“You did it,” she exclaims.
I grin at Sailor and we stand up and move off the trapdoor. I pull on the iron ring again, and this time, the trapdoor opens effortlessly. Sailor reaches in and pulls out a bright blue gem shaped like a teardrop. The first Soul Gem. It’s glowing so brightly it lights up the entire chamber in an eerie blue glow.
Nexus looks at us with a proud smile as Sailor jumps to her feet cheering.
“I’ll get the others,” Nexus says.
I have barely closed the trapdoor when Sailor jumps into my arms. Her arms are around my shoulders, her legs around my waist.
“We did it,” she squeals.
Before I can stop her, her lips are on mine. I tell myself I can’t let this happen, but the second I taste Sailor’s lips, I am powerless to stop it. I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her. A loud cough reminds us of where we are and Sailor jumps down and we both look at the ground sheepishly as Nexus comes back in with the others.
“Let’s see it then,” Jinx says.
Sailor hurries over to the team when they ooh and aah over the stone. Grace is the first one to step away from the huddle. She opens up a portal and as I go toward it, Nexus puts her hand on my arm, holding me back for a second.
“I’m sorry about the kiss,” I say, sure that she’s going to remind me about the consequences. “It just kind of happened, and…”
Nexus holds up her hand.
“Rye, I don’t care about your stupid teen crush right now. You and Sailor need to be careful. Not just of the horsemen, but of the Boundless too. A hair from the Paradox mixed with your blood will open the door to any of the Soul Gems.”
“Why my blood?” I ask.
Before Nexus can answer Sailor lets out a bloodcurdling scream. The gem is glowing in her hand, which is clenched so tightly around it she is holding her wrist in her other hand. She is begging me to take it away.
I reach for the gem but some kind of barrier stops me, and Sailor is lifted in the air as the light encapsulates her. She screams for my help but I can’t get to her. Before I can even begin to process what has happened, Sailor is lowered right in front of me. She looks weak, so I pull her body close to mine and step through the portal.
“I’m sorry, Rye. I lost it,” she says in a weak voice, showing me her empty hands.
Once back at the cabin I lay Sailor on the nearest couch and demand to know what the hell just happened.
“Nexus, what the fuck was that? All that to come out empty-handed.”
“Rye, you aren’t empty-handed, lift the Paradox’s shirt.”
We all turn to Sailor, who lifts her shirt to show the tattoo. On the end of one of the branches sits a green leaf with a bright blue teardrop. On the branch right above it, the crow looks like it is taking flight.
“You got the dagger, and the horseman is now aware, preparing for battle. You got the Soul Gem, and what better way to keep them safe than with the one person you have set out to protect. Your mother was a clever woman.”
“You started to tell me we need my blood and one of the Paradox’s hairs to unlock the gems. Why?”
“Because it’s part of the protection your parents put on the gems to make sure no one else can gain access to them. Rye, if you die, the gems will be lost forever,” Nexus says as she steps toward the open portal.
“Thanks for the tip,” a voice says from behind us.
It’s a woman’s voice. I turn, but I’m too late. The portal is closing. It has to be someone with access to the school though. They must have used the tunnels Nexus fixed. What if Sailor is right? What if it’s Ms. Price?
There was a spy in those caves, who thanks to the open portal now has vital information about not only our mission but us as a team.
The thought is cut off before I can voice it when there’s a loud knock on the cabin door. We all look at each other and frown. The knock comes again.
“Sailor? Sailor, I know you’re in there. Open this door right now.”
“Dad?” Sailor says.
She jumps off the couch and heads for the door to the cabin and I follow her. It does sound like Adam, but it could be a trap, a demon mimicking his voice to lure Sailor out into the open. She pulls the door open. Adam and Raven stand there. Okay, so that rules her out of being the voice in the chamber then.
“Sailor, where the hell have you been? Your cell phone is turned off yet again after I’ve repeatedly told you to leave it on.”
“Relax, Dad. It’s barely even five o’clock,” Sailor says.
Adam frowns.
“Don’t you dare tell me to relax, Sailor. I’m getting fed up with you disappearing like this. I’m starting to think that you need some time away from these friends of yours,” he shouts.
“Are you joking, Dad? You’re the one who’s never around. Honestly, I’m surprised you even noticed I wasn’t home,” she snaps.
“Don’t you take that tone with me, young lady,” Adam cautions her. “Or you’ll find yourself grounded.”
Sailor snorts out a humorless laugh.
“Oh that’s a good one. Now you want to be a real parent? Is it just to impress your girlfriend?”
“Look, Raven and I think—” Adam starts.
“What the hell
