Chapter 8

EIGHT

BASH

Someone was approaching us from behind. It tickled down my spine. But I could not force my body to turn away from Collins. I was furious. She had the audacity to blame me because some stranger decided to cross the line and put her hands on me. It wasn’t like I asked her to do so. It was just my arm for Creator’s sake. Her pathetic attempts at flirting meant nothing to me. They were irrelevant. I had a literal soulmate I loved so I was just letting the woman be ridiculous so we wouldn’t cause a scene in the middle of the damned shopping plaza and lose Isolda. But no, Collins had lost her shit. I could not believe she was acting like I could not be trusted. After everything I’d done the last sixty years. After everything I’d done for her. I clenched my teeth and balled my hands into fists. My heart pounded through my veins. I was seeing red. I was hurt.

“Do you want to die?” Jada asked softly, her eyes narrowed. “Or do you want all of Third Realm to die?”

My stomach rolled, then tightened into knots.

Collins shivered and shook her head. “No, of course not.”

Jada nodded. “Focus. We need to go in there and find Isolda?—”

“Yeah, that’s not gonna work for me.”

That tickle down my spine returned tenfold. I cursed myself for not turning to look when I’d first felt it. I’d never been so consumed by one thing that I couldn’t process the world around me. That was rule number one in Third Realm. I spun quickly, then scowled. The person behind was male and dressed like a human, except he definitely wasn’t human. First of all, his aura was pulsing dark with anger. Human auras were not that vibrant. Second, the way his black hair draped just over the tops of his ears told me he was hiding points. But mostly, I was fae royalty. It was in my blood. My mother was the first fae ever. I knew my own people when I saw them.

This fae male had short black hair and a matching scruffy beard. He was tall—shorter than me but most were. He looked familiar to me, though I could not place his face. In my peripheral vision, I saw Collins crane her neck back to look at him, then exhale roughly. A cold chill slid down my spine. She knew his face too.

“I’m going to ask you this once and only once, and don’t think about lying to me.” He narrowed green eyes at us then pulled a wallet out of his inside blazer pocket. When he flipped it around, I saw a police badge but that did not clarify anything for me. “Explain to me why you’ve followed that woman all the way from the Excalibur to here?”

Collins opened her mouth and whispered, “ Detective Daniel? ”

My spine straightened. Why did she whisper it like that?

The male frowned.

“Detective Daniel Day? With cyber-crime?” Her voice was all breathy and soft. It was like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.

“Yes . . . How do you know me?” He narrowed those stupid pretty green eyes at her and cocked his head to the side.

He needed to watch out with that attitude directed at her. I had anger and nothing to do with it.

“Oh, right, you probably don’t recognize me. My hair was brown before.”

Collins blushed. She fucking blushed. Women didn’t blush at men unless they were attracted to them or had some romantic history with them. Her whole damn face was as pink as her hair. Oh, fantastic. She dated this prick. She must have. I curled my hand into a fist at my side. Meeting one of Collins’ ex-boyfriends was not on my agenda. In fact, it’d never even occurred to me that she might have dated before me. What kind of man doesn’t recognize a woman he —my heart sank. He must have just hooked up with her only once. I clenched my teeth as nausea rolled up my throat. She’d hooked up with this guy once . That was why she referred to his job and not something more personal. That had to be it.

Daniel was just staring at her.

She’s mine. Too late. Better stop staring at her like that.

Collins pushed her braids back and moved closer to him like she was presenting herself as a present to him. “Detective, it was only a few days ago you came up to me in the High Rollers’ section at The Sapphire Casino. You gave me your card. Take a closer look at my face. My best friend had the crazy red curly hair?—”

“Holy shit, that was you ?”

Wait. Memories slipped through the rage burning through my mind, and I suddenly recalled the night I’d met Collins, the night I’d been sent to kill her. She’d been at that cards table with Tallulah in that tiny little dress and sky-high heels when this detective came up to hit on her. Sure, he’d been perfectly pleasant and respectful—the son of a bitch. The whole innocent act of not wanting to bother her but she was too pretty to resist his friends’ dare, Collins and Tallulah had eaten it up. I’d wanted to kill him right then and there, had even imagined how I could use the chips on the table to choke him.

As that glare softened into a cozy little smile and his aura lightened, I wanted to rip his fucking head off with my bare hands. I could. But it’d be faster to use one of my swords, and it would only take a split-second to turn my ring into one and?—

“So you are fae.” Daniel chuckled and tapped the top of his ear, then shook his head. “I knew it.”

Collins gasped, her turquoise eyes sparkling. “You knew I was fae—Wait, you’re fae?”

Daniel blushed, because we were all just blushing fools today. He scratched his jaw and looked down like he was suddenly shy. “Yeah, so that’s actually why I really approached you that night. I sensed your aura was pretty freaked out and you were twitchy as all hell, like you were in trouble, so I figured I’d give you my card in case you needed help.”

Well, aren’t you just prince fucking charming.

Asshole.

Collins smiled so hard her cheeks dimpled, and I wanted to be sick. She pressed her hands to her chest. “That’s so sweet, Daniel. Yeah, another fae named Lilian had just tricked me into robbing innocent people—it’s a whole story. I kept waiting for the cops to show up— my god , what a different world I’m suddenly living in. I forgot all about that for a minute. Wait, then why did you not come up to me again? I didn’t see you when the cops were all there?—”

“Well, I saw him. ” He turned those green eyes at me and pointed at me.

What? No blush now? No bashful cheekiness? Maybe I should break that finger off.

“I am well aware of who you are, Prince Bastien.” He shrugged coldly, his gaze shooting over to me with blatant rage in his eyes. “So I backed the fuck off and hid in the shadows hoping you wouldn’t notice me. But when your sister arrived? Nope. I got the fuck outta dodge.”

I narrowed my eyes and pressed my lips together to stop myself from growling. He could loathe Venus all he wanted, he could join the club there, but he needed to check the belligerence in his tone.

“I don’t blame you there.” Collins turned to look at me for the first time since Daniel showed up. I was surprised she remembered I was even there. “Did you know he was fae that night?”

I shrugged one shoulder. “Of course.”

Collins threw her arms up. “Why didn’t you say so?”

I stared at her, waiting for the obvious answer to click.

When it did, she let out a little growl. Then she leaned closer to me and spoke through clenched teeth. “I mean later when you had your voice back.”

Voice back? I forgot this fool existed.

I arched one eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware you were still thinking about him.”

Collins rolled her eyes, but she didn’t deny it, which sent my pulse flying. Instead, she just turned back to Daniel with a smile. “Well, it’s nice to meet you again. I’m Collins Elliott. This is my mom, Sandra, and our friend Jada. And you clearly know him. ”

HIM? What, we don’t feel the need to verbalize the boyfriend thing now?

Daniel inclined his head to Sandra and Jada with polite smiles. He and I exchanged glares, which was fine by me, but then he looked back to Collins with that soft, flirty smile. “Now, tell me why you were following her?”

Collins sighed and rubbed her hands together. “We were following her because we need to have a word with her, but as you can imagine, it has to be in private.”

Daniel nodded thoughtfully and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why? What do you need?”

“It’s private. We cannot tell you,” I grumbled. “I believe we’ve said that already.”

That stupid smile of his vanished. “Well, unless you tell me something, I’m not letting you near my sister.”

Collins gasped. “Your sister?”

“Yes. My sister. I am quite protective of her, so when she called to say four people were following her . . .” he looked pointedly at each of us “I came rushing here.”

“You got here awfully fast.”

“I was already in Mandalay, hence why she came here.”

“Oh. That makes sense.” Collins snapped her fingers and nodded. “She was acting weird. We should’ve realized she’d noticed us. We’re off our game.”

“Yes, well, your game needs to start talking. My feeling worried for you before isn’t going to stop me from arresting you for stalking and harassment. She is my sister, after all.”

“Okay, okay. So . . .” Collins took a deep breath. “Clearly, you know who the royals of Third Realm are?—”

“I am six hundred and twenty-five years old. Yes, I know who they are.”

Jada cleared her throat. “You didn’t evacuate to the Island when Constantine ordered it.”

Daniel aimed daggers at her with his eyes. “It wasn’t mandatory.”

Collins reached out and touched his forearm and my skin crawled. Hypocrisy at its finest, apparently. “Daniel, we are in trouble. Big trouble. As in we’re about to all be killed by Tephine and then she’ll destroy the whole world trouble . . . and while we have no problem being as honest as we can, we want to do so in private without ears that can listen. And we need to speak with Isolda.”

His eyebrows rose. “Isolda?”

Collins frowned. “Yes? Isolda Ward. That is her name, right?”

His brow furrowed. “I do not like that you know it, but then again with him here, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I snarled.

Collins put her hand up to stop me from demanding that he answer me, which only pissed me off more. “Daniel, if she’s your sister, then I have no problem letting you hear the entire conversation we need to have with Isolda. But it cannot happen out here where people could be listening or watching. Is there somewhere more private that we can all sit and have a very calm conversation?”

“Conversation?”

Collins nodded. “We only want to talk to her.”

“You’re here with one of Tephine’s children and you expect me to believe you only want to talk?”

I growled. “I’ve already killed five members of my family. That is my only association with them as of late.”

“Who . . .” Daniel cleared his throat. His face looked pale and shaken. “Who still . . . lives?”

“Mother and Venus.”

Dan shuddered. His green eyes locked on Collins and softened. “Have you no siblings, Collins? What about your fiery friend? What would you do if the roles were reversed?”

“I’d beat the answer out of you one way or another.” She smiled up at him. “That’s fair. Okay, so umm . . . something I can tell you . . . have you heard of the Stone Keepers?”

He nodded.

I scowled. “How do you know about them?”

“What do you know about them?” Jada asked.

But he ignored me and looked to Jada. “Born of the Origin Stones of each realm and destined to save their realms. Superhero shit. But I know Tephine hates the one for our realm.”

“And that hate is mutual, I assure you.” Collins grinned. “ I am the Stone Keeper of Third Realm. This is my soulmate, Bash, and my two Nephilim protectors. I assure you, unless your sister is fighting alongside Tephine, then we have no reason to harm her. I did just evacuate everyone to Megelle Island, after all.”

Daniel just stared at her like he was weighing trusting her and us.

Collins held her palms up in front of her face. Turquoise magic swirled around her fingers like smoke, which made Daniel’s eyes widen. She closed her hands and then opened them right back up, and in her palms were crystals that had definitely not been there before. In her left, she held a raw chunk of onyx. In her right, a raw piece of black obsidian.

Daniel’s jaw dropped.

I rolled my eyes.

“I figured to gain some trust perhaps I’d show you something normal fae cannot do.”

Daniel scrubbed his face with his hands, then sighed. “Okay. Come with me.”

Collins didn’t hesitate even a fraction of a second before following Daniel. Sandra and Jada were hot on her heels. I grumbled and watched my soulmate follow after another man like a lost puppy without a second glance in my direction. The two of them walked through the hotel side-by-side, conversing animatedly with smiles and far too much eye contact.

Murdering this man would not do us well. First, we’d never get to Isolda. Second, that’d make me no better than my family. That was something I could not fathom. I’d worked hard for decades to be better than them. I wasn’t about to let this pathetic, measly little fae provoke me. He may have been six centuries older than me, but he was nothing compared to me, so I really had no idea why Collins was so bashful around him.

I was so caught up in my inner turmoil that I didn’t realize where we were going until we stepped inside a shiny gold elevator. Daniel hit the button for the fortieth floor and settled into the corner. Collins was right on his side, practically hugging him. I frowned. If she was trying to get back at me for whatever supposed offense I made against her with the kiosk girl, then she was taking it too far and for too long.

I stood with my back to the doors and crossed my arms over my chest. “Where are you taking us?”

“To my place. That’s where I sent Isolda to hide while I confronted you.”

Collins frowned. “You live in the hotel?”

He shrugged. “My girlfriend and I broke up last month. I moved out of our apartment. Isolda’s lease ran out. We both work near here currently, so we’re staying in the hotel for ease.”

Oh, poor baby.

“Must get expensive.”

Daniel leaned down and wagged his eyebrows at her. “I’m old. You learn how to save money.”

She giggled.

My stomach twisted. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing and not the sound of her voice carrying on casual conversation with Daniel like they were old friends. Which meant I heard every word. I wanted to vomit and then choke him with it. A very graphic fantasy. When I’d met Collins, I’d just been so blown away by the fact that I’d met my soulmate who just happened to be the Stone Keeper that I hadn’t paused to wonder how compatible we were. We had to be. We were soulmates. But we’d never stopped to find common ground. We’d been too busy trying to stay alive while saving the world. I hadn’t thought about what our lives would look like if we survived, if we got the chance to live a normal life.

She and Daniel had a lot in common. They were from the same city. Both did a lot of work in casinos. They spent the entire ride in the elevator discussing favorite restaurants and something about a new laser tag place, though I had no idea what that was. Sandra had even joined in. Jada hadn’t, but Jada seemed to be taking a nap standing up.

Finally, after practically five hours, the elevator stopped with a ding. I spun around just as the doors opened behind me, so I stepped out and to the side. Once Daniel exited the elevator, he gestured for us to follow him down the hall. Sandra and Jada followed but Collins stayed back.

She narrowed her eyes at me. “What is your problem?”

My eyes widened. “ My problem?”

“Yes, your problem.” She gestured to the now closed elevator. “What was that ? The glaring, the snarling, the growling with your eyes closed?”

“I was just giving you and your boyfriend some alone time.”

"You’re so juvenile.” She spun away from me and her braids smacked my hip in the process. After a few feet, she glanced over her shoulder and hissed, “Maybe I’m just playing nice to make this meeting go smoothly. Jackass.”

“Sounds awfully similar to what I was doing with the damn kiosk girl,” I hissed back.

But she had walked away and almost caught up to Daniel who had stopped in front of a shiny gold door. I cursed and pushed my wings out, then flew down to catch up with them. Daniel pressed his hotel key to the sensor and the door clicked open.

He paused with the door cracked and whispered to us, “She’s suffered a lot of trauma, so be easy on her. She spooks.”

Without waiting for our response, he pushed the door open and led the way inside. Bright light slammed into me from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything else was in shades of white and gray.

“Danny, what happened—” A woman gasped. “ Dandre! ”

“Isolda—”

“ What have you done? ” Isolda hissed. "You brought them here?”

My eyes finally adjusted to the bright light, so I stepped around Sandra and Jada to stand beside Collins. I looked down and spotted the blonde we’d been following sitting on a light-gray leather sofa. Her green eyes that matched Daniel’s were locked on Collins.

I must’ve made a noise, because Isolda looked right at me and leapt to her feet, backing into the corner. Her whole body trembled. Her aura literally pulsed. “You brought him here?”

My eyes widened. I’d been feared before but never like this. I stepped backwards to give her even more space, then pressed my hands to my chest. “I will not harm you in any way.”

Isolda’s eyes were so wide I saw the whites all the way around. “I know who you are.”

My heart sank. I’d never seen this girl before. “No, you know the family I was born into. You do not know who I am. But I’m here to try and kill my family, or at least the members of them I haven’t already killed?—”

“What do you mean? Who died? You killed them?” She looked to her brother. “ Dandre? ”

But I answered before he could. “We’ve killed Cleopatra, Helena, Aryk, Marigold, and my father, Bregan. Only Mother and Venus are left, and we are actively trying to change that.”

Isolda’s knees buckled. She sank into the armchair with tears pooling in her eyes. “Only two left,” she whispered.

Daniel, or Dandre as she called him, rushed over to sit on the armrest and wrap his arm around her. “It’s all right. I’ve asked questions before bringing them here. They just want to talk.”

“We are not going to hurt you, Isolda. I promise. We just need to ask you some questions. We’re hoping you can help us. That’s all. We’re very sorry for scaring you.” Collins stepped forward, then stopped. “I’m Collins Elliott, and I’m what is called the Stone?—”

“Keeper.” Isolda’s eyes were wide “You’re the Stone Keeper for Third Realm?”

Daniel had known so it shouldn’t have surprised us that she did, yet we all kind of jumped when she said it.

Collins held her composure. “You know about us? What all do you know?”

Isolda closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around her waist, then shuddered. “Everything. The truth. The stuff people of First Realm are ignorant of.”

“That’s good. That means you know I’m a good guy, right?”

Isolda took a deep breath, then exhaled. When she opened her eyes, she stared at Collins for a few seconds before looking right at me. “Prince Bastien?—”

“Is my soulmate,” Collins interrupted softly.

Daniel jumped. His gaze bounced back and forth between us. “Soulmates?”

At the same time, we held our arms out to reveal the elegant black scroll with the first words we ever spoke to each other. But then Collins threw her right hand back and turquoise magic shot like a comet and hit my arm, changing my soulmate mark into the flowery image only seen on Third Realm. Isolda gasped. Daniel’s eyes widened.

Collins lowered her hands and shrugged. “Bash is on our side, even Araqiel and Zuriel know that. And obviously the Creator wouldn’t give the Stone Keeper a soulmate that was evil, ya know?”

They both nodded slowly, their eyes still locked on our arms. I almost grinned at the look of disappointment on Dan’s face. That’s right. She’s MINE.

Isolda nodded toward the others. “Who are they?”

“This is my mother, Sandra, a fae-Nephilim born to protect me. And this is?—”

“Jada?” Isolda gasped and jumped to her feet. “Jada, is that you?”

“Tis I.” Jada chuckled and hurried over to Isolda. “It’s nice to see you on your feet again.”

Isolda shook her head and threw her arms open. “I didn’t recognize you before in these clothes.”

They hugged.

Jada smiled as she stepped back but kept one of Isolda’s hands in her own. “You can take a deep breath now. No one in this room is a threat to you. Sit. You look exhausted.”

Isolda sat back down with a sigh. Jada sat in the far seat of the sofa beside her.

I cocked my head to the side. “You know Jada? How?”

Isolda’s eyes darkened. She shuddered. “That’s not something I want to discuss.”

Collins moved over to sit next to Jada. “Listen, we’re sorry for scaring you by following you so blatantly. We’re all a little off our game. Tephine has nearly killed us a few times and we’re in rough shape. But . . . we need your help.”

Isolda shook her head. “Why? Why me ? Who sent you and how did you find me?”

Collins grimaced. “Prince Riven sent us.”

“ Riven, ” Isolda whispered and sank into Daniel’s arm.

“You know Riven?” I asked without moving so I wouldn’t spook her.

She just nodded, her eyes far away.

“There’s some information we need to defeat Tephine, and Prince Riven seems to think you’ll know the answer. We don’t know why.”

Isolda squeezed her eyes shut. “Probably because she’s kinda kidnapped me three times.”

We all gasped—except Daniel.

“My mother has kidnapped you three times?” My stomach was sick. When she nodded with tears in her eyes, I cursed. “No wonder you both hated me so outwardly.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Daniel asked but not unkindly.

“Yes. And I hate her on your behalf as well.”

Isolda gnawed on her bottom lip, her eyes tormented. “I did not know Riven knew exactly where to find me.”

Daniel squeezed her shoulders. “This is why you’re closing your shop here, because she found you too easily. And Riven knew where to send them. This is proof we’re doing the right thing.”

Collins sat up straight. “You’re closing your shop? At the Excalibur?”

“Yes.”

“ Why? ” Collins cried. “Tallulah is gonna be so upset. She used to get psychic readings from you all the time?—”

Her eyes widened. “Tallulah? Red curly hair?”

“That’s my best friend.”

Her jaw dropped. “I knew she wasn’t human, but her aura was unlike any I’d ever seen.”

“Why are you closing?”

“We fae love our crystals, don’t we?” She chuckled sadly. “When the community of fae took up living here in Vegas we came with, hoping somehow Tephine wouldn’t find me here but also knowing it’d be the easiest place to blend with the humans. I’m not like most fae in First Realm. My gifts are stronger. So, I’d do psychic readings for people, mostly aura readings and chakra. Then I learned tarot and palm reading. But as you can imagine, aura readings were my specialty. Just looking at an aura I could read your past and possible future, almost like reading the stars.”

I frowned. “That’s not normal for First Realm fae.”

She gave me a sad smile. “I told you so. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. I can no longer see auras, and while I could keep my shop open, it’s too hard on my heart?—”

“Why can’t you see auras anymore?” Collins fiddled with her long braids. “Is that a normal thing? Can we lose that ability?”

“No,” the rest of us said at the same time.

“Oh.” Collins pursed her lips. “So why can’t you?”

Isolda took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her long blonde ponytail. “It was the price I had to pay MoVaun.”

“ WHAT? ”

She cringed. “You heard me.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Collins waved her hands in front of her face. “You made a deal with MoVaun?”

Isolda gave her a sad, wonky smile. “I’ve made three deals with MoVaun.”

“ Why? ”

Her green eyes met mine, and my heart sank. I suddenly did not want to know the answer.

“You’re not going to like that answer, and it’s a bit of a long story.”

I slowly walked forward, careful to not spook her, then sat in the armchair on the other side of the coffee table from her. “Please tell us. It cannot be a coincidence Riven sent us to you, so please, tell us.”

Collins, Sandra, and Jada all echoed me.

Daniel rubbed her back. “Six hundred years is a long time for secrets, Isolda. Tell them. Maybe it will provide you with some comfort.”

Isolda nodded, then swallowed roughly. She licked her lips. “Okay, what you need to know first is that my father was a Nephilim in Tephine’s station. He was guarding the Chaos Stone.”

My eyes widened. “Your father was a Nephilim?”

“Yes. Now you all know the story, when Tephine touched Chaos it turned all of her Nephilim into fae. My father included. He was terrified of Tephine, so when she wanted him as her . . . play toy . . . he accepted only because he feared she’d kill him if he said no. But nine hundred years ago, he left Tephine to marry my mother—a two-hundred-year-old fae born in Third Realm. Tephine tried to kill them because how dare her boyfriend leave her for a younger woman.” Isolda shuddered. “My mother . . . she traded her body for their freedom. I don’t know how long King Bregan made her lie in his bed before he set them free. I just know eventually he got them back to First Realm.”

“No doubt to piss off my mother,” I whispered.

Isolda nodded. “That’s what my parents said too. They hid here in First Realm for about a century and then I was born?—”

“ You’re eight hundred years old? ” Collins’ eyes bugged out of her head.

Isolda chuckled. “Yes, I am.”

Collins’ jaw dropped. Then she shook herself. “Sorry, I’m twenty-one and just found out I’m immortal. Totally freaked by the whole thing still.”

Isolda reached over and squeezed Collins’ hand. “Assuming we all survive his mother, I’ll help you adjust, okay?”

Collins nodded like a little kid who’d just been promised dessert. It made me smile. “Thank you. Now, please, go on. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

Isolda took a deep breath. “Right, so when I was two hundred, which was six hundred years ago, Tephine found us on Megelle Island. She hated my parents and so she wanted to torture them by messing with their child, so she forced me to go to MoVaun and ask for a favor or she’d kill my father. So I did it. I paid the heavy price and got what she wanted only for Tephine to claim I took too long and as punishment kidnapped my father to Third Realm. We’ve never seen him since. We assume he’s dead.”

“We hope he’s dead,” Daniel said softly. “For if he’s not, I cannot imagine what she’s doing to him.”

I frowned. “I’m only eighty years old but I’ve seen every inch of that palace . . . he is not in there. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t been keeping him elsewhere. I will find out for you.”

They both nodded, but their eyes were sad.

“Keep going, Isolda.”

“When I was about four hundred, Tephine found us again. We’d been hiding but she found us. This time, she asked me to go to MoVaun to get a potion to force a soulmate bond—I guess to override the whole fate thing and make someone her soulmate? She said if I didn’t, she would kill my betrothed. I was madly in love with him. We were to be married within a couple weeks. So again, I paid the hefty price MoVaun required and got her potion. But Tephine had Venus make my betrothed fall madly in love with another woman. Like flipping a switch, I lost him. It was worse than him dying. He became a stranger who didn’t even remember his feelings for me because Venus’s magic was too strong.” She shook her head. “I had to watch him marry that other woman, have children with her . . .”

“I’m so sorry, Isolda.”

“Yeah, well, it gets worse.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “I’m not sure exactly what happened, but when Tephine tried to use the potion I’d gotten from MoVaun, it somehow backfired? I don’t know. All I know is it blocked all soulmate markings from Third Realm?—”

“But Bash and I?—”

“You’re the Stone Keeper,” Mom said softly. “It would override that. Wait, four hundred years ago? Is that when?—”

“That’s when soulmate markings on First Realm changed for fae. Now all fae must share a kiss on Megelle Island in order for a soulmate mark to have a chance to appear. It’s because of Tephine.” Isolda’s eyes shined with unshed tears. “Enraged, Tephine killed our mother.”

We all groaned.

Tears slid down Isolda’s cheek.

“We thought she’d had her fill of torturing us. We thought she’d moved on. It’s been four hundred years since she showed up on our doorstep.” Daniel’s face was pale and ashy. “Until a month ago . . . when she came and kidnapped Isolda. I thought she was gone for good this time.”

I frowned. “A month ago?” I started doing the math in my head while combing through memories.

“She tortured me—I don’t wanna talk about that yet.” She shuddered. “I thought I was going to die, then suddenly she released me.”

“I made her—” I said.

The siblings gasped.

“She told me she had a plan for you—I hadn’t seen you, but I’d . . . heard you.” I grimaced. “I told her if she tortured you any more, you would be of no use to her, so she needed to either kill you or set you free.”

Isolda’s eyes filled with tears.

Jada smiled. “It’s true.”

“I told Mother to hand you over to Jada, the Nephilim, because it would be a slap in the face to know she’d failed to protect you—which wasn’t fair to Jada, but I knew it was your best chance at survival.”

“That’s how I found you and was able to get you back.” She gave Isolda’s hand a squeeze.

Isolda shook her head and more tears fell. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I smiled and leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “What happened next?”

“She sent me back to MoVaun again, this time requesting a potion for binding magic to something.”

Me, Collins, Sandra, and Jada all sat up straight. Our eyes widened. But Isolda and Daniel hadn’t noticed. They were staring at the ground.

“I told MoVaun to just kill me, to let that be my price because I could not live another day knowing she may come back for me. But MoVaun said that, because I asked for that, she could not.” She held her hands up and looked at them. “So instead she took my wings and she took my magic. All of it. I can’t see auras at all. I can’t feel them. I can’t recognize human from non. I don’t feel drawn to crystals. I can’t?—”

“It’s okay. It’s all right,” Daniel whispered as she sobbed in his arms. He held her tight, rubbing her back. His eyes were red and furious. “MoVaun says Tephine will have no use for Isolda now, so she should be safe. But we don’t trust Tephine.”

Jada let out a deep sigh. “Which is why you’re moving and why you didn’t evacuate with the others.”

He nodded. “We were afraid it was a trick to get to her, to us. I won’t lie, I’m scared she’ll turn to me now that Isolda is of no use—according to MoVaun.”

For a moment, we were all silent.

Isolda wiped her eyes. “That’s my sad, tragic life story, so I am not surprised at all that you’ve been sent here to get something from me. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.”

“You already have, Isolda.”

Everyone jumped and looked to me.

I smiled. “The last favor you asked of MoVaun provided my mother with the ability to bind magic to something, right?”

Collins’ eyes widened. “Oh my GOD. Oh my GOD. ”

I nodded. “Isolda, Daniel, thank you for trusting us and for telling us your story. The reason we came to you, the reason Prince Riven sent us to you, is because about a week or so ago, my mother bound herself to Third Realm.”

Their jaws dropped.

“So if we kill my mother before we sever the bond, all of Third Realm dies with her. Instantly. All those innocent people . . . gone.” A cold chill slid down my spine at the mere idea of it. “We’ve nearly died the last week because we keep having to fight her, but we cannot kill her. Prince Riven sent us to you to find out how she did it.”

Isolda shook her head quickly. “But I don’t know?—”

“But MoVaun does. ” Collins rubbed her hands together. “That’s the piece of information we needed. We have to go see MoVaun to find out how Tephine did it and how we can break it.”

Sandra pinched the bridge of her nose, but her aura was panicked. Jada jumped up and began pacing the room, her aura terrified. I just felt frozen down to my core. Of all the answers I expected we could potentially get, my mother working with MoVaun was not one of them. Mother had used this poor, innocent woman as a tool to pay MoVaun’s steep prices so Mother didn’t have to.

I stood so abruptly that Isolda and Daniel stood too. I pressed my hand to my chest. “Thank you. I have no doubt that is the information we needed and the reason Riven sent us to you. I’m sure it’s just the first piece of the puzzle for us on this, but it’s where we start.”

“That’s . . . that’s all you needed?” Isolda’s face was snow-white as she gripped Daniel’s hand.

“I am not my mother, we are not my mother, we would never harm you. And yes, that is all we need.”

Isolda sighed so hard she leaned into her brother.

I bowed to Isolda. “I am genuinely sorry for everything my mother has done to your family. I hope the rest of your life finds you peace and happiness, especially once we destroy them?—”

“Wait.”

Everyone froze.

“I want to bring them back to Megelle Island with us?—”

“Why?” I frowned and shook my head. “We aren’t going to use her any more than we just did.”

“For protection, Bash?—”

“Oh no.” Daniel shook his head as Isolda trembled. “We tried Megelle Island. She found us there too quick.”

Collins grinned like a maniac. “Zuriel placed a protective barrier around Megelle Island. No one with harmful intent can enter the Island now.”

“ What? ” Isolda whispered.

“That’s right. Megelle Island is a fortress now. And we’ve seen it work. We fought Tephine earlier this morning, and she could not get through the barrier. It’s like a dome sitting on top of it. She tried to shoot us with her magic, but we were inside of the dome so it ricocheted and hit her. Took her down with serious injuries and they fled back to Third.”

Daniel just blinked. “I don’t . . . what . . . are you saying?—”

“I’m saying grab the bags I’m guessing you already have packed and flee to Megelle Island where you’ll be as safe as possible.” Collins shrugged. “I mean, if I die before killing her, then everyone is basically screwed, but I’m gonna try to avoid that.”

Daniel scratched the back of his head, but I saw the calculations in his eyes. “Can we get all the way there without her or Venus finding us though?”

“We’re going to escort you personally.” She grinned at them. “But we have to go right now. Are you in?”

Isolda covered her mouth with her hand and cried. “Really, she can’t get there?”

“She cannot.”

“Come on. Let’s get our stuff.” Daniel tugged her arm toward the bedroom. “We can be out of here in two minutes or less.”

“Sounds good.”

Jada hurried after them. “I’ll help them.”

Collins turned to her mother after Jada sped off. “Maybe you ought to help too? Jada isn’t exactly the warm and fuzzies.”

Sandra snorted, then tugged on Collins’ braid. “I’m so proud of you. Be right back.”

I turned toward my soulmate. “Personal escorts now?”

She looked at me like I had three heads. “I’m disappointed you didn’t offer it, Bash. After what your family has put them through.”

“ I got her out ?—”

“ And I’m going to get her safe!”

I scoffed. “He’s nearly seven centuries old and is currently a police officer. I think your little boyfriend here can handle himself.”

Collins’ eyes widened, then narrowed into tiny slits. She marched up to me and growl-whispered, “ I don’t leave people ripe for the picking where they can be snatched and tortured. I’m not like your mother. We are not abandoning them just because you went green with jealousy. ”