Taking a deep breath, I turned toward the large piece of reflective stone.
This land was no longer as it had been when we first discovered it—everything wasn't encased in gems, so it mostly looked like Earth. A shinier, magic infused Earth. But that didn’t mean rubies weren’t everywhere here still, and this particular piece was stunning. At least seven-foot-tall, shimmery and metallic, it showed a clear, slightly pink-tinted image of how I looked.
“I blessed each piece,” Deloria said, still fussing around me. “So you’re as one with our gods and the stones as you can be.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. A month ago I would have scoffed at this over-the-top attention, but I’d grown enough to know that I was blessed to have a family again, and that I needed to appreciate them for all they’d given me.
Stepping closer to the mirrored surface, I shook my head. "I barely look like me,” I whispered.
It started with a crown, a full set of ten rubies crossed my brow, each of them at least twenty carats in size. The metal that held the crown together was red as well, blending in so it almost looked like just the jewels themselves wrapped across my forehead. The piece was heavy, ornate, and absolutely priceless.
Draping off the side and over my hair was a red veil that matched the genie-style outfit. The top was sheer and red, lots of skin peeking through as it fell billowy over my arms until the point it tightened at my wrists. My stomach was on display, another set of rubies crossing a jeweled belt that hung lower on one hip and spanned below my bellybutton.
The red pants—they were definitely sticking on theme—were billowy like the top, tight on my ankles, and my feet were bare. My skin looked darker than ever, and after spending time with my father, I couldn't believe how much I was like him. Not just in looks, but even in mannerisms.
Seemed some things were genetic, even those I’d thought were learned traits.
"You're ready," my mother said.
I surprised us both when I turned and hugged her. Gently, because I was rocking about a million dollars in rubies, and those bitches were like mini-weapons.
"Thank you for everything," I said, feeling a little choked up. "I didn't expect to find my place like this. It's … so much more than I dreamed of."
I was happy. It had crept up on me, but it was there. Whatever had been holding me down for years, pushing at my soul, dragging my energy into the depths of the Earth, was easing as I accepted the fey side of myself, and released some of my past.
Memories assaulted me briefly, but I refused to let them win. Not today.
Deloria must have recognized the look on my face, because she cleared her throat.
"Thank you for telling us about your life on Earth. It breaks my heart that my baby was hurt and I couldn’t protect you, but you are so strong. You’re the worthiest fey I’ve met in a long time.” She got choked up. “You’re healing, I can feel it in your energy."
My parents were uniquely connected to me, in a way that very few ever would be. Outside of my jeweled sisters and … Jacob.
My Jacob. At some fucking point in my crazy journey I’d started thinking of him asmine.
And I missed him.
The ache for him wasn’t easing with time, it just grew worse.
"I'll never forget my past," I told my mother honestly, "but I'm not letting it define me anymore. It was two bad years. Two out of the thousand I’ll live. Those men do not own my life anymore."
The jewels on my head glowed and I didn't flinch. My power was mine to control now, and the fact that I would never have to be vulnerable again made me happier than I expected.
Someone knocked on the door, reminding us it was time to go.
Mom hugged me and we dried our tears before heading outside to where my father, uncle, aunt, two sets of cousins, and a bunch of other family waited for us.
I was sort of in love with this new family of mine.
"Justice!" Katerina gasped. A cousin who was the same age as me with long ass-length black hair and huge onyx eyes. "You look absolutely stunning. I can't—"
She broke off, shaking her head.
"The guys are going to be all over you today," Simi, another cousin added. She looked a lot like Kat, but was shorter and finer, and her hair had more caramel through it.
They both hugged me, and Kat whispered in my ear: "Someone is getting lucky tonight."
The thought should have been welcome. I was a normal red-blooded supernatural who had not gotten laid in a really fucking long time. And despite the sexual assault in my past, I'd never shied away from sex, just from commitment. I had trust issues and never did the long-term thing, but a one-night stand—well, it used to be my favorite.
