All Chapters of The Fierce Little Thing And Her Five Mates: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

LayahI was six years old when the revolution happened. Seven when they came for my family and the magic wielders my parents had been hiding.There was an ungodly roar in the middle of the night, deep and ear-splitting, something not of this world. It shook the earth beneath our house, rattled the windows, and made the lanterns flicker out. My mother burst into my room, barefoot and breathless, her nightgown clinging to her body. I can still smell the rosemary oil she always wore, still see the way her hands trembled as she grabbed me from my bed. She pulled me toward the floorboards, the ones beneath the rug near my closet. A space only meant for hiding, not surviving. “Quick, Layah,” she whispered urgently, pushing open the hatch and guiding me down into the cramped, dark hollow. “You must stay quiet. No matter what you hear, no matter what you feel. Do you understand? Not a peep.” Tears welled in her eyes as she leaned in to kiss my forehead. “I love you, my sweet little girl. You a

LayahI sleep for exactly two hours. No more, no less. That’s all I allow myself after my watch shift ends and before Jordan gently shakes my shoulder to wake me. Sleep comes in short bursts these days, any longer and I start dreaming and in dreams, I see fire. I see wings. I hear screaming. So two hours is more than enough. We huddle around the makeshift table in the center of our hidden shelter, the cold mountain stone beneath us damp with condensation. I blink away the last dregs of sleep as I smooth out the worn, hand-drawn map in front of us. The edges are frayed and some lines are faded, but I know this layout by heart. I made it myself. “One more time,” I murmur, my voice low but firm as I tap the map with my finger. “We enter through this cave entrance. The tunnel system should take us directly beneath Damicus’ home. Meanwhile, the rest of the group creates a diversion on the opposite side of the village.” Jordan nods beside me, his face serious in the lantern light. I contin

LayahI nearly run headfirst into Jordan as he rounds the corner into the living room, blood staining his clothes and dripping from a shallow cut along his temple. “Is it done?” I pant, chest heaving. “He’s dead. I tied up the wife,” he says briskly. “You... killed my dad?” a voice says behind me, sharp with disbelief. I whirl around to find Dylan standing there. His golden eyes are wide, mouth slightly open, like he’s still trying to make sense of the words. Jordan lifts his arm instinctively, blade ready, but I grab his wrist and shove it down. “We had to,” I say tightly, not breaking Dylan’s gaze. He blinks rapidly. “You what?” His voice cracks on the last word. He takes a half-step back, looking like he just got punched. “You’re serious. You really… killed him?” “He was part of the council,” I say softly. “He had blood on his hands.” Dylan’s jaw tightens. He’s breathing heavily now, hands clenched at his sides. “You don’t know everything he did. He was my dad. He—” His voi

Dylan.Okay, so this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time with these guys. Yeah, they killed my dad, I mean that’s not great, even if I didn’t really like him that much, he did some really awful shit to these people, but he was still my dad. I can understand why it had to happen, plus it all led me to my cute little fairy doll. It does sting though. I’ve heard everyone here calling her ‘Slayer’, which I thought was a bit of an odd name, especially for a fairy, but after to talking to Jordan for a bit I’ve learned that her name is Layah. They call her slayer because she’s ruthless on the battlefield and she’s saved everyone’s life here at least once or twice and has the highest body count amoungst the group. My little mate is fierce. I like that I’m currently walking with Jordan at the front of the line, while Layah has dropped to the back. I can still smell her heavenly scent, so I know she’s safe. She’s probably just busy making sure her family is all safe. Speaking of what a coo

Once Layah has dropped down the hole, I expect that I’ll need to lower the animals down to her. To my utter surprise, each one floats away from my fingers and zips straight down by themselves. That little minx, she didn’t need my help at all, no, she wanted it. I smile to myself as I climb down to where Layah is already magically passing off the animals and orders to the group. Everyone seemingly comes together effortlessly to do a simple task of preparing a meal. It’s wholesome to watch. Back at my home, meals weren’t ever like this. People are chatting happily while they work on skinning the animals, others are setting up ruck sacks on the ground to eat upon, some are pulling out bundles of firewood they must have gathered previously. It’s not an ideal situation, a meal in a sewage line, but these people are happy simply because they’re alive and together. “Did you have fun?” Jordan appears beside me from where I apparently haven’t moved an inch since I arrived back. “Yeah, it wa