Psycho Fae: Chapter 10

Some things in life you could prepare for.

Floating hundreds of feet in the air on an enchanted platform, in the middle of a packed stadium, with fans calling you a cunt, while your childhood idols stood near you was not one of them.

The alphas had moved so all three of them stood in front of me and blocked me from the crowd screaming slurs at me.

Ascher gave me a weird look as I pushed his arm to the side to get another peek at Demetre.

Holy sun goddess, the Big Three were cool as shit.

Demetre’s bright-pink eyes practically glowed against his tan skin, and his mountains of muscles rippled as he stretched his neck back and forth.

His long black hair, which reached to his butt, blew in the breeze. Unlike Xerxes’s long, wavy blond locks, his hair was pin straight and silky.

Behind him, the twin half warriors Noah and Shane stood like statues of physical prowess.

Their dark skin glinted in the summer sun, and their blood-orange mohawks glowed atop their heads. They had bright-green eyes and were also built massively tall and wide.

Demetre’s shifted form was a dragon, and the twins were rumored to shift into tigers, although no one was exactly sure what their fire abilities were.

Actually, now that I thought about it, no one was exactly sure what Demetre’s was either.

They were half fae, but none of them had pointed ears. Their tall frames and slightly catlike features were the only indications that they were part fae.

I stepped back and hid behind Ascher’s large frame, afraid that they would see me staring and think I wasn’t cool.

A fae spectator, with impressive aim, threw a cup, and it bounced off my arm. Now the whole stadium chanted “kill the girl” in unison.

Never mind. There was no way they thought I was cool.

Still, I hid behind Ascher and peeked around his flame-tattooed arm. Demetre still hadn’t seen me. Thank the sun god.

“Stop looking over at them.” Ascher moved to block my view.

I scoffed at his hubris and kept using him as a human shield. “Excuse me, Mr. Betrayer. If I ask to look, you become the window.”

“That doesn’t even make sense,” he grumbled, but held still and allowed me to play peekaboo around his arm.

As long as Ascher remembered he was a piece of shit and followed every single thing I told him to do, we would get along fine.

If he gave me so much as an ounce of sass, I would kill him.

It was the only solution that protected my heart and my self-esteem. I couldn’t just let men walk all over me.

Suddenly, a loud banging noise started.

Sun god forbid the sound level not be crippling. If I had a single functioning eardrum after this experience, it would be a miracle.

A roof appeared atop the large bowl, and the entire stadium became pitch dark. Then the drumbeats picked up.

Hundreds of fae with large fake wings and bodies painted in glowing bright colors flew around us. In synchrony, they elevated through the air, twirling and leaping to the drumbeat.

They were all air fae, and just like the paintings at the palace depicted, they were flying.

I held my breath in awe as the child in me gaped with wonder. People were flying around me, and a warm breeze drafted across my skin.

We weren’t in the shifter realm anymore.

That was for sure.

The beat dropped, and the hundreds of flying fae danced. Thousands of balls of sparkling blue flames floated around them. Fire fae in the crowd glowed as they controlled the balls.

It was breathtaking.

Fae screamed and clapped, and they reached their hands out and tried to touch the floating orbs. I clenched my hands at my side to stop myself from doing the same. My blood tingled, and a voice in my brain said, shiny.

I should have been afraid, but…I wasn’t. Everything about the fae culture was gorgeous.

It was easy to forget to be afraid.

The orbs and the dancers glowed bright in the pitch black and created a stunning illusion.

The moderator’s voice seemed louder in the dark. “It is time for the realm’s anthem. Please join us in singing our pride.” A fast, lyrical tune began to play, the drum rhythm picked up, and the entire stadium clapped in rhythm.

Our platform vibrated with the force of the claps. The winged dancers whirled, and the blue balls of fire floated up and down in time with the beat. Then the stadium sang, and with each stanza, their volume rose until they were shrieking:

Every person in the crowd clapped three times, stomped their feet, and fell silent. I was also silent, mostly because of shock.

What an upbeat, inspirational song.

Not.

Why were the fae so dramatically unwell? It was almost inspirational how terrifying every single person was.

The lights stayed off. Then, with an enchanted rippled, the enormous screens above our heads showed a figure.

It was the fae queen.

She waved her hands at the crowd and addressed them.

She spoke, and her pretty, terrifying voice was projected loudly. “Thank you, citizens, for attending this year’s Fae Games. As you see, we have a very special lineup this year. As usual, the teams will be ranked after each competition, and at the end of the month, the winners will be awarded a fortune of five billion gold pieces.”

My stomach rolled over inside my body.

A month.

They expected me to fight for my life for an entire month.

I’d thought this little shindig would last a day, or maybe even a week total.

But an entire month?

I might as well just buy a shovel and start digging my grave right now, because there was no way I survived that long.

While I suffered a panic attack over my impending doom, the queen droned on and on about her leadership prowess, and how safe and rich the realm was under her rule.

I forgot about my dramatic, shallow breathing when another gorgeous woman appeared on the massive screen.

The queen said, “Now I have special news for the realm. My lost daughter, Arabella, who was kidnapped from our home, was returned to me last eve!”

The stadium roared with excitement.

“Arabella, everyone!”

It was Aran, but different.

She must have worn an enchantment that disguised her true state before, because there was no way this gorgeous woman could ever be mistaken for a boy. Her short aqua locks now hung to her butt in long, silky waves.

Before, her features had been slightly blocky and her stature masculine.

Now she was stunning.

Breathtaking.

Lush red lips and bright-blue doe eyes sat atop a sculpted female face.

Her cheekbones were high and her neck long and willowy. She was draped in a gossamer gown like her mother, and it floated over her long, slender limbs like the finest silk.

I wouldn’t have believed it was my best friend if it weren’t for her eyes—her bright-turquoise eyes were alight with rebellion, just like I remembered them.

A diamond-studded collar, like Cobra’s, wrapped around her long neck.

Most shocking, however, a massive pair of breasts pushed up in her low-cut gown. Either I was partially blind, or Aran had not had those last time I’d seen him.

Her, I reminded myself.

The willowy pale creature on the screen was so gorgeous I almost didn’t believe it was my friend.

The queen waved her hands at her daughter like she was an item at the market. “As the realm knows, Arabella does not have any elemental abilities. However, she has always been the sweet, kindhearted jewel of the realm.”

All around, fae citizens screamed that they loved Arabella and wanted to “mate” with her.

From the queen’s description, it was clear she didn’t know a single shit about Aran—Arabella.

My friend was loudmouthed, aggressive, and slightly annoying. Still lovable, just not an angel of lightness by any means.

“Sweet” and “kindhearted” were not the descriptors I would have used.

“Arabella, what do you have to say to your fans?” the queen asked with a fake sugary smile. The woman was a master actress.

“Hello, everyone.” Arabella’s voice was lyrical and high-pitched, way different from back at the compound. She must have used an enchantment to disguise it.

“I just want to say that I love my mother to…death and am so grateful we can be reunited. The bonds of love are truly stronger than all else. They defeat rancid evil, gross abuses of power, and leaders who deceive.” Her face contorted into a snarl, and it looked like she was seconds away from launching herself at her mother.

Yep, that was definitely my friend.

From the tight pinch of the queen’s mouth, she wasn’t happy with the thinly veiled threat.

Arabella laughed, and the tinkling tune was light and sparkly, like bubbles and warm sunshine.

Everyone basked in her presence.

She raised her fist into the air, and everyone in the crowd raised theirs in response. With a turn, she faced her mother.

She stared the fae queen dead in the eye and chanted while the whole stadium chanted back, “Never forgive those we hate, ever dead is their fate. All who fight against are foe, fae prowess the killing blow. Fae prowess the killing blow!”

She pumped her fist in the air close to her mother’s face and smiled like a sweet debutante without a care in the world.

From the way the fae queen stared back, I would bet all my money she would retaliate against Arabella for her words later.

Also, what was with the fae and rhyming?

It was weird.

Although, now I remembered Aran telling me about how the fae language was based on poetry and it held power. Still, I never could have imagined this spectacle was what she was thinking of when she said that.

The queen regained her composure, wrapped her arm around her daughter, and laughed like it was all part of her plan.

They disappeared off the big screen as it replaced them with a view of the floating competitors, but a spotlight highlighted a midlevel row with two thrones.

The queen and Arabella sat on a raised dais in the middle of the stadium, separate from everyone else. They were close enough that when Arabella turned and stared at me, I could see the pleading in her eyes.

I nodded slightly to let her know I was still her friend.

Her shoulders slumped with relief.

With a whoosh, the roof disappeared, and bright sunshine lit the stadium. I blinked and tried to adjust to the blinding light.

My pits dripped with stress sweat and my knees clacked together because the awful drop came back into view again.

I’d forgotten for a moment; we were still terrifyingly far off the ground.

The moderator’s voice played on the speakers. “Now we will commence the Fae Games in the traditional manner. One competitor from each of the five teams will get to choose another team’s member to fight against.”

If my life got any worse, I was going to suffer a heart attack and keel over from stress. Come on!

I had just gotten done admiring the pretty, sparkly lights, seeing my best friend in the new realm, and listening to some bloodthirsty fae poems.

I needed a moment to process.

The moderator gave zero shits about my mental health and kept speaking.

“As per tradition, this will be a battle of pure physical prowess. No weapons and no fae elements will be allowed. The competitors will fight on floating platforms. The first competitor to fall off loses the round. The winning team will receive a bonus in the next competition.”

The crowd screamed and stomped their feet with excitement.

My chest burned with anxiety.

The moderator said, “The half warriors get to choose first, since they are the hundred-year reigning champions of the game.”

I turned to watch as Demetre and the twins bowed their heads together and whispered. Their massive forms were covered in muscles and sinew, and they looked back and forth among the teams.

I hid my body completely behind Ascher.

With a prayer, I crossed my fingers and my toes and promised the moon goddess I would sacrifice a goat every month in her honor if she just let me make it through the next few minutes without being picked.

The good thing was, the Big Three were men of honor and integrity.

In every book, they saved women and children and always used their power to help those weaker.

I wasn’t worried about them.

I was worried about the mammoth man on the water fae team that stared directly at me with hate in his eyes. It was a familiar look, one I’d seen on Dick’s face every day growing up.

Sun god forbid one male with mental health issues not target me.

“Half warriors, have you made a decision?” the moderator asked.

Demetre and his brothers broke apart.

“Speak the name of your competitor.”

Demetre opened his mouth, his stunning pink eyes glinting underneath the dual suns.

The fae collectively held their breath as everyone waited to see who would fight against Demetre, a god among men.

For once, the stadium was dead silent.

Demetre thumped his fist against his tawny chest and shouted loudly, “I would like to challenge the girl from the alpha team!”

Every person turned to stare at me.

Fuck you, universe.

I pointed at Ascher and asked, “Him?”

“No, you.” Demetre’s voice was loud and rough.

It was official: all men sucked.

With two syllables, my childhood crush poofed into smithereens and my world twisted upside down.

Growing up, Lucinda had been right for thinking Demetre sounded scary. Clearly, I was a dumbass.

I searched for the lever in my brain.

The switch flipped, and relief flooded through me.

The numb had recharged.

It clicked on.

Kill him.