“Stop!”
A male voice rang out loudly behind us. We were about halfway along the path which led to the smaller right-side castle. The large outer stone fence blocked us from seeing whomever was the owner of the voice, but we didn’t step forward. Better to leave enough space to clearly see what we were up against.
My dragon and wolf roared to their feet, on alert but patiently waiting for my command. I liked knowing that I could shift into either of them, and even though you would assume dragon would be the choice every time, there were some things a dragon just couldn’t do, despite Braxton’s cocky confidence in his abilities. When stealth and sneaking through small spaces was required, my wolf was the perfect choice.
The moments passed slowly as we waited for the figure to appear. Probably no longer than a minute, but it felt like an hour as the tension ate away at our group. I sensed that the boys were about eight seconds from saying screw it and charging down the path, when a shadow crossed over the doorway and a figure stepped through.
“Seriously,” I said, breathing out in a great huff. “That was a real shithead move.”
I started running back along the path. Louis held out his arms for a hug, but at the last moment I sidestepped and punched him square in the shoulder.
“You’re an asshole. Why the hell didn’t you say it was you? You should know better than to just shout and scare the shit out of me.”
He laughed. “Aw, Jess, always so happy to see me.”
I was actually really happy to see him, but he still deserved that punch. Stepping back to his side, I did give him the hug he’d been waiting for, and by that time the Compasses had joined us.
“I couldn’t see you, but your pack’s energy was close and strong. I wanted to stop you before you made it any further. This is not a world you should step through lightly.”
Braxton gave the sorcerer a passive glare, like he wanted to ream him one but knew that we needed his intel right now. “You should probably tell us everything you know about this place,” he said. “How did you get down here? And can we get out the same way?”
Louis glanced around, taking in the scenery. “I fell the same as you all did, ending up in the Sea of Tranquility.”
The Sea of Tranquility? What the eff?
“It’s the waters of the gods. They’re protective and restorative. They judge all who enter, and if you’re not of worthy intentions, you’ll never make it out alive.”
“Don’t forget about the Loch Ness Monsters.”
Louis grinned. “They’re the guardians of the water. If you don’t pass the judgement, they will no longer be the serene creatures you witnessed. They turn into demons of the deep and they’re impossible for any to win against. Even a dragon,” he said, his eyes twinkling. It was like he’d heard our conversation when we’d first fallen in the water. Braxton didn’t bother to reply, but I could see on his face that he thought Louis was wrong.
“They took a real liking to Jess,” Jacob said.
Louis’ enthralling eyes locked on to me and swirls of something shot through my body. The sorcerer had a way of wrapping his energy around you and infusing it into your every facet. He was scary as shit at times, and I wondered what it would feel like to be mated to someone with that much power and intensity.
Probably a lot like being mated to Braxton, but while dragons had an ancient and wild magic, the sorcerer’s was on this whole otherworldly, epic scale. It would take a special sort of magic user to be a true mate to this mage.
“The guardians of the sea are born of the shining ones’ dreams. They’re pure fantasy. And there’s something about Jessa which screams ‘power of the gods’ as well. It was what captured me when she was a child, and what continues to draw me to her.”
I snorted. “Thought it was my charming personality.”
He joined the laughter of the quads. “You’re actually quite charming, Jess, and your blunt nature is a welcome relief to me. I’ve spent too many years dealing with lies and deceit. To find people who simply speak truth … well, it’s a gift.”
I wasn’t a particularly sentimental or emotional person, but that kind of hit me right in the gut. I had so many blessings, and Louis definitely made that list now.
“Okay, so do you think my freaky dragon mark is giving me some weird pull? A magical essence which draws creatures to me. Or is it more?”
Thanks to Louis, my mark had been suppressed for most of my life, but now that the energy was free and the king had returned, the power of the mark was burning through me. I was changing – possibly the reason for my sensitive and aching body.
“It could be your mark, or it could be that you have some blood of the gods in you. I know that Jonathon’s line is ancient and can be traced back to the time of the first awakening. Either way, Jess, you’re special.”
Yep, special fucking cupcakes are me.
Louis turned to stare around the castle grounds. “I never believed I would see this world, the true realm of the gods. This is where the shining ones built their power base. The Gold magic is so much stronger here. They protect the true center of Faerie.”
“What’s at the center of Faerie?” I asked.
“The realm where the shadows are trapped. We don’t ever want to find ourselves there. We must never wake the ancient shadow spawn.”
I’d always known that we needed Louis’ expertise. He had ten times more knowledge than the rest of us. “So where are the shining ones then?”