Chapter 20

TWENTY

TALLULAH

“See? Not Collins. How about you let me go home and we keep this secret between us? I don’t die, and no one knows you took the wrong person. Deal?”

Prince Bastien did not look like he wanted to spare my life in this moment. His pale-blue eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and the muscle in his jaw ticked. Pale-blue smoke that perfectly matched his hair swirled around his fingers, making those rings glow. I remembered thinking a guy wearing a midi ring on each of his ten fingers was hot as hell, but that was back at the casino when I thought he was a regular, hot, human high roller. Not a fae prince. They were still hot, there was no world in which Bastien would not be utterly swoon worthy, but now he terrified me. The best villains are the gorgeous ones . I took a step back from him. He’s definitely going to kill me.

Those bluish-white eyes narrowed on me like he was trying to mentally fry my brain. I wasn’t sure it wasn’t working. He was just staring at me. I squirmed but remained frozen in place. Every single cell in my body burned with the need to flee as fast as possible . . . but Bastien’s one arched eyebrow told me he dared me to try.

He took a step toward me and held his hands out.

I flinched and leapt backward, putting the creepy magic stabby-stab rock between us. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Stay back, silent-but-deadly.”

If I could just get out of this damn palace, I could get back to the portal and go home. I remembered where it was. I’d never been kidnapped before, but I knew I needed to memorize the path we took, so I did. I replayed it in my mind over and over. Sure, dudeboy had flown the whole way, but I had exceptional eyesight— oh, please, Tallulah. For God’s sake. He FLEW and you’re wingless. I was acting on sheer bravado, but I had to try something. Outside, this palace was ice and snow, but my body ran hot. I’d survive. I was tough and I was a good hider. There was no way in hell Collins wasn’t already looking for me. No man left behind was a thing for us. Whenever I got lost, she found me, even if we were miles apart. We knew how each other thought. All I had to do was get out of this palace and hide, and she’d find me.

I knew with every fiber of my being that Collins would get me home one way or another. She was brilliant. She was going to score the goal. I simply had to make the assist. Which meant I needed to get out the door behind Mr. Silent-but-deadly. He was a tall guy with large wings, and he moved fast. I still wasn’t entirely sure I knew what his magic did, but I did know I was no match in that department. I was just a human girl trapped in a world of magic.

I needed an element of surprise.

But HOW? Think Tallulah, think. I glanced around the room and my heart sank. This was an empty room. There were no windows, and the only door was behind him. Both the ceiling and the floor were solid white marble. The only piece of furniture or decoration of any kind was the narrow black pedestal with the massive black crystal perched on— the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall. I heard something in the distance, but I couldn’t place the sound. It just felt like a tickle.

Bastien’s eyes widened. His head snapped to the door.

I dove forward and slammed my palms into the pedestal. The black crystal screeched across the white marble floor. Bastien spun back around. Panic flashed in his pale-blue gaze. Everything slipped into slow motion. The massive black crystal slid right off the top and plummeted to the ground. Bastien gasped and dove for it.

THERE’S YOUR WINDOW, brO! As Bastien leaned down, I leapt over him like a gazelle. My long legs carried me up and over his shoulders. The tips of his wings brushed against my legs. I heard him gasp a split second before my feet hit the marble, but I didn’t look back. I dug my heels in and sprinted out the door. My gaze immediately landed on those double doors we’d come through. I already heard his heavy footsteps chasing after me. I wasn’t going to make it. I needed a new plan. On each side of me, there were a few archways, one of them had to?—

Light flashed beside me and then Prince Bastien appeared in front of the double doors.

I cursed and dove to my right, flying with my arms stretched out in front of me like Superman through the archway. The smell of vanilla and roses filled the air, and I knew he was right behind me. I didn’t know if he was letting me keep my lead or just letting me run out of energy, but I was not giving up. I tucked and somersaulted, then jumped back to my feet. A few feet ahead there was an archway with a door slightly open. I didn’t stop. I burst through the door and slid to a stop.

“ You’ve got to be kidding me .” I cursed and shoved my hands into my wild red curls.

This room was a dead end. Literally and figuratively. It was a long, dark hall with a vaulted ceiling made of some navy-blue crystal. There were no windows, and I didn’t see a single light fixture. The only light came from a subtle glow, but I didn’t see a source. I cursed and glanced back and forth with my heart caught in my throat. Where the hell am I? The hallway had about ten massive slabs of crystals on each side, with nothing else in sight. The slabs had to be fifteen feet tall and three feet wide. They were almost like doors but just solid gemstone, and they varied in color. The slab on my left was amethyst and on the right was ruby, or maybe garnet. That’s where the glow comes from. What ARE these things?

I smelled his heady vanilla scent first, then heard the flutter of his wings.

No, no, no. I scrambled forward, desperately searching for an answer to my problem but coming up short. There were no doors or windows, and this time nothing to throw. I ran to the slab that looked like solid green jade and gripped one edge and pulled—it didn’t budge. Bastien’s heavy footsteps echoed around the room. My pulse skipped beats and my stomach tightened into knots. I’d cornered myself. I needed a way out, and I needed it now.

I spun on my heels and found him standing there in the middle of this hall. He glanced around and then back to me and arched one eyebrow. His lips pulled up at the corner like he was fighting a smile.

“Shut up. Okay?” I pointed my finger at him. “Stay. Bad dog. Just shut up.”

He sighed and threw his hands up, then gestured around us.

“ I KNOW! ”

He chuckled. He actually chuckled. Sure, it was silent, but there was no mistaking it. My stomach rolled like I was on a rollercoaster on top of the Stratosphere Hotel. I’d trapped myself and no solution was coming to mind. Everything was just . . . blank. Like a blank page.

Okay, what would Collins do? My best friend was brilliant and calculating. Every time I wanted to just Hulk smash something, she came up with a Tony Stark level alternative. That was what I needed. But I didn’t have a Jarvis in my head. I had that squirrel from Ice Age.

Come on, come on, come on. There has to be ? —

Bastien took a step forward, so I leapt backward in a panic. My heels caught on the edge of the jade slab. My feet were swept out from under me, and then nothingness. Bastien’s eyes widened. His jaw dropped like maybe he also was not expecting whatever was happening. He threw his hands out and dove for me, his pale wings flapping behind him.

Cold air washed over my back. My arms pinwheeled, and my body fell backwards. A gust of hot wind wrapped around me, sending my feet up and over my head. I tumbled in midair. I tried to scream but my body locked down. My stomach twisted into knots. I looked up. All I saw was Prince Bastien reaching for me from a hole in the sky . . . and everything went black.