The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

It took a moment but when she continued to look at me, I pressed a hand to my chest and raised a brow, “Oh, are you talking to me? No, you can be. Cause I’d cave in your kneecaps for calling me Critter. Lilly, she’s talking to you.”

“Can’t be me either. Cause I’d bash her head in for the disrespect to my rank.”

Brow eyes jumped from him to me and back again before her scowl deepened, “Why am I here, My Queen?”

“Well, Babes. You’re here because I need an update on Father Time’s progress.”

“Clan King Fionn,” The Troll stressed. “has already convinced five other clans to join in your war for the betterment of our people. You are twenty thousand Trolls strong as of now.”

I gave a low whistle at the news, “Extend my gratitude and thanks to your King. Have they decided on a councilman or woman yet?”

She nodded, “Clan King Fionn no longer comes above ground but as an respected Elder of the Trolls, they went with his candidate.”

“Which would be?”

“Since I’m his heir and because of our history, they believe me to be the best choice for the position on your council.”

I eyed her, “You’re going to give me hell on every decision you disagree with, aren’t you?”

“That’s why they chose me.” She smirked.

“Oh, joy.” I stated, blandly. “Then you’re coming to the Seelie Kingdom with us tomorrow. Get you things ready and your second in command briefed.”

“The Seelie Kingdom?” Coaimhe grunted in dismay.

And suddenly, I was overjoyed that she was my councilwoman for the Trolls, “Yes. It’s going to be so much fun, Babes. Meet back here tomorrow morning at daybreak.”

Snorting, she gave us her back and stomped out of the tent.

“Afric.”

Coming to a slow stop mid twirl, he twisted his head to look at me with a thin brow raised in question.

“How many Banshee Den’s have sided with us?”

His face lit and he clapped rhythmically as he spoke, “A baker’s dozen. Bringing the total of death screamers under your command to a lovely thirty thousand.”

“How did you get so many?” I asked, my mood lifting. We might not need Mab to take out half of her own army after all, we’re easily going to match Oberon’s troops.

“Like me, many were persuaded by your past. But it was your status as the last living Divine and the fact that you cheated death twice that had them crawling to my door. I’m quite the Den Head among Den Head’s now because of our personal connection.” He said, preening at the last bit.

“Fantastic. And there was no turmoil over the fact that I chose you to represent the Banshees on my council?”

Yellow tinged eyes sparkled, “No. They all seemed to accept it good naturedly after I tossed a rival Den Head’s head onto the dining table and screamed that the Death God chose me.”

“I adore being Unseelie but sometimes I feel like I missed my calling as a Banshee.” I sighed, wistfully. “If I did that, I’d get a lecture on decorum and manners.”

“You don’t let anything go, do you? And I still don’t get how you don’t understand why it was wrong!” Dani screeched, black and pink hair swaying.

I waved my hand in a ‘see’ gesture at her as I looked at Afric, “You see what I deal with?”

“It landed in my pot pie!”

“The blood had already clotted, you baby!”

“That’s not the point, bitch!”

Laughter filled the tent as the other’s apparently found our disagreement hilarious. Rolling my eyes, I repeated the orders I gave Caoimhe to Afric and watched in amusement as he cartwheeled from the tent in excitement. Huh, the cartwheelings new.

“You two will be joining us as well.” I said, cutting through the laughter. “Dani, I need you to stay here with Erick and make sure the soldiers continue to train and recruit. Tell him everything we talked about today.”

The only one who looked excited was Puck, who jumped from the bed, “I’ll send a message to my father. He’ll want to throw a ball to introduce you to the Seelie nobility.”

I nodded with a slight cringe.

“Are you going to talk to Oberon about Mab?”

Meeting nervous pink eyes, I told her the hard truth, “I’m bringing the core of my council to meet with his. Everyone should know that we are no longer fighting for a throne.”

“I agree.”

“As do I.” Lilly rumbled against my ear. “But is it really safe to travel after you just escaped Mab? She’ll be desperate to get her hands on you again.”

“We don’t have a choice. Like you said, she’ll be desperate to get her hands on me. Which means the time table for the war has just been moved up.”

Puck stepped up to the side of the bed to lock his fingers back with Bria’s, “There’s something I don’t understand, why did we need her war plans? It’s not like she’ll use the same strategy now that you know it.”

Grabbing a thin braid hidden in my blue locks, Cillian played with it as he explained, “That was never the plan. War plans layout troop numbers, supply routes, places they intend to set up camp and where they plan to start the war. We’ll know her exact numbers and she’ll be forced into war with a half baked strategy.”

“Hence why the war has been moved up to next week or so.” I added.

Dark green eyes widened at the news and Bria sat up straighter, “You plan to attack in a week? Do you think we’re ready?”

“I do. We have to be.”

“Don’t worry, Bria. While we’re at the Seelie Court, our troops will be launching small scale attacks on Mab’s supply routes.”

Tilting my head back on his chest, I met silver eyes, “That’s a really good idea. No attacks on the bases yet. I should be there with my soldiers.”

He nodded, albeit hesitantly but didn’t disagree.

“So, Macha. You never told us how you ended up getting into the Estate. We didn’t even know you got inside until you came bursting out.”

“Bursting out?” Cillian repeated before snapping sharp eyes down to me. “Yes, Cell Bait. Why don’t you tell us the whole story? I’m sure I’ll find it very interesting.”

“Uuuuhhhh, I wouldn’t say interesting per say….” I replied, straining the interesting. Reaching up to fiddle with the pendant at my throat, I continued, “It was actually really boring, Lilly. I mean- What the fuck?”

“What? What happened?”

Bolting upright between his knees in a panic, I frantically felt around my neck with both hands, “The diamond. The diamond you gave me, it’s gone!” Anger surged up in my chest when I realized they’d taken everything on me. “It wasn’t enough to take my metals, they took my fucking diamond too? Those motherfucking bastards!”

“It’s alright, Cell Bait.” Lilly murmured softly, sitting up behind me to place his hands on my shoulders. “You can make more metal and I’ll make you another one.”

“No.” I spat, shaking off his hands and climbing from the bed to his irritation. “I want the one you gave me. And I don’t care if I sound like a brat. It has sentimental value that you can’t replace. I want my fucking diamond and I want my fucking metals.”

“Macha-”

Rounding the privacy screen, I threw open the trunk with a look and yanked out a pair of grey leather trousers and a black tunic. Stomping back over to the bed, I shimmied into the pants as I glared at the bewildered group, “Those items are irreplaceable and I’ll be damned, damned and buried, before I let them sell them off like they mean nothing.”

Sliding to the side of the bed, Cillian grabbed the back of my thighs and pulled me between his legs, “Be reasonable, Cell Bait. We can’t go back and escape twice in the same day. It’ll never happen.”

“I am being reasonable, Lilly. Perfectly reasonable. I’m going to go and decimate every single soul standing between me and that Divines damned diamond.” I snarled, tying the top of my trousers tightly.

“Cillian’s right, Macha. You can’t go back. Like he said you can make new ones-”

Standing there in a pair of leather trousers and a breast binding, I flashed sharpened teeth her way and a blue glow filled the tent, “You don’t get it. They’re the first items to belong to me after I escaped from prison. They’re mine. I want what’s rightfully mine and I. Want. Them. Now.”

I caught the wide-eyed look they gave me at whatever they saw on my face except for Cillian, who just squeezed the backs of my thighs in response. I didn’t give a fuck what they thought, my metal and that diamond were mine. They belonged to me. They belonged to a God and not some little unworthy fucker. My fingers curled in my rage and my lips twisted, On the Divines and on myself, I was getting my shit back tonight and killing everyone who touched that diamond.

A brilliant blue light flashed inside the tent, causing someone to cry out in surprise and me to throw up my hands to shield my eyes. As the light slowly faded, I blinked away the white spots in my vision and lowered my hands to my sides once more. The others were doing the same while standing around the bed, probably having jumped off it when the light exploded inside the small room.

A startled Cillian with his axe raised, standing partially in front of me, suddenly blurted, “Holy shit.”

“What?” I urged, leaning around him to look. Blinking rapidly at the items on my bed, I rubbed my eyes and looked again, “Tell me you’re seeing what I’m seeing right now.”

“Oh I see it, Cell Bait.”

There, laying in the middle of the bed in a bloody pile, sat my twin swords, Cillian’s other axe, my rings and sitting on top was the diamond he gave me. The black velvet cord and the royal blue diamond were the only things unsullied by the blood coating the weapons. The fresh blood coating the weapons.

“Is that-”

“How-”

Bria barked an astonished laugh, cutting off her boyfriend and Dani, “Holy Divines and the grateful whores they fucked! That’s how you did it!”

My eyes pinged from the pile of my things to her and then back to the pile, “Did what?”

“When you got shot with those grappling hooks, which was actually really traumatic by the way. Baris hasn’t left his tent since we got back but that’s not the point. When you were shot and your flame keeping us safe started to die out, you screamed at us to travel out, to leave you.”

“Which you did. Like I wanted you to.” I replied, turning to look at her while trying to ignore the heat of Lilly’s gaze burning a hole through my head.

She shook her head, “No, we didn’t. One minute, we were watching this murderous mob of purple starting to surround around us, ten to one, while you fell to your knees in agony. And the next minute, we were here. None of us traveled and we’ve been trying to figure out how we got back here. But it was you. You traveled us.”

“Murderous mob of purple, surrounded, ten to one, fell to your knees in agony, told them to leave you behind.”

I cringed as Lilly repeated her descriptors in that icy tone he used when he was really really unhappy, “Thank you for that very descriptive and overly explained tale of what happened, Bria. No such thing as glossing it over in your world, huh Babes?”

Dark green eyes flicked between us and then gave us an overly sweet smile, “Would you look at that, Puck and I are late for a prior engagement.”

“What prior engagement? Why are you being so formal?”

I smirked as Bria sighed deeply and started pulling him from the tent, “Puck, we talked about this.”

“Oh, right. When you lie, I should go along with it and then ask later in private why you lied to our friends.” The Seelie happily remarked.

A groan spilled from her lips loudly before the tent door flapped closed behind them.

“Well, that’s my cue. I’m going to go check on Calvin.”

Stalling, I asked, “How’s Calvin? What’s he been doing this whole time?”

Walking to the exit, she tossed over her shoulder, “Finding inspiration for his new collection of paintings from your soldiers.”

The second she left the tent, I rocked back on my heels and looked at Lilly, “So….I guess no one wanted to talk about the fresh blood on-”

“Please, shut your beautiful mouth.” He sighed, cupping the sides of my face with both hands. “I don’t want to talk about your one woman army or your new ability.”

“Great!” I beamed up at him. “So, want to have sex?”

“No.”

I slumped with a pout, “Boo, you whore.”

He gave an exaggerated eye roll, “I want to talk about your influence on my baby sister.”

“What influence? Bria’s her own woman.”

“Thank the Divines and the grateful whores they fucked?”

“Oh, I know. I heard that too, what a mouth on that one. I can’t imagine where she heard that.”

We held eye contact, trying to see who’d break first.

A wicked grin spilt his expression, “The Seelie have no idea what they’re getting into with you, do they?”

“Not. A. Clue.” I grinned back.

——

Verbies.....I just have one thing to say....get ready for a chaotic read next weekend cause Macha and the gang are headed to the Seelie Kingdommmm!

You know what to do.

Smooches, Verbage💋