Carve My Pumpkin (The Night Realm: Halloween Marked #3)

Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

MATEO

It’d been three days since I’d gotten the image of my soulmate’s face. I finally knew what she looked like. I had a face to go with the mark on my arm. I thought for sure that would’ve made the search so much easier. It was no longer a needle in a haystack. This was a shovel in a haystack. I knew her face.

And yet . . . nothing.

It was like she was a ghost. Like she didn’t exist.

I was losing my mind.

Colette was only making it infinitely worse, and not to any fault of her own. Once I stopped acting like an ass to her on Friday we’d actually bonded really quickly. I discovered how well we got along, how much fun we could have together, and just how entertaining her sense of humor was. Every day I found a new reason to fall for her and preventing that from happening was harder than this hunt for my soulmate. If I hadn’t seen the mark on my arm every day since I woke from my coma I would’ve denied it was real.

At this point, If I were smart, I would’ve stopped spending time with her. One way or another I would’ve started distancing myself to save both of us the pain. But I was addicted. The only two things I thought about lately were her and my green haired soulmate. And when I thought about one it inevitably made me think about the other. Perhaps this was what hell felt like. Maybe I was in training. All my years of not giving any girl my heart to protect myself from heartbreak when the inevitable soulmate appeared . . . and I’d waited until now to go ahead and let someone in.

I sighed and stared at the picture Colette had snapped from Peggy’s spell. It just made no sense. People with unique and uncommon hair colors stood out yet there was somehow a girl with dark green hair who was on the Island long enough to come in physical contact with me then she vanished. Perhaps Colette was right, perhaps she was a jinn like Torren and Indi and could make herself invisible at will and that was why we hadn’t seen her in the looking glass spell. Or maybe she’d been wearing a wig. That was a possibility.

I looked up and screamed, throwing myself backwards so hard my chair crashed to the ground. My head smacked against the hardwood floor at the same time my feet flew up toward the ceiling. I cursed and grunted but physics kept ahold of me. My legs flipped over my head and I landed on all fours on the my office floor. I craned my neck back to look up.

Constantine was still sitting in the chair directly in front of my desk.

I cursed and hung my head. “Dammit, Connie. You can’t just do that to people.”

“Do what, little brother? Knock on their office door, walk in and sit down in the chair right in front of them, and then wait patiently for whatever existential crisis to lighten up long enough for them to sense my presence?”

“Yes, that, ” I shouted.

“You do remember you’re a vampire, right? A powerful realm royal vampire? You should’ve sensed me the moment I walked in the front door.” He sighed. “I worry about you, little brother.”

I groaned and dropped onto my ass then looked over to my eldest sibling. He sat in that wooden chair like it was a damned throne with his all-black outfit and hair so shiny he’d probably just washed it this morning. I’d never seen him look even a sliver of the disaster I felt inside. He was clean and polished always. There was no emotion on his face as he watched me like I was a bug under a microscope. I wondered what it was like for him to watch us be total disasters knowing he was two thousand years older than us. Those sapphire blue eyes that were identical to my own just observed silently.

“How long were you sitting there?”

He held his wrist out to show me the time on the stopwatch that he’d apparently started when he sat down. It said just over five minutes. “Impressive, actually.”

I cursed and threw myself onto the floor like I was making snow angels in the papers that I’d accidentally thrown onto the floor when I jumped. “You could’ve have gotten my attention.”

“I could have but I’ve learned much more in not.” He nodded to the picture of my soulmate that I’d dropped on the floor. “Is that her?”

“Yes.” I sat up, grabbed it off the floor, then threw it at him like a frisbee that he caught effortlessly. “Have you seen her?”

He shook his head. “I have not laid eyes upon this face.”

“A simple no suffices, Connie.” I grunted as I pushed myself back up and put my chair back into place. Then I sat down across from him again and held my hand out. “Gimme.”

He gently handed her picture back to me. “So Peggy’s spell worked. You know she’s a fae, do you know anything else?”

“Just her hair color?” I looked at her face in the picture. “We’ve hit a bit of a dead end.”

“What did the looking glass spell tell you? Did you see her?”

“Not once. Not a single person with green hair.” I hung my head back and stared at the ceiling. I saw a lot of other random women on my way into the parade - including Colette and Torren.”

Constantine was quiet for a moment then he just nodded and got to his feet. “You need to find Bash.”

“We’ve been trying since Saturday but?—”

“Zuriel, I know.” He tapped his fingertips on the desk loudly. “He’s at Mage Night. Go there now and you’ll find him.”

I sat up straight. “Really? He’s there?”

He arched one eyebrow pointedly then shook his head and spun away from me. “Don’t linger, Mateo.”

And then he was gone.

Excitement rushed through me like electricity. Bash was back and at Mage Night, if I acted fast enough I could find him. If Constantine was confident enough to drag himself all the way over here to tell me this instead of just calling or texting, then Bash must somehow hold the answer I’m looking for one way or another.

I picked up my phone and sent a message to Colette. ‘ So I’ve got a lead on Bash.’

Those three bubbles popped up immediately. ‘ Is the source trusted?’

‘Constantine himself told me. In person just now.’

‘OH. Dude you should’ve led with that.’ She sent a winking emoji. ‘ Now tell me, where is Bash?’

‘Apparently he’s at Mage Night.’ I looked at the time. ‘ It’s still early, the actual race won’t start for an hour so if we hurry over there we can snag him before it’s playtime.’

‘Do you think Bash will join the race?’

‘ Without a sliver of a doubt. I think he’s hellbent on having nothing but fun every day for the rest of his eternal life now that the beast is gone.’

‘Ya know . . . fair.’

‘ So what do you say, care to join me to hunt down Bash?’

‘Only if you join me in the broom race.’

I grinned. ‘ Deal. Meet you there in ten minutes?’

‘Psh. First one there gets a ten second head start in the broom race.’

I gasped. ‘ Did you just challenge a vampire to a race?’

‘I’m driving with Focus turned on. I’ll see your message when I get where I’m going.’

“Oh, you little shit.” I chuckled and grabbed my soulmate’s picture then raced out my office door.

Vampire speed and strength meant I didn’t need a car to get there so I was feeling pretty confident in my upcoming head start in the broom race. Until I spotted Colette’s car in the parking lot. I stopped in front of it, looking to see if she was inside when my phone vibrated in my hand. I looked down and cursed. It was a picture of me standing in front of her car . . . from behind me. I turned and spotted her standing next to Ria and Carter.

I sprinted over to them. “You little shit. You cheated.”

“No, I mislead by leaving out pertinent information that allowed me to set myself up for victory.” She grinned and pointed to her ears. “I’m not a complete fae failure.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Devious. Nice. So you get your head start but did you see Bash?”

Ria snort laughed and looked up from the tablet her and Carter were working on. “He took one of the brooms into the trees over there to test it out.”

I frowned. “To test out the flying broom?”

“That tracks. Thanks, Ria.” Colette waved for me to follow her towards the trees where apparently Bash was hiding. I must’ve made a face because she chuckled. “Bash is the fae prince of Third Realm. His mother was the first fae ever. There’s some pride involved with flying.”

“But you’re not allowed to use your wings in this— oh. Yeah, I heard it. ”

She giggled. “It’s pretty common for fae to struggle in this event because our wings get us disqualified. Not mine, naturally.”

“So is this event a looked forward to one for you or a sour subject?”

She pursed her lips as we stepped within the tree line. “Usually a sour one, people tend to make a big deal about it because my wings don’t work. Makes me uncomfortable.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Colette. We don’t have to stick around?—”

“No, I think . . . I think maybe if I’m here with you no one will say anything to me.” She blushed and looked up at me with a shy smile. “Maybe.”

“Then we’ll be sure to line up behind everyone so no one sees that you’re even in the race.”

“You don’t care about trying to win?”

I smiled back at her. “I’d rather see you up there flying for a change.”

“ No, no, no!” Bash yelled.

We froze mid-step and stared at each other.

“Bad wings. BAD!”

We laughed then hurried toward the sound of his voice deeper into the forest. When we found him, nothing could have prepared me for what we saw. The moon shined through the trees to a small clearing, lighting everything a bright pale blue color. In the middle of this clearing was Bash…hanging from his broom high enough in the air that his feet didn’t touch the ground. His big wings were a beautiful sight to see in the moonlight even as they flapped and tried to peel him off the broom.

Bash yanked the broom down and swung his legs up to straddle the broom. It was the most graceful climb onto a broom I’d ever seen. But the moment he was upright and sitting on it, his big wings flapped and lifted him off of it. His fingers strained as he white knuckle gripped the broom.

“ Dammit. Just let me play!” He yelled at his own wings. “ The broom isn’t going to hurt you. ”

I watched him struggle and fight for about another minute before I strolled over and stood beneath him. “My man, this just ain’t your race. Tap out.”

Bash groaned and landed gracefully on his feet in front of me. He handed me the broom. “My wings are performing a mutiny.”

I frowned. “I’m not sure that’s how you say that, but okay.”

He huffed. Those moonstone eyes glared at the broom in my hands. “It’s just a stick.”

Colette snort laughed. “Why don’t you ask Carter or Peggy to bind your wings so you can play?”

Bash’s eyes widened. “Oh. I thought we weren’t allowed to use magic?”

“I’ve never heard them say you can’t get creative in binding your wings so they don’t work against you. At least not explicitly stated.”

Bash’s eyebrows rose. “I love your devious fae brain, Colette. It never lets me down.”

“It sure doesn’t.”

Bash grabbed the broom back from me and held it up to his face. “It’s on like Donkey Kong, stick.”

I snort laughed so hard it burned my sinuses.

Colette threw her head back and cackled. She clapped her hands. “Oh my God. Yep. You’re definitely a Bow now.”

Bash grinned. “I used that one right. I know it.”

I shook my head. “You really do belong with that family.”

“Thank you, Mateo.” His cheeks flushed a pale pink. “But you two came looking for me in the woods so I’m assuming there’s a reason. Hit me with it before this race starts and I have to be rude and bail on you.”

“Remember the spell your mother was doing on Saturday? Before Zuriel stole you?”

He gasped and snapped his fingers. “I forgot about that - wait, that’s right. Your soulmate. Shit, I’ve been a little distracted by Zuriel. And Riven. They’re fun but we’re focusing.”

I chuckled and pulled the picture out of my pocket. “We have her face. We know what she looks like except no one on the Island seems to have ever seen her before.”

He frowned. “Let me see?”

I handed the photo to him. “We know she’s fae by the ears.”

Bash arched one eyebrow and nodded. “So you’re telling me that those vampire eyes can see this picture in the dark like this?”

My jaw dropped. “Oh. Yeah?”

Bash shook his head and handed it back to me. “Colette, I know you’ve got the picture on your phone or tablet.”

She grinned and held her phone out to him. “I wasn’t sure with your magic if you’d be able to see it out here.”

“Meh, probably more than you cou—” His face fell. Those pale blue eyes widened. All the laughter and joking in his face vanished the moment he saw my soulmate’s face. He tossed the broom at me then used his fingers to zoom in. His pale eyebrows sank low over his eyes. “I see.”

“What? What do you see? What’s wrong? You look pissed?—”

“No, he’s worried. Concerned.” Colette moved to my side. “Bash, talk to us?”

“Yeah, do you know her?”

Bash sighed and let out a nasty curse. “No, I don’t know her. I’ve never seen her before . . . and I know why.”

“Why?” Colette and I asked at the same time.

“Because she looks exactly like my father. Or, like the man I thought was my father. The resemblance is uncanny. It’s like if someone used those filters on those funny apps where you can see what you’d look like as the opposite gender?” He tapped on the screen. “ That is the female version of King Bregan.”

Colette gasped.

My jaw dropped. “I don’t . . . I don’t understand.”

“Mateo, your soulmate is the daughter of King Bregan - may he rest in misery and turmoil.” He handed Colette’s phone back to her. “No one has seen her on this Island for a reason. I don’t know how old she is or how long she’s been in this realm, but she would’ve had to hide from my mother. Tephine would’ve ripped her bones from her flesh and made the girl’s mother watch just to punish her for touching what belonged to my mother. Even though she despised Bregan.”

I cursed violently.

Colette wrapped her arms around her waist. “So she’s been hiding here.”

Bash nodded. “Mother was a monster but a smart one. We’d only just killed her a couple weeks before your mark appeared. There’s a good chance she had disguised herself and hid indoors somewhere to not be found. Her survival means my mother never knew she existed, that’s the only reason she survived. Trust me, I’ve seen eighty years worth of my father’s bastard children be - well, yeah.”

My stomach rolled. “You think . . . could she be . . . I mean?—”

“No, she has to be alive. Or had to be that parade day last year. The rules still apply.”

I stared at my printed out picture of her and my emotions were warring inside of me. This news changed everything I’d been thinking about her. “What . . . what do I do now? How can I find her?”

“Well, she’s either deep in hiding on the Island because she’s terrified mother isn’t really dead - and a lot of us worried about that for months. Or, she took herself back to Third Realm. As Bregan’s daughter she is a realm royal and can use the portal into Third at her leisure.” Bash grimaced. “Honestly, Mateo? My suggestion is to let me take you into Third Realm so we can look for her there.”

“Me? Go into Third Realm?”

He nodded. “It’s safe now, I promise.”

“I trust you, it’s just . . .” I exhaled. “That’s not something I ever mentally prepared myself for.”

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you’re an expert traveler.” He grinned. “What do you say?”

My heart was pounding in my chest so hard my hands shook. The answer was an obvious yes, I would do anything to find my soulmate. Especially if she was in distress and still hiding in fear of attack. But instead of saying that to him, I found myself looking over to Colette who hadn’t said anything in a bit. “Will you come with me?”

Her eyes widened and I saw the moonlight glistening off the dampness in her eyes. Her smile wobbled but she nodded. “Yes, if that’s okay with Bash?”

We both looked to the ruler of that realm. He grinned down at Colette. “I think you’re going to love Third Realm.”

My pulse fluttered. “Okay. So we go. All three of us. When?”

“Tomorrow.” Bash nodded then grabbed that broom out of my hands again. “Now if you’ll excuse me, my mother needs to hog tie these wings so I can play.”