Inevitably Yours

QUINN

Michael and Arathorn were going back and forth. Every time Michael tried to attack, Arathorn shut him down. It was getting worse and worse with every strike. I turned to the Fae next to me. “Stop this! I can’t do it! I fail! Stop the fight!” I pleaded. Michael couldn’t die.

He smirked at me. “You fail if he dies.”

“This is cruel. Just stop it! I concede! I don’t care; just don’t make Arathorn kill him!” I begged. Tears were falling from my eyes now. My world was crashing down with each clash of sword on hammer. I wasn’t sure where my pain ended and Michael’s began.

“If you wish to stop this, then heal him,” the Fae said. He was enjoying the spectacle, taking pleasure in our suffering.

“I can’t!” I cried. “I’m not special or powerful. I’m just a werewolf.

Michael managed to cut Arathorn, and the action paused for only a second. Arathorn moved with a scary grace, swinging the hammer like it weighed nothing. My heart squeezed painfully in my chest. First the kids, now Michael. They were taking everything from me. Arathorn struck M in the knee, making him almost collapse.

“No, please. Not him. I’ll switch him. Not Michael,” I cried, begging them to stop this. Tears were starting to blur my vision. How was I supposed to heal him? I didn’t know how to use my powers; this was just torture for their entertainment.

Arathorn caught Michael in the ribs, and I thought I had stopped breathing. One of his swords fell to the ground. He had never let go of his sword like that. Arathorn circled closer as Michael barely kept his other sword between them. My b***d turned to ice as Arathorn raised his hammer again.

“MICHAEL!” A b***d-curdling scream erupted out of me. Arathorn converged on him, but somehow he managed to get out of the way. “RUN, M! Stay alive!” I screamed at him.

Michael sunk his sword into Arathorn, and I gasped. Had he just done it? Had he managed to stop him without my help? No. Arathorn blasted Michael away from him, and Michael left his sword in his opponent. Arathorn stopped his assault for a moment to slowly remove the sword from his midsection and discard it. Purple b***d was now dripping from his center while Michael lay on the ground.

“I’m so sorry,” I sobbed. “I’m the worst mate. I got us into this. M, I am so sorry.”

Sapphire was wailing in my head. My breath was coming in short bursts. Arathorn stepped over Michael’s broken body. No. Goddess, no! He saved me, and now he was dying because of me. Arathorn raised his hammer, and I snapped my eyes closed. My stomach revolted as I heard the final crack of the hammer landing the final blow.

No. NO. NO. My mate. My world. Gone. The man I loved more than myself, more than any Goddess watching us from safety, was gone. We were supposed to go to the next life together…

“She has failed-” he said. He betrayed us. The Goddess was wrong. I trusted him; I trusted Her.

Something inside of me burst. I could hear a faint scream from the Fae beside me. Nothing mattered anymore. I needed to fix Michael. He couldn’t be dead. I wouldn’t let him.

Even with my eyes closed, blue light flashed into my head. It was everywhere, like it was coming from inside me. My feet left the ground, but all I could feel was heat. The blue light turned to flames, and I could see the glow of other lights around me. All I could think about was Michael. Like a lifeline reaching for him, the flame surged in a straight line to Michael’s body. It took losing my mate for me to have the power to save him; how morbidly ironic.

Something moved. The fiery blue light died, and I couldn’t open my eyes. I swayed on my feet. I felt empty, hollow. Michael was gone, and now they would enslave me. The Goddess could take me; I didn’t want to live without him.

“The dog has passed the third trial!” someone shouted. Passed? How could I pass when my mate was dead? I slowly blinked my eyes open even though I didn’t want to know what was happening around me; I didn’t want to see M’s body.

Something was barreling toward me, but my vision wouldn’t clear. As if time had skipped, the figure got closer, and arms surrounded me. Warmth and sparks lit up my body. Impossible. My vision cleared as I looked up into magnificent blue eyes.

How? How was this possible? Did I do this? Did I bring him back?

“I love you, Quinn,” his voice rumbled. It wasn’t a statement but a goodbye. His mouth crashed onto mine instantly, and he kissed me like it was the last time. Then I realized my sai was poised at my back. He was ending it for us.

“STOP!” the King roared. Michael released my lips and looked up. My head swam, and suddenly my whole body felt heavy. I slumped into Michael, still not completely understanding how he was there with his arms around me.

“You will not defame this institution with your suicide antics,” the King continued. Irritation flamed inside me. He could torture and slaughter us, but we dare take matters into our own hands and that displeases him?

“Your majesty,” Arathorn spoke up. “I believe we had an agreement.” Wait, had he killed Michael or not? It seemed impossible that I brought him back to life. A fog was settling in my head; it was hard to think and comprehend. I wanted to close my eyes and be safe in my mate’s arms.

Michael pulled me in, so his chin hovered over my head, holding me possessively. My sai was still poised at my back, ready to end things in a flash. My body was feeling heavier by the second.

“You have fulfilled your pledge, Arathorn. You are released from service to my name,” the King called.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Arathorn said. Michael scoffed silently. I had no idea what was about to happen to us, and I knew in my gut it wouldn’t be good. But I had him here with me and I was going to cherish his feel and smell for whatever time we had left. I just breathed in his scent.

“As evidenced by his recovery, she has passed the trial,” the King said. Whispered discussion immediately began. “Now she must be dealt with.”

I tried to pull away from Michael so I could turn and face the King, but his arm held me tighter to him. The discussion grew louder, and I knew things weren’t moving in our favor.

“I’m so sorry, M. This is all my fault. I don’t know how I did it, but I shouldn’t have brought you back. I should have just begged them to kill me, too,” I whispered.

“No, Q,” he whispered. “You saved me. They wouldn’t have let you die. But now we can leave this place together.”

“The magic is uncontrolled. She is a liability we cannot withstand even with handling,” the King announced. I could hear sounds of both assent and dissent.

Heavy footsteps sounded against the ground. I tensed as it sounded like they were surrounding us.

‘“Your majesty, if I may,” Arathorn interjected.

“Your debt has been paid,” the King said. “Tread carefully.”

“The female is clearly a hybrid with much Fae in her. She is one among us, even if she is unrefined. The male is her given; they are one. As one of us, she has all the rights any other natural-born Fae has, just as you or I,” Arathorn said. I had no idea where he was taking this, and I wasn’t sure M did either.

“Where are you going with this, Arathorn?” the King growled.

“I invoke the ancient Right of Duszca. My life for theirs. Give them their freedom and take my life in their place,” he said boldly.

Michael’s shock had to register as much as my own because, this time, he let me turn in his arms. “What?” I said. He turned to us, and I saw something soft in his eyes for a moment.

“Absolutely not, your majesty,” the Fae that had held me captive for this final trial butted in. “She is not a subject of this kingdom. No right should be given.”

The king eye Arathorn critically. “You have never been the same since Farryn,” he commented. I wondered who Farryn was. Arathorn looked back at the King thoughtfully.

“The same could be said of you and Elvinia, respectfully,” he replied. Every hushed conversation going on around the King died down immediately. The two Fae held each other’s gazes for a drawn minute. Arathorn looked wholly relaxed and held his head high; he was firm on his decision. The King was weighing something in his head.

My head was spinning, trying to figure out what was happening in front of us. Was it Arathorn’s plan the whole time to trade his life for ours? Why would he do that? Michael slowly lowered my sai, his arm falling to his side. Were we really going to leave here with our lives?

“You can’t seriously be considering this, your majesty,” someone blurted out. That seemed to anger the King.

“The female has a very clear lineage to her Fae ancestry. Just like any other member of our race, she retains her Celestial-given rights. I accept the Right of Duszca for the female and her given,” the King said. “Arathorn Elessar will give his life in trade for theirs. The female and her given will be granted their lives and freedom as Arathorn has been granted.”

Arathorn bowed his head for a moment, almost in reverence. Then he turned and approached us. “Celestials willing, we shall meet again on another plane,” he said, clapping M awkwardly on his shoulder. His hand practically reached around his neck. “Return home and do not seek any further revenge. This was all I could do for you.”

Michael and I nodded at the Fae. Somehow he had been both the harbinger of our doom and our saving grace all at once. Arathorn turned and exited the arena through one of the large doors, leaving us at the center of armored Fae, all holding shields.

“Do not think we will let you go so easily,” the King said, regaining everyone’s attention. “There is still the matter of your power.”

I shook my head. “I have never done any of those things. I can’t make that happen in our home,” I said. I was pleading with him to let us return. Who knows how long it had been, but I had to return to our children if we were allowed to live.

“I should cage you indefinitely,” the King said. “But then, the Right cannot be refused. You have been granted your freedom, but I will caution you, dog. We will continue to watch you. Your Goddess cannot protect you from us. We are more powerful than your creator. Your petty parlor tricks will not be stopped, but I advise you against displaying your full potential.”

His words settled uncomfortably in the back of my head. The warning was clear. They would be watching, and if I stepped out of line, we wouldn’t be so lucky the second time. I nodded, numbness settling inside me.

“Return them,” the King directed, turning on his heel to leave the arena. The warrior Fae around us stood to attention and stepped forward, pushing their shield together into a wall. M took a step back, pulling me with him. I tried to move my legs, but they felt like cement.

“Move!” they ordered. Michael didn’t say anything. He reached down and pulled me into his arms, stepping back at their direction.

My body slumped in his arms. We were going home. Somehow, I saved him, and we were going home. I never wanted to see this place again.

Michael walked, and the weight of everything started to fall over me. My head swam. “M,” I whispered.

“I’m taking you home, Blue. Just hold on,” he promised.