Malakai (11 page)

"I do not!"

Rissa grabbed Glamoursiege from Malrick and
rushed across the stream. Kai was recovering a swing of the blade,
bent forward, his back to her. Ooghna twisted a crooked smirk at
Rissa.

Rissa yowled a mighty warrior's cry as she
swung the blade across the surprised faery champion's throat. It
cut deep, far deeper than she had intended, and toppled the faery's
head from her neck.

She dropped the sword in the grass, stunned
that she had been capable of such violence.

Not ten feet away, Kai blinked through
streams of blood and, swaying, gasped out, "Why?"

"I could not bare it any longer. She needed
to die." Rissa stepped back, her heart sinking and her limbs
trembling. A glance over her shoulder marked Malrick on the
opposite side of the stream. His foul look needed no words. "I
just…wanted it over," she whispered.

Seeking her lover's gaze, she saw him nod.
Whether or not that was an accepting or admonishing nod, she could
not determine. He dropped his weapon into the grass and tilted back
his head.

"I love you, Rissa." Kai closed his eyes, his
shoulders slumping and his body finally relaxing after an entire
day of battle.

The cut of Malrick's wings across Rissa's arm
as he settled into the grass beside her hurt little when compared
to the ache in her heart. Could Kai accept what she had done? She'd
stolen his means to heroism, to saving her. And in turn, she may
have just ended her life.

"I am not pleased," Malrick stated in a cool
tone.

Rissa shivered, and sensing the need for
obeisance, she fell to her knees before Malrick. "Forgive me, my
liege."

"You've done much to try my patience, Rissa.
First the affair with the Summer knight, and now you've destroyed
my only champion."

"Leave her alone," Kai muttered. He reached
for his blade, but it was apparent he was exhausted and he slapped
the grass more than a few times before his fingers finally landed
on the blood- and ichor-soaked leather grip. "You got what you
wanted, Malrick."

"Did I? I merely wanted my champion defeated.
Shamed and humiliated by a common werewolf." Malrick tipped up
Rissa's chin and stared hard into her eyes. "Not murdered by one
who could never stand an equal to my champion's skills."

"She is equal to my heart," Kai croaked, weak
from the fight, "and that is what matters most."

The faery king thrust out an arm, in his
hand, Glamoursiege, preparing to dash it toward Rissa. She chirped
and closed her eyes, unprepared for such a sudden and rash
assassination.

"No!" Kai rose to his feet, shakily assuming
a commanding stance with the blade held before him in
challenge.

Malrick paused, giving the wolf his
regard.

"If you must claim recompense for the loss of
your champion, then take my heart," Kai pleaded. "I owe my heart to
Faery because, at birth, the promised boon was not fulfilled. And
yes, I fell in love with a faery. But if she is not alive for me to
love then life will not be worth living."

"No," Rissa gasped as Glamoursiege brightened
and Malrick swung it toward Kai. "No, let him live!"

Malrick's black and colored wings shuddered
in annoyance. He exhaled and the wings flicked out, once, twice, an
angry motion that Rissa felt chill up her spine. The Unseelie king
stepped over to Kai. The men stood eye to eye. Her brave, proud
werewolf, who stood at grave's edge at this moment, would not show
his defeat.

Malrick drew the tip of Glamoursiege up Kai's
belly and stopped over his heart. Kai held stoically, yet he
glanced to her. "I love you," he said. "My love is real. I know
it."

Tears spilled down her eyes. She did not know
how to change this, to erase the wrong she had served this valiant
man. And the wrong she had served her liege. Ooghna's headless body
lay in the grass, her wings shivering as they slowly dissolved with
the fading life energy.

About to speak, to beg for her lover's life,
her plea was silenced by an angry gesture from the faery king.

Malrick pressed Glamoursiege's tip into Kai's
chest. Blood trickled out to purl amongst the drying blood and
ichor that painted his chest as if war markings.

"This is a fine blade," Malrick said. "It was
created because you were inspired by Faery. So you see…" The faery
king glanced over his shoulder at Rissa. "You did do a good thing,
my fickle one. And now this fine weapon is mine to wield. I should
be less than honorable should I destroy the one involved in its
creation, or the one who gifted me such a valuable weapon."

"It wasn't a gift," Kai said. "It was a means
to buy me and my sister's freedom."

"True." Malrick's brow quirked. "Do you not
now beg for your life, wolf?"

"My life is worth nothing without the woman I
love by my side. I'm sorry, Rissa. If I could change things…" He
bowed his head, yet suddenly smirked. "I would not. Knowing you has
given me the best days of my life."

"Love." Malrick chuckled. "It's always love
that wins the day, don't you know?" He flicked the sword tip away
from Kai's chest. "So be it. I grant you your life, wolf. And,
despite her transgressions against me, I remove her curse. A deal
is a deal. I should have been more specific regarding my champion's
condition at the end of the fight. Though, I will not allow you to
return to Faery, Rissa. Should you, I will hunt you down and take
your head as you did Ooghna's head."

She nodded furiously in agreement.

"Very well then. To love!" And with that,
Malrick shivered away into the atmosphere, and beyond, to
Faery.

Kai's powerful build wobbled, his eyelids
blinked, but he managed a smile. Rissa ran into his arms and caught
him as his knees buckled and they both went down in the lush summer
grass.

The following summer, Rissa kissed the
forehead of her newborn baby girl and tickled her belly with the
tip of her nose. The infant squealed in delight and her tiny wings,
but a few inches in length at her back, fluttered.

"You may be daddy's little girl," Rissa
whispered, "but you've got mommy's wings. Let's go out and see what
the big bad wolf is up to, shall we?"

Nestling the warm bundle of sweetness against
her shoulder, Rissa padded outside, barefoot, and wandered across
the thick summer moss and up behind where her husband stood. She
stopped twenty paces away, for fear he wouldn't scent her and might
swing the sword too close. He'd fashioned a new blade over winter,
and this one did not sing, but it did shine like the finest
treasure, and he'd inlaid the hilt with a large ruby gifted him by
his parents upon their daughter's birth.

He stopped mid-swing, tilting the blade over
a shoulder. From behind him, Rissa could see his smile grow. "My
two favorite girls," he said with a gesture for her to join
him.

"You've been working all day." She nuzzled
against his warmth. When he turned to kiss the infant's bald head,
the babe's wings fluttered in joy. "You need a break."

"In bed?" he suggested with a waggle of his
dark brows.

"Casanova."

"That's me. There's not a woman in this town
who has—""What? Tasted your prowess? Ugg."

"No." He kissed her on the mouth. "Who has
won my heart like you have. There's only one woman for me, and
that's you. Although…"

"Although?"

"I've made room for the newest girl in my
life, my sweet Daisy Blu. Are her wings getting bigger?"

"Not sure. She'll be flying in a few months
surely."

"Really? We're going to have to babyproof the
house in ways I never thought necessary. What if she flies up to
the ceiling and won't come down?"

"I'll go up after her," Rissa reassured.
"She's going to try her daddy's patience, that's for sure."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Wrapping his arms about them both, Kai kissed
Rissa deeply, lingering with reverence for the love they had
forged. And then he jutted his hips against hers, alluding to the
erection that she felt beneath his jeans.

"Want to make another?" he asked.

"I want to make a whole pack with you, my
werewolf husband."

"Then we'd best get to work."

"You think making love to me is work?"

"The kind of work a man is happy to do and
never complain about. Let me tuck Daisy in for a nap. I'll meet you
in the bedroom."

He nestled their daughter in the crook of his
arm, carrying her like a football, as he'd been taught during their
parenting classes. The big hunk of wolf was a natural with her, and
Rissa blinked away a tear at the sight. They'd come together as a
means to serve their own selfish desires, and yet, love had
something else in mind for the two of them.

No longer were they Faery cursed, but from
this day forth they and their children would be Faery blessed.

The End

I hope you've enjoyed Kai and Rissa's story.
If you're curious about their parents' struggle to be blessed with
children, look for MOONSPUN. As well, read how Blu and Creed
initially got together in HER VAMPIRE HUSBAND.

Also Rev and Bree's story is called, CRUEL
ENCHANTMENT. All titles can be found at your favorite online
retailer.

Stop by michelehauf.com for more info about
all my stories.