Page 111 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)
There was a soft flash of black light, and he was flapping his newly healed wings, a roar of challenge sounding as he went to face the seraphs. She wished she could watch him wreak havoc in the sky, but she had her own carnage to make.
She turned back to Bronn as she let her flames wind up farther into her hair, nothing but a burning female of wrath now. “Shall we?” she asked, drawing her sword.
“General, we didn’t know,” one of the guards in red started.
“I’m aware, Tobias.” He seemed relieved, until she added, “But I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter in a training ring when this is all over.”
He nodded, his face paling a little. They all knew when she joined them in a training ring, there was a reason for it. Rarely was that reason a good one.
She didn’t have time to think about any of that right now, though. Not as Bronn advanced, choosing to fight rather than try to talk her out of ending him. Honorable, but pointless.
When sword met sword, her fire rushed down her blade, wrapping around his.
She paused for the briefest of moments because that had never happened before.
Bronn let out a yelp and dropped his sword as if it had burned him.
Which was also odd because he had fire magic and shouldn’t be able to feel the burn of flames.
Bronn’s eyes went wide in shock a moment later when she sank the still burning spirit sword into his chest.
Then she lost herself to the dance of bloodshed, making her way to the main doors.
Any guard in a gold tunic and any male with wings was left either bleeding or burning in her wake.
She could hear Razik above her, ash floating down to the ground like fresh snow as he matched her song of death in the sky.
By the time she reached the main doors, two guards in the standard issued uniforms were opening them for her. Both of them avoided her gaze as she prowled past them and into her home.
She wished she could take it all in. The seven levels of fire glass bridges that connected the eastern and western sides of the Fiera Palace. The Tana River that flowed through the middle. The six-story library and the private training area beneath the glass palace roof.
As it was, staff and guards alike were darting out of her way as she made her way to the Great Hall.
It was also the throne room, but Sorin rarely used it as such.
In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time he had actually sat on the throne.
Granted, he was gone for three years, but even at the Samhain feast, it had been out on display but never sat on.
That was not the case when she threw open the double doors of the Great Hall, a trail of fire blazing behind her. There were two dozen guards in gold tunics between her and the Fae seated on the throne.
Bastien glared at her, his dark auburn hair tied back at the nape of his neck and flames sparking in his navy blue eyes.
Eliza flipped the spirit sword in her hand, blue wildfire igniting down it.
He knew if they fought, she would win. Just like she had every other time he’d tried to best her.
She’d tried to conserve her magic, but while Bastien was a pain in her ass, he was smart.
Hence the two dozen guards to wear her down.
That was fine.
She had her own backup.
Raz? Are you done with the airborne acrobatics?
The grounds and the skies are clear.
Great. There is a terrace on the west side. I need you to make an appearance.
Are you asking me to come defend your honor?
What? No. I just want all my magic for this fucker.
When we are finished with this, we should go flying.
Razik , she hissed.
But then a spiked tail was shattering the terrace doors before a black diamond-shaped head appeared, smoke furling up from his snout. Sapphire eyes went directly to her.
“All of them except the one sitting on his ass,” she said.
So excessively violent .
She could hear his dark laugh down the bond as he opened his mouth. The guards began scrambling, but it didn’t matter. Dragon fire erupted into the space between her and the throne. And when the guards were no more than fluttering ash, those black flames brushed against her own in a caress.
“This is the part where you get the fuck up,” Eliza snarled, stalking across the hall towards the throne. Ashes were still drifting down around her as she moved.
“Or the dragon will step in?” Bastien sneered.
A whip of fire shot from her hand, wrapping around Bastien’s throat, and she yanked on it hard. He fell off the throne onto his knees. She could feel his magic battling against hers, feel his flames trying to force hers back.
As she closed the space between them, she said, “I challenge you for the royal seat of the Fire Court, Bastien Eynon.”
She pulled on her flames again, and he lurched forward to catch himself on his hands where tendrils of flame snaked from her and wrapped around his wrists, holding him in place. Then she yanked once more, forcing him to bow before her with his nose to the floor.
“I yield,” he gasped. “I godsdamn yield. The throne and Court are yours.”
She loosened her flames enough so that when she tipped his chin up with the tip of her sword, he could look into her eyes as she said with lethal softness, “The only surrender I will accept is your death.”
“That is not the honorable way this is done,” Bastien rasped, his eyes growing round as she raised her sword.
“While that is true, I’ve been told I am excessively violent,” she replied, and then she brought her sword down, his head rolling a few feet away when his body collapsed onto the floor.
She sent her sword to a pocket realm. She’d clean it later. Then she yanked the tie from her hair that was already half out of its plait. The sound of footsteps had her turning, then she froze, her fingers still tangled in her mess of hair.
“You’re naked.”
“Violent and observant,” Razik replied.
She sent him a bland look while she continued to unwind her hair. “Why are you naked?”
“I shifted.”
“But when you shifted back in the mountains, you were clothed.”
Razik shrugged.
“You wanted to be naked?”
“I always want to be without clothing around you.”
“Oh my gods,” she muttered. “What if there had been other people around, and you needed to shift back?”
He leaned in close, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I suppose someone would have gotten rather possessive.”
She shoved him away, rolling her eyes. “Let’s go find you some clothing.”
“Are you not going to sit on your throne, your Highness?”
“First of all, don’t call me that. Second, no. It is not my throne.”
“But it is. You challenged the sitting royal and won …Princess.”
She gestured dismissively at the throne. “It was never his to begin with.”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t change anything I just said.”
“Why are we even talking about this? Especially with you naked?”
“We can do something else if you wish.”
“Yes. I do wish,” she said. When his head tilted with interest, she smiled coyly and added, “I wish to go find you clothing.”
“Violent, observant, and a liar.”
The sound of frantic footfalls had them both turning to the Great Hall entrance where a number of warriors stopped short, looking from her to a very naked Razik to Bastien’s headless body. She pointed to a male near the front, as she stepped in front of Raz.
“Find Quinn, Kenna, and Bridger. Send them here immediately. Tell Bridger I want to know where every single one of our forces is currently stationed, and tell Kenna I want to know the status of our weapons and supplies.”
“Right away, Gen— Uh, your Highness,” the male said, turning on his heel and rushing out of the room.
She sighed internally and started to turn away, but her gaze collided with naked flesh. “And for the love of Anala, someone find my twin flame some godsdamn clothes.” Razik smirked at the very public statement of claiming, and she jabbed a finger at him. “Don’t say a godsdamn word.”
Of course he opened his mouth anyway. Or he did down their bond.
Violent, observant, a liar, and possessive.
I swear to Anala, Razik.
She dismissed everyone else, sending them scampering from the Great Hall, and when the doors shut behind them, she let out another long breath, dragging her fingers through her hair again.
The hall was a godsdamn mess. The terrace doors were shattered.
There was ash and blood everywhere. There was ash and blood everywhere on her .
Eliza opened her mouth to tell Razik that they should help with the cleanup, but before she could say a word, he was crushing her against him. Lips crashed onto hers, and she was kissing him back with all the leftover adrenaline of the fight.
He started walking her backwards, and she broke away to gasp, “We are not fucking on Sorin’s throne.”
“But it’s yours,” he countered.
“Gods, what is your obsession with—” Her eyes flew wide. “A throne is not godsdamn treasure, Raz.”
“One could argue a throne is very valuable,” he replied, mouth dragging down her neck as he tugged aside the collar of her tunic.
“Fuck me against a wall like a normal person,” she gasped when his teeth sank into the soft place between her neck and shoulder.
“I will add eloquent to your list of endearing attributes,” he murmured darkly.
A throat clearing had them both stilling. She peaked over Razik’s shoulder to see a guard standing in the doorway. His eyes were averted, but he held clothing in his hand.
“I, uh, have these. For your consort, your Highness,” he said.
“Your Highness,” Razik murmured against her skin.
She growled, shoving him back, and he chuckled lightly as she strode across the room to collect the clothing.
The guard quickly disappeared once more, and she made her way back to Razik.
Throwing the clothing at him, she said, “Get dressed. We need to clean up in here, and I need to check in with the others.”
“And the wall?” Razik asked with a grin, slipping the tunic over his head.
She sighed. “Will have to wait. I have no doubt we’ll be interrupted again in a minute.”
“And the throne?”
“Oh my gods, Razik,” she chided. “Stop with the throne, and I’ll get you some treasure from Sorin’s vaults below.”
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her temple. “We’ll circle back to this topic.”
“We are not circling back to this, Raz,” she retorted, leading him out of the Great Hall.
She felt his contemplative hum in her bones, and she sighed, trying to shake off the want still coursing through her.
They were nearing the bridges when he said, “You could wear a crown too.”
With a hard shove, she had him tumbling into the Tana with a splash. His laughter followed her across the bridge, and she found herself smiling like a fool.