Elemental Compass - Jaymin Eve Page 0,104

"You don't have to give up this world for Stratford. We'll find a balance."

She smiled. "I just think that for now while you're still the ruler of Stratford, it makes the most sense to be there. My parents will not be abdicating their throne any time soon. We can just vacation in Faerie."

Not wanting to argue, I just kissed her gently, setting us off again along the path. There was plenty of time to decide; we'd eventually figure it out. Having almost lost her, these minor life decisions seemed almost inconsequential. As long as we were together, nothing else mattered.

When we reached the center point, a few fey were lingering there, chatting to those from the other jeweled courts. "We're having a dance soon," one of them said, noticing us. "All four jeweled lands are invited. We haven't had a night like that in so long."

Their excitement was contagious. "We'll be there," I said, determined that would happen. Justice had already missed out on far too many of the jeweled land customs. "I imagine it's quite the spectacle to see all the gems together."

More bursts of excited chatter and I smiled down at my mate. "I suggest you fill your dance card with me now, because I'm not letting you out of my arms."

She smacked me on the shoulder. "You saw me at the last dance, Jake. The best I have is some jumping around and waving my hands. All co-ordination flees with a fast beat."

"What about line-dancing? I imagine with all the country in your soul, you've found yourself one-two stepping before."

Her lips twitched. "Okay, you've got me there. Line-dancing is my limit, and I will do that even with my crappy dance skills. Everything else though … nope."

I had to kiss her. It was a fucking desperate driving need in my soul, especially when she was as adorable as she was right now.

"I'm not adorable," she said, snarling at me in fake annoyance.

"I can see into your emotions," I reminded her. "You love when I call you adorable."

Her eyes narrowed to join her scowl.

Laughter spilled from me and since I never thought I’d laugh again, I relished in the happiness. "Come on, Ruby. Let's go home."

She shook her head, lifting her hands to call a pathway home. It shimmered to life and we stepped forward, traveling together. Stratford shimmered in the early morning light, frost already burnt away, as the sun burst to life across our land.

“Can we quickly check on the rubies?” Justice asked, her eyes darting in the direction of the shield.

“Absolutely,” I told her. I was curious myself as to what had been done with that gem graveyard.

"I'm not sure my intention was to kill them," Justice confessed as we walked. "I just wanted to stop them. Once the gems escaped my full control though, it was too late to draw them back."

"You didn't do anything wrong," I assured her. "You saved us all, and hopefully the secret of supernaturals has remained intact. We'll find out soon enough."

The repercussions of whatever happened here were not Justice's to bear. She’d saved the fucking worlds and almost paid the ultimate sacrifice. She should be honored.

Shaking her head at me, her lips formed a smirk, but she didn’t say anything.

When we reached the barrier, I paused. "It's much stronger."

The power of myself and my brothers was still infused in it, along with Louis’, but there was another facet now. Justice reached out and ran a hand across the shimmering surface.

“Rubies," she said. “Their energy is in the shield.”

In a rush, she dove through it, leaving me cursing at her inability to not take massive risks. Following right behind her, she had thankfully not moved toward the rubies yet.

“There’s a new barrier,” Justice said, and I noticed it immediately. “Or the original one has been extended.”

The red shield extended over the far side of the ruby-covered humans.

"They're keeping this from being discovered," I noted, “by using the power of the gems.”

Justice shook her head. "It's ingenious, really. The gems are a limitless source of power, and will strengthen the securities here tenfold."

“Explains the ruby feel in the shield, but how the hell did they deal with the loss of the president and half his special forces?"

I mean, the American people were going to notice that. Surely.

"Well, that's a long and interesting story," a familiar voice said from behind us.

Justice spun and let out a happy cry, running to give Louis a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said,