Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

COLLINS

“What a fucking a day, man.”

Bash was on all fours, his long pale-blue hair dragging the ground. He laughed between gasps for air. “Surely more time has passed?”

Mom flipped onto her back, her chest rising and falling quickly. “Same day.”

Bash craned his neck back and looked to the portal. “They will get through that faster than we would like. We need a plan.”

“We need to kill them.” I ran my blood-covered hands through my hair. “Just like we did today. One by one until it’s just her .”

“And find the Chaos Stone while we’re at it,” Mom said with a sigh.

I nodded.

“But how?” Bash sat back on his heels, his shoulders sagging. “I’m not so worried about my father. Between our crystals and magic we can get from either Peggy or Ellie, we can take him down. However, Venus . . . she will be tricky, especially now.”

“We’re going to need one hell of a plan.” Mom pinched the bridge of her nose.

I tried to think of something, anything, but my mind was blank. I’d spent the last three days training my ass off, then today killed two fae princesses while somehow surviving. I was crashing, my body and magic spent. Exhausted. One look at Bash and his pale aura and I knew he was just as rough as I was.

“We need to rest.” Mom pushed off the wall and walked toward us. “You both had brilliant plans today. We were victorious. And now you need to rest. Mind, body, and magic are not inexhaustible. We haven’t even eaten today.”

Bash glared at the crystal blocking the opening into Third Realm. “That should get us through the night. Mother has never been gifted with crystals like this..”

"Mom, can you dial the number for the Vauntero Hotline?” I licked my lips and held my hand out. “Then give it to me.”

It was only a few moments before I heard the automated answering voice for the hotline. Mom pushed a button and then it was ringing. She placed the phone in my hand.

“Sandra?” Constantine Vauntero’s sharp voice echoed down the hall.

“No, this is Collins. Did you do as I requested three days ago?”

“Yes,” he answered without pause. “Nearly every single supernatural in First Realm is here. The ones who did not come are aware of the danger they face.”

“Excellent. Thank you. My mother, Prince Bastien, and I are coming to the Island.” I cleared my throat. “I would very much like to explain the situation myself, so if you could, let your people know I am on my way and to meet me in the park if they’d like to hear what I have to say.”

Constantine chuckled. “Collins, they have been camped out in the park for three days. We are ready and awaiting your arrival.”

“Thank you, Constantine. We’ll see you in a moment.” I ended the call, then handed Mom her phone back. “Mom, can you please go check on Jada? I need you to see her with your own eyes. When you get back, we’ll go. I don’t have the strength or the heart to go check myself.”

She cupped my cheek. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

The infirmary was somewhere in this building, yet Mom dove into the portal. Clearly, she didn’t want to waste any time going to check on Jada. I stared after her, though I saw nothing. My mind was replaying everything we’d been through today, as if I’d somehow forgotten a single detail.

“Just breathe,” Bash said as he pulled me to my feet. “One step at a time.”

I groaned and collapsed into his arms, finding comfort in the heat of his skin against my face. “One awful step at a time.”

He wrapped his arms around me. “I’m trying not to think about what lies ahead, if only for a minute.”

“Just breathing.” I closed my eyes and focused on that spicy vanilla scent of his.

“Collins? Bash?”

I gasped and jumped back. “What? I’m awake. Was I awake?”

Bash chuckled and blinked his eyes slowly. “I do not think we were awake.”

“Cool, cool, cool.” I rubbed my eyes, then remembered I had dried blood on my hands, which meant I probably looked as crazy as I felt. “How’s Jada?”

“Not good. She’s barely alive, but she is alive.” She cringed and pressed her hand to her chest. “Hecca and Nickel are working on her. Sashael, Jada’s father, has just arrived.”

I bit my lip. “Is she going to make it?”

Her face fell. “We’ll have to give her a few days to know.”

“Okay.” I nodded and tucked my hair behind my ears. “Right. Okay, let’s get to Megelle Island then. I’ll explain everything, we can put up a barrier, then food and sleep. Tomorrow, we discuss our game plan over breakfast.”

Mom held both hands out. “Take my hands and close your eyes. I’ll send us to the park.”

Bash and I both reached out and took one of her hands. I didn’t tell my legs to move, but suddenly we were moving through the cold air and bright light of the First Realm portal. But I trusted my mother, so I just held on to both her and Bash and let myself be pulled through the portal. My eyes closed on their own. Sleep couldn’t come fast enough.

Cold air seemed to get even sharper and more bitter against my face and hands. The points of my ears felt brittle, like they were going to snap right off. I shivered and dragged myself against Bash’s chest, wrapping my arms under his thick coat and around his waist. He pulled his coat around me so that the cold air was only touching my hair and the tips of my ears. For a moment, there was solace in the heat of his skin, even while my teeth rattled against each other.

“You’re too fatigued,” Bash whispered against my forehead. “It makes us more susceptible to the cold.”

I groaned.

“MOMMY!”

I gasped and spun around at the sound of my little brother’s voice. I’d recognize Bradyn’s raspy I yell too much for my vocal chords voice anywhere. When I looked, I spotted him sprinting for us. His red curls bounced with every step he took. Those green eyes were big and bright with excitement. Behind him, his two clones were coming in hot. All three triplets wore the exact same expression, and it filled my heart with joy.

Bash pulled my back against his chest and re-tucked me under his coat. “I still cannot believe she had three.”

“Neither can she or Philip.” I giggled. My parents had them five years ago, yet none of us had quite adjusted to triplets just yet. “I’m just glad they’re okay.”

Bash squeezed me tighter.

Mom let out a strangled cry and sank to her knees in the snow, then threw her arms wide open. “ Boys. ”

Bradyn tackled her first, wrapping his arms around her neck like a boa constrictor. Brantley and Brandon were only a few seconds behind. They were small, but when they tackled her at the same exact time, even she swayed. Brandon sank to his knees and burrowed under Bradyn’s arm to wrap himself around her waist. His head was turned to the side toward us, so I saw his missing front tooth in his wide grin. Brantley jumped on her back and rested his chin on top of her head.

“ Boys, boys, boys, don’t suffocate your mother! ” Philip hissed as he raced up to the pile of triplets and Mom. He reached down and literally lifted Brantley off Mom’s back. “Come on, she needs to breathe too. Let her up.”

Brantley looked up at me and gasped in horror. “Oh no! Collins is trapped!"

His brothers jumped up and spun around—and then they were sprinting for us. Bash chuckled and released me just as all three slammed into our legs at once. Bash ruffled their hair. I crouched down to give each of them a big squeeze. When I looked up, I found Mom and Philip holding on to each other, so I turned away. I couldn’t fathom what these few days had been like for them. At least my soulmate was by my side the whole time.

Victoria walked up, smiling and shaking her head. She looked more like their mother than their actual mother, granted she was their grandmother. And those red hair genes were strong. Seeing her standing there reminded me of my best friend, and all the warmth I’d gotten from Bash vanished. “They haven’t stopped talking about you since you left.”

I hurried over and hugged her tight. “Any word on Tallulah?”

“She’s safe,” Philip answered behind me.

I spun and narrowed my eyes on him. “You’re sure? How do you know? You know where she is? Did you see her? Talk to her?”

Philip held his hands up. “I have located her. She’s alive and safe for the time being.”

Victoria squeezed my arm. “She’s strong, Collins. She will be fine until we can get to her. Right now, you have a bigger battle in front of you.”

I groaned and scrubbed my face with my hands, but my balance faltered and I went stumbling backwards.

“I’ve got you.” Bash caught me, holding on to my shoulders. “She’s going to pass out.”

“Not before she eats.” Peggy Bow bounced up to us with a wide grin. She held two vials of glowing golden liquid. “This is just a little energy boost so you two can get proper meals and showers before the fatigue takes you down. Bottoms up.”

Bash and I took the vials and tossed them back. I didn’t even taste the potion, but it was warm down my throat. She took the empty vials and stuffed them into her coat pocket. Behind her, I spotted her husband Duvall talking with a gorgeous fae couple I recognized as their best friends who lived across the street, but I was blanking on their name. Maybe one was named Graham? A few feet over from them, leaning against a big oak tree, were the two nearly identical redheaded young Bow sons who were probably about my age. One of them wore glasses, and the other had better manicured eyebrows than me. Sitting on the ground in front of them were the adopted sons of the Bow family.

“Collins? Are you okay?”

“Not in any way, but I’m not currently dying.” I turned back to my stepfather and frowned. “Promise me you know where Tallulah is. Promise me she’s safe. Promise me we’ll go for her as soon as this is done.”

He sighed. “I promise I know where she is. She’s in one of the other realms, and the Nephilim there has confirmed with me that she’s there and alive. She is as safe as she can be. There’s no Tephine where she is. I promise as soon as your mission is complete, we’ll go for my sister.”

I nodded.

Mom grimaced. “Come on, honey. Tell the people what you need to say so we can get you fed.”

“Right. I got this. Thank you, Peggy.”

Peggy held two thumbs up. “I’ll be right here with my family when you’re ready to leave.”

It was only in that moment that I realized Mom had dropped us in a quiet, secluded little nook of the park. As I looked up ahead, my steps faltered. Hundreds of people were huddled together. I gripped Bash’s hand. We marched forward side-by-side toward the crowd. People scrambled out of our way as we moved. Though I wasn’t sure if that was because they knew who we were . . . or if it was because of the blood splattered all over us.

“ Collins? ”

I froze. I knew that voice. Rage rushed through my veins. I turned toward the sound of her voice with my hands balled into fists at my side. Lilian Gordon looked exactly the same as the last time I saw her—that Friday night when she tricked Tally and I into stealing from strangers and then abandoned us on the escape. She stood there with her cotton candy-pink hair tucked under one of those black knit beanies with the fuzzy puff ball on top. I had no doubt that it was stolen from someone else’s closet, along with the Chanel tweed coat she wore.

Beside her was her mother, Joan. She was average height with short, straight blond hair. The big black sunglasses covered most of her face, and the beige trench coat went all the way down to her knees. She’d swapped sparkly ballet flats for sparkly Ugg boots.

Lilian frowned. Her pale-blue gaze narrowed on me. “Oh my God. It is you.”

I clenched my teeth. “Lilian.”

She gave me a cocky smirk and shook her head. “I almost didn’t recognize you with the new hair color. Are you trying to be less basic now?”

I gave her a fake smile and used my customer service voice to say, “Tell me, Lilian, whose closet did you steal that coat from? Shall we empty your pockets to check for the wallets of everyone in this park? I know you’ve got sticky fingers.”

Bash snort-laughed behind me.

The crowd had turned to watch this exchange.

Joan hissed. “You have some audacity threatening her when you were equally as guilty.”

“Equally, Joan? Do you need a dictionary to look that word up?” I shook my head. “Equally would suggest that Tallulah and I knew we were trespassing on private property—that we’d committed breaking and entering that night instead of your daughter inviting us over to her rich parents’ penthouse to hang out. Equally would suggest that your daughter didn’t drag us into that woman’s closet and insist her mother said we could pick any of her designer bags to keep because she wanted to buy new ones. Equally would suggest that your daughter didn’t abandon us in the stairwell when we were fleeing the scene and then have her own mother report us to the Vaunteros. Does that sound like we were in that equally to anyone else?”

The crowd chuckled.

Joan held her chin high. “Well, it’s your word against hers, isn’t it? And your faces are the ones the security cameras caught.”

I wanted to punch her in her stupid face. But there was a no-violence rule in First Realm, and even though I was a Stone Keeper and probably immune to that rule, I wasn’t about to be a bad example in front of everyone. Instead, I just nodded and smiled. “I’m sure you didn’t have Lilian’s friend, Charlie, the security guard there, doctor the footage. Fortunately for us, I met a very friendly detective named Daniel Day, and I’ve already told him the whole story. I’ve also spoken with my bosses—the owner and manager of The Sapphire—and told them the story. I’ve promised to return the items we unknowingly stole from those people and gave a full, detailed report on every single other person involved. Yourself included.”

Joan gasped. “You did not.”

I hadn’t, but she didn’t need to know that. Plus, I was planning on doing just that.

Lilian’s eyes filled with tears.

“Fuck around and find out, ladies.” I smiled wider. “Choose your victims better next time. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get farther?—”

“You entitled little bitch. You show up three days late and think you can just push to the middle at the last second? You’re late. You can attempt to listen from the back of the crowd.” Joan rolled her eyes. “This is what you get for being a loner, Sandra. You’re always one step behind.”

My mother growled and stepped forward. Her gold and turquoise wings popped out of her back. That gold and silver armor covered her body. She snarled. “I don’t think I heard you, Joan. Say it again?”

Their jaws dropped.

“Y-y-you’re one of the-the-the Nephilim? The protectors of the Stone Keepers?” Joan stuttered.

“What do you know about the Stone Keepers?” Bash growled as he stepped up beside me and the air around him pulsed. “Do you know who I am?”

“P-p-prince Bastien. Of-of-of course.” Joan gasped and jumped back. She clearly had not paid any attention to who else was around her besides me. “N-n-nothing. I don’t know anything?—”

“We only know what King and Queen Vauntero explained three days ago when we all arrived here,” Lilian said softly, her face flushed. “They said it was time we all understood the truth of the world and all the realms.”

“I would have thought you’d learned your lesson a few days ago, Joan, running your mouth and all,” Constantine Vauntero said as he strolled up to us with his entire family behind him. Even the little kids. The King and Queen were right behind him. He narrowed his sapphire eyes at her. He gestured to me but kept his gaze on Joan and Lilian. “Everyone, may I have your attention? Please sit down so everyone else can see.”'

All at once, the entire crowd lowered to the ground to sit.

Leaving only the Vaunteros and my family standing.

Well, Victoria and my brothers sat. Philip was now standing as close to my mother as possible without touching. It almost made me smile.

King Vauntero cleared his throat. “I know there has been a lot of talk these last three days. I know the information we gave you was a lot to process. But right now, I’d like to formally introduce you to Prince Bastien of Third Realm . . . and Collins Elliott, the Stone Keeper for Third Realm.”

The horrified gasps that came out of Lilian and Joan would be a memory I cherished for decades. I wished Tallulah was there to witness it, but I couldn’t wait to tell her. If I had my phone, I might’ve taken a picture for her.

On the inside, I was cackling. On the outside, I merely kept smiling. “Like I said, choose your victims better next time.”

The looks on their faces were priceless.

But I wasn’t in this park to talk to them, so I turned my smile to the rest of the crowd. My smile felt more natural now. It was still fake though, because I was seconds from collapse and stressed the fuck out, but they didn’t need to know that. “Hello, everyone. I’m Collins. First, is everyone okay?”

Everyone nodded, but they looked nervous as hell.

Then I noticed their side-eye glances at Bash. Their auras were scared of him.

“Great.” I grabbed his hand and pulled him forward to stand beside me. “I know you’re all a little uneasy about him, but Prince Bastien is a good guy. He’s on our side. And . . . he’s my soulmate.”

Philip and Victoria gasped.

I pushed my left sleeve up to my elbow to reveal the words that, that is not the saying. Then I turned and pulled Bash’s sleeve up to show we’ll burn that bridge when we get there. I held my right hand over our soulmate marks, then pushed a cloud of turquoise magic onto them. The second my magic touched our skin, the marks changed to the floral image we saw while in Third Realm. I smiled. I wasn’t sure if that was going to work. It would’ve been awkward had it not.

Everyone was whispering and craning their necks to see.

Their auras lightened both in color and intensity.

“I don’t think Heaven would give a Stone Keeper an evil soulmate. Kind of defeats my purpose.” I smiled. “We have no choice in who our biological parents are, but we have the choice to be good people. Bastien sacrificed his safety and sanity to act as a spy until it was time for me to step forward. He’s with us now. You have no reason to fear him.”

Unless you attack us. Then you should be very, very afraid.

Bash gave me a small smile. “Thank you, Collins.”

I nodded and then turned my attention back to the crowd. “Last Friday—God, not even a full week ago—I thought I was human. I didn’t know anything else existed. I didn’t know this incredible Island existed. I was blissfully unaware. Sunday morning, I was on the Neverland Train to come here, terrified out of my mind and so overwhelmed it made me sick. So, trust me when I tell you that I did not give that evacuation order to Constantine lightly or carelessly.” I rubbed my hands together, and as dozens of gazes cringed, I glanced down to find them still stained with blood. I shook my head. “I know that with the exception of the Vauntero Royal Family, none of you knew the extent of trouble the other realms are in. This whole Stone Keeper business is honestly terrifying, and I fear it’s only going to get worse before it has a chance to get better. I understand why everyone in First Realm has been kept in the dark. I didn’t understand that Saturday night when it was explained to me, but I get it now. And I wish I didn’t have to burst that happy bubble for you. I wish I could have left you blissfully unaware . . . but that would’ve been unfair to you.”

“ Why? ” someone whispered.

“Because it puts you in danger, and that is no longer a risk I’m willing to take. See, the thing is, each realm has its own battles and obstacles. The mages of Second Realm had tyrants and a Lord Voldemort wannabe, but none of their enemies cared about First Realm. Which is why none of you are aware of the war they just went through last week.” I shook my head, letting my gaze sweep over the crowd. This wasn’t about me making a speech, it wasn’t about power, it was about these people having a right to know the truth of the world they lived in. “Second Realm barely won. It was no easy feat. Mages, you’re an incredible species of people. I want you all to know that I wouldn’t be standing here right now if not for Queen Savina, her brother Stellan, or their Stone Keeper, Ellie. Sunday night when Tephine attacked Las Vegas, they left the safety of Second Realm to fight alongside me, Bash, and our Nephilim, who have been our guardians from the start. I’m telling you this because you need to know that we’re all in this together.”

“Why did she attack Vegas?” an elderly man asked in a small voice.

“Because on Sunday Bastien and I killed Princess Helena and Princess Cleopatra.”

The whole crowd gasped.

“I have no remorse or shame for that. They were vile creatures who deserved what they got, but Queen Tephine disagreed.” I glanced back at Bash and smirked. He smiled and nodded. "She attacked Vegas in retaliation for what we did. She just came here to get revenge. I grew up in Vegas so that’s where she went. We barely survived. In fact, the only reason we did was because we were granted help from the angels, help they’re not allowed to give whenever they please. When Zuriel locked the portals down for three days, I knew Tephine would be furious. I knew she’d come for all of you, so I put the evacuation order in with Constantine.”

The crowd grimaced and exchanged nervous glances with each other.

“I am sorry that I had to do that. It undoubtedly terrified a lot of you. For that panic, I apologize. But we couldn’t take any risks.”

Queen Vauntero raised one finger. “If I may, Collins, a question?”

I turned to her and bowed. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“The portals reopened this morning, yet no attacks have happened. Or did she attack the humans?” She frowned and rubbed her pregnant belly. “You three are covered in blood . . .?”

All three of us looked down at ourselves and our blood-splattered clothes.

Bash stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Honestly, we expected that to be the case, but instead when the portals opened, we discovered my mother attempting to use a Nephilim named Jada to lure us into Third Realm under the guise of a trade. We knew this was a trap, but we went anyways. To keep her there. My mother is unlike any other enemy in all the realms. We are doing everything we can to keep her inside Third, but it’s nearly impossible.”

“I wanted you all here because I’m hoping that with the magic of this Island, along with mine and Peggy’s magic, maybe we can fortify this place so you’ll be safe.” I looked left and right and back again. “But also because we’re all stronger when we work together. Spread out around the world, she’ll pick you off one by one without blinking. But together you stand a chance.”

“The blood you see on us belonged to my sister Aryk. And a little bit from my sister Marigold. They’re both dead.” Bash stopped as everyone gasped and looked around. “My act of betrayal was the first blow. Killing my siblings has enraged her worse. First Realm is not safe. Collins pulled a trick to lock the portal temporarily tonight, but I assure you it is temporary. She will get through, and when she does, she will be out for blood.”

“I know. That’s scary to hear.” I looked back to the Vauntero family and smiled. “I am not a ruler, not even in Third. I’m just a soldier with magic. So, I’m not going to pretend to act like I know what to tell you all to do or how to handle so many people being on this Island at once. Your King and Queen are more than capable of leading you, so I ask you to trust their judgment and do as they say because we cannot stay here.”

Constantine cleared his throat. “What do you need? What can we do to help you?”

“We need to rest for the night. Eat. Sleep. Come up with a game plan for going back into Third in the morning. Us being here only puts a bigger target on your backs.” I glanced up at the sky, then back to the Vaunteros. “First, I want to try and put up some sort of magical barrier. Where’s Peggy? I just saw her?—”

“I’m here!” Peggy popped up from the ground and waved, her wand already in her hand. “Right here!”

I turned to her and smiled. “I need your brain and your magic. We need a barrier to keep everything else out. Wanna run to your shop and see what ideas you might have for that?”

“On it!”

Mom wrapped her arm around Peggy’s waist and flew away with her. Philip was in front of King and Queen Vauntero whispering. Everyone was nodding. I frowned.

But then Queen Vauntero smiled and stepped forward. “Because this is uncharted territory here—making a barrier and all—we ask that everyone hang back. The people here closest to us, if you could move back a bit to give them space, that would be great. Wolves and sirens, exercise caution as this could force a shift, so maybe give yourselves extra space.”

Bash raised his hand to get their attention. “We will need all of the fae to come forward, even the children. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you. We just need your energy to fortify.”

The crowd didn’t hesitate. I had to give them some serious credit and respect. A few dozen wolves ran to the far side of the park to my right. More people followed, shifting into wolves as they ran. Another few dozen people sprinted for the lake in the far-left corner. I frowned and watched—they shifted into mermaids the moment their feet hit the water. So cool. It was only in that moment that I realized their auras were color-coded by species. The wolves and sirens had varying shades of green auras.

The vampires had red auras, which made sense. They were also a lot calmer and colder. Each of them jumped up and stepped to the side—then reappeared at the border of the park. I blinked. Vampire speed. Right. Wicked. The mages had purple auras. None of them moved. They were waiting. Expecting. I smirked. They knew Peggy was going to need them and were not going to move until they found out.

There was one girl whose aura didn’t match the others. It was a dark teal color. I sensed magic like the fae but also the shifters. I had no idea what she was.

“ She’s a jinn, ” Bash whispered in my ear. “ A hybrid species that only exists in First Realm. ”

My jaw dropped.

Then I sensed the fae. Their auras were shades of turquoise like my magic. They moved toward me like salmon swimming upstream. None of them were afraid or nervous, not even the kids. Their auras were resilient. Angry. They knew this enemy was their Queen. They knew just how lucky they were to live here and not in Third. There was no hesitation to help. Within seconds there had to be a few hundred fae all sitting down around me, a good ten or more rows of them.

Mom landed with Peggy, a basket of vials, and a cauldron. The second they landed, they both began dumping the vials into the cauldron. Steam that smelled like jasmine billowed into the air.

Peggy hurried over to me, then held her wand up. “All my adult mages willing to lend a helpful wand, please come forward.”

I smiled. They were right. The mages rushed forward to join the fae around me, their wands gripped in their hands. She’d said adult mages, but the kids came too. I respected the hell out of this Island. I’d expected fear and resistance yet found only strength and resilience. They weren’t going down without a fight.

“Okay, you ready?”

I jumped. “That fast?”

Peggy blushed. “I may have had a gut feeling we were going to do something like this and spent the last three days preparing.”

I laughed. “You are amazing. Yes, I’m ready. I have no idea how to do this.”

“I do. In theory.” She waved me over to the cauldron, then pointed into it. “I’ve been melting crystals into both liquid and sand form because you control crystals. So, I have been treating them in potions for days.”

“ Has to be a Wentworth,” Bash whispered beside me.

“Okay, so I’m going to lift the crystals from the cauldron into the sky to make like a dome over the Island. Right?” I used my hands to show what I meant.

“YES!” Peggy clapped her hands. “So, my mages, point your wands at the sky. When you see the dome, shoot it with every protection spell you’ve ever learned. Give it all you’ve got. Okay?”

The mages pointed their wands to the sky in perfect unison.

Bash stepped forward and his pale moonstone-colored wings popped out. “My fae? We’re going up there. Give me all your positive energy. Give the dome what the mages are giving it. Got it?”

Their wings popped out and they shot into the sky like rockets.

Bash chuckled and squeezed my arm. He kissed my temple, then lifted gracefully into the sky. Peggy looked to me and nodded. I took a deep breath and held my hands over the cauldron. The energy billowing out of it was strong. It was trying to push me away, which was a good sign. I felt the power of the crystals inside tingling against my palms. Here goes nothing.

I pushed my magic into the cauldron. The turquoise smoke slipped inside, combining with the sand and potion. When the magic made all ten of my fingers twitch, I thrust my arms to the sky. Glitter shot into the clouds, soaring up and around the fae hovering way above. Light flashed from the tips of all the wands the mages held up. It was like fireworks. The entire sky flashed and sparkled. The clouds glittered. The dome had a faint blue tone to it, just enough to see that it was there.

For a moment, I let myself pretend that was all this was.

Fireworks.

Bash landed right in front of me. His brow furrowed as he took my hands in his and dragged me against his chest. “Stay with me, Cinderella,” he whispered against my forehead.

I frowned. “I didn’t go anywhere?”

“You were asleep. Standing.”

I gasped and stepped back, but he pulled me in again. “I didn’t realize it.”

“I know, that’s why I came back.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “You’ve used a lot of magic today. Let them handle this.”

I nodded and sank into his chest.

“Come on, let’s go back to Peggy’s and eat, then get some sleep.”

“Okay. I need to let everyone else go?—”

“They’ve already gone.”

“What?” I spun around to find most of the crowd was gone. There were only a few dozen stragglers who were still making their way out. “Did I pass out again?”

Bash chuckled. “For a few minutes, actually.”

I opened my mouth to say something to him when my gaze landed on Joan and Lilian who were still standing there. They watched me. I held my chin high and arched my eyebrow even higher, then marched over to them. “I want you to know, to hear it from me, that the two of you almost got me and my entire family killed when you decided to report me and Tallulah to the Vauntero Hotline.”

“L-l-l-listen-n—” Joan stuttered.

“I’m not done speaking. I hope with every fiber of my being that when you got the notification to evacuate to Megelle Island that your hearts fell right out of your conniving assholes in fear. I hope you felt nothing but terror as you fled here for safety. I want you to look around at all of these people here, all the other nonhumans who are lucky enough to have been born in First Realm, and I want you to know that you almost got them killed. As a fae, you should know what Queen Tephine is like. You know what she’s capable of and all the terror her daughters have wreaked on this realm since they were born. I’m the only who can stop her, a destiny I did not choose for myself and have no choice but to fulfill, and yet you ratted me out for a crime I did not commit.”

“I just told the Vaunteros, I didn’t call?—”

“Well, that’s the thing about monsters, they make it their business to know things. Tephine heard your little call and that’s how she found me.” I pointed to Bash behind me. “Luckily, she sent Bastien. But it was too late, Tephine already knew where I was, so when Bastien did not return with my head on a stick, she sent one of her daughters. Do you know how many people got hurt in Vegas because of you? Tell me, Joan, since you’re so quick to scheme, how do you think everyone in First Realm would have fared if there was no one left to destroy her?”

She opened her mouth, then shut it.

Lilian blinked through tears pooling on her eyelashes.

“Learn something from all this.” Then I turned and walked back to Bash. My family and the Bow family were all there behind him, waiting for me. When I got to them, I forced a smile to my face. “I need food and like eighteen fuzzy blankets, as soon as possible.”

“Come.” Peggy hooked her arm around mine. “My sons, Connor and Caleb, went home ahead of us and are preparing a meal. Something tells me you three could use some good ol’-fashioned home cooking.”

My stomach growled. “Which sons? Which two are Connor and Caleb? You have like a dozen of them, right?”

“Five. But I’m looking for a sixth to adopt so I can have my half-dozen doughnuts.” She grinned and then looked over her shoulder to her husband. “Duey is on the lookout for someone in need of a good home.”

Duey laughed. “Connor and Caleb are our only biological children currently on the Island. So, the redheads.”

Bash frowned and glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Red hair isn’t mandatory, is it?”

Peggy giggled. “Nope. Two of my boys aren’t even white. I like to mix it up. My life should be eclectic in all aspects.”

“Brian tried red hair when he was a kid,” her son Jethro said with a sideways grin. “He really wanted to fit the mold, but it was bad.”

Brian sighed. “I should’ve gone with a darker red, like a red wine. You know? That neon-red I did was a bit hard on the eyes. I always thought black and red was a good combo, but it turns out they can clash if you don’t choose the shade right”

Jethro rolled his eyes. He turned his dark eyes to Bash. “No, red is not mandatory for being in the Bow family. My brother and I are good examples of that.”

“Ah, I see.” Bash nodded and pursed his lips. “In that case, I’m in the market for a new mother.”

Peggy stopped in her tracks and gasped. Her blue eyes went wide. She stared at him for a second without making any noise, just her jaw hanging open.

“ Oh, look what you’ve done, ” Duvall whispered and shook his head.

Peggy squealed and tackled my soulmate. She wrapped her arms around him, trapping his arms against his sides. “I HAVE A FAE SON NOW!”

Bash’s eyes widened. “Just like that? It’s official?” He tried to hide his smile.

Duvall sighed, but he was smiling wide. “You can’t take it back now, son.”

Peggy jumped up and kissed Bash’s cheek, then stepped aside and wrapped her arm around his. “Let’s go home, son. Your new brothers will be excited to hear this.”

I frowned. “Wait, where are your other sons then?”

Duvall shrugged. “Willem is a travel writer who is usually on location somewhere without cellular reception. He’ll probably get the evacuation notice next week.”

Jethro laughed. “And Archer is in Milan for Fashion Week. He’s a photographer.”

“Oh, wait, that reminds me. Mom, Archer is here?—”

“WHAT?” Peggy swung around to face him. “brIAN?—”

“He took the last train in. You were busy in the shop and he hadn’t slept in days, so he just went to his room and passed out. I was supposed to tell you.” Brian grimaced. “I was probably supposed to wake him for this group chat.”

“ Brian, ” Peggy, Duvall, and Jethro all groaned his name.

Bash laughed and let Peggy drag him toward her house with the rest of us following behind. I knew they were all joking around, trying to lighten the mood if only for a moment, but there was a part of me that hoped there was some honesty in that conversation. Bash did need a new family, and although I knew mine already considered him part of ours, I wanted to see him make friends on his own. He’d been alone for so long. I wanted to be a source of happiness in his future, but I didn’t want to be the only source of happy. He deserved as much as he could find. And the Bow family were amazing people. I’d learned that as soon as I met them.

Mom caught up to me and hooked her arm around mine. “You okay?”

“Not at all, Mom. Not at all.” I rested my head on her shoulder as we walked. “There’s so much on the line, so much I have to miraculously succeed at, and it’s just . . . too much. I don’t know how I’m gonna do it.”

“With help.” She kissed the top of my head. “Just remember you’re not alone in this. You have more allies than you realize.”