Chapter 9

NINE

COLLINS

I kept forgetting that normal First Realmers didn’t have access to the portals around the world or in The Emerald, specifically the First Realm portal that would take you wherever you wanted to go. By the time we stepped out of the portal and came out on the front stoop of the Vaunteros’ castle on Megelle Island, I thought Isolda and Daniel might need to lie down for a bit. They looked shell-shocked and slightly green.

“Are you guys okay?” I put my hand on Isolda’s shoulder. “We all right?”

Daniel exhaled in a rush, then chuckled and glanced around. “That felt like cheating.”

Isolda groaned and scrubbed her face with her hands. “Sorry, sorry. The only portal I’ve ever gone through was into Third Realm?—"

“Oh no! Was that too much? Too fast? Shit, you’ve been through so much?—”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve seen worse than that I just . . . yeah, just need a second.” She spun in a slow circle and wrapped her coat around her tighter. “It’s freezing.”

I grimaced. “Yeah, that is the only downfall of this place.”

They obviously hadn’t been in a long time because their eyes were wide like little kids seeing their presents for the first time on Christmas morning. I glanced around to try and see what they saw, but it looked the same to me. Granted, they were both over seven hundred. I just couldn’t wrap my head around that.

Jada stretched her wings out, then pulled them in until they were out of sight entirely. She held her arm out just as words were disappearing from her skin. “The gang is all inside waiting for us.”

“The gang?” Isolda asked in a high-pitched voice.

“Our friends.” I glanced to Mom and then Bash, though I didn’t want to look at his face while he was acting a damn fool. “C’mon, let’s get these two settled, then strategize our plans.”

“Wait, we’re going inside their castle?” Isolda practically dug her feet into the pavement. “What? Why?”

I stepped between her and Daniel, then hooked my arms through theirs, then led them toward the door. “They are kind, good people. If anyone will empathize what you’ve been through, it’s them.”

As we got to the door it swung open automatically. We hurried inside and out of the light snow flurries and the doors shut behind us. Golden candlelight flickered on the walls. and there was a delicious cinnamon smell coming from somewhere.

Isolda sighed. “At least some things stay the same.”

“Collins! Bash! You’re back! And with Sandra and Jada too!” Queen Zenobia yelled out from down the hall, but by the time we turned toward the sound of her voice, she was only a few feet away. Even majorly pregnant, this woman was faster than me. She grinned and her fangs sparkled. Her sapphire eyes spotted the additional people and sparkled. “And with friends! ”

I bowed. “Your Majesty, this is?—”

“Isolda and Dandre Ward,” she finished for me with a wide grin. Without warning she pulled Isolda in for a hug, then dove for Daniel— Dandre. “Welcome home.”

Their eyes were glassy, and their jaws dropped.

“Sweets, you’re doing it again,” King Ailwin said lovingly as he joined us in the foyer. He held his hand out to shake theirs. “Sorry for my wife. The pregnancy hormones have her extra friendly these days.”

“I . . . I . . . you remember us?” Isolda’s face was snow-white with shock.

Zenobia frowned. “There aren’t many of us in First Realm who are as old as you are, Isolda.”

Ailwin wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave them a sad smile. “And your father was a friend of ours . . . a long time ago.”

The siblings sniffled.

Zenobia turned her attention back to me. “So, Collins, you’ve escorted them to our door . . . I know you well enough by now to know there’s a reason for that?”

I smiled. “Yes, there is. I don’t want to speak for them and tell their story, so I will allow them to do so when they’re comfortable. But . . . in short, Tephine has been . . . tormenting them for six centuries, and they’ve been in hiding.”

The King and Queen gasped in horror.

“I was hoping the warmth of your family might give them some long needed comfort and protection.” I gave them an awkward smile. “And perhaps you can help them find a place to live on the Island?”

“Oh, you shall stay with us for now.” Zenobia wrapped her arms around them. “Come with me, kiddos. We’ll get you settled into one of our guest suites.”

“Are—are you sure?” Isolda bowed awkwardly. “I mean, we are very grateful, Your Majesty, but we do not want to?—”

“We do not want you to hurt anymore. You’ll stay with us for a little while.” She sighed. “Peace can take a while to accept and recognize.”

“And it is the least we can do for your father,” Ailwin added softly. He started down the hall, walking backwards to face them still. “We insist.”

Isolda turned to me with tears. “Thank you. You know where to find me?—”

“You’re gonna get sick of me.” I winked.

Daniel nodded with a smile but didn’t say anything.

Mom and Jada went inside to find the rest of our gang, but I stayed back watching the siblings be escorted down the hall with the Queen talking animatedly to them.

“. . . a few of my children are close to your ages, and I think you’ll get along with them. Well, not Constantine. No one gets along with him except us.” She giggled at her own joke. “Oh, honey, go get Drusilla! She’s your age, Isolda.”

King Ailwin laughed and raced off ahead of them.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder to me and made a funny face. I grinned and waved.

“Oh, and Ernald!” she yelled after him. “He’s seven hundred. But his husband is fae like you guys. His name is Pippin?—"

I chuckled as they rounded the corner and out of sight. Bringing them here was the right decision. I knew that in my gut. The Vaunteros would help them. I just hoped they’d be okay and could maybe start a new life here, where they weren’t looking over their shoulders for Tephine. I hated the way Isolda practically accepted her impending death. She deserved peace.

“If you want to go after him, why don’t you?” Bash snarled.

I whipped my head around and strands of my hair brushed over Bash’s arm. He just stood there glaring at me. "Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Go ahead. Go get him.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I threw my hands up. “You got a problem? Then why don’t you come out and say it? I’m done with these snide comments.”

“Fine, you’ve been eye-fucking him this whole time.” He leaned in closer and said with a deep voice, “If you want the dear old detective, then go fetch him.”

“You are unbelievable.” I laughed but it wasn’t funny. “So there’s nothing wrong with another woman literally putting her hands all over you and literally inviting you to fuck her when you’re bored with me . . . but I’m friendly to another man and it’s a problem.”

“My judgement is usually spot-on,” he snapped back. “And you want him.”

“Yeah, I want him.” I rolled my eyes. “I want him to survive your psychotic mother. Just like I want the rest of us to survive her.”

“Such lies you speak so easily.” He scoffed.

“I guess when all you’ve known is lies, that’s all you expect?—”

“I expect my soulmate to not drool over another man!” His face flushed. “You waited thirty seconds before telling that random woman in the mall I was your boyfriend but didn’t tell another fae until we were all the way in his bedroom.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Men. I guess no matter the species you’re all the same. Listen here, assface, was I a little bit distracted by the revelation that he was fae and not a random human cop and therefore forgot to say you were my soulmate? Okay, yes. You’ve got me there. I’m sorry about that. I am. I meant nothing by it. I wasn’t flirting with him, but I’m glad you thought I was. That accidental payback came into play nicely.”

His eyes flared.

“I am new to this world, Bash. Remember that? It’s been a few days. Things are going to come up that shake me a little, and that was one of them. Back off. I was being NICE.” I started to walk away, then stopped. “And I was being so over the top friendly because he was ready to kill you on sight for what your family did to his family. I had to butter him up or we never would’ve gotten to talk to Isolda. Open your eyes, take the wax out of your ears, and pay attention.”

He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw flexed.

“Can we go focus on the task at hand now? Please? Or do we need to play high school a little bit more?”

“You’re being a hypocrite.”

“Takes one to know one, babe.” I stormed away from him. I just couldn’t take it anymore. Whatever this tension was about was here to stay. When I didn’t hear his footsteps behind me, I shouted, “Are you coming?”

He growled.

I smiled.

When I walked into the Vaunteros’ living room, I found our gang sitting on the couches, waiting for us.

“They fight better than we ever did,” Stellan muttered to Ellie.

“I agree.” Shylock shook his head.

“Don’t.” Weston pointed at Shylock and Stellan. “Shut it, the lot of you.”

Shylock grumbled and leaned back on the couch. Ellie covered Stellan’s mouth with her hand. So they’d heard us arguing. Fantastic. Whatever. At least the tension wouldn’t be a surprise then. I just wanted to move on and keep going. Tephine needed to die.

“Sorry for the delay. They fill you in on Isolda?”

They all shook their heads, so I quickly filled them in on everything we’d just learned. For a few moments, we were all silent.

“I think Isolda will be okay here.” Ellie smiled. “It’ll be good for her to be with them.”

“Anyone would be okay here.” I tried to sound lighthearted even though all I wanted to do was scream at Bash a bit more.

“I grew up in a castle, and that is not always the case.” Stellan folded his hands and rested them on the table. “A gilded cage is a cage nonetheless.”

“No one more than I would agree with this.” Bash narrowed his eyes at me. “Some others don’t understand this like we do. But the Vaunteros are the kind of people anyone can hope to get help from.”

“So . . . MoVaun? That’s what we’re doing?” Ellie asked with a grimace.

“A bloody bad idea is what that is.” Stellan looked at Bash and me like we should change our minds. “You know that, right?”

“You know they have no choice, like we had no choice,” Ellie pointed out. “No one wants to go to MoVaun.”

Shylock’s brow furrowed. “Clearly not, but when it’s the only course of action, one must continue forward. Surely you understand this, Stellan.”

“I do understand . . . I understand it’s still a bloody bad idea.”

“It is a bad idea. A horrible idea. But it’s what we’re doing,” Bash grumbled.

Rage rushed through my body at the mere sound of his voice. I didn’t know why I wanted to bite Bash’s head off half the time or why I thought he deserved it. But something inside of me wanted to lash out at him. I sucked in a deep breath and turned away from the group, trying to find my calm. I tried to focus on my surroundings, just breathing in and out to push away this bubble of animosity I felt. We had work to do and being at each other’s throats wasn’t going to help us get any further in our mission. For better or worse, we had to work together. Besides, as angry as I was at him, I still wanted him near me. It was a weird contradiction. And confusing.

“What we need now is for the people who’ve dealt with MoVaun to share their experiences,” Bash said so calmly and smoothly. “But let us move to a more private location. We don’t need innocent young ears within these walls to get any ideas about her.”

I took a few slow steps as I breathed and tried to rein in my emotions. Looking around the beautiful castle made me feel almost out of place. Sure, I was the Stone Keeper, but that didn’t make me royalty. Not like Bash. I almost didn’t want to sit down at the long table. Bash moved about the castle so easily . . . because he was born to it. We sauntered over to the long rectangular table and Bash sat at the head. I sat on his right while Stellan and Ellie dropped into the two seats on his left. Shylock sat next to me, and Weston took a seat on his other side.

Ellie and Stellan shared a look and sat back uncomfortably in the chairs.

I watched as the two of them struggled to find their words. “Just tell us. Rip the Band-Aid off.”

“Dealing with MoVaun is very unpredictable.” Ellie sat forward in her chair. “She’s dangerous.”

I glanced at Bash to see if her words sent a chill down his spine the way they sent a chill down mine. But he gave nothing away. “How dangerous?”

Ellie shook her head. “That’s the thing. No one knows that either. She shows no allegiance to one side or the other. Nor does she ask for things that make sense . . . but the price is always steep.”

“And anyone can be the target of such a deal, which is why it’s still a bloody bad idea.” Stellan leaned back and sighed. “Though I can’t see another way of dealing with our current situation.”

“Your main focus should be on limiting the price you pay in any way possible.” Shylock pointed out. “You use the utmost caution, down to every word said.”

“How do we try to limit what the price could be?” I didn’t want to promise my firstborn child or something.

“There is no limit for MoVaun.” Ellie groaned. “But if I were you, I would give her as little information as possible. And there needs to be as few of us as possible. If we give her more people to choose from, who knows what she’ll be asking for.”

“I agree.” Bash nodded. “You cannot come with us.”

I nodded in agreement. “As much as I love the backup, I think that’s the best way. Bash and I will go alone and do our best not to pay too high a price.”

Stellan shook his head. “Bloody prices. We’ve got to be daft to do this again.”

“You can’t accuse one of being daft when one is left with no other choices.” Shylock almost sounded like he was defending our decisions.

“For someone with power over emotions, you really lack in the ability to read the sodding room, mate.” Weston leaned back in the chair. “We all wish there was another way.”

“So we’ll go alone.” I glanced at Bash. “We can handle that.”

If we don’t kill each other first.

He arched his brows at me. “And pray whatever price she asks won’t be too steep.”

“What will you all do while we go? Head back to Second Realm?”

Ellie shook her head. “We’ll stand watch at The Emerald in case Tephine or Venus show up.”

“I’d like to drown my face in a vat of pain potion and never come up for breath.” Weston closed his eyes and groaned. Even I had to admit his face was a rainbow of purple, blue, and yellow bruises.

Shylock leaned to the side and whispered, “You know that’s not possible, right?”

“Piss. Off,” Weston snapped. “Of course I know it’s not bloody possible.”

“Then why say it if it’s impossible?” He glanced at Weston. “Word choice matters.”

Weston turned to him and flipped him off.

Shylock wrinkled his nose. “How very First Realm of you.”

Ellie chuckled. “I think that’s a universal language.”

“Right, the language of—” he turned to face Shylock fully, “—piss off.”

“Well then.” Shylock pressed his lips together.

“They’re going to give you lot a run for your money on the bickering front.” Stellan chuckled while looking at Bash and me.

Ellie smacked him in the arm. “Stay out of it.”

“I can’t help it if they’re in a strop.” He shrugged. “Besides, we’ve all had our moments.”

“Oh yeah, butthurt is a state of being for you when you’re upset.” She winked at him.

“What can I say? It’s a gift.”

“Yes, you are quite emotional,” Shylock added seriously.

Stellan gave him a sideways look and started laughing. “Yeah, right.”

I wanted to join in with the teasing and joking but I felt the pressure of what we were about to do. If Tally was here, she’d be in the middle of it all having a great time no matter what. But all I felt right now was pressure and anger.

A heavy silence fell over us, and I just sat there for a moment wondering what I was going to have to give up next. I would do whatever it took. I turned toward Bash. “Shit. Let’s get this over with.”

“Not just yet.” Peggy Bow flew into the room holding a big basket full of potions. Her hair was wild around her face and her cheeks were flushed as if she ran all the way here. “I’ve brought potions, and you all need to eat something.”

I didn’t want to offend her because Peggy was the best. I started to get out of my chair. “I’d love to stay, but Bash and I have some things we need to deal with.”

“Hush now.” She waved for us to stay in our seats. “MoVaun simply cannot be found in the sunlight.”

I dropped back down into the chair. “How did you know?”

“Never you mind that.” She threw a potion bottle my way with a glowing pink liquid in it. “Now drink that. It’ll help.”

She walked over to Weston and pulled her wand out. With the flick of her wrist she twisted his chair around. She pulled a handful of a white powder from her pocket and threw it in his face. He flinched back as if she’d smacked him, but a moment later it absorbed into his skin and the colors began to fade.

He sighed and his shoulders slouched into a relaxed position. “Ah, better than drowning in a potion.”

“Again, not possible.” When Weston gave no response, Shylock glanced around at us and then pressed his lips together. He drummed his fingers on the table as if he didn’t know what to do or say next.

Peggy made her way around the table to me and stopped just behind my chair. “May I, dear?”

I gave her a nod and she quickly unzipped the back of my healing catsuit. The cold air stung against the wounds where my wings had been. Her fingers were light as she rubbed a thick gel over my entire back. It was cold but I felt the relief in my muscles almost instantly. Just the thought of losing my wings sent a deep sadness through me. The only thing stopping me from full on mourning their loss was the fact that I would soon have my revenge and then I would take the time to feel this deep sorrow. Peggy finished up quickly and she zipped my suit back up.

“Now, you drink that potion down and you’ll feel better.” She gave me a light pat on the shoulder.

“Thanks,” I whispered as I shook the bottle back and forth looking at the bubbly liquid. The pain of losing my wings was deeper than the gashes in back, it hurt soul deep. Almost like I would never be complete again. Our current mission was the only thing keeping me going.

She turned back toward the doors as they flew open. “Ah, just in time.”

To-go bags and boxes floated through the door toward the table.

Peggy clapped her hands together. “I had my twins send some food over from their restaurant, Bowlicious. You all must be famished.”

I didn’t realize how long it’d been since we ate but at that exact moment my stomach growled like it knew what was coming. “Well, if we have until nightfall, then let me gorge myself.”

The to-go containers all spread on the table before us and opened by themselves. My mouth watered as I scanned each of the options. There was a baked penne pasta with a creamy sauce that I wanted to take Weston’s idea and drown myself in. The chicken dish probably had a fancy name, but I didn’t care, I wanted to lick the box clean. The mountain of rolls was calling my name, as was the heaping of French fries at the end. I knew I must have been starving because I’d never drooled over soup and salad, but there I was ready to drink that minestrone like a cup of tea. Just when I thought I couldn’t stand the hunger anymore, I spotted steaming apple pie and chocolate cake sitting next to each other. Dessert definitely came first. I reached for them both.

They all snickered but I just shrugged. “Why choose?”

Bash and Stellan piled food in front of them while Ellie and I took turns eating all the rolls. There was never enough butter. Shylock and Weston traded dishes as they both shared everything they had with each other as though it was habit. Peggy sat down next to us but didn’t take a single thing for herself. She just smiled like a happy mother watching her children stuff themselves to the brink with some of the most delicious food I’d ever tasted. No one spoke a word. We just sat there stuffing our faces.

“Now you hold on to that good and tight. We don’t want it to explode,” came Sal’s voice from down the hall.

Exploded? I jumped to my feet and the rest of them followed. My turquoise magic swirled around my hands and Ellie’s magic lit up half the room. Sal walked beside Isolda in his trench coat, black wide-brimmed hat, and oversized rain boots. He wore oversized dark sunglasses like he was trying to hide who he was. Red glitter fell from the pockets, leaving a trail on the pristine floors behind him. A smile played on his face as he hovered over Isolda while she took small careful steps.

She held a huge balloon-looking thing with swirling glitter in it. Her green eyes never left the thing. “I’ll try not to move.”

Sal gave her a little pat on the shoulder. “Now, my daughter Shaylee loved these. We’re going to see if we can put it to use. You’ll meet my little spawnette soon enough. Well, she’s not little anymore but she’s always little to me. I think you’ll be great friends. She’s joining us on the Island soon.”

Jimbo hurried to walk on her other side. “This’ll be fantastic. My grandsons won’t know what hit them.”

Peggy cleared her throat. “What’s that you just said Jimbo?”

He jumped to attention and tried to pull a wide-brimmed red rubber hat lower over his face. Instead of black sunglasses, he wore thick work goggles that were blacked out. His trench coat fell down to his ankles and was an equally bright red as his hat. And he’d opted out of wearing rubber boots for oversized water shoes. “What? Nothing!”

Peggy crossed her arms and glared at him. “You’re up to no good. I know it.”

Jimbo pulled his wand from a pocket and pointed it at the balloon. “We’ve been compromised. ABORT MISSION!”

He shot a puff of magic from the wand and the ball of glitter exploded in Isolda’s hands. But the glitter bomb didn’t just fall to the floor in a pile. It rose up to the ceiling and swirled around in a huge cloud. Thunder boomed and the glitter flashed like lightning. Jimbo and Sal held their wands up, and they popped into umbrellas. Peggy threw her wand up and a dome covered us.

“What the devil is going on?” Shylock looked completely baffled.

“It’s best to not ask questions.” Peggy rolled her eyes.

The glitter cloud began to rain glitter down over the whole room. Each time glitter fell, I thought it might stop, but it just kept coming. A herd of children came pouring into the room like a stampede. They all looked similar with the signature dark Vauntero hair and vivid blue eyes. They ran through the glitter, covering themselves in it from head to toe. Two men came running out after them and stopped just at the edge of the hall. Their eyes widened and jaws dropped. They both had light-blond hair and eyes. If they weren’t related to the Vaunteros, they were definitely brothers themselves.

“Sal!” the one on the left screamed across the room. “Glitter will never come out of this castle or off our kids.”

“Relax, Thomas.” Sal hopped around in a circle in his rain boots, splashing more glitter on the kids. “It’s fun.”

“We don’t even know which kids are which on a good day!” The other brother ran his hands through his hair and tugged at the strands. “They’re gonna kill us.”

“NAME TAGS!” Jimbo called over to them while he used his wand to make a ball of glitter and throw it at the kids, starting a glitter ball fight.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting this type of chaos.” Peggy shook her head.

We exchanged looks, and for the first time in a long time, I felt myself start to laugh. We all bursted into giggles over one accidental glitter bomb and two crazy old men. For one Jimbo and Sal induced moment, I wasn’t hurting or grieving or panicking. It wouldn’t last but nothing did.