Winston POV
As soon as Edward and I step onto the palace steps, I can hear the commotion in the forest. I would recognize the sound of werewolves fighting anywhere. Yet the Fae warriors are still standing in front of the palace. Cassian is leaning against the wall, picking at his fingers, but Macy is nowhere in sight.
"Where is Macy?" Edward growls in his direction.
"Hopefully, in the Human Realm," he responds.
"What?" Edward snaps.
"I have rid the Immortal Realm of her poisonous thoughts and ideas. Now, we can carry on with our lives as normal," he says, pushing off the wall.
I block his path, and he chuckles at me in anger. "Do you really think this is wise?"
Rearing back my fist, I punch him in the face. Blood sprays across the side of the palace. He turns his head back to look at me and smiles with a mouth full of blood. "I told you that was not wise."
Edward shoves me aside and takes his turn, punching Cassian. This time, Cassian stumbles back.
"What makes you think we would go along with this?" Edward snarls.
Cassian spits out a mouthful of blood. "She was a menace. You are better without her. Plus, now that I have you two and your sister, Selene will make a deal with me. The Human Realm needs your bloodline, after all."
"Do you not hear that?" Edward hisses. "Selene sent her armies through the portal. They will destroy your realm."
"Selene and I had a deal," Cassian replies. "She will not touch the fae."
"You are so fucking stupid," Edward groans.
I turn to the fae warriors. Many of them are fidgeting uncomfortably; they don't agree with Cassian. The sound of the fighting is getting closer to the palace. They are beginning to sweat. It appears Cassian's deal with the Moon Goddess is not as ironclad as he thought.
Nyx comes bursting through the trees. Her face is covered in blood and mud. Her wings are torn and dragging the ground behind her. "Cassian," she pants. "The werewolves. They are coming for the palace."
"Impossible," he mutters. "Where are the Gray Creatures?"
"They will not fight without Macy. You have to open the portal. We have to get her back." Her desperation is causing her voice to quiver.
"I will not," he says. "She is not for this realm."
Nyx gasps. "Cassian, this was not the plan."
"It was not your plan," Cassian hisses. "But it was always mine."
Her eyes flash with anger, and she storms toward Cassian. I have dealt with enough women to know what is coming next, but Cassian doesn't seem to understand because he is genuinely surprised when Nyx slaps him. His hand touches his cheek, and his jaw drops open.
"I have forgiven you for a lot over the years, Cassian, but I will never forgive you for this," she whimpers.
"She is just another thing from the Human Realm you will forget," he sneers at her.
"I have not forgotten any of them," she shouts. "They were my mates, my friends, and my children. I lost them all because of you. I have given you everything, Cassian, and never asked for anything in return. Now, I am asking you to save Macy. To save this realm."
"There is nothing to save," he screams.
"Then I will do this alone," she tells him.
"You are not alone," Edward chimes in, and I nod at his side.
Nyx nods. Tears have streaked through the mud and blood on her face. In all the time I have known her, I have never seen her show emotion, not like this. She truly cares for Macy.
"Of course, I care for her," Nyx reads my mind. "She was mine, and I was hers. I have failed her, and I will not do it again."
Nyx turns to the warriors. "Who will defend this realm and the true Queen?"
"Don't listen to her," Cassian shouts, but his voice is shaking. "I am your king."
Growls rumble in the forest, and smoke bellows from the treetops. The werewolves are getting closer. There isn't time to spare. I dash to the tree line and peer inside. Hundreds of rogue wolves are setting the forest ablaze. At this rate, there will be nothing left.
I growl as I call my lycan forward. I knew the shift would be painful in a realm without a moon, but I did not expect this. What used to take seconds feels like it takes forever. As my lycan takes over, a silent scream leaves my lips.
When I get back to my feet, I grind my teeth to ignore the pain. My lycan, Graydon, stomps into the forest knocking down trees as he goes. When he comes across the first werewolf, he slices through his neck with his claws. His eyes remain open permanently.
Edward's lycan, Dever, is killing beside me. One after another. They scream to each other in fear when they realize they are unable to shift. Still, they try to make their way to the palace. Determined to do Selene's bidding. I wonder what she has promised them.
The sound of metal flying through the air is to my left. I dodge in time to see a silver knife zoom past my face. It sticks in the chest of a rogue. He looks down at in a daze and pulls it from his chest. It falls from his hand, but before it can hit the ground, Nyx has caught it and is throwing it again.
It whizzes through the air and sticks in the eye of another rogue. His flaming torch falls to the ground, lighting the forest bed on fire.
"Whoops," she says as she waves her hands over the flames. They extinguish before my eyes, and she moves on. She is deadly with a blade, and I make a point not to get on her bad side.
No matter how many werewolves the three of us kill, more still come. How many got through the portal before it was closed again?
Shrieks come from the palace, and Nyx spins around. The roof of the palace is just visible above the trees, and it is on fire.
"Go," Edward shouts to her. "We will check the portal."
Nyx nods before turning back, killing as many rogues as she can when she passes them. Edward and I rush to the portal entrance, and Gray Creatures surround it. One turns and bares his teeth, "Go away."
"Can you open it?" Edward asks desperately.
He cocks his head to the side. "Why aren't you with the rest of the lycans?"
"We were detained," Edward grinds out.
Another Gray Creature steps forward. "I recognize them. They are the Queen's mates."
"Why are you not with her," the first snarls.
"Cassian," Edward growls. "Will you help us?"
"For my Queen. Anything."