Chapter 11

ELEVEN

COLLINS

All at once, the entire ship burst into pieces. It had looked like glitter but now I realized they were the size of my hand, glistening in the bright sunlight. The sun in Third Realm wasn’t that yellow-golden color like home, it was just solid white, so it made everything sparkle more.

The crystals were screaming. With rage.

The explosion catapulted Aryk into the air, swinging a neon-colored sword around while bellowing to the sky. Wild braids blew back from her face, revealing the peaks of her ears. The remnants of her prized ship hovered in the air all around her. There had to be a thousand of them.

I held my hands up in the air. Pin her. The rose quartz crystals slammed into her all at once. Aryk screamed and tried to swat at them, but there were too many. I flexed my fingers, and they forced her onto the snow. She thrashed sending snow flying in different directions, but in the end, her power was no match for mine. I felt the rage within the crystals as if it were my own. It made me stronger. Fiercer. Any compassion I may have had for this female was gone.

Aryk sneered up at me, her emerald eyes blazing with hate. “You disgusting little rat.”

I crossed the distance between us and crouched down. I tore off a ripped piece of leather from her brown jacket, then shoved it into her mouth. “That’s enough.”

She tried to lift her arms to remove the material from her mouth, but the crystals of her ship held her pressed to the snow without mercy. She struggled against the pressure of the stones, turning her face as bright as her hair. It stood out among the towering dark greens of the crystal forest. A bright green light shone from beneath her brown coat. It pulsed in waves almost like Morse code. I hear you. I yanked the ropes off of her waist and forced her coat open. There, embedded in her chest, in the same spot as all the rest of her family, was the emerald stone. A sharp, high-pitched squeal pierced my ears.

It seemed the more conversations I had with stones, the louder all the others became. And the emerald stone was screaming in my head—No, that wasn’t quite right. They were the screams of other people. I heard the roar of the ocean and waves crashing down all around me. The images flipping across my mind made my stomach turn.

Aryk was a cruel, sadistic monster. She’d killed thousands for sport but now I was the hunter.

I slammed my hand onto her chest, right over the emerald stone. I hear you.

The screaming in my mind ceased instantly. And then I felt three short taps against my palm, followed by three long taps. Three more short taps. Then nothing. My eyes widened. It repeated the pattern: three short, three long, three short.

SOS.

HELP.

The crystal was literally giving me the help distress signal. It was a smart stone, which made sense since it gave the power to read minds.

HELP. It repeated the pattern again.

I pushed my magic into Aryk’s chest and forced it to slide between the stone and her body. Aryk thrashed wildly, but it was no use against my hold and her ship’s revenge. I flexed my hand out, summoning my magic to circle all the way around back to my palm. Then I pulled. Aryk’s whole body shook. The muscles in my arm tightened and trembled. I wasn’t going to back down though. Aryk screamed around the material in her mouth, but the crystals were pinning it in place. Aryk’s body was trying to keep the stone, but the stone itself was pushing against that magic that kept it in her chest.

And then that magical barrier snapped.

My hand flew up over my head . . . with her emerald stone gripped between my fingers.

Blood gushed from her raw, open wound like a broken dam. Aryk shrieked and thrashed. Rivers of blood slipped over her body and soaked into the snow. I gasped for deep breaths. I’d done it. I’d ripped the stone right out of her chest.

The stone lit up like a neon sign in my hand.

Before I could react, glowing streams of green magic shot out of Aryk’s eyes and into the emerald in my hand. I froze in place. Aryk threw her head back and screamed. Her back arched. Her whole body convulsed like she was being electrocuted. The emotion pouring out of the emerald was one I recognized in an instant. It was identical to what I’d felt from Cleo’s sapphire from within the Astral Stone.

Revenge.

I was merely a vessel for its rage, and I wasn’t going to interfere.

Take it. Take it back. Take what she stole from you.

My mind was a kaleidoscope of images and sounds. The emerald wasn’t speaking to me as clearly as Cleo’s sapphire or the rose quartz had, but I didn’t need specifics to understand. It was a whole lot of how dare you and the audacity. It was stone-cold ruthless. There was blood everywhere. Aryk’s eyes looked like they were about to pop right out of her skull. Blue veins streaked across her cheekbones.

Aryk’s aura fizzled in and out like a radio station losing reception. It was like the static noise that snowy fuzz old televisions used to get. The green magic streaming between the emerald in my hand and Aryk’s eyes glowed brighter and thicker. My pulse quickened. Then it hit me. It was breaking her mind. The stone had given her the ability to read other people’s minds and now it was retaliating viciously. Relentlessly. Its rage knew no bounds.

It’s okay now, I told the stone while pushing my magic into it from my palm. You can let go. She’s broken. You made your point.

The emerald vibrated in my hand. Its magic pulsed and shined an even brighter green.

I know. I know. She hurt you. It’s okay, you can let go now. Let go and you can have peace. I put both hands on the stone, curling my fingers over the edge while blood ran like rivers down my forearms. Aryk’s blood. My turquoise magic mixed with the green stream. Let me give you peace. Just let her go.

The stream flickered a few times before it finally stopped.

I sighed and sagged onto my knees. My breath left me in a rush. In my hands, the emerald vibrated. Aryk’s body twitched. Her eyes bounced around. Drool dripped from the corner of her mouth. Holy shit. You broke her. I sank back on my heels and pressed the emerald to my chest to help it calm down. If crystals felt emotions like people did, then a hug might just help it in the same way.

The stone almost seemed to take a deep breath and exhale. I felt its relief as if it were my own.

Movement in my peripheral vision made me jump. I looked up and found my mother and Bash standing in front of me. Neither of them said a thing. They just stared down at me with wide eyes and slacked jaws. Their auras were pale in shock. Between us, Aryk’s body twitched.

I licked my lips and held the emerald up to show them. “Got it.”

Mom shook her head.

Bash’s aura turned pink like the rose quartz crystals piled on top of Aryk. His gaze swept over my face. He sighed. “I love you.”

My eyes widened. My pulse skipped beats.

Mom flinched. “ What did you just say? ”

Bash grinned. “I said I love you .”

I looked down at myself and found I was kneeling in a small pool of blood. There were streaks of it running down my arms, glistening against my catsuit. My hands were covered in it. I arched one eyebrow at him. “ Now you say it? Right now?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “If the shoe fits, Cinderella.”

“Which part of this did it for you, Prince Charming? Is it my indifference to the blood? Or was it the mind-breaking torture I just assisted in?”

“I don’t know.” He laughed. “But it did it. The whole thing just worked.”

“Maren was right, we are all deranged.” I giggled.

Mom cleared her throat. “Excuse me? What did I just hear?”

Bash crouched down across from me. He reached across his sister’s twitching body and cupped my face in both of his hands. “I said I love you.”

I swooned, literally falling into his grip with a stupid puppy dog grin. “I love you, too.”

“ Excuse me, ” Mom said with that stern motherly voice she used when I was being a bad kid.

I pressed my lips to his.

“ Collins. ”

“Right. Sorry. Focusing.” I pulled out of Bash’s hold and reached into the pocket Peggy gave me to retrieve the potion I needed. I used my teeth to yank the cap off, then drank half the bottle just like I’d done with Tallulah. There was so much blood on my hand that I couldn’t taste the potion, but I trusted Peggy. “Okay, remove the gag and hold her mouth open, please.”

Bash quickly pulled the material out and propped her jaw open. “Go ahead.”

I dumped the rest of the potion into her mouth and then closed my eyes. “Tell me when?—”

Bash cursed violently. “I regret this plan immediately.”

“I will never unsee this,” Mom muttered under her breath.

I opened my eyes—and found what appeared to be my body lying on the snow in a pool of my own blood, twitching and drooling, my turquoise eyes bouncing around. My jaw dropped. “Damn, Peggy is good. That legit looks like me.”

Mom shuddered and spun away. Not that I blamed her.

“Do I look like Aryk? Do I sound like her?”

“Unfortunately.” Bash smirked as he plucked that piece of fabric off the ground and shoved it into fake-me-Aryk’s mouth. Then he reached forward and ripped the strap off the shoulder of the coat I now wore. With quick hands that knew exactly what to do, he tied the belt around fake-me-Aryk’s mouth to secure the gag. “Collins, she wears two ropes around her waist. Take them off so we can bind her.”

I jumped to my feet and did as he said.

“Give me one.” Mom held her hand out. “Let’s get this over with before I’m sick.”

“I’m not good at knots.” I gave her one of the ropes, then turned to find Bash holding his hand out for the other. “Here.”

He carefully flipped fake-me-Aryk onto her stomach so they could hog-tie her properly. Mom and Bash worked quickly and silently. Mom tied her hands while he tied her ankles. They both cursed and grumbled about hating this idea the whole time.

I held the emerald up closer to my face and smiled. My turquoise magic floated around the edge of it. “Hi there. Thanks for your help. I’m going to return you to Crystal-henge as soon as I can, but for right now I have to pretend to be Princess Aryk to save my Nephilim Jada, so can you please just stay right on my chest where you used to be until we get back through the portal? I promise to release you as soon as it’s safe to go there.”

The emerald hummed a jovial tune, which I took to mean yes . I used my magic to lift the crystal to my chest. My magic couldn’t be out while we went to meet Tephine, for obvious reasons, so I wasn’t sure how this would work, but the emerald seemed to know. It nestled into the hole it’d been in for centuries. I released my hands and magic, yet the stone stayed in place.

“Perfect. Thank you. This shouldn’t take too long.”

Now that the stone was touching my chest, I felt the air pulse around Mom and Bash’s heads like it was trying to read their thoughts. But their necklaces radiated energy, pushing the stone’s magic away like a forcefield.

“Don’t worry, you still work,” I said to the stone. “We’re just protecting ourselves from Tephine.”

The stone settled and calmed.

“Collins . . .” Mom hissed. “What’s on your arm?”

I frowned and looked down. “Nothing? Huh?”

She bent down and lifted fake-me-Aryk’s left arm up where the sleeve of the catsuit had ridden up a couple inches. She pushed it up to the elbow and gasped. “This. Is this . . . is this a soulmate mark ?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. My face turned hot, so I knew I was blushing.

Bash blushed so pink his hair almost looked lavender.

Mom gasped. “ Is it Bash? ”

“Mom—”

“I can’t see him, so I can’t go check his arm. Is it him?” Her voice was rough. I must have made a face because she gasped again and pressed her hands to her chest. “It is him. You’re . . . you two are . . . soulmates?”

“Um . . .” I laughed nervously. “See, so the thing is . . . um . . . yes.”

Bash smiled at me. “We are.”

Mom gestured wildly. “How long have you known this?”

“Since she spoke to me at the Sapphire Casino in Vegas.”

When my mother looked pointedly at me, I grimaced. “When we first got to Second Realm to start my training, I saw it on his arm while healing him. And then he explained.”

“And you didn’t think to tell your mother?”

I shrugged. “I was about to show you the mark but then the news about Jada came out, and we’ve been a little preoccupied since.”

“Sandra, I’m sorry about how this has all come out. But please, I cannot handle her wearing my sister’s face much longer.” Bash looked at me and cringed. “We can discuss in great detail once we’re safe?”

“Fine. Fine, fine, fine.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “Nickel is prepared to hide you two back in Second Realm if Tephine comes chasing.”

“God, I keep forgetting she can follow us there.”

“I think I should wait at the portal for you. My gut tells me Tephine may sense my presence, and we don’t want any additional risks with this plan.” Mom pushed her wings out and lifted off the ground. “I want that portal standing wide open so there’s nothing slowing you down from getting the hell out. Especially if I can’t see Bash.”

I nodded. “That’s probably a good plan.”

Mom shuddered. “Be fast , Collins. Tephine is unlike anyone else?—”

“I know. Bash explained the history to me. My focus is going to be on Tephine and fake-me.”

“And I’m going to snatch Jada the moment I get a chance and take off,” Bash followed up. “I’ll use my gifts where needed. All Collins needs to do is get herself out.”

“I will. I can run away. No big deal.”

“I can’t see Bash’s face to know if he hates this as much as I do.”

“I do. You have my word on that.” He reached out and tipped my chin up, forcing my eyes up to him. “I would kiss you right now if you weren’t wearing my sister’s face.”

I giggled. “We’re not that kinky.”

His smile vanished. “Collins.”

“I know, I know.”

“Getting you out alive is priority number one. Jada would not want you to die for her. You can’t . We need you too much.” He sighed and scrubbed his face with one hand. “I’m going to get Jada. The second I grab her, you try to kill Aryk. Don’t be fancy. Kill shots only.”

“Kill shot. Right.” I made the motions with my hands. “Like stabbing the throat or face?”

He chuckled. “Exactly like that, yes.”

“I’m on it. Kill shot, then bail.”

“But if you can’t kill her easily, don’t try . . . just get out.” He tapped on my forehead. “You already broke her mind. She’s half gone as it is. Mother will finish the job if you don’t. Let me get Jada. You get out.”

I pressed my hand to his chest. “I will. I promise.”

Mom groaned. “Okay. Go before Tephine gets more suspicious. Put on a good show for why Aryk is arriving with you tied up. I’ll be at the portal waiting. If you’re in trouble, shoot up a flare and I’ll come.”

“Thanks, Mom. Go ahead. I’m ready.”

She nodded and then shot into the sky.

Bash looked up and frowned. “Is she gone?”

“Yes.”

“I feel like I might vomit right now.”

“Me too.”

“That does not make me feel better, Collins.”

I grinned. “Okay, hold on one moment, I have to finish this.”

“Finish what?”

I held my hand out and pushed my magic to cover all of the rose quartz crystals lying in the snow. “Thank you for your help. Show me again where your home is, and my magic will bring you back.”

The happiness that poured out of the crystals was so strong it actually pushed me back a step. I saw their home in my mind, a beautiful turquoise ocean within Third Realm. I closed my eyes and thrust my arms forward. Be at peace now. I watched their journey in my mind, it was like being on a live stream of someone’s GoPro. Granted, the realm was mostly snow and ice, so it was a whole lot of white for several seconds until their gorgeous ocean came into view. It wasn’t even as wide as the Atlantic—hell, there were probably rivers in First Realm wider than this ocean—but it was breathtaking.

I felt the ice-cold water splash against my face as the stones submerged into the sea. FINALLY. Their relief was sharp and profound. It was the opposite of that horrific image of Aryk stealing them. They were going home. As they neared the bottom of the seafloor, I saw hundreds and hundreds of other stones just like them—mostly made of rose quartz.

Tears burned against my eyelids. This felt good. This felt right. I needed to do this for the entire realm. That was why I was here, why I was born. This would be what drove me forward in the face of uncertainty. I had to fight for those that had no voice too.

“I cannot handle you in my sister’s face. Please, let us get this over with.”

I opened my eyes and looked over at him. He shuddered and started to turn away, so I grabbed his coat lapel and stopped him. “You made a good point just now. I already broke Aryk’s mind. I hadn’t prepared for her stone to take its revenge like that, though I should have. She is broken. I doubt she is functional at this point. Essentially, we’ve already killed her. I mean, I have her stone.”

“Exactly. She’s no longer a real threat to us.”

“So, I don’t need to kill her at all. I mean, sure, it would be nice to check one more box on the list, but it’s not worth getting hurt or killed.” A new plan was forming in my mind, and it felt even better than the first. “I’ll put on a good show when I get there. Aryk is gagged and can’t speak. Tephine will be thrilled. I’m guessing she’ll want to torture me a bit before she kills me. It’ll be more fun for her. If you’re right behind me or beside me, then I’ll just excuse myself.”

“Right, to say you’re going to look for me.”

“Exactly. So, I’ll take off. You grab Jada and follow.”

“I’ll wait a moment. She will follow us the second I grab Jada, so I want to give you a chance to get out.” He backed away from me and glanced down at the fake-me in the snow. He gagged. “I will be forever scarred by this day.”

“Then let’s make it short and sweet.” I reached down and grabbed the ropes. “Now, where do I find her?”

He closed his eyes. “You already feel her. You just don’t realize that sensation is her. Just fly toward that awful feeling and there she’ll be.”

I nodded and flipped through all the auras and sensations around me, but the problem was there were too many. I felt more than Bash did. I tapped on the emerald lightly. Do you know how Tephine is?

Instantly, my mind showed an image of Tephine standing in front of a tree made of crystals, with Jada in a heap in the snow at her feet. Instead of focusing on Tephine’s aura, I zeroed in on Jada’s. It was weak but burned hotter than anything else in this realm.

Thank you, God.

“Okay. Hold on to fake-me-Aryk and me, and I’ll fly us to her.”

Once he had a hold of both of us, I closed my eyes and lifted off the ground. My wings felt different than they usually did, but I assumed that was because I was flying on Aryk’s wings instead of my own. Flying was still super new to me, but I was attached emotionally to my wings already. Focus, Collins. I didn’t want to be distracted by anything, so I closed my eyes and latched on to Jada’s aura in the distance.

“ There she is ,” Bash whispered in my ear. “ Lower now, then drag her through the snow a few feet for show. ”

I did as he said and dropped down, but I didn’t open my eyes until my feet hit the ground. When I opened my eyes, I did a quick check to make sure fake-me-Aryk was still bound and gagged, then I pushed my shoulders back and turned to face forward. We were only a few yards from the castle in a thicker part of the forest I’d never ventured to before. I’d tried for so long to stay away from Tephine now here I was in her comfort zone. The tree trunks weren’t as thick here, they were more like maples and less like red woods. Their trunks remind me of tiger eye stones with the swirling yellows and golden browns. The canopy was a lot thinner allowing the sunlight to peek through and shine down on us. Making the light cover of snow glitter like diamonds all around.

Queen Tephine stood ten feet in front of me with her long white hair rustling in the breeze. The glittering snow and glowing trees gave her an almost eternal magical affect. Even after a few battles she was ever so perfect. With her smooth hair, glowing pale skin, and perfect fae looking outfit. On the ground at her feet, shivering in a ball, was Jada. Her hair was the same color as the snow, but that gorgeous dark skin made her hard to miss. Her aura, on the other hand, was easily missed. It was barely even there. She was fading by the minute. We needed to act fast.

I kept my eyes on Jada and grinned. Then I nodded my head and marched toward her, dragging fake-me-Aryk through the snow. Bash was an invisible wall beside me, but with every step closer his aura grew more tense.

When I stopped in front of her, Tephine narrowed her diamond eyes at me and then glanced down at fake-me and a little smirk pulled at her lips. My stomach turned into knots. I’d never been this close to her since I found out she was fake-Jada. She was my enemy, the bane of my existence and that of the people of the Fae Realm. This close she could easily rip my throat from my body and I would die in a bloody pile at her feet the way so many others had. I forced myself to stand still the way Aryk would and hold my head up high. If I could kill her in this moment I would but there was no way. All I could do now was hold my breath and pray that my plan would work and we would all make it out of here alive.

She stomped forward to get a better look at fake-me-Aryk. “What a pathetic little creature they sent to destroy me.”

I can’t hear her thoughts. SHIT. Shit, shit, shit. She must have decided to protect herself after all. Fuck! This is not a good revelation. But it’s too late now.

Bash moved over to Jada. He wrapped his hand around her ankle and paused, watching his mother. Tephine was solely focused on fake-me-Aryk on the ground, so she didn’t notice Bash sliding Jada across the snow inch by inch so she was closer to me. I knew he was strong. I knew he could pluck Jada off the ground by her ankle if he needed to, but he wanted to stay close to me. He’d seen her atrocities over the years and knew it was nothing for her to kill us all here and now. It was the riskiest plan we’d ever come up with and yet it seemed to be working. When I got home I’d collapse with the shock of being alive. For now all I could do was force my body to hold all the audacity I could muster. Tephine was that dangerous.

And I couldn’t hear her thoughts or tell Bash.

Tephine turned her glare back to me. “This was not part of our plan, Aryk. Or did you think my plan insufficient?”

“Your plans are never insufficient, Mother.” I pointed to fake-me-Aryk on the ground. “I caught her on my ship just now trying to pull a fast one on you. Stupid fool thought she could beat me.”

Tephine arched one pale eyebrow. “Was that your ship exploding?”

I let out my best growl. “Her last victory, as it were.”

“She will pay for that.” Tephine grinned. She twirled her wrist and a shimmering sword made of solid diamond appeared in her palm like Bash’s weapons did. She pointed the tip of the blade at Jada on the ground. “But first I think I’ll make her watch Jada suffer. Let her see just what her failure has done. Prop her up so she can see.”

I rolled my neck and chuckled. I did as she asked, forcing fake-me-Aryk onto her knees. She was still bound by the ankles and wrists. I snarled down at her. “Stab her once for me. I’m going to hunt for Bastien. I doubt he’d leave his little pet alone in here for long. He must be hiding nearby.”

“On second thought . . . I have a better idea.” Tephine cocked her head to the side, looking at fake-me-Aryk. I didn’t think she’d even heard me at all. “Just for you, Jada?—”

She swung her sword faster than my eyes could track. All I saw was the sparkle of the diamond blade in the sunlight as it moved in front of me. I jumped back a step just as the diamond blade sliced through fake-me-Aryk’s throat.

I gasped as the world flipped into slow-motion. I watched in horror as my head was severed from my body. It wasn’t actually me, but it looked like me, so it was like watching a movie of my life or a psychic vision or something. My body locked into place as blood splattered across me and Tephine. The pure white snow was stained crimson red like a spatter paining. My fake body laid there just bleeding into the dirt like an animal. Was this a glimpse into my future or was my plan working so well I scared the shit out of myself?

Tephine cackled. “The world is mine now, little Stone Keeper!”

When fake-me-Aryk’s head hit the ground, the spell was broken. All that pink and purple hair changed to neon-orange. My pale, shimmery skin was now a warm pink tone. The turquoise eyes staring up at the sky were emerald-green.

Tephine sucked in a strangled gasp. “ ARYK? ”

She screamed.

Bash wrapped his arm around my waist and shot into the sky before Tephine had time to turn toward me. Her raw, furious scream carried through the trees. I peeked over his shoulder to see if she was following us when the whole world went black.