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Dezi’s growl stops the teasing and we pause in place as a unit. Nothing happens for a moment, but he keeps staring at the landscape in front of us intently. A tunnel opens up suddenly, giving us a new direction and I blink.

Damn, that fucker is impressive.

“Should we follow it?”

The leopard asks our stern brunch vampy, not anyone else, and I chuckle to myself. He didn’t see this coming and just like that, he defers to the person who did. Tiernan is a born soldier, and if we have to actually fight a war here, he’s going to be impossible to beat.

“Yes,” Dezi says firmly. “The feeling that made me stop was purposeful, though I do not know why it would want me rather than the witchling. Perhaps I will be of service to whatever is coming on the other side.”

“In we go,” Fi says and Tiernan leads us again into the darkness.

Hopefully, this isn’t going to be full of shit designed to break our brains; I’m tired of that shit.

Luckily, the underground route was short and didn’t have any enemies or traps. I have no idea why it was there, but when we come out, we step into a clearing. At the center is a statue—a Fae woman in full armor, holding a sword straight up with the tip pointed at the moon. The armor is etched with the same constellation pattern as the dome in the last room, and the face is a perfect match for our girl, only older, colder, and so beautiful it hurts to look at.

Guess this is another ancestor because that looks way older than her mom did.

The ground at the statue’s feet is littered with scales. Not mine this time, but massive ones, like plates from an ancient monster. They’re black and iridescent, each one the size of a dinner plate. My shed skin looks like child’s play in comparison.

“Fuck,” I mutter as I glance around to count how many I see. I doubt that will tell me more than size, but it makes me feel a little more useful.

Sassy steps forward, just past the statue’s shadow to ask, “What in the fresh hell are those from? I’m about to lose my goddamn temper again and I don’t know if I have the energy for it.”

As if on cue, the ground vibrates under our feet. The statue’s eyes flicker open—two perfect blue lights, cold as the moon above. The sword’s blade hums, catching the moonlight and splitting it into a rainbow of colors.

I have a bad feeling about this, and we do not have a spaceship to escape in.

Tiernan and I move instantly, flanking the front and back of Fi as she sets her feet to balance. The prince steps to her right side, sparkling magic already glowing in his hands. Dezi moves left, his crimson gaze scanning around for whatever is coming like laser beams. We’re all shocked that the statue speaks in a chorus of women, as if every ancestor in her bloodline is participating.

“Prove you are worthy to lead our people,” the statue says. “Prove you are not a failure that cannot bring back the glory of Midnight for generations to come.”

Fiadh’s jaw clenches, and she looks at the mark on her hand, then at the statue, and steps forward. “I don’t need to prove myself to you,” she snarls angrily. “I did not come to Midnight for this quest, but I passed every test they threw at me. You do not get to question my abilities simply because I didn’t grow up in Faerie.”

I hiss, ready to throw myself in front of our mate because I know a lot about magical statues.

“Don’t. This is only for me, and getting involved won’t help, Khol. I can do this.” Fi puts her hand on the blade, ignoring the way it somehow cuts her skin. Blood beads at the wound, oddly black under the moonlight, and then drips down the edge of the weapon.

The statue watches, impassive, as it judges her still.

Unflinching, our mate pushes her hand forward until the blade sinks into her palm. The mark on her skin flares brighter than ever, and the light runs up the sword, into the statue’s chest. It shudders, cracks running up its surface like wildfire. The stone eyes get wider, and then shatter, releasing two perfect drops of blue fire before it crumbles.

That’s when the sword falls, clattering to the ground.

Sassy drops to her knees, breathing hard as blood still drips from her hand. I’m at her side in a heartbeat, tearing off a piece of my sleeve to wrap her palm. The fabric stains instantly, but I press it tight.

“Not bad, Sassy,” I whisper. “Too stubborn to let anyone from any damn timeline tell you what to do. It’s honestly sexy as fuck.”

She looks up at me, eyes bright with relief. “Thanks,” she says. “I think I’m done with family reunions for a while. Let’s get back to focusing on the ones who have stayed dead, yeah?”

Revelin picks up the sword, examining it with the knowledge of his species. “This is yours now, I believe. I’m a little jelly because it’s Midnight steel and that shit is rarer than cockatrice teeth.”

Tiernan glares at him. “It’s not for you, Rev. You can’t fuck a blade without dying, so quit ogling it.”

That’s when my girl laughs and the sound is so startling that we all stop and stare. Even Dezi smiles, just a little, as she clutches her stomach and giggles. Once she stops, I help her up and she holds her hand out to the rocker. The minute the sword hits her hand, everything sparkles, and suddenly, our mate looks a lot better than she did before.

Magic… that damn thing is full of Fae magic and now it belongs to Sassy.

The way forward opens behind the statue—a path lined with blue fire and black roses like it’s meant for her.