The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

A week later…

“So, I heard a rumor.” Daithí drawled, flinging back the tent flap to come inside.

Shuffling the papers that littered my desk with a furrowed brow, I muttered distractedly, “What’s that?”

“Did you rip some soldier’s throat out? With your teeth?”

Finding the map of the Tir Na Nog, I pushed everything aside as I laid it out, “Vaguely remember doing something like that.”

He laughed dryly, sliding his body into the chair across from me, “The war was just last week, Sister. How do you vaguely remember? Have you slept at all?”

“Bloodlust is a hell of a thing and I was unconscious for three of those days. I haven’t slept since.” I replied, trailing my finger over the mountains and hills with a furrowed brow.

Daithí leaned forward to look at the map, “You haven’t slept for four days? What are you doing?”

“Just because Mab’s dead doesn’t mean the war is over.” Sliding my hand from the map, I slumped in my chair to rub at my eyes.

Immediately after I’d woken up, we began the process of dealing with Mab’s soldiers. Most of the Unseelie Nobility had been killed when I crushed the castle along with a good portion of the soldiers during my show of power. But there were some that had taken advantage of the distraction and fled into the forests. Cillian and a good chunk of the troops were out hunting them down while I somehow got stuck fleshing out territories.

Almost as soon as I recovered, the Pixies and Dwarves attacked. Representatives on both sides began pestering me about the hills directly between the Unseelie and Seelie territory. Apparently there were myths and legends on both sides that told them the hills belonged to their species. But it was fucking ironic that it wasn’t Unseelie against Seelie claims, no. It was the Unseelie and Seelie Pixies against the Unseelie and Seelie Dwarves. And it was a fucking headache. Not to mention that once other species found out about it, I was suddenly swimming in claims on the land between the two dismantled Kingdoms.

“How was it?”

“How was what?” I sighed, wishing I could’ve stayed in my bath from a few hours ago a bit longer.

The wood of his chair creaked, “Killing Mab.”

I stilled, dropping my hand from my eyes to stare at him, “I don’t know.”

“You...you did kill her, right?” He asked, pale hands tightening around the arm rests.

“Of course, I did.”

It was odd, speaking the words aloud. Everything had happened so fast. I spent centuries salivating over Mab’s death and how glorious it would feel to have her die at my hands. But now after finally killing the woman responsible for everything that had happened to me...I felt hollow. It didn’t feel like a Fae of Mab’s stature could be here one moment and then be gone the next. I was elated that she was dead but at the same time, I couldn’t completely wrap my head around it. Had I built her up to be some kind of god-like figure in my head despite everything or had she been weaker than me all along? And more importantly, how did I continue on when I spent my entire life breathing just to spite Mab?

Daithí fingers played with the edges of the map, “It feels weird, doesn’t it? The absence of constant tension and paranoia?”

“I never realized how much Mab weighed on me. It’s strange to feel so...so…”

“Free, Sister. That’s the word you’re looking for.” Lavender eyes held mine, “You didn’t just free the realm of Mab, you freed us as well.”

Drumming my fingers on the desk, I hummed before asking my question, “How do you feel now that she’s dead?”

Daithí paused, pale lavender eyes flicking over my features, “Unsure. I was brought up in Mab’s court, I knew how to play my part. Now, I don’t know where I fit in.”

“I get it. I was brought up by Mab’s cruelty, it drove me.” I shrugged, “Now, I don’t know what will.”

He grinned, “Damn. She really knew how to raise kids, didn’t she?”

Laughing, I shook my head, “You’ll find your place, Daithí.”

“And you’ll find something else to drive you. Like maybe, making sure the realm actually finds peace again.”

I rolled my eyes, “These assholes are already jockeying for territory, I doubt we’ll get peace anytime soon.”

“Your God Queen of Tir Na Nog, Sister. They’ll take what you give them, especially after your show of power.”

“Great, so they do fear me.” I groaned, dropped my head back to look at the ceiling.

The wood of Daithí’s chair creaked as he stood and rapped his knuckles on the table, “Come on. I was sent here to come get you. There’s something you need to see.”

“Can it wait? I have to go through all these territory claims and then help get the pyres set up. We can’t leave them out there like that. They deserve better, Erick deserves better.”

“The others can do that. You’re going to want to see this.”

Groaning louder, I pushed myself to my tired feet and followed him from the tent, “Aren’t you supposed to be watching Baris?”

“I did. I stopped his dumbass from running into battle twice. Which reminds meeee,” He turned, drawing out the words and holding his cuffed hands out to me. “It’s time for you to hold up your end of the deal.”

“I’ll take them off but your deal isn’t done.” Pulling a small piece of metal from my waist chains, I straightened it into a thin needle and picked the lock.

Rubbing his wrists, Daithí raised a pale purple brow, “What are you talking about? I kept him out of trouble and the war.”

I raised a finger with a grin, “Ah. But like I just said, the war’s not actually finished and you haven’t kept him out of trouble.”

“You bitch.” The boy hissed. “Your saddling me with that fuck up until you trust me, aren’t you?”

“I love being called a bitch first thing in the morning.” I mused on a hearty exhale, taking off down the path we were headed again. “Makes me feel like I’m starting the day off right.”

“And if I refuse?”

I raised a brow, “Do you really want to find out?”

“How in the ever-loving-fuck do you expect me to keep that boy out of trouble?”

Laughing, I shot him a smirk, “I honestly don’t know. But I do know, it’ll keep me from killing him out of frustration and it’ll keep you too busy to plot against me.”

“Just when I was starting to like you, Sister. I hate you.”

“Thank Divines, we dodged that bullet then.” I replied, dryly.

Daithí gave a heaving sigh, “Every time he blinks, Baris gets himself into some bullshit.”

When he stopped walking as we reached a familiar tent, I turned and gave him an innocent smile, “With that in mind. Daithí, where is Baris now?”

“Fuck.” Grumbling underneath his breath about how he was a feared former Prince of the Unseelie and not a babysitter, he traveled out of sight.

Chuckling, I turned on my heel and entered the tent. Only to be struck by the sheer number of mirrors covering nearly every surface of the tent. Despite being familiar, I never actually been inside Dani and Calvins tent. Just seen them come in and out of the white tent over the past couple of months. But I really shouldn’t be surprised, I mean I expected something like this with Calvin’s personality.

Flashes of blue hair and silver tattooed brown skin reflected back at me from multiple surfaces as I moved further inside. Mumbles flowed out from behind the privacy screen along with Dani’s encouraging sentiments. Brows climbing, I stopped just on the other side and called out, “Can I walk around or are you two in the middle of some weird kinky sex?”

“Why does it have to be weird kinky sex? Why can’t it just be kinky sex?” Dani sassed as I heard what sounded like a whisper cursing Calvin and the sound of rustling sheets.

“Because it’s you two.” I answered in a flat tone.

She snorted, “Fuck you. Come around.”

“No!” Calvin shouted, making me retract the foot I was about to step forward on.

“Cal, stop. It looks amazing, she’s going to love it.”

“Dani, it’s not finished.” Calvin hissed back, sounding very offended. “I don’t show unfinished work.”

“You’ve been working on it all week. It’s finished. Macha, come around.”

“Macha, stay there! Dani, it’s not even a commissioned piece! She wasn’t even supposed to see it! Why did you tell her?”

“You act like you’re not the best painter in Tir Na Nog since the Creative Divine, Cal! It’s a fucking masterpiece!”

“I know I am but this is shit! I was just doing it for fun-”

Intrigued and over listening to their bickering, I slammed a hand against the privacy screen and flung it back. The thin screen folded back on itself to settle against the tent wall with a clack, revealing a startled looking mated pair. Calvin stood, a little hunched over, in front of a canvas with a sheet thrown over it while Dani stood in front of him, both bug-eyed at being caught.

With a cough, Calvin straightened out, “Macha.”

I arched a brow, “Calvin. I have reason to believe you painted me.”

“Lies. Malicious lies.”

“Calvin.” Dani stressed, exasperated with the perfectionist.

“It’s not finished.”

Huffing at his whining, I shot Dani a look.

Once she nodded in agreement, we sprung into action. While I shoved him away from the painting, Dani sent a small puff of wind at the canvas that blew the covering off. Laughing at Calvin’s shriek, I turned my head to look at the painting and choked on my next breath. Dani was right. It was a masterpiece. Done with brushes crafted from the Trolls cane that Dani had gifted him at their mating, it was a living masterpiece.

Lines of electric royal blue cut through the black rolling clouds at the top of the canvas to flash against the walls of the painted Kingdom. Miniature soldiers in blue flooded the base of the hill, running from the cyclones of water littered with Fae in purple tunics that ravaged the streets. Shadows were casted across the canvas due to the lightning, showcasing the significant amount of detail Calvin had put into it. Blue flames danced across the tiny buildings, leading my eyes to the scene slightly larger than the rest.

Clothing torn and splattered with the gore of war, stood a Divine being at the top of the hill in front of the crumpled ruins of the castle. And that was the only way I could think of describing her. With long royal blue hair seeming to float out around her head and eyes that shined out like two blue headlights in the dark. The woman looked like a God in the mist of the chaos she created and it wasn’t even the best part.

Leaning closer to the painting, I watched my hands reach out to close around Mab’s head and ripped it off as the bitch’s body incinerated in a flash of blue light over and over again. Grinning at the pleasure that erupted in my chest every time I watched Mab go ‘poof’, I asked, “Can you make it bigger?”

Calvin shifted closer, wringing a paint stained cloth between his pale hands, “I know, I know, I told Dani I wasn’t finished. The sizes are all over the place-”

“Shut your decietful whore mouth! I love it!” Straightening, I turned to him gleefully, “Can you make it bigger?”

Black almond shaped eyes blinked, “What do you mean bigger?”

“This scene of me and Mab.” I said, pointing a finger at it. “Can I commission you to paint this single scene on a canvas this size?”

“Yes but just that-”

“And I want another one like this but on a much bigger canvas. Say about a six by four foot canvas that I can hang in my dining room.”

Calvin nodded rapidly, “I can do that. It’d be an honor.”

Grinning, I slapped his shoulder affectionately, “How much?”

“Around four hundred thousand gold pieces.”

Dani gasped, kicking her mate in the back of the leg, “Calvin. Macha saved the realm from Mab and you’re going to make her pay?”

“She can literally turn any metal to gold. It’s not like she can’t afford it and I should be compensated for my genius.” He snapped.

Laughing, I pulled my chains free of my waist and clumped them together in my hands. Tightening my grip on the metal, I pushed my will sharply over the links until they started to wiggle. Morphing in my hands, I walked over to the bed just in time as gold pieces started to spill from my palms. Dropping them all with a bouncing clank, I shot them a look, “Here’s my down payment. Let me know how much I owe when they’re finished.”

Dani shook her head as Calvin immediately started rummaging around for paints and mumbling about making a custom canvas, “Thanks. Now, I’ve lost my mate for the next few months.”

I shrugged, walking backwards to the tent entrance, “You’re the one that mated an artist.”

“Like yours is any better.”

“I’m not mated.” I smirked.

She smirked back, “Cillian’s troop came back for supplies and sleep, two hours ago.”

Boots halting on the carpet, I frowned, “Then where the fuck is that big headed prick? And why am I not his first stop?”

——

Soooooo, I kind of left that little situation between Daithí and Baris dangle there because.....I’m sorta open to the idea of coming back after the series is finished and making short little stories for favored side characters of each book. Maybe, possibly, but if I do...the short story for this book would be about Daithí and Baris’s characters. Cause I feel like they’d be the most interesting to see more of.

As always, feel free to leave a comment if you enjoyed something in the chapter!

Smooches, Verbage💋