“What is it you want?” I ask, my voice deceptively calm, while internally my power wants to strike her down. I should’ve gotten stabby while I had the chance.
“The book, my dear.”
“We don’t have it,” Knox says, the deep timbre of Cole’s voice echoing around the room.
“I beg to differ. I have it on good authority that she does have the book.”
I can feel the guys’ eyes on me as I continue to stare at the blonde bitch.
“Fate?” Cole asks. Hearing such suspicion and demand leaving Levi’s sweet mouth is entirely disconcerting, but I have bigger issues right now.
I take a step closer, and Barbie raises her hand, a bright flame floating above her palm. Something about it is eerily familiar, and a tug in my subconscious causes my panic to rise, hitting my gut with a sense of impending doom.
“So you haven’t told them?” Her voice is a lilting mock that sets my nerves on edge. “Interesting.”
I take another step.
“What hasn’t she told us?”
“Are you finally going to fess up, or should I spill the beans myself? You never kept secrets from them in the past. Though they definitely did. A whopper of one, I might add. I’ve got to admit though, I’m really surprised by this new you, little one.”
It’s those last two words that have the memory sparking to life. There’s only one person in any realm that has ever called me little one. Hurt and shame slither through me. How could I not have seen this coming? How did I not figure it out sooner? It’s always been her. The jealousy, the power, the constant negativity. The signs were all there, and I just explained them away with excuses. It all makes sense now.
I take one more step closer.
Her smile falls, and the true monster comes out.
“You take one more step and none of you will survive this time. I’ll make sure you’re all turned to ash, and I’ll finally get to take back what rightfully belongs to me.”
“That’s what it’s always been about, hasn’t it? You never cared about me at all. You just wanted what I had. How long have you been plotting against me?”
A sinister grin appears on her face, satisfaction heavy in the air with an almost malevolent sense of glee. “So you’ve figured it out, have you?”
“Fate, what’s going on?” one of the guys asks from behind me, but I can’t spare them a single glance right now. She’ll strike me down as soon as my back is turned.
“I’ll give you whatever you want, as long as you let Thad go.”
She studies me then, tapping her bottom lip with one of her sharply pointed red nails, knowing she has the upper hand. “Hmmm. Maybe the book isn’t enough.”
“Let. Him. Go.”
“I mean, your disgustingly righteous men should’ve been mine from the start. Them. The Gateway. The control of the realms. Then it was snatched away from me.”
“What the fuck is she talking about?” one of the guys mutters behind me, but I ignore them as I prepare to protect them the only way I know how.
“Last chance. Let him go. You can still walk away from this.”
“Oh, dear little sister, I’ll walk away from this regardless.”
Before our eyes, the blonde real estate agent fades away. Her bleached blonde hair turns deep red, worn in a high ponytail with some sort of jewel-encrusted wannabe scrunchie. Her lips are a dark plum, malice-filled eyes heavy with eyeliner and mascara. She’s wearing a tight black dress that forms to all of her curves. Her green eyes stare back at us, amused and vengeful at the same time. She really is unhinged.
The guys all gasp.
Her laugh floats in the air, and my eyes widen. It’s the same laugh I heard above my makeshift grave as the dirt covered my broken body. Despite myself, my heart breaks and tears threaten to fall.
“Aww. Don’t cry, little one. It’s really not personal. I simply want what I was promised. The bowels of hell and the scraps I was offered no longer suit me.” She slowly stands on her ridiculously high heels, making her way down the few stairs to the main floor. “It really was an ingenious plan. Get you out of the way, which would untether the bonds to your guys. I’d step in, assume control.” Her angry glare cuts my way. “But you just couldn’t die like a good little sister, could you? No, you had to come back and draw them right back to you. I could feel you, you know. The second your soul returned, I knew it was only a matter of time until they found you again, and they didn’t disappoint. Sniffing you out like a bunch of scraggly mutts. But I needed to know where the book was and just how strong you were. That’s where Mandy came in. Nifty little trick, that.” She caresses the ruby necklace against her chest.
“I’ll give you the book, Karma. Just let Thad go.”
She ignores me, continuing her evil monologue. “Imagine my surprise when they didn’t seem to know who they were and there was no sight of you. So I stayed close to gather as much information as possible. Even had dinner with your precious Cole. He probably would’ve let me take him home with me that night if Knox hadn’t called and interrupted us.”
My eyes cut to Mack, his reassurance shoring up my resolve. I keep my voice soft and even, not wanting to provoke a bite from the bitch in front of me until I’m ready to dodge it. “Let’s talk about this, Karma. We can work something out.”
“Hmm. I think I’m done talking.” Her tone is ominous and more than a little self-assured. Shit’s about to get very real.
What the fuck do I do?
An image of the Roman numerals CCLVII pops into my head, and I swear the Gateway rolls its eyes at me again. Oh, right! Duh! Bad Fate. In that split second, I know what needs to be done.
Her hand shoots out, the flame turning into a bright red orb heading for the rest of my guys, but I spin and cast a glass-like orb, encasing them in a clear impenetrable bubble. Her power shatters against it like ice, and her scream of frustration echoes through the space as I check to make sure my guys are safe. They’re banging on the wall of the bubble, desperation etched on their faces. Their fear and frustration flood our connection.
I’m sorry, I mouth, knowing they can’t hear me. I’m sure there will be hell to pay for this later, but at least there will be a later.
Turning, I watch as Karma throws a tantrum reminiscent of a two-year-old. I spare a glance at Mack, who stares back at me with so much love in his now green eyes that I can’t look away.
“You shouldn’t be able to do that!” she shouts, her reaction showing the crack in her sanity before she manages to get her temper under control. An eerily calm facade falls into place, though I can feel her hate and her anger roiling beneath the surface despite the mask. “You will pay for that, little sister.”
Suddenly, I know something so much worse is coming. I’m frantically trying to figure out a way to get Mack away before my psycho sister gets her hands on him, but I’m scared if I make one wrong move, she’ll strike him down before I can save him.
“Karma, please. I’ll give you whatever you want. Just let him go.”
Her head tilts to the side as she considers me. “Well, that’s good, because I’ve just decided the book alone isn’t enough. The guys aren’t enough. I want it all. The book. Your guys. Your title. Everything. When you’re ready to hand it all over, you know where to find me.”