Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale 4)

In fact, he was still there.

“What just happened? You disappeared, and now you’re here again. Where’d you go?” Mina reached for Brody and he helped her up, although she immediately felt like falling again. “You’re burning up. Are you okay?”

Mina nodded. “It’ll pass. Just give me a second.” Odd. It seemed going into the past made her body cold, and shooting into the future made her core temperature a raging inferno. This couldn’t be good for her. And she’d blown it. She hadn’t saved anyone. Her family was still doomed.

It was all because of the stupid shoes. They were broken. They didn’t work. Not to mention she’d been sidetracked by Teague and his problems. Brody helped her back inside the country club and to a private sitting room. Once she sat down on the chair, her defeat set in, and she started to cry. She’d failed.

Brody wrapped his strong arms around her and let her cry on him. His hand rubbed her back as he tried to comfort her. When Mina had settled down, he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I went back in time. The shoes did it. I was supposed to help my ancestors and save myself and my family from disappearing.”

It took Brody all of one minute to let the news sink in. “And you knew the shoes did this? That they would take you back in time. When were you going to tell me?” That reaction was not what she expected.

“Soon. After tonight. I don’t know. I was just given them today, and no one told me when they would work—only that they needed to charge. Then—” she waved her hands in the air, “—poof I would go. But they sent me to the wrong time. I was nowhere near where I should have been. In fact I was on the wrong plane entirely.”

“Where’d you end up?”

“On the Fae plane. I was attacked by a griffin.”

Brody didn’t look pleased. “Take them off,” he demanded.

“I can’t. I need to be ready in case they work again. In fact, give me your phone. I have to call Mei.”

His lips thinned in frustration, but he let her have his cell phone. She quick dialed in Mei’s number.

Mei answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Mei, it’s me. It didn’t work. I didn’t fix anything,” she rushed out. “I doomed everyone.”

“Mina, Mina. Calm down, okay?” There was muffled whispering, and then she heard static. “You’re on speaker.” Mei’s voice sounded far away. “Constance is here.”

Mina put them on speaker phone too, so Brody could hear. “I ended up on the Fae plane. Not the human plane. The shoes are defective.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Constance said, “They’re not defective. How long were you gone?”

“I think only a few seconds,” Mina answered. Brody nodded his head in agreement.

“Then they took you exactly where you needed to be for the right amount of time. I’ve talked with Schumacher, and he explained that they can only hold you in time for a certain amount total before their powers are depleted for good. Look at the heel.”

Mina slid one shoe off and turned it over. Sure enough, within the heel was a small hourglass. The top half was filled with hundreds of tiny diamonds that looked like sand. Some had started to fall, but the top was still filled.

“Do you have time left?”

“Yes, there are still diamonds within the heel.” Mina swallowed and felt herself start to relax.

“Then you still have time. Trust the shoes; trust Schumacher. Just don’t lose them—don’t even take them off,” Constance said.

“You’ll do it, Mina. You will fix this.” Mei jumped in, trying to calm her down.

“What do I do now?” Mina asked. A knock came on the door. “Wait,” she whispered. Mr. Carmichael popped his head into the room and motioned for Brody. When he was out of earshot, she whispered softly. “I met Teague on the Fae plane, and he didn’t know who I was.” She turned the volume down slightly so Brody and his dad wouldn’t hear.

“Then keep it that way. Don’t let him figure out who you are. Lie. Mina, I’ve told you before what you need to do to break the curse. If you go back again, I think you must seize your moment,” Constance said.

“And do what?” she said louder than she meant to. Brody glanced over at her, his brows lifting in concern before he turned back to speak to his dad. It seemed like things were getting heated over there too.

“I’ll be right back. I’m just stepping into the hall,” Brody said. He stepped out and closed the door softly.