"To the east of the cliffs, just below the waterline is a cave. Go in there. It's only a few seconds, but you will come to a maze of tunnels. The beast is trapped somewhere in there. Get him out, then get back to the portal; once he goes through
-and he is fast, so he will reach it before you-your magic will take a significant hit without you there to wield it. It is more than likely that it will start to close," Tabby warned, her voice shaky as she shivered.
Kai pulled his furred coat off and layered it on her. She tugged it closer and smiled up at him. Kai gave her one back and then walked over to me. Fear was trickling in at all the things that could go wrong, but I had to trust that I could do this; I had to believe in the balance.
"I wish I could come with you. I wish it was me making sure you made it back to us," Kai breathed, and I kissed him. He held me close, kissing me harder.
"I'll come back," I promised, and he nodded. He couldn't come with us-we all knew that. My magic couldn't get us all over there, and I needed him and Derik here, protecting Enzi, the pack, the humans.
"You better, beautiful," Derik said, coming over to steal me from Kai. I kissed him too, his lips soft and tender as his arms enveloped me. Kai said goodbye to Brax, and then Derik did.
Even though we were all nervous, I had an excitement in me. We were finally going to have what we needed, not just chasing our tails.
This was a real step in getting Zale back, and I needed it so fucking much. I clung to that, letting all my desperation fill me as Tabby nodded at me, telling me to make the portal. I wasn't sure how, but she said my magic would, and I trusted that.
I lifted my hand, the purple mist stretching from my body and forming a circle in the air that shimmered and glowed with magic.
"Remember this is a shadow world, there is no telling what the shadows there hold.
I don't know what hell the witches put in there for Adrenna, but I know it wasn't fun. It was meant to make it easier for the beast to have her, so if you think a shadow is coming for you, it probably is, and get out of its way," Tabby said.
I looked over my shoulder at her with a droll stare. "Any good news before we go?"
"Yes. The mating link will survive even in the portal, so you will be able to communicate with this side," she said, and that was reassuring.
I blew out a breath and looked at Brax, who had a stern look in his eyes too, "Kiss Enzi for us. I can't say goodbye to her too after Zale, I'll come back to her. Keep her safe," I said through the mind-link to my mates. Kai nodded as Derik kissed Enzi on the forehead.
"We've got her. Be safe," Derik linked back a second before Brax and I stepped through the portal.
2. The Shadows
LORELAI
Brax and I crossed through the portal, the magic stripping from us both. I gasped at the lightness it left me with-and the darkness. The weight of it was gone, but the shadows grew inside me as if they recognized where we were. I didn't.
It was so dark, darker than our white winter that consisted of constant night. It was as if every space had a shadow. I shivered as the cold bit into my skin through my clothes. Brax brushed up against me, his lips landing on my cheek.
"We've got to get in the water," he said, his own lips blue.
The cliffs were dark; the water was ominous and black. I hesitated, fear trickling through me as my shadows filled every part of me.
Whispers in the air had me spinning, but it was only the forest behind me, dark and terrifying. The forest seemed alive with things my human eyes couldn't see.
The purple magic of the portal was like a film in the air, and I chewed my lip.
"Will anything be able to get through?" I asked.
Brax shook his head. "No, not unless you let it. It's your magic; it is still loyally bound to you. At least that's how it usually works," he said, his eyes darting over to the forest too.
"That water looks terrifying," I whispered, my voice raspy against the cold. The silence was even more intimidating than the whispers. Brax smirked and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this, so let's get it over with, yeah?" He inched forward, his toes brushing the water. He hissed and pulled his feet back. "It's fucking cold," he said.
I shook my head. "I thought something was actually wrong."
He blew out a breath. "There is. The water's going to give me frostbite on my fucking balls," he said, shivering.
I laughed. "I guess you're not used to feeling the cold, huh?"
He shook his head.
"Well, now you know how it felt going up that stupid mountain. Enjoy human," I teased, and he smirked at me, shaking his head before wading in, trying to prove a point. I waited, still not feeling good about my ability to stay above water.
"Can you see the cave?" I asked, and he frowned over at the cliffs, peering through the dark. But he shook his head.
"No. But my shadows are pulling me toward it; they know where to go." He shivered, and I nodded.
Good, my shadows would too then. I waded in, gasping at the ice water hitting me.
My nipples pebbled painfully, and I winced. Brax moved over to me, and he was right, my shadows were calm, soothing my anxieties, and pulling me toward where we needed to go.
"C'mon. We have to hurry up before the wolves get too wild without my magic," I said, shivering. Brax nodded and started to swim in the direction of the cliffs. I eyed his movements: arm, kick, arm, kick. I could do that.
Except it wasn't as easy as it looked, and I flailed in the water. The splashes made me cough, my neck stretched to keep my face out of it, but I was a useless swimmer.
Brax swam back over, lifting me onto his back, hiding a smirk.
"I am definitely going to remember what that looked like," he said laughingly and started moving his hands through the water, his legs pushing us toward the cliffside.
"Why? So you can traumatize me with it?"
"What? No way. I'm going to recreate it. In bed." He grinned, peering over his shoulder, and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, it's the flailing woman position."
"Exactly what we want. Kai can get you making that 'holding your breath' face-
