldn't kill innocent people. It was wrong. Shitfuckshitfuckshit. Ethan was tearing through Fairies like they were paper and I had destroyed my share too, but how much more could we take? There were seven of us and hundreds of them.
"I have the child," The Corrine bellowed as she took the stage. "Back off, my people. I can handle this. I am your Queen, I will keep you safe."
I rolled my eyes as the Fairies retreated. I checked my posse. We were all battered but we were still alive. Still no sign of The Kev. Crap. I hoped he was okay. Ethan's body tensed and I could feel his fury. He was looking at The Corrine and she had his child. This was going to get tricky. I steeled myself to see the boy that was Ethan's. I hoped his wife would give him visitation rights. He clearly loved his son. I turned and looked.
And then time stopped.
I did not have twenty-two children. I did not have a husband. I had one child and one mate and they were both here in this room with me. Ethan was my mate. Samuel was my child. They were the loves of my life. Somewhere deep inside I had known that they belonged to me all along. They were mine and I was theirs. My precious little family. The sound that left my body made every Fairy in the room cower in fear. Even Martha and Jane backed away. Sparkling flames engulfed my body as wails of rage flew my lips. The Mini Elves darted around my head and chanted in their ancient language. I was centered and I was ready.
The Corrine, with wide frightened eyes put a knife to my baby's throat. The jeweled handle glistened and the sharp silver blade looked macabre against my baby's skin. A single drop of blood slid down the side of his neck where she pricked him and something inside of me died. Samuel cried out and extended his little arms to me. Even though I knew she couldn't kill him, pain tore through me like I'd never known. Ethan's roar shook the building and The Corrine didn't look as sure of herself as she did seconds ago. My baby was in the hands of someone who should be burning in the Basement of Hell. She was so fucking dead.
With a vicious swipe of my hand, I froze all the Fairies in the room again, but this time I added pain. They screeched in agony and writhed in the air. It wouldn't kill them. I'd figure out who had to go later. Now I wanted my baby. I could freeze her, but the knife at Samuel's throat stopped me. I would just get him back another way.