Winter's War (Her Guardians series Book 4)(20)
“I need to speak to you, and everyone important to the war. I have things about the war I need to tell you all,” I tell him, he briefly frowns but nods.
“Come on then, there’s a conference room that we use to talk,” Jaxson says and links our fingers as we walk down the corridor. We pass a lot of people, and all of them bow their heads to us as we pass. It used to be weird for me, but I’ve grown to accept who I am now, I’m not that normal girl who wanted to be a vet. I can’t be her anymore, it just isn’t in my future. As we pass the different kinds of people, it’s strange to see how they have adapted to living together, how they walk past each other like they would pass any normal person in the street. I think every wolf, witch, angel, and vampire here have lost a lot, and that binds people together, any kind of people. Jaxson leads me through the castle and towards the back, which I’ve not been to before, and we get to a set of three doors. There’s a door that leads outside, but Jaxson opens one of the doors for me, and I walk in.
“I will go and get people, be right back,” Jaxson says and leaves me in the massive room. The room has a giant, round table in the middle, made out of a dark wood. There are three large windows that overlook the forest, and there is a big whiteboard on the one wall. I look at the dozens of seats around the table, and the only thought that goes through my mind is the old fairy tale my mum used to tell me about Arthur and the round table. Except this isn’t a fairy tale, and my mum isn’t here to tell me that story anymore. A loud purr grabs my attention, and I look over to see both Jewels and Mags sitting near the windows. These two used to scare me in their real forms, with no glamours to make them look like normal house cats, but now I know they wouldn’t hurt me. There’s also the fact that there are far scarier things out there than two cats who love shiny things and magazines. I walk over and try not to laugh at Jewels who has one large paw on top of a familiar box. My crown.
“Are you keeping it safe for me?” I ask, and Jewels gives me a look that suggests I’m not getting it back. Mags walks over and pushes herself against me, and I stroke her head. Atti loves these two, they are part of him in a way. Or, that’s what he has tried to explain to me. Not many familiars survived the attacks on the witches’ city, or I haven’t seen many around the castle. There was a polar bear that I walked past yesterday and tried not jump. Just a random polar bear walking past me, no big deal.
“After everything happens, he will need you.” I tell them both, and they seem to understand as they both stare at me. I wonder how intelligent they both are as I look at them, they almost seem sad. I turn and look out the window, watching the breeze move the dozens of different trees in the forest, and the mountains you can see in the background. I don’t know how far the trees go on for. They seem to stretch on and on, making them seem endless and beautiful. I look down when I hear some shuffling to see Jewels pick up the box in her large mouth and bring it over to me, dropping the box gently on my feet.
“It’s time I wore this, huh?” I ask Jewels, who tilts her head to the side. I lean down and pick the box up, hearing the door open slightly, and I turn to see Milo fly into the room. Milo lands on top of the box and looks up at me.
“Hey, Milo, you look nice today. Very Robin Hood,” I chuckle, seeing the strange, green leather outfit, and he even has a fake bow on his back. I will admit it’s likely the cutest thing I’ve seen, but he has a serious face which is unusual for him.
“Crown keep you safe from blood.”
“From blood? Do you mean my demon blood? Safe from the king?” I ask him, and he nods his head with a big smile replacing the frown. I wonder if it’s true, but why wouldn’t my mum have used it to keep herself safe? I don’t have to think of the answer long because I know, but it hurts to even think it. She didn’t use the crown because she gave it to my dad, for me. She let herself be taken, to keep me safe. My mum didn’t want him to know about the crown because she knew it could keep me safe one day. I lift the lid and stare down at the crown; the large white crystal in the middle and the four crystals encased around it in silver. Red for the vampires, green for the wolves, black for the witches, and the white stone for the angels. I lift the crown, feeling the power spreading through me, and I hear the door open, but I can’t look away from the crown as it lightly glows. It’s meant for me.
“Winter,” I hear someone say, but I close my eyes and place the crown on my head, feeling the power spread through me. When I open my eyes, the room is full of people. Every one of them bows their heads, except my mates who stand strong in a line by the door. They never need to bow to me, they are my equals, as I am theirs. Damn, this crown is so powerful that it floods my mind, making me want to destroy things. I glance down at my hand, seeing it glowing blue slightly and feel for my power, knowing it feels stronger for the extra boost the crown gives me.
“Winter, we don’t wear our crowns all the time because they are powerful, meant to be worn in war. They are meant to boost our powers and help us,” Atti says gently in my mind, using his gift to appear next to me. I don’t move as he takes the crown off me, and the power boost drifts away. I nod at Atti, just as he puts the crown into the box and closes it. Jewels slides between us as everyone comes further into the room and waits for me to say something.
After taking a deep breath, I say, “The crown makes sure the demon king can’t control me. I can fight him now, and I can win. My family hid this crown for me, the demon king doesn’t know of its existence. It was hidden with my human mother for years and only someone of my blood could open the box. We finally have a way to win, a way to beat him.”