Page 30 of Enticing Monsters

“Lost…” He traces my cheek with his free hand, the tips of his fingers feeling like satin against my skin, though he doesn’t move the potion closer to me. “You’re going, I’m going, end of story. You’re worried about your mates? Well, news flash, we worry about you too. You don’t know what we’ll find. Do you even remember the signs that the potion is wearing off? No? That’s what I thought.”

Damn him and his logic.

“I agreed not to tell the others, but I’m not letting you do this alone.”

I sigh, standing on my tiptoes to brush my lips against his. “If you get hurt, I’ll kill you and bring you back to do it again,” I warn him, the heat of him only adding to the throbbing energy inside of me.

“Noted.” His voice is solemn, but I can see the sparkle of mirth in his eyes that his glasses can’t hide. “This will mute our powers while we’re there, so we’ll basically be human. We might still be able to do magic, but it won’t be as potent, and I wouldn’t recommend it unless there’s no other option. Remember—we’re tricking the world into thinking we’re human. There’s no telling what will happen if we use our powers, even for a second.”

The snarky part of me wants to point out I can barely use my powers as it is, but I figure it isn’t necessary when he’s just being helpful.

“Got it,” I reply instead, before pulling off the cap and tossing back the teaspoonful of liquid the way one would a shot.

My nose wrinkles at the bitterness of it, the tacky sensation making me press my tongue repeatedly against the roof of my mouth.

“So, we’re protected?” I shake the bottle, proving it’s empty, before tossing it back into Foster’s waiting hands.

He drinks his own vial and then returns both to his backpack.

“Yes. But not for long,” he warns, his tone deepening. “We may have an hour, two if we’re lucky, but I wouldn’t push it that far.”

Fuck. I doubt we’ll get many answers in an hour, but at least it’s a start.

I shiver, a chill rolling over my skin as if I’m standing in front of an air conditioning unit, and look towards the source of the glow in the room.

If we only have an hour, I’m not about to waste any of it.

There’s no plaque, no instructions, no dedicated doorway, but something inside of me draws me towards the pulsing glow. I step inside of it, Foster following close behind, and let the magic wash over me, tickling against my skin.

“Guess we’ll see if this works,” I mutter, drawing a blade from my waist and pressing it against the tip of my finger.

I squeeze slightly, letting it bead at the tip, before turning my hand over. The drop falls, a deep burgundy against the gold, and a wave of heat clashes against the ice in my veins. A whoosh surrounds us, as though the light has turned to flames that are attempting to consume us whole. I close my eyes against the heat and light as strong arms wrap tightly around me and pull me against a hard chest.

“Open your eyes, Sera,” Foster whispers in my ear, his lips just brushing the lobe. “Welcome to Faerie, my mate. Welcome home.”

CHAPTER TEN

SERAFINA

“Welcome home.”

Foster’s words echo around me, and slowly, I peel my eyelids open, my chest tight with the breath I can’t seem to release. I blink against the sharp sunlight, trying to take everything in at once.

I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing. This… This is something plucked straight out of a fairy tale.

“Oh my god.” I gape in awe, twisting out of Foster’s grip and spinning in a circle, desperate to see everything. I tilt my head back to view the sky and then stagger, only Foster’s hands keeping me upright. “There are… There are two suns!” I stammer, tugging on Foster’s hands and pointing to the stretch of sky above us, the eerie violet color blotted with fluffy clouds and yellow balls of fire. “Two!”

Foster chuckles, twining a strand of my hair around his finger. “There are three moons as well. I doubt you’ll see one today, but I’m not quite sure on the time difference, so you never know.”

I squeeze his hand, attempting to process everything at the same time, my brain refusing to click into play.

“Are you all right?” he asks, stroking a gentle hand down my back, and I can only nod, my mouth opening and closing as I try to find the words.

But I’m not all right. Not really.

I’m…home.

We seem to have stepped from the portal onto the edge of a village, but it isn’t shabby shacks or towering buildings. It’s a rainbow of colored homes—burnished oranges, forest greens, aspen yellows, and vibrant pinks—all vying for attention amongst strands of white, iridescent ivy climbing the sides and coating the tile roofs.

---