Blood and Redemption (Cassandra Myles Witch Series) (22 page)

“Think of what?” Killian stood in the doorway.

“Good. I only have to tell this story once.” I didn’t want to tell them that the King of the Slaugh wanted me to be the Queen of the Fae. It was so ludicrous.

“I had another nocturnal visit from the King of the Slaugh. He told me he can’t help us kill Mab, but if we manage to kill her, then he will step in and make sure we are safe. He ummm… he wants me to lead the fae after Mab is dead and he says he will make sure the fae
accept me as their queen.” I waited for the laughter and when none came, I looked back and forth between vampire and wolf. They didn’t laugh at me, but I was about to laugh at them. Twin sets of glassy bulging eyes and slack jaws almost had me rolling on the floor.

“Okay
. I know it’s a little crazy, but you don’t have to be that surprised.”

“I’m sorry
, little sister, it’s just that of all the things I thought might happen when you slept today, that was not even close to any of them.”

“Is this something you even want to do
, Cass?”

“Honestly? No. I want to get away from here. I don’t want to be responsible for these self-destructive beings. I want to go back to Vancouver and … well I don’t know, but I don’t want to stay here. What choice do I have? Apparently
, Balor was right. I am destined to fix this. Fuck.”

“Who the hell is
Balor?”

“Just a giant demon
-looking thing with a very large barbed penis and the freakiest looking dog you’ve ever seen.”

“Cass
, sweetie, have you hit your head? Maybe the stress is…”

“I’m not stressed
; well I am, but that doesn’t mean I’ve lost my mind.”

“Cass
, you have to admit that talking about demons and giant dogs, and you becoming fae royalty is a little out there.”

Well
, when he put it that way, I guess it did sound a little loony. I started to laugh. I couldn’t stop. I knew I wasn’t helping my case any. They started to laugh too, and it was a long session of us giggling, stopping, and then one of us would start the others going all over again. When it was finally over, I felt so much better.

“Okay
, gentlemen, now that we have that out of our system, let’s agree that this whole ordeal is crazy. If we kill Mab and survive, then we will worry about me becoming royalty. I just hope he shows up. Once the queen is dead, we will have to deal with the goblins and the rest of the dark fae. Killing Mab might turn out to be the easy part.”

Killian crawled into bed with us and we held each other until it was time to get ready. It might be the last time we ever get to be together and I had grown really fond of both of them.
Even my kidnapper. I really did have a very fucked up life.

Chapter
Twenty-one

I preened in front of the mirror. My pants were skin tight, but made of the softest leather. A buttery soft second skin that moved with me and never felt restrictive, the halter-top was a small hexagon that covered my boobs and little else. It was made of the same material and was the same midnight color. I felt like I could kick ass, even though my previous training with Killian proved that was unlikely. At the very least, running was a viable option in this outfit, unlike the corset. I could actually breathe in this.

“You look hot
, Cass. Wow, I love a woman in leather.” Killian was being a goof and it was what we needed.

“Ha ha.
Dominick, are you ready?”

The men had leather pants and that was it. “Well
, there wasn’t much to put on, so I will say ‘yes.’”

“Should we have a signal?”

“Let’s wait until she’s fully ensconced in the festivities. Then we will catch her when she’s relaxed or distracted.”

“Easy on the wine
, gentlemen. We need our wits about us.”

I hugged them both, kissing each on the cheek. “Thank
you both in advance. We will do our best and that’s all we can do.”

We made our way to the dining room
. I had each man’s hand. We all needed the comfort and we all needed to know that we were in this together.

The party guests seemed in a festive mood, but Mab and the creepy twins were nowhere to be seen. Something was going on. Mab might just have been late, but something felt wrong.

Conal greeted us at the door with a big hug for me. I caught twin glares from the men behind me.

“Cassandra
, we have to go on one of our walks again. I had such fun.” His plum-colored eyes glowed with excitement. He wore a simple white linen shirt and leather pants.

“I would like that
, Prince Conal. You look very handsome tonight. Where is the Queen? Are we early?”

“No
. There are intruders in the woods outside the compound and she is extremely angry. So she is sending her troops dispatch them.”

If it was Quintus
, he couldn’t have picked a better time. “So she won’t be spending the evening with us?”

“No
. She is presenting Queen Oona to her new husband. She won’t miss that.”

I looked at Killian, but he had the vampire mask on.

We spent a very tense hour sitting at the table. I pretended to sip wine and ignore the goblins as they tortured their guests. Just when I thought we would return to our rooms, Mab and a very large entourage came bursting into the room.

She looked a little disheveled. Stray wisps of hair flew up
around her head as she walked, barking various orders at the servers as she made her way to our table.

“We were worried about you
, my Queen.”  

“How very sweet of you
, Cassandra. We had some trouble in the woods, but they have been taken care of.” Power flew off of her in tiny bursts, like sparks from a fire. I know she wanted me to think my rescuers were dead, but I was positive she was lying.

I slipped my hand under the table and reached for Dominick. He took it and squeezed. If Quintus was dead
, he would be here in this room as a trophy to see how I would react.

“Everyone sit
. We will have our supper and then start the ceremonies.”

Two guards stood at the door
. Except for the absence of the crones, our little soiree seemed the same.

We ate in relative silence. “Cassandra, you look radiant tonight. Your men must be tending to your needs.”

“I have no complaints.”

“How was my Lochlan
?”

“He was stubborn
, but he came around.”

“Good
. Maybe we should punish him together.”

“I would like that.” It gave me a chance to look right at Lochlan. I tried to convey something with my eyes. I doubt I did. I would
have loved to punish her. Do to her what she did to Lochlan.

“Let’s eat. This delay has put me in a foul mood.” She made a brief attempt to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes. She took her throne at the head of the table.

The meal was like sawdust. It might have tasted good, but all the saliva in my mouth seemed to have dried up and I was trying not to drink the wine.

“That is enough
. I can’t wait any longer. Clear this away.” A server came to take her plate. Mab pushed her to the floor. “You don’t reach in front of me. Do you understand? Now pick this up.” The server skittered away and cleaned up the mess.

After everything was taken away and a dais was brought to the room, Queen Oona was placed on it in chains and nothing else. It was the ultimate humiliation. I reached over and grabbed Killian’s hand. Dominick had his on the table
, clenched in fists. I looked at him and shook my head.

“Queen Oona
, you have never looked more lovely, my dear.” Mab lovingly stroked her cheek, and then she grabbed the monarch’s left breast and tweaked the nipple.

  “She is a beautiful specimen.
Very sturdy. She can take punishment, but you almost never have to punish her, as she is very obedient. Aren’t you, my lovely little pet?” The queen looked at the floor and nodded.

“There are four bids I consider to be high enough for a royal
fae: Trahern, King of the Goblins has offered a very generous sum; Lord Etel, who is my cousin, but I promise not to play favorites; Eamon, who is the head of my own guard, and finally, Rogan, another lord of note.”

The four men made their way to the dais. The three fae towered over the troll king, but there was no question
who had the most power.

“The highest bid was you
, Trahern. Do you value her that much, my noble king?”

“She needs to be punished for what she has done and what better way to punish a
seelie queen than with the seed of a troll king growing in her belly?”

“See
, that’s why we get along so well. We are of the same mind.”

“Etel
, yours was the lowest; can you do better?”

“No
, your majesty, I gracefully bow out.” She nodded to him.

“Eamon cannot be here
, but I have decided he can’t have her. I can’t have my head guard being distracted by that fae slut. So, Rogan, what say you?”

I had a feeling this had been a set up and the King of the
Goblins was destined to have her. “I can give more money, but our Goblin King seems to have the best punishment. I cannot top that.”

“You have won yourself a concubine
, Trahern.”

This was all just a sick play to torture the light
queen and to show the rest of the light fae just how far they had fallen. It was a sad state of affairs. I idly rubbed the crescent moon on my hand. This world seemed beyond repair. Killing Mab would be a start, but then what?

The
Goblin King looked up at the naked queen. “You will be screaming my name tonight, you seelie whore.” He took her hand and led her back to his chair. She followed, her eyes never leaving the floor. He plunked her on his lap, making them look like a vaudeville act from Hell. Pure bliss lit the dark queen’s face.

“Well
, my mood is getting better. Now for the next announcement. Cassandra, I would like to bestow on you the highest honor. My son, Conal, has taken a liking to you.” She looked at her son in a way like a cross between a loving mother and a madwoman. “My sweet Conal has not turned out the way I wanted him to. He’s not the cruel man I tried to make him. It has been my sorrow that I have never had a daughter, but after seeing you with your two men, I think you might be close. I would like you to marry my son.”

My mouth had to be on the floor. I didn’t see that one coming. “I am more honored than you
know, your majesty. I’m very fond of Conal. He is a fine man, but I already have the two partners and a prince deserves a better woman than I.”

“He is going to marry you
, Cassandra. You don’t want to disappoint me, do you?”

“No, but you did promise Killian that I would be his
.”

“Yes, but then you took on the wolf and even Lochlan had a turn in your bed. I knew then that you were not the couple I had made the promise to.”

I looked to Killian for help and all he could offer was a look of horror. Dominick was struggling to remain in human form and I was left to get myself out of having literally the mother-in-law from Hell.

“No, of course not.
I would be honored to be in your family, Mab.” I got up from the table and walked towards her, opening my arms to give her a hug. I didn’t know if it would work. I was terrified. My legs barely worked. I kept going, arms outstretched, getting closer and closer. Mab was undecided, but at the last minute, she opened her arms to me. I held her as close to me as I could. I tried my best to concentrate on drawing power from her, blocking out the panic and terror that threatened to take hold. I felt a tickle at first and then a surge. It didn’t take long until I was feeling full and I knew I had only scratched the surface. I was a balloon about to pop.

“What are you doing? Let me go
, you wretched witch. Let me go.” Her voice was still strong, but I was able to keep her in my grasp. A small amount of hope took hold inside me and spurred me on. A cold hand touched my back and I gave some of that power to Killian. I heard him collapse on the floor. I wasn’t taking my eyes off Mab. I wanted to see the moment she knew her life was over.

“What are you waiting for
? Kill her; she is hurting your queen.” King Trahern was yelling, but no one was listening, thank God. Everyone was frozen in place.

I couldn’t let her go
; it was our only hope. I kept filling myself until I felt like I might explode. I was now holding her up and she couldn’t support her own weight. I looked down at Killian. He was holding his chest. His eyes were wild and he was looking towards the doors. I dropped Mab to the ground. I turned to the guards and they stopped in their tracks. One threw a dagger that pierced my shoulder. Dominick was fighting another. I pulled the knife from my shoulder and threw it to the floor. The guard started to back up. That was going to hurt like a bitch when this was all over, but right now, I didn’t even feel it.