Chapter 27

TWENTY-SEVEN

BASH

A woman I’d never seen before appeared seemingly out of thin air. Her beautiful ebony skin held the colors of the neon lights of the market, making her look like she glowed with power. Her bright-red dress was cinched in tight around her body and flowed free from her waist down to the ground. White fabric was intricately wrapped around her head and framed her timeless face. She sauntered through the chaos at a leisurely pace, as though she was looking at paintings in a museum.

Tephine spotted her and froze. Venus gasped. Their eyes widened for a split-second before she turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. They leapt between two buildings – and vanished.

Ah, so there’s a portal there. Good to know. But I’d never seen my mother run away so quickly mid-destruction . . . that made me nervous about this woman.

I glanced at Savina, but she shook her head. “MoVaun.”

Shock jolted through my system. I’d heard of MoVaun but never came in contact with her. Magic and danger swirled within her aura. When I tried to dig into it further to get a better read on her, a sharp pain shot through my temples and made the world go hazy. My balance faltered, and I shook my head trying to back off from prodding at her aura. The moment I did, the pain subsided and I could once again function.

When my eyes refocused on her, she gave me a blank, unwavering stare with her dark, wide-set almond eyes. It was unnerving to look directly at her with that amount of power rolling off her, and yet I had no idea what the hell she was. In all my years, no one could figure it out. Rumors swirled, with theories of demons and aliens from other realms. But no one really knew.

Stellan grabbed my arm and gave me a tug back next to him. “Right, best not to question it or get too close.”

Ellie was right by his side and whispered, “Trust us. We know from experience.”

I found it hard to back off or look away. There was something hypnotizing about the way she moved and the power rolling off her.

Her thick skirt dragged the ground and rustled as she walked to the middle of the now empty market. She fanned herself with Jada’s feather. “ You dare summon me ?”

“Desperate times, desperate measures.” Jada held her chin high, not even showing an ounce of intimidation. The Nephilim never ceased to impress me, especially Jada. There was a hardness to her that would make her survive anything and show no fear. Even now as she stood formidable in her gold armor and boots, with her hair shaved and those wild Viking-like braids.

MoVaun looked her up and down. “Hmm. Noted.”

She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a handful of white powder that looked like a mix of salt and powdered sugar. She let a stream of it drop to the ground with every step she took until there was a complete circle that she stood in the middle of. The air shimmered around her and gave a faint glow. Then it grew even brighter to the point it was almost blinding. When it abruptly stopped, MoVaun sat in a wooden chair that hadn’t been there before. The skirt of her dress flared out around her. She leaned on the arm of the chair and pursed her ruby-red lips. A single snake wound around her arm, up her shoulder, and around the base of her neck. Its forked tongue darted out as it swayed back and forth.

She looked to Savina. “Queen suits you. Ruthless as ever, Savina. I must say I approve.”

“Indeed.” Savina nodded but held herself back. She knew as well as I did this was a tenuous situation, and any move could ruin it.

“Stone Keeper,” was all she said by way of greeting to Ellie.

When she looked over me and Stellan with nothing more than a passing glance, I didn’t know if I should be insulted or grateful. MoVaun pointed her finger at Jada. “Why am I here?”

Jada stepped next to Savina to face her. “We just need a few days of not being nearly killed to figure out how to kill Tephine.”

“And her death concerns me . . . why?”

“It doesn’t.”

“Then I’m here for no reason.” MoVaun rose to her feet as though she was about to leave.

Jada cleared her throat. “I would consider this . . . a favor.”

MoVaun dropped back down into her seat and let her dress spread out in front of her. “You have my attention.”

“Can you seal the portal to Third Realm for a few days? The angels are maxed out on our account.”

MoVaun chuckled. “You assume much.”

“I know much.” Jada didn’t waver for a second.

“My price is steep for that amount of power.” She leaned back and rested her hands on the arms of the chair.

Jada shrugged. “I’ll pay it.”

MoVaun raised her eyebrows at that. “I haven’t stated my price.”

“And yet I’ve already committed to paying it. So, name your price, and let’s be done with it.”

“ That’s a bloody mistake ,” Stellan murmured under his breath so only I could hear.

MoVaun chuckled and the neon lights of the market flickered like strobe lights, then all at once they stopped. “It will have to be something of extreme worth . . . something I want.”

I wanted to step in and offer whatever I could to save this world and for Collins. But when I looked down at myself, all I really had were the clothes on my back and my love for Collins, and there was no way in hell I was giving that up. I hardly thought my clothes would be worth anything to a being who could summon furniture at will. There was only one thing I could think of.

“MoVaun, if I may?”

“Ah, the silent prince speaks.” She sat forward and pursed her ruby-red lips. “Intriguing.”

I held my hands out at my sides. “I haven’t much to offer, but I will.”

She purred, and a wild smile spread across her face. “An open-ended agreement for what?”

“Anyth—”

“STOP.” A gust of wind caught my attention as Sandra flew down and landed only a few feet from us. “There is a reason why they call it making a deal with the devil .”

I shook my head. “I’m aware.”

MoVaun chuckled. “Hello again, Sandra . . .”

Sandra opened a small pouch on her hip and pulled out three vials, each of them containing a single perfect red curl. She held them out toward MoVaun. “ These have value. These you want.”

MoVaun rose to her feet and stepped outside her circle. The chair disappeared, leaving only the white markings on the cobblestones. “What an stimulating proposition.”

Jada shook her head. “Sandra, I’ll pay it.”

“No, I will. It’s my family. My problem.”

“Take them.” Sandra held them out to MoVaun. “We both know these are more than anything anyone here can offer.”

The moment I saw those little vials, I knew something was up. Collins was the love of my life, and she loved her family. I would learn to love them too. If her mother was going to sacrifice something important to them, I wanted to stop it from happening.

“What is that?”

Sandra gave a heavy sigh. “My sons, the triplets, are supposed to be a secret. Nephilim aren’t supposed to have children. . . I had to hide them so I made a deal with the devil. The hair in these vials assures they remain hidden.”

“I remember it well.” MoVaun stared down at the vials. The snake slithered around her neck and started to drift down her shoulder toward her hand.

“I can’t let you do that.” I had to stop this. Collins’ family was everything to her. I wanted to make sure she had everything when she woke once more.

“It’s not about letting me.” Sandra met my eye. “This is about my family, and I will do this. And as much as I appreciate anything you’d like to do, I’m the Nephilim protector of the realm, she is my daughter, and they are my children. I’m the only one who can give her something to trade for what we need, so I will give it. You won’t stop me here, and I suggest you don’t try.”

I felt trapped between a rock and a hard place. Between what I wanted to do and what others wanted. My mother would do exactly as she pleased, others be damned, and I didn’t want to be like her. I held my hands up and took a step back. “As you wish.”

There was only so much I could do here with little to offer at my disposal. I wanted to help them any way I could. And right now, that was stepping out of their way.

Sandra stepped forward and held the vials out to MoVaun.“Deal?”

The snake slithered down MoVaun’s arm and opened its mouth wide. Its long fangs extended and a deep hiss came from its mouth. Its jaw unhinged as it opened wide. It struck out quickly and snatched the little vials from Sandra’s hand and swallowed them down. It slithered around MoVaun’s arms and down her back. Then in one movement, it circled her hips and disappeared into her pocket.

“The portal to Third Realm will remain sealed shut, preventing Tephine from leaving Third Realm until Collins either dies or she wakes up. And that could happen at any moment, so you better hurry and figure out how to kill your enemy.”

I did a double take. “Just like that?”

MoVaun grinned and it sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s done.”

Without another word, she turned away from us. One second there . . . the next she was gone. Disappeared into thin air.

Ellie pulled a cell phone from her pocket, hit a few buttons, then put it on speakerphone.

After the third ring, Nickel answered. “Ellie, please tell me this was you.”

Ellie glanced around at us. “The portal to Third Realm?”

“Yeah. It’s covered in bright-red hair.”