“Better for who?” Carrick asked, and the question looked like it had the same force and effect as if a wrecking ball had just slammed into Lucien.
Once again, he went pale as the question was obvious in its answer. It felt better to Lucien to believe her alive, which meant there could perhaps be hope one day. But no one else would want that. Any reasonable creature would prefer death than an eternity trapped in solitude, and Lucien was just now having to confront that dichotomy.
“Fuck,” Lucien muttered, rubbing his hand over the top of his buzzed head.
Carrick and Maddox didn’t say a word as Lucien started pacing back and forth, repetitively cursing low under his breath.
He stopped, faced his brothers, and grimly announced, “My loyalty is to you. I’ll help you get the Blood Stone.”
Maddox rose from his chair, shaking his head. He knew what Carrick knew—Lucien was using this loyalty bullshit because he didn’t want to admit Charmeine would actually be better off dead than living life inside that stone.
But that was okay.
Carrick would have his brother’s back. “We’ll make it a rescue mission, Lucien. We’ll get the stone, and if she’s still alive, we’ll get her out.”
There was no hope in his expression, only resolution as Lucien nodded.
It was settled then.
They were going to Micah’s realm, and they were going to get the Blood Stone. It was the first time that Carrick dared to hope they might be able to stop Kymaris, which hopefully meant Finley wouldn’t die.
“Let’s strategize,” Carrick said, sitting back down at the table.
His brothers joined him. For the next hour, Lucien educated them on the realm as he remembered it. He drew maps and diagrams, and they hypothesized what Micah’s powers could be like if he’d continued to take from the chalice all this time. If the myth was true and the Blood Stone had limitless powers, and it was attached to the chalice, it stood to reason that Micah could have grown incredibly powerful in all that time.
Carrick, Maddox, and Lucien knew they couldn’t be killed, but they could be obliterated until such time the gods might choose to put them back together again. It meant they couldn’t just try to overwhelm Micah with their force. There would have to be some craft involved and more help.
By the end of the meeting, it was decided that, in addition to the three demi-god brothers, the others who would make the trip would be Finley, Titus, Zaid, and Boral. They would ask Deandra if she would join them, but they wouldn’t count on her.
What Carrick had hoped for was that Finley would figure out her powers, as they could come in handy going up against the likes of Micah. At the very least, Carrick needed to make sure she could protect herself if he couldn’t for some reason.
Whatever Deandra had planned for tonight, he hoped to fuck it would allow Finley to fully tap into her powers and be able to utilize them at will.
They decided to attack Micah’s realm in two days.
CHAPTER 12
Finley
Carrick and I stand in his living room, waiting for Deandra to come up in the elevator. She had sent word to Carrick that we would be going somewhere for her next lesson, and so we’d need to bend distance from inside the privacy of his condo.
She’s five minutes late as of now, and I’m tired. I stifle a yawn as today has been long and emotionally draining. It started off this morning with my meeting with Boral and officially bringing him on board our team, followed by a horrid afternoon with Deandra, and ending with a worn and withdrawn Lucien leaving the condo after Carrick and Maddox told him that we needed the Blood Stone.
Carrick and Maddox were worn out from that meeting, too. After I got the details, I know all three demi-gods came away with some emotional bruises. Carrick doesn’t have to say it, but it’s obvious he hates putting Lucien in this position. I know he’d much rather have just been able to offer help to his brother to rescue his true love from that stone without any ulterior motive.
Just as I know his devotion to me and our joint cause meant he’d have to hurt his brother to get what he wanted. I’m hoping we can pull off such a successful mission to Micah’s realm that we can free Charmeine from the stone and maybe Lucien can have her back again.
Carrick grumbles as he checks his watch. “Light Fae aren’t known for their punctuality. I should have tied her promptness to the money.”
I laugh and lean into his side, giving him a playful pat on his stomach—which is rock hard, by the way. “As much as I can’t stand Deandra, thank you for putting so much effort—and money—into finding someone to help me.”
Golden eyes stare down at me, his lips curled slightly upward. “Thank you for trusting me on this.”
“Yeah, well, that remains to be seen depending on what she does tonight,” I point out.
And with that, the elevator doors slide open—Carrick previously having left permission for her to be let up—and Deandra steps out looking like she just got back from a long jaunt on Rodeo Drive. She’s wearing a sophisticated cap-sleeved dress in a navy blue with a white belt cinched at the waist. On her feet are four-inch heels in matching navy, and she’s sporting a pair of large and expensive-looking sunglasses despite the fact it’s just after midnight.
The doors close behind her, and she does a little twirl as she removes her sunglasses. “How do I look? The clothing here is amazing.”
It definitely covers more than what she would normally wear in Faere, but I play nice. “You look beautiful.”
Which is the truth, so it didn’t taste that bitter.
Carrick merely grunted, choosing to chastise her instead. “I expect you to be on time from here on out if you want the remaining amount of your money.”
My head whips his way. Interesting. He had not told me that he only gave her part of the money, but I guess he’s only paying for results. That’s why he’s the smart multi-billionaire businessman, and I own a coffee shop.
Deandra glares at him, I think more offended he didn’t compliment her outfit. I decide to break the tension by asking, “Where are we off to?”
Deandra walks up to us, takes each of our hands, and says, “Faere.”
And with that, a rip in the veil opens up behind us where the elevators are, and I can see it’s nighttime in Faere. The sky is incredibly dark with no sign of a moon or stars. Deandra summons an orb of light to hang over her head, providing enough illumination as we step through that I can see the unnaturally green grass that’s pervasive in this realm.
We appear to be on some type of elevated plateau because, far in the distance, I can see the gaudy crystal castle of Nimeyah, which is lit like a beacon in the dark night. I wonder why she didn’t get us closer, as I assume that’s where we were going.
“What are we doing here?” I ask curiously.
Deandra puts her hands on my shoulders, then turns me one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. My jaw drops as we stand before what looks like an ancient Roman coliseum, the exterior completely lit by orbs of light on the ground angled upward. Except the structure isn’t actually ancient. The marble is pristine, the columns supporting the archways are in perfect condition, and it actually shimmers with the tell-tale signs of something that’s been magically built.