Queen Alpha (NYC Mecca #2)(48)
“No!” I tried to rip my face away from his. I couldn’t lose them both. No one could control this amount of mecca, not even Kade. It was everywhere in an inexhaustible supply. But his hands clamped down harder and I watched in horror as his amber eyes went purple. Both of us were buffeted by a huge gust of wind, and I realized Nix was there. Her ten foot wingspan stole the moonlight from around us, and the next moment happened so fast I had no time to process it. Nix flew at Kade’s face, landing on his head, and something snapped so hard I was thrown backward, and everything went dark.
Chapter Eleven
Fire can reduce the strongest tree to ash.
Consciousness returned and I floated in a sea of calm for a few beats, but as awareness filtered in, so did the memories. Violet! I forced my eyes open, trying to lift my head from the soft linen pillow beneath it. A sharp stab of pain rocked through my body, settling into my brain. It was like a migraine on steroids, and I wasn’t sure I could sit up without throwing up.
I finally got my eyes open, and was in a half sitting position. “Violet!” I called out as I tried to take in my surroundings through the pounding pain. I was in my room at the Island mansion.
Movement from the couch off to the side caught my eye. Calista crossed to stand at my bedside. Her face was haggard and streaked with blood. Her eyes were red-ringed and puffy.
“Violet’s gone. A lot of them are gone.” Calista’s voice was broken, a hollow shell.
Pushing through my pain, I attempted to leap from the bed. Calista caught me as I stumbled, but I made it to my feet.
“What do you mean, a lot of them? What about Winnie?” Warmth brushed against my leg and it was Finn, pressing himself against my comfortable night clothes, supporting my weight.
Calista’s chin was trembling. “Winnie is fine. She’s already on a boat back to Manhattan. Violet was taken, maybe more. We haven’t accounted for everyone yet. And Ben is … dead. He was ambushed by at least a dozen fae. We lost more than five hundred wolves and three hundred bears.”
I sagged back into the bed at her news. Ben. No, it couldn’t be true. Ben and Derek both killed by fae. Violet snatched into their world. My heart was breaking, I could feel the fissuring cracks as my body bled for my loved ones. Drawing on the strength of my crown, I searched the pack bonds, filtering energy around the alphas as I tried to sense my people.
Calista was right. Where Ben’s bright shining energy used to be, there was only emptiness. Emptiness everywhere. Over five hundred lost on the night of the summer festival. Our celebration would now go down in the history books as the most awful battle we had endured since the dark days.
Fighting through my shock and pain, I forced myself to stand. On my own. No support from Finn or Calista. “Okay. I need to know exactly what happened last night. How the fae appeared, and if anyone was around. We’ll need to interview the wolf and bear shifters…”
“You have no time for that,” said Calista. “The council and Selene are waiting for you. They have called a trial for dissolution of crown.” This time my advisor couldn’t keep her composure. A single tear trailed down her cheek; her sorrow was palpable.
“Based on what?” I asked, my voice surprisingly steady.
“Unfit to rule.” Another few tears trailed along her cheeks.
I let her information process. The council and Selene had decided I was unfit to rule and now they would challenge me. It wasn’t an easy process, and without hard evidence they wouldn’t succeed. Nope. This was a show of their strength, pushing me back for my display of dominance yesterday.
“Calista, listen to me...” My voice remained strong. The petty annoyances of the council and Selene were so far down my list of things to worry about. I had no idea where Kade was, my best friend had been kidnapped by fae, and another one of my most cherished friends was dead. Everything else paled in comparison.
Calista swallowed hard and met my eyes.
“We’ll get through this,” I said to her, and she blinked a few times, before wiping at her eyes and nodding. My strong, clever advisor was back.
There was a knock at the door and my gut clenched. An unfit trial was a low blow after the shifter world had just lost so many people. The moment I was declared innocent, I was firing the entire council and killing Selene with my bare hands.
“Enter!” I shouted through gritted teeth.
It was Sabina, which only served to further piss me off. “You’re wanted for questioning,” she said, her white hair billowing slightly around her. They had sent the magic born to make sure I showed up and didn’t use mecca to create a scene.
Striding from the room, I made a point to step out in front. No one was leading me to trial. Once I descended the steps from the opulent second floor, I made my way into the formal living room, my head held high, pain buried deep inside. None of them would know how much my heart ached at the sight of the entire council, Selene with her familiar on her arm, and six of the lead alphas from the boroughs, all preparing to strip me of my crown.
Calista, Finn, and Sabina, who had followed me into the room, remained at my back as I addressed the group. “How dare you? How dare you declare an unfit trial as we all grieve the loss of our people? We’re at war, there’s no worse time for a coup.”
Selene seemed to have taken extra care with her hair and makeup today. Her red locks were pinned up in a mass of loose curls, her clothes very formal. She strode over and took center stage, just where she always like to be. She pinned me with a glare.