Beautiful image sent to me by @redlitmus  Truly gorgeous imagery for Sofielle! Thanks so much!!

Chapter dedicated to BecomingApocalypse. Thanks for reading and commenting. You always make me giggle. lol

Chapter 159 – The Queen Returns – Felaern's POV

Centuries.

For centuries, I looked for her. I scoured every realm, followed every lead and nothing...not a trace. Until I finally accepted the unthinkable—only death could have kept her from returning to me.

But I had been wrong.

Oh, so wrong.

There was a creature more vile than death, more loathsome than the grave—Acheron.

He had dared to do the unthinkable. He had stolen from me, a treasure worth more than all of the gold and silver in the world, worth more than my own life—he had taken my mate.

And for that he would pay.

His pain would be long and unimaginable.

We stepped from the portal into my realm, the Fae Kingdom, and stood on an elevated, large structure of smooth white marble. It was disk-shaped, cleaved into a perfect circle, with ornate marble archways all around. It was a landing pad of sorts; each archway carved and inscribed with Fae symbols, portals to different worlds.

And heavily guarded. Thirty Fae males, dressed in gleaming metal armor, stood at equal-distance around the edge of the circle. Their posture was held at rapt attention, head high and eyes wary for any dangers or intruders. Uninvited guests would be struck down instantly should they make the mistake of entering my realm without permission.

There was instant recognition when I came through but they did not drop to a knee and bow, not when they were on duty. I couldn't count how many times I had been bowed to...I was not in desperate need of subservience.  I would much rather have their attention on the task at hand.

As quickly as they recognized me, their attention then flitted toward the company I kept. Tension rolled through them, their muscles contracting in preparation to strike, as they eyed Killian and his men warily. There was no concealing the three were Dark Fae. Unlike Light Fae, who could retract and conceal their snow-white wings, the Dark Fae's ebony wings were on full display and attested to their black nature. Killian's lip curled into a sneer, his shoulders back, his stance wide, staring down any who dared make eye contact with him. There was silence all around.

I still held the tether to Acheron, who was lying on the ground behind me, and gave the line a hard jerk, causing his body to bump into the air a few feet before he landed again with a thud. He grunted, but was wise enough to hold his tongue. He would be lucky if I didn't cut it out three times a day for the next hundred years. Of course, it would grow back each time, but that wasn't the point. The point was pain, all of the creative and magical ways I was going to inflict pain on him. It would be constant. There would be no break in his agony, not a single breath would flow from his lungs without his feeling the sadistic kiss of my torture. Feral anticipation roiled through my stomach.

But I would have to focus on that later. For now, we just needed to get home.  I looked to the horizon. My kingdom stood before me, the city carved into the edge of a mighty mountain, an oxymoron of textures—lush vegetation growing out of barren rock. It went against the very laws of nature in the human realm, but in my dimension, we were not restricted by such rules. Indeed, massive trees sprang out of the jagged rock on every precipice, so tall they touched the clouds in the sky. And dotting every ledge in this vertical forest, were unimaginably beautiful dwellings, architecture so detailed and so delicate, they took skilled craftsmen hundreds of years to create.

Set in the middle, as if the trees had been peeled back to expose the grandest structure of them all, was my fortress. It rested at the uppermost point in the sky. The gleaming white rock walls were polished smooth, and reflected the rays of the midday sun. Intricate spires and turrets jutted from the cliffs like giant stalagmites, standing tall, majestic and ethereal.

It was impossible to portal directly inside. Dangerous and powerful wards surrounded the castle, protections that had been put in place by ancient Fae Kings and Queens far before my time. Even I couldn't disarm the shields. The only way in was on foot or by air.

I wasn't sure if she was ready to fly on her own, so I reached to gather Sofielle into my arms, but she took a skittish step away, her body rigid, her fingers clenched into fists. My heart turned in my chest and I felt a pit broil in my stomach. I had no idea what I expected at our reunion. Maybe I had hoped for tender kisses and heartfelt words of love. But there was no love in her eyes—only fear—fear of being touched by a male. And I hated it. Fury crashed over me, hot and thick. My teeth ground together—I would carve that bastard into pieces for what he had done to her.

Sofielle recognized my expression of anger—no doubt, my eyes had turned from blue to silver—and she began to tremble. Instantly, I relaxed my stance, softening my countenance. I took a deep breath and held my hands suspended in the air, the universal sign I meant her no harm. My words were soft and soothing, as though spoken to a doe, getting ready to run, "I'm sorry...you know I would never hurt you."

Her face remained impassive and she gave no response. Apparently, she wasn't certain of anything. How could I blame her? Not after everything she had been through. I exhaled slowly. It would take several hours to climb the mountain on foot, but if that's what she needed, so be it. I murmured, "We can walk if you would rather."

She stared at me, unblinking, and finally nodded her head.

I turned to Killian and handed him the tether. I sure as hell wasn't going to drag Acheron's pathetic form up the mountain after me, not that I wouldn't mind banging his ahead against the rocks as we went. But still, it would be chaotic enough from the attention I was going to get walking through the streets as a normal citizen, and no one knew I had been on a mission to recover their beloved queen. All considered her dead, just as I had. And many were too young to even remember her. But none of that mattered. I would move the very mountain if she needed me to.

Now I just had to find a way for Killian to maneuver in a city with a great prejudice against his kind, and many who would be eager to kill him on sight. I turned to one of my generals, "Balec, make sure he gets safely escorted to the dungeon."

Balec assessed Killian, his gaze roaming slowly from head to toe. His eyes took on a dangerous glint as he purred, "Oh, I'll make sure he gets to the dungeon."

Killian's mouth curled into a matching wicked grin, his threat of violence clear, "Feel free to fuck with me, Fae...I'll love every second of making your pussy-ass, my bitch."

Balec glared at Killian, who continued to smirk. But I wasn't interested in their testosterone-fueled display. My eyes were on Sofielle, who had flinched hard at their interaction. "Killian..." my tone was severe. His head snapped toward me and then to where I was staring—to Sofielle.

Instantly, he apologized softly, "I'm sorry, mother."

Balec's head snapped to Sofielle. His eyes were wide with shock as he breathed, "Mother?"

Balec new who Killian was...he knew Killian was Sofielle's son, as did the rest of the warriors. There were several sharp intakes of breath amongst the guards, all of them shocked by who stood before them. Balec stared at her in awe and whispered, "Can it be true? You've returned to us?"

My hard nod was all they needed for confirmation. Almost as if they were one person, every single guard dropped to one knee and bowed their heads before her. Words of adoration, that none had forgotten, flowed from their mouth in unison, a chorus of their love, "Queen Sofielle, most beloved mother...the earth whispers of your goodness...the trees testify of your beauty...the sun and the moons sing the melodies of your heart."

Sofielle just stared at them, unmoving, with tears streaming down her cheeks. She swallowed and her voice caught in her throat as she whispered, "Thank you... You may stand."

They regained their footing and straightened their spines, each standing a little taller and prouder now that their Queen had retaken her rightful place.

I met Balec's gaze again, giving him instructions, "The bastard you see prone on the ground is none other than the bastard who stole her from us, and kept her against her will, forcing himself upon her at his whim. I trust you will ensure Killian and his men are protected, and well cared for as they transport the prisoner. You know where to take them." The dungeon had many levels, varying in severity of punishment. Acheron would be kept in the deepest and blackest depths of the hell that awaited him.

Several growls reverberated through the warrior's chests at my revelation. Balec's irises flared with hate, one hand reaching for his sword as he took a step toward Acheron.

"Alive!" I thundered, halting Balec in his movement. His eyes snapped back to mine. My voice was steel as I reiterated slowly, "I want him kept alive.... Unless you would like to take his punishment."

Balec couldn't hold back his sharp gasp at my threat. He knew the depths of my cruelty. He had seen me torture many disobedient Fae. But he had never seen me like they would see me now. And he knew it. He straightened his spine to a razor edge and barked, "Yes, Your Highness!"

I focused at Killian. "Once I get your mother settled, I will meet you to discuss arrangements."

Killian nodded. He understood I didn't just mean living arrangements while they were here, but also how we would work together in regards to Acheron's torment. Sofielle was his mother. I would not force him away from her after all of these years, nor would I deny him his deserved vengeance. And his gifts would come in handy for what I had in mind.

I continued meaningfully with a pointed glare in Acheron's direction, "In the interim, feel free to entertain yourselves however you see fit." I had no problem with his getting started ahead of me.

Killian's eyes gleamed devilishly. His full-hearted agreement to my demand that Acheron be kept alive rolled off his tongue, "That we shall...and he will be alive and screaming when you get there."

I gave a hard nod.

Balec snapped orders to his men, assigning which ones would accompany him with the Dark Fae. Five warriors stepped forward in response, their white wings spreading out into the air. Upon another command, they leapt into the air and circled above as Killian grasped the bindings around Acheron's chest and jumped to meet Balec's forces in the sky.

Sofielle and I watched them fly toward the castle in silence. After a moment, I murmured, "Are you ready, my love?"

Her eyes reflected pain at my sentiment of affection. It was clear my words hurt her, but why exactly, I wasn't sure. Maybe she simply didn't want my love. Maybe it was too late. I had abandoned her. I had given up. I had been a fool for pushing her away and a fool for not finding her sooner.

My heart compressed as though a dagger had been plunged through it. No matter what it took, no matter what I had to do, I would make things right again. But a small part in the back of my brain whispered my deepest fear—maybe making things right was an impossible task. I shoved the thought from my brain and forced a smile as I held out my hand to her. She looked down at it, her lips a thin white line as she took an imperceptible step away from me. Immediately I realized I had made another mistake. My words of love hurt her, but my touch caused her even more pain. I pulled back my hand quickly and gestured with a slow wave toward the city. "Shall we?"

This time, she walked toward me, falling into step at my side as we began the long journey home.