“Woah,” I said, standing on my tiptoes to get a better look. The rolling hills rippled the landscape below, but it was the ancient forest that made the scene ethereal. Sunlight played off the snow-covered branches, the tiny ice crystals sparkling like gems. The walk may have sucked, but the way to the Otherworld was fucking pretty.
“Come,”a voice whispered.“Come down here. Jump. It’s so fun.”
“Come have fun with us,”another sing-song voice followed.
I glanced back at the guys, but they were a few feet away, continuing up the hill. The voices continued to call to me, and I turned back, taking another step forward until my foot reached the edge.
“Come, come now,”the tiny voice whispered gleefully, followed by soft laughter. They seemed to be having so much fun while I was suffering. Maybe if I just …
“Don’t fall,” Samkiel whispered into my ear. I jumped and spun in his arms, whatever spell trying to take hold of my mind, disappearing. I snorted, playfully smacking him. Chuckling, he grabbed me by the waist and hauled me away from the edge, nodding back toward the path. “Keep up, Dianna.”
“You didn’t hear them?”
“Hear who?” he asked, looking at me in bewilderment.
“Nothing, I guess.” I looked back toward the forest’s edge. It no longer sparkled, the pull absent now, and I got the feeling that whatever magic had called to me had slipped away to hide.
He ran his hand over my head, inspecting me. “Altitude getting to you?”
I shook my head. “No, no, I’m fine.”
He glanced behind me again and stared as if his glare alone would make the creatures of this land think twice about getting too close. And honestly, it probably would. “I already have to deal with every force in the realms trying to separate us. I’ll level this forest if it tries to take you from me.”
He dipped his head and pressed a kiss just below my ear before nuzzling his face into my neck, rubbing his stubble against the sensitive skin. Illicit memories of last night flooded my mind, and I remembered how that stubble had felt against my inner thighs. I’d wanted to suck his cock last night, knowing it would quell his rage from their fight, but he’d refused. Instead, he’d licked me until my mind was jelly. Apparently, eating me out helped his mood, and who was I to protest?
“Okay, okay.” I laughed, and he pulled back to grin down at me, intertwining his fingers with mine and leading me back up the hill. Isaiah watched us approach with something that looked like regret, or perhaps it was longing? I didn’t even dare to test the bond and feel what he was feeling. I did not care.
Samkiel glared at the brothers. “Are we going or not?”
Without saying anything, Kaden turned and walked ahead.
IDIDN’T HAVEa watch, but the sun had dipped behind the trees before Kaden stopped. Water rushed up ahead, and colorful butterflies floated through the air. The bridge that spanned the river ended in the shadows beneath the trees, and only darkness stretched beyond that.
“If this is the Otherworld, it’s really beautiful, almost like an enchanted forest.”
Kaden and Isaiah slowly turned to stare at me as if I’d grown horns.
“What?” I sighed. “I know you smartasses have something to say.”
Kaden tipped his head. “None but you will see the truth,” he said, and before I could ask what he meant, he stepped toward the water, and the world wavered. I gasped as the illusion melted away, and the beautiful, enchanted forest turned into something out of a nightmare.
All the greens and vibrant colors died as if a hand of fire washed over them. The trees were ugly and twisted, their roots withered. Some trunks were warped, bubbling with what looked like skulls buried in their bark. And the butterflies, gods knew I hated bugs, but the triple-winged creatures, no bigger than my hand, were going to give me nightmares. Their small, circular-shaped heads were filled with sharp, snapping teeth, and a stinger that would drive to the bone added at least a finger’s length to their long, writhing bodies.
I hadn’t even realized I had grabbed Samkiel’s arm until he rubbed mine. “You’re fine,” he said
“He’s right,” Kaden added, he and Samkiel sharing a look I didn’t understand. “They won’t hurt you, but him?”
As if on cue, those nasty bugs charged us, all wings and stabbing death. I summoned flame to turn those bastards to dust, but I did not need it. A wall of Oblivion had encircled us, and every one of the creatures that hit it fell to smoldering ash. My eyes widened, the flames on my hands sputtering out. I had never seen him use Oblivion like that, and from the look he gave me, he hadn’t expected it either.
“How did you do that?” I asked as the dark wall fell away.
Samkiel frowned. “I don’t know. I intended to summon a blade, but it seemed the power thought a shield was better.” He looked down at his hands. “It feels as though Oblivion is easier to use here.”
I blinked up at him. “Well, let’s add that to our list.”
A corner of his mouth moved. “Will do.”
Silence fell, a look passing across Isaiah and Kaden’s faces. Perhaps they were wondering the same as I? Why was Oblivion easier to use here? Maybe the Otherworld fed that darkness, too.
