Chapter 3 #2
“I’m pretty sure your mistakes are what got you here.” Chanel scoffed. “Didn’t you know you were gonna get yourself in trouble?”
Daisy shrugged. “A little slap on the wrist never hurt anyone.”
“Slap on the wrist? You’ve stolen on more than one occasion from humans and supernaturals. Didn’t you think that was going to catch up to you at some point?” We guided her toward the rooftop elevator.
The doors slid open and we stepped inside. Chanel and I dropped our hold on her at the same time.
Daisy shrugged. “I gave most of it back.”
I shook my head. “Man, mistakes were made.”
The elevator went from the top floor all the way down to the bottom in a matter of moments. The doors slid open, and Daisy took that as a hint to take off running.
I chuckled. “Ya know, this is a new one for us.”
“Credit for just running blindly into a hallway. Kind of ballsy.” Chanel strolled from the elevator.
I fell into step with her and watched as Daisy ran headlong toward the bank of mirrored doors. She collided right with Zuriel’s back and fell on the floor behind him. He turned around and glanced down at her, looking completely bored.
I chuckled. “Special deliver for Zad—”
He held his hand up, cutting me off. “No.”
I pressed my lips together and chuckled.
Chanel leaned into my side. “I was thinking it.”
Daisy scrambled to her feet and glanced around. “Where am I? What is this?”
We moved in closer. Zuriel held his hand out and a black clipboard appeared there. He glanced down at it and blew out a long slow breath. “Daisy, you're here because you have violated the rules set forth to all supernaturals residing in First Realm.”
Her eyes widened and a moment of realization overcame her.
We stood surrounded by four mirrored elevator-looking doors.
Each one had a small symbol above it representing the doors to the different realms connected to this world through The Emerald.
Daisy took a step back from the door with the symbol for Second Realm.
It was a sun with a crescent moon at its center.
Daisy shook her head and backed away, bumping right into Chanel and me.
I pressed my hand to her back and pushed her forward.
Zuriel continued with his words. “You are hereby banished to Second Realm and will now be under the rule and domain of the Mage Queen Savina. Your punishment will be determined by your sovereign from now on.”
“No! I won’t steal anymore. I swear!” she yelled over his words.
“I think you’ve been warned enough. I mean, you stole a head.”
Chanel snickered. “Head in a bag. Epic night for us.”
A bright light shone as the door opened giving us a perfect view of Second Realm, but even more importantly, of Queen Savina.
She stood there tall and proud with a sparkling gold crown on her head.
Her blonde hair was pulled up into an intricate style that threaded in with the crown.
Her dress was gleaming silvery white with long sleeves that hugged her arms. The bodice was trim to her waist while the skirts fell in loose flowing material from her hips down to the ground.
Her eyes were calm and steady as she looked at Daisy.
Beside her stood Ellie, the Stone Keeper for Second Realm.
Her wild dark hair fell in untamed waves down past her shoulders.
Purple magic sparked in her hair and around her arms. I didn’t even think she knew that much power radiated off of her.
Her vivid purple eyes lingered on Daisy and the way she tried to back away from us.
Zuriel dropped his hands, and the clipboard disappeared altogether. “Take her.”
Daisy turned to face us and shoved her arms into our shoulders.
We stepped to the side, letting her take off running down the hall.
I opened my hand and aqua magic flowed from my hand down the hall in long, sparkling strands of magic.
Fire erupted in front of her, and she stopped in her tracks.
Pink power flowed from Chanel and moved over the ground in front of us.
It rushed at Daisy and turned from magic to liquid.
Water rose up around her and swept her off her feet.
A single wave twisted her back in our direction and sent her floating right toward us.
With the two of us, there was no possibility of getting away, not even little Daisy.
She slid to a stop at our feet in a sopping wet mess.
Her pigtails hung from her ribbons in messy, knotty strands.
“I don’t want to go,” she said defiantly. “You can’t make me.”
“Actually they can.” Two thick vines shot from behind Ellie and wrapped around Daisy’s midsection. One moment she was there at our feet and the next she was yanked away from us and through the doors into the realm.
Chanel turned toward Savina. “Have fun with that?”
“I’m sure she’ll learn her lesson.” Red lightning-like magic forked over the sky behind her. “We can be quite convincing.”
Savina’s accent reminded me of the posh Brits in London. I turned to Chanel. “I could really go for a scone right about now.”
“I’m borderline hangry at this point,” she whispered back.
I waved to Savina. “Thank you for being so helpful. It’s very different than having to toss them through the door before something worse pops out.”
Savine folded her hands in front of her. “That does sound vexing.”
Vexing? More like a huge pain in the ass. Hell, before Savina had taken over, we had to make sure her damn father didn’t come out to wreak havoc in First Realm . . . or worse . . . Ladarious.
Chanel nodded. “So, we appreciate you.”
She smirked. “Well, we do what we can.”
“If you’re done.” Zuriel stepped between us. “We have things to get to.”
“Geez, hint taken.” Ellie sighed. “Aren’t we kind of your favorites at this point, Zuriel?”
“I don’t have favorites.” He waved his hand, the bright light shone once more, and the door was closed between us.
I paused. “You have favorites. We’re your favorites, right?”
“No.”
Chanel crossed her arms. “We have to be. Who else could you even possibly like?”
He groaned. “No one.”
“It’s Riven, isn’t it?” That damn vampire walked the line of legal and illegal as if it were his favorite hobby.
Chanel nodded. “It’s definitely Riven. He’d be my favorite too.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. As far as morally grey friends go, I might have to go with MoVaun. I mean, what is even up with her? She’s all dark and twisty.”
“Yeah, but Riven has got that whole fuck with me and die vibe going on, which I can see Zaddy over here liking. Birds of a feather and all that.”
“You do have a point.” I nodded to her.
“I know.”
“Stop.” Zuriel held his hand up and a folder appeared there a moment later. He tossed it toward us and I caught it. “You have work to do. Also, stop in the holding cells on your way out. There’s a couple supernaturals who could use your attention down there.”
“Yeah, we know. A vampire named Christopher Thompson. You told us before. I hope this one is more interesting than the last one.” I thumbed through the pages once more.
Chanel looked over my shoulder at the file. “He’s a runner.”
“Do we know where he is now?” I glanced up from the pages to ask Zuriel, but he was gone, leaving us there with just a file and still not knowing who his favorite really was.
“I hate it when he does that.” Chanel took the folder from my hands and glanced over the pages. She gave a low whistle. “Christopher has been a bad, bad little vampire.”
“Should be fun.” I shrugged. We loved a good challenge.
Chanel held her hand up and a ball of water formed there. “Maybe a worthy hunt,” she said, mindlessly tossing it up and down.
I paused, my mind drifting in a million different directions. “You think we’re Zuriel’s favorites, right?”
“Oh, for sure. I mean who’s better than us?”
There was something satisfying in her words. “It is true. We are awesome.”
“We’ve gotta be his favorites, at least of who’s left.”
“Gotta be.”