Chapter 16 #2
“The Selection began to find us mates,” Cade said, his dimpled smile turning sharp. “It ends with us. We’ve all found what we were looking for, haven’t we?” His turquoise eyes shifted between me and Sy. “The One turned out to be two. The prophecy’s fulfilled, just not how anyone expected.”
Killian stood. “Blood vow?”
“Blood vow,” Cade confirmed. “Consider our position: two crowns, the Covenant sealed, and both the goddess and old magic allied with us. We are the authority.”
Louis rolled up his sleeve. “What are we waiting for? Every second we delay is another second the candidates are hunted by demon trains.”
Pucker materialized near the table, rubbing his hands together with the glee of a child on Christmas morning. “Oh, this is exciting! Historical! I am witnessing the end of an unbreakable tradition!”
“You’re witnessing us eating,” Sy said through a mouthful of pastry. She gestured with her chin. “The historic part is happening over there.”
As one, the heirs moved to the room’s center, forming a circle.
Power rippled off them in waves. Killian’s shimmering starlight wove with Cade’s sharp metallic energy.
Silas’s raw, primal strength and water magic met the cool, swirling air of Louis’s vampire power, while Rowan’s deep, grounding earth magic completed the circle, locking the five elements into a single, potent pentagram.
Cami and Rock moved to man the door, hands resting on the hilts of their weapons to prevent any interference, even though no one dared to trespass.
The significance wasn’t lost on me. What the heirs were about to do would send shockwaves through every kingdom. There’d be retaliation, but it was the least of our concerns. The heirs might be arrogant, but they were badasses, each powerful in their own right.
Sy, Bea, and I remained at the table. Bea watched with her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles were white. Sy and I, however, had our priorities straight and kept eating. Who knew when we’d get another chance?
“We celebrate by eating,” Sy said, winking at Bea, who wore an incredulous look as if to ask how we could possibly have an appetite at such a pivotal moment in history.
“Do we need a reason for food?” I arched a brow and bit a chocolate cake in half.
Killian drew a ceremonial dagger from thin air and slashed his palm without hesitation. Blood welled, darker than normal and laced with silver threads of power. He passed the blade to Cade on his left.
One by one, they opened their palms. Cade’s blood sparked with tiny flames. Louis’s ran almost black in the dawn light. Silas’s steamed where it hit the air. Each cut was deliberate, ritualistic, and binding.
The dagger reached Rowan last.
He stared at it, his shoulders slumping. “As you all know, I’m no longer the fae heir.” His voice cracked on the words. “Perhaps I shouldn’t be included. If my blood ruins this—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Silas cut in. “We need you, man.”
“We acknowledge you, and only you, as the heir and future king of the Kingdom of Fae,” Killian declared, his voice carrying the weight of a royal decree. “Your father’s words mean nothing. Your blood and our bonds mean everything.”
“You’re one of us,” Cade added. “And the second smartest one.”
Louis narrowed his eyes. “Who’s the smartest?”
“Not you, vamp, that’s for sure!” Silas retorted. “Rowan’s always been the one to keep us from killing each other when Cade isn’t around. Remember the incident with the chimera?”
“We agreed never to speak of that,” Cade muttered.
Silver tears welled in Rowan’s eyes. He slashed the blade across his palm with more force than necessary, as if he were cutting away more than just skin.
Then the five heirs clasped their bleeding hands together, their blood mingling where they joined.
Cade’s voice rose with an ancient cadence. “By blood of five, we speak as one. By will of heirs, let it be done. The Brides Selection served its course. We void its power. We break its force!
“No more trials of death and pain, no more loss for power’s gain. The Ones are found, the prophecy met. Release all those within its net.
“By dragon’s flame and vampire’s night, by shifter’s moon and fae’s twilight, by mage’s spell and bonds we’ve made, let every candidate be saved.
“From the Underworld’s darkest maze, from the demon queen’s hellish power, we call you back to the safe embrace of Shades Academy. As we will it, so it shall be!”
“So shall it be!” the heirs chorused.
Power erupted from their joined hands in an explosion of pure magic. Their eyes blazed with otherworldly light—Killian’s flaring dragon gold, Cade’s burning blue-white, Louis’s glowing crimson, Silas’s flashing wolf-amber, and Rowan’s shining pure silver.
The force of it knocked over furniture. Windows rattled in their frames. Even Sy and I paused, our cake forgotten, as raw power saturated the room.
“Shit,” I breathed.
“Double shit,” Sy added, a smear of icing on her lips.
“Holy smoke,” Bea whispered, her voice trailing off in awe.
The air above us tore open; not a clean portal, but something rawer. Reality rewrote itself at their command. Through the rift, I glimpsed the Underworld’s maze: candidates still fleeing from traps, some huddled on top of two trains that ran on a loop…
Belts of pure magical energy materialized, shimmering in silver and gold and every color in between. They shot through the tear like fishing lines, hooking onto each candidate.
One by one, then in groups, then in a flood, the candidates were reeled in. They tumbled back into their own House common rooms—disoriented, terrified, then hugging and crying as they realized they were safe.
Grace wasn’t among them. Somehow, I’d know if she were. And she wasn’t among the dead either. Somewhere, my dark mirror still hunted.
The tear in reality sealed itself with a definitive snap. The Underworld would never again have a chance to steal our students.
The heirs released hands, the cuts on their palms already sealed.
“It’s done,” Cade said, exhaustion etched on his handsome face.
“No more Brides Selection,” Killian growled.
Shit, he was so hot when he was enraged. When his intense gaze swept back to me and softened, I forgot to put the rest of the cake in my mouth.
“My sire will be pissed,” Louis laughed. “I can’t wait to see his face. Fuck him and his medieval politics.”
“We have two kings among us now,” Cade added, gesturing at Killian and Silas. “The power balance has shifted.” He motioned to Rowan and Louis. “Your parents can rage all they want, but we hold the real power now.”
“Yes, babe.” Silas winked at Louis. “I’m a king now, and your father still treats you like a bitch.”
“Fuck you, dog,” Louis shot back.
“No, thanks,” Silas said, still laughing.
“Hey! Guys!” Cade stepped between them.
“This is good shit,” I said, nodding to Bea and Sy. “They didn’t even need us to lead a rescue. I don’t miss that maze one bit.”
“And I don’t miss facing off those murderous trains,” Sy echoed.
“The heirs are master politicians when they want to be,” Bea observed, her voice full of admiration. “And their merged power is off the charts. They’re now more powerful than any monarch in centuries. Did you feel that when they…?”
“Shit, they’re coming back,” I called, noticing the heirs starting to move toward us. “Quick—hoard the food!”
Sy and I sprang into action with the efficiency of career food thieves. Our favorite dishes vanished into the kitchen counter, saved for us to summon later. Bea just managed to snatch a loaf of bread before it disappeared.
Just as predicted, the heirs swung their cocks and stalked back to our table. They resumed their seats, their eyes scanning the suspiciously bare surface.
“What happened here?” Silas demanded. “Who ate my burgers?”
“What’s our next move?” Louis asked, picking up his glass of blood wine—no one had touched it.
“War strategies and coordinating our armies,” Killian stated. “The next wave of Shriekers could be at our door at any moment. Now that we can’t count on support from Lilith and her demon army—”
“That’s the main reason we came back early instead of helping the other candidates,” I cut in. “My father and Lilith are allies. Maybe more than allies.” I grimaced. “We already ran into some Shriekers in the Underworld.”
The room fell silent, the only sound the soft noise of Sy chewing.
“Shit. It’s worse than we thought,” Rowan said, his jaw tight.
“So now the two biggest bads control the largest supernatural army in existence,” Silas spat.
“Shit’s about to hit the fan,” Louis muttered. “I don’t feel good about this.”
“The fan is already covered in shit,” Silas said. “It’s just going to get messier. We can’t fight this war conventionally. If we do, we’ll lose.”
“What’s your idea of ‘unconventional,’ Silas?” Louis asked.
“King Silas,” Silas retorted.
Louis snorted. “You have no idea, do you?”
“Our next priority is to forge weapons that can kill Shriekers,” Killian said, redirecting the conversation.
“I agree,” Rowan said. “We can’t rely on channeling all our magic through Barbie. Last time, it burned us out. We need every able body armed and ready to fight.” He turned to Cade. “What’s the progress?”
The Mage House had been tasked with forging new weapons for the coming war, and Bea was leading the project. I glanced at my friend as she cleared her throat and rose to her feet.
“My team and I have studied the demonic weapons extensively,” Bea began. “Prince Cade has been instrumental in designing the runes, and I’ve also had the chance to examine Deathsong whenever Barbie summoned it.”
“Get to the point, witch,” Silas ordered.
I shot him a glare. “Bea is a high mage and an extremely talented spell master. She’s been working tirelessly on this and has barely slept. Show some respect.”
“It’s all right,” Bea said, giving me a grateful smile.
She was the third pea in our pod. “I understand. The realm is in peril, and everyone is on edge. I have several vials of Barbie’s blood in storage, but I’ll need blood from every heir here as well.
Sy’s, too. I’ve seen the power your merged blood creates.
To counter Ruin’s army, this weapon must be forged with the most powerful blood magic. ”
“Time to make a donation,” I called.
“Fine,” the other heirs agreed.
“When will the prototype be ready?” Louis asked.
“A week,” Bea said.
“We might not have a week,” Killian countered.
A faint sheen of sweat appeared on Bea’s brow.
“We’ll get it done, Bea,” I assured her.
“And you’ll have my full support,” Sy added. “I’ll even donate this pink necklace Sugar Rowan gave me to fund the war effort.”
I beamed at her. “I’m proud of you, Sy.”
“And you should donate all the jewelry in your shoebox, too,” she replied.
“The heirs are more loaded,” I pointed out. “Louis and Silas are practically overflowing with gold. Cade claims his court has a tight budget, but mages are actually filthy rich. There are plenty of poor white men, but you’ll never find a poor mage.”
Cade frowned at me.
“I can have the sword in two to three days,” Bea interjected.
“Make it two,” Cade ordered.