Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #5)(55)

“They don’t have to be. You were worried you didn’t have anyone to take care of Charlie. I’d say your family is a great place to start,” Ever coaxed.

“I’m his family.” Sure, her mom had told her to find them, but they were making things worse. Not better.

“They’re his family as well, Mina. Don’t you think Charlie would like to meet his grandparents?”

“We don’t need them, if you could help me go back,” Mina whispered urgently.

“To the human plane? No problem.”

“No back to the palace.”

“Mina, have you gone mad?”

“I promised him I wouldn’t run away.”

Ever scoffed at her. “Well, that’s a dumb promise. Of course you’d run away. Who’d want to stay with him as crazy and evil as he’s become? I bet he treated you horrible while you were there.”

“Uh no, it actually wasn’t that bad. For the most part, he was reasonable and okay company. Or he was until Annalora showed up.”

“What does that ugly gnome-head want?’

“She seems to think he’ll choose her as his next queen.”

“Well, that would explain her sudden appearance.”

“How so?”

“Because he does—”

One of the sirens came and beckoned for Mina to join him.

Ever stayed where she was, but Mina followed the young man down a few steps and into the captain’s quarters. Ternan stood at the window, looking forlorn. Winona was sitting in a chair, her hands folded in her lap. Mina stood in front of her siren grandparents and waited for one of them to speak first.

It was Winona who stood up and approached her. “There’s something we should tell you.”

“We’re not really related. I knew it,” she said, a defense mechanism.

Winona frowned. “No, you’re the spitting image of our daughter. There’s no doubt that you’re kin. But with Sarafina’s death, we’ve been left without an heir.”

“You mean you don’t have anyone else? Why would you let my mother go to the human plane then?”

Ternan was the one to answer. “We had two daughters. Sarafina was the youngest and always followed her heart. Our oldest displeased the Fates and was turned to stone. She now rests in the bottom of the lake beside the palace.”

Mina’s heart pounded, and she felt sick. That was her aunt? She’d been so close to joining her in death.

“I’ve seen her,” Mina whispered under her breath. “I’ve heard her call to me.”

Winona’s head dropped in despair, while Ternan’s voice rose in anger. “We have no love for the Fates and their cruel ways.”

“I need to go back. You don’t understand. I can’t stay with you.”

“Nonsense. You’re family. You will be accepted here among us,” Winona spoke up.

“No, I made a deal—willingly. I said I’d stay with the prince, and he promised to leave my friends alone. If I left, they’d be hurt or killed.” She decided not to mention that she was worried for the prince himself.

“Well, then we must get to your friends first,” Ternan announced.

“Yes. And your brother,” Winona agreed. “With Sarafina gone, we are no longer barred from interacting with her children. Let’s bring them home.”

Mina felt a moment of relief that she wasn’t alone in her quest to protect her brother, but the Fae plane wasn’t any safer than the human plane. She’d have to find him, trust the sirens, and find a way to keep them all safe from Teague.

They called Ever into the room and spoke quickly about what they were going to do and how they were going to find Charlie.

“The seam ripper is only strong enough to open a gate for a few people. We’d never be able to take everyone with us,” Ever said.

“We will have to use one of the natural gates then,” Ternan stated.

“It won’t do us any good unless we know where Charlie is.” Ever looked to Mina for an answer.

“I don’t know. The whole point was that I wouldn’t know where they’ve taken him.”

“She can find him,” Winona said firmly to Ever. “Mina has the closest connection to him of any of us.”

“I don’t know how.” Mina felt the mounting pressure being placed on her and began to doubt.

“In your dreams. The pixie told me of your dreams, that you see things,” Winona encouraged.

“No, mostly nightmares. But then sometimes it feels real,” Mina answered, a slight panic rising within her.

“Can you honestly tell me you’ve never dreamed something, a conversation that never came true?”

The premonition of Ever’s death. And more than that. Mina thought back to her many restless nights and the pieces of her dreams that came true. Of being pulled underwater by Teague, though he was pulling her underground. Or the conversations she had with him. Her heart raced, and breathing became a challenge.

It was true. She was seeing bits of the future. “But how can I do it on purpose?”

“Just think about him while you fall asleep. Your subconscience will seek him out,” Winona said.

Mina felt all of the eyes on her and swallowed. “I’ll try, but I think I’m too wound up to sleep.”