Elemental Compass (Supernatural Prison Book 7)

by Jaymin Eve

  Seemed some things were genetic, even those I’d thought were learned traits.

  "You're ready," my mother said.

  I surprised us both when I turned and hugged her. Gently, because I was rocking about a million dollars in rubies, and those bitches were like mini-weapons.

  "Thank you for everything," I said, feeling a little choked up. "I didn't expect to find my place like this. It's … so much more than I dreamed of."

  I was happy. It had crept up on me, but it was there. Whatever had been holding me down for years, pushing at my soul, dragging my energy into the depths of the Earth, was easing as I accepted the fey side of myself, and released some of my past.

  Memories assaulted me briefly, but I refused to let them win. Not today.

  Deloria must have recognized the look on my face, because she cleared her throat.

  "Thank you for telling us about your life on Earth. It breaks my heart that my baby was hurt and I couldn’t protect you, but you are so strong. You’re the worthiest fey I’ve met in a long time.” She got choked up. “You’re healing, I can feel it in your energy."

  My parents were uniquely connected to me, in a way that very few ever would be. Outside of my jeweled sisters and … Jacob.

  My Jacob. At some fucking point in my crazy journey I’d started thinking of him as mine.

  And I missed him.

  The ache for him wasn’t easing with time, it just grew worse.

  "I'll never forget my past," I told my mother honestly, "but I'm not letting it define me anymore. It was two bad years. Two out of the thousand I’ll live. Those men do not own my life anymore."

  The jewels on my head glowed and I didn't flinch. My power was mine to control now, and the fact that I would never have to be vulnerable again made me happier than I expected.

  Someone knocked on the door, reminding us it was time to go.

  Mom hugged me and we dried our tears before heading outside to where my father, uncle, aunt, two sets of cousins, and a bunch of other family waited for us.

  I was sort of in love with this new family of mine.

  "Justice!" Katerina gasped. A cousin who was the same age as me with long ass-length black hair and huge onyx eyes. "You look absolutely stunning. I can't—"

  She broke off, shaking her head.

  "The guys are going to be all over you today," Simi, another cousin added. She looked a lot like Kat, but was shorter and finer, and her hair had more caramel through it.

  They both hugged me, and Kat whispered in my ear: "Someone is getting lucky tonight."

  The thought should have been welcome. I was a normal red-blooded supernatural who had not gotten laid in a really fucking long time. And despite the sexual assault in my past, I'd never shied away from sex, just from commitment. I had trust issues and never did the long-term thing, but a one-night stand—well, it used to be my favorite.

  The thought of having casual sex now, though, actually turned my stomach.

  I couldn't stop thinking about Jacob; I needed to know what it meant. I needed to deal with that part of my life.

  Before I lost my brain. Or wore out my magic by turning my hands into the equivalent of a vibrator.

  Thank fuck for having a separate wing in the house to my parents. From what I’d learned and observed, supes didn’t have a lot of the same conservative hang-ups about sex like humans, but I was raised human, so I liked that to stay private.

  As a group, we left the house, a ruby beam already waiting for us in the front of the estate. It was huge, able to accommodate the twenty or so of us with ease. Stepping inside the warmth of the gem, I let it fill my energy, relishing the feel of its power mingling with mine. It felt like coming home, my center bursting with its light.

  I was beyond excited to be able to control the ruby beams, traveling along them especially. It was a level of bonding that only royals achieved in these lands, and it would be a telling factor if I was accepted.

  Maybe then I’d accept it myself.

  We stepped out on the other side of the transporter to find a red lake spanning out into the distance. I hadn’t been this far north of our city before, but I’d seen the long expanse of red when I’d climbed to the top of my parents’ house.

  There was no way to describe the feelings that rose up in me to finally be standing at its shoreline, a swift, almost biting breeze cutting into my bare skin, but the gems kept me warm.

  “It looks like ice,” I said, stepping closer. The surface was so shiny and reflective; if it wasn’t for the slight movement of the water, I would have thought it frozen.

  "The bed is lined in rubies, and swimming here has healing properties," my father explained, leading me closer, his arm threaded through mine. “It never gets cold enough to freeze though, even when the snows come. The gems keep it temperate.” He leaned his head down, bestowing the smile I’d grown to love. “You look absolutely beautiful, daughter.”

  Our relationship was not as close as mine with Mom, but we were still working on it. My natural distrust of men made it hard to completely allow him into my heart, but he'd proven himself more than once, and I had seen no signs that there was a monster hiding inside his affable persona.

  So I let him hug me, and I even returned it with a squeeze.

  "You are beautiful," he repeated, pulling away. "And more importantly, you’re strong and smart and capable and brave. There's nothing you cannot achieve, and I'm proud to call you my daughter."

  Well, fuck. I couldn't cry again ... my mother had painted my face in swirls of gold and red, and if I lost it now, it’d just be a pretty smear across my face.

  "Thank you," I murmured. "I've never had anyone be proud of me, and I thought I didn't need to hear it, but … I did."

  I was turning into a sappy sap.

  I’d always laughed at those Hallmark commercials depicting the perfect family—pure envy drove me to mock their relationships. I’d craved that life with desperation, until eventually disappointment forced me to harden my heart and stop dreaming.

  Maybe it was time to start again.

  "What happens now?" I asked as more ruby fey gathered behind us.

  Even though it was only the royal-blooded fey allowed to venture to the heart of the rubies, where we connected with our stones, the rest of the city was here to support me.

  “You will cross the water," Deloria said, moving closer so the three of us were a line facing the lake. "On the other side is your destiny."

  "Alone?" I asked.

  For some reason I'd assumed they would be there.

  "This is not a journey we can take with you," she replied, her voice practically vibrating with emotions. "But we are here, supporting, waiting, and loving you."

  We hadn't used the words love before. Not like that.

  Fuck. My chest.

  It hurt.

  "Thank you," I murmured. I'd never said "love" before to anyone, not even Grams, and my mouth froze, unable to speak it, while my chest ached from all the feelings in there.

  The ruby glow on the water increased, distracting me, and I sucked in a deep breath. Focus.

  I had to focus and get through this ceremony.

  "It's time," my father said, gently nudging me forward. "The light is about to hit the water—wait for the path."

  I nodded, having no godly idea what he was talking about, but hoping I wouldn't look like a fucking moron. A murmured chorus of “Princess” and “Good luck” echoed from the crowds, and even though I didn't look back, I felt a sense of happiness and pride.

  I'd never been important, and here I was. It was a nice, satisfying feeling.

  Another nudge from my father indicated that I needed to start moving. Stepping along the soft grass, it felt damp, especially as I closed in on the water. The ruby light grew in intensity but wasn't blinding. Instead, I felt like I was being bathed in warmth … in life. How had I lived without the rubies up until now?

  As my toes touched the water, I felt an urge to turn back. To look
at the crowd. To search for him.

  Jacob Compass.

  Crazy, because there was no way he could be here. He didn’t even know this was happening—we’d planned the damn event yesterday.

  Not to mention a month in Faerie was multiple months on Earth. He'd probably moved on with his life, thinking I was never coming back.

  My eyes burned, throat tight and painful as I swallowed. Again, I refused to let the tears fall and ruin my mother's hard work. This was what I’d been waiting for, my moment to bond to the gems, and I had to focus on that. Or I’d never make it through this ceremony.

  Before I could hurt myself thinking this hard, the light reached its peak intensity, and just as my father had advised, a path appeared, a path of light that glittered on top of what looked like solid water.

  I felt no hesitation as I stepped onto the “path,” each step smooth, as I continued across the sparkling light, until eventually the crowds grew quiet behind me and my head started to clear. The journey across the water took quite some time, and when I finally reached the land on the other side, my mind was as silent as my surroundings.

  I might have achieved maximum Zen or something, because this was the calmest my thoughts had ever been.

  Moving off the lake, I landed on a solid sheet of ruby that went as far as the eye could see. Throw in a few hills and crests for texture and you got the idea. "Y'all love your ruby here, don't you?" I asked out loud. It had been years since I'd fallen back onto my grams’ Southern accent, but it slipped out, and as it did, she appeared in front of me.

  "Grams," I choked out.

  "My littlest love," she replied, and I almost had a fucking heart attack. "You've finally made it here. To the place it began."

  I swallowed hard and there was no stopping the tears this time. "How...?"

  She took a step closer, and since she was kind of translucent I did not at all expect I’d feel her hug.

  But I did.

  "I'm always with you, and right now you need a spirit guide to take you on this journey. It's my pleasure to be that person for you one last time … if you'll have me?"

  Oh God. I sobbed and sobbed, before throwing myself at her again. "Yes. I'm so happy to see you again."

  She held me tightly like she used to. This woman gave the best hugs.

  "You have turned into a beautiful, strong young lady," she said as she pulled away. "Makes this old grams’ heart happy."

  "Damn," I sobbed. "I can't believe this. And now I've ruined my makeup."

  She chuckled, the deep belly chuckle that was so familiar it was hard to believe it had been near twenty years since I’d heard it. "Your makeup is perfect," she told me, and then holding my hand, led me forward. "Let's take the first step."

  Around us, rubies rose up into the air, cracking through the smooth surface. I jumped back, but Grams didn’t move, smiling as she watched the huge stone pillars form before us. Eventually we stood at the fey version of Stonehenge. There were six giant ruby rocks, each slightly different in shape and structure, and all of them towering over us. In the center was an elevated circular platform.

  "Let's start, shall we?" Grams said, leading me closer to the first stone. It was the smallest of the six, but still double my height and width.

  "What do I do?" I asked when we stood right before it.

  "Touch it," she whispered.

  Reaching out, I pressed the hand with the ring tattoo mark onto the middle. Why I used that hand, I had no idea, but maybe it was an instinct, because it started to glow, the marks shimmering much stronger than normal.

  To embrace the future, you must relive the past.

  The disembodied voice hit me at the same time as a mental screen reel of my life. I gasped at the first flash of an image, hands coming up to grip either side of my head. It was my birth, Deloria looking heartbroken as her child was whisked from her before she’d even had a chance to love her.

  My heart slammed against my chest, the pain on my mother’s face enough to send anyone to their knees. By instinct, I reached for her, but this wasn’t real life. It was a memory and there was nothing I could do to comfort her now.

  As that image faded, and I sucked in some air, trying to calm myself, the next memory slammed into me: Louis stealing us away, the rubies encasing my people, and the events that followed. It didn’t stop there; every moment of my life was relived, each one a different color, depending on the emotions they evoked in me. Happy memories were yellow, sad ones blue, and the ones that destroyed my soul were a dark gray, like the stormiest of clouds.

  "You must be strong enough to banish the darkness," Grams whispered, and her support gave me the strength to straighten my shoulders and ask, “How do I banish them?"

  "Face them," she said, and I felt a shove from behind, sending me plummeting down.

  A scream escaped as I tried to figure out how I was even falling. She'd pushed me into a stone, not off a cliff. When I slammed face first into a bed, a musty scent rose to my nose, choking me with the intensity. It wasn't just because the bed smelled like sweat and piss, but because it was familiar. It had been near fifteen years, but I remembered it like it was yesterday.

  The two years of my life that almost broke me. The two years of my life I’d been a prisoner. Shackled to a bed in such an awkward spread-leg position, it had taken me months to learn to walk properly again when I was released.

  The two years that stole my innocence and damn near my soul.

  The men who’d held me captive had raped me every day, and I knew it was only due to my supernatural genetics that I had survived. None of the other children they'd "adopted" had lived … information that had come out years after I was rescued. The men were never captured though, even with me helping the task force as best I could.

  Those bastards had powerful connections and were masters at hiding. Each time they stole a child, it was in a new location with new identities. It was my greatest regret and failure to not put a bullet in both of their brains.

  The scent wafted up stronger and I choked on it, feeling like I was being suffocated. Screams lodged in my throat; my lungs didn’t have enough air to expel my fear. Kicking didn’t help, it just cut at my ankles and wrists.

  Nothing helped. I was trapped.

  “Grams,” I whimpered, my voice sounding like a little girl. “Grammy, save me.”

  I’d cried for her a lot in those first days, but she’d been beyond a place to help me.

  As the darkness washed through me, part of my mind detached from reality.

  I felt like I was a child again. A prisoner. It was real.

  When a heavy hand slammed onto the center of my back, holding me harder into the disgusting mattress, the scream finally broke free.

  I’d screamed in the first few months of being raped. After that, I’d just gone to another place whenever they came near me. I survived by detaching. I survived by building hatred toward men.

  I survived by planning my escape, and one day I succeeded.

  Never again had I been a victim, and not because I grew strong but because I was cautious. I never allowed myself to get too close, preferring to stick with large group home situations. I’d spent years alone, without love, all so I was safe.

  I’d come too far to ever go back there again.

  “No more!” I bellowed, sweat and tears washing into my eyes as I found the strength to lift my head.

  No. More. I was no longer a child, and if they wanted to rape me this time, they would face a fully grown woman with her own strength and power. Ripping my hands and feet free, the resistance faded like it hadn’t been there to start with. Not real. I was separating the two realities in my head now, and … it was just a memory.

  Flipping over, I faced Mr. B.

  They called themselves Mr. A and Mr. B because not only were they disgusting fucking pedophiles, but they also lacked all creativity when it came to aliases. Mr. B was the shorter, stockier of the men, with piercing blue irises that haunted me in my nightmares
. He was also the one who loved my emerald eyes.

  He reached for me, as he had done every day, wanting to trace a hand along my spine. Nausea threatened to emerge from my mouth, but I forced it down, needing to deal with this once and for all.

  I’d waited years to fight these demons; this might be as close I’d ever get.

  "You're dead, motherfucker," I said, drawing on the strength of the gems.

  I struck out, my fist landing in his throat, and as he choked and disappeared, I rolled off the mattress, landing directly on Mr. A. He was even more depraved than Mr. B, with his crooked teeth and dull brown eyes.

  Neither men had a remarkable feature, except for their lack of soul.

  As he opened his mouth, I cracked him with my elbow, using the strength I possessed now to throw all my weight at him. I didn't stop there though. I punched him over and over, screaming, until eventually the rage inside of me started to ease.

  It took a long time. I had a lot of anger to release. But as I exorcised the demons of my past, the darkness clouding my vision got lighter and lighter, until eventually I was alone, surrounded by red stones.

  Even my grams was gone.

  I’d returned to rubyhenge.

  17

  Jacob Compass

  I hadn't seen Justice for months. I mean, I’d seen her, from a distance like a stalking fuck—Grace helped me sneak across a few times to check on her—but it wasn’t the same as talking with her every day as we’d done at the White House.

  Even if some of that talking had been snarky yelling from her and snarly brooding from me, it had been enough that we’d built a relationship.

  A small consolation was the few times I had managed to sneak into Faerie to see her, she’d looked bright and free. The first time she was using her magic, the next laughing with her parents, and the third was with her jeweled sisters. Everything she’d hoped to achieve with an extended visit here appeared to be working out.

  Truth be told, she’d asked me for this time to try and connect to her fey side, and I owed her my patience in waiting.