Chapter 33

THIRTY-THREE

STELLAN

It took everything in me not to charge out from behind my hiding spot and throw Tephine into a tree. I wanted her to suffer the way she made so many others suffer. But I’d have to settle for the fantasy of seeing her spine break against a crystal trunk because Collins’ mission was more important. I just could not wait to see how they killed her.

“How do I know I can believe you?” Sandra sucked in a sharp breath, and the vines tightened around her.

“Because if you don’t, I will tighten these vines until you can no longer draw breath.” She raised her hand and forced the vines holding them up higher. She twisted them upside down so fake-Collins’ braids hung from her head and toward the ground. Fake-Jada flailed around and grunted, still unable to say anything, but she made a damn good Bash.

“I’ll summon it if you give our friends the chance to leave this realm.”

Tephine pretended to think about it by tapping her finger on her bottom lip. “Hmmm, no. Quick death or nothing at all.”

If Sandra made it seem like Collins was too eager or too easy, Tephine wouldn’t buy this act for a single second. She turned to look at fake-Bash. “We’re outnumbered. We’ll never make it.”

“No, you won’t,” Tephine practically purred, her eyes glistening.

“Will you leave the villagers alive?” Sandra tried to bargain, even though we knew she was buying her daughter time. “This isn’t their fault.”

“Once they repay their debts to me.” She fluttered her wings and turned upside down to face fake-Collins.

Fake-Collins gave a reluctant nod and Tephine vibrated with joy. She turned them right side up and placed fake-Collins on the ground.

Fake-Collins reached up toward fake-Bash. “Drop him next to me.”

“I think he has a perfect view.”

Fake-Collins crossed her arms and stared at Tephine, not moving.

The smile dropped from Tephine’s face. She held her hand out. “Give it here.”

Nothing.

“Now,” she growled. “Or the deal is off, and I let them break you.”

Still nothing.

She rolled her eyes and waved her hand. The vines loosened around fake-Bash. He fell to the ground with a thump and sprang to his feet, then leapt over to fake-Collins. He threw his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

Sandra managed to summon tears in fake-Collins’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, love. I thought we could win this.”

“Of course you did.” Tephine scoffed. “It’s that overwhelming optimism they pump into the air in First Realm. Chaos Stone. Now.”

She snapped her finger at them, and they parted. Fake-Collins closed her eyes. I cursed silently. This was it. I fumbled for the decoy stone in my pocket. I held it out and let my magic swirl around it, giving it a silvery glowing effect. I let it go and it slowly drifted toward Collins. When Tephine’s eyes locked on it, she couldn’t turn away. Not even when flashes of purple and red lightning colored the sky around the castle. I smirked to myself knowing my soulmate and sister were on the attack. I was almost sad that I was missing them in action. It was a sight to behold.

But I concentrated on keeping that stone floating to her, even slowing the pace some. I looked to where I knew Crystal Henge would be, hoping there’d be some kind of sign that they’d succeeded in severing the bond. I let the stone drift down toward her hand. Suddenly, a beam of white shot straight into the heavens from behind the castle. My pulse quickened. Bloody hell. Did they do it?! With a grin I placed that stone in Tephine’s hand. I memorized the look on her face so I could tell Ellie about it, how Tephine went full Gollum with her precious.

An explosion rocked the mountains. A bright white cloud billowed up toward the sky like a nuclear bomb went off. There was only pure white clouds, no fire or smoke. A shock wave started to spread from the explosion. My heart stopped. Oh no. Oh boy. Incoming, mates! But I couldn’t say anything to warn them. An array of colors spread above the land like an Aurora Borealis. Sandra and Jada’s eyes went wide for a split-second before they regained composure.

But Tephine had seen it. She frowned. The ground vibrated beneath our feet. Tephine spun around and choked on a scream. I saw the white beam of light reflected in her eyes, and I knew the moment she realized what had happened.

She spun back around. “You’re not Collins!”

“Nope.” Sandra dumped the reversal potion over her head and shook the braids out of her blonde locks. “Enjoy that piece of glass though.”

Tephine screamed so loud the air pulsed around her.

That shock wave was rolling towards us. I sprang from the forest before the wave hit us. I threw my magic out and lifted Sandra and Jada off the ground, then threw them as far as I could. At least they would be out of danger.

Tephine screamed again and balled her hands into fists. The veins in her neck and forehead pulsed. I held my breath as that shock wave of magic slammed into her back, suffocating her scream. The shock wave rolled over her, covering her body in the array of its colors. She froze and her body lifted up off the ground and was thrown back. I turned and tried to move out of its way, but it was too late. The power tossed me a few yards away. My body hit the ground and I skidded over the ice and snow.

I slammed into one of the crystal trees and felt my ribs crack. I staggered to my feet to watch Tephine. She was on the ground convulsing with her eyes rolled into the back of her head. I summoned my magic and threw some at my face, washing Ellie’s magic away to reveal myself so someone would be able to find me in the snow. I sucked in deep, gasping breaths, and with each one pain shot through my side. Tephine crawled to her knees and started to vomit power on the ground in front of her. Magic ripped over her skin and all around her. I felt it building in the air around us like she was about to explode. She started shaking and trembling, every muscle convulsing. I backed away in a blind panic.

“Oi, need a lift?” Weston called from just above me.

I reached my hand up. “Bloody good timing, mate!”

We grabbed each other’s wrists and soared off the ground, heading back toward the battle.