Forever (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #5)(78)

Mina screamed, but then Kino turned and directed a blast at the jet, sending it into a tailspin. The pilot ejected himself before the jet crashed into the water, where it skimmed the surface and took out another of the gnome ships.

Another fighter jet whizzed by, and Jared turned to Mina.

“Your turn.” He flickered in and out.

“I can’t see him. How can I control him?”

“You can.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently lifted her hand up toward the jet. “I never wanted to admit it, but you are one of the most powerful Fae I’ve ever met. If you only believe.” Mina couldn’t pull her eyes away from Jared’s. She searched for the lie but only saw truth. He believed in her.

Mina swallowed and turned her thoughts toward the jet. She felt the Fae power gather around her and channeled it to the approaching aircraft.

Jared growled when she hesitated. “You have to protect them!”

Kino was trying to fend off a helicopter, so Charlie focused on taking down the rest of the bridge by himself. She had to do it and do it now. The fighter jet fired it’s guns, and a line of bullet spray ripped into the water to take them out.

She whispered to the pilot. “You can’t see! Pull up.” Immediately, the fighter jet veered to the left and peeled off. She breathed a sigh of relief as he missed her brother. That was easier than she’d expected. “Stay away,” she told him.

Within minutes, the bridge was destroyed. Mina looked at the strangely empty skyline. Her heart grieved that the landmark had been annihilated.

She stared at the water, awed at all of the destruction that had happened because of her cursed life.

The Godmothers rushed to help any injured they found.

Even Brody and Nan left to help, unwilling to stay idle.

Mina, on the other hand, could barely stand without Jared’s support. He held her close, as helicopters continued to zoom over them on their way to the bridge. Many were news copters. She could only imagine the stories that were being played out on screens across America. “It would take a miracle to erase the damage we’ve done.”

“You’re right,” he admitted. “This is beyond altering the memories of a girl and her friends.”

“Or school.”

“Or school,” he repeated.

“Then what can we do?”

“Who knows where Annalora is at the moment—or how many she’s working with? For now, here, we try and protect the innocent Fae. We police our own and try to win the trust of the Fae that are here. Or we find another big enough gate and force them all back into the Fae world.”

“That seems a little harsh.”

“My reign of terror, followed by my parents’ impaired judgment—that was harsh. I made all these Fae leave. I could force them to come back.” He flickered again, and this time, she felt him disappear and come back.

She pulled from his embrace “Jared?” Mina grabbed for him, but her hands went right through him. He tried to speak, but she couldn’t hear him, which meant Taz couldn’t sustain him much longer.

One minute he was there—Mina felt a warmth encompass her body, and her heart burst with love in a final goodbye—and then he was gone.

Mina stared at the empty beach and the spot where Jared had stood. She wanted to scream her fury into the sky. She sat on the sand and looked back at the water. She waited. For what, she didn’t know.

It was almost sunset when Nan and Brody found her. Ever and Nix came up behind her too. Both of them had been bandaged, and Nix complained about whoever had made the poultice for his wound. Mina felt relief at seeing her friends still alive, safe and sound. The omen hadn’t taken them. But she could tell by the way Nix walked and Ever limped that they hadn’t completely escape its fury.

Others gathered on the beach. It seemed that the worst of the war was over.

What was left of Teague’s and Annalora’s armies had run and were hiding in the hills. Apparently, with the destruction of the gate and without their leaders, they didn’t know where to go. They would have to hunt them down another day.

Mina watched as Charlie met his grandparents, and he immediately hugged them, not letting them go. Ternan leaned down and lifted the boy up, holding him high in the air.

It seemed that everything would probably be alright for everyone. Except her.





Chapter 33



“We did it! We won,” Ever cheered as she came and stood by Mina. She didn’t even attempt to hide her wings.

“If you call this winning,” Mina answered. She looked across the Bay at the flashing lights and mob of rescue vehicles.

And Annalora was still out there, plotting.

“Well, we didn’t die, so yeah,” Ever glanced at Mina and her face turned solemn. “What’s up?”

Taz Clara rose out of the Bay. Water trailed over her skin, dripping off in rivulets. She moved closer to the shore but didn’t step onto the land. “I’m sorry. I held onto Jared for as long as I could, but he just slipped away from me.”

“Ohhh,” Ever whispered.

Every part of Mina wanted to scream and yell at her for not trying harder, but the sea witch did not deserve her temper. Taz hadn’t plunged the knife into Teague’s chest. Mina had. All Taz did was give her more time with him. She should have tried to bind him to the Grimoire despite his argument. But he would’ve ended up hating her in the end, because he’d once again be a prisoner. She couldn’t bear to do that to him.