Crown of Beauty and Vengeance

Chapter 45

But she was sure as hell going to try, especially when her true home – Asturia – was on the line.

She'd lost her train of thought for only a moment, but immediately put a protective ward around herself and tried to lash out at the shadows. Nothing was working, no matter what she tried to do to get them away. Rage sparked in her as she held out her hand, forming the familiar blue orb of light above her palm.

Guinevere stopped right in front of the shimmering air, the split skirts of her navy dress shifting against it. "At least now you know where you get your magic from," she said, leveling her eyes with hers. "But it's not going to be enough."

"Gods above, you're insane," Lyv said through her teeth.

She shook her head. "No, my darling, I know what I want. And as I have told you before, I want to see Dalcaine burn."

"And you honestly think we're going to let you do that?" she asked...and that orb of light turned to ember.

Finally.

Guinevere's eyes watched the change, anger flashing in her eyes. No wonder she'd treated Lyv as such all her life. She was seeing Bridget instead of her, seeing Lyv's magic as a combination of water and fire, the Asturian and Eld heritage and magic running through her veins.

She couldn't be prouder to know where it all came from.

Half a second later and the ward was down. But as soon as she threw the ember toward Guinevere, Mik was in front of her, his shadows blinking it out of existence, before he disappeared again.

Guinevere was just inches away then, before her hand wrapped around Lyv's throat, yanking her forward. "Watching you grow up...gods, was it hard to see you look and act like the female I hate most in all the lands. You have no idea how many times I thought about having you killed. And there were a few times I went through with the plans, too. The gypsy gang last year, some of the men in that little village you and Bence always used to go to before I burned it to the ground. But Bence was always there to watch over you, taught you how to protect yourself even without magic. That man loved you even though you weren't his. He protected you. He is not here to protect you now."

"No, he isn't," Lyv choked out...and started smiling. "Because he's back in Escarral, reclaiming his throne. And my sisters are helping him do so. They hate you just as much as I do. They finally realize just how much of a psychotic bitch you are."

Before the queen could even get a word out, Lyv was pulling her hand from her throat with newfound strength, fire raging through her, and burned where she touched. Guinevere let out a straggled cry and let her go, stumbling backward as she grasped her arm, the skin of her wrist bright red and blistering.

Gods, did she want to kill Guinevere, but she remembered Jai saying she couldn't, not when they needed more information out of her about who she'd been working with.

That didn't mean she couldn't cause a little bit of harm, right?

"With who my parents are, you do realize I'm not human like you," Lyv said softly, standing up straighter. "Half Fae like my father and half sorceress like my mother. And to have Bence as an adoptive father...well, he taught me to protect those who could not do so themselves. He taught me about love and compassion and tolerance, something you will never know for yourself. I will protect everyone in both Escarral and Dalcaine from you and Mik and whoever this mistress is you both have associations with."

Guinevere chuckled as she still held out arm where Lyv burned her. "And who will protect you? I see you have done as I asked with Jai...but where is your lover Vandor? Did you leave him in the dust?"