“MOVE, MOVE!” she screamed, running into the room and shoving the bomb into the seat. “STAND BACK!” She climbed underneath and started to fiddle with something.
Lucus and I didn’t even think. We flanked her, ready to snatch her away.
Van crashed through the door, panting and wild-eyed, as the timer ticked down.
Ten seconds.
My chest was going to implode. This couldn’t be it. Not now. Not like this.
“Aniyah…” My voice broke, but that wasn’t me. That was thematein me shaking apart.
“ANIYAH,” Lucus barked at five seconds.
“Iknow! Got it!”
We heard a click, then Lucus and Iyankedher out from under the chair as the seat launched with a violentwhoosh.
A glimmer of magic streamed from the chair, shooting all the way up to the ceiling. A cracking noise sounded, earth and air magic working as one under a rune spell, as the ceiling split apart like a zipper. In the span of two seconds, the chair was launched into the air. Just as fast as the ceiling cracked did it come back together, the magic settling and dissipating. It must have been a one-time-use kind of spell.
At her window, there was a bright flash. A loud boom. The entire building trembled under the blast.
We froze.
Silence.
Thenlaughter.
Loud, hysterical, unhinged laughter from the floor.
Aniyah laid there, wheezing like a maniac. “Oh, my god… I’m putting ejector seats ineverything.”
I collapsed next to her, kissing her cheeks, forehead, anywhere I could reach. My voice cracked. “I love you. I fucking love you. You scared the hell out of me. Don’t do that again.”
I only let go when Lucus and Van reached for her, needing tofeelher, just like I did. To confirm she was solid, alive. Not a ghost in our hands.
They took her into their laps, switching between yelling at her and kissing her, all while calling her reckless, genius, insane.
Alic and Maso stormed in, wide-eyed.
“What the hell just happened?” Maso asked, but I just laid on the floor and looked at the ceiling. I was going to have to say thather brother was a genius, and I hated saying that to the smug asshole.
She was safe, and we survived. That’s what counted.
A deep voice shook the walls. “WAIT. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?!”
I giggled uncontrollably. Someone must’ve finally told Alic.
EPILOGUE - ANIYAH
Once everyone calmed down, I explained what happened, showed them Natalie's corpse, and moved it to a secure location, knowing my siblings would want to see it. Part of me almost wished she hadn’t reverted back to her fairy form. That monstrous hybrid I’d fought… it was like nothing I’d ever seen before.
It was violent. Cruel. And whoeverhewas, the one she spoke of, he was coming for us. That much was clear.
Which was why all of my siblings had flown into New York and were now cramped in the small conference room I never used, complaining about everything like it was their job.
“I told you, Niya,” Ezra said, her tone sharp enough to cut glass, “when you first designed this place. You needed aproperconference room.”
I closed my eyes, reminding myself I did love her, even if her voice made me want to toss my water glass across the room. I took a sip instead and sighed.
