Chapter 1

ONE

COLLINS

Cars screeched to a halt and slammed into each other as I sprinted down the Vegas strip. My wings were screaming to come out, but there were too many humans around. My legs burned as I dug my heels in and pushed harder. Faster. My hair streamed out behind me in wild pink and purple waves. Glass popped and metal crumbled. The sound of blaring horns, screams, and chaos filled the air. This wasn’t the Vegas I knew, but that life seemed like years ago. I pumped my arms as hard as I could, sprinting headlong toward a battle I normally would’ve fled from.

Queen Tephine was in the middle of the strip destroying the one place I’d ever called home.

Bash ran beside me, easily keeping pace with my strides. He’d killed for me before, and I knew he would do it again without question. But not just for me. For himself. For revenge. For all five realms. Our new allies sprinted right along with us. Their auras and power buzzed over my skin. I was surrounded by it. It was fueling my energy, my power. But most of all, I felt Ellie, the mage Stone Keeper, as she vibrated with a bold purple aura that took up so much space it was nearly blinding.

A stack of cars sat at one end of the street like a wall blocking off anyone from getting closer to the Bellagio and Paris hotels. Humans banged at the windows and doors of the cars, trying to get out. Wild vines wound around each car, holding them locked in a crushing heap on top of one another. Huge leaves bloomed over the vines covering the cars, crushing them tighter. Glass popped from the cars and the sound of metal crunching filled the air. I threw my hands out and forced the leaves to peel back from the cars. It was too much to fight Tephine. She was more powerful than I could ever hope to be. But I had to get the people out. I forced the vines through the cracks in the doors and windows and pried them all open at once.

Doors flew off the cars, and I had to duck as they shot over my head and skidded across the ground. Tephine took control of the vines once more, but we all rushed forward, pulling the people out and forcing them to run away. We couldn’t fight Tephine with humans nearby. She’d only use them as hostages and force us to be monsters like her. Within seconds we had the car wall empty, so I released my magic and the vines shot back to Tephine. Magic burned through my arms and deep in my chest. I knew it was there. I knew I could tap into more. But it’d only been a few days, and I didn’t know how to push for more. I didn’t know how far was too far.

I ducked down behind the wall and Bash moved in next to me. His vanilla scent wrapped around me, and I had to shake my head to focus. He’d just gotten his voice back. I didn’t want to be here fighting Tephine. I wanted to lie in a warm bed and listen to his deep whiskey voice. I had so many questions and never enough time to ask them. The trees on the sides of the strip grew even higher. They shot up toward the sky, their branches reached out toward each other in sharp, twisty brambles. Huge thorns sprouted from them, creating a dome over Tephine.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Her voice was low and menacing. There was a hypnotic cadence to the way she spoke. It was calm in the most alarming way possible, like the calm before the world-ending storm. “I know you’re here, Stone Keeper.”

Stellan ran to my side and ducked down next to me. “She doesn’t expect us to really come out. Bloody daft that would be.”

Ellie moved just to the other side of him. “What is it with psychos and causing a scene?”

“It’s a trap,” I heard myself say.

Stellan arched one eyebrow. “How do you figure?”

“She knows this is my home, so attacking Vegas is not coincidental. She’s trying to hit me where it hurts?—”

“She thinks your family is still?—”

“ And they are, ” I whispered. Then I mouthed, let her think they’re here still.

He nodded. “Smart.”

“But by attacking a city filled to the brim with humans, it’s forcing us to choose to save them instead of killing her. ” I pushed my hair back and cursed. “There’s no way we’re capable of killing her right now?—”

“Why not? There’s a lot of us.” Weston frowned and gestured around our little army of mages, Nephilim, and fae. “We’ve got a chance.”

“Doubtful.” Bash’s voice was harsh and sharp. He turned those moonstone eyes on our allies. “Killing her is going to be the hardest thing we ever do, and we need Collins more comfortable and trained with her power to do so.”

“They’re right. I’m going to pull rank here. Our goal is to get her the hell out of First Realm as swiftly as possible. Live to fight another day. If we can kill her in the process, great. But that’s not the goal because it’s most likely unattainable at this moment.” Queen Savina knelt down. Her chest heaved with heavy breaths. “Shylock, Weston, and Nickel, take to the sky. Distract her.”

Without hesitation, all three of them pushed their golden and purple wings out and shot straight into the sky.

Savina turned her gaze to us. “What’s the plan from here?”

Tephine’s laughter filled the air. “Come here, pretty birdies.”

I glanced through the cracks in the wall of cars. There she stood in all her glory with her white-blonde hair and pale skin. She wore a sheer, silvery fishnet outfit over a barely there silver bodysuit. It was low-cut, showing off the diamond stone embedded into her chest. In Vegas, she’d fit right in with the naked showgirls. But she wielded her power, turning the strip into her own personal playground. She lifted her arms and the ground rumbled beneath our feet. Two huge cacti rose up from the Bellagio fountain. Water shot in all different directions, raining down on us with freezing drops. Her eyes were focused on the sky as she fired thorns the size of her head at our Nephilim friends. The cacti shook and wind shot through them. The spikes launched in all different directions like a thousand javelins being thrown at once.

“Everybody down!” I hissed and dropped to the pavement.

They shot through the cars and buildings around the strip. They crushed and pinned things to the ground. In the distance, panicked screams filled the air and I cringed at the thought of the humans impaled by those spikes.

“We can’t let her keep going.” I looked to Bash. “Whatever we’re doing, we need to do it. Now. Any ideas?”

Three thorns shot down toward us. Stellan threw his hand up and silver magic filled the air. The javelin skewers veered away from us and smacked into the ground a few feet away. “Bash, what insider info do you have for us?”

“We surround her,” he answered without hesitation. Every time he spoke and words actually came out, I felt relief rush through him with so much happiness it was like he was trying not to smile. “If we meet her head-on together, she’ll easily take us down. So, the Nephilim in the sky. The rest of us on the ground. Maren, no offense, but stay behind Savina.”

“None taken.” Maren gripped her wand tight. “I’ll watch her back.”

“Stellan, you’re not going to like this, but you and Ellie need to take either side of her.” Bash looked to me and put his hand on my shoulder, sending electricity through my body. “Collins, take the far side. Savina, you two stay right here, and do not show yourselves yet.”

“What? She’s our best weapon.” Stellan scowled.

“She’s never fought my mother before.” Bash pointed one finger at the Queen. “I don’t know if your magic will work the same on her. Prepare yourself that it won’t. But it may give us just enough to take her by surprise.”

Ellie nodded. “I agree. Secret weapons stay secret until absolutely necessary.”

Savina growled and balled her hands into fists. “If she goes for my family?—”

“Then rain thy fire upon her skin,” Bash said with a growl of his own.

The Eiffel Tower of the Paris Hotel behind us shuddered and groaned. Thick green vines coiled like they were squeezing the life out of it. Tephine cackled and drew her arms into herself. Metal groaned and the lights on the tower exploded. Sparks rained down on us and bounced across the tree dome covering her. The leaves caught fire and smoke billowed up toward the sky. Some of it drifted down toward the ground and crept toward us like a thick black river. When it hit us, it made my eyes burn and my lungs seize up, making my throat dry and scratchy.

“She’s going to burn the whole city down.” Purple magic sparked up and down Ellie’s arms and flashed in her purple eyes. “What’s the plan, Bash?”

Above, Nickel, Shylock, and Weston soared in wide circles. Their metallic armor glistened with the light of the flames below them. They dove down and scooped humans off the ground, moving them out of the way of the path of destruction. The lights of Vegas reflected off their golden wings as they flew with quick precision.

The canopy rustled and opened just over Tephine and the leaves peeled back. A wide smile spread across her face, and she waved her hand. A giant cactus turned and vibrated up from the ground. Those spikes elongated, and I saw the cactus arch back as Tephine closed one eye and took aim. She ran her fingers over the diamond in her chest and cackled. The cactus exploded. The sharpened needles flew in all different directions. It looked like a swarm of bugs covering the lights of the strip, forcing us to duck behind the cars longer than we wanted.

“WESTON!” Shylock screamed.

I looked up just as a javelin thorn shot through Weston’s wings, skewering them together. He bellowed in pain and dropped toward the ground with nothing to stop his fall. A bunch of ideas ran through my head but nothing good enough to save him. I threw my hands out to try when silver magic coiled around him. His body jerked to the side and then landed beside the Bellagio fountain. He didn’t wallow in his pain. He pushed onto his hands and knees and dragged himself toward the edge to hide behind a column, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

Tephine wiggled her fingers and another thorn shot toward him. “Naughty birdy.”

I pressed my hand to the ground, desperately feeling for something to help, some kind of stone. I didn’t know what it was or what I was doing, but a huge boulder shot up in front of him at the last minute. The thorn slammed into it, its tip protruding from the front of it, and Tephine spun in a circle with wide eyes and excitement oozing from her aura.

“Ohhh, Collins, I’d love to see you, darling .”

My stomach turned. “Shit.”

“It’s time to move. I’m the distraction. When I get into her sight, you three move into position. Fast.” Bash rolled onto his toes, his wings fluttering behind his back. “She underestimates me, and I’ll use that against her to stall and give you time. Once I feel you in position, I’ll speak to her.”

“ Speak? That’s your battle strategy?”

“Yes.” The corner of his lip pulled up into a wicked smirk. “Because the only way Cleo’s curse would be lifted was if she was dead. And she’ll know I killed her. If my mother isn’t close to madness over my killing Helena, then the death of Cleo will do it.”

Savina nodded. “It just might work.”

“I’m going to stay here. With Savina.” I licked my lips and pushed my shoulders back. “If I’m here, she may be too preoccupied by my aura to feel hers.”

“Brilliant.” He rose to his feet. “My family’s reign is over. They just don’t know it yet. Stay alive and stay on your feet.”

We all nodded, and I felt like I should say something. He needed to know how important he was in my life, even if I didn’t understand it myself. I’d just met him, and yet the idea of losing him crippled me with fear and anxiety.

I grabbed his coat and tugged. “Don’t. Die.”

“I shall try not to.” He winked and stepped out around the wall of cars.

Stellan sprinted to the left while Ellie raced off to the right. Savina moved to crouch directly behind me with Maren at her back. Up above, Nickel and Shylock flew in circles, like vultures. I glanced to the Bellagio wall of columns and spotted Weston firing powder-blue magic from around the column he hid behind. It wasn’t doing much, but like a gnat flying around her face, it was distracting Tephine. She snarled and swatted at it—and then her gaze snapped to her right.

You see him, don’t you? How does it feel to know your own child betrayed you?

Tephine froze. Her eyes locked on him. She tilted her head to the side and narrowed those eerie pale-blue eyes of hers. “Well if it isn’t my treacherous spawn.”

Bash opened his stance and gave her a wide smile. “Hello, Mother.”