Chapter 23 #2
“I assumed Wren told him,” Calder answered. “As for his plans, I don’t know. I don’t even know what the artifact does. And Evander hasn’t seemed inclined to reveal that information to me.”
“Look, all that matters is we know what he wants,” I said. “And we have what he wants. So, let’s give him what he wants. Problem solved. It seems pretty simple to me.”
“He did promise to back off if we did this,” Calder said.
“Yes, because the word of a blackmailer is ironclad,” Selene retorted, her sarcasm razor-sharp. “You two are so incredibly out of your depth. As a rule, my family doesn’t usually forgive thieves, but this problem goes beyond that.”
A quick snap of her fingers and the purple glow behind us vanished, as did the wall currently holding us prisoner.
“You’re letting us go?” I asked.
“Not quite yet. First, you need to see what exactly you’re up against. Then, from there, we’ll come up with a plan.”
Selene strode toward the vault door and pressed her hand against the flat surface. From the other side came the sound of clanging and turning metal. A loud clank echoed through the basement and rattled my teeth. Then the massive, two-ton door opened without a single squeak.
“Follow behind me. Do not veer off the path I use. Touch nothing,” she said, disappearing into the pitch black.
Right. Like we could follow when we couldn’t even see her.
As though she heard my thoughts, a sconce next to my head suddenly erupted with fire, bathing the inner vault in a golden glow.
Selene awaited us a few steps ahead. We entered behind her at a slow pace and walked past rows of black pedestals holding cursed jewelry, strange blades—artifacts I’d heard of but never laid eyes on before. This was a collector’s dream.
Selene ignored the shiny stuff like she saw it every day. She probably did. Then she stopped at a single, pearly pedestal right in the middle of the room. Sitting atop it was a lovely rune-carved leaden box. She popped the latch and flipped open the lid.
I couldn’t help it, I leaned forward.
And the second I did, my wolf lost it. She threw herself against my ribs, clawing at the inside of my skull to get away from the deafening pulsing. Beside me, Calder actually stumbled, physically knocked off balance.
This wasn’t normal magic. It wasn’t shifter or witch. It tasted like blood and static electricity. It felt completely wrong.
I made myself look inside the box—much to my poor wolf’s dismay. She screamed in my head, her nails tearing through my mind as she raced to the blackest depths to escape whatever the hell this thing was. Calder’s hands found my hips, as though he was preparing himself to rip me away from danger.
A jagged gem sat inside the box, resting on black velvet. I squinted, trying to make out the finer details. Like color. But it kept changing. One second it was pitch-black, the next it bled violent streaks of silver and gold. The more I tried to focus on it, the more my eyes watered.
“What is that?” Calder wheezed.
“The Star of Avelon,” Selene said. She was completely unaffected by the crushing weight in the room.
“The relic you seek. The fae have been gone for at least half a millennium, but they left behind items like this.” Selene stared at the gem.
“This isn’t the only one in my possession, but it is by far the most powerful. ”
“What’s it do?” I whispered.
“As far as we can tell, it turns humans into paranormals.”
Both Calder’s and my heads shot up. I stared at Selene, waiting for her to wink and tell me that was a joke. But she didn’t. Instead, she just stared at us, then gave a single nod.
“Humans don’t just become paranormals,” I said. “They’re born human. They stay human. Much like how we can’t become human.”
“Thus, the terrifying power of this item. It doesn’t work on all humans, only ones who possess a latent thread of otherworldly DNA.”
An alarm bell blared in my head.
“They must have a paranormal ancestor buried somewhere in their lineage,” Selene continued.
“It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.
A shifter, a vampire, a witch, whoever laid with a human.
If your human wants this, it’s because he believes he has a paranormal ancestor and he wants to unleash that full potential within him. ”
“Yes,” Calder grunted. “That’s exactly what he believes.”
Selene gave a sage nod.
“This would turn him into one of us?” I asked.
“In theory,” Selene said. “There are other steps needed. A human body cannot handle the transformation. If the legend can be trusted, the human must first undergo a series of, well, upgrades, for lack of a better word. They must prepare their physical form before undergoing the final transformation.”
“The artifacts I’ve been collecting for him,” Calder said. “Each has done something for him. Made him stronger, given him more energy.” He shot the gem another glance. “All in preparation for this. The power that thing emanates is incredible.”
“It can destroy as easily as create,” Selene confirmed. “If the paranormal heritage isn’t strong enough for the gem to detect, it’ll obliterate the human.”
“And Evander wants to avoid that, obviously,” I said.
I glanced at Selene and Calder. Both wore frowns, but me?
I saw this as a good thing. “So, this is his game plan? To become paranormal? If that’s the case, I say we give him the Star and see what happens.
Either it makes him one of us, which, welcome to the club, or it fries his ass.
Either way seems like a happy ending to me. ”
Selene slammed the box shut.
The pressure vanished, and I finally took a full breath.
“It’s not that simple, Thorne,” Selene said.
Her voice left zero room for argument. “Fae magic isn’t predictable.
It’s the epitome of chaos. You know the lore.
Never thank a fae. Never give them your true name.
Never eat their food.” She tapped a nail against the leaden box.
“Everything they do is a trap. Even their magic. We locked this thing away for centuries because no one knows its true limits. Fae artifacts reflect their trickster nature. They grant the wish, but it always comes with a twist. What if the gem destroys not just Evander but every human in a certain proximity? What if that proximity is a thousand-mile range? What if the fallout takes Eternity Falls with it? It’s never as simple as it sounds. ”
I stared at the metal box and sighed. She had a point—not that I wanted to admit it.
“My examples sound extreme, I know,” Selene told us, her voice dropping. “But the terrifying truth is we simply don’t know. We have no idea what giving him this stone will unleash.”
“I hear you,” I said, my mind racing to put the pieces of this dangerous puzzle together.
“Okay, so, I only see three options here. One, we keep the gem locked in this vault. Evander gives Wren the order, she tears down the wards, and the next thing we know, the government is hauling me, my brothers, and every other townsperson to Area 51. Two, we hand over the gem and cross all our fingers and toes that he keeps his word and there aren’t any repercussions.
Or three, we go in force and take them all out before they destroy our town. ”
No one disagreed.
“Can you handle Wren? Can your family take her down?” I asked.
Selene sighed. “I don’t know. My sister has grown rather powerful in the decades away from us.
She’s always enjoyed playing with the dark arts and it seems she’s fully embraced it now.
She’s broken natural law. But there are four of us and one of her.
I would like to think that’s enough witchy power to subdue her. ”
“So you aren’t sure?”
Selene shook her head. “All we can do is try.”
Calder took a step toward the box but didn’t reach out to touch it. I didn’t blame him. That thing put my teeth on edge.
“Then we use the Star as the ultimate distraction,” he suggested.
“We take the artifact and make the trade. The moment he has this in hand, he’ll lower his guard.
” He glanced at Selene. “And while he’s distracted, you and your family take Wren out before she can cast a single spell. Without his witch, he’s vulnerable.”
“And Adrian?” I asked.
“We’ll take him out too,” Calder confirmed. “Without his magic and his muscle, Evander will be easier to handle.”
“To kill, you mean,” I said. “Because I don’t see any way he survives this. It’s him or us.”
Calder nodded.
“You’re suggesting we work together in a coordinated attack,” Selene said.
“Why not? I know our families don’t get along, but that’s exactly why it’ll work,” I said.
“Your sister is banking on the animosity between us. She may have been slipping in and out of town, but that doesn’t mean she knows all the inner gossip.
Could be she doesn’t know that the Wolfes, St. Germains, and Ravenspells are, well, I don’t want to say allies, but… ”
“But not trying to actively destroy each other anymore,” Selene added.
I nodded.
“We have to keep the human from activating the Star,” Selene said.
“That’s my job, I suppose,” I said. “I’ll keep Evander from activating the transformation.”
Calder glared at me. “Absolutely not.”
“Calder—”
“No. You aren’t going, Thorne. And that’s final.”
I lifted a brow. “It’s cute that you think that means anything to me.”
“Thorne!”
I lifted a hand. “We can fight about this on the way there.” I certainly wasn’t having this fight in front of Selene. “We have a plan, then? We get the files, you get your sister, and Evander gets dead.”
Selene watched us for a long moment. She didn’t look thrilled, but she didn’t argue. We were out of better options.
“Where’s the exchange taking place?” she asked.
“The abandoned lumber mill fifteen miles outside town,” Calder said, his clipped tone telling me I was in for one hell of a fight the second we left this house. “Midnight.”
“That’s tight,” Selene said. “You might not see us right away, but we’ll be there.”
She deposited the box into my hands. My skin practically ripped itself off my body to get away from the power humming from inside, but I forced my fingers to grip it hard before turning and climbing out of the basement. We were officially out of the planning phase, and now, it was time to end this.