Chapter 12

TWELVE

COLLINS

The train rolled to a stop. There was a split second of silence in which the world seemed to freeze, then the doors slid open with a whoosh and a click, and my heart stopped. It’d been so quiet on the train. I’d assumed we were the only ones on it. But dozens of people hurried down the platform towards the staircase to the right. My gaze landed on a pair of sparkling green wings—then a blue pair. I gasped and leaned forward, and my forehead slammed into the window.

“They have wings,” I heard myself say. “Are we really, actually, getting off our magical train onto a magical island that humans don’t know exists?”

“Where are your wings?”

I jumped and then looked up to Tallulah and frowned. “Do I have wings?”

She shrugged. “They said you’re fae? But your ears aren’t pointed?”

I turned to ask my mom, but my words dried on my tongue. There was an expression on the adults’ faces that was a punch to the gut. They were scared. Especially my mom. Normally, her eyes were sharp and calculating—always ready for anything at a moment’s notice. I’d never seen uncertainty, yet right now she was chewing on her thumbnail and staring at the ground with fear pouring from those baby blues.

The remaining questions I had died on my tongue in an instant.

Because there was something she wasn’t telling me. That face wasn’t a product of the conversation we just had the last hour. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Philip scooped up two of my brothers with ease, but the way he kept side-eying my mother only ignited the spiral in my mind. Victoria whispered to Philip, and he grumbled back. I spun away from them. I couldn’t look at that anymore. Instead, I focused on the stream of people climbing the stairs.

Tallulah sighed and bounced on her feet beside me. “I still can’t believe there are portals. Does anyone ever fall through?”

Victoria laughed. She stopped just before the door next to me and smiled. “No one falls through. You have to be supernatural to go through it and only an idiot falls through. Son, Sandy, ready?”

“Love?” Philip whispered. “Sandra, lead the way.”

Mom cleared her throat, then marched to the doors of train. She paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Golden light washed over her until her wings and armor vanished, leaving her in regular jeans and a shirt. There was no sight of the fierce Nephilim warrior woman. She was back to just Mom. She opened her eyes and her gaze shot right to me.

“Sooo . . . we getting off the train?” Tallulah poked her head out of the door.

Mom shook herself and pulled a cellphone out of her pocket, except it wasn’t one I’d ever seen her use before. She pressed a few buttons and then held it to her ear. “Hi. Yes, we’re here. Getting off the train now—oh, that’s great. We’ll be right out.”

“Who was that?”

She winked to me and waved for Philip and Victoria. “That was Peggy Bow. She’s a mage who lives on the Island. She’s an old friend, and she’s offered us her guest house.”

Philip walked up behind her with two curly red-headed boys in his arms. “Peggy is the strongest mage in First Realm. Let’s not keep her waiting this late at night.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why are they still asleep? This is unlike them.”

Victoria grimaced. “I gave them something to help them sleep. This would’ve been too much for them.”

Tallulah gasped. “ You put a spell on them ?”

“No, I don’t have that kind of magic.” Vic rolled her green eyes and smiled. She adjusted her grip on my other brother. “It’s Benadryl. Sandra, lead the way.”

Mom nodded and then hopped off the train. By the time we all got onto the platform, we were the last ones to leave the train, which I suspected wasn’t a coincidence. The platform down here didn’t look much different than the one in Penn Station, though it was cleaner and the stone was a bit brighter in color. We marched up the stairs in silence. I stayed right behind my mother. I kept waiting for her wings to show but they never did.

In the back of my mind, I registered the train station around us, but my thoughts were far away. I saw the sparkle of gold accents on the ceiling and walls, but that was where my observations ended. I just couldn’t keep the images of Bastien and Venus out of my mind. Prince Bastien and Princess Venus. That blew my mind. Fae Royals were after me all because I wasn’t born here. It didn’t make sense at all. That was a weak excuse and I suspected that was the missing information my mother was afraid of.

This was crazy enough already. Different realms. Different species. My mother was half-angel with wings. My stepfather turned into an eagle—a giant eagle. Vic said she turned into a Pegasus, but we hadn’t seen that yet. Tallulah was a shifter who hadn’t shifted yet. No one said what my brothers were, although both their parents were Nephilim, so they probably were too.

I’m a fae. Me. A fairy. That was really blowing my mind. I didn’t have pointed ears. No wings, no flying. How am I supposed to believe this when I have no proof for myself?

“Brace yourselves,” Mom yelled over her shoulder.

I frowned and looked up just as double doors made of gold opened automatically.

“For what?—”

Ice-cold air like I’d never felt slammed into me. I gasped but it sounded like a hiss. Tallulah squealed beside me. My body locked in place.

I couldn’t handle the cold. My body shut down in it even when I was dressed appropriately, and I definitely wasn’t now. I was still wearing my metallic-silver romper, which was super short. These glitter boots came up almost to my knees, but they weren’t lined. The cold air forced goosebumps across my body.

My mom half-turned and gave me a smirk. “We’ll get you proper clothes. Let’s just get in the car.”

“What car?”

“My car of course!”

I spun at the sound of a cheerful feminine voice. The woman had red hair that was a few shades lighter than Tallulah’s. Her skin was a rosy-pink that matched nicely with the neon-pink lipstick and the wide million-dollar smile. She wore a pale-pink trench coat with white polka dots all over it and Ugg boots covered in hot-pink sequins.

Mom sighed. “Peggy.”

Peggy giggled and tackled my mom in a bear hug. When she pulled back, she gripped my mom’s shoulders and squealed. “I’m so excited you’re finally here and glad you made the train tonight—oh my, you’ve got your hands full with those little ones, don’t ya? Hi, Philly. Vic—oh, my, my, look at you little lovelies. I’m Peggy!”

Tallulah chuckled and waved. “I’m Tallulah. This is Collins.”

I nodded when she said my name. My mouth was too busy chattering from shivering so hard.

Peggy’s eyes glanced me up and down, then shot over to my mom. She nodded and her smile wobbled a little. But she snapped back to the wide grin in the blink of an eye. “Okay, we can talk more once we get home. My car is right out the front door since it’s pretty cold out tonight?—”

“Is that snow?” Tallulah pointed behind Peggy.

Peggy grimaced. “Yes. Random blizzard. It happens some years. It’s just your lucky day. But the heat is blasting in the car, so let’s go.”

Without another word, she spun and skipped out the double doors. Mom followed and gestured for us to join her. I wrapped my arms around my waist and practically sprinted after Peggy. I barely registered that her car was a blue SUV before climbing into the back seat. The warmth of the car’s heater blew from a vent right above my head, but it wasn’t enough.

Mom climbed in right after me. She slid right over and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. “Just breathe, love. I’ll get you warm clothes.”

“All in?” Peggy said from the driver’s seat in front of me. “Ready?”

“Ready,” Vic yelled from the back seat.

As we bounced along, Peggy pointed out their quaint Main Street. The stores all stood dark and closed. I leaned against the window, watching as they all rolled by. Small shops lined the cobblestone roads and vines draped over the balcony on the second floors of the building. Signs for crystals and all kinds of witchy goods hung over the dark windows.

Peggy pointed farther down the road. “Over there is The Pemberley.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. This was something out of a fairy tale. The exterior was tall and imposing, with a beige color that seemed to blend in. Arched windows lined each of the three floors. At the very top was an open walkway that ran the entire length of the building. A slanted roof was covered in sheets of untouched snow. Perfect, crystal looking icicles dripped down from the overhang. The blue of the moon glittered off of them, sending blue light in all different directions. The first floor had long glass windows that stood side by side, giving a perfect view of the quiet and calm lobby.

“During Christmas, The Pemberley is the place to be. We hold a lot of the Island festivities on either their grounds or the Vauntero Castle over there.” She pointed just across the street from the Pemberley.

The Vauntero Castle was large and imposing in a way that was intimidating as hell. I couldn’t help but think they locked people in the dungeon for their crimes. The exterior was a dark beige, with a terracotta tile running over the roof and down the corners of every side of the building. Those reddish tiles surrounded each window and created a beautiful arch atop each one. A covered walkway ran from one side of the front of the castle to the other. Archways held up the roof, making it wide open for anyone to walk under.

In the dark of night, its tall looming walls looked ominous. In the light of day, after I processed everything I’d just learned, it might be beautiful and magical. But as we drove away from it, I wanted to keep a low profile. I let myself get lost in the snow-covered island.

“Okay, we’re here!” Peggy announced as she turned the car off the main road.

It was surprisingly dark outside, so I couldn’t see much through the window—except for snow. Despite the heat blasting me in the face, I shivered. The light of the moon against the fresh fallen fluff of horror almost made the snow look blue. The hot air cut off and I gasped like a fish out of water. There was a click and then cold air rushed through the car. I groaned and wrapped my arms around myself. Movement outside the window made me flinch, but it was just Peggy stomping through snow that went all the way up to her knees.

“Come on, sweetheart.” Mom wrapped her arm around my body, then dragged me across the backseat with her. “Let’s just run inside, okay?”

It wasn’t a question. There was no choice. I had to get out. Mom literally pulled me out of the car. I hated how much I couldn’t handle the cold. Vegas had manageable cold days. There were no two feet of snow days. I slid off the backseat and my kitten heels sank all the way into the snow. I hissed, actually hissed, like a cat.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw my family around me, but up ahead I spotted the Peggy’s polka dotted coat as she sprinted toward a white house tucked under snow-covered oak trees. She stopped in front of a bright red door and then shoved it open. Through the doorway, I spotted bright, orange flames raging in a fireplace. Everything else ceased to exist. My body went into survival mode. Without uncoiling my arms from around my body, I sprinted as fast as I could get my legs to move with my eyes locked on my destination.

Warmth.

I paid no attention to literally anything else. There was snow, there was moonlight and stars, and there was bitter, ice-cold air. There was also no sound whatsoever, which was unnerving as hell. But it was a passing thought. My long, hip-length brown hair flew behind me like a cape. I felt the strands twisting and knotting in the wind, but I didn’t care. That fireplace was within my reach. I dug my heels in harder to cross the last fifteen feet of tundra, then leapt over the threshold. The second my feet slid across the hardwood floor, a wave of warmth washed over me.

Peggy chuckled. That was fine. I knew I was pathetic in the cold. I dashed over to the fireplace and practically collapsed on the fluffy white rug in front of it. The orange flames shot higher, like they somehow knew I was nearly frozen. A thick fleece blanket draped around my shoulders. When I looked up, I found my mom standing there with an amused smile. She chuckled to herself and sat on the sofa beside me.

“All right, we all in? Anyone missing any toes or fingers?” Peggy giggled. “Collins?”

I cuddled into my blanket more. “Too soon to know.”

Peggy giggled more. “Well, welcome to Megelle Island. We’ll give you more of a tour tomorrow, but I know you’ve had quite the night, so I’ll let you get some sleep. The kitchen is stocked—I turned off all the magic so that you wouldn’t be startled. Upstairs you’ll find three bedrooms and everything else you should need. However, don’t hesitate to cross the frozen garden to the main house and let yourself in?—”

“Do we have a key?”

“No, Tallulah. No one on the Island locks their doors.” Peggy shrugged. “There’s no violence, remember? No one steals. It’s just best not to piss off the supernatural. And I’m the strongest, so really, I dare them to try.”

Tallulah cackled. “I like you.”

Peggy winked to her, then she turned a wide smile on everyone else. “Well, goodnight. Oh, remember that First Realm technology doesn’t work here. You’ll need a Prescott phone?—”

“Phil, Vic, and I each have a Prescott phone,” Mom said with a rough voice. “We were prepared.”

“Oh, excellent. Well, then, you know where to find me. If you see grown men walking around, that’s either my husband or one of my five sons.”

Tallulah looked to me and wagged her eyebrows. I shook my head once.

“Thank you, Peggy. We really can’t thank you enough.” Mom hurried over and gave her a hug. “This will be just perfect for us.”

I forced a smile and what was most likely an awkward wave. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful for her hospitality . . . it was the questions behind it. I’d never met this woman, never even heard her name before, and yet she was so chummy with my mom that she could accommodate us at the last minute in the middle of the night? I didn’t like the way she stole glances at me, nor did I like the odd expression in her eyes when she did.

Peggy knew something I didn’t, and I hated that.

“Good night!” Peggy waved and bounced out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

Philip sighed. Two of my three brothers were still draped over his shoulders. “Everyone’s gonna sleep now.”

“I’ll take the boys with me, Son.” Vic headed towards the stairs with my other brother in her arms. “You make sure Sandra actually gets some sleep tonight.”

Mom’s face fell. “I may need that Benadryl.”

“I’ve got stronger too.” Vic grinned and started up the steps. “Tallulah, get up to bed. Now.”

“But Collins is still defrosting?—”

“And if you stay down here with her, neither of you will go to bed.” Only Vic’s feet were visible at this point. “Bed. Now.”

I smirked. “I’ll be up in a minute, Tally. Just warming up a bit. Go ahead. We both need to process everything we learned tonight anyway.”

Tally groaned but she went to the stairs. “Fine, but I wanna see magic tomorrow.”

Mom chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure Peggy will be thrilled to show you her magic shop tomorrow.”

Tallulah froze on the steps with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. “Magic. Shop. Shit, you should’ve led with that. To bed I go!”

And then there were two, just me and Mom.

She silently crossed the room and sat on the couch to my left. “You okay?”

I laughed once, but it wasn’t funny. “Not in the slightest.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I knew this would be a lot for you when it finally came out.”

I gripped my blanket tighter and watched the flicker of the flames. “Why now? Why keep this all from us our entire lives? I don’t understand. Lilian and Joan are fae and they live in Vegas. You said there’s a ton of supernaturals living among humans . . . so why the big secret?”

She pursed her lips.

“I know there’s something you’re not telling me.”

She cursed and scrubbed her face. Then she glanced over her shoulder to the stairs. When her eyes found mine again, there was a sharp edge in them I really hated. “You’re right. There is something I haven’t told you yet . . . and it’s the reason we kept it all a secret.”

My pulse skipped. I spun on the carpet to face her. “Tell me now?”

“First, just know this was not how I planned for all of this to come out.” She shook her head and frowned. “But Bastien and Venus changed that plan.”

“Why? What’s the deal with them?” I leaned forward. “Them attacking me just because I was born in Third Realm doesn’t make sense, Mom.”

At that, she smirked. “You’re right. Again. Though, that wasn’t a lie, it just wasn’t a full truth.”

“I see why people think the fae speak in riddles,” I grumbled.

I expected her to chuckle or smile, but she did neither. Instead, she rubbed her palms together and tapped her toes. “Do you remember on the train when we talked about the Stones? The ones given to the species?”

“Yeah, the ones that changed the Nephilim and then were put in the other realms once everyone was separated. Those?”

She nodded. “The Origin Stones, yes. Those. Well, that wasn’t the full story . . . see, the thing is, when the Kings created Fifth Realm, they had George Wentworth, the King’s brother, steal the Creation Stone from the anchor point?—”

“Anchor point?”

“That’s where they were all kept. Under the column at the center of Columbus Circle outside The Emerald. Anyways, when Heaven found out what they’d done, Araqiel took the Stones back—or so we were told.”

My stomach tightened into knots. “What does that mean?”

She sighed. “The realms are dying, Collins. I’m told it varies by realm, but each of them lost their Stone, and without them the realms are literally dying. Heaven has blessed one person per realm with the power and ability to save their realm. That person is called the Stone Keeper.”

My eyes widened. “Don’t tell me?—”

“ You are the Stone Keeper of Third Realm.”

I gasped and leaned backwards. “No. No, no, no. That can’t be. Why? How do you know that?”

She smiled sadly. “When the first Stone Keeper was born, Araqiel had each of his eight Watchers have a child with a member of one of the species. All except for Zuriel. Those children are the new Nephilim. Our wings are tipped the color of the Stone of their home realm, so mine are turquoise because the Chaos Stone was turquoise. Because I am not a normal Nephilim, I’m the new kind. Philip is a shifter Nephilim, so when he takes that form—which he doesn’t often because he likes being an eagle—his wings are tipped green like the Creation Stone.”

“Why did he have you born?”

“To guard you. Each of us was born to support one Stone Keeper.” She held two fingers up. “One Nephilim was born to stay near the Stone Keeper at all times, and the other was to remain in the home realm and prepare for the Stone Keeper’s return?—”

“Return? What do you mean? I don’t understand. If I’m this fae Stone Keeper, then why am I?—”

“Here? In First Realm?” She threw her hands out. “To protect you. Heaven told Araqiel that each Stone Keeper would be born with the Stone in their eyes. But then that child had to be raised in First Realm among humans and had to be unaware of their destiny. It seems unfair, but who are we to question the orders of Heaven? When you were born, your eyes were the brightest turquoise I’d ever seen. Araqiel took you into First Realm, but your parents weren’t allowed to go with you. They don’t like to let the fae out—mostly because Queen Tephine is evil, and it wouldn’t go unnoticed.”

“So you adopted me,” I heard myself whisper. “You made yourself my mom.”

“To always be with you. To protect you.” She leaned forward and gripped my hands. “And when it’s time to fulfill your destiny, I will be right there with you to help, okay?”

I nodded, though it was more an auto-pilot response than anything. “But my eyes aren’t turquoise, they’re just light-blue?”

“They’re not, not really. I saw them the day you were born.” She gnawed on her bottom lip. “I’m not surprised Araqiel toned them down to help you blend in among humans.”

I rubbed my eyes so hard I saw white spots. “So you’re telling me I’m the Stone Keeper of Third Realm and my destiny is to . . . somehow save the realm? Or everyone dies?”

“Basically, yes.”

My stomach rolled and I gagged. “That’s fine. No big deal.”

No pressure. I don’t know my powers, don’t know the world or anything about it, and now I have to save it . . . I am screwed.

“I know. But I’m going to help you as much as I can. And when we get to Third Realm, your other Nephilim, her name is Jada, is going to help us too. You’ll like her. She’s tough. She’s ready.”

I threw my hands up. “Ready for what? What do I even have to do?”

“Well . . .” She grimaced. “I’m not entirely sure, but Araqiel has always said that you were going to have to find the Chaos Stone. So, I think the Stone was lost to the realm and you’ll have to hunt it down.”

I groaned. “That sounds a lot harder than it should.”

“It most likely will be the most dangerous experience of your life. Third Realm is . . .” she shuddered, and it made my pulse skyrocket. “It’s . . . lethal.”

My eyes burned. Angry tears were threatening to come out, but I wasn’t going to let them. There was no room for hysterics. I knew my mother wasn’t exaggerating this. I knew she was telling me the truth.

“I’m the Stone Keeper.”

“Yes.”

“ I’m the Stone Keeper.”

“Yes.”

I cursed violently. “So Bastien and Venus?”

“That’s why they’ve attacked you.” Her eyes flashed with rage. “You don’t understand. Queen Tephine is the tyrant of all tyrants. She wants that Stone for herself, though no one knows what for. We just know she’s maniacal.”

“And she’s gonna come after me.”

She nodded.

“How am I supposed to defeat a fae queen who is like a thousand years old?”

“Very carefully.” She rubbed her hand over her chest. “There’s so much for you to learn, so much I need to teach you. The Royals all have special powers, and from my understanding, you’ve already witnessed two of those at work.”

I didn’t want to think about that just yet. “So, what do I do now? Like . . .”

“I have a plan. I’ve spent twenty-one years working on this plan. The goal is to find the Chaos Stone.” She rocked forward and used her fingers to count. “First, we’ll go back to the portals in The Emerald. Remember there were five of them? Well, one for each realm. The symbol in the diamond-shape dictates which is which. The sun and crescent moon is for mages, the diamond is for fae, the crisscrossing keys is vampire, and the sword with a snake is for shifters. The one with the eagle is?—”

“The alpha portal that takes you anywhere you want in First Realm.”

She grinned and nodded. “Very good. Yes. So we’re going to there and together enter Third Realm. Once inside, we’ll meet up with Jada. She should have more information for us.”

“What does she look like?”

Mom pulled her phone out, one I didn’t recognize as hers, and tapped a few times before turning the screen around to face me. On it was a gorgeous, fierce creature of a woman with glorious dark skin, pointed ears, and the sides of her hair shaved. I stared at it, memorizing this woman’s face in case of emergency.

“Okay, that’s Jada. Got it.” I licked my lips and tried to swallow down the rush of bile pushing up my throat. Freaking out wasn’t going to help me. I had to stay calm, I had to remain in control. “When do we go? When do we do this?”

“Not yet.” She held both hands up. “You have immense power and magic, my love. I was literally born to protect and train you, to help you succeed. That’s why I adopted you, so I could always be with you. I’ve tried to train and prepare you as much as possible. But now it’s time for me to train you for real. There’s so much more to our realm than you realize, and I have to prepare you if we want any hope in succeeding. I don’t want to toss you into the deep end and let you sink. I want you to go armed with what you need. I want you to know how to be you before we cross into that monster’s court. So, I want to take a few days here on the Island to teach you so that you’re not going in there blind.”

“You mean like . . . fighting?”

“Yes.” She shrugged. “But mostly, I meant your magic. You need to learn how to use it.”

“I have magic?”

A wide grin spread across her face. “Oh yes, my love. You have immense magic, and it’s about to be unlocked. So, you must learn first.”

I choked on my own spit, but it tasted like vomit. “Magic training. Right. Okay . . .”

“And Tallulah can’t go with you.” She squeezed my shoulder. “So get some sleep, Tomorrow your journey begins . . . and I promise you, this isn’t going to be easy . . . or safe.”