Thankfully, they managed to untangle their power with no incidents, and after a quick discussion about ways to finesse what they’d done, they started it all over again.

I settled in to chew off my nails, all the while hoping no one would kill themselves before we got to the realm. Dannie would love it if we took ourselves out first.

Here’s hoping we didn’t make it that easy for her.

42

By the time they were done with their practice, they were somewhat confident that they could call up a strong enough fortress to contain Dannie. After, we all took a moment to refuel, and then it was time to head to the realm.

“Make sure you have all of your power and crystals,” Shadow said, his voice lacking real emotion; he was in warrior mode, his beast side having taken over.

I didn’t have anything to bring with me, so I spent my last few moments trying to call Midnight to me, but the stubborn mist continued to cold shoulder me. I knew our bond was still there, but it was weak and frayed, thanks to Dannie. I wondered if I was destined now to only feel my mist here in the Library of Knowledge.

“Here’s your gem,” Len said, appearing right before me, distracting me from Midnight. “Wear it against your skin and never take it off. Okay? This will give you layers of protection around your mind.”

He held out a shimmering purple stone attached to a silver chain. The stone was about the size of a grape, raw and stunning, with many multi-faceted shades of violet, plum, and dark magenta hidden in its unpolished depths.

“Thanks,” I said softly, reaching for it. The moment I made contact, he whispered something that even my translator spell didn’t understand. A jolt of power shot up my arm, and I barely managed not to drop the stone.

“Just needed to tie it to your energy,” he said with a smile.

I narrowed my eyes on him. “A little warning would not have gone astray.”

Len’s smile was wide and perfect, the shimmering silver of his entire being so otherworldly that for a moment, he was a god. Or at least the way I’d always imagined a god looked before I’d met a bunch of them. “Where’s the fun in that? Since you’re one of us now, you need to learn that there are no warnings in our world. You jump in with both feet and hope the predators don’t eat you.”

For some reason, that made me think of Shadow, and it was no surprise to find his gaze on me. His flash of teeth was definitely predator-like. “I think I can handle it,” I murmured, turning back to the still-smiling fae. “And thanks for welcoming me to the team.”

The merry band of assholes had turned from six to seven, and since that had been my aim from the start, I was okay with giving myself a pat on the back.

When everyone was ready to leave, weapons in hands and stones around their necks, we headed to the realm doorway. Angel and Shadow remained close to my side, Inky above us, and the other five guys behind.

“Whoa,” I said, staring at the door. “When did it change?”

It was no longer black, as it had been the first time the spell had been released. Instead, it was a murky grey, similar to the Grey Lands before we’d restored life back into them.

“I’m not sure,” Shadow replied. “Probably around the time I lost my humanity, but it’s a clear sign that the realm is out of balance.”

“Possibly even dying,” Angel added without inflection. It was often hard to tell if she was concerned or afraid when she was in super warrior mode. Today it was probably both.

At least it was for me.

No one said anything else about the worrying shade of grey on the door, already well aware we were stepping into a different realm to the one we’d left weeks ago. That poor world had already been suffering thanks to Ixana, and now it seemed Dannie had stepped up to make it worse.

We had to set it right, or the land of our birth would become a mere shell of itself.

Shadow wrapped an arm around me, holding me close to his side as we crossed through the portal into the realm. “I’m taking us straight to the Nexus,” he said as he stepped into the mistiness that surrounded the realm entrance.

The mist lasted for about a minute, and as it faded, the land fell out from under us and I didn’t even have time to shriek when we dropped into the water. Icy cold stole my breath as I plunged deep. From my last time in the realm, I remembered that the bodies of water here were called “The Depths,” and they were filled with many scary-ass creatures I never wanted to meet.

Shadow and I popped up at the same time, and he looked around, his brow furrowed. I followed as well, noticing that the waters were dark and murky, vastly different to the last time I’d seen them, and the sky above was gloomier as well, almost as if the light were fading.

“I directed us to the Nexus,” Shadow growled, his jaw rigid. “This isn’t right.”

Angel burst out of the water nearby, her wings shooting wide, droplets scattering as she flew about twenty feet above. In the same instant, a huge creature followed her up and out of the water, looking like one of those dinosaur crocodiles with a body as big as a blue whale and a long snout filled with razor-sharp teeth.

It tried to snap my friend up like a tasty dinner treat, but Angel was having none of that shit, smacking it down like a naughty toddler. The creature fell back into the water, learning its lesson about taking on my friend.

“What the fuck?” I gasped, my eyes drawn down to the very murky water beneath us. I couldn’t see anything, and my mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario of what lay below.

Shadow laughed, his power wrapping around me as he drew us up and out of the water. “They know better than to try me,” he said with confidence. “Even if this world is following none of its regular rules, I am still the Supreme Bein—”

He was cut off by a snapping sound, and we both looked down to see the baby version of what had just attacked Angel hanging from his leg. The pause was near comical; the look on Shadow’s face one of pure astonishment.

I really shouldn’t have laughed, but a snorting chuckle escaped before I could stop it. Shadow glared at me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep my amusement on the inside.

“Are you okay?” I choked out, trying to force my lips into a straight line as we both looked down again.

If Shadow hadn’t been Shadow, the creature would have bitten his leg clear off. As it was, when it started trying to gnaw on it like an old bone, more laughter escaped from my tightly pressed lips.