Page 7 of Luca

“It is worth a try,” I said finally, smiling down at him. “Though, if it works, I will go through first in case there are any… unpleasant surprises on the other side.”

Luca scoffed. “As if I’m going to let you do that.”

“Pet, I am durable.” I squeezed his nape before dropping my hand. “I will pull you through if all’s clear.”

My mate hesitated, his gaze flicking to the door, then back again. He sighed when I didn’t offer an alternative plan of action. “Fine, but come straight back out if anything feels off. It could be spelled on the other side, for all we know. You could be locked in there forever and I wouldn’t have a clue how to rescue you.”

I leaned in to kiss him on the forehead. “You would find a way. I am sure of it.”

“Probably.”

I huffed a laugh before taking a step back, allowing enough space for a portal to appear on the ground between my feet and the door. Taking a deep breath, I extended my hands, familiarizing myself with the hand gestures that had been sketched in the journal before making a genuine attempt. Unlike with teleportation, where the conjurer could only send the traveler to a place they’d been to themselves, portals could connect to anywhere as long as the caster was able to envision the directions. I had to vividly imagine the tear opening in front of me and where I wanted the other end to appear.

Thankfully, ‘on the other side of that door’ would suffice.

Except… After several moments of silence, I scrunched my brow. There was no portal, no fizzle of magic in the air. Glancing to the side, I noted that Luca looked just as confused as I was by the results. Or lack thereof. Had I done it wrong? It was getting late, so perhaps I was too tired to focus on the picture in my head. Or had the door been sealed with a type of charm that repelled portals? If it was my father’s doing, it was likely that he’d taken every precaution in order to protect whatever was on the other side.

What is he hiding?

“Try again,” Luca said, his eyes fixed on me. I did as he asked; however, it yielded the same outcome.

I bared my fangs and growled in irritation, but before I could wallow in it, my mate made a triumphant sound.

“The last hand movement isn’t quite right.” He moved closer, holding both of his hands out straight. “Do it more like this…”

With an elegant flurry, he created the patterns in midair, and I spotted exactly where I’d gone wrong. I tried again, mirroring the movements as he did them once more beside me, concentrating with all my might, yet still wholly expecting nothing to happen…

Relief washed through me as the electric rush of static filled the room, that familiar prickle of goose bumps dancing over my skin as a river-like green tear materialized with a resoundingwhoosh.

Luca bounced on the balls of his feet, clapping his hands with glee. “You did it!”

“It may be a little early for celebration,” I said, though I was just satisfied it had worked at all. “It may not lead where we want it to.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He shrugged casually, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You might drop in on Mrs. Loris using the privy. You know how she gets after Chef Milo’s meat pies.”

Against my will, a grimace hijacked my face, my nose wrinkling with the memory of a particularly offensive odor. “Pray that I don’t.”

Luca snorted at my reaction, though his gaze was rooted on the tear. “Y’know, I still find it odd that these portals show up green and not purple like the Veil,” he mused. “The book never touched on why that is.”

“Maybe because they are temporary? A way to differentiate the two.”

“Hm, maybe.”

No further questions or undesirable scenarios seemed forthcoming, so I squared my shoulders and stepped through the portal, closing my eyes instinctively. Magic enveloped me, the current wrapping around my back like a cloak, and between one heartbeat and the next, I no longer stood beside my mate.

The scent of old parchment and wood hit my nostrils first, a pleasant surprise—definitely not the privy then, thank the Creators—followed by the utter silence of an unoccupied room.

I blinked, taking in the place I had transported to. It was… small, only slightly larger than a walk-in closet, and I was glad my wings were glamored or they’d have scraped the walls. Thankfully, the ceiling had clearly been built with Fae height in mind, which meant my horns were safe… unless I needed to bend down to tie my shoes. Despite the discomfort, I turned in place to assess the space properly, knowing my mate waited anxiously for my go-ahead.

I sensed no negative magic and, though oddly lacking in dust, nothing to suggest the room had been touched by another creature in several years, at least. No scents, no energy trails, just shelves of more books and a square table in the corner with piles of scrolls, tomes, and parchment on top.

It was almost as if it had stayed in the exact same state as whoever had used it last left it in.Whenever that may have been.

I stepped forward lightly, aiming for the table as a sheet of paper caught my eye. There was a seal at the bottom that I didn’t recognize—a wyvern soaring toward three stars. I began to read the script, but before I could even reach the second line, my mate’s anxiety spiked through our bond. I abandoned the documents in an instant, returning to the tear and crouching down. I dipped my hand into the iridescent water, waiting for Luca’s fingers to grip mine.

I hauled him through.

“I was starting to worry,” he said once he appeared, climbing out of the portal. I couldn’t help but smile.

---