Of course, a desert god had to go and pop my blissful bubble. “What are we going to do about Dannie?” Reece asked, crossing his arms to showcase how huge his biceps were. He was dressed in his usual tan-and-brown fatigues, suitable for war if the occasion occurred. His dark hair was closely shaved to his head, with even less length than Shadow’s, and if it weren’t for the deep blue of his eyes, he’d basically be Shadow’s twin. In my opinion, those two were the closest of the six, even if all of them were close to Shadow in different ways.

“We have to kill her,” Lucien said, his voice rougher than I’d ever heard. I wasn’t sure if it was this situation or Simone who had this effect on him, but he was clearly bothered. “No one can be that powerful and remain unchecked. The balance she’s so desperate to keep… well, she’s the one throwing it off.”

Len nodded, also uncharacteristically somber. The silver-fae had not taken the loss of the sunburst stone well, especially since his prediction of it falling into the wrong hands had come to fruition. “In her quest to continue to bring balance,” he said softly, “she’ll only bring destruction. My family’s stone is not inherently evil, as some stones tend to be, but it was filled with a millennium of power. Too much for any to handle. There’s no telling how that has changed them both.”

“Wait,” I said quickly. “How are you not all still affected by Dannie’s memory spell?”

I’d only just clued into the fact that they’d all been in the realm when we’d been spelled, and therefore, should not be here now.

We were all under her influence. I wasn’t the only one who jumped when Galleli spoke in our minds. But Shadow freed us from this burden when he restored the pathways.

I stared at Galleli of the Honor Meadow, and he looked exactly as I’d seen him the first time. Huge gold wings tucked behind his back, simple black pants, and no shirt. The only difference was his hair. It used to be longer, hanging down his back in intricate braids. Today, it was shaggy across his forehead, with only a little length on the sides and top. It made him look younger and maybe a little less intimidating. Had they all coordinated new haircuts or was this an extra from Dannie, when she’d been messing with our minds?

It was kind of cute.

“Wait, if everyone’s memories have been restored,” I said with a new thought, “then where are Angel and Midnight?” I reached through the bond for them both, getting a flutter and static electricity in return.