Page 47 of Shaped By Discovery

Or maybe I’ve gone crazy as well?

I don’t care what it is or get much time to think about it as he moves forward. For a second, I worry we’re going to break the connection, and it will all stop. Before I can yell at him for it, a deep blue shimmer flows from my palm into the place my hand just rested on his back.

Magic?

It’s not just me, though. The guys have something similar happening. Each of their magics is a different color, though. Pike’s is damn near see-through with just the slightest glimmer of whites and blues, while Lyle’s is a deep green. Blair’s is a mixture of reds and yellows, while Sol’s is a light blue, and my own is a deeper shade. It’s not until I get a glimpse over Garrett’s shoulder as we make our way to the gate that I see the color of his. It’s a bright yellow, almost blinding to look at.

Our colors reflect our elements.

Every step is harder than the last. My feet feel heavy, and I know it’s from using so much magic. I’ve never needed this much power before, never felt like there might be a limit, but if there is, we might very well find out tonight.

Garrett stops right in front of the gate, looking back at us over his shoulder.

“We all have to go through together, so nobody gets left behind.”

Yeah, that’s easier said than done with a bunch of guys our size. Regardless, we find a way to make it work, squeezing together and stepping forward as one.

The next thing I know, I’m falling.

It only lasts a second, but it’s enough to leave my stomach rolling, and I have to fight back the urge to vomit.

Fuck, I never want to do that again.

I brace my hands on my knees and breathe deeply until the urge subsides. Once it passes, I slowly straighten, taking a moment to look around. The moon gate, or whatever they called it, is nowhere to be found, but we’re still in the woods. Different woods, though. Don’t ask me how I know when it’s still just a bunch of trees because I couldn’t tell you, but I do. This place feels different.

“Holy shit.”

The disbelief in Sol’s voice perfectly sums up how I’m feeling as well. Garrett sounded crazy, he does most of the time, honestly, but maybe, just maybe, we should stop doubting him. So far, he seems to be telling the truth, even if we don’t like what he has to say.

Garrett walks off, and we follow him.

The trees thin pretty quickly, and we break into a clearing after just a few minutes.

No, not a clearing, a cliff.

Everything is green, as far as I can see. Trees, forest, nature, everywhere, and in the distance sits a monster of a fucking castle. Two walls stand around it, but even those have greenery. Vines that crawl up them or trees between the layers of defense.

From here, it all looks small, but considering the fact that we’re miles and miles away, I’m going to assume that’s probably just a trick from the distance.

The stones—or what I assume are stones—of the castle and surrounding walls are all a brilliant white. Even from here, they look polished and new, though I highly doubt that to be the case.

Mountains sit far in the distance behind the castle, making the whole thing look like something out of a movie or one of the stories Pike was talking about earlier.

Something catches my attention from the corner of my eye, and I look to find smoke rising through some of the trees. I sweep my gaze across what I’d assumed was only forest earlier and see smoke coming from many areas.

“Villages.”

Garrett points out a few areas with the smoke, and I bite back the urge to call him a creep for watching me so closely. As grateful as I might be for him saving Serena and bringing us here to find her, I can’t shake the feeling he gives me. I can’t describe it. I wouldn’t dare admit it out loud for fear of sounding fucking crazy, but he makes me feel possessive. Maybe even inferior.

Fuck. He makes me want to punch him just because I can. It’s like the most toxic masculine part of me needs to dominate him. It’s stupid, and I know that, so instead of taking a swing at him the way I really want to, I swallow the feeling down and focus on the spots he’d pointed out.

Straining my eyes, I see just the barest hint of what might be homes. It’s hard to tell because they all blend into the forest, made of wood and covered in green, but they’re there.

I’m not sure what this place is, but it’s beautiful. There’s no denying that. However, it seems to be a lot less modern. Judging by how crisp the air is and the sea of trees, I’m going to go out on a limb and bet they don’t have cars and probably a lot of other things we’re all used to.

We stand around, enjoying the view, and trying to wrap our minds around what just happened, when suddenly Sol gasps. I turn to find my twin clutching his chest a moment before he drops to his knees and shifts. The second his lion’s paws hit the ground, he lets out a howl of pain so loud it makes my ears ring.

I only make it two steps toward him, though, before I stop dead. Pain slices through me as if I’m being attacked from within. Every muscle, bone, and hair on my body hurts. I’ve never felt pain like this, so consuming that even my beast whines from the intensity.

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