Instead of reacting, both sisters shook their heads. “The Fates have spoken; it is their will,” Vivienne said solemnly. “We would not lead you astray, not as we approach the final hour. The portal is safe.”
Cassandra sighed. “As for what they find, we can’t make promises.”
Lana’s jaw twitched as she clenched it. I shifted my position, resting my hand between her shoulder blades. She relaxed slightly.
“You believe this is right?” she asked me much less angrily than the tone she took with the seers.
I nodded. “We’ll learn about the weapon and come right back to discuss how to destroy it.”
She looked into my eyes, searching for hesitation. She wouldn’t find any. Fear or not, thiswasthe right decision.
“Lucien,” Lana finally called, kneeling on the ground as he trotted up to her legs. “I don’t begin to understand how your power works, but will you please use your extremely cool portal powers to help my friends?” Lucien sat up straighter, wagginghis dangerously sharp tail. “I will forever be in your debt.” She tickled her fingers under his chin.
The little pugron nodded his head in clear understanding and rubbed his smooshed face into Lana’s hand, demanding more scratches. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Lana giggled. “Good boy.”
Feeling eyes on me, I lifted my gaze to meet Raya’s. A faint tinge of color rose to her cheeks as she teasingly mouthed, “Be a good boy.”
I laughed, ignoring the others as I crossed the space between us, cupping her face in my hands.
“I’ll be averygood boy so I can get back to showing you who is in charge.” I wrapped my hand around her neck, bringing her lips to mine for a kiss that was over far too soon.
Lucien breathed a stream of fire from his mouth, and we both startled at the flames. He spun in a circle and then lifted his chin. The area in front of him turned hazy as a cloud formed, swirling, shiny and black.
He glanced back at me and then looked at the portal again. It grew in size, until it appeared as if I could walk through easily. He stopped, padding backward, and smoke hissed out of his nostrils.
“Well, that’s our cue.” Jax walked fearlessly toward the portal, but as he reached Lucien’s side, he looked back toward Leif and Kalliah, still seated on one of the stone benches. “Take care of our girl, Leif. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“I’mnotyour girl,” Kalliah huffed, despite the blush coloring her cheeks. “How many times do we have to go over this?”
“Just keep telling yourself that, sweetheart.” Jax threw her a wink anyway and waited for me.
I squeezed Raya’s hand and left her side, moving quickly to give Lana a hug, “We’ll be back as soon as we can. Try not to get in any trouble while we’re gone.”
“Be careful. Don’t do anything stupid, please?” Lana’s voice quivered. She was trying to stay strong. I’d seen it so many times before.
“See you soon, Lan.”
Jax and I gave each other one quick look and then stepped into the portal.
Fates, I prayed we didn’t die.
Chapter 31
Ian
Stepping into the portal, we were immediately surrounded by deep glittering colors, swirling together in a vortex.
My stomach dropped as a falling sensation made my insides feel like they were coming out of my body. A band of magic propelled us forward. I couldn’t be sure how long we were in the portal, but it felt like mere moments before we stumbled out face first on the other side.
Well, Jax and I stumbled. Lucien trotted past us with a look of exasperation as he waited for us to regain our composure.
“That was the freakiest thing I’ve ever done,” Jax mumbled as he brushed the dirt off his pants.
Nodding, I blinked, then shook my head in an effort to right myself. “I honestly couldn’t agree more.”
By the looks of the puffs of smoke in the distance, I’d guess Lucien’s portal landed us on the outskirts of Firestone.
The jagged landscape provided a stark contrast to anywhere I’d ever seen before. The earth looked dead, cracked and forgotten. Though an eerie sense of beauty lingered here, it was the opposite of Brookmere in almost every way.
