Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #4)

“That was scary,” she joked. “Someone should get the AC fixed.” She picked up her books and bolted for the door just as the bell rang.

Footsteps sounded behind her, but Mina didn’t slow her pace. A quick self-preserving glance revealed the red-headed Nix. He took two large steps and caught up to her.

“Don’t tell me that the dark prince visits you at school often.”

“I can’t tell him what to do. Or have you forgotten all the havoc he wreaked on the Fae plane?”

“No, I have not forgotten. Nor will I ever forget what he is capable of doing. But I wonder if you have.”

“I can handle him,” Mina said.

“No, I don’t think you can. Not on your own anyway.” Nix grabbed Mina’s shoulder and pulled her over by the water fountain. “You look at him and see Jared. You were in love with Jared, so you’re letting his looks fool you into thinking he is, in part, still the same person. He’s not. You don’t know what the prince was like before there ever was a Jared.”

“Do you? Does anyone really know someone?”

“I’ve grown up on the Fae plane. I’ve heard the stories of his destructive power. The other Nixies retold the stories frequently. What you did back there was suicide.” Nix flung his arm out toward the classroom they’d just left and almost clotheslined a poor unsuspecting student. “Sorry!” he yelled, grimacing. “Mina, what I’m trying to say is don’t throw your life away by challenging the most destructive being in the world.”

“I didn’t challenge him,” Mina whispered.

“Yes, you did. You were insubordinate, which only angers him more.”

“Of course I’m insubordinate. I don’t answer to him. He’s not my prince. He doesn’t rule my world.”

Nix swallowed and looked back toward the classroom as Nan exited. Her blonde hair was disheveled and she looked a little shaken, but she was now laughing at what had happened. Brody was searching the mass of students in the hallways. They could hear T.J. asking if anyone else’s air conditioning unit had tried to freeze the classroom into a fortress of solitude.

“Not yet, he doesn’t. Not yet,” Nix answered solemnly.

Chapter 3

Mina waited outside of the music room for Mrs. Colbert to exit. Mrs. Colbert—Constance, as she was known by the Fae—was in fact a Godmother. Or as they referred to themselves these days, GMs. Students filed out of the music class in groups of twos and threes. Mina waved as Melissa, Makaylee, and Julianne walked out, but the girls only smiled politely and waved in reply.

Mina heard Melissa ask her friend, “Who’s she?”

Makaylee shrugged. “Beats me.”

“No clue,” Julianne answered.

Mina inwardly groaned at how thorough the Story could be sometimes when resetting everyone’s memories. She knew she couldn’t keep letting the memory wipe happen to her friends. Not without permanent damage.

Even Nan had been acting strange lately. Ever since the last quest ended and Nix appeared. Some days she would be her normal and chipper self, but other days, mellow and withdrawn.

When no more students exited the classroom, Mina rushed inside to Constance. “He was here! Teague showed up here at school.”

The Godmother’s face filled with panic, and she rushed toward the door as if to stop the prince by herself.

“He’s gone.” Mina called after her teacher. Constance slowed, smoothed her gray pencil skirt, and adjusted the teal wingtip glasses on her small nose.

“I wonder what his intentions are. Why did he show up today, reveal himself to you, and not do any harm?” Constance ran her hands through her wavy hair. The spiky style she used to wear looked like a Pixie cut, but this made her softer somehow. Her eyes kept flicking to the window and back to the door, checking all of the exits, despite Mina’s assurance that he was no longer here.

“He showed up to annoy me, to threaten me, to demand that I give him some dagger or he’ll destroy my friends.”

“A dagger?” She paused, looking pensive for a moment before shaking her head. “And he just left without it?”

She shrugged her. “Yeah, he just left.”

“He’s stronger than he’s been in a hundred years. Mina, you have to be careful. He’s vengeful and he’s dangerous. He could have destroyed the whole school with everyone in it.”

Mina’s heart was thundering and her mouth went dry. “Then why didn’t he?” Now Mina was the one checking all the exits and watching the windows. All she saw was a steady rain.

“I don’t know. But remember what I told you about this being your chance to end the curse on your family. He’s only going to continue to grow stronger with time. He’s waiting for something. I just don’t know what.”

“Do you know what Teague was referring to? The dagger? And why does he think I have it?” Mina came in and sat on one of the vacated music chairs. “I need help. I’m defenseless against the curse.”

Constance looked her over and smiled, shaking her head slowly in disagreement. “Who’s to say you don’t have it? After all you live in a very mysterious house.”

“Do you know something I don’t?” Mina snapped.

“Well…” Constance pursed her lips. She raised one eyebrow on her otherwise calm face. “Defenseless? With each quest you complete, not only does the Story—excuse me, Teague—grow stronger, but so do you, dear child. It happens to all the chosen Grimms eventually. You can’t be involved with so much Fae magic and not have some of it rub off you. You must have seen some signs by now, Mina,” Mrs. Colbert coaxed.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Mina lied uncomfortably, not willing to share that the flares of power had been coming and going around her. They scared her.

And why was she only just finding out about her house having artifacts inside it?

Constance closed the lid over the piano keys with a click. She ran her hand over the wooden cover softly and gave Mina a small chiding smile.

Suddenly, Mina felt overwhelmed. There was simply too much mystery—and too much out of her control. “I don’t know what to do. I feel alone, and I need help.” She rubbed her palms on her legs in an attempt to keep her focus.

“You have help. You have us.” Mrs. Colbert answered adamantly.

“I want my friends.”

“Well, that’s—”

“No,” Mina interrupted. “No more messing with their minds. I want Nan and Brody to be protected from the resets.”

“Mina, I don’t think that is possible.”

“Yes, it is. When the fairy-tale quest is over, and everything goes back to normal, all of the Fae retain their memories, and I do. Why not my friends?”

“Well, you’re a Grimm. Your protection is in your blood. Same with Charlie.”

“What about our mom?”

“She’s only Grimm by marriage. She’s been allowed to retain her memories so she can protect you.”

“How?”

“Well, we help with tokens and such.”

“The charm bracelet that she always wears. This morning I saw that you’ve added another charm.”