Queen of Night

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✶Elizabeth's POV✶

"Again."

I throw my dagger harder towards Yvette. Fueling my anger into every strike, every attack.

"That—son—of—a—b***h!" I yell with every throw towards Yvette but he just swiftly dodges every attack gracefully.

"Breathe, Liz. You aren't focusing properly."

This makes me even more angry. "Don't talk to me about focus! I am perfectly focused!"

I throw my dagger forward but Yvette ducks, swiftly moving to my side and pressing down on multiple points of my arm shooting pain up and down and causing it to fall numb, the dagger falling into his hand.

I scream even louder as Yvette takes my dagger away. "We're done here."

Huffs of breaths leave my mouth and I feel myself on the verge of tears. I scream towards Yvette but he doesn't come back.

"I'm not done with you!"

Tears fall onto my cheeks, my breaths come out heavy.

Jason is no longer my Jason, but a puppet on strings to Ameria. It makes me want to kill her.

I want to.

Yvette turns slightly to face me. "You're too emotional right now." His face softens. "You just found out your mate is alive, Liz but controlled by Ameria. He's nothing but a puppet."

I stay silent, biting my lip to keep from screaming.

She took my mate and made him hers.

I want to get him back. I need to get him back.

"I need him, Yvette." My voice breaks. "He saved me and now I need to save him."

Yvettes face softens as he turns around. "Ameria won't be easy to defeat and you know that. She already has control over your whole colony."

I run a hand through my hair. "I know but my people need me, he needs me."

Yvette looks down thinking, so I stay silent, thinking of Jason: his black hair as dark as night, his ocean blue eyes. I run my forehead to snap out of it.

"We can get you and your Alphas to start training. You should talk to my brother and maybe he can lend you some of his forces."

I almost burst into a bucket of tears right there and I run up to Yvette without thinking and I hug him.

He awkwardly pats my back as I hold onto him, not knowing what to do with my excitement.

"Alright, alright."

"Thank you, Yvette."

✶✶✶

"Thea, I might have a chance this time. If Yvette and Kalan and Aiwin can help me, then Ameria won't be able to take us all."

Thea writes quickly. Turning her board around so I can read it.

That sounds amazing. I'm so happy my people might be able to help you.

I play with a loose thread on my beds blanket as we sit there.

"Do you think it might be too late to save him? To save all of them?"

Thea shakes her head and writes.

He is your mate, Liz. He could never forget you and your bond can never be broken unless one of you dies.

This time I shake my head. "But Ameria is using her magic and what if he can't be fixed?"

Thea puts a hand on my arm and looks at me.

I know what she's saying and she doesn't even have to write it down. She thinks there's hope and she doesn't want me to doubt or give up.

I sigh. I miss him. I miss the sparks that would crawl on my skin, the butterflies I would get in my stomach. Every time he would kiss me I believed I would spontaneously combust. I miss that feeling.

I look up at Thea and she smiles softly at me. I remember Rose and the ache in my chest only gets worse. I ruined her life and despite everything she did for me I took for granted and now she's gone rotting in one of Ameria's cells with everyone else I love.

I haven't told Thea much about Rose but she does know how much she meant to me. The first few weeks I arrived in Fae Colony, I would constantly cry, scream, yell and break things through my anger. Thea would walk into my room at night and would watch as I throw plates, cups, anything that would break. I'm surprised they kept such a rude guest. Aiwin probably had to do some convincing for me.

Another person I'll have to thank.

"Ameria messed with me, Thea. After being in her captivity, I could barely use my bow or fight. I would have nightmares, panic attacks, hallucinations. She got in my head without even having to use her magic to get in. To this day I still have nightmares, I'll panic thinking she still haunts me."

Thea grabs my hand and squeezes it as I continue.

"Ameria is in Jason's head. She is using her magic on him. I can't imagine the damage or what she's done to him and my friends."

I stand up and walk to the balcony as my thoughts overwhelm me. I hear Thea trail behind me but I don't mind.

"So understand why I have such a hard time staying here now. My mate is in trouble and he needs me. I need him. Every minute I stay here only makes my heart ache for him more. I want to go and run after him, I want to kill Ameria for what she's done to everyone."

I clench my hands into fists on the railing feeling my nails dig into my palms. I turn to Thea as she looks at me sadly.

"But I also know what I have to do. I can't leave now, I have to stay, train, have my people train and fight. I need to build my forces up so we become unstoppable. I know that if I go now, I mine as well be dead. Yvette said he will help and I know that together I can build an army that can take Ameria down." I take in a shaky breath as I think. "It just takes time and time is something I don't have."

✶✶✶

"Do you want to work with archery or sword work?"

I shrug my shoulders as Aiwin stands in front of the weapons beside me. Yvette put me with Aiwin as he works with the Alphas and said for me to work with one of the two today.

"If you don't pick I'll be picking for you then."

I shrug my shoulders again and Aiwin eyes squint.

"What's wrong, Liz?"

He looks closer at me and gently holds my chin up. "When was the last time you got some sleep?"

My shoulders droop and Aiwin moves his hands to rub my shoulders.

"You need your energy in order to train, you know this."

I stay silent.

"Is it the nightmares coming back?"

I nod and Aiwin wraps his arms around me. I hold onto him in case he lets go but he doesn't.

"They never left," I whisper into his shirt and his arms wrap around me even tighter.

"She can't hurt you. I won't let her again." Aiwin practically growls.

I close my eyes and reopen them to get a view of a bow hanging on the wall.

"No, I won't let her again."

I move away from him and grab onto the bow, running for fingertips on the curve. I grab the quiver full of arrows beside it and strap it across my back before turning to Aiwin.

"Lets train."

He smiles the smile I love, the one that shows a dimple and makes his eyes sparkle. He holds out his hand and I take it willingly.

"Lets train," he repeats.

✶✶✶