Page 31 of Enticing Monsters

The walkways are overgrown with grass, but rather than the green I expect, the blades are a deep, sapphire blue, growing in fits and spurts among silvery cobblestones dotted with white and black mushrooms in varying sizes.

Surrounding us are forests of flowers, stalks towering dozens of feet into the air, shading us like a parade of multi-hued umbrellas as they bob over our heads in the breeze. In the distance, I can make out trees in variations of bronze and gold and, far beyond that, what seems to be some kind of silver filigree. A city, maybe? A castle?

A sharp cry has me reeling backwards, my eyes searching the sky.

What has to be birds—though I can only dare call them that due to the fact that they fly far overhead—dance through the air, weaving and darting around each other. Their feathers are translucent but colorful, reminding me of stained glass as the light trickles through them and creates rainbows in the air around them as they move.

I turn to stare at Foster, indicating the world around us. “Dude. What the hell was in that bottle?”

A chuckle starts in Foster’s chest and soon rolls into a deep, warm laugh that makes me tingle.

I shake the arousal away, waving a hand around us. “No, seriously. I was expecting something along the lines ofHarry PotterorLord of the Rings. This looks more likeAvatarandAlice in Wonderlandhad a baby.”

Foster pulls me against him and presses his face against my neck. He skims his lips over my skin, eliciting a fresh round of goose bumps. “You really are a nerd, aren’t you?”

I huff but angle my head to give him better access. Even with the chill from the potion still permeating my veins, the heat he’s creating with his lips is too much for me to resist. As much as I want to pause and explore some more of the fire he’s creating, we’re on a timetable.

Later, though…I’d really like to see what Foster can do with those flames he stirs up.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Foster asks, pulling away reluctantly as though he’s on the same page as my own thoughts.

I shrug and stare around us at the rainbow wonderland we’ve been dropped into. “Honestly, I thought I’d know when we got here. It sounds silly now, but…” I trail off with a shake of my head.

That feeling of belonging hasn’t abated, but with no specific place to aim it at, I’m forced to start at square one. This world isvast. And if we only have an hour or two to find clues…

We’ll accomplish nothing.

Even still, I can’t help but wonder why the portal chose this specific town to drop us into. Is it the same for everyone? Or is there a reason we were brought here of all places?

Frustration battles with burgeoning hope as I take in my surroundings once more. The former wins.

I curl my hands into fists and kick at a loose pebble—an iridescent shade of pink that looks striking against the blue grass.

“Hey.” Foster squeezes my shoulder gently. “None of that. It makes sense, with you being born here, that you thought there may be a pull. I don’t have a better idea of where to start, but we can at least look around. Maybe something will jog your magic into a state of recognition.”

“Can that happen, even with the blocker?” I hope so because it’ll really suck if we just wasted our time here.

But luck isn’t something I usually have a large supply of, either.

“I don’t see why not. It mutes our powers but not what we are. This is our home…planet?” The word is more of a question than a statement, and I have to agree with him.

It’s one thing knowing we are from here and another actually seeing it.

I chew on my lower lip, looking around us in consideration. “Do you think we should check some of the houses?”

It feels odd, like breaking and entering, but they’re abandoned. Everyone I’ve talked to has been clear that no one lives here anymore, so it isn’t like we’re truly trespassing.

Hell, for all I know, one of these houses could bemine. Or my family’s, at the very least. Maybe I was born here…

Surely, I’ll be able to tell, right? My magic is screaming at me that I belong here, in the world of Faerie, so it shouldn’t be impossible to believe that it’ll direct me to my home.

“Lead the way, Lost.”

His teasing nickname is even more ridiculous in this situation, but I roll my eyes and push us forward, keeping an eye on the portal behind us so that we’re able to return. It looks more like a heat mirage on this side, wavy bands of light distorting the area around it. Is it heat that makes it work?

My mind’s turning the thought around even as I approach the first house. My fingers hesitate above the door latch, dancing across the thick, carved wood.

This was someone’s home.

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