Chapter Ten
It took everything Cole had to stay on the horse as Niall led the way across the field. The rebels had scattered; all that remained were their bodies and the craz who feasted on them. More of the craz circled overhead, diving toward the remains and the allure of the fleeing fae.
Cole tried not to slump against Lexi, she would only worry if she realized how weak he was, but as the horse galloped across the earth, the sword shifted inside him each time it landed. It was getting more difficult to maintain an appearance of strength while his heart was shredding.
She took the reins from him and, leaning forward in the saddle, guided the horse with the expertise of one born to ride. She steered clear of the obstacles in their way while also managing to throw two more vials of melting potion at the craz.
Niall hacked his way through a few more craz as Lexi removed a throwing star from the pouch at her side. She whipped it side-armed at a craz diving toward them. The weapon shot into the craz’s open mouth and knocked the monster on its ass.
He’d known she was training with Brokk, but he hadn’t realized how much she learned while he was going through the trials. He’d fought with men who’d trained for years and weren’t as courageous as her on the battlefield.
He slid his arm around her waist and slipped another star from the pouch. He briefly admired the fae metal before flinging it at another craz. The movement pulled at his flesh and spilled more blood, but he reached into the bag and pulled out another one.
Though he tried to hide it, Lexi could tell Cole was growing increasingly weak as he slumped against her more and more. Still, he managed to throw another star that knocked the craz descending toward them off its target.
Blood bloomed across the front of the bird’s chest as it spiraled away from them and the closed gates they approached. They had to get through the door and into the bailey; she had to get Cole to safety.
She focused on those gates while Cole and Niall fought off the craz who weren’t occupied by eating the dead. As they neared them, the door also came into view, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it remained open.
Digging her heels into the horse’s side, she urged it faster as their safety loomed closer and closer. Twenty feet… Fifteen… At ten, she was certain a craz would crash into their back or the door would slam shut.
The palace wouldn’t shut them out, but some didn’t want Cole to rule. Would the palace open the door for them again if it was closed?
Five feet…
Come on. Come on….
And then they were flying through the open side door and into the courtyard. Many sought shelter when the craz arrived, but it was still crowded with dark fae seeking refuge from the battle and craz.
The injured lay on the ground, and survivors ran around as they tended to them. Her horse’s hooves dug up the earth when she pulled up on the reins. The animal skidded to a halt a few feet from the palace stairs.
When Cole shifted behind her, she grasped his forearm as he slid to the side and nearly went down. Kicking her feet free of the stirrups, she leapt off the horse and landed beside him. Cole kept his shoulders back as she wrapped her arm around his waist and led him toward the steps.
“Let me help,” Niall offered.
“No!” Lexi snapped. “Stay away.”
Her free hand found the last remaining star in her pouch. She didn’t care if Cole said she could trust Niall and that he’d helped get them off the battlefield. She didn’t trust anyone other than herself around Cole right now. He was far too vulnerable.
“Easy,” Cole whispered in her ear. Others might think it was a tender, loving gesture, but she knew it was because he couldn’t hold his head up anymore. “I told you, you can trust Niall.”
“Can you?” she retorted.
His blue eyes swam with pain when he turned his head toward her. Staring into those eyes, etched with lines that weren’t there before and surrounded by dark shadows, she was more terrified now than when she was on the field.
“Yes,” Cole whispered.
Lexi eased her grip on the star and didn’t protest when Niall draped Cole’s other arm around his shoulders. The palace doors opened when they arrived at the top of the stairs.
Amaris hovered nervously in the hallway. Her dark eyes were wide as she stared at Cole. He was a bloody, awful mess, pale and barely standing, but any other dark fae would have been dead by now. The fact he was still breathing was mind-blowing; that he was still walking was a miracle.
“Can I get you anything?” Amaris asked as she rushed over to Niall’s side.
“No,” Lexi said.
Cole said she could trust Niall, but she wouldn’t trust anyone else with his life. Traitors surrounded them in this realm; she liked Amaris, but she’d be damned if she let anyone else do anything with Cole.
Cole’s weight pulled more and more against her shoulders and strained her back as they ascended the stairs. By the time they finally made it to his rooms, his feet dragged across the ground, and when they laid him on the bed, he was unconscious.
Lexi tried not to panic as she stared at his unmoving form. Had it been pure willpower driving him this far?
Is he dead?
Chapter Eleven
“Stay away from him!” Lexi commanded in a far too high-pitched voice as Niall leaned over Cole.
She wasn’t exactly portraying strength by nearly shrieking at him, but she couldn’t control the gallop of her heart or the terror spiking her adrenaline to epic levels. Then Cole inhaled a rattling, wet breath that didn’t bode well for his health but told her that he was still alive.
That knowledge didn’t ease her stress. He was alive but so vulnerable, and she was the only one she trusted to protect him. She would make sure he stayed alive.
The dark fae rose slightly to study her. He lifted his hands, but she saw the hostility in his black eyes.
“He’s my king and my friend,” Niall said. “He’s safe with me.”
He’s the love of my life, and I don’t care what you say.
But she held the words back. None of the dark fae cared about love or feelings. They respected control and power. To them, love was a weakness.
“I’ll take care of him,” she said.
“You’ll need my help.”
“Stand outside the doors and guard them. Do not let anyone else in here.”
A muscle twitched in his cheek; he didn’t like taking orders from her, but when his eyes returned to Cole, his stance relaxed a little.
“He is my king. I cannot leave him with you,” Niall said. “How do I know you won’t kill him.”
Lexi was stunned he would consider such a thing. “I am to be your queen. You will do as I say.”
His eyes narrowed as Lexi’s shoulders went back.
“How do I know you are to be my queen? He has not proposed to you.”
She had no power over Niall and certainly wasn’t strong enough to force him from the room, but she wouldn’t back down either. However, his words reminded her how tenuous her position in this world was.
She was alive and here because Cole had brought her here, and this man respected that; many others wouldn’t.