Arthur's POV

Arthur did not mean to eavesdrop.

But he could not keep his distance from Elle. Not so soon after he'd almost lost her. Again.

He'd lived for centuries. He'd seen horrors that would make the most depraved of human criminals weep. Countless things and people had tried to kill him and failed. But one slip of a girl might just manage to stop his heart.

Right now, he was sitting several seats behind her because she'd warned him with bodily harm, while waving her puny fists at him, if he didn't stop hovering.

Arthur didn't remember the last time someone shook their fists at him. If it ever happened, they would have been ten feet under. When Elle did it, all he felt was a spark of laughter in his soul.

They were in the fae parliament where the High Council would convene. A building one hour ride north of the castle. The edifice put the colosseum to shame. A round chamber held tiered seating arrangements, sloping down to a circular stage. Red velvet covered the plush benches, the stairs leading down to the stage and the stage itself were a black marble streaked with bloody veins. The domed ceiling was a skylight covered in colorful, stained glass.

Elle was a few seats down, in front of him, with the little fox beside her. Noah sat by Arthur's right.

"That asshole," Elle whispered to Irene, her attention on members of the men chained around the stage. Mercenaries who'd survived.

"Who?" Irene asked.

"That guy with a beard, third row from the left."

"What did he do?"

"He slapped my ass. He said he'd show me a good time," she said. "Who's having a good time now? Bastard."

Arthur barely kept himself from reacting. His gaze found the man Elle was speaking about. Yes. He just found a new target to relieve his stress. Men who do not keep their hands to themselves when it comes to women deserve their hands chopped. Men who dared touch his mate would suffer far worse destiny.

Rami was a living example of that. Others might think Arthur had tortured him because of his scheme to open the gate.

Arthur tortured him because of what he'd done, and what he'd intended to do, to Elle. And he wasn't even finished yet.

Noah cleared his throat next to him, amused. Arthur sighed. "You're lucky Elle is fond of you."

"I see," Noah said. "That is a relief."

The seats were almost full. All his siblings were in attendance, along with the witches, the shapeshifters' representatives, and the fae king himself.

Idar sat next to Taro across the chamber from him. Leon sat alone in the very back of the seats.

Hours after Elle was kidnapped and the earth almost split under Arthur's fury, Rami had sent a message demanding to get Arthur, Orion and more members of the Five in a certain location. It was easy to guess his goal; to get enough magic flow in order to enable the spell's success.

Arthur had contacted all his siblings. Only Venus and Burak had come. Of course, Idar and Leon lived the farthest, in South Africa and New Zealand, so they wouldn't have made it in time anyway. But Arthur would always remember that Burak and Venus were the ones who responded to his call, when no one would have blamed them had they refused. After all, the life of one person wasn't worth starting a reign of terror for.

But they had come, and Arthur owed them.

Venus and Burak came down the steps just then, Venus sat beside him while Burak grinned and continued down to sit next to Elle.

"Good to see you alive and well, sister-in-law," he said, throwing his remaining arm around the back of her chair. Elle turned her head, the hood shading her expression from Arthur. But the bond came alive with mirth. It never ceased to amaze him, how she'd embraced the darkness within him and brought it to life with the colors of her soul.

"Hello to you too, brother-in-law," she looked around. "Where is your vampire sidekick?"

"Vampire sidekick?"

"Yeah, the pretty vampire with blue eyes. Hilda."

"Do you have a crush on my vampire, Elle?"

"No, I have a crush on your brother," she said. "I just want to thank her for sticking around and keeping me safe while I was unconscious."

"I'll relay the emotion. Although we did admittedly arrive a bit late," Burak grinned. "I think you should invest in a pirate patch."

Elle cocked her head. "You know, I think you might be onto something. That's actually a decent idea," she said. "Who knew under that handsome head of yours there was some brain left."

"The fact that you think my head is handsome attests to your good taste."

"The fact that your takeaway from what I said was that attests to your overinflated ego."

Arthur almost smiled. Venus chuckled softly next to him. "Heaven helps us, they understand each other. You might be getting more visits from Burak in the future, he wouldn't be able to resist your mate."

"I would not mind the idea. She seems to enjoy his company, as surprising as that is," Arthur said.

Venus looked at him for a long time. Then she sighed and switched her gaze to Elle. "Careful, Arthur. Having a weakness might destroy you."

"Elle is not a weakness," he said. "But I know what you mean. And she is worth it."

She shook her head. "I don't understand you."

"I don't expect you to. But I hope you will, someday." He was sincere, too. He'd always had a soft spot for Venus, among all his siblings. Oh, he had no delusions. She was ruthless and cutthroat, a power in her own right. She did not stay alive and in power for nothing. But she was also the one with the softest heart among them. Before Elle, he had seen it as a sign of vulnerability, but now he knew better. It took courage and a great deal of resilience to keep one's heart gentle even after centuries of living.

"I heard you have informed the High Council that the Seer will go with you."

"Yes."

"They are not happy."

Arthur shrugged. "They will deal. The fae are fine with it, the witches are in this mess up to their eyeballs, as Elle says, so they have no room to complain if they want to regain their footing in the community. The Shapeshifters don't care as long as it does not concern them."

"And the Five?"

Arthur smiled. "We'll put it to a vote, as usual."

"Let me guess, you have Burak and Leon's votes already."

"Yes."

"So my vote and Idar's don't matter."

"I value your opinion, so I will be honest with you," he said. "I'm taking her with us because Elle wishes for it. I don't have any intention of making use of the Seer's powers. At least, not yet."

Venus raised her brows. "I see. And if I want access to her?"

"You are welcome to it. If the Seer chooses to see you, it should not be a problem. But Elle has grown protective of the woman. It would be the Seer's choice."

Venus leaned back in her seat and looked at the back of Elle's head. She was in some silly back and forth with Burak and Irene. The trio seemed to have found entertainment in each other's company. "She is protecting the woman's freedom, then. Good."

Silence fell over the chamber. Orion, dressed in a dark red robe, walked in through the entrance at the side of the circular stage. His hand held chains that bound his brother's wrists and ankles. The chains were silver, and Orion's hand was bare. It was a point no one would miss. He was embracing his own culpability in the gate scheme; leaving his throne to his brother and enabling him the power to go through dark plans under his own nose.

Rion was dressed in a black robe. It hung off his hunched shoulders. Without his entourage, without his jewelry and silk and crown, he looked pitiful.

Orion led his brother to the ranks of criminals and pushed him down a chair. Elle's father took a seat at the bottom row, facing his brother. The bond twisted with pain and sorrow. Seeing her father's rigid countenance while his world crashed around him affected her deeply. And what she'd planned to do made her feel even more guilty. But she had to do it.

The current speaker of the High Council entered the chamber, dressed in an all black suit and carrying a wooden staff almost as high as she was tall. A witch. Her cool, black skin glinted under the lights. She stood in the center of the stage and tapped the staff on the floor three times. The sound echoed through the extensive space.

"The High Council is in session."

Silence claimed the chamber. The speaker turned to face the convicts. "The chained immortals present here today are part of the scheme that almost shook the world. Opening a gate to the other realm has been forbidden since the beginning of our history, after it had plunged the world in waves of carnage and blood and death.

"Along with two hundred more individuals who will be tried in absentia. They have been apprehended as a result of the investigation and are in secure holding facilities.

"Before we begin, it must be noted that Lord Arthur has claimed the Right of Mate to punish the witch, Rami, the previous fae king's advisor. Rami has kidnapped and harmed Lady Elle, Lord Arthur's mate. The Right of Mate precedes all rights of judgements in all crimes."

A wave of whispers broke through the attendees. The speaker stomped her staff once. They fell quiet.

"We will begin with the fae, Rion of the Royal Blood. Before rendering judgment, we've been informed that a person wishes to claim the Right of Blood to punish Rion. For those who want to claim their Right, step forward."

The Right of Blood was claimed by people who had lost a loved one to the culprit.

Elle rose. All eyes turned to her. Her eyes caught Arthur's as she turned to the steps.

It will be fine.

She took a deep breath and strode down the stairs. The speaker continued. "The High Council has found Lady Elle's claim to be sufficient. The witnesses had given their testimony, the verity of which was verified by Lady Venus. What is more, Rion has admitted to his role in killing Robert Walsh.

"Is there anyone who wishes to refute Lady Elle's claim?"

Arthur looked around. Everyone avoided his gaze. Good. Anyone who stepped forth would have a death wish. He hadn't been able to protect Elle as he would have liked, but he would give her this.

Elle reached the stage. She stood facing the Speaker. "How do you choose to settle your blood debt, Lady Elle?"

"A fight to the death," Elle surprised everyone by saying. If she had decided to cut Rion's head off right then and there, no one would have blinked an eye. It was a testament to her elegance and honor that she chose a fair fight.

When she'd told him of her plans for taking care of Rion, Arthur had been livid. She'd simply sat down and listened as he went on about all the things that could go wrong and how he wouldn't let her do it. Then she patted his arm. They both knew she didn't need his permission.

"Weapons?" The Speaker asked.

"No weapons," Elle replied, her words ringing loud and clear. A buzz of voices descended on the chamber.

The Speaker recovered from her surprise, blinking her wide dark eyes. "Very well. It is decided."

She gestured, and a guard emerged from the edges of the stage and unlocked the chains around Rion. The previous king stood and shrugged off his cloak, his green eyes dark with hatred and contempt.

Elle pulled off her hoodie and threw it to the edge of the stage. Dressed in a tank top and cargo pants, she looked awfully small and vulnerable. Her hair was nothing but a blond peach fuzz on her head. Arthur's heart clenched. He loved her hair as much as she did, maybe more. But she had been burned on the side of her head and half of it had been gone, so she decided to shave it off. Her body and face was littered with scars, her muscles not as toned as they used to be because of the silver. But she carried herself with an inborn grace, moving like a fighter, her eyes sharp.

Rion stood taller than Elle by almost a head. Even under the silver's influence, with his gray shirt and pants hanging off his frame, his body still looked big enough to do damage. Arthur strangled the urge to reach over with his magic and shatter every bone on the man's body.

The speaker moved back, giving them space. The stage was theirs. Arthur fisted his hand on his thigh and kept completely still. Elle wanted to do this on her own.

"Your little fae is brave," Venus said. "Perhaps recklessly so."

"She will kill him."

"She is injured. She lost her eye only days ago. She is not yet accustomed to fighting without the full range of her vision."

"She will kill him." Arthur's voice was calm and measured, unlike his insides.

Rion shot forward and swung his fist. Elle jumped back, out of his reach, and circled him. He eyed her with dark green eyes.

Then she lunged at him, almost flying. She held his head in both hands and kneed him in the nose. The crack sounded loud. For a moment, she was suspended midair, a beautiful avenging angel. Then she rolled over his head and landed swiftly on her feet. Rion cradled his nose and turned to face her.

She jumped forward again, light on her feet, and launched a series of punches. Rion raised his arms to shield his head. Elle was too fast for him to dodge. Right hook. Jab. Left hook. Rion knocked aside her next jab and threw a punch of his own. She dodged, but the next one caught her in the stomach.

Arthur felt the echo of her pain in his own ribs. Rion kicked her side. Elle parried, catching his leg and pulling him toward her fist. It connected with his nose again. Rion growled and twisted in the air. She let him go before his other foot could touch her and jumped back.

Rion righted himself and followed, keeping himself on her blind side.

"He's focusing all his attacks on her blind side," Venus mumbled next to him.

Elle whirled around to keep him in her line of sight. She was faster than Rion and a better fighter. But he was more experienced and, Arthur was loath to admit it, a decent fighter. With her vision compromised, he might just have an edge on her.

She looked left and right. She'd lost sight of him. Rion threw a hard kick at her back that threw her forward.

Arthur gripped his thigh harder. If she'd just use her other senses, she would know where he was. But Elle had learned to fight using visual cues, it was difficult to grow accustomed to using her new sense of smell in the heat of a fight.

Elle rolled on the floor and stood up in a smooth move. She ran forward, using her superior speed, and barreled into Rion. They rolled together on the ground. Elle ended up on top. She grabbed his head and hit it on the stage, the back of Rion's head made a cracking noise. Taking advantage of her uncle's disoriented state, she grabbed his collar and punched. One. Two. Three. Vicious punches that made his blood spatter all over her top and face.

With a loud grunt, Rion threw her off of him. She rolled to her feet. Rion was on her right side, a punch to her stomach that had her crouching, spitting blood. He landed his elbow on her back and held her, driving his knee in her stomach. Her arms, guarding her belly and face, bore the brunt of that kick.

When he kicked again she grabbed his leg and rose with a cry, his heavy body over her shoulder in a fireman's carry. She let herself fall on her back, landing on him. Rion's back crunched on the floor.

Noah whistled. "Nice."

Elle quickly twisted, holding her uncle in a headlock. Rion rolled back and threw her hold off.

Elle jumped to her feet and looked left and right again. She whirled around and Rion moved with her, keeping himself in her blind angle. He got close enough to land two front kicks in quick succession on her ribs. Arthur felt them on his. They must be broken. Elle parried Rion's left hook and kicked his stomach. He skidded several feet from her, looking no worse for wear.

Rion held the upper hand.

He would break every bone in her body that way, taking advantage of her blind eye. Noah leaned forward, fisting his hands together. In the front seats, Orion rose and fisted his hand by his side. The need to intervene written on every line of his body. Arthur understood the man perfectly.

The immortals around all seemed to wear grave expressions. They felt the fight was already in Rion's favor. No one had expected her to win in a fair fight against him, and now their suspicions were being proved true. Arthur knew better. He knew Elle's skills and strength, they ran deeper than anyone else could ever expect.

Come on, love. You can do it, Arthur thought.

"She is not using her magic," Venus said.

No, she wouldn't. She knew she had to take his life, it left a bad taste in her mouth already, so she wanted it to be as fair a fight as possible.

Arthur felt her sudden determination through the bond.

Elle took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Everything stopped. Even Rion froze, looking flabbergasted at the new development.

"What is she doing?" Noah whispered, it was the most agitated Arthur had ever heard him.

"Shh." Arthur leaned forward and smiled. Leave it to Elle to decide to learn how to fight with her other senses now, in the middle of an actual fight to the death.

By going completely blind, she took away Rion's advantage of using her blind side and focused all her energy on her useful senses. But now she had to learn how to fight using them.

Burak laughed softly in front of him. "She's either crazy or a genius."

Rion recovered from his shock and lunged at her. Elle turned towards him. She guarded against his first punch, but his kick took her side.

Arthur closed his own eyes and focused on the bond, melting his senses into the feedback he received through it. The smell of blood, sweat and silver moving around her. The rustle of clothes and the rattle of breaths. The rush of air on her face right before a fist connected.

Arthur opened his eyes. Elle hunched over with her guard up, protecting her head and most of her upper body the best she could. Rion kicked and punched. When he tried to target her back, she turned with him to keep him in front of her.

She kept Rion from targeting her vital points at a high cost. Elle's learning curve lasted several, long minutes. Until he could see her arms turn blue and feel the ache of her legs in his bones.

Then everything changed.

It was like a switch was flicked on. Rion punched. Eyes still closed, Elle caught Rion's wrist with her hand and pulled. Her forehead caught Rion's nose. By this point, Rion's nose was just mush on his bloody face.

"She's vicious. Oh, I do love her," Venus said with a smile.

Surprised, Rion faltered. Elle's uppercut cracked something in his jaw. He managed to dislodge her hold on his wrist and stepped out of her reach.

Rion circled her very slowly. Elle turned with him. She knew exactly where he was.

Arthur breathed out and leaned back. It was just a matter of time now.

As soon as Rion stepped within an arm reach of Elle, she landed a blow or latched into his fist or kick. Her feet barely moved, anchoring her. Her movements grew sharper, more efficient. Her speed increased while Rion tired. Bit by bit, despair weighed down Rion's actions.

Then Rion lost his cool and lunged at Elle with all the strength he had left, which wasn't much. Elle twisted out of the way at the very last moment, moving one foot back and angling her body sideways. Rion lost his balance. Elle hit the back of his head with her elbow, already severely injured, pushing him the rest of the way down.

With fast movement Arthur could barely track with his eyes, Elle knelt on Rion's back and twisted his right arm back. She held the wrist, twisted and pulled.

Crack.

Rion's scream heralded his right arm breaking. He tried throwing her off. Elle grunted and tightened her legs around him. She twisted his left arm next.

Crack.

Her breathing grew choppy. She opened her eye. It glowed. The bond burned with the twisted darkness of bloodlust. Arthur absorbed the twisted darkness into his.

Elle bared her teeth as she pulled Rion's leg back, her fangs gleamed.

Crack.

She broke him, bit by bit, driven by the painful memory of Robert's last moments and ten years worth of a helpless desire for revenge.

Crack.

The sound of breaking bones echoed in the deathly quiet chamber.

There was something dangerously mesmerizing about watching Elle exact justice. Her face reflected all the emotions blazing the bond. Anger and pain and grief. Relief and sadness and guilt.

Rion lost consciousness.

Elle stood over his broken body, heaving and exhausted. She knelt on his back again and pulled his head back.

Locking her arm around his neck, she closed her eyes, pulled and twisted with all her strength. Another crack.

But a broken neck would not kill an immortal.

She turned him on his back and ripped open his tunic. Her nails sharpened into claws. With a set jaw, she punched the knifelike claws into his chest. Over and over and over again, until her hand was buried deep in the cavity of his chest. She rummaged inside, twisting her hand until she found what she was looking for and snatched it out.

She stood with the organ still beating in her hand. Blood dripped down on the ground, too loud in the shocked silence. She threw aside the heart.

Magic pulled, and blue flames swallowed the heart of Robert's killer. Seconds later, nothing was left of it.

Tears streamed down Elle's face. Quiet, stubborn tears. She dragged the back of her hand across her cheek, only succeeding in smearing tears with blood, then looked at her shaking hands.

Everyone looked at her like she was the new monster they feared. Hypocritical, since most of them were capable of far worse cruelties. But no one had expected the young female, who'd spent years of her life as a human, to be as strong and as dangerous as she proved herself to be.

It's over.

Elle looked up. Her eyes met his. She blinked. Then she was walking up the steps with steady strides. Arthur rose and waited for her, then walked up behind her the rest of the way up to the door in the back.

He followed through the hallways to the ladies' room.

Elle's face looked sallow under the bright light of the bathroom. Her boots clicked on the white marble. She stood in front of the counter, looking at her bloodied hands.

A glance at the stalls told Arthur they were alone. He closed the distance between them and turned on the faucet. Running water sounded loud in the silence. Taking Elle's hands, he put them under the water. The sight of crimson staining the white sink snapped her out of her daze. She scrubbed her hands together. Arthur squeezed some soap over her hands. She continued to scrub furiously, while the bright red turned to pink, and until the water ran clear again, then she washed her face.

Arthur leaned on the counter and watched her. Slowly, her eyes regained life and sparkled like the most beautiful emeralds. Face clean and dripping, she leaned her hands on the counter and blew a deep breath.

"I killed him."

"You did."

She looked at Arthur. "I should feel guilty."

"Yet you don't." And it bothered her, Arthur knew even though he didn't understand. The kill was duly justified.

While Elle was brought up a fighter, Arthur was brought up a killer. He rarely, if ever, felt guilt about ending a life.

"I... don't know." Her brows furrowed as she looked at her reflection. "I feel good that he's dead, that I finally avenged uncle Robert's death."

She made a face. "Am I turning into you, Arthur?"

Arthur chuckled. "I doubt that is possible. I wouldn't have given Rion a quick death like you did."

"It wasn't exactly quick." She sighed, her expression cleared. "Maybe that's exactly why I feel bad. I could have just killed him, but I dragged it out. I enjoyed my revenge, but I didn't enjoy the process, I guess."

"Yet you did it, anyway," Arthur said. "Why?"

Bright clear eyes snapped to him. "As a message to everyone. If you touch one of my people, I will exact revenge and it won't be swift or pretty."

Arthur nodded and turned her to face him, his hand on her shoulder. "That, right there, is the difference between us, my love. Maybe I wouldn't have enjoyed punishing him, but it wouldn't have bothered me in the slightest. But it's bothering you, It was difficult for you, yet you did it anyway. That, in my opinion, makes you a stronger person than I am."

Her lips twitched up. Some of the life returned to her face. "I like what you're saying, my Lord. Do tell me more."

Arthur smiled and hugged her. Her muscles relaxed under his arm.

She sighed. "I want to leave already."

"So leave. I will call Charles to escort you back."

She pulled back and grinned. "Okay, but send Irene, too."

Arthur tugged on her earlobe. "You're enjoying their predicament a little too much."

"Let me have my fun where I can find it," she said. "What about you?"

"I still have to attend the council," he said. And he had some unfinished business to attend to.

Elle narrowed her eyes at him, as if feeling the incomplete truth in his words. "Okay. Then we'll go home?"

"Then we'll go home." And for the first time in a long time, Arthur was looking forward to it.

Shortly after the proceedings of the council were over, Arthur closed the door of the cell behind him. He wanted to be with Elle, on a plane heading back home. But he still had something to take care of.

The four mercenaries who occupied the space straightened, then froze. Arthur locked his eyes on the bearded man in one corner and stalked towards him. His eyes widened, and his face shone with sweat under what little light filtered from under the door.

Arthur crouched in front of the man and cocked his head aside.

"Do you know why I'm here?"

The man's eyes shifted away and he shook his head. Oh, he knew alright. Arthur smiled. "You touched something you are not supposed to touch. Which hand was it, left or right?"

The man gulped, but stayed quiet.

"Left or right, choose. Or it will be both."

"R-right," the man rasped.

Arthur smiled, and the man's screams echoed in the dungeons. Left it is.

END.

--- ---- ---

And here we aaare! The End. Except it's not really the end. I have so many ideas about the sequels.

Arthur and Elle's story is not over yet, but we're going to begin with Noah! His story will start going live in a couple of days, so stay tuned.

Big thanks to everyone who read Blue Flames from beginning to end and stayed patient as I struggled through finishing it.

I know it's far from perfect, so I'm thankful to everyone who loved it and took the time to comment and leave me kind messages. Thank you so much!

Much love <3

M.B.