“If that’s what it takes to get them back,” I say, “then I’m in.”
He glances over at Baz, then back to me, his face tight. “The three of us barely made it out alive last time. And Ani—”
Kirin cuts himself off with a quick shake of his head, dark hair falling into his eyes and hiding the pain I know he’s feeling. I feel it too—his, mine, Baz’s. It’s all wrapped up together in a sharp, thorny bundle, piercing my heart with every breath.
Anididn’tmake it out alive. That’s the part Kirin can’t bring himself to say out loud. Our Gingersnap overdosed on my dream potion and went into the realm alone, and now he’s gone.
My eyes blur with tears, but I brush them away. I can cry later—a bucket full. A bathtub full. Anoceanof tears for everything we’ve endured. But right now, I need to get everyone on board with this mission.
“That’s just it,” I say, picking up a cracked bottle of what used to contain Fairy’s Breath. Like everything else in this room, it’s useless now. “The boundaries between the realms are weakening. Otherwise the dark version of Ani wouldn’t have materialized here like he did—we all saw it happen.”
“Yes,” Kirin says, “and then he and Doc vanished—likely to another realm.”
“A realm we might be able to get toifwe leave now. The longer we wait, the less chance we have at finding anything.” I shove a hand through my hair, trying to ignore the matted blood drying in my curls. “Goddess! We’re standing here debating the possible location of magickal realms while our brothers are trapped in one, held hostage by the same psychos plotting to enslave the magickal world and kill anyone who gets in their way. What iswrongwith you guys?”
Kirin’s eyes flash with pain, and I immediately regret my words. But before I can apologize, he crosses the room and takes my hands, squeezing tight. “I get that your instinct is to go after them. I want to bring them home too, Stevie. More than you know.”
“Then help me,” I whisper, the tears spilling despite my best efforts to contain them and Kirin’s best efforts to comfort me. With every beat of my heart, pain floods my body, the thought of abandoning Doc and Ani turning me inside out with grief.
“There’s nothing I won’t do to fight for our brothers.” He cups my face, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “Nothingexceptrisking your and Baz’s lives in the process. If we go into this thing half-cocked, we could get trapped out there.”
“Wherever the hell ‘out there’ even is,” Baz says.
“They’re right.” Professor Maddox sits on the bed next to Nat, putting an arm around her shoulder and slowly turning her away from the blood she’s been staring at. “You could lose hours—days, even—wandering between realms, hoping for that one needle in the magickal haystack that’s going to grant you entry to the right place.”
“So what do we do, then? Just stay here and hope for the best?” Fresh frustration simmers in my blood, but I force myself to take a few deep breaths before speaking again. “Look. I know it’s a long shot, and I know it’s dangerous as hell. But I don’t carewherethe caves are. All I know is the place I saw in my visions was out past the holly thicket. Out past the mists. Once we get there, we’ll figure out next steps. But I can’t just sit here and… and do nothing.”
“No one’s suggesting we do nothing,” Professor Maddox says.
“So far I’m not hearing any other ideas.” I turn away from Kirin and head to the broken window, staring out across the night sky. The desert is calm and peaceful, the breeze as sweet as a freshly cut apple.
Jareth swoops down from the roof, his shadow cutting a dark path across the backyard, vanishing into a tree at the edge of the property. His white feathers are a beacon in the darkness, and once again the urge to flee rises up inside me.
I could go now. Just hop out the window and take off with Jareth…
A strong, warm touch lands on my shoulders, and Baz’s love for me hits me all at once—a wave of emotion so strong, it nearly buckles my knees.
Behind us, I hear Kirin asking the others to give us a minute alone. The witches shuffle out of the room, leaving me with my men.
Bringing his lips to my ear, Baz says, “Do you trust me?”
My answering nod comes without hesitation.
“Look at me,” he breathes, and I turn around and gaze up into his eyes.
“Cernunnos…” I mouth his ancient name, my voice so soft and broken it’s not even a whisper. “Goddess, I’m so sorry. For everything. I just wanted… We have to help them and I…”
“Shh. It’s okay.” His hands slide into my hair and holds me close, his lips hovering before mine, his gaze as fierce as I’ve ever seen it. “I need you to hear me on this, beautiful. Really hear me.”
I close my eyes and nod.
“Ani’s gone dark, and he’s got the Wand. He’s working for the enemy—one who’s apparently far more powerful than any of us imagined. You say his soul is still out there somewhere? That he and Cass are being held captive? Fine. Yes. I believe it, Little Bird. And I swear to fuckingGoddess, I will follow you anywhere—to the most terrible places in the most terrible realms in the universe. Butnotwithout a rock-solid plan and at least two backup plans behind it.”
I open my eyes, and Kirin joins us at the window, once again taking my hands.
Somehow, everything else fades away. The broken glass, the blood, the awfulness of it all. Right now, it’s just me and the men I love, their fierce protectiveness wrapping me in a bubble of warmth and loyalty nothing can shatter.
“You have to know we’re with you on this,” Kirin says. “Wewillfind that cave. And when we do?” A new wave of emotion rolls through him, shooting straight into my heart. It’s dark and terrifying, full of fire and vengeance—a rare glimpse at the unstoppable Tower magick he contains.
