Chapter 40

FORTY

COLLINS

It was deja-vu. It was all the same, like no matter how many of these stolen stones I returned, they would celebrate them all equally. I hadn’t hesitated or taken my time returning Helena’s peridot or Tephine’s diamond. Hell, I couldn’t believe we’d even managed to get Tephine’s stone. Just like before, everything was silent and then lit up at once. Those two pillars rose from the ground at my sides. On top of each pillar was a small tripod-looking pedestal. I placed the stones on them and once again the forks of the tripod wound up around the stones like crystal vines, encompassing the stones completely. As they glowed even brighter, I did a little happy wiggle dance with a shit-eating grin on my face.

Go, my pretties. You’re free now. Join your family. Be at peace!

The crystals all flared to life with bright colors, and I could’ve sworn they were even more bold this time. Those beams shooting up to the heavens were screaming vibrantly. They wanted all the realms to see they’d finally gotten Tephine’s stone back. The stones trembled. The sound of cracking ice filled the air. The wind kicked up and sent my hair flying. The stones all rose a foot off the ground and started to spin around me. Their speed increased until the stones became a glowing blur. The beams of light wove together in a rainbow of colors above my head like little strings spinning around each other. They shot up to the air and colorful lightning forked over the sky, then shot down around Crystal Henge. Chunks of ice flew in the air. This time, the booming of each strike made me giggle.

It was about over so I started to relax but then the snow started to pop like popcorn, bouncing and hopping over the surface of the stones. Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s happening?

Bash’s hands gripped my waist and then I was flying backwards. All of the snow covering Crystal Henge shot straight up into the air, whistling like bottle rockets. Bash pulled me flush against his chest, his arms around my waist. I gripped his arms, but I couldn’t look away. There was a beat of silence, then the snow exploded. It was fireworks to envy a Las Vegas show. My jaw dropped. One after another, snow rocketed up to the sky and burst into bright white embers that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Rainbow streaks spread from each spark. It reminded me of the grand finale fireworks show at Disneyland that I saw as a kid.

And then the snow fell softly back down.

Tephine shrieked in the distance.

“Well, that was new,” Bash said with a chuckle.

The cackle I cackled.

The two pillars lowered back into the ground, and everything went right back to where it was. All of Crystal Henge went quiet save for this gentle humming sound, but it was a happy sound.

I turned in Bash’s arms and screamed into the air over his shoulder, “HOW’S THAT FEEL, BITCH?”

Bash snickered. “Yeah, she’s still alive and powerful. Let’s not get too carried away, my love.”

“Fine, fine. You’re right,” I grumbled. But when I turned back to Crystal Henge, I remembered something, so I pushed away from my soulmate and scurried back over. I knelt down in the snow and smiled up at the powerful crystals. “Chaos, I’ve returned the stolen stones. I’m sorry I had to take the piece of hematite. I didn’t do it lightly. I will get it back for you as soon as possible. I promise.”

MoVaun requested the hematite, the Chaos Stone purred to me. That is not your price to pay.

My eyes widened. My jaw dropped. “You’re not upset about that stone . . . So have I proven myself to you now?”

“ Collins, ” Bash whispered, drawing my attention to him just as he knelt down in the snow beside me. “Take my stone. Give it back.”

I flinched. “What? No. I can’t. You’ll lose your powers?—”

“They were never mine. This stone was never mine.” His voice was soft and quiet. He put his hand on mine. “We returned the others. It’s time to give mine back.”

“But it’s not the same. You’re not like them?—”

“Exactly, my love.” He reached up and ripped the collar of his turtleneck shirt down to reveal his large sparkling moonstone right in the center of his chest. With a smile, he took my hand and pressed my palm to his stone. “Regardless of my intentions now or when I got this, it was not ours to demand. For Mother to demand. Chaos wants me to prove I’m not her.”

I stared up at him, gauging his aura, but I found only calm peace. “You’re sure.”

“I am.” He smiled.

“What if this hurts? We never actually stopped to ask the other?—”

“It doesn’t matter if it hurts. It’s the right thing.” He pressed my hand harder against his skin. “I’m tough. I can handle it. I trust you.”

I exhaled roughly and nodded. “Okay.”

Then I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see pain in his eyes. I didn’t want to see anything happen to him. But the thing was, this stone and I had gotten to know each other. It felt like we had a good relationship. Hell, it had been super helpful. So, I just called out to it the way I always did. Hello again, my friend. Can you hear me?

Instantly, I saw my own face in my mind, sitting there with my eyes closed and a deep frown. The stone felt confused and a little worried. Its energy pulsed.

Don’t be nervous. Bash wants to set you free.

I saw a rapid-fire slideshow of my soulmate’s face over the years.

Yes. Him. All of the other stones Tephine claimed for her family have been returned to Crystal Henge now. I smiled and pushed my magic into his chest. It’s your turn now. Time to be free. All you have to do is jump off and I’ll carry you home.

I wasn’t really sure how to remove a stone gently. The others had either been dead or monsters who deserved pain. But this was Bash. So I tried to give the move to the stone itself, since I’d learned these stones had minds of their own. I just pushed my magic into the narrow crevice between the stone’s edge and his skin and waited.

I’ll count for you, okay? Trust me. In three . . .

Two . . .

ONE!

The stone popped off his body like pulling a suction cup off a window. It landed in my palm and was warm to the touch. I covered it with my other hand and smiled. Thank you. When I opened my eyes, I found Bash smiling down at me with a shimmer in his eyes. I looked down and pulled my hand off to reveal the stone . . . and my mind ran away from me.

I remembered seeing a small boy with pale-blue hair and the lightest blue eyes sitting all alone playing with snow like it was sand at the beach, building castles with happy peace on his face. A soft song spilled from his lips, and it soothed the ache in the stones. Little Bash just sat there shirtless playing in the snow bare-handed, which now made so much more sense with his father’s true identity.

Little Bash smiled down at the crystals and whispered, “ Please give me a nice one. I’ll be nice to it. ”

I remembered seeing the images of him sitting within the stones of Crystal Henge, just reading or humming a soft tune as he sharpened his weapons. It was hard to combine the Bash I knew and the Bash that was the son of this Thaddeus . . . with the leader of the army we’d been at war with. But that wasn’t this stone’s problem. Crystal Henge had given him quite a weapon that he’d used carefully, and returning it was the right thing to do.

“You’re free now, my friend.”

I started to get up to deliver it the way I had the others but then it just lifted off my palm and shot straight across Crystal Henge without me touching it. The stone flew over to a tall snow-covered stone that I recognized in an instant, I’d touched that one before. The snow parted like a curtain, and Bash’s stone disappeared into the stone.

Blue flames billowed from beneath the snow, flickering in a breeze that didn’t reach us. We sat in silence, just watching. The other stones began to glow softly, like there was a dimmer switch on them—bright enough to see but not too much to sting the eyes. It was comfortable and cozy. The blue flames hopped down to the snow on the ground, then made a circle around Crystal Henge like it was making some kind of protection barrier.

I think I owe him an apology over the blue flames thing. At least now we both knew why he’d been so damn obsessed with them . . . and why they were as obsessed with him. No wonder he saw them on our way to MoVaun. No wonder the vials with them grabbed his entire attention. I just kept seeing what he did to Thaddeus’s army in my mind, and the way he stole Tephine’s stone. It didn’t scare me. It actually was easier to wrap my head around than his sensory deprivation. That was the single most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced. This new magic of his was more in tune with mine and Ellie’s. It was elemental. Besides, who could be afraid of blue flames when Savina’s Red Widow was loose in the realm around me.

For all of the other seven stones we returned, there was a Hollywood-worthy celebratory display. But Bash’s was more like a little kid running to their grandmother standing at the front door waiting for them to arrive. It was a peaceful welcome home.

“Do you feel okay?”

He sighed. “Yes. I am fine. That was . . . that felt good. And it was beautiful.”

I nodded. “Is that enough Chaos? Have we proven ourselves yet?”

Almost.

“ Almost? ” I cried and felt Bash stiffen beside me. “What more do I do? I’ll do anything.”

Anything?

I nodded. “Anything. ”

To prove you’re not her, hand over control. I will kill Tephine, return the realm back to thriving life, and bring peace to everyone within. I will do everything. You just have to hand over control. Do you accept?