Page 72 of Happily Ever Bitten (Underworld Royals 2)

It’s definitely not a form of magic I’m familiar with, I admitted. But it’s useful as hell.

What if it’s wrong?

There’s only one way to find out, I told her.

Another test?

I nodded. “Another test,” I replied out loud, then looked at Narissa. “We’ll be following Zay’s directions.”

Yep. It’s official.

I wanted to burn Neptune’s swamplands to the ground. Mostly because the sun overhead was fucking unbearable.

Fortunately, Zaya could see just fine. She kept her hand in mine, leading me through land mines of swamp-laden surfaces, past streams of volcanic lava, and through the rocky terrain of the border fields.

It took hours.

And the sun had been up for over half of them.

I cursed as I stumbled forward, hating the weakness of not being able to see. But Zaya kept me steady, her strength a beacon in the blinding heat of this plane.

We’re almost there, she promised me.

The words were more of a platitude than anything, as I already knew how much farther we had to go, thanks to our mental connection. She brought up her magical compass several times, checking it frequently as we moved silently through the murky insanity.

Now, more than ever, I wanted to research her powers. Because what she was doing shouldn’t be feasible. She traversed this kingdom as if it were part of her, which wasn’t possible at all.

This new gift certainly didn’t come from my blood or her halfling heritage. A mortal could have a sense of direction, but this was something else entirely.

It was as though the realm existed inside her.

And not just Neptune, but all realms.

Noxia, I could somewhat understand with her link through me.

Graystall made sense, too, because of her mother.

But Neptune? Nope. No sense there.

Not helping, she muttered.

Sorry. It’s just…

Insane, she finished for me. Yep. Quite aware, thank you.

At least it’s helpful, I added, using my excuse from before.

She snorted and said nothing else, leading me through the—

“Watch out!” Narissa shouted from behind us.

Zaya and I both jumped back as a giant green sea creature with various spikes on its body emerged from a swamp and leapt over the rock to a different pool of water.

Seeing it all through Zaya’s mind made my heart race and caused me to hate my lack of vision all the more. Fuck.

Sorry, Zay replied. I was focused on the map.

It’s okay.

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