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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

FRANKIE

“ No, no, no!” I groaned and smacked the floor again just to do something. “DAMMIT.”

“What happened?”

“Where is everyone?”

“Where’s Everest?” Saber’s voice cut through all of the others. I heard the worry she barely contained. “Where is he?”

I looked up at her and sat back on my heels. “He is okay.”

“That’s not what I asked,” she asked with a growl. “You’re here. He is not. Explain.”

“Did the sun toast him?” Braison glanced back and forth. “Is it not instantaneous like I assumed?”

“It’s instantaneous,” Kenneth answered. He sat at the dinner table, in his usual spot, but this time his silvery eyes were worried and heavy. He rubbed his forehead. “When sunlight hits a vampire, death is almost immediate?—”

“Except for Sweyn.” Saber didn’t take her eyes off me. “The sun would need a few moments to finish the job.”

I shuddered as the images of Sam in the sun replayed in my mind. “Like Sam?—”

“No, that was fake.” Tegan sat on the ledge of the hearth next to Emersyn. She rubbed her eyes. “ I was doing that and telling her to fake it.”

Tenn’s eyes widened. “You’re scary sometimes, babe.”

“I love you too.” She peeled her hands off her eyes to wink at him, then resumed rubbing her eyes.

Malik leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “So Sam can withstand sunlight like Everest. That’s a Lilith thing then?”

“No, it’s an Everest thing.”

Tegan sat up straight and looked to me. “How do you know? What did he say?”

“That his father was the Seelie King. That he’s Seelie, not Unseelie, and the sun affects him the same way it does us.”

Braison’s jaw dropped.

Tenn stared at me like I’d spoken in another language.

Tegan smacked her knees with her hands. “That’s it. That’s the piece of the puzzle I was missing.”

“Oh, just one piece, babe?”

Malik’s legs bounced until Mei-Ling started rubbing his back. He shook his head. “Everest can go in the sun because he’s Seelie, but Sam isn’t Seelie. So why can?—”

“Because Everest turned her,” Braison said softly, his red and green eyes distant as he scratched Albert’s head. Then he narrowed his eyes on Saber. “Everest turned you, didn’t he?”

No. Not quite. But I couldn’t say that out loud.

Malik sat up straight, his wide black and red eyes focusing on her. “Can you go in the sunlight?”

“Yes.” Saber nodded, her expression guarded. “I can go in the sun because Everest can.”

Sneaky, sneaky.

Braison swallowed roughly. “So then . . . does that mean . . . it would stand to reason then?—”

“You and Malik can also go in the sun. Just like Sam can.” Saber gestured to the front door. “If it was daylight, I’d tell you to prove it to yourselves, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for that.”

“I can go in the sun . . .” Braison’s eyes watered. He shook his head, then plopped down to use Albert as a pillow.

Saber turned to Malik. “This is the sole reason Everest turned you the moment he saw you, Malik. There was no way you were leaving Avolire without being turned, so he made sure your future wouldn’t be so dark.”

Malik paled. Tears pooled in his eyes. “Th-th-thank you.”

“You’ll have to thank him .” She gave him a small smile before turning back to me. “Now, where is Everest? ”

Braison sat back up with a scowl. “Why didn’t you two tell us?”

“It was not safe to know while we remained within the walls of Avolire.”Saber began pacing in front of the big front window. “He could not reveal that truth to you before revealing it about himself first. He had been hoping to hang on to that secret a little longer?—”

Tegan snort-laughed. “He’s kept that a secret from Sweyn for over a thousand years. Twisted. I love it. I’m really a big fan of Winter Frost Mountain.”

Tenn began pacing the walkway between the dinner table and the door to downstairs. “Now, where is Everest? Where is everyone else? Why are you back but not them?”

“Because Everest is an ass who’s going to get one hell of a mouthful.” I whistled for my dogs and they raced into my lap. “He didn’t bring us right back because he was waiting for the all clear, or for the other shoe to drop. It dropped. Saffie showed up and said the Unseelie were attacking human cities on the fey lines. Sage gave Royce some vines from the tunnel and they took off. Everest didn’t let Thorne or Sage go with them because they need to protect Seelie. Then he told me absolutely not when I tried to join the others, and he threw me here. ”

Saber turned her back to the others, but I saw her smile. She rubbed her chest. “Soulmate problems.”

Tenn scoffed. “I would never dream of it.”

“That’s a good boy.”

“Wait, hold on.” Braison sat up again. “Unseelies are attacking. Why are you two here? Should we go help Everest now that we know we can?—”

“No.” Tegan shook her head while rubbing her eyes. “ Blasted tunnel. Look, for Sam’s sake, we need Sweyn and crew to think the sun is strictly an Everest thing. We can’t betray her. We’re not that desperate.”

“And we're here because Everest won’t let us fight.” Tenn was pacing again, moving in rhythm with Saber’s paces. “As much as I hate being benched, now more than ever, I can’t pretend he’s wrong.”

“You two are too important to risk right now.” Mei-Ling glanced over her shoulder to where Tai sat at the dinner table with Kenneth. “What about us? Can we help?”

Tenn paused and looked at them, then resumed pacing. “Not yet. Bentley told me he would let me know when that time was right. Until then, you two humans need to stay here.”

“Benched with the power couple.” Tai shrugged. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.”

“Yeah, but I’m not that special.” I parted my hair and started to French braid it just to give my hands something productive to do. “I don’t see why I’m benched?—”

“Yes, you do?—”

“He’s not in charge of me!” I shouted to my cousin. “You’re Coven Leader, not him?—”

“Fucking hell, Franks, I’m eighteen. ” He stopped pacing and faced me. “He’s a thousand years older than me. His mother is Lilith. His father is the Seelie King. He fought in the vampire-Nephilim war. He fought in the One Hundred Years’ War, like all one hundred years of it. He fought alongside the angels. He knows my grandfather. Hell, he was besties with the King of fucking England. He probably has seen Lucifer face to face. So, I know technically Tegan and I are in charge, elected by our Coven-mates, but real-talk, I’m low-key terrified right now.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“We’re just kids, Franks,” he added softly. “This is all new to us. We’re flying blind. But he’s not. Part of being a leader is knowing when to follow, when to understand that someone else knows more than you do. Today was proof of that. We’re not fighting the same fight we have been. This is foreign territory, and I am grateful to have his guidance because I’m trying to stay afloat here.”

Tegan held her hand out. “ Come here ,” she whispered.

Tenn stomped over to his soulmate and took her hand, then let her yank him down to sit beside her. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

I licked my lips and stared at them for a long moment. I let out a deep sigh to try and loosen the pressure in my chest. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” he said softly. His arm draped over Tegan’s legs. “We’re all under a lot of stress and pressure?—”

“And fear,” Emersyn spoke softly. She rolled a ball of fire between her hands. “We’re all terrified. Let’s just be honest.”

Savannah threw her hand in the air. “Straight facts.”

I resumed braiding my pigtails. “It’s just frustrating because it’s different. You two are benched because you are our most important weapons. Losing you means losing the war. But I’m just me. I’m not . . . you. And I don’t say that to get y’all to pat me on the back and tell me I’m special?—”

“ Ma’am. ” Savannah snort-laughed.

“You know what I mean. He’s benching me simply because I’m his soulmate and he’s worried about me?—”

“You’re right.” Saber stopped pacing and looked to me. She arched one eyebrow. “I’ve spent a long, long time at his side. He’s always been the picture of calm and steady. Never loses his cool . . . until you. The things I’ve seen him do since he pulled you from that frat house make me not recognize him?—”

“But—”

“It scares him.” She crouched down in front of me. “His worry and fear for your safety make him feel unhinged. It makes him reckless. It makes him miss things he never would normally have missed. While it sucks for you, I’m begging you to please just give him some grace to settle into this.”

My chest tightened. My eyes burned like I was going to cry.

“He’s waited over a thousand years to step away from his mother. A thousand years, Frankie. This is also uncharted territory for him . . . and that’s not a feeling someone his age feels anymore. You understand?”

I nodded. “You’re right. I just . . . I just hate feeling like . . . like . . . this. ”

“Trust me, so does he.” She smirked, then straightened and resumed pacing.

For a moment, we were all silent. It was tense silence. The air was thick and heavy.

When I couldn’t stand the quiet any longer, I cleared my throat. “So what are we supposed to do in the meantime? Just let them risk their lives while we do nothing? There has to be something we can do?—”

“I’m so glad you asked.”

We all jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

I flinched so hard I dropped my hair-tie and my left braid unwound itself. The woman had appeared in the middle of the foyer, though that wasn’t too foreign to me at this point. It was her appearance that shook me and robbed me of my breath. Because I knew exactly who this was. I’d seen her once—in that odd dream-like state when we went to get the medallions from Leyka. But there was no mistaking who she was. Her white hair hung low past her hips. It could’ve been longer, but it blended seamlessly into her white gown that sparkled with starlight and crystals. Part of me wondered if the author who’d written Twilight had seen her before deciding the vampires in her novel would have glittering skin. Her expression was unreadable. Her aura overwhelming. Those white and gold eyes scanned the room.

Tegan sighed. “ Valathame. ”

Valathame. The creator of our species, a literal angel from Heaven whom we referred to as Goddess.

She strolled over to Tegan, then frowned as she pressed her fingertips to her forehead. “Stay out of the Seelie tunnels, Tegan.”

Tenn’s brows scrunched together. “Everest pulled us in?—”

“Ah. Everest. He’s a good boy.” She smiled and let out a little chuckle, then reached up and pressed her hand to Tenn’s chest. “Breathe, Haven. I will break every rule I must to ensure your survival. After all, what’s God going to do? Punish me by sending me to Hell with Lucifer?”

Tegan giggle-snorted but she tried to hide it by pressing her face to Tenn’s shoulder.

Tenn grinned. “You’re devious.”

“You have no idea, Little Michael.” She winked and slowly backed away from him. “And I know just what to do to provoke your grandfather into joining the fight if you need him.”

“You’re not playing by the same rules this time,” Saber spoke softly. When Valathame turned to her, Saber bowed her head.

Valathame spoke to Saber, but her words were not English. Saber understood her though because her eyes glistened and her cheeks flushed. Valathame winked to her and then turned and looked right at me.

My stomach fell right out of my ass.

To my shock, she crouched down and mirrored my pose. “Hello, Francelina.”

I swallowed to try and find my voice. “ Hello, Valathame, ” I whispered.

“So, I hear my brother-in-law sent you a letter. I believe he warned you that I had a hefty task for you?” When I nodded, she continued, “And you know you have a quest to find that missing page.”

I nodded. “It wasn’t in Sweyn’s throne. Remember where thy forsaken, a ruse we must now awaken. To play with rules that can’t be broken, for only one can claim the spoken. But drop thy sword, flee the scene, this quest becomes evergreen. For upon the dawn my word shall come, the Angel of Tides must ring his drum.”

“Very good, Francelina.” She grinned and those creepy eyes sparkled, then she took my hands in hers. “The Angel of Tides is coming. But you , Francelina, have a task that only you can complete, and you must do it alone . . . and that time is upon you now.”

My pulse quickened. All I could do was nod.

“But for now, rules cannot yet be broken.” She twirled her fingers and a rolled-up scroll appeared in her hand. With eyes that saw far too much, she held the scroll out to me. “Good luck, Francelina. I cannot wait to see you on the other side.”

The second my fingertips touched the scroll, Valathame vanished.

I knew I needed to open the scroll. I needed to see what was written. It was probably a prophecy for a quest—- my quest. The one I had to take alone. My stomach was already in knots. My breaths were rough and ragged like I’d been running for miles.

Something moved in my peripheral vision. When I looked I found Savannah had moved to sit beside me on the ground. She reached up and took the scroll from my shaking hand. “Miss ma’am, take a deep breath. You got this.”

“Do I?”

She scoffed. “You went full balls to the wall with Tegan’s plans without even asking what it was she was gonna do to you. This ain’t any different.”

“She said I had to do this alone ?—”

“Yeah, but you ain’t alone yet.” Savannah’s voice raised an octave and speed. She waved the rolled scroll in front of me. “This quest hasn’t started.”

Mei-Ling jumped off the couch and ran over to sit on the other side of me. “In the words of Newt Scamander, worrying means you suffer twice. ”

Savannah laughed in a short burst. “ You did not. ”

Mei-Ling grinned and snatched the scroll from Savannah. “Look, you’ve never been the type of girl to sit and theorize when you could just read the damn scroll. So, read the damn scroll. See what this quest Vala— what’s her name ? —”

“Valathame,” the rest of us whispered in unison.

“Right. Creepy when you do that.” Mei-Ling chuckled. “Valathame came here to personally hand this to you while dropping mad hints about breaking rules. Let’s see what it says.”

They were right. I knew they were. The others were all giving me supportive nods and smiles. Yet my gaze went right to Tegan and held. She and Tenn both stared at the scroll like it was a bomb and they were trying to remember which color cord to cut.

Finally, Tegan met my stare. On the outside, her face was tense and concerned. Then I heard her voice in my mind, “ I will also break every single rule I have to. And I’ll be watching you every step of the way. Everest won’t let you fight. You think he’s letting you get out of his sight?”

I smiled and took the scroll from Mei-Ling.

Tegan continued speaking in my mind, “ Valathame has never delivered a quest like this. It’s a sign of what’s to come and a message to you. She wants you to know she has your back. So, let’s see what that says, and I’ll help.”

“Right. Here goes nothing.” I unrolled the scroll, and my heart stopped. “Oh, Goddess, it’s so long. That can’t be a good sign.”

“ Read it out loud ,” Emersyn whispered. “Please.”

I licked my lips and took a deep breath. “ A quest of old must be taken, to seek the page now forsaken. If these words don’t find thee well, take the tunnel where Seelie dwell. By his hand time can be taken, her journey back must now awaken. But for this quest she walks alone, the Tower seeks the frozen throne. To play with rules that can’t be broken, for only one can claim the spoken. Cross the dark between the lines, roll the dice to read the signs. Seek the one who paid the price, change the name, she won’t play nice. But first a soul to seek in dire need, relieve the hole then take his lead. The road you walk is bleak and grim, when in doubt head back to him. But before thee go a ruse to make, by heir and Aether a perfect fake. Will of magic, strength in deed, to replace in kind for which you need. Once thee find the page in question, the Tower makes the last impression. So take her bag that holds it all, trust thy heart for what to haul. Upon thy arm my word shall come, to find the page crumb by crumb.”

“ Fuck me ,” Tenn whispered.

The flames burned brighter and hotter in the hearth. When Emersyn shuddered, so did the fire. Tegan jumped up and started pacing the living room while tugging on her bottom lip.

“There’s a lot to unpack there,” Savannah drawled.

Mei-Ling leaned over my shoulder. “Where do we start?”

“Guys . . .” my stomach tightened and fluttered. “Guys . . . please tell me I’m reading this wrong.”

Tegan didn’t stop pacing. “You are not, I fear.”

Tenn groaned and buried his head in his hands.

“What? What are you seeing?” Mei-Ling snatched the scroll from me. “What?”

“The missing page of the tome was hidden in the secret compartment of Sweyn’s ice throne in Avolire. But we went. It’s not there. It’s gone.” I nodded to the paper. “Goddess, I think this quest means I’m going back in time to when the page was still there. That’s what these first few lines are about.”

“ Time travel? ” Mei-Ling shrieked. “That’s possible? Have any of you done that before?”

Emersyn exhaled roughly and grabbed fistfuls of fire. “Yes.”

Tenn nodded. “A few of us traveled back to Salem 1692. We almost didn’t make it back.”

I gagged.

“But that was then. This is different. I’m not worried about you getting back to our time?—”

“ How can you be so sure? ” My skin felt hot and itchy, too tight for my body. “Tegan?—”

“The Seelie tunnels allow for time travel. It’s a long story and the how isn’t really important right now. When we traveled in time, Thorne and Sage were still pretending to be on Lilith’s side so they couldn’t help us get home. They’re with us now. They’re literal angels. We will get you home?—”

“Saffie took the tunnels too.” Savannah was rubbing those scarred hands of hers together. “Thorne kept sending her to different times. That’s how she got Olli from the past. By his hand time can be taken. That has to mean Everest?—”

“Thorne.” Saber spoke up from where she stared out the front window. “The magic that gives him the ability to work with time travel comes from his mother, Eithne. Sage can do it, but he is better. Everest can get you in the tunnels, as you’ve seen, but he cannot control time.”

“Okay . . .” I stared at the lines on the scroll, but the words all started to blur together. My pulse was beating too fast for me to think straight. “All right.”

“ So take her bag that holds it all.” Mei-Ling pointed to that line on the scroll. “What does that mean? Like literally or figuratively?”

“Literally.” Tegan stopped in front of me with a smirk. She reached into her leather jacket pocket and pulled out a small glittery bag. “You’re Harry Potter fans, right? So you’re familiar with Hermione’s magic bag?—”

“OH MY GOD,” Mei-Ling and I shouted at the same time.

“WAIT. I WANT ONE!” Savannah yelled.

Tegan sat cross-legged in front of me with all three of my dogs between us. She unzipped the glittery bag, then proceeded to shove her entire arm up to her shoulder inside. “I could probably climb in here?—”

“Let us not demonstrate.” Tenn just shook his head.

Tegan rolled her eyes. “This bag came in handy when we time traveled. Your modern-day clothes and things will need to be put in here. No one in the past can see anything from the future. We’re going to disguise your rune stone bracelet so we ensure it is safe. Trust thy heart for what to haul . This tells me she’s allowing you to bring whatever you want with you—-within reason.”

“I’d definitely pack snacks,” Savannah drawled.

“You’re not going right this minute, so we have time to prepare and be smart about this.” Tegan held the bag out to me. “Bentley warned me to have this empty and ready to loan. Wait ‘til he hears why.”

I nodded. “Right. How do I know when it’s time to go? It doesn’t say?—”

“Well, it does say one thing we need to do.” Tegan tapped on the scroll. “ But before thee go a ruse to make, by heir and Aether a perfect fake. Aether is obviously me, and in this context, I’m going to assume the heir is Everest.”

“Will of magic, strength in deed, to replace in kind for which you need. ” I lowered the scroll to look at Tegan. “Are you making a decoy?”

“Of the missing page.” She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled the big tome out, then sat it on the ground between us and my dogs. “So Valathame wants me and Everest to create the decoy so that you can swap it out with the real one, which you’ll bring home in that bag.”

“But that’s the part I don’t understand. How can you make a decoy of a page you’ve never seen?” I tapped on the cover of the tome. “We have no idea what it looks like. I mean, I only caught a glimpse of the inside before we closed it that night. Unless you’ve reopened?—”

“No. I have not.” She pursed her lips and gently took the scroll. Her gaze slid over the words, then she nodded. “See this line here? It says, once thee find the page in question, the Tower makes the last impression. This means you’re going to place the finishing touches on the decoy when you get it.”

“Oh, great, no pressure.”

“If you weren’t capable, you wouldn’t be going alone. Trust me.”

“So how do we make this? Or you and Everest?”

She opened her mouth, then shut it. “I’m not exactly sure?—”

The front door flew open. We all jumped and spun toward just as Hunter stormed inside, his golden gaze scanning the room until he spotted both Tegan and Emersyn. Without slowing, he went right over to sit by the fire next to Em. Bentley and Cooper were hot on his heels, except Cooper stopped between Savannah and the hearth. Jackson, Warner, Thiago, and Royce hurried inside and immediately collapsed on the couches. Lennox was scribbling in a notebook while Willow watched, nodding along. Landreia skipped over to Kenneth at the table and slid into his lap.

Mona had purple blood splattered across half her body. We all must’ve panicked a little because she shook her head and held her hands up. “Not mine. Not injured."

Saber and I both watched the door expectantly. My heart pounded in my chest that was far too tight for comfort. The scroll might as well have been a lead weight in my hand.

Tim stomped inside, his gaze swinging straight to Tenn. He nodded. “It’s handled. Don’t think another moment on it, Nephew.”

Tenn nodded. “Thanks.”

Tim scanned the room, then scowled. “What’s wrong?”

Everest slid gracefully through the front door. Relief hit me like a brick wall. I sighed so hard I swayed, which his eyes did not miss. He narrowed his eyes on me, then glanced to Saber for a split second before returning to me. That sharp gaze swept over my entire body, then moved outward. I watched him take the room in.

I knew the moment he spotted that tome sitting between me and Tegan because his face paled a little. “What are you doing?” His voice was a low rumble.

I held my hands up. “Nothing, we were just talking about?—”

“What is—” His eyes widened. His chest rose and fell rapidly. “ Show me. ”

I frowned. “Show you?—”

“The prophecy,” his voice was barely more than a growl.

I gasped and held the scroll out toward him. “Valathame delivered it.”

He froze, mid-reach. “Valathame delivered this personally? Here?”

“Yes, she did.” Saber answered, then spoke those same foreign words Valathame had spoken to her.

Everest swallowed roughly and took the scroll from my hand. Behind him, the others gathered around. I kept my eyes on my soulmate, wanting to watch his reaction as he read all of those lines. Except his face was unreadable. His eyes left nothing on the table, no emotion whatsoever. His pulse didn’t change. He didn’t even flush or sweat. He didn’t blink. He read that prophecy like I was a complete stranger and he had nothing to do with it. I was expecting something from him.

And then it hit me. Some of my energy evaporated. “You already knew.”

His face fell. He nodded.

“Because it already happened . . .”

He nodded.

“Everest—”

He pressed one finger to my lips and shook his head. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but I was a little too stressed to overthink it.

Tegan pushed to her feet, bringing the tome with her. “You and I have to make a decoy of the missing page.”

“Yes.”

She pressed the tome to his chest. “Have you seen the missing page?”

He sighed and hesitated to answer, then nodded. “It is imperative no one else sees even the decoy.”

“I have to see it?—”

“You will. Not now.” He gave me a little smile. “You’ll have the real one and the decoy, so you’ll be able to finish it off.”

“No pressure,” I grumbled.

“Let’s go make this decoy then.” Tegan stepped around my soulmate. “I know the perfect place.”