Macy POV
I expect to run out of air as I approach the moon. At least, that is what we are taught in school. Space and the moon don't have an atmosphere; there is no air to breathe. I should be suffocating, but I am not. I try to understand the science behind it, but I quickly realize there is no science. It is magic. I am only here because Selene allows it. At any moment, she could revoke that privilege.
I land close to her, and my wings float awkwardly behind me. Now would be a terrible time for me to fall over because I don't know how to control them. I am trying to look capable, not like a klutz. I tuck my wings behind me and hold them close, but Selene snickers at me.
"Still unable to control your wings, Little One," she taunts.
"We need to talk," I say, ignoring her jab.
"Macy," Selene cocks her head to the side. "You did not come here to talk to me."
"You need to return the moon," I ignore her again. "To both realms."
"Why would I do that?" She asks.
"Because it is the right thing to do," I retort.
"When has doing the right thing been what you do?" She laughs. "If I remember correctly, you have always been defiant."
"That was before I knew people were counting on me," I admit the truth.
"No one is counting on you," she snarls. "You have failed. Two peaceful realms are in ruin because of your quest for power."
"My quest for power?" I shout. "You are the one that put me on this fucking path."
"No," she sighs. "That was Roland and Cassian. I gave you respectable mates and a throne. All you had to do was sit on it and let them rule."
"I thought you were watching me," I spit back at her. "I don't do as I am told."
"I am not giving back the moon. They don't deserve it."
"Raven is dying," I tell her. "Your daughter is dying."
"I can make another," she sighs. "I have done it before."
"How can you be so heartless?" I gasp.
"She turned her back on me first," Selene grumbles. "She is no daughter of mine."
"What can I do to persuade you to end this?" I beg.
An evil grin tugs at her lips. "What are you willing to give me?"
"Give you?" I scoff.
"Your mates were all too willing to make a deal with me," she chuckles. "Surely, you have a price."
"What do you want?" I growl.
"Hmm," Selene taps her finger on her chin. "I already have your first born and your mate's voice. I am not sure you have anything else to offer me."
I grind my teeth together. She was never going to help me. Astoria was right to keep me locked away in my mind. I was not built for this. I am naïve.
"Now," Selene steps in my direction. "Let Astoria out to play. We have unfinished business."
Astoria stirs in my mind. I could let her out and hide away. The fight between her and Selene would be fair, but I came here to do this myself. So, I shove Astoria away. This is my battle. Not hers.
'She will kill you,' Astoria hisses in my mind.
'I know,' I reply. 'But with me gone, she will no longer have an enemy. This can go back to normal.'
Astoria doesn't respond me, but she doesn't push for me to shift again. When I focus my eyes back on Selene she is sneering. "Bring her forward."
"No," I hiss.
"Suit yourself," Selene laughs.
I am not prepared. A blast of light shoots from her fingers and hits me in the chest. It knocks me to the ground and I skid across the surface of the moon. "Fuck," I moan, getting back to my feet.
Selene screams in frustration and shoots another beam of light at me. This time, I hold my hands in front of me and try to block it. I have no idea what I am doing, but her light bounces off my hands back at her. It is like I am holding a mirror.
It hits Selene in the chest, and she drops her attack. She bares her teeth and growls. "This should not be possible. You are not a Goddess."
She is right; I am not a Goddess, but maybe I don't need to be. I look down at my hands before pointing them in her direction. Nothing happens. "Huh," I grunt.
'You are a protection Fae,' Astoria whispers.
'What the fuck does that mean?' I groan.
'It means your magic is meant for protection,' she sighs. 'You won't be able to fight her with magic.'
'But does that mean she can't hurt me?' I ask.
'In theory,' Astoria trails off. 'Maybe.'
'That's all I need,' I tell her.
'What do you mean?' Astoria asks, but I am no longer paying attention to her. My eyes are focused on Selene. I can fight her with her own magic.
When she attempts to use her magic again, I reflect it like I did before. When it bounces back at her, she drops to the ground. Her knees hit the dust on the moon, and she pounds her hands into the ground.
"Fight me," she screams.
"Someone else demanded that from me right before they died," I muse.
"You can't kill me," she grunts. "I am a Goddess."
"I can do this all day," I shrug.
Selene hits me in the ankle with a blaze of light. It slices through my skin, and a string of curse words fly out of my mouth. Selene is howling with laughter. Anger bubbles in my chest, and I limp over to her and kick her in the chest. She falls onto her back but doesn't stop laughing.
"I hate you," I growl.
"The feeling is mutual," she says before swiping my legs out from under me.
She gets to her feet and tries to stomp on my head. I roll out of the way, and her foot hits the ground beside me. I grab her ankle and twist. She stumbles forward but doesn't fall. She spins around and casts magic in my direction. I barely have time to lift my hands for protection. This time the magic doesn't rebound. Instead, it disintegrates around me.
When she finally relents, I am sweating and panting, but she is unphased. "Do you give up?"
"No," I grind out.
"Then it is going to be a long night," she giggles.