Page 77 of Forgotten Monsters
Cole squeezes my hand. “Don’t worry, they’re going to love you.”
I swallow hard, aware my husband just got to the crux of my anxiety. It’s one thing to yield the power of the Earthly King, but it’s an entirely different burden to have the eyes of a thousand Faerie citizens fixed on me…to know they are counting on us to stop a war that decimated their families.
“You were meant for this, Jules Winslow.” He tugs gently on my arm.
Nerves buzzing in my belly, I pat down my head, making sure my crown is not crooked. “How are you so confident?”
A dimple appears in his cheek. “Because Iseeyou.”
* * *
An Underworld mapis propped over my thighs the next morning as I study the ins and outs of the continent and the probable location of its Hall of Mirrors. Cole’s office is a little chilly, and I tighten my jacket around my frame before a soft thud alerts me to Mallory’s arrival.
“Jules, are you in there?” the demon asks, peeking through the doorway.
I wave for her to join me. “Yes. Maybe you can help me, I’m trying to pinpoint the location of the Underworld hub. Cole went to the library for the old maps, but this doesn’t make sense.”
“Actually, I have something to show you.” She bites her lip, her voice a little higher than before. “I didn’t want to bring it up yesterday because you had so much on your plate, but… Barron gave me something before he left.”
I discard the map of the table. “What’s up?”
“He kept this below deck all these years…an heirloom I inherited from my mother.” She opens the velvet bow, and I hold my breath as an exact copy of my emerald necklace comes into view.
“But it’s—” I clutch the pendant hanging between my breasts. “Does this mean we’re—”
Tears pool in her brown eyes as she grazes the precious stone. “I think so. I was always meant to find you, Jules. We’resisters.”
Sisters…my arms shake, but Mallory steadies them and wraps me in her embrace. We hug each other for the longest time, my thoughts too fast for my brain to catch up.
“Do you remember her? Our mother?” I say on a sniffle.
A sob escapes her, her curls grazing my cheek. “Bits and pieces.”
We slowly regain the ability to breathe normally. I wipe a tear from the corner of my eye and walk to the desk for a fresh tissue.
“I found it!” Cole dashes back from the library holding a roll of parchment, oblivious to our revelation.
He lays down a new map over the ones already scattered on his desk and draws a circle with his fingers over a crescent-shaped lake. “Here. The books on the Underworld hub mentions a body of water shaped like the smile of the moon. We should start there.”
Mal clears her throat and looks over his shoulders. “I agree.”
I tap the representation of Dark Falls on the ginormous map, the shock of Mallory’s revelation slowly morphing into excitement and joy…no wonder she was so happy to see me yesterday.“I still want to test the main channel and make sure it’s reliable before we go gallivanting around a hollow-infested continent.”
“Hollows don’t intimidate me anymore. As long as we don’t get separated, they won’t be able to hurt us. The Unseelie on the other hand...we’ll need an army for them.” Cole cracks his knuckles.
“Once we find the hub, we can gather an army. Isn’t that your specialty?” I tease.
“Most Fae don’t have infernal magic and the power of the phoenix to rely upon.”
I wiggle my brows. “Are you bothered by the fact that I’m more powerful than you now?”
The corners of his mouth curl up. “Who says you’re more powerful?”
“She is, though,” Flynn cracks, joining us through the opposite door. I open my mouth to speak, but he raises his index finger. “Don’t start. The shamans gave me a clean bill of health.”
He swapped his white Fae shirt for jeans and a black sweater, and he looks damn fine in it, despite the few bruises still visible on his neck. I walk over to him for a quick kiss, relieved to see him standing strong so quickly.
The boys exchange a tensed glance, but neither of them seems inclined to fight…for now.
