All The Queen's Monsters (The Queen's Slave, Book 3)

Two: The Rapture

"THE MORE PEOPLE YOU LOVE, THE WEAKER YOU ARE."

-CERSEI LANNISTER

"You're the Reason"

By: Etham

&

"Better Days"

By: Dermot Kennedy

K O R E

I wavered, drawing on my last remainder of strength as I hit him again, and again, the haunting melody of bone crunching under my knuckles, the spray of his blood, and the little zing of pleasure that went through me every time he gasped for breath holding me under some sort of murderous spell. I knew this would far from kill him, and my strength was waning, my wounds becoming more painful, but I couldn't stop. The ice rattled and groaned beneath us and I grinned, pausing my assault to pull him close, manhandling his broken wings. He laughed, his head tipped to the sky, his face while swollen and bloodied would heal in a matter of hours. I punched him once more, practically inhaling the vibration of the hit as I stepped free of the cracked ice, watching him slip into the water. He did not gasp or panic or give any indication that he was fearful, no. That same maniacal laughter continued, forever taunting me. As soon as he was out of sight, I dropped to my knees, a deep groan escaping my lips at the red staining my fingers from the deep gash in my side. Memories flickered behind my eyes, blurring my vision. I struggled to hold on as the flashbacks came, rage taking root inside of me.

"Come home, my sweet. Your Kingdom misses you."

A chill fled down my spine at the sinful caress of his words, spoken so softly yet delivered with brutal intent.

"I have no home with you." I sneered, my wings unfurling in defiance with my sword. The earth rumbled and shook in response to my anger, trees extending their vines, creeping towards the army across the lake.

Pain lanced through my shoulder and back, and I bit back a harsh curse when my right wing hung useless. Wind blew my hair back as I maneuvered myself around, the breath in my lungs nearly coming to halt when I saw Azalea, her face twisted into one of regret as the stared back at me, her hair a wild mass around her. Hade's Shadow encroached beneath the ice, and apprehension pulling at me, forcing my legs to move against their wishes, a warning shout on the tip of my tongue. I remember the look on her face as she lunged for his sword, fingers barely able to grasp the hilt as she struggled to defy the curse, stabbing the length of it through the ice, all the way to the hilt. Beneath it I could hear Hades's laughter, his words hanging in the air long after he was gone. Her beautiful eyes were haunted as she stared back at me from her wolf's face, the finality of her fate slicing right through me.

I couldn't reach her, couldn't feel her, and I fell to my knees as Elizabeth roared her anguish and pain. The sudden loss of her presence, our bond, struck hard and I could not stay standing. I crashed back down, bloody fingers gripping the ice as I watched mate's eyes turn from human to animal. He'd forced her down a path we hadn't foreseen, using her own body against her. She backed away from me, and a memory flashed behind my eyes, Hade's laughter echoing in my ears, as fleeting as the black smoke he'd evaporated into.

"What does it feel like?" I asked her, running my fingertips down her spine as she perched over my chest.

She looked at me, cocking her head in a very wolf-like gesture. "What do you mean?"