Page 30 of Broken Hearted (Cursed Fae #3)

A fter spending the afternoon and night with my new husband, I had to force myself out of my love bubble to support Zane. The curse was only getting worse across Ethereum and I knew it would be the same in Faerie. Aribella, Dawn and I spent the early morning hours telling Zane all we could about our world and Queen Liliana.

When everyone had eaten breakfast, Zane stood, rubbing his hands together in a nervous fashion. “Let’s do this.”

Dawn stood and set a folded bundle of something on the table. “I’m not sure if you will need these to cross through the portal, but it can’t hurt.”

She indicated Zane take whatever it was. He opened the cloth package and I noticed two beautiful stones. Sunstone and Carnelian. Stones that used to be embedded in the hilt of her and Aribella’s daggers. I’m sure there was a story there.

“Oh, take mine too. Dawn is right. We cross into the portal with these and can’t go back without them.” It wasn’t like I would need mine anymore. I laid my blue kyanite dagger on top of the two other stones. Zane bundled them carefully and slipped them into his pouch. With that, we headed outside to the woods behind Zane’s palace. He warned us that the magic he and his brothers used was powerful when directed through the earth but would make them very weak, possibly even causing them to pass out.

I was anxious for Adrien but knew he had to do whatever it took to help Zane.

When we reached a clearing in the woods, I faced off with Zane. “You have the Shadow Heart potion and the two halves?”

He tapped his satchel.

“And you also have the maps we drew?” I asked.

He reached out and grasped my shoulders. “I’m going to be fine. Thank you for being such a good friend.”

With that, he pulled me into a hug, and my heart pinched. Zane and I shared a special bond and always would. I cared about him like a brother. And now he was my brother.

“Be safe,” I told him and pulled away as everyone else stepped in to give hugs and say their goodbyes.

Once we had, Zane stood in the middle of his brothers and glanced at Zander. “You’ve always been the strongest with this type of magic. I need you to give it all you got.”

Zander nodded once and then reached down and pulled off his shirt, rolling out his neck as if he were getting ready to fight.

“Showing off those muscles, brother?” Stryker teased.

Zander smirked. “I’m from the north: if there isn’t snow, I’m hot.”

I grinned at that. “Same.”

“I’m not complaining.” Dawn fanned herself as she looked at her mate and I couldn’t help but peer around at our little crew and allow the love to overflow my heart. Not only did I find my mate and marry him, but I’d also gained three brothers. Something I never thought I’d have.

The Ethereum lords got into place, fanning out around Zane who stood in the middle of the triangle they formed as Aribella, Dawn and I stayed back and out of the way.

Zane looked at his brothers. “Remember when we visited Isolde in our spirit form in the blood witch’s spell?”

They nodded. “This will be like that. You will envision going to that place, Faerie, and then hit the earth with all the power you can, connecting with each other. I’ll then pull the magic up and hopefully create a portal.”

“Hopefully?” Stryker asked.

Zane swallowed hard. “This has been done once before, hundreds of years ago, and the notes left behind are in the worst ink-stained handwriting I’ve ever seen.”

“It will be okay. You’ve got this.” Aribella cheered everyone on.

I wondered who created a portal to our world hundreds of years ago. Probably something that had been covered up.

“I’m ready,” Zander said with a deadly calm, sinking his fingers into the earth and holding on.

“Me too,” Stryker offered, following suit and falling down onto his knees.

“Same.” Adrien bent to one knee and began to dig his fingertips into the ground as well.

This was it. Dawn slipped her hand into mine and then I reached out and grasped Aribella’s. We all stood off to the side and watched in anxiety as the men breathed in and out slowly.

“Ready,” Zane finally said and sat on his heels, digging his hands into the soil like all his brothers had.

What happened next was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.

It started with Zander. A golden glow rose up from where he crouched and moved to Stryker, washing over him like a wave and then going to Adrien. It covered my husband and then disappeared into the earth before popping up around Zane and cocooning him.

“Wow,” Dawn breathed beside me.

I inched forward, still clinging to Aribella and Dawn. The golden magic seemed to solidify over Zane as he grunted, no doubt trying to make his portal.

“The image of Faerie in my mind’s eye isn’t enough,” Zane growled.

I had an idea then of what might help. Letting go of Dawn and Aribella’s hands, I rushed into the center of the circle, feeling a buzz come over my skin as I crossed the threshold.

Zane peered up at me pleadingly as I reached into the satchel around his hip. I grasped the two stones from Dawn and Aribella’s dagger and then my own and pulled them out, placing them under his palms between his skin and the earth. The second I did this I was nearly blown off my feet with a force of power.

“What was that?” Zander shouted.

I stumbled out of the circle and looked back to see a small window had opened in front of Zane. A window to our world. But it wasn’t large enough for Zane to go through, and it was flickering.

“Those are the Harvest Mountains,” Aribella exclaimed.

They were indeed the Harvest Mountains of Fall Court, and they were as black as night, covered in what looked like oil. The image flickered in and out.

“I can’t hold on much longer,” Adrien cried.

Zane grunted in defiance. “I just need it to get a little bigger so I can jump through.”

Should he be going through on the other side of the Harvest Mountains? It wasn’t Spring Court, it wasn’t healthy. But it was his only shot, so I knew he would no matter what.

“Maybe we can help them,” Dawn said, rushing forward to kneel beside Zander.

“No, stay back,” Zander grunted, sweat beading down his face.

She dug her hands into the earth next to him and I could see sunlight beams pour out of her fingertips and into the soil.

The portal suddenly stopped flickering and blew open wider.

It worked!

Aribella and I rushed to kneel next to our husbands without another word and added our magic as well. I fed my icy tendrils into the earth and then felt as it took what I offered. It was like a drain had been pulled from a tub and magic started sucking out of me.

I peered up to see the portal open to the size of a door, and black sludgy water poured inside of our world as Zane met my gaze.

“No, it’s too dangerous. We’ll try again another day,” I yelled to him. This wasn’t the Spring Court.

“I’ll stop the curse, or die trying, and I won’t let a hair on Lorelei’s head be harmed.” He declared it like an oath and then leaped into the portal, ripping his hands from the earth and barreling through just as it snapped shut behind him.

The rest of us fell backward, panting as exhaustion pulled at our limbs. Laying on the forest floor, I peered over at Adrien and my heart broke for Zane. We all had each other, and he’d just gone on a one-man mission to save both of our worlds.

May the stars be with you .