Chapter 14

FOURTEEN

COLLINS

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I called after Bash, but he was gone, lost into the thick storm.

I spun around in a circle, and all I could see was snow. It was a whiteout and not something I was used to growing up in Vegas. But Bash just took off shirtless into the storm. I pulled his jacket in tighter around my body and huddled down into it. Ice gathered in my hair and my fingers were numb. I slid the stone into my pocket and started marching toward the castle.

“I can go to war too. Stupid ass. Blue flames. Blah blah blah.” The tip of my nose was numb with the cold. Hell, the tip of my ears were numb with it.

My ears twitched at the sound of a low squeaking. “What is that?”

I spun in a circle looking for the sound but struggled to find it. When I was about to give up and take another step forward, it grew louder. Pure panic flooded my body, and I knew it wasn’t my own. I turned again, searching for whatever it was. The scream grew louder, and I jumped toward the frozen brush off to the side.

“I’m coming.”

A small crystal tree had fallen to the side under the weight of the ice. I dug in with my hands and felt the snow moving as I got closer. The squeaking grew louder, and I felt the fear coming from below. With one final dig, I uncovered a small crystal bunny. It was huddled there stuck under the falling branches of the crystal tree and ice. It was all purple and shiny with a tiny nose that wiggled as it sniffed at me.

I ran my finger over the top of its head between its floppy ears. It was smooth and cool to the touch, yet he seemed so lifelike. Just like a rabbit in First Realm would lean into my touch and wiggle its nose at me. “There you go, little guy. You’re safe now.”

It went up on its hind legs and used both of its paws to rub its face. It froze for a moment, looking at me, then took off running in the opposite direction.

“Hey, I won’t hurt you.”

A hand landed on the back of my neck, almost pinching my jaw from behind. I froze for a second. The voice hissed low in my ear. “But I will.”

I opened my mouth to scream but she shoved a bottle between my lips and dumped the contents of it down my throat. I tried not to swallow but she spun around in front of me and forced my jaw shut. She was only inches from my face and her pink power flowed from her hand over my body.

“Now be a good girl . . . don’t you want to swallow it?”

Her influence felt less like a suggestion and more like a command. The liquid was warm as it went down my throat, and slightly familiar. I shoved back from her and tried to spit on the ground, but it was too late. Whatever she’d given me had gone right down.

I summoned two crystals to my hand and let them extend into two daggers. I took a slow step to my right and she countered the step. She pulled a sword from her side, and it ignited with those bright blue flames. It was so bright it even gave her pale skin a bluish tint. She stood there smirking at me with her beautiful face. Her hair was long and flowing around her face in those light-pink waves that matched the rose quartz stone in her chest. She wore a pink crop top and matching maxi skirt with slits. Her boots laced up to her knees with pink fur coming out of them. Even the thick floor-length winter coat she wore over her little outfit was a light pink.

She smirked at me, and it made me want to cut her head off here and now. “How dare they leave you here all alone. Unprotected.”

“What did you give me?”

“You’ll thank me. It’ll be an improvement on all,” she waved her hand in my direction, “this.”

A scream ripped from my throat, and I charged toward her. She threw her sword up, blocking my long daggers. Her wings fluttered and she lifted off the ground, flying toward me. She swung her sword down toward my neck, and I put up my daggers, blocking the blue flames. The tip of her sword slid close to the sleeve of Bash’s coat. It singed the fur there and then turned the strands of hair to ice. I forced the crystals in my hands to grow longer and threw her back.

The snow kicked up around us and my legs burned with each move I made through the deep snow. It was like battling through freezing mud. I ducked and dodged her as she tried to stab me with that flaming sword. Each time it came close to my skin, I felt its cold burn coming off it. One touch, one cut, and I’d easily lose a limb to hypothermia. It’d be like touching dry ice with my bare hands. I ducked down low and swept my leg out, trying to kick hers.

She soared above me, cackling. “Must be difficult for a fae to have no wings.”

I threw my power out and forced crystals to form around one of her wings. She dropped to the ground, landing on her feet just across from me. Her shoulder slumped from the weight of the crystals on her wing. She moved to the side and held her sword up. I smirked in her direction. She charged at me.

I swung my crystal blades back and forth as she jabbed her sword forward. My crystals smacked against her sword. I spun in a circle and aimed for her neck. She held her sword up and blocked my attack. The fire blazed on her sword, and I leapt back to avoid those flames. She charged forward and just when I thought she’d swing her sword, she shoved her other hand out and pink mist flew toward me. I threw my hand up and a crystal shot out of the ground, sending snow shooting up and blocking her magic. I leapt on top of the crystal and jumped down on the other side, bringing my crystal daggers straight down at her chest. She stumbled back, not expecting me to attack from above. My swords stabbed into the ground and I tried to yank them free, but they’d embedded themselves into the ice. I took a step back and she jumped at me. I ducked under her blade and summoned a small crystal dagger to my hand. I slashed out and it slid across her ribs.

Blood poured but it didn’t stop her from turning toward me, poised to strike. Something moved in the corner of my eye. It was a quick blur, but the second Venus raised her sword to strike, Bash was there. Her pink power flowed around the two of us, but it was too late. In one hand he held the pouch MoVaun had given us. He lifted his other hand and blew the black powder into her face. She shrieked and dropped her sword in the snow, staggering back and holding her face.

Bash stood there shirtless and terrible with the ice and snow falling all around him. His eyes blazed as he watched what that powder did to Venus. She pressed her hands to the side of her head. Smoke drifted up from her skin. One scream after another ripped from her mouth. She dove for the snow and threw it onto her face as fast as she could.

He smirked. “MoVaun sends her regards.”

Venus’s eyes widened, and when she dropped her hands, it looked like he’d thrown acid in her face. Her skin was red and angry, appearing to melt from her hairline down the side of her cheek and neck. Even her shoulder was smoking in some places. The powder drifted over the crystal I’d put on her wing, and it too melted away. Bash twisted his ring and his sword appeared into his hand. He took a step toward her, but Venus had already started to take off, her wings fluttering as quickly as she could. He flinched forward to follow her.

“Don’t you dare!” I called out.

He glanced over his shoulder at me and narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve got what we came here for. Stop wasting time with stupid shit and let’s get out of here. We have a mission to accomplish.” I motioned to the portal. “We’re leaving now.”

“You dare deny me her death?” He was in my face in a second.

“You’ve been fucking around long enough. We got the stone. It’s time to go.” I put my hands on my hips.

He pulled a vial of blue flames from behind his back. “I got what I was looking for.”

I wanted to smack the damn blue flames from his hand and let them extinguish in the snow. I barely held back. Barely. “Awesome for you. Let’s go!”

We were chest to chest, our breaths mingling with tension and anger. I wanted to hit him for leaving me here. He glared down at me. “I had to know.”

“And you left me here alone for that ? The plan was to get the stone and get out without anyone getting hurt.”

He looked me up and down. “You look fine to me.”

The snow around us raged and even more ice gathered in my hair. Crystals began to pop up around us the more my anger grew.

“Are we interrupting? Or can we leave now?” My mother landed right next to us. When we didn’t budge, she shoved between us. “We need to leave! Now!”

I took a step back from Bash and looked at the others. Their pristine clothing was no longer clean and tidy. They looked like they’d been in battle, with wild hair and dark smudges on their faces. They each were breathing heavily and looking at us like we were the crazy ones.

My heart started to race. “Where are Weston and Shylock?”

Just as I said their names, another big explosion sounded in the distance and a pillar of orange fire flew up into the sky. Jada looked in the direction of the explosion and sighed. “They’ve decided to stay to get a bit of their own back, according to Shylock. And according to Weston, it was too much fun not to stay.”

“We’re wasting time standing here.” Savina started to walk toward the portal. “I assume you’ve got the stone?”

I glared at Bash. “We did.”

He didn’t respond to me, just started walking. I pressed my lips together and we all moved silently through the snow and to the portal. Once my mother reached it, she placed her hand on the portal. It opened instantly. We all leapt through, and for a moment we stood there in silence, just breathing.

Stellan stood there waiting with his silvery magic flowing from his hands. “Bloody hell. Thank fuck it’s you all.”

“I can’t believe we made it.” Jada glanced toward my mother. “We made it out alive.”

“I’m just as shocked as you.”

Savina dusted her hands off. “I’m not.”

Ellie practically bounced on her toes. “Did you get the stone?”

I nodded. I was about to say no thanks to Bash , but I kept my venom to myself. “We got it.”

She beamed. “I knew you would.”

Nickel hurried up to us, her hands already glowing. “Anyone hurt?”

I shook my head. “Venus forced me to drink some potion. No idea what it was.”

Bash’s eyes went wide, and his face paled. But it was the way he balled his fists that stopped me from saying more.

Ellie clapped her hands together. “What’s next?”

I possibly kill my soulmate for chasing pretty blue flames.

I didn’t even want to look at Bash. I was lucky to have survived my encounter with Venus, especially when she’d stolen that potion from MoVaun to make herself stronger. I still didn’t know what I’d drank, but I didn’t want to sweat that yet. We had a mission to complete, and I’d take the small victory.

“You guys go to Peggy’s so we can all eat and regroup. We’ll just go drop this with MoVaun and meet you.”

My mother leaned in closer to me. “Are you all right?”

“For now,” I whispered back. But I didn’t know if I was going to be okay or not. The only thing I could do was keep on going and hope I didn’t die before I saved the realm. My mother gave me a side hug and pressed a light kiss to my temple. “Be careful.”

I rolled my eyes. “Is there such a thing anymore?”

“Fair point.” She gave me one more squeeze and followed Stellan, Ellie, Jada, and Nickel through the portal to Peggy’s house. Once it closed behind them, I sucked in a deep breath and blew it out.

“Let’s just get this over with.” I pulled the stone from his jacket and let it slide from my shoulders, then I handed his coat to him.

He took it and shoved his arms into the sleeves. “We need to figure out what the hell you drank.”

I held the stone up and sighed. “One thing at a time.”