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this shoe. I pressed at the sides and yanked on the heel, but
nothing gave. The heel was usually where spies kept things. My
nails crawled at the edge of the heel padding inside. It lifted up
like it had done it many times.
    I glanced over my shoulder at the man on the bed.
Confirming he was asleep, I continued with my task. My heart
accelerated, sensing I was going to find something under the
insole. The liner peeled away.
    “Oh hell.”
    Inside the cavern of the heel, I found a smooth
stone, the size of a toddler’s fist. It appeared unassuming, like
an ordinary rock you’d collect on a beach in the northwest.
    I knew better. The night Ryker told me about it came
flooding back.
    “ Have you ever heard of the Stone of Destiny? In
fae mythology there are four magical artifacts: a sword,
spear, cauldron, and the stone. Lia Fáil, Stone of Destiny. Most think they are merely legends because no one has seen any
of these objects for centuries. Legends stem from truth. These
items are so powerful, they can destroy the world if put in the
wrong hands.”
    The Stone of Destiny. This was the most powerful
chunk of rock in the Otherworld.
    And the fucker had it with him the whole time.
    Ryker stirred, hitching up one of his legs. My focus
was glued to him with painful anxiety until I saw his breath even
out in a measured cadence. I exhaled and turned back to the boot.
Tipping it, the stone rolled out into my palm.
    The moment it touched my skin, energy slammed into
me, throwing me back onto the wooden floor. Images of fae kings and
gods winning every battle and ruling vast lands passed through my
mind. Then the stone was lost and found its way into the human
world. Here men and women came into contact with it, changing their
destinies by receiving their every whim and desire. Happiness,
success, dreams were granted. Generations and generations of the
stone’s life passed through my head like flashes of light. The
power of the stone pulsed and throbbed in my hand, telling me it
could give me everything I’d ever wanted. The potential appeared
unfathomable.
    “Like what?” a curious voice asked. It was my voice,
from deep inside. In my vision I saw myself freeing all the test
subjects in DMG before it blew up. Behind me cops were arresting
Dr. Rapava.
    “You can stop it, Zoey. Honor Daniel’s dying wish,” the stone spoke, deep and smooth, every word soaked with
ancient knowledge. “I can take all your pain away. No one will ever
be able to hurt you again. I can help you show them the errors of
their ways.”
    Another image flashed in my head: The feel of a cold
steel weapon weighing heavy in my hand. On his knees before me was
the man who raped me. His face contorted in terror as tears spilled
down his face. “Please, no,” he cried. Vehemence, rage, and disgust
shook my body seeing his face, those hands and lips that had
touched my skin many nights. But this time I was in control. He was
at my mercy now. I had shot him before, but only in the leg. This
time it was straight in the heart.
    “I am sorry. Please forgive me,” he begged, holding
his arms by his ears in surrender.
    “Fuck you.” My finger pulled back and the gun
boomed.
    The moment the bullet left the weapon, the scene
around me vanished. The man who had hurt me for so long evaporated
into nothing.
    “We can help others. Together.” A picture of me
opening the doors to a research hospital for kids born with
disabilities. A different flash showed orphaned kids running to me
at a center where they could find safety, acceptance, and love.
    “And you will never experience hunger or loneliness
again.”
    More visions of me, wealthy, in my backyard, with a
large pool and patio. Me, draped in a long black silky
off-the-shoulder wrap, with huge Armani sunglasses. A group of
friends surrounding me at a table, food and cocktails lavishly
adorning the tabletop in fancy china bowls. Kids running all over
in the background, splashing in the pool—mine. Ones