Darkness chuckled. “Of course. I will get you some water.”

“Thank you,” I said, clearing my throat.

As Darkness stood, the imps started shifting, opening their eyes and slowly getting to their unsteady feet. Darkness’s eyes shifted around the room as if taking it in for the first time. He frowned as his gaze landed on the dead imp only several feet away.

“I’m sorry,” I said, sitting up. “I tried—”

“It is not your fault,” Darkness said before turning down the hall.

He was only gone for a few minutes before returning with a small glass of water. Darkness rubbed my back as I took a sip, and the imps worked to clean up the mess in Darkness’s living room.

After they finished, they circled around the dead imp and picked it up, each one of them having a hand on the body. Darkness muttered something in another language before they headed down the hall.

“What will they do?” I asked.

“Bury him,” Darkness said, kissing the top of my head. “He was loyal. And will be missed.”

“Is it possible he will be reborn?” I asked, meeting Darkness’s eyes.

He looked down and exhaled. “It is not.”

The front door popped open, and Storm, Nightmare, and Honor stalked inside one by one. Nightmare closed the door and walked over to the window, peering out into the front yard.

“Is it done?” Darkness asked.

“It is done,” Nightmare replied without turning.

Honor rubbed his hands together before sliding the chest into the middle of the room. “It’s time.”

“Um,” I said, biting my cheek. “Didn’t you swallow the key?”

“That’s right,” Honor said, pressing his hand to his chest. “I did.”

Honor inhaled quick breaths repeatedly, taking in the musty air that was still humid from the gremlin. His eyes watered as his hands clenched into fists, and his body trembled. With a guttural gagging, he doubled over, his face contorting as he wiggled his upper body. A violent cough rocked his body, and his throat convulsed as he fought to move the key upward.

With a noisy retch, Honor heaved, and the key emerged, flipping into the palm of his hand. He straightened himself, pushing his shoulders back as he cleared his throat.

“I’ll unlock it for you,” he said calmly.

He lowered himself to one knee and slid the key inside the lock. The hinges creaked in protest as he opened the lid and, with a breath, he turned it toward me.

“Go on,” he said, sweeping his hand in front of all the ornate boxes.

“How are things out there?” Storm asked as she stepped up behind Nightmare.

Nightmare crossed his arms, his voice laced with an undercurrent of tension. “Quiet, at least for the moment.”

Storm gave him a nod before turning back to watch me open the first smaller box. Inside was the necklace I’d taken from Noah’s house. Storm’s eyes lit up as she watched me drop the chain around my neck.

“Beautiful,” she mumbled.

In the next box, I found a ring with a gemstone in the center. My fingers trembled as I slid it down my middle finger, where it fit perfectly.

The third box held a pair of plain earrings carved with an intricate design. I felt like a child playing dress-up as I clipped them to my ears.

I opened the next box and pulled out a beautiful brooch with an onyx stone in the center. Storm, Honor, and Darkness stared in awe as I fastened it to the front of my shirt.

Next was a unique hair clip with sparkly bits of a crystal-like stone, and last, an arm cuff that elegantly encircled my arm. Slowly, I stood and held out my arms as my eyes flicked between Storm, Honor, and Darkness.

“Well,” Nightmare said, turning for a brief second.

Darkness took a step back as if something magical were about to happen. Storm’s eyelids fluttered, dancing with excitement.

“Nothing,” I said, sighing. “I’m sorry. It’s not like I didn’t try to tell you all that I wasn’t who you were looking for.”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Storm said, her brows knitting together in a perplexed frown. “She specifically said you were Balance reborn, right?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I twisted the ring around my finger. “I told you all I wasn’t anything special.”

“Not true. The medallion has bound to you. That means something, as it wouldn’t do that to just anyone,” Darkness said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We will go see The Oracle. Perhaps she can now provide further guidance.”

Honor clicked his tongue.

“What?” Darkness asked, raising a brow.

“She mustn’t go out like that,” Honor said, shaking his head.

Storm’s head bounced in agreement. “Darkness can escort her to The Oracle while we stay here and guard the house and artifacts in case those things come back.”

“Yes,” Darkness agreed.

I carefully removed everything, putting it back into the exact box I’d taken the item out of. After everything except for the medallion was put away, Honor locked the chest and slid it out of view.

“Be fast, brother,” Nightmare said, smacking his palm against Darkness’s back.

“Why? Will you worry about me?” Darkness asked, his brow wrinkling. “Like I did when I thought you were sick.”

“Will you ever let that go?” Nightmare asked.

Darkness shook his head. “It will take time.”

“So you’re saying it will happen?” Nightmare asked, grinning as he offered me a quick wink. “After all, if we hadn’t done that, we might not have ever opened Remy’s eyes to who she really is.”

I groaned. “You still believe all that nonsense, huh?”

“Most definitely,” Nightmare said, meeting my gaze. “You just simply need to learn what to do with the artifacts. If only Calista would have told you.”

“Maybe she doesn’t know either,” Storm said, wrapping her arms around her middle.