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Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 63
I trusted Kodan to inspire confidence in them. Fina would work with the spies, keeping tabs on any enemy movement, and Bozhin would lead the eagles in the sky. Aerika and Lynx had worked together to make as many of the moonstone collars as they could to protect the shifters from the Fae magic.“Reyna!” Adora hurried across the war room. She smiled brightly, despite the dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was tied up into a high bun, and she was dressed in her plain, functional trousers and shirt — though now, the collar and hems were embroidered with delicate silver thread. She was still a Lady of Starcrest, after all. “Come, if you’re ready, let’s go down to the citizens’ quarters.”I nodded. Elias was busy speaking with General Bozhin, hunched over the maps across the war room table. He caught my eye and nodded.There was no time for us to go speak to the citizens together. I swallowed around the sudden tightness in my throat.I was growing more confident navigating diplomacy and
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 64
And that’s what we needed to defeat the Fae. We needed soldiers, and we needed people who believed that we could win. I had inspired that fire in them.I could only hope it was enough.“I’ll take our soldiers to the barracks,” I said, “and Adora will lead the citizens into the forests for safety.”The room burst into activity as the wolves packed up their belongings, their makeshift cots and bedrolls. I led the soldiers to the barracks as promised, and passed them over to Kodan, who beamed with delight at the sight of new recruits. The general immediately launched into an invigorating speech about what the soldiers would bring to the batallion. Excitement crackled through the air.I caught Kodan’s eye, then nodded briskly. She returned the gesture.Now began the logistical challenge of arming everyone. I stepped out of the barracks and back onto the path toward the manor. I paused outside, taking a deep breath of the crisp winter air. The contrast between the stillness of the air and
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 65
“The secret to leadership is that none of us really know what we’re doing,” Ealric said. “I’ve seen how you shine when you’re speaking to the Court. You may feel like you’re out of your depth, but that’s what leading is. Nightfall should be proud to have you.”I pressed my lips together. As good as it was to hear that, I wasn’t sure if I’d earned it. “Do you think this is the right decision?” I asked. “Facing Corinne like this?”“I don’t think we have a choice,” Ealric said. “But you and Elias are leading us well. Myself and the wolves of Starcrest will be at your side, no matter what.”“Thank you,” I said. Internally, I was pulled in two directions: the relief of seeing the pride and loyalty in Ealric’s eyes, and the terror that his belief was be misplaced.Then, a loud clap of thunder rang out. I jumped, dropping my coffee as the porcelain shattered on the solarium floor. Thick, intense magic poured through the atmosphere, like oil into water. My wolf raised her hackles.“A portal o
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 66
“She’s trying to get under your skin, and it’s working,” I said. “She wants to pull us apart. There is no one true leader of Frasia. You know that.”He chuffed, and then with a crackle of shifter magic, he was atop of me in his human form. Elias groaned with frustration and pushed his face into the curve of my neck. “It’s petty of her. I’d like to meet her on the battlefield myself.”“Perhaps you will,” I said. I raked my fingers through his soft, dark hair. “It’s just a war tactic. She’s a cunning woman. It was only Corrine’s wits that allowed her to escape from Draunar in the first place.”Elias climbed to his feet, then offered his hand. I took it and he pulled me up.“What do you think she wants?” he asked.“I don’t know,” I admitted, “but I intend to find out.”We had one night before the battle. The inevitability hung over me like a shadow.Elias felt it, too. We made our way back to our chambers, and in the cool darkness of the room I kissed him long and slow. I savored every t
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“Reyna,” Corinne said with a toothy smile. “I’m pleased to see you in such fine conditions.”“Fine?” I asked, glancing around. My mare tossed her head. “Surrounded by our soldiers on all sides?”“On a beautiful day,” Corinne said, “under a lovely sunrise, on land that will soon be ours.”I blinked. “Ours?”“I’m quite proud of you, Reyna,” Corinne said. “You’ve done well for yourself in Frasia and built up a strong reputation. You’re an impressive Queen. Certainly, you’ve done better than I expected.”“I wish I could say the same,” I shot back. “What have you called this meeting for?”“To speak with you,” she said. “What else? I’ve missed you, Reyna.”Anger burned in my chest. “If that were true, you would not have damaged Efra like you did — and I wouldn’t have lost so many wolves at the edges of Fae swords.”Corinne smiled again. “Well, sacrifices must be made in the pursuit of greatness.”“What is your pursuit?” I asked. “You wish to take over Frasia? It’s a fool’s errand. It will o
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 68
Orange light glowed deep in the darkness. The roars grew louder, closer, and then with a rush of beating wings, dragons poured out the portal, surrounded by rushing flame. There were at least two dozen of them, maybe more. Flames poured from their mouths onto the balds, setting the scrubby grass alight and scorching it to nothing. They flew with soulless determination, over the balds, and directly to the city.My horse whinnied and jerked backward, barely avoiding a burst of flame as the dragons soared overhead. The one who had expelled the flame barely noticed my reaction. It simply snapped its jaws shut and kept flying.“They’re under Fae control!” I called. “Bozhin, to the dragons!”Bozhin shifted into his immense war gryphon form. He cried out, and the few eagles at his side shifted into their forms as well. They took to the skies, streaking after the dragons. Bozhin led them higher, so they were above the beasts, and then led them in a rapid dive-bomb. Bozhin went talon first. He
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 69
I had to rely on my skills. I met his sword with mine. Clang. Clang. His eyes burned with rage as he pushed me backward. He grinned that sharp-toothed smile, like he wanted to devour me himself. He pushed his blade against me, forcing me back step by step, then suddenly he lunged down and dragged his claws — claws?! — over the meat of my thigh. His fingers, like his teeth, were sharp and threatening, like that of a beast, and with ease he opened four gashes in my muscle. Pain seared through me, and I gasped as my knees quivered. I lost my balance and fell backward. But I still had my sword.“Silly wolf,” Eodwin sneered. “Thinking you’re a warrior. You’re nothing but a lost little girl out here on the battlefield.”“I am more than a wolf,” I said through gritted teeth. I pushed through the pain and clambered back up to my feet. My sword weighed heavily in my hand, but I narrowed my eyes and lifted it up. “I am a Queen.”Eodwin laughed. The made the hair on my nape stand on end. I gripp
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 70
But I couldn’t hear the battle around us anymore. All I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.Elias pressed his hand to my chest.I took a deep, gasping breath, like I had just broken through the surface of the sea, as cool power rolled through me. My hands flew to Elias’ arms and clung desperately, as the moonstone power coursed through my veins. It eliminated the burning inside me and even stitched up the terrible gashes in my thighs. My vision cleared, and the fog lifted from my mind.“Reyna?” Elias smoothed the hair from my forehead. His brow was still deeply furrowed in concern.“Hi,” I whispered.“Gods above,” Elias choked out. He leaned down and kissed me fiercely. “I thought I lost you.”The moonstone ring was obviously enchanted differently than the swords were — it had healing properties in it. Thank God Ealric had been here to tell Elias what to do. My whole body ached with exhaustion, but the pain had dissipated. I returned Elias’ kiss, then he helped me sit up.“We
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Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 76
“It sounds like a good plan to me,” Elias murmured. “These are the kinds of innovations we should be encouraging, don’t you agree?”I nodded. In the months since the war, reconstruction had started across Frasia. We’d rebuilt the manor, as well as the walls of the city. The buildings damaged in the fighting had been repaired as best we could. Then after that, Elias and I arranged for convoys to travel to each of the packs, providing resources and answers to all of those who had been affected by the fighting.Everything was going well. But to my embarrassment, I often found myself a little…bored.Fina caught my eye from where she stood in front of the dais. She raised one eyebrow, and I straightened up to better give the young wolf my full attention.Since the end of the war, Fina had been working as my head spy, occasionally running missions to other packs and nations with Kodan. She’d come into her own as a spy of Nightfall, and when I saw her training with Adora in the barracks, she
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He shook his head. “I knew it had healing properties,” he said. “Or…I hoped it did. I bought it off a Fae jeweler outside of Starcrest, before relations with Faerie worsened. I thought it was beautiful, and I wanted something she couldn’t get in Frasia proper.” He chuckled to himself. “I wanted to impress her. The jeweler told me it had healing properties — that it had strong, old Fae magic. I never had a chance to give it to her. But I did have it looked at again, when I was older, to learn more about the magic. But there wasn’t much the scholars of Starcrest could tell me. I knew it had healing powers, and I knew it was strong. But I didn’t know…”“That it would affect me like that,” I said.“That you would be able to wield it,” he said. “You surprise me at every turn. Just like your mother did.”“I wish I could’ve met her,” I said softly.“I do, too.” He folded his hand over mine on the table. “When you and Elias visit Starcrest next, I’ll show you where she’s buried. It’s a beauti
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In the afterglow, I leaned against the headboard of our bed with the blankets pulled up to my hips. Amity and Rue had delivered a small meal a few hours ago, and Elias carried the tray from the table to the bed. We shared a few bites of fruit and soft bread with butter, and Elias poured us each a small glass of fragrant red wine.It felt indulgent, luxurious — like we were the leaders of a wealthy and peaceful nation. It was a glimpse of what life could be like once Frasia has recovered.Elias popped a grape into his mouth, then settled on the bed next to me, careful not to jostle the tray at the foot of the bed. He smoothed his hand over my thigh and squeezed. “So you still have your magic,” he murmured.I laughed and squirmed a little closer to him, despite the nervousness curling in my chest at the mention of it. “I guess so,” I said. “I thought it’d go away eventually, but…”“It hasn’t changed?” he asked.I shook my head. “It feels like it’s settling.” I rubbed my hand over my ste
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Elias smirked and lifted an eyebrow. “What’s that look mean?”“Come here,” I demanded. “Kiss me.”“Love it when you’re so nice and polite like that,” Elias teased.He climbed onto the bed and crawled over me, letting the towel slide from his hips. He knocked my fingers away from the string on my dressing gown and unfastened it himself, then slid the soft fabric open. He caught my lips in a sweet kiss as he flattened his hand on my belly and smoothed over my skin. I hummed into Elias’ lips as I slid my hands over the strong planes of his back, and down to his pert ass. I squeezed.He chuckled into the kiss, then dropped his weight atop me hard enough to make me huff out in a surprised “Oof!” That only made him laugh again as he kissed my cheek, my jaw, my neck.I hummed in pleasure and wrapped my arms around him tightly, keeping his body pressed close to mine. I loved being this close, loved the feeling of all that warm muscle pinning me down, keeping me safe. We kissed for a few long,
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“You did well,” Elias said, low. “Efra still stands.”“At what cost, though?” I asked. “We lost so many.”“We did,” he said. “But not everyone. And Corinne is defeated. Decisively.”“It shouldn’t have happened at all,” I whispered. Guilt chewed at me like a hungry dog. “These soldiers should be alive.”“Reyna.” Elias put his hands on my shoulders and turned me to face him. “You can’t think like that.”“Like what?” I asked.His golden gaze burned into mine. “You can’t undo what’s been done. Our subjects need us now more than ever.”I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “How can they trust us after so many have died?” I asked quietly. “What will we say when the citizens return from the forests?”“We say the war is over,” Elias said fiercely. “That the Fae Queen is defeated, and Frasia remains free. And we stand strong for our pack.”I closed my eyes briefly. He was right. After so much death and turmoil, the wolves of Nightfall needed to be able to rely on us.“Your pain only shows
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Around us, more Fae rushed in, launching snarling attacks on Elias, Ealric, and Kodan. I trusted them to hold their own and hold the soldiers back from me as I focused my attacks on Corinne.I grinned at her. “That all you got, Queen?”She shrieked again, then swung her sword back and brought it down with the force of a warhammer.The world seemed to slow down. Each breath burned in my throat. The sun glinted off Corinne’s white hair, and off her bloodstained blade, as she turned on her heel to follow my movements. I parried her sword, the sound of steel clashing against steel drowned out by the crackle of our competing magics. I roared and bared my own teeth. Then, driving my foot hard into her shin, I sent her stumbling backward. I launched forward, slashing my sword at her throat, but she dodged, knocked me backward with a punch, and then swung her sword in another high arc.Corinne was fast, faster than anyone I’d ever fought, yet the moonstone quickened my heart and my feet as we
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 70
But I couldn’t hear the battle around us anymore. All I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.Elias pressed his hand to my chest.I took a deep, gasping breath, like I had just broken through the surface of the sea, as cool power rolled through me. My hands flew to Elias’ arms and clung desperately, as the moonstone power coursed through my veins. It eliminated the burning inside me and even stitched up the terrible gashes in my thighs. My vision cleared, and the fog lifted from my mind.“Reyna?” Elias smoothed the hair from my forehead. His brow was still deeply furrowed in concern.“Hi,” I whispered.“Gods above,” Elias choked out. He leaned down and kissed me fiercely. “I thought I lost you.”The moonstone ring was obviously enchanted differently than the swords were — it had healing properties in it. Thank God Ealric had been here to tell Elias what to do. My whole body ached with exhaustion, but the pain had dissipated. I returned Elias’ kiss, then he helped me sit up.“We
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 69
I had to rely on my skills. I met his sword with mine. Clang. Clang. His eyes burned with rage as he pushed me backward. He grinned that sharp-toothed smile, like he wanted to devour me himself. He pushed his blade against me, forcing me back step by step, then suddenly he lunged down and dragged his claws — claws?! — over the meat of my thigh. His fingers, like his teeth, were sharp and threatening, like that of a beast, and with ease he opened four gashes in my muscle. Pain seared through me, and I gasped as my knees quivered. I lost my balance and fell backward. But I still had my sword.“Silly wolf,” Eodwin sneered. “Thinking you’re a warrior. You’re nothing but a lost little girl out here on the battlefield.”“I am more than a wolf,” I said through gritted teeth. I pushed through the pain and clambered back up to my feet. My sword weighed heavily in my hand, but I narrowed my eyes and lifted it up. “I am a Queen.”Eodwin laughed. The made the hair on my nape stand on end. I gripp
Dark Wolf King (Wolves Of The Night Book 3) 68
Orange light glowed deep in the darkness. The roars grew louder, closer, and then with a rush of beating wings, dragons poured out the portal, surrounded by rushing flame. There were at least two dozen of them, maybe more. Flames poured from their mouths onto the balds, setting the scrubby grass alight and scorching it to nothing. They flew with soulless determination, over the balds, and directly to the city.My horse whinnied and jerked backward, barely avoiding a burst of flame as the dragons soared overhead. The one who had expelled the flame barely noticed my reaction. It simply snapped its jaws shut and kept flying.“They’re under Fae control!” I called. “Bozhin, to the dragons!”Bozhin shifted into his immense war gryphon form. He cried out, and the few eagles at his side shifted into their forms as well. They took to the skies, streaking after the dragons. Bozhin led them higher, so they were above the beasts, and then led them in a rapid dive-bomb. Bozhin went talon first. He
