Chapter 11

ELEVEN

COLLINS

“I am so trippin’ right now.” Tallulah exhaled roughly.

“Get them out of here.” Philip leapt into a sprint. He was inside the glass doors before I could pick my jaw up off the ground.

“ What? WHAT? Why? How? Who is . . . what is . . . MOM? ” I whined and put my hands on my head to try and slow the spinning of my thoughts. “Where’s he going? Where’s Vic? What’s a portal?”

Mom grimaced. “We don’t have time to explain right now?—”

“Like hell you don’t!” I screamed and stomped my foot like a petulant child. “I’ve been attacked by monsters. My mother has wings, and my stepfather turned into a bird.”

Mom stepped forward and her gold and turquoise wings spread wide on each side of her. She twirled her wrists and her long swords shrank until they were the size of her palm, then she slid them into the holsters on her thighs. She arched one blonde eyebrow at me and pointed to the sky. “Do you want to be attacked again?”

My pulse skipped and my stomach tightened. “No.”

“Then you’re going to have to trust your mother for a little bit longer.” She pulled her phone out and typed, then shoved it back into her pocket. “We need to get somewhere safe. I promise I will explain everything once we are.”

“Tonight?”

Tallulah nodded. “Yes. Answers. Tonight.”

“Tonight.” She nodded and held her arms out. “But we need to move. Now. I’m going to fly us, but don’t freak out. I will not drop you.”

“Saying that does not make me feel confident,” Tallulah grumbled.

I groaned and then dove for her. She wrapped her arm around my waist and hugged me tight to her body. Tallulah grumbled but copied me. Mom’s fingers tightened on my waist. The smell of her Dove soap was so familiar and comforting that it actually helped bring my racing pulse down a notch.

“In three . . . two . . . one . . .” She whispered something, and our feet left the ground. “Just close your eyes.”

I listened. I’d seen enough. My mind needed a break. I squeezed my eyes shut and relished the dark numbness the backs of my eyelids provided. The air was bitter cold without wind, so flying was painfully cold. I shivered and my teeth rattled. You’re fine. This is fine. She would never drop you.

“Landing in three . . . two . . . one . . .”

My feet touched solid ground. Relief washed through me. I took a few deep breaths and then opened my eyes—and gasped. Across the street the bright lights of The Mirage and Treasure Island flashed and sparkled. I knew exactly where we were before I turned, yet still I turned to face the front of the Venetian Hotel and Casino.

The hotel was built almost entirely of an ivory-colored stone that really stood out against the black night sky. I’d always liked this particular hotel because the architect had paid close close attention to the details. From the internet searches I’d done of Venice, Italy they seemed to have captured their syle with all the archways – both curved and pointed. Every archway was lit was a bright white light. There were tall columns and little ones that made into railings. There were statues of – well, I had no idea who the statues were of. The front facade of the building was painted with a subtle yet interesting diamond-shape pattern.

And of course, it wouldn’t have been Venice without the water and gondola rides. There was a cute little man-made river that curved around the front of the building that actually went inside the hotel. People could pay to take gondola rides on those quirky little boats with the dudes standing on the back, just like in Italy. The red and white striped poles in front of us marked where the rides started but it was late so no one was out here.

“ Mom? ”

I jumped and spun around. Victoria sat on the ground, leaning against the railing with the triplets lying on the floor beside her. They were sound asleep, which was surprising since it was only like nine on a Saturday night. Las Vegas Boulevard was thriving with energy and activity. There were so many noises. The boys should have been bouncing off the walls, yet they were out cold. Meanwhile, Victoria sat tossing a dagger in the air and catching it.

A slow smile spread across her face, but it was a little sad looking. She jumped to her feet. “Where’s Philip?”

“Handling the cops.” Mom marched forward and picked Brandon up off the floor. She half-threw him over her shoulder. His little red curls tangled in with her white feathers. “Let’s be right at the portal for the second he arrives. Can you hand me another one of them?”

“No way. You need at least one hand free, just in case.” She scooped Brantley off the ground. “Did you tell them anything yet?”

“Nothing. She told us nothing . . .” I rubbed my temples. “So, what’s a portal?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.” Victoria winked, but it felt forced. There was a hesitation in her eyes, a worry and concern I sensed but couldn’t quite see. “A way to travel between places. Particularly far places.”

I wrapped my arms around my waist. “Why aren’t we just going home?”

“Because home is no longer safe.” Mom hopped over the railing and onto the narrow dock for the gondola attraction. “We have to leave Vegas.”

No longer safe. My mind flashed images of Bastien and the woman with pink hair. I groaned and squirmed. “Because of them? That pink-haired?—”

“Venus. Her name is Venus, and that’s her brother, Bastien. And yes, because of them.”

“Wait, leaving Vegas forever?” Tallulah held her hand up in the air. “What about all of our stuff?”

Victoria bent down and picked up a black duffle bag. “I have our go-bag.”

“A go-bag? ” My eyes widened. “What the hell were you expecting?”

“Exactly this.” Mom held her hand out for the bag. “We’ll buy what we need when we get to the Island.”

“And this isn’t forever, just for now.” Victoria handed the bag over the railing to Mom. With impeccable grace, she hopped over the railing with Brantley in her arms. “Tallulah, grab Bradyn?”

A giant shadow dropped out of the sky, yet none of the tourists even glanced in the direction of the massive eagle that just landed. Philip ruffled his gray and gold feathers. That green magic swirled around his body and then he was human again.

“My brother is a damn eagle.” Tallulah picked up Bradyn. “Portals. You’re freaking me out.”

I looked back over to watch the change more carefully, but he was already in his human form, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt. He looked to each of us, like he was counting to make sure we were all there. He nodded, then marched to Tallulah and pulled my brother out of her hands.

“Hop over.” He waved to me. “Come on. We’re gonna miss the damn train.”

The railing was taller than I’d realized. At two inches over five foot, it was almost as tall as me, and the kitten heels only gave me an extra inch. I tried to push myself up and over the rail, but my arms trembled under my weight. Something soft yet firm scooped me off the ground—I flinched and looked down, only to find dark-gray feathers. Philip gently lifted me over the rail, then forced me to slide down to my feet.

“Thank God for long legs,” Tallulah mumbled under her breath as she easily hauled herself up and over.

I turned back to where both of our mothers stood at the end of the small dock. There were no railings, and the dock itself was a mere three feet wide at best. During the daytime, the water around us would be a bright, brilliant aquamarine that glistened in the sunlight and gave tropical vacation vibes. Right now, it was as dark as the gray clouds sliding over our heads.

“Okay . . . so . . . um, where is this portal?” I cleared my throat nervously and glanced around, but all I saw were the red and white striped poles.

“It’s right here.” Mom gave me an encouraging smile and then swung her arm to the side. The air sparkled and swirled with light in the shape of a rectangle—like a doorway.

My jaw dropped.

Tallulah cursed.

“Vic, go ahead through. You know the plan.”

Victoria turned to her daughter and nodded. “I’ll be waiting right on the other side.”

Without another word, she jumped into that swirling box of light and vanished from sight. We both gasped and took a step back.

“There are three different types of portals.” Mom pointed to the one behind her. “The first are ones like this, strictly one-way portals. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of them hidden around the world. However, each of these only bring you to one place—the same place—and that’s The Emerald in Manhattan.”

“That’s the headquarters for everything in this world,” Philip said softly from right behind us. “The direct connection to Heaven.”

Heaven? But my mouth made no noise.

“The second type of portal is a two-way portal. There’s only one of its kind and it’s inside The Emerald—” she cut herself off and looked at her watch. “Time to go. Collins, you’re first.”

“What? No. Wait. What? How?” I stuttered as she grabbed my wrist and dragged me to the edge of the portal. My pulse was flying so fast it was basically one solid beat. “Wait?—”

“Breathe, Collins.” She pressed her palm to my back. “I promise this is safe. Vic just went through and texted me. We’ve got the all-clear. She’s literally waiting just on the other side. All you have to do is step into it. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and jump. That’s all.”

“Wait for me,” Tallulah shouted and dove for me. She gripped my hand and squeezed. “We go together. Fight me.”

Mom rolled her eyes and smirked. “Fine. On the count of three, you jump. Okay?”

I nodded. It was certainly not okay, but I understood the assignment. My mind was reeling. This was madness. Insanity. This was too much to process all at once, and they hadn’t even explained anything.

“Three . . .”

My stomach tightened into knots.

“Two . . .”

I squeezed my eyes shut. Tallulah’s hand clutched mine hard.

“One—JUMP!”

Somehow, I did. My body obeyed her order, and my feet leapt off the dock. Tallulah’s hand in mine was the only reason I didn’t scream. Ice-cold air washed over my entire body. The brightest light I’d ever seen flashed through my closed eyelids. I sucked in a deep breath—and then my feet hit solid ground. The air warmed and stilled. That awful light vanished.

For a moment, I just stood there.

“Open your eyes, girls,” Vic said calmly. I felt her warm hand touched my shoulder. “You’re through.”

I opened my eyes, and my breath left me in a rush. We were inside of a building I’d never seen before, standing in the middle of a bank of five elevators. To my right was a hallway that led to God only knew where.

It looked like a regular hotel.

Vic gestured for us to move forward. She was the picture of serenity and calm, even with my sleeping brother in her arms.

“Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool,” Tallulah mumbled.

I nodded. “Chin up, tits out, right?”

She snorted and shook her head.

Cold energy tingled against my back and then my mother appeared behind us. She grinned, still clutching my brother with one arm. “See? No big deal.”

I laughed nervously. “Sure thing, Mom.”

She moved to stand beside us, then pointed to the elevator we obviously had just come out of. “This portal, if you go through it from here, will bring you anywhere in the world. All you have to do is think about it. Picture it in your mind and then jump in. The elevator is just a glamour. The doors aren’t there. Now, look at that plaque, the one with the eagle on it? That is the symbol for First Realm—which I’ll explain more in a bit—The Eagle.”

“Like Philip,” Tallulah said with a flat voice. “My brother, the damn eagle.”

As if she’d summoned him, light flashed in front of us and then Philip strolled through the portal with my third brother in his arms. He gave us a quick nod. “No big deal, right?”

“You’ve got to stop saying that.” I shook my head. “I don’t think it means what you think it means.”

He grinned, then reached out and took Brandon from my mother. “You take the girls through. Mom, with me. Sandy, meet you on the train.”

Mom nodded once and he jumped backwards, disappearing in a flash of light.

I gasped. “Wait, what? He went back?”

Mom ignored my question. She turned to Vic. “I’ve got them. You get my boys on that train tonight no matter what.”

“They won’t have figured out where we’ve gone this fast.” Victoria hugged Brantley to her chest and jumped into the portal.

Movement in my peripheral vision made me jump back. I turned to my left just in time to see a tall, bald black man with massive snow-white wings standing at the end of the hall. He held three tacos in each hand. His dark eyes met mine and held. He smiled, nodded, then turned and vanished down the hall.

My mom exhaled in a rush. She slid in between me and Tallulah and took our hands in hers. “Okay, let’s g?—”

A deep, masculine sigh echoed around the bank of elevators. My mom’s grip on my wrist tightened. When I glanced toward the sound, my heart stopped. A vicious looking man with midnight-black hair and sharp sapphire eyes stood in the same spot the taco man had just been. He, too, had big white wings, but he was dressed in all black and looked ready to murder anyone who breathed near him. He narrowed his eyes, made a point to check his watch, then arched one eyebrow at us.

I blinked and he was gone.

Mom cursed violently. “Come on, we have to go. Just close your eyes and picture darkness.”

She didn’t give us any more of a warning than that. We were dragged into the portal with her in the blink of an eye. I didn’t even have time to close my eyes or picture darkness before that bright light vanished and we hit solid ground again. These portals were instantaneous. It was bizarre and unsettling. I had so many questions.

Tallulah gagged. “Dear God, where are we?”

I exhaled the breath I’d unknowingly held and instantly wished I hadn’t. We were in the handicap stall of a bathroom—the single most disgusting bathroom I’d ever seen. The floors and walls were white tile, technically, but they were so filthy they were practically gray.

“Penn Station, Manhattan.” Mom grimaced and kicked open the stall door. “Don’t touch anything. Let’s go.”

The door slammed into the tile wall with a thud.

“Why’d we separate? Where’s Mom? Where’s my brother?”

“We couldn’t risk the boys being seen by those men we saw at The Emerald. It’s a long story. We’ll tell you shortly.” Without letting go of our hands, she marched out of the stall.

This was obviously a public bathroom, judging by the two dozen stalls, but it was disgusting. As we hurried by, I noticed that most of the stalls were unusable, like the women in New York didn’t know how to hover over a toilet without going on the toilet seat. Most of the toilets hadn’t even been flushed. There was toilet paper everywhere and the bins for feminine product disposal were overflowing. I’d only been in here a second or two, and I already craved a shower. I gagged at that unmistakable, pungent smell.

And then my mother’s words registered. “Wait, who were those men?”

“Araqiel and Zuriel.” Mom’s eyes filled with fear, and it chilled me to the bone. She held our hands tight as we stepped out of the empty bathroom and into a wide hallway with a row of fast-food chains lined up side-by-side. The smell wasn’t much better. “We have to hurry. Come on.”

“Where are they?”

“Meeting us at the train.”

“The train to this island we’re going to?”

Mom nodded. We rounded a corner, but I was having a hard time focusing on anything. There was too much. It was sensory overload. There weren’t nearly as many people around as I’d expected for New York City, but I had no idea what time it was. All of the shops and restaurants were closed, with their lights off and those metal gates over the entrances. I saw signs that had red circles with the numbers 1, 2, and 3 in them. Other signs said NJ Transit, LIRR, and Amtrak, but I only recognized the last one.

“Mom, which train are we taking?”

“And where to?”

“It’s the train to Megelle Island, and once we get on it, I promise I’ll start explaining things.” She frowned up at the track signs on the wall. “It’s the last train for the night. We have to get on it. New York is far too dangerous for us right now— where is the damn thing? ”

“You’ve never been here before?” Tallulah shrieked.

Mom groaned. “I haven’t been in at least a decade. And only twice. It’s right around here somewhere.”

“Which number is it?” I glanced back and forth. “We can help look.”

“It doesn’t have a number. It’s the Neverland Platform.” She sighed and slowed our pace. “You won’t find the sign unless you know where to look . . . because it’s hidden.”

I gasped. “ Hidden? ”

I had so many questions and still no answers. With every step we took, I had three more questions.

“Like Platform 9 ? kind of shit?”

“Yes, Tallulah, exactly like that.” She chuckled as she narrowed her eyes on the wall to the left. “Can’t have muggles stumbling onto our train— THERE! ”

She pulled us into a full-on sprint toward an unmarked open doorway. I tried to look for the marking for this Neverland Platform, but we were running too fast. We flew down a long flight of stairs to a train platform made of tan-gray stone. There was nothing unusual about this platform. In fact, it looked like the platforms in all the movies and television shows of New York City. Even the train itself was regular old silver, just like any other train you’d find.

“Really? That’s it?” Tallulah waved her arms around. “No brick walls to run through? No fancy, special trains?”

“I knew she’d say that,” Vic said with a laugh.

I peered around my mother and spotted Victoria, Philip, and all three of my sleeping brothers at the bottom of the stairs on the platform.

“Sorry, Daughter, this platform was built long before Harry Potter was.”

Tallulah scoffed. “Shape shifting and wings but no magical walls to run through? Weird.”

Despite everything, that made me chuckle. She wasn’t wrong.

“Jokes on the train, Tallulah.”

“Brother, chillax, we’re going as fast as our legs can take us.”

We got to the platform about ten steps later and that was when I noticed Philip stood literally in the doorway of the train, like he was fully prepared to keep them open by pure brute force. Even with one of my brothers in his arms.

“Mother, please. Get on the train now,” Philip said with exasperation.

Victoria smirked and waddled through the doorway with one kid in each arm. Mom stepped aside and gestured for me and Tallulah to go first. I hopped on and then slowed to a stop. I’d only been on a few trains in my life, but this was no different. The car we were in was empty except for us, which was nice. There were a few rows of seats that looked fairly comfortable. The first two rows faced each other so that a group of four could sit and talk.

Vic gently laid both boys down on the two seats that faced the door. She sighed and dropped down onto the seat opposite them, tossing the duffle bag on the seat beside her. “Philip, give him to me. You’re going to wake him with your nerves.”

My stepfather, though he felt more like a brother since Tallulah referred to him that way, marched by us to his mother and then slowly lowered my brother into her lap. In this moment, in their pajamas and sound asleep, I couldn’t tell who was who. Identifying identical triplets wasn’t always an easy thing. It usually came down to their personalities shining through the matching faces.

“Collins.”

I jumped and spun—and met my mother’s stare. “Y-yes?”

She smiled softly and pointed to her right. “Sit. Please.”

“You said answers were coming tonight?—”

“And they are, Tallulah.” Philip sighed.

I turned and found the two siblings sitting across from each other. I slid by and sank into the seat by the window. “Wait, which direction is this train going?—”

“You’re facing forward, I promise.” Philip smirked.

He knew I got motion sick if I was going backwards. I nodded just as the train rolled forward.

The doors behind us clicked open and an older man with half-moon glasses and rosy-pink cheeks strolled into our car. “Evening, folks. Tickets—oh, good. Y’all made it. I was watching you on the platform for a minute.”

Victoria reached into the black duffle bag and pulled out a stack of tickets. “Barely, thank God. I have all of ours.”

“There are a few blankets just through the door behind you, if your little ones need them.” He took the tickets and gave her a wink. “Have a lovely evening.”

I tried to smile, to thank him, but I’d reached my limit for calm.

I was anxious. Freaked out. It didn’t help that my mother paced the aisle of the car. She still wore her silver body armor dress with the shields on her forearms. With every step she took, the armored thigh-high boots made a clinking sound. Her gold wings fluttered and twitched.

The ticket-guy hadn’t paid any attention to my mother’s wings at all.

There was no one else in our train car, so I spun in my seat and turned on the adults. “Talk. Now. I’m losing it. Where are we going?”

“Megelle Island,” Victoria said with a sigh as she leaned back against the seat. “It’s a magical island that humans don’t know exists and is protected by the angels.”

“ Angels? ”

Philip leaned his elbows onto his knees. “I’ve only been there a few times myself, but it’s the safest possible place for us at this point.”

“Why? What makes it safe? What’s going on?”

“We have to go backwards, all the way back.” Mom stopped and scrubbed her face. When she dropped her hands, I hated the twinge of panic I saw in her pale eyes. “We know you’re scared. We know you have questions. But it’s not an easy answer. It’s not a quick answer. The only way for you to truly understand is to go all the way back.”

Victoria reached across the narrow aisle and squeezed Tallulah’s shoulder. “We let you grow up human, and because of that, you’re unaware of the truth of the world.”

Philip mumbled something, but I didn’t catch it.

Tallulah crossed her arms and legs and leaned back. “I’m listening.”

My whole body was in knots. There was something in the three adults’ expressions that I did not like . . . it was like they kept looking at me. I felt like a bomb that was about to explode, and they were just watching. Waiting.

I took a deep breath and scrubbed my face. “Okay. Go all the way back then.”

Victoria cleared her throat. “Okay, so first of all, you have to know that God, Heaven, and angels are all real. Not exactly in the way humans think, but not too far off. We won’t get into the Garden of Eden times and creation of humans. That’s irrelevant at the moment. What is relevant is that God knew the humans were wild and out of control, so he sent his son down to Earth?—”

“ Jesus? ” Tallulah frowned. “Like Virgin Mary and all that shit?”

They chuckled.

“That Jesus is a different story.” Vic shook her head. “We’re talking about his son born in Heaven. An angel named Araqiel?—”

“ The taco guy? ” My eyes widened as the memory flashed in my mind.

Philip’s face paled and he gripped the edge of the seat. His emerald eyes turned to my mother. “You saw Araqiel?”

She grimaced and nodded. “He appeared at the end of the hall right after you and Vic went through. He didn’t say anything. Just looked and then left.”

“Hold on, hold, hold on. Hold the damn phone.” I pressed my fingers into my temples. “That bald guy holding three tacos in each hand, dressed in the white power suit, with that pretty dark skin . . . that was God’s son. His actual child?”

They all nodded.

“That’s the story we’re all told anyways.”

“For more than a thousand years, that’s been the story.” Vic chuckled. “There are actual books from fifteen hundred years ago that talk about it.”

Tallulah whistled under her breath. “I’m already not okay. And the other guy we saw? The pretty one that was so my type?”

Philip closed his eyes. “Please don’t say Zuriel?—”

“That was Zuriel.” Mom nodded and resumed pacing. “He looked at us, then to his watch, then back at us. Then left. I don’t like that at all.”

Philip leaned forward and pointed his finger at his baby sister. “Stay away from Zuriel, Tallulah. He’s a literal angel. The right hand to the Son of God. The second most powerful angel in existence. I don’t care if he’s your type. He won’t care if he’s your type. Stay away from him.”

She pursed her lips and tugged on the hem of her zebra printed dress. “Isn’t he a good guy?”

Philip opened his mouth and then shut it. He turned to Vic. “Mother, please.”

Victoria chuckled. “Your sister has two defense mechanisms, Son. Humor and taunting you. Besides, all she’ll do is embarrass herself if she tries. Zuriel would never actually permanently harm her.”

My stomach dropped. “Permanently?”

Mom spun and waved her arms. “Let’s focus. This ride is only an hour, and we have a lot to explain.”

Victoria cleared her throat. “Right. So Araqiel was sent here with his team of angels. They are referred to as The Watchers. There are ten of them. The rest of their names you’ll learn later. Obviously, Zuriel is one of those, and he’s the right hand to Araqiel. They live in The Emerald and run literally everything from there, but we’ll circle back to that in a bit.”

“Mom, are you an angel?” I heard myself ask before I could stop myself.

“No. I am Nephilim. A child of an angel.” She smiled and ran a finger over one of her turquoise-tipped gold wings. “The Watchers created the Nephilim. We are a breed of beings that are half-angel and half-human. We were bred to look like humans but have more power. We were bred to police the humans.”

“There’s a big but coming, isn’t there?”

“We can’t give you all the history of the world right now. It’s too much. But what you need to know is that God gave Earth what are called Origin Stones for power and protection against demons.” Mom rubbed her palms together and stopped in the aisle beside Philip’s seat. “These Stones were spread out around the world and some groups of Nephilim were stationed around them to guard them. But one day, some of these Nephilim decided to touch the Stones.”

“Which was very forbidden and dangerous,” Philip grumbled with disapproval.

“Right, so when they touched them, power exploded out of those Stones. That power blast hit every Nephilim stationed there and changed them. They were no longer Nephilim but entirely new species all together.” Mom leaned into Philip. “Those three species are mages, vampires, and fae.”

Images of Bastien and Venus with their sparkly wings flashed through my mind.

“Mages, vampires, and fae . . .” Tallulah tapped her fingers on her legs nervously. “Right. Those all exist?”

Mom, Philip, and Vic all nodded.

“Now, there were only five individual Nephilim who physically touched their Stone—from three of the stations. So, the majority of the world’s Nephilim remained unchanged. But those that did change had more power. They were stronger.”

I frowned. “What about the five who touched? Did they die?”

Victoria laughed, but it wasn’t a good sound. “If only.”

Philip grimaced. “Those five were the strongest of their new species because they absorbed more power. They had direct contact. They became the rulers of their new species. There were the two Wentworth brothers, one of whom became King of the mages. Then Clementine and Cirrus were already a couple before the change, so they became King and Queen of the vampires. And then there was Tephine. And they were only made rulers of the new species as punishment.”

Victoria snarled. “There are stories that Tephine is the reason the Nephilim touched the Stones in the first place, but that’s unconfirmed.”

“Now, in the year 400 AD, the mages, vampires, and fae teamed up and started a war against the Nephilim.” Mom sighed and shook her head. “The Nephilim were killed. Every last one of them.”

I gasped.

“Once the Nephilim were dead, the three species attacked each other. For four hundred years, these species were at war. This is why the world fell into what history calls the Dark Ages. ”

“My head hurts already,” Tallulah grumbled.

I nodded. My throat was thick and dry, I couldn’t have spoken even if I wanted to. This was intense. This was terrifying and overwhelming. They were leading up to something and that made my nerves tighten into knots.

“In 800 AD, Araqiel had enough.” Mom chuckled and pointed to my sleeping brothers. “And like any parent with fighting children, he separated them. He took the Stones they touched, the Stones that gave them their power, and created realms attached to ours. Think of them like pockets?”

“There are five realms total.” Philip held five fingers up. “We’re like one hand—no, wait. Think of us like . . . it’s like Earth is a cup, and the realms are all ice cubes. Get it?”

“Somehow, I think I’m following.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Continue?”

“Right, so, the mages are in Second Realm with the Astral Stone. The fae in Third Realm with the Chaos Stone. And the vampires in Fourth Realm with the Blood Stone.” Mom gestured around us. “The humans are in First Realm. This is First Realm. The world you grew up in. It’s First because it used to be the only realm. This is the original. But this is where it starts to get messy.”

“This is where Megelle Island comes into play. During the war, there were two vampires who rebelled against Clementine and Cirrus and ran away to this small island off what is now New York. All of a sudden, they had all these other refugees on the island, people who just wanted to live their lives in peace. So, the Vaunteros, the couple who founded the Island, welcomed everyone in if they promised peace. When Araqiel separated everyone else he made a deal with Megelle Island. They could remain in First Realm if, and only if, they promised to keep their non-humanness a secret from humans and that there was no fighting.” Mom cracked her knuckles. “It’s a zero-tolerance policy. Any supernatural who engages in violence in First Realm is deported to their home realm.”

“That can’t be safe for them.” Tallulah shook her head. “That’s like a death sentence.”

The adults nodded.

“Wait a second . . .” I snapped my fingers. “That’s what Joan told us. She said she’d reported us to the Vaunteros?—”

“Don’t worry about that.” Mom held her hands up to stop us from asking questions. “I called the hotline myself and spoke with Prince Constantine Vauntero, their eldest son. He assured me that Joan was scolded for reporting a non-violent crime, one they don’t have jurisdiction over unless it’s on Megelle Island. You have nothing to worry about there. Just stay out of fights.”

Tallulah held her hand up. “I’ve been in fistfights.”

Philip rolled his eyes. “As a child. That’s different.”

“Okay, so that’s where we’re going now? Megelle Island, right?” I tapped my teeth together as my mind raced. “Who lives there now?”

“Well, the Vaunteros live there. They’re vampires and they’re super kind rulers. However, there are plenty of other vampires on the Island, along with mages and fae. There are only three people on the Island who were alive during the war—Pemberley Prescott and Ailwin and Zenobia Vauntero. Everyone else was raised in peace and harmony. That’s why they’re allowed to leave the Island and live among humans—like Joan and Lilian.” Philip tapped the seat. “This train is the only way onto the Island, for safety reasons.”

I raised my hand. “So what’s stopping Bastien and Venus from coming to Megelle Island to get us? I mean, I’m still not understanding why they’re attacking me but—wait, they attacked me. They were violent. Are we going to the Island to report them to the Vaunteros?”

Silence.

My pulse skipped. “What? What? ”

“Bastien and Venus are from Third Realm.” Philip stared out the window into the darkness.

“What you have to understand is that supernaturals born in First Realm, whether among humans or on Megelle Island, they have freedom and peace but far, far less power. Those born either before the split or in their home realms are immensely more powerful.” Mom ran her fingers over the hilt of her daggers. “ Prince Bastien and Princess Venus are children of Queen Tephine and King Bregan of Third Realm. You could take all of the fae living in First Realm together and you wouldn’t be able to beat one of the Fae Royals, let alone all of them. There is no such thing as reporting them to the Vaunteros. They simply outrank and outpower them.”

Butterflies danced in my stomach. “What are you saying? They’ll come for me here?”

Silence.

“ Mom. ”

She groaned. “I don’t know, love. Megelle Island is protected by The Watchers. Araqiel and Zuriel, in particular. They’d have to be foolish or desperate to attack you there. If there’s anywhere you’ll be safe, it’ll be the Island.”

A cry slipped out of my lips. I buried my face in my hands. “I don’t understand what I did to them. Why are they after me? I mean, you haven’t said what I am, but given what I’ve seen so far with this whole ordeal, I’m assuming I’m not human . . . but, I mean, what’s some weak First Realm supernatural to them ? What do they want?”

“You.”

I gasped and looked up.

Mom slid onto the seat next to Philip, then reached across to hold my hands in hers. “Collins, you were born in Third Realm. You are fae.”

Tallulah cursed. “So, she doesn’t belong here. That’s why they want her back.”

Bile rose in my throat. I knew I was adopted. That’d never been a secret, but this was definitely not news I was expecting. “ Oh my God. ”

“The rest of us are part fae, but you are a true fae.”

“So I belong there? That’s where I am supposed to live?—”

“Hold up.” Tallulah waved her arms around. “You just said the rest of us are part fae. Is that what I am? Part fae? Part what? What are we?”

Philip gave his sister a smile. “Collins is fae. You are a shifter.”

“Shifter? What is that exactly? A type of fae? Type of mage? You didn’t mention shifters before.”

Philip and Mom both looked to Victoria. Her emerald eyes darkened. They looked sad and a little haunted. She swallowed and fidgeted with the rings on her fingers. She wouldn’t look at us, and that was when I knew there was something they weren’t telling us.

“Mom?” Tallulah leaned forward and put her hand on her mom’s shoulder. “What’s wrong? What did I say? I’m sorry?—”

“Don’t be, my love.” She turned and took Tallulah’s hand in hers. “This part of the story is personal for me, for us, and it’s not exactly a happy one.”

I looked to my mom and Philip, but neither of them would look at me. Philip gnawed on his bottom lip and his legs bounced. Mom kept her hand on his shoulder, like she was holding him in place.

Tallulah bit her bottom lip, and it made her look just like her brother. “Mom, tell me. Please?”

Vic took a deep, shaky breath. Then nodded. “Two hundred years ago, which was a thousand years after they were separated, the three kings, Dante, Cirrus, and Bregan, decided they wanted their own little playground for depravity. So, they went to First Realm and stole the Creation Stone . . . and then made a fifth realm.”

“Go ahead, Mom. Tell them the rest.”

Victoria gave a sad smile, but her eyes were far away. “Each of the three kings selected a group of women from their realms and promised them better lives in Fifth Realm. These women were lower class and had nothing to lose—women like me who were orphans and homeless. King Bregan painted a beautifully woven picture and we fell for it.”

“We?” I cocked my head to the side. “Were you one of these women?”

Tallulah frowned. “No, she couldn’t be. That was two hundred years ago.”

“I am two-hundred-twenty years old.”

Tallulah squealed. “ What? ”

“I was eighteen. I had nothing. He promised freedom and luxury.” She glared at the wall. “The Creation Stone changed us, just like the other Stones changed the original Nephilim. We were all robbed of our wings and magic . . . and turned into animals. I shift into a Pegasus, a winged horse.”

Tallulah tugged on her hair. “What do I shift into?”

Philip cleared his throat. “Well . . . not everyone who lives in First will shift, and since you haven’t yet, you might not. We just wait to see.”

“Okay, okay, okay—nope. I’m losing my mind.” I let out a strangled laugh. “And Mom? What about your wings? What are you?”

She ran her fingers over her feathers. “I am Nephilim.”

“You said they were all killed.”

“They were. Those Nephilim were half-angel, half-human.” She shrugged. “The Nephilim that live now are half-angel, half-other. For me, I’m half-fae. I was also born in Third Realm, which is why I adopted you. And that’s why my wings have turquoise tips. There are less than a dozen of us alive.”

I tugged on my hair and let out a little scream. “So, what are the boys then? Fae-Nephilim-Shifters?”

Philip scratched his jaw. “I’m actually a Nephilim.”

“ What? ” Tallulah and I both said.

He shrugged. “My father is an angel.”

I scoffed. “So, you two Nephilim decided to stick together?”

At that, Mom and Philip looked to each other with dark expressions.

“We aren’t supposed to be together, Collins,” Philip said sadly. “Nephilim have special jobs given by the angels, but that day when you and Tallulah introduced us . . . well . . . we discovered we were soulmates. There was no not being together at that point.”

Mom turned to look at my brothers. “We weren’t supposed to have children. It’s against the rules for Nephilim to reproduce . . . but it happened. Unintentionally. Now we’re basically hiding out from Araqiel and praying he won’t punish us.”.

“He can’t know about the boys.” Philip hugged my mom to his body. “Which is why we went through that last portal individually.”

I pursed my lips and nodded. “There’s a lot to unpack here. Too much, actually. But did you say soulmates?”

Mom and Philip held their left arms out. There, on the inside of their left forearms, was a line of black writing. I tried to read what they said but my eyes were tired and blurry. My mind was swirling. I needed to lie down and let all of this soak in. I needed to unplug and shut down. I needed to wake up and find this was all a dream.

“While in First Realm, the mark shows like this.” Mom ran her finger over the writing. “These are the first words Philip ever said to me.”

Philip blushed. “But when we go into our home realms, they will become pictures that match identically to each other.”

Tallulah exhaled roughly. “I . . . I . . .” She threw her hands up.

The train’s breaks shrieked and then our speed dropped. We were approaching our station. My stomach did flips like an Olympic gymnast. My mouth went dry. This can’t be happening. This must be a joke. A prank. Any minute now, I’m going to wake up and laugh at the ridiculousness of this dream . . . and then it will fade from memory.

A dream, just like with Bastien.

I reached up and gripped the black tourmaline pendant in my hand. Problem was, I wasn’t sure if I wanted this to be real or not . . . and that scared me more than anything else.