The Bastard Queen (Viciously Yours #2)

Turns out, I can’t stay in bed for more than a few hours at a time. I slept for most of my ordered bed rest but an hour after I woke up the restlessness set in. Cillian had noticed and not so subtly placed my unfinished food from earlier onto my lap. That distraction only lasted so long before I started trying to get out of bed to do something. Anything really, we had too many things to do for us to just lay here for hours on end. So, I fidgeted every few minutes when a new problem surfaced in my mind until Lilly found a new distraction.

“We should already assume that Mab knows about Cillian’s betrayal and is on a warpath.”

“Oh, she definitely knows. Her soldiers would have told her as soon as they saw the dead interrogator. What I want to know is, did you guys get that information to Puck’s informant?” I asked, the hope in my voice obvious to all. Please say yes, please say yes.

Shifting back on her hands from her criss-cross position at the end of the bed, Dani nodded in Pucks direction, “Ask him. He wouldn’t let me go with him.”

When I looked over at him, the tan skin around his golden eyes crinkled as he smiled, “Yes. He was almost as surprised as we were when he realized what it was.”

“Is he going to have an issue getting it to her?”

“No. I wouldn’t be surprised if he already handed it over to her.”

Grinning, I did an internal happy dance, “Fantastic! That bitch is probably already-”

“What information are you talking about?” Lilly cut me off, his deep voice rumbling deliciously against my back.

Since our talk yesterday morning, we’d been touching a lot more than usual. It wasn’t sexual in nature but comforting and affectionate. The causal touches and holds combined with my greedy nature were quickly becoming addicting. Which is why when Dani and Puck had suddenly walked in a couple of minutes ago I didn’t move from our position. With his back against the headboard and his legs bent at the knees on either side, I lay comfortably in the cradle of his hips.

Shifting my head to the left, I looked up at him through the corner of my eye, “Imogen O’Neil gave us a substantial amount of proof that Tidhg was planing a coup. Six months worth of personal correspondence between him and Mab’s generals. She said it was enough to take out a quarter and a half of Mab’s army before the war even began.”

He gave a sharp whistle, the scruff of his silver beard winking in the early morning light, “So, that was the backup plan you mentioned. She could have sold information like that to the highest bidder, what did she want in return?”

The memory of what happened that night casted a somber mood over our small group as I responded, “Nothing. She was Tidhg’s lover for a long time. She wanted to beat him at his own game just once before she Surrendered.”

“Who performed the Rite?”

“I did.”

His arms folded over my middle and gave me a comforting squeeze before he asked, “Puck, if your informant told Mab of her son’s coup coupled with my betrayal….She’ll take out a lot more than a quarter and a half of her army. Mab’s paranoia with betrayal from both sides? She’ll take out half of her army all on her own.”

“But we can’t know that for sure.” Dani reasoned.

“You’re right we can’t but it’s a safe bet. For all Mab’s intelligence and manipulation, paranoia is her weakness. It sends her spiraling.”

“Which brings me to what I found in the last Estate.” I tossed in, following Lilly’s mention of her spiraling. “She’s not all there anymore and that makes her ten times more dangerous.”

Inching closer on the mattress, Puck raised a golden brow, “Was she really all there to begin with?”

“No but she was in control then and now I don’t think she is. It’s like we switched places.”

“What do you mean?”

“We knew that she was draining Fae of their magick but we didn’t know what she was doing with it, right? Well...now I know what she’s doing with it.” A heavy feeling lodged in my chest and burned with the residue of anger it caused when I first found out. “Mab’s been injecting herself with their essence, with their magick.”

Dani turned a startling shade of pale for her skin tone as Puck’s golden hue took on a green tinge. I couldn’t see Cillian but I could feel the way his muscles tensed underneath me. Deciding to just get it out all in one go, I continued, “Six hundred and thirty six. That’s how many Fae she’s experimented on. Six hundred and thirty six Fae lost their lives in Mab’s search for a power that she believes is hers. The Divine Prophecy. She thinks it’s about her and took the line ‘taking the power She’ll go from Royal to Divine’ literally.”

“Holy fuck. That crazy bitch thinks she’s the last living Divine.” Fear etched itself into every crevice of Dani’s sharp face at the weight my reveal held.

Puck pushed off the bed to pace along the side and shook his head, “If that’s true then she thinks you’re the false queen and that...that…” Spinning on his heel, wide golden eyes locked on mine, “If she thinks that she’s the last living Divine, then this isn’t just a war against her unruly bastard daughter for her. This is-This changes everything.”

I gave a grim nod, “This isn’t a war between mother and daughter anymore. It’s a war for Tir Na Nog and the winner decides the realms fate.”

“Divines save us,” Dani gasped. “If Mab wins-”

“It won’t be just those who went against her on the chopping block, it’ll be the Seelies as well.” Puck interrupted, “It all makes sense now. Why my father chose to get involved in your war. I thought it was because he’s a religious man and believes that the Divines are the true rulers of the Fae. But he’s backing you, giving you almost the entirety of his army, because if Mab wins...the Seelie are finished. That’s why the council didn’t argue and the nobles didn’t rebel.”

“Mab won’t win. Not with two armies and a God on our side.”

Cillian’s strong voice brought a sense of calm to the other’s panic and I hated to ruin it but they needed to know what we were walking into. “The latest injection’s Mab took worked. I read a report before I destroyed the Estate that stated the dosages ‘increased her abilities exponentially’. It was-They used Laoise, it was her essence. And now they’re going to be hunting down Fae just like her.”

“Mab has mastery over water and lightning, how could her abilities be increased? Did it give her more abilities? Can another Fae’s essence- Oh Divines, she injected another Fae’s essence into herself.” Dani’s voice came out garbled at the end as she slapped a hand over her mouth and stomach.

“Dani, do me a favor? Go get Afric and Coaimhe, they should be here.”

She nodded in response and rushed from the tent.

Lilly placed a kiss on my temple before murmuring in my ear, “That was nice.”

“I know. I’m becoming a sap.”

He laughed but got interrupted as Puck blurted, “I need to tell my dad. He has to know exactly what he’s sending our troops into.”

“Pretty sure he already knows but I agree. And I’ll be the one to do it.”

A golden brow raised along with a budding grin despite the circumstances, “You want to talk to my dad? That means going deep into Seelie territory, you know that right?”

“I’m aware, Sunshine. It was one of his conditions, meeting with him before the war and Oberon doesn’t leave his kingdom soooo…”

The budding grin turned into a full on show of all his teeth, “Have you ever been in Seelie territory before?”

“I’ve never wanted to become a smiling fuckwit, so no.”

Lilly’s laugh vibrated my back, “It’s not that bad, Cell Bait.”

“You’ve been?”

“Divines, no.” He spat in disgust. “I heard they don’t even kill anymore. I was just trying to make you feel better.”

In horror, my eyes shot to Puck, “What does he mean Seelies don’t kill anymore?”

“Oh! Well, I’m not sure but crime’s pretty much nonexistent in Seelie Territory. We don’t even have a capital punishment anymore! Amazing, right?”

“You don’t have a capital punishment? Then what happens to the Fae who commit serious crimes?” My brows pulled together in disbelief at the Seelies justice system.

“You mean like an act of violence? The last one was a few years back when this guy stabbed another Fae over his prized tomacumes. My father sentenced him to five years in our rehabilitation and therapy center. He gets out this year! Isn’t that great?”

Brain short circuiting, I stuttered, “Few years back- Over prized tomacumes- Rehabilitation and therapy center- Please tell me this a fucking joke!”

“Relax, Cell Bait. He’s just messing with you. There’s no way that was their most vicious crime in five years.”

Golden curls bounced around a boyish face as Puck gave us a confused grin, “No, it was. I mean-Oh! We have a serious problem with petty theft, vandalism and changeling switches. For some reason my people really love tricking humans out of their kids.”

Petty theft? Vandalism? My lip curled in disgust, “At least they-”

“But of course, as soon as their fascination with the infant human is over they give them back. Normally before a year has passed and before the changling has a chance to get violent.”

“Get out.” I snarled. “You and your nonviolence sunflower ass can get the fuck out of my tent.”

“What? What’d I say?” He blinked blankly before chuckling, “I can’t wait for you to meet my family! They’re going to love your heartfelt nicknames!”

My muscles locked in irritation, Heartfelt? He thought my nicknames were heartfelt? “I’ll show you heartfelt with a boot up the-”

“Death God! Death God! I heed your call, let me dissect the pest at your behest!” Afric giggled, skipping into the tent.

“I always thought I’d be saying this to Cillian but Macha, stop trying to beat up my boyfriend.” Bria called out as her, Dani and Coaimhe followed the skipping Banshee into my temporary home.

“Boyfriend?” Lilly snapped.

At the same time, I hissed, “Never.” However, Lilly’s comment distracted me from my thoughts of Puck and a chainsaw enough that I twisted to look up at him, “Don’t tell me you’re that thick headed.”

“You knew?” He scowled.

Dani cackled, “I think you mean, who didn’t.”

Joining in on her cackling, I watched Bria roll her eyes and walk over to a blushing Puck. Linking their fingers, she pulled him over to sit beside her on the bed, “Seriously, Cilllian? You knew, I don’t why you’re acting all surprised.”

“I didn’t know you gave the Seelie the title of your boyfriend.” He barked, making me pull away at the volume by my ear.

“What? Did you expect me to announce our official status?” Bria sassed, acting her age for the first time.

“Yes!”

Running my knuckles over his thigh, I shot him an amused smile, “Calm down, Lilly. It’s not like they’re getting mated.”

Silver eyes snapped past me, “You better not be, Bria. You are way too young for that.”

“How old is the fair princess?” Afric suddenly cut in, crawling onto the bed to sit directly between my outstretched legs and fixing his robes around him.

Bria shook her head in amusement, “Just shy of adulthood.”

“I see! A child in the eyes of the Fae, a maiden in the eyes of the Faekind and a decrepit crone in the eyes of humans. What to do? What to do? Ah! Become a mother.” The man’s long black ponytail swayed as he clapped his hands in glee when he finished.

There was a collective silence from the inside of the tent as everyone looked at Afric, Cillian even leaned closer to look at him. Noticing this, Afric looked around at his confused audience and then swung his almond shaped yellow tinged eyes my way, “Death God, you understand me. Explain to the boring of mind and I shall bow at your shrine when it comes time.”

“He said become a mother and others will think twice before telling you what to do.” When everyone just shifted their gazes to me, I shrugged, “What? Afric is actually really easy to understand if you pay attention.”

“Oh! How glad I am that you did not leave us!” The Den Head crowed, giving my left ankle a pat. “The Den’s across the realm cheer and sneer at the feats you surpassed. The old Gods are dead and past.”

“The wind blows and sways the fields but the insects remain unyielding.”

Afric giggled, “Birds swoop from above but they burrow deeper.”

“Crawling, seeking the lines and grimes of our tender vines.” I grinned, the giddiness that our conversations always inspired filling me.

“In the shadow of death they whine and pine your name but we screamed louder in the blood of the meek.”

Jolting forward, I flashed sharpened teeth,“Eat the weak!”

“Eat the weak!” Alfric exclaimed, lunging forward to tap our foreheads together.

As we fell back laughing maniacally, I sighed happily, “You’re my favorite, Babes. You just get me.”

He leaped from the bed to dance around the room with his arms raised and started humming as my laughter died down.

Tipping his face down to look at me, Lilly said, “Out of everything you’ve done, that conversation was somehow the most concerning.”

“I don’t know if that says a lot about you or me.”

“It says a lot about both of you actually.” Bria interrupted.

The bed shook slightly as Coaimhe stomped up to the side of the bed and scowled down at us all, “Enough with this nonsense! Why am I here, Critter?”

——

Dun, Dun, DUNNNNNN! Mab that crazy bitch what are we going to do with her, huh? Lmao, it was kind of chaotic writing almost all my main characters into this chapter and the next. It was sort of like having eight different voices and personalities in my head all clamoring for the spotlight. Lol, anyways I’m loving my main couples new sense of PDA. So cute.

As always, leave a comment if you feel like it! I love your guys feedback.

Smooches, Verbage💋