They all closed their eyes and I did the same, reaching deep into my source of power. A flame flickered in my chest, but it wasn't a ruby. I took a second to examine it closely, mesmerized by the familiar burn.
Jacob?
Jacob was there with me, his fire dancing through my body like it owned me. There were no words, but I felt his energy and support.
It pushed me to dig deeper.
Connecting to the gems was the only chance we had to get back home.
I dropped my head back, arms held wide as I clutched my sisters. Power shot from me in a blast of red, the other gems streaming from the princesses. Colors shot up in wide arcs, and then when they intersected high above us, gems shattered, before reforming into what was very clearly a rainbow bridge, spanning off into the horizon.
"Go!" my father shouted. "The bridge is the last pathway home. Take it now!"
It was fully formed, a plethora of color that was so much more than the four jeweled lands. The connection between us broke as we moved apart. "We'll stay here and do what we can from this side," Gretley said, her hand wrapped around Cam’s still.
I’d known for a long time that they had no plans to ever return to Earth; there was nothing back there for them. I completely understood, so all I did was hug them hard.
"Please return to us," Gretley said, as she hugged Grace as well.
“Stay safe," I choked out, before hurrying over to Jacob. As his hand settled into mine, my energy stopped rocketing around inside, relaxing as our bond jolted. It was far more developed than I would have expected without sex.
We were defying the odds, and I liked that a lot.
"Come on, Ruby," he murmured. "Let's save the world."
A sob escaped, but I stopped another from emerging. Popping up on my toes for one last kiss, I savored the seconds when my lips touched his, and then we were moving. My foot hit the edge of the rainbow, and despite its steep ascent into the sky, it was as if I was running on a flat path. A path made up of billions of shimmery lights, sparkling transparently underfoot. It looked like a rainbow but was solid.
I turned back only once to blow my parents a kiss; they returned it, my mother openly sobbing. It hurt to leave them, but I couldn't focus on that. We had a job to do … multiple worlds to save, and that's where I’d put all of my attention.
Tyson and Grace were right behind us as we ran. "You know, in all my years of experiencing crazy shit in this world," Grace started, sounding breathlessly overwhelmed, "running across a rainbow is not something I ever expected I’d do.”
I laughed. "Imagine growing up in the human world. At some point I must have numbed myself to all the weird, because two years ago a rainbow bridge would have only existed in a fantasy story or movie. Now I barely blink as fantasy becomes reality."
My gaze slid across Jacob. "In more ways than one."
I was a total sap these days, but shit, if a girl couldn't feel all the softer emotions when she finds her true mate, parents, and a destiny that includes being a princess, then when could she feel them?
"Better than any fantasy," Jacob said, his eyes that smooth rich green that reminded me of forests and life.
"Stop distracting me with your face," I scolded him, digging deep to find the snarky fire that had gotten me through life. He was turning me into a romance-movie-watching-love-sick-fool.
And I kinda like it.
Jacob grinned, and if anything that only turned up the distraction. Bastard.
The bridge continued, keeping us occupied as we sprinted our way along it.
"Step-throughs are so much easier," Tyson complained, looking frustrated that his magic had failed him for once. Dude was way too used to being the most powerful. "If this is the old school way, then I’m not sad we’ve evolved past it."
The bridge had widened enough now that we were all running in a line, side by side.
Grace made an annoyed noise. “This is probably the very first path our ancestors took when they crossed to Earth,” she said to her mate. “The Atlanteans, and any others that made the journey. Have some respect."
"What's happening with the Atlanteans?" Jacob asked.
I knew the basic story about the earliest supes to cross to Earth, the fey magic-user hybrids that were super powerful. Many of them died when their land was sunk by the gods, but lately there had been rumors swirling about them.
"Last I heard there were signs of Atlantis rising," Tyson said shortly. "That news filtered through when we crossed to Faerie. Anything could have happened since then.”
