“The better question is why you are here, Reynor,” he said, moving forward slowly and purposefully, “and why you have your hands on her.” His voice was a deep rumble, and something inside of me shifted against my rib cage as if trying to break out.

  “I already told her about us, about how she’s going to marry me,” my captor hissed, and disgust curled in my stomach.

  The king chuckled, a hard edge to his laughter. Still, when he finally reached us, I felt much safer as his gaze darted down to me once more. Flashes of images I didn’t understand played before my eyes, and at once I recognized the man….at least I thought I did. I couldn’t grasp onto anything substantial; just the strong feeling of recognition you got when you saw someone out of place.

  “I don’t care what claim you think you have on her,” he said softly, “you have one chance to let her go.”

  Reynor tightened his hold on me. “Over my dead body.”

  A snap sounded, and I let out a gasp of surprise as the hand over my mouth was literally broken, the king’s larger hand darting out and breaking the wrist of my captor. I could barely react before Reynor shoved me back with his other hand, snarling as he crouched into a defensive stance in front of me.

  “Move.”

  “Never,” Reynor countered, his form seeming to grow larger.

  A deep rattling noise, almost inhuman—scratch that, completely inhuman—left the king’s chest. Reynor’s body locked up, allowing the other man to move past him with ease. Chills rolled up my spine, and I slowly stepped backwards, tripping and landing on my ass. I scrambled to regain my footing, my fight-or-flight instinct overruling what my heart was telling me.

  It didn’t matter if this man was saving me—he was a lethal predator. Chancing a glance behind me, I started to turn⁠—

  “Don’t. Don’t run from me, çiçeğim.”

  The way his voice softened made me feel less threatened, but only moderately. And what was with the last word he’d said? Che-chay-him? What did that mean?

  “Who the hell are you?” I demanded. The king’s eyes shot down to my feet as that sound rolled through the space again. My toes curled, and I took another step back. Whatever power that sound seemed to have over Reynor clearly didn’t affect me.

  “I can explain everything once we leave.” He stopped, extending a hand. My own twitched, as if I was supposed to take it. “I don’t want to force you, but we have limited time.”

  “Leave here? The hotel?” Did he know how insane he sounded? “Why would I leave with you? I don’t know you.”

  “I know you don’t remember, but I need you to trust me—” Thunder cracked in the clear sky and the ground shook again, a deep rumbling sound emanating from the silver portal door. “Evera, we don’t have much time. Please.”

  The soft tone of his plea nearly convinced me to grab hold of his hand. I hesitated, those obsidian eyes capturing mine again⁠—

  Reynor appeared out of nowhere, a dagger slicing through the air at the king’s side. Before Reynor could slice again, the king was suddenly across the garden, seeming to have disappeared into thin air. The action broke the spell, and I felt dizzy from trying to track the fast movement.

  I paused to regain my bearings, reassessing my situation. I needed to get out of here, needed to escape what was becoming an increasingly dangerous situation.

  In my moment of hesitation, Reynor grabbed me by the arm, lodged a dagger right against my ribs, and began dragging me towards the portal.

  “Let go!” I hissed.

  Reynor chuckled, ignoring me, and called out to the king. “I’ll gut her if you try to take her from me. You know I will.”

  “You will regret this,” the man warned. Reynor scoffed, throwing me behind him so that I was stuck between him and the portal. His body shimmered with an emerald mist and his skin seemed to shift, his frame growing larger and larger…

  I rubbed my eyes, but I wasn’t imagining things—bright red fur sprouted on his arms, his clothes ripping at the seams.

  “Back up, Evera, as much as you can,” the king said, moving with lethal intent towards Reynor. My survival instincts had me looking around while they were distracted, desperately trying to find a way out of this.

  If I backed up much further I’d step through the portal, so instead I started edging to the side, careful to keep my distance from Reynor. But it became harder and harder to do, the space closing as Reynor retreated from the king, the liquid mercury of the door right within reach. If I could just⁠—

  The king suddenly surged forward with a roar, and Reynor’s monstrous frame slammed into me, pushing me right to the edge of the portal. I teetered for a second, refusing to grab onto Reynor for balance…

  And fell.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  EVERA

  Iopened my mouth to scream, falling at what felt like light speed, but nothing came out. An animalistic snarl vibrated the space around me, accompanied by a shadowy figure plunging in after me, the king and I leaving Reynor behind.

  Rough hands wrapped around my waist and I let my head fall back, the king’s dark eyes holding me captive. I couldn’t speak and didn’t have a chance to try as everything went blurry around me, a vision flooding forward, almost like a memory I didn’t realize I had.

  Heavy familiar footsteps followed behind me, and a smile tugged on my lips. My plan was working, though it was a risky one. I easily navigated the gardens, avoiding any pathways that would lead to a dead end. I held my skirt at my ankles, my bare feet carrying me nimbly across the manicured lawn. Exhilaration coursed through me, and I couldn’t help but smile at the energy reaching out to me from behind—he was getting closer.

  Slowing just a bit, I turned the corner into my favorite section of the garden and let out a small scream as a hard, muscular arm caught me around the waist. This time I didn’t sink into the sensation or relish in it; this time I took action, turning towards my would-be captor and bringing my hands up to his jaw in a soft and purposeful gesture.

  His gaze, which was predatory and lethal—his creature tracking my every expression—softened at the realization that I hadn’t been truly running from him. His hand tightened on me in an almost bruising way, possessive and protective, and I swallowed down the emotion that clogged my throat.

  Despite my original plan, I found myself hesitating in the wake of his dangerous gaze. But I shook those thoughts away, allowing my eyes to dip down to his lips. I wanted to be very obvious about what I so desperately wanted from him.

  “Evera.” His voice was rough and warm, causing my toes to curl.

  “Please?” I hated the idea of begging, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to…well, I wanted a lot of things with him.

  “You know we can’t.” He pressed his forehead against mine, and a frustrated sound left my throat as I gripped his shirt tighter. I didn’t want to believe that we couldn’t be together or that he didn’t feel this connection between us. I refused to believe it.

  He stepped away from me, his dark eyes filled with regret before his expression completely closed. “We need to get back. Your parents have called for you.”

  “Why?” I whispered, ignoring my parents’ summons. “Why can’t we⁠—”

  “I said no, çiçeğim.”

  I flinched at his tone, tears welling in my eyes. Fine. I brushed past him, promising myself that I wouldn’t do this anymore. I had given him a chance, and instead…well, it seemed he didn’t care what we both wanted.

  His throat produced a low rumble, and I felt even more betrayed knowing that his creature felt the same about me. That didn’t matter though.

  According to him, it couldn’t matter.

  Nothing I did would ever make him realize the truth. It was hopeless.

  When my eyes opened again, I could still feel the intense sadness and pain, the longing for the man in the dream—the man who was holding me. So I did know him. But that didn’t make sense. Never in my life had I been to that place with the gardens, and I’d never known my parents, so how could they have summoned me?

  Blinking, I focused on my savior, his expression conflicted—and then he was gone.

  Something cracked in my chest, and all at once a power pulsed through my center. I screamed as unbearable heat and pain expanded from within, pushing at my skin until every nerve ending was on fire and I thought I would burst. My ear drums nearly split as tears welled in my eyes, waves of agony, unexpected and unstoppable, tumbling over me again and again.

  My body slammed into the hard ground, my hands shooting out just in time to brace for impact, but barely.

  I groaned as I collapsed into the grass and dirt underneath me, my head pounding and body shaking as a wave of nausea rolled over me. I had no idea what was going on—where that weird silver portal-like door had taken me, or why I felt like I’d known that man.

  Especially since the man in the dream was different from the king in the pavilion. I mean, they were literally the same man, but also very different.

  The man in the vision wasn’t as intense, his darkness and lethality softened. The man in the pavilion had been truly dangerous whereas the other felt softer, more comforting, and familiar…and how had my brain even conjured that other man? Was I still drunk?

  Rolling onto my back, I kept my eyes closed and took stock of my body. Everything hurt from falling, but my brain felt sharp. I didn’t feel under the influence at all, but my skin still stung, that pulse of power having left a lasting impression on my nerves.

  Maybe I would open my eyes and find I was in my bedroom—that everything, from the portal to those men, had been a dream… Or maybe I would find myself face-planted on the floor of the casino or something embarrassing like that. That would make far more sense.

  Instead, as time ticked forward and nothing changed, I felt stunned and confused, the king’s dark eyes flashing across my memory again and again. Every time, the feeling of wanting to run into his arms and melt into his embrace slammed into me, like in the memory but so much more intense. There was a darker edge to the feeling now and it felt like the start of a fraying garment, the one disturbed thread begging me to pull—even if it was connected to a web of something dangerous and possibly disturbing.

  Shaking myself, I opened my eyes and sat up. I couldn’t lay here forever.

  The space around me spun, and I found myself looking around for Reynor or the king, each for completely different reasons. But no one greeted me. I was completely alone, and I was not where I’d been when I started the night—the casino garden was completely gone.

  I hadn’t had the opportunity to travel a lot outside of moving from foster home to foster home, but almost immediately I immediately knew I wasn’t anywhere close to Las Vegas…honestly, I wasn’t sure where I was. It wasn’t like anywhere I’d ever seen in pictures, instead appearing as something out of a fantasy realm.

  I found myself in a forest clearing in the dead of night, the two moons shining high above catching my full attention. They were beautiful, glinting like gemstones—one diamond, one a smoky quartz—in a midnight sky. The breeze rolling over me, while slightly chilled, had me feeling even more alert than before.

  Even the colors around me, from the grass to the night sky, seemed richer, more pigmented. The leaves were dark green, almost emerald, and I could feel eyes on me as if something was watching from the edge of the clearing. It didn’t make me feel nearly as uncomfortable as I would have assumed, though—it felt natural to the space. I inhaled and tasted the purity of the air, making me realize how long I’d been breathing in polluted air—far too long.

  Standing up, I brushed the dirt from my clothes and wrapped my cape tighter around me—suddenly very glad that I wasn’t in heels and had something that would provide a little bit of warmth. Rubbing the center of my chest, I felt an uncomfortable ache, and a weird energy rolled over my skin in response. It was like an electric field was causing the hair on my arm to stand upright.

  I pulled my hand away instantly, completely freaked out. Not going to do that again.

  “Where do I go now?” I asked out loud. My eyes darted around the space, finding a singular break in the trees. The portal, that odd silver door that had taken me here, was completely and utterly gone. As if it had never existed. Muttering to myself in confusion, I walked towards the break in the trees and was instantly shrouded by darkness as the trees closed around me.

  Yet…I found I could see. Not as well as in the light, but much more than I could normally see in the dark. I’d never had particularly good vision—I mean, I had a freaking pair of reading glasses at only twenty-two! That didn’t seem to be a problem now though…

  As if waiting, the minute I was covered by the tree’s shadows, the wildlife around me exploded back into action, noises filling the space in a comforting effect. I couldn’t tell you how long I walked, glad once again I’d decided to wear sneakers, but by the time I reached another separation in the foliage my limbs felt used and the muscles stretched. Not in a bad way, but like I’d done a workout.

  “Shit,” I murmured as I stepped through the thinning trees, my steps leading me to the edge of a cliff that overlooked a vast landscape lit by the dual moonlight.

  Looking behind me, I realized I stood on the slope of a mountain near the base, the tree-covered slopes of the rest of the range extending to either side. Below me a vast river surged through the valley, hugging near the warm lights of a town before disappearing between the peaks in the distance.

  The thing that really caught my eye, though, was a structure near the river that stood above the rest like a glowing beacon, the white stone reflecting the dual moonlight. Candles floated around it on the ground level, or at least I assumed they were candles by how they flickered. But then I realized I was seeing people—lots of them.

  The soft breeze carried the sounds of celebration and the scent of a bonfire. For a long moment I was mesmerized by the sight, my heart thumping loudly…and then I reminded myself that I was stuck on a cliff in a place I didn’t recognize and seemed a lot like another planet.

  Which would make sense since I fell through a freaking portal.

  I nearly groaned at how ridiculous that sounded, but at the same time, it felt right. Or maybe I’d been reading too many books lately. After all, if there was one thing I would find money for, it was books on my phone. Probably not the best use of my limited funds, but it was a small pleasure I afforded myself.

  Shaking my head and refusing to let my imagination get ahead of me just yet, I looked over the ledge to see where the nearest town was. A small breath of relief escaped me as I realized that the drop wasn’t as steep as I’d originally thought, and there was a grassy path littered with trees that slanted gently toward the village. I had no idea what I would face there, but it had to be better than just standing here.

  I pushed forward and began to make my way down the mountain. After about five minutes of carefully choosing my steps, I tripped over my own feet and hit my knee on a stone, the sharp edge feeling like it struck bone. “Shit,” I hissed, holding my knee and feeling blood soak through my sock.

  Refusing to look at it, I wiped the blood off of my hands on my black dress and continued forward, but the coppery scent was almost impossible to ignore. Ever since I was twelve, the sight of blood brought on a feeling of queasiness I’d never managed to get over.

  “You’re being ridiculous,” Rebecca hissed over my shoulder, rubbing her arms to stave off the cold. “We’ll wash it off and move on.”

  “I can’t even get it out,” I growled at my foster sister, tears streaming down my face. My arm was stuck in the metal fence of the school yard, the rusty metal cutting my exposed skin and causing blood to run down my hand. Why had I thought it was a good idea to reach through it?

  “We have to go inside.” She tugged on my waist as the school bell rang, and I cried out as the metal cut deeper into my skin. Instantly, she let go. “Fuck this—you’re on your own.”

  And I had been on my own. Completely.

  No one had noticed me missing in the classroom, not even my teacher. I’d been stuck there until a teacher found me after school, nearly frozen from the autumn wind. For hours, all I’d been able to focus on was the rusted metal and the blood that continued to drip slowly down my arm. They had called the fire department to cut away the metal, but the damage had been done. A scar permanently marked the incident on my left arm.

  After that, the sight of blood filled me with unease, but I’d done my best to learn to live with it since it was impossible to avoid. I would admit, though, that in the moment I did my best to not focus on it.

  When I finally reached the base of the mountain, the grassy path turned into a dirt road that led to a small town only about twenty yards away. I instantly felt more on edge as it came into view because it was yet another reminder that there was nothing familiar about where I was. Honestly, it reminded me of the Renaissance Faire I’d been to before.

  I walked through the streets on the outskirts of town, making my way to what appeared to be a central hub, hoping to find someone that could help me figure out where I’d landed myself. A market square glowed with hanging lights in the autumn night, highlighting the cobblestone roads. The square held small shops with handmade signs advertising their goods and services—thankfully in English—the paths between them made for pedestrians and not vehicles of any kind. In concentric circles leading out of the town square there were houses lining dirt roads, and as I neared I could see light shining through the windows, signaling that someone was home.

  There was one thing that stood out to me though as I looked around the square…it was completely empty. My gaze fell on one of the largest buildings in front of me, two stories tall. Lorie’s Inn. Music drifted from inside, and voices were audible underneath the harmony, making it clear a large group was gathered inside. A perfect place for finding aid. I didn’t love the idea of going door to door as it was, so this seemed like a better idea.

  Straightening myself up and summoning some bravery, I approached the stone building. The windows were plastered with posters for musical performances as well as advertisements for stouts and bottles of ale sold at the pub within, the warped glass underneath nearly completely covered.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23