Page 65 of Monster's Pet

“It shouldn’t be as bad this time,” the professor said reassuringly. “You weren’t using much magic in Atlantis, so there hasn’t been as much of a drain on your energy. However, you underwent a transformation and used muscles that you wouldn’t normally, on top of being surrounded by magic and then abruptly removed from the source. Rest, drink lots of water, and you’ll be fine by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Thanks, Professor,” I said, chastened.

“Let’s go get changed,” Aiden said, tugging on my hand.

And check on Moonbeam,I added mentally.

“Yeah, I’m ready to never wear a wetsuit again.”

Aiden chuckled. “Right there with you, babe.”

We made our way up to our rooms. The wetsuit kept riding up my ass crack, making me miss my tail. Aiden peeled the top half off his body and wrapped the arms around his waist, which provided the nice distraction of his muscled shoulders until we had to separate into our different hallways.

Rhiannon knocked on my door not long after I’d managed to extricate myself from the clinging fabric. I wrapped myself in my fluffy robe and opened the door for her.

“How did it go, looking after Moonbeam?” I asked eagerly.

“She was fine,” Rhiannon said reassuringly. “As I’ve already told Aiden, she behaved perfectly for me. You didn’t have to worry.”

“That’s such a relief,” I said. Tension that I didn’t notice I was carrying left my shoulders. “Did he tell you that Professor Akhtar is taking us on an emergency trip to Easter Island tomorrow afternoon?”

“No, he didn’t mention that.” Rhiannon sat on my bed and chirped to Lilia’s dragons, who flew over for pets. “How is that an emergency?”

I pulled on comfy sweats and an oversized t-shirt, forgoing underclothing. I wanted, no,deservedto be comfortable, damn it! “Atlantis has ley lines,” I said dramatically.

Rhiannon’s jaw dropped. “No way.”

“Yes way. I saw them myself.”

“How is that possible?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” I said, brushing my hair. It was slow going, what with all the tangles from the water. “We had assumed that the ley lines vanished, but it seems that something is drawing on them instead.”

“Something in the southern hemisphere,” Rhiannon continued my trail of thought.

“Exactly. So we’re going to Easter Island to get another reading on the ley lines.”

“Will the fact that Atlantis is underwater have an effect?”

I made a face. “It might. We’ll have to see.” I got excited at the idea. “This is actually fascinating. We’re learning so much about the ley lines and how they are connected to each other. Wethought they were like rivers into an ocean, in perfect balance. This is going to change how we interact with them!”

Rhiannon smiled at my excitement. “Is that how I look when I discover a new species?”

I laughed. “Possibly. You’re pretty enthusiastic about Moonbeam.”

“I’ve been taking notes,” Rhiannon confided. “Hidden, of course. I’ve been tracking her growth, both physically and magically, and recording her mannerisms. It’s so important to understand these creatures, even though it looks like we’re harboring one of the last of her species.”

“Don’t say that!” I begged. “I’m hoping that the rest of her species is safe, far away from us.”

Rhiannon winced. “We got news today from the Ministry. They found one.”

My stomach flipped. “Only one, right?”

“So far.”

“Where?”

“In Scotland.”

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