Jessie stood with her back to us, hands held up to the night air. The chill bit at my cheeks and fingers. Thank God I’d wrapped up warm in jeggings, a sweater and fleece-lined jacket, and my favorite frost-crunching boots. This pair was a soft slate-gray lace-up mid-calf boot with a fleece lining and snow-safe soles. The inside molded to the shape of my feet. Perfect comfort while keeping my feet protected and toasty. Not the sexiest of boots, but practicality and comfort occasionally took precedence.
I didn’t feel the cold as much as a human, but I did feel it, unlike my shifter mates who stood to my left, sans coat, arms crossed, watching Jessie work her magic. Literally.
Jessie had a gift when it came to warding and opening rifts. A natural instinct for what needed to be done. But for this particular task she’d needed a few items to ground her and amplify her ability.
She worked in silence, hands moving in the air in intricate runic patterns. Long seconds passed, and silver streaks began to follow the path her hands tracked in the air. The silver streaks got thicker and longer until the runes were visible in the air for seconds at a time before fading.
“It’s working,” Poppy whispered.
“Never had a doubt,” Sloane said.
I sensed Leif and Tor tense in anticipation to my left. Rune stood behind us, his golden body bathed in the silvery light of the moon. Jasper was beside me, his arm brushing mine, sending a gentle thrum through me. Sloane and Poppy stood to the other side of him. In a moment the rift would open, and we’d be through. Just one moment.
A sharp pop followed by a hissing sound cut through the silence. The air a meter in front of Jessie split, revealing silvery light laced with crimson threads.
“That’s it,” Leif said. “You did it.”
“Course I did.” Jessie brushed her palms together. “Shall we?”
We were doing this. We were about to step into unknown territory. Okay, so I’d been through rifts before. A place called the Eye in Necro City, and into the fae realm just recently, but this…This felt different. My stomach was in knots, anxiety swelling in my chest.
I looked over at the guys to find their attention on me. Their eyes were filled with fear and apprehension.
For me.
These were their emotions tangling with mine, confusing mine.
Jasper took my hand and confidence bloomed in place of the anxiety.
“I’ve got you,” he said.
Sloane and Poppy approached the rift.
“See you on the other side.” Sloane stepped through and Poppy and Jessie followed.
“The rift won’t stay open for long,” Leif said. “Don’t linger.”
“Yes, because we plan on taking a full tour of the place.” Jasper rolled his eyes.
Tor took a menacing step toward him, but I stepped forward to intercept and his attention dropped to our joined hands.
Jasper raised our hands and kissed my knuckles with a smirk, his gaze fixed on Tor. The fucker was needling him.
Irritation flared in my chest, echoing the rumble in Tor’s.
“Not the time, Jasper.” I locked gazes with each of my mates. “I’ll be back soon.”
I tugged Jasper toward the rift and stepped through.
Needles rasped against my skin, bringing pain, and hot bile clawed its way up my throat. I was torn apart and spat out onto hard-packed earth. My palms sucked up the chill from the ground, knees burning as if they’d been skinned. We’d made it. We were through.
I stood, surveying the moonlit rural landscape. Trees surrounded me, and if not for the strange, sweet tang in the air, I’d have been forgiven for mistaking this for the earthly realm.
Wait, where were Sloane and the others?
I looked over my shoulder for Jasper.
He wasn’t there.
I was alone.
Fuck.
Chapter Thirty-One Tor
I stare at the malevolent as he pulls himself off the ground. He looks as shell-shocked as I feel.
“It repelled you,” Leif says.
Jasper stares at the rift, his expression twisting to one of rage. “No!” He tries again, and once more he’s thrown back.
“Stop.” Leif grabs his arm. “It’s no use. You can’t get in.”
“Why can’t he get in?” I want to know. He’s not one of us, so why is the rift repelling him?
Jasper shakes his head. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
He runs a hand through his dark hair. I’ve never seen him this agitated. “There are very few places I can’t go. The Underealm, the Beyond, and Purgatory are three of them, but I’ve had no issues stepping into the fae realm or the Eye, a place in Necro City filled with malignant spirits.”
“I don’t understand,” Leif says. “Why can’t you get through to this place?”
Something dark crosses his features.
He’s hiding something. “No fucking secrets, Jasper, not when it comes to Cora.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” he snaps.
“But you owe it to Cora,” Leif points out.
Jasper closes his eyes and exhales. “Fine. I learned a long time ago that Cora isn’t my only anchor. This world…this reality has a hold on me, and some places are out of my reach. It’s not the rift keeping me out, it’s this fucking reality holding on to me.” He slams his fist into the rift. “Fuck.”
Knowing Jasper would be with Cora is the only reason I didn’t fight harder to stop her from going. I don’t like that he’s attached to her. I hate that she has feelings for him, but I’m no fool. I recognize his merits, and I know he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. But he’s here and she’s there.
I take a shuddering breath. “She has Sloane and The Elites. She’ll be fine. Cora can take care of herself.”
I know it. I believe it, but the beast inside me is in knots. It needs to be there. It needs to be with her.
A soft growl emanates from behind me and then Rune is bounding toward the rift. I lunge to stop him, landing on his back and pinning him to the ground.
Let go,
