Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

COLLINS

Warmth surrounded me. I felt at total peace. Bash’s smooth skin was pressed against mine and I coveted the feel of him this close to me. His warm vanilla scent lingered on the bed sheets and over my skin. My hair was wrapped around my body and draped across his chest. He lay there with his eyes closed and his breaths deep and even. When I ran my fingers over his stomach, the muscles leapt to my touch. I lay there just enjoying him and feeling a lightness I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I nearly let my eyes flutter shut to go back to sleep when a blaring alarm sounded. My heart shot up into my throat, and I leapt from the bed. Bash was next to me in an instant. He grabbed my catsuit off the floor and chucked it at me before yanking his own pants up to his hips.

“She’s here.”

I gave him a single nod. “I know.”

I turned and ran for the door, but Bash called out to me. “Collins! This is faster.”

He threw the window open and jumped out. My human brain was like oh hell no , but I was fae and this was all us. I ran toward the window and dove out. My wings sprang from my back, and I took off toward the center of town. There, high above the Island, was Tephine. She hovered just outside the magical barrier I’d created with Peggy. Her hair flew around her head in wild strands, and her eyes were wide and crazed. Her skin was pale and seemed to glow with a million diamonds. The one in her chest flickered and tiny rainbows reflected off of it. Her wings fluttered furiously on her back.

When I landed in the park, her eyes locked on mine. “ You .”

“Me.” I didn’t know what I was going to do, but my stomach was in my throat. Would this be the moment she killed me? Bash reached for my hand and wound his fingers with mine.

Tephine glared at our intertwined hands, then at Bash. “And the poisonous fruit of my womb.”

Her wings stopped fluttering and she landed on the invisible barrier we had created the night before. She bent down and her white flowy dress pooled around her legs. She threw her fist at the barrier. Blood streaked from her hand, and she wiped it across her bare stomach. When others started to gather around us, they all stared up at Tephine in her terrifying glory. She smiled down at the people of the Island.

Peggy ran into the clearing with her wand in hand. Little puffs of magic came from the tip of it. The rest of her family ran in around her, all with their wands at the ready. She shifted from foot to foot with nerves.

Tephine grinned and walked across the barrier on her bare feet.

Residents of Megelle Island raced out of their homes and began to gather below her.

“ Bash, what do we do now? ”

He grimaced and glanced around. “I’m thinking.”

“This is all my fault. I sent out the evacuation order and told them all to come here and now I’ve trapped them.” My stomach rolled. “They need to get inside. They need to shelter as safely as possible. Surely they have something like that?”

Tephine stood there looking every bit the glorious, homicidal Queen she was. Everyone stood still, waiting to see what she’d do next. It was like the Island held its breath.

“GET INSIDE!” Bash shouted. “SHELTER!”

Peggy flicked her wand and a symbol appeared in the sky that looked like a castle. The moment it appeared, the residents of the Island took off running. Or most of them did. They hurried inside buildings and out of sight. I focused my magic, pushing it out to see where they’d fled to and realized their auras were all moving in the same direction— toward the Vauntero castle.

Under the ground.

There must have been a shelter beneath the castle and tunnels for everyone to get there. That made perfect sense, especially given the nature of how this Island came to exist. They were hiding from the carnage I’d brought to them. The least I could do was distract her while they ran. Make her come for me since I was the one she wanted.

Tephine slammed her heels onto the barrier, each stomp sent a shiver through the magic layer. It wasn’t going to hold. I threw my hands up and lifted off the ground, intentionally making a show of sending waves of turquoise magic through the air.

Tephine spotted it and screamed. The world rumbled around us, and screams echoed over the Island. Tephine threw her hands up and thick vines shot from the ground and up around the barrier, like a fist squeezing an egg. The barrier cracked under the pressure of her power. Fissures forked out over it and small pieces began to fall onto the Island.

Peggy raised her hand and fired a single shot of magic toward the falling pieces. They turned from jagged-looking pieces of glass to glittery white sand that rained down on us. “What do we do?”

“Damage control.” I looked down to Bash. “Take her senses. All of them. Whatever you’ve got.”

“That won’t stop her from attacking the Island?—”

“ But she won’t be able to SEE it. ” I gestured around. “ Then it’s damage control. ”

“I fear she has learned to block me, but I will try.”

I shot into the air to meet her head-on, but mom and Philip tackled me. Their golden wings wrapped around me like a protective forcefield, pulling me back to the ground. “ What are you doing? I have to stop her! ”

“You have to live!” Mom shouted as my feet touched the ground.

With their vampire speed, five of the eldest Vaunteros sped into the middle of the park. They were decked out in head-to-toe battle gear. Constantine stepped in front of the rest of his siblings. He was tall and imposing with a dark, thick beard and long black hair. He had two swords strapped across his back and a vest that looked like leather armor. His pants were tight across his legs.

“I have to fight her!” I hissed and pulled against their grip. “I can’t let them die?—”

“You’re the Stone Keeper, Collins. If you die, everyone dies!” Philip gave me a little shake to get my attention. “Don’t you get it? If you die before her, she unleashes her hell upon First Realm and all the others.”

“I know, but?—"

“She’s coming!” Constantine pointed into the sky at her and bellowed. “Forget the no-violence rule and FIGHT!”

“Mom? Philip? You have to let me help them!” I glanced around for my soulmate. “Bash? Bash, where are you?”

He jumped in front of me with a grimace. “Sorry, love, they’re right. You have to survive.”

Philip unsheathed one sword without releasing his grip on me. “Give them a chance.”

“You can fight from here. ” Mom held me in place.

The species of the Island hurried to form lines behind Constantine like the armies of Mordor. The Vaunteros stood at the front line with the wolves pacing behind them. They barked and growled in Tephine’s direction. Drool fell from their lips to the ground below them. If I hadn’t known they were people turned wolf, I would’ve been terrified of their attack. Behind them, the mages stood ready with their wands, like archers ready to fire at any moment. Vampires were spread among them with various kinds of weapons I hadn’t expected to ever see on this peaceful island.

Beyond the mages and vampires, the fae buzzed around like a swarm of bees. Their auras were a hum of chaos, fear, and frustration. I knew they wanted to free the rest of their species from her, but most of all they didn’t want to fall under her rule.

A deep gurgling sound filled the air, and I sucked in a breath.

“EVERYBODY DOWN!” Bash screamed.

But it was too late. The barrier exploded outward.

Tephine lowered and threw her arms out wide, sending thousands of thorns flying at us like rapid gunfire in all directions. They hit the attacking fae and took them down one by one. Thorn holes riddle their wings and bodies like they’d been shot.

Bash cursed and thrust his arms forward. His magic left him like a broken dam. That black smoke slammed into his mother and coiled around her. “ She’s fighting it, ” he said through clenched teeth.

“Just her head!” I gripped Bash’s arm. “Just blind her then!”

With a snarl, he moved his magic just up to her head so all we saw was her body and a black blob where her head should have been. He cursed. “We have to sever that damn bond.”

Constantine raised his arm and let it drop on a silent command. The fae of the Island flew over the Royals and right at Tephine. My jaw dropped. They’d be the ones most affected by Tephine. If they had to go back to the fae realms, she’d be their ruler. They were making a stand against her, their would-be oppressor. It was like watching a flock of birds attacking. They swooped in and dove toward her. Their glittering magic sprinkled from their hands and tiny vines wound from the ground up around her hands. Colorful smoke bombs went off around her, and she hunched over in coughing fits.

She was surrounded by buzzing fae who seemed to be fighting her with a coordinated aerial attack. They dipped and looped, taking their turns either dropping colorful powder bombs on her or throwing vines over her to tie her down to the ground. Tephine tripped forward and swatted at the diving fae as though they were gnats.She snarled and lifted her arms, and the world shook around us. Huge roots sprang from the ground and rolled out from her like boulders ready to crush anyone in their way.

Constantine jumped over one and yelled, “FIRE!”

The line of mages shot their magic in the air, blowing up the roots as they upheaved the paved streets and ruined the beautiful grounds of the park. Pieces of sidewalks, fences, and benches shattered under Tephine’s power.She couldn’t see what she was doing, but it didn’t matter.

I let my powers pour from my hands to spread a sheet of crystals over the ground, smoothing out the torn apart ground and giving them a path toward her. I looked to Constantine. “Now!”

He threw his arm forward, and at the same time, the vampires and wolves charged toward her using my path to hit her straight on while the mages kept firing their magic from a distance. I didn’t know what they could do to Tephine, but I hoped they’d rip her limb from limb. The vampires were at her side in an instant and she fluttered her wings to go higher. Constantine leapt in the air and wrapped his hand around her ankle and yanked her down. When his feet touched the ground, he slammed her onto the ground and stabbed his sword toward her chest. She rolled to the side while the others dove on top of her, holding her down.

Bash’s entire body trembled from the effort to keep her blinded. That’s IT. I threw Mom and Philip off of me, then hurried to the other side and threw my magic down, forcing crystals around Tephine’s hands and feet. I pulled my arms down and shoved her deeper into the ground. I felt her gathering her power a moment before the ground exploded around us and sent everyone flying. Two thick vines shot from the ground into the sky like something out of Jack and the Beanstalk.

“Run!” I yelled over the rumbling, but the vines fell over like a redwood tree hitting the ground, shaking the world before swinging across the park and knocking everyone away like a fly swatter. They crashed through the buildings on Main Street, reducing them to rubble.

Tephine jumped up and brushed my crystals from her hands and legs like they were nothing but dust. She swung her arms and the thick vines hurled across the entire area, clearing whatever was in their path. Screams rang out through the town as people tried to scramble away. The wolves and vampires were thrown around like little rag dolls.

Bodies littered the ground, and random fires burned what was left of the buildings as mages ran around trying to put them out. The groans of the injured filled my ears and the smell of burn filled my nose.

The Island was in shambles around us and it was all my fault. The injured littered the ground and the streets ran red with blood. I stood across from Tephine as she danced around the destruction. She made those two huge vines shrink down until they wound around her arms. They hung from her elbows down to the floor. She swung them around her like whips, then hopped up and down, using them like jump ropes.

I summoned a sharp crystal from the ground and fired it at her. It severed one of her vines and sliced her shoulder. She growled at me, and I tightened my grip on my knife. We charged at each other through the mess she’d made. I pumped my arms. This time it was going to be me or her. There was no avoiding it now. My heart hammered in my throat and my wings sprang from my back. Hers followed suit only a second later. We were in the air and about to clash when a blur of darkness darted between us. A wave of power vibrated between the two of us and knocked us back. I soared backwards and collided with something warm and hard.I staggered to my feet and threw my hair out of my face only to be face-to-face with Zuriel.

Zuriel stood between us. The muscle in his jaw ticked as he turned from me and glared at Tephine. “Enough.”

That one word boomed with power and sent shivers down my spine. Tephine took one look at him, then her eyes automatically darted toward the sky as though looking for more angels. She began to tiptoe back from him, then she turned and sprinted away. Her wings popped from her back and she took off flying as fast as she could into the distance.

Zuriel turned away from me and began to look at the damage done to the Island. He groaned and shook his head. He didn’t need to say any more than that. That one sound mirrored my thoughts exactly.

“And if she returns?”

Zuriel didn’t bat an eyelash. “I’m here. She won’t.”