Kade took us a roundabout route, which was frustrating because time was running out. Selene wasn’t supposed to attack for another two hours, but I didn’t trust her to keep true to that. My nails were pretty much chewed to the bone now, nerves harassing me with the force of a small storm.
As we crossed the street to find ourselves near the back entrance of the royal garden, I had to smile. “We really need to try something new for our next date.” I winked at Kade.
He brushed his thumb down my cheek. “What, sneaking into an abandoned palace on the brink of war isn’t romantic enough?”
Suddenly a guard jumped out in front of us and Kade drew his sword. But before either of us could act, Violet threw a spell in the guard’s face and he collapsed.
Violet grinned. “That felt great! I really missed doing magic.”
I sensed this freedom was cathartic for her, so I would encourage as much as I could. “Go for it, my friend. You can use magic to take Selene’s people down until you’ve got nothing left.”
“I will be,” she said, as she moved forward.
Kade and I followed, stepping over the fallen guard, entering the garden. It was eerily quiet and I had the random thought that if I did survive tonight and take my crown back, where would Kade and I live? Would we have to build a house that crossed both boroughs? Or would the territories disappear altogether? Shaking my head, I discarded those thoughts. They were for another time.
We made our way to the elevator close to the back patio. Violet had sent forth some magical mojo, so it was already lit up and waiting for us, and we ran inside without pause. A streak of white ducked in at the last minute and I lunged forward to hold the doors open until Finn was fully inside. I grinned at my familiar, letting my free hand sink into his soft fur.
You’re perfect with timing, you know that?
He just nuzzled my leg as the doors closed and the elevator ascended to the floor where the mecca crystal was awaiting us.
“So what’s the plan? I mean … I open a portal and then we just push mecca through it?” It was almost early morning now and I was tired. It had been a long few days in the Otherworld, and we really hadn’t had the time to plan this part very well. Now that we were this close, that felt like a pretty big oversight.
Violet, who was standing stiffly near the doors, nodded a few times as if thinking it through in her head. Finally, she said, “I think we just have to go with the energy. Once you have the sight, hopefully a path becomes clear to you. Besides, the mecca is living. It will help us if this is the right thing.” Her pause was brief but heavy. “The only thing to keep in mind is that whatever changed with the mecca happened when the queen died. I’ve had no chance to check it for any spells that may be tied to it, and I won’t have time tonight. Basically, we’ll just have to figure it out as we go.”
Great. We were going to wing it.
Kade looked his normal calm and confident self when he said, “Nix is patrolling the skies. She’ll tell us if it looks like Selene is moving early.”
His confidence inspired some of my own, so when the elevator dinged I was ready, weapon held aloft. As the doors slid across, there was a tall female guard on the other side. She was relaxed, her gaze focused downwards. As she lifted her head to step inside, she saw us and her eyes widened as she stumbled back a few steps. Violet lifted her hands and I could feel the mecca energy building, but just before she released it, the guard fell to one knee.
“Your Majesty!” She bowed her head.
Violet let the magic fizzle from her hands, dissipating the spell before it could do any damage.
Stepping out of the elevator, I recognized the guard’s smoky gray eyes and long blond hair, currently tied up in a top-knot. She was a friend of Monica’s … Carrie from the yellow line.
No time for anything else, I got right to the point. “Are you loyal to Selene?”
Carrie quickly shook her head, before standing. “No, Your Majesty. I tried to defect to bear territory, but she’s kept us all trapped here, under the watchful eye of Sabina.”
Violet growled next to me. “We’re going to fix things tonight. Can we count on you to help?”
The young guard straightened and nodded, falling in behind us as we hurried along the long corridor. The closer we got to the room, the more the mecca pounded against my energy. It had my new fae side stirring to life, like a wilted plant that had been craving water and suddenly got a huge burst. It swelled within me, and I wondered if my skin looked flushed, because I was feeling very warm.
When we reached the end of the hall, I turned to Carrie. “Can you please wait here? Do whatever you can to delay anybody from entering. Tell them it’s Selene’s orders. Say whatever you need to give us time.”
Her face paled, going a very sickly color. “Selene is … crazy. If she hears about me helping you…”
“She won’t be queen for much longer,” I assured her.
Kade stepped in. “You also have the protection of me and my people. We would never leave you behind.”
Carrie straightened, all doubt wiped from her face. “You can count on me.”
With one last nod, Kade, Violet, Finn, and I made our way into the sitting room. I wasted no time pulling the book free and opening the door to the secret room that housed the mecca crystal. This was it, the moment I had been waiting for. We were going to fix the mecca and hopefully stop both worlds from being destroyed. And maybe, If we were lucky, we would end two wars tonight.
The blast of mecca energy coming off of the crystal was intense as we all trudged through the heavy magic to stand before it. Finn stayed on the edge of the room; Violet slotted in behind Kade and me. Maybe it was because I was now a fae, but I felt even more susceptible to the mecca’s energy. My skin was tingling and tightening more with each step I took toward the stone.
“Okay, let’s open up a portal and send some of this home,” I said to Kade and Violet. The amount of mecca in this room was stifling, I could barely breathe.
Kade slipped his hand into mine. “I’ll protect you from being overcome by it.”
I nodded at my mate, and then felt Violet’s hands on my back. “I’ll help you too with whatever I can.” As Violet had said earlier, there was no full moon, which meant she couldn’t share her powers, but I hoped she could do something.
No matter what, I had to right this imbalance.
Without further ceremony, I placed my hands on the crystal and my teeth clamped down hard with the force of the mecca power that blasted into me. Without me having to do another thing, the portal to the fae lands opened before us. It was the same stretch of woods we had landed in when we went to get Violet.
“Okay, now, how do I send it through?” I said, my voice wavering as I fought against the power trying to pull me under.
‘Arianna…’ The Red Queen’s whispery voice floated past me, and from the way Kade’s hand stiffened in mine I knew he had heard her too.
“I’m here,” I told the Red Queen, even though it felt stupid. She was dead, she couldn’t hear me.
The crystal grew hot and my palms began to sweat.