Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

COLLINS

Jada paced back and forth. Annoyance rolled off her in waves. “There’s no way the Chaos Stone will be where it was.”

She was obsessed with finding the Stone and nothing else. The Stone was supposed to restore the Realm, but it was also incredibly powerful— wait a second. What did she just say?

There’s no way the Chaos Stone will be where it was.

That was what she said. What in the hell does that mean? I blinked and just stared at her, not that she noticed. She paced across the middle of this Crystal-henge flexing and unflexing her hands. Steam billowed out of her. She snarled and stomped in the snow while muttering to herself too quiet for me to hear.

Where it was. What does that mean, Jada?

And then something occurred to me…the whole reason I came into Third Realm this quickly, the reason we threw out my mother’s whole brilliant plan, was because Prince Bastien kidnapped my best friend. Because of that stupid potion that made us switch bodies. He took her thinking she was me…and in his defense, she had looked exactly like me.

My heart skipped. Oh my GOD. What if this isn’t Jada at all? What if this is someone else pretending to be Jada?

Mom had been very clear. The new generation of Nephilim were born specifically to guide the Stone Keepers. That was why they were children of angels and the other supernatural species instead of humans. Mom and Jada were the only two fae-Nephilim alive. Mom sacrificed every ounce of her freedom in adopting and raising me as if I were human in First Realm. Jada was supposed to be my biggest weapon—the one who stayed here to help me once I arrived.

But Jada hadn’t really done that. Not really. Sure, she taught me how to access my magic and gave me a super quick lesson on how to use it . . . holy shit, is this Jada? Because this person had nearly let me die. This person wanted me to kill an innocent, injured animal. When Princess Aryk showed up with that ship from hell, I completely lost track of Jada. She should have been by my side. She should have protected me. Hell, the only way this realm was going to survive was through me. My Nephilim protector should have done that fighting on my behalf, especially since I’d only been here a short ass time.

This Jada had been close enough to land the very moment Mom killed that plant I’d accidentally created . . . but not close enough to step in and help her? In hindsight, it sure seemed like she waited in the wings until it was over. She could have saved Mom, she should have, and that made me want to vomit.

I’d never met Jada before. I hadn’t known she even existed until last night, and even then I’d only been shown a single picture. If Tally could take on my appearance, what would stop someone else from taking Jada’s? I may have been new to this reality, but everyone knew the fae were tricksters. They were infamous for it. And I couldn’t help but wonder, was I dealing with one now? There was only one way to find out.

This was the kind of game I was used to playing. I did it in my job every day: play the role of helpless and na?ve and get people to spend their money. In this case, the price was the secrets I wanted. I’d unintentionally made her snap, but she wasn’t fully broken yet. The strands were loose. I just needed to pull the right one to unravel it all. I knew how to play dumb. I knew how to capitalize on the overconfidence of others. I knew how to manipulate emotions.

After all, I was fae too.

And if what Mom told me was true, then the Chaos Stone lived inside of me. It was time to pull it out and play.

I twirled my fingers in the ends of my hair. “Are you sure you don’t see it here? Maybe on the other side?—”

“ It can’t be here! ” she snarled, balling her hands into fists.

Yes, there you go. Let it go, Elsa. Show your cards. Tell me who you are. I shook my head. “No, it’s got to be here. I felt the magic.”

Jada spun around to face me with rage pouring from her dark eyes. “No, it’s not,” she growled.

I strolled around the circle and ran my hand over one of the stones of Crystal-henge. It was black and glowed a light-blue where I touched it. A shot of strength and energy ran through my body, and I stifled the urge to smile. Instead, I pursed my lips at her. “I mean, with all this snow, it could be buried right under our noses. How do you know it’s not here?”

“ Because I was here when it was put here, you moron !”

I thought back to the story we were told and the details my mom gave me. The Stones had been placed in each species’ realm to give them power and protection, but then the Stones were all taken away after the actions of the three Kings. Jada’s comment suggested she knew where the Chaos Stone had been before it was taken back by Heaven. That was two centuries ago.

There was only one person who would’ve been here when the Chaos Stone was brought to this realm: the original Nephilim meant to watch it and the first one to touch it. The Nephilim who inspired all the others to touch their Stone. The first fae.

Queen Tephine.

I smirked, then scrubbed my face with my hands to hide my emotions. This was Queen Tephine. I knew it in my soul. And that meant I had to tread carefully.

“I’ve wasted an entire day of my time with this . . . this pitiful excuse for a fae.” She motioned to me and began pacing once more. “Who saves a charging beast with a soft touch? Can’t even use its real power to find the actual Stone. Useless. Completely useless to me. Centuries I’ve waited for that stone, only to be lost by an infant. Who leaves fate to a mere faeling raised in the human world? Deficient in all things fae. Lacking in the brilliance it takes...”

The words tumbled from her mouth, proving my hypothesis over and over. She was used to always getting what she wanted and never being challenged. I had to get out of here. Now. I was one day into my powers, and this fae queen was thousands of years old. I wasn’t stupid enough to think I was a match for her. Nor did I want to try to be. What little I’d seen and the knowledge I had was enough to make me want to take my ass as far in the opposite direction as I could.

Shit, shit, shit. Okay, think, Collins. You need to get away from her, and you need to find Tallulah. Or we’re both dead.

I took another step back from her, pretending to look for the Stone I knew wasn’t here. I pressed my hand to a clear quartz stone, and instantly that strength I’d collected amplified within me as I moved further away from her. “Oh, I don’t know. It’s got to be here.”

The snow kicked up around us and dropped in sheets from the darkening purple sky. Most of the stones here, despite being the size of boulders, were covered in snow, so I couldn’t really tell which was which. If I focused, I’d be able to feel them, but I needed to keep my figurative eye on the wolf in sheep’s clothing behind me. I reached out and ran my hand over another snow- covered stone and sharp, electric energy buzzed up my arm and into my body. Heat wrapped around my heart like a warm hug. My eyes widened. I recognized this feeling now. This was what I felt when I touched Princess Venus’s crystal necklace. She couldn’t have been named Venus by coincidence. In that moment, outside the police station, I’d desperately wanted her to let me go . . . and she did.

I wasn’t sure what I was doing exactly, and it was dangerous to attempt this on the Queen herself, but I didn’t have much to lose. Any second she’d realize what she’d said and come for my neck. I wiggled my fingers, gently tapping them along the top of the stone while focusing all of my energy on the Queen. I let my magic flow over that connection and let it slide in. I wanted her to let loose, to show just how unhinged she could be. Show me, Tephine. Show me what you’re feeling.

“Jada, maybe we should dig under the big stone over there?” I pointed to where one massive crystal slab was perched atop two others like a bridge. “Maybe it’s there.”

“I ALREADY TOLD YOU IT’S NOT!”

SAY IT, TEPHINE. TELL ME.

I frowned. “But how do you know that?”

She moved to the middle of Crystal-henge and pointed at a crater in the ground at the very center. “This, right here, is where Araqiel put the Stone, and I know because I was here. I was the first one who touched it. If it wasn’t for me, all those people would still be regular, pathetic Nephilim. I’m the one who saved them. I’m the one who gave them their power . ”

I rocked back on my heels and smiled wide. “Why don’t you come out and show me your real face . . . Queen Tephine.”

Her face fell.

I chuckled. “Yeah, I know it’s you. So, go ahead.”

Fake-Jada didn’t make a move. She stood there frozen, just staring at me. She couldn’t believe she’d been caught and that she’d done it to herself. I felt that like they were my own emotions.

I casually strolled back and pretended to lean on another stone. I held my hand over it and wiggled my fingers. “Are you gonna do it, or are you going to make me do it?”

Finally, fake-Jada threw her head back and laughed. Her hair went from a close shave to long, white-blonde waves that flowed down to her hips. Her skin turned from a warm, rich ebony to a milky-white that held a silvery shimmer. Hazel green eyes changed to ice-blue. Even her clothing shifted from a warrior’s tight black gear to a skimpy white dress that held onto her shoulder with a thin silver straps. The material clung to her body, with slits going all the way up to her waist. She spun around in a slow circle like this was a show I’d paid money for at Caesar’s Palace. “Do you see me?”

I said nothing. Every villain wanted their moment. I’d be damned if I gave it to her.

“Impressive.”

A twisted, sadistic smile spread over her face. She began to slow clap. “How long have you known? What gave me away?”

“Just a tip, when you’re trying to be a Trojan Horse for someone, don’t start by throwing their injured, bleeding mother through a portal.” I narrowed my eyes and shook my head. “Not a good start for you.”

The Queen curled her finger, making the beckoning motion, except it wasn’t toward me. My senses went on high alert, and she sauntered around Crystal-henge, running her fingers over the stones. She threw her arms up and a wall of vines spread around Crystal-henge, trapping me in. “I want that Stone.”

Huge purple flowers opened on each of the vines. It was the same as the one that attacked my mother. Their petals rattled and shook as they bared razor sharp teeth. My eyes widened and fury burned through my veins.

Queen Tephine cackled. “ Mom took quite a hit, didn’t she? Oops.”

I opened my hands and crystals shot up from the ground. They sliced through the flowers like a chainsaw. They withered and died, dropping by the petal. But I wasn’t fast enough. More sprung up in their place, and they launched right at me. I spun to the side and sent another crystal flying like an arrow. It shot through the center of the flower and pinned it to the stone behind it. Another dove for my arm, and I stomped on the ground, forcing a miniature wall up in front of me. I ducked down behind it, hoping it would give me a moment to collect myself and try to figure out how to get away.

A sharp blade pressed to my throat, and my blood turned to ice in my veins. When I glanced to my side, there stood a women with bright-orange hair. Princess Aryk. Sporadic braids were woven in among the wild strands. She stood there in a leather top that looked more like a bikini, matching brown leather pants, and a thick coat that looked like she skinned a grizzly bear for its fur.

“Stand up.”

I slowly rose to my feet, praying she wouldn’t slide that blade against my skin.

She leaned in closer to me and hissed, “You owe me a new ship.”

I am so screwed. “A prettier one, right?” I would not show them fear.

There was no way Aryk was going to let me walk out of here alive, and that was if Tephine didn’t kill me first. The crystals around me called to my power, and my magic answered. A sharp needle-like piece shot from the stone closest to me and went right for Aryk’s temple. At the last second, she jumped back and cut it in half with her sword. I leapt to the side and fired three more at her. She didn’t even break a sweat as she spun, chopping my projectiles to tiny pieces that landed helplessly at her feet.

The Queen chuckled. “At least she’s starting to be slightly interesting.”

Aryk snarled. “Mildly.”

I took a few steps away and pressed my back to a giant stone while they circled around to approach me from both sides. Nervous energy flooded my body. I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d only been here one day . . . I couldn’t fight these two off alone. So far, I was getting lucky. But I had to try. Flowers bloomed under their feet. I pictured them getting bigger, and the petals extended out and up, nearly caging both of them in.

Tephine chuckled and ran her fingers over the pink petals. “How . . . quaint.” Those ice-blue eyes met mine and she grinned.

The flowers disintegrated in an instant. She hadn’t even moved or looked at them.

My heart sank. Ah, shit. She’s playing with me. I am a toy right now.

“Come now, Collins.” She wiggled her fingers and more flowers popped up from the snow. “I need you to find the Chaos Stone and give it to me. Do that, and you can live. I’ll even let your mother live . . . and your best friend, Tallulah, who is here in my realm as we speak, according to you.”

I shook my head. Even if I could find it, there was no way in hell I was going to give it to her. “No, you can’t make me.”

“But I can.”

I recognized that voice. It was sultry and confident. Princess Venus stepped out from behind a crystal right across from me. There she was in all her glory with her pink hair, pink eyes, and rocking body. She was dressed in a white strappy monokini like the rich girls wore poolside in Vegas. Aside from a thick white fur coat to cover her body and matching fuzzy boots for her feet, she was mostly naked. Her lips pulled up into a snide smile as she met my eyes. “Oh, I do love a party.”