“Maybe we should try it together,” Grace suggested. “My power is stronger because I was never fully cut off from my supe side. I can help you all learn the path.” Grace and Justice stepped closer until the four formed a tight circle in the center of us.
None of them argued, reaching out to link hands. This time the glow was intense, enough that I almost had to look away. I didn’t, because I was utterly fascinated with these princesses. Their affinity for the four stones of their houses was such a unique concept. In all of my years I’d never met any fey like them. The possibilities for them were endless, and they were all so young … just starting their journey.
A bright light erupted in the middle of their group, the four colors of their stones mixing to form an iridescent rainbow. The rainbow swirled and twirled in dancing arcs, catching the rays of sun that managed to infiltrate the thick canopy above. “This doesn’t look like a step-through,” I heard Jessa whisper.
Braxton replied, “It’s definitely not a step-through. I think this is their own unique brand of energy.”
“The four of you will do great things,” I predicted. I was old enough to know true power. “Especially if you continue to practice and strengthen the natural bond that exists between you.”
“I can feel them in my chest,” Grace murmured. “Almost the same way I feel Tyson. Like there is a tangible connection between us.”
“Sisters,” Justice breathed, and this time there was no anger in her voice. She sounded like a lost little girl … sad … broken.
“Pack,” Jessa chimed in. “Grace is our pack, and you’re her sisters. We’re family.”
I could tell those words meant a lot to the four princesses, even the jaded Justice. Each of them turned shiny eyes on the unofficial leader of this pack. Jessa was decades younger than me, but I was pretty sure I could learn a thing or two from the wolf shifter.
The princesses’ rainbow swirls changed then, the color intensifying as their energy grew stronger in the forest. “Do you feel our lands?” Grace murmured, her face slightly lifted as her eyes locked on the dance of color. “The jewels are calling to us.”
“I feel it,” Cam choked out. “It’s ... everything.”
She must have figured out how to connect then, because a portal burst to life, and it was different to a step-through in many ways. There was no swirling of energy. It was just a shimmer of rainbows, and on the other side was Faerie. Clear as anything. Like stepping through a reflection.
“That might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I murmured. I could have opened a step-through to Faerie in a heartbeat, but then I would have missed this new magic, and there was nothing I loved more than the discovery of something new.
One by one, the pack crossed through the barrier to the other side. I was last, and as I reached out to run my hand across the shimmery strands of energy, I felt my body ease. The jeweled princesses were the keepers of something truly amazing. Original magic.
3
Elizabeth Teresa Montgomery II
Ihadn’t been to Faerie for many years. Ironically enough, the last time I did come here was when Regina was killed. I’d had to escape. I’d been so angry; Louis had been the one to find me and bring me home, which, considering he was suffering from the loss of his mate, had been more shocking than anything else.
But he was selfless like that.
Always putting others first.
It was probably why he’d worked so well with Regina. She’d been the good girl, but deep down she had a need to be the center of attention. Needed all of the focus on her. A little selfish and self-centered. And Louis had indulged that side of her.
While I was dwelling on the past, the others had been moving around the area. The four princesses stood in front of their lands. Cam was staring out into an ocean, its waters lapping at her feet. Gretley appeared to be entranced by forests so green they almost looked unnatural. Justice was right at home with desert sands under her boots, her face lifted to the sky. And Grace had swirls of blue lighting her skin as she reached down to gather up handfuls of snow.
“Home,” they all murmured together, somehow still linked.
“I know you all want to explore,” Jacob said in that cocky yet reserved tone that was so fey in nature. “But we have to figure out how to save Louis first. Then you’ll be free to embrace the jeweled lands.”
With reluctance, they turned away. I could tell it was the last thing they wanted to do, but a sense of duty was strong with all of these supes. “Okay, so this portal to the land between ... anyone have a clue how we’re supposed to open it?” Tyson ran a hand through his hair, tousling the shorter strands. “I mean, last time it was a demon-shadow team-up, but surely there’s a way for us to do it that doesn’t almost end the worlds.”
“I thought the jeweled princesses could,” Jessa suggested.
Knowing they probably wouldn’t think to ask me, I said, “I can open one.”
I was done with all of the delaying. I needed to save Louis so I could wipe our slate clean, then I could start living my life again. My trip back into the real world was showing me that it was time for me to step back into the land of the living.
Before any of them could argue, I moved into the center, onto the emblem of the four lands—the emblem that I could tell trapped the shadows—and lifted my hands to the sky. This spot here was a close link to the land between. Opening a doorway would be so easy that I barely even had to reach for the energy of the Faerie ley lines.
“We will have only seconds to cross,” I warned them, holding on to my power for a moment longer. “Otherwise we risk the demons discovering the portal and using it to get back to Faerie.”
“No problem,” Braxton said, his voice grumbling. “Everyone will move their asses, or a dragon will be moving them.”
