Nev was growing anxious and started to pull away from Wyatt. If she had to meet the prowler again in combat, she couldn’t do it with Wyatt’s arms around her. She would also feel better if he was farther away from the still very present danger.
Wyatt forcefully pulled her back close to him. This is crazy, he thought. “Tell me you love me,” he implored, with an intense feeling of urgency.
“What!?! You want to do this now?” she asked, visibly agitated and baffled.
He glanced at the prowler who was now standing, but still coughing violently. “Trust me,” he suggested, sounding sincere.
Nev shook her head and sighed. Fine, she thought. “I love you,” she vowed, meaning it but also feeling annoyed.
Wyatt looked at her closely and then clasped her hands inside his, with the ring sitting atop. “I love you, and I will keep you safe,” he promised, closing his eyes.
The prowler watched their moment of shared affection with disgust. His throat still burned, but so did his hunger and hatred. Lifting his dagger, he ran towards them. He lunged forward and then fell unexpectedly to the ground. A swirl of purple smoke dancing where his targets had been only a moment before. Furious, he stood and screamed at the sky, “I will find you! When I do, your suffering will know no bounds. I promise.”
Chapter 19
Nev had instinctually closed her eyes when the vortex of wind and light engulfed them. She’d felt Wyatt’s hands clasp tightly around hers before sensing a bright light that was immediately followed by air moving around them at an incredible speed. Then, as quickly as it began, the torrent of air stopped and the blinding light dissipated. She found herself standing still. Daring to peek at her surroundings, she was immensely relieved to see Wyatt unharmed and still standing across from her. Finally, Nev allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding.
Wyatt opened his eyes slowly and sighed with relief at the sight of Nev. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, his voice trembling a bit.
Nev nodded as she looked at him and then around at where they now found themselves. They were standing in the middle of a room, but it was not in any place she recognized. Her mind spun as she tried to make sense of what had transpired. At least, there was no sign of the prowler. Whatever she and Wyatt had been caught up in, it appeared to only have happened to them. “What happened? Where are we?” she inquired, staring up at Wyatt.
Wyatt looked around the room and then shook his head. “As for what happened, I only know it involves the ring you gave me. Although it definitely sounds crazy and doesn’t seem possible that any ring could do such a thing. The question of where we are, however, is one I actually have an answer for,” he responded with astonishment.
Nev looked at him and blinked with surprise. She had asked him the questions, but she didn’t expect him to have any more answers than she did. “What? Then tell me,” she insisted, feeling anxious about being in a closed and unfamiliar space.
“Well, it looks like I’m living every boy’s dream. I finally got a girl in my bedroom,” he said, laughing at the strangeness of the entire situation.
Nev just shook her head in disapproval. Was he joking? Of course, he was, she thought. Feeling a bit frustrated with him, she huffed, “Very funny. Now really, where are we?”
He smiled and shrugged. “I know it sounds impossible, but this is my bedroom in Birclan,” explained Wyatt.
“But how? That doesn’t make any sense,” Nev remarked, feeling completely perplexed.
“Well, I think the ring…,” Wyatt started to explain when the bedroom door flung open.
“Convince me not to kill you!” a female voice boomed. The woman held a crossbow aimed directly at Nev’s head. She was roughly the same age as Wyatt and bore a striking resemblance to him. Her hair was much longer than his but was composed of the same sandy blonde curls. Her eyes, however, were much more brown than amber.
Nev reacted in an instance, pushing Wyatt back and pulling out her dagger.
“Whoa, whoa! Everyone, please just take a breath. Nev put the dagger away and Addi, be a dear and lower your crossbow,” Wyatt suggested, as he moved between the two armed and agitated women.
“Wyatt!?! How did you get here? Who is that with you?” Addi exclaimed, feeling massively confused and relieved at the same time.
“Surprise!” he greeted with a broad grin.
Nev looked at Wyatt, and then at Addi. Taking a deep breath, she lowered and put away her dagger. Nev studiously examined Addi. So, you are ‘the’ famous sister, she thought. Nev noted that Addi was wearing clothing similar to her and Wyatt. She was dressed in sensible brown leather pants and boots. Her tunic was a lovely shade of light blue with dark blue decorative stitching. Also, aside from the crossbow, she didn’t appear to carry any additional weapons.
Addi, suddenly realizing she still had the crossbow pointed at them, quickly let if fall and secured it to her back. She pushed past Nev and gave Wyatt a bear hug.
Nev watched all of this unfold, still trying to put together how it had possibly happened. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Addi smack Wyatt across the face.
“Hey, that hurt. And is mostly uncalled for, don’t you think?” Wyatt yelped, rubbing his cheek. Wyatt, noticing Nev growing unhappy about the entire situation, decided it was best if he defused it before she or Addi picked up another weapon. “Addi, we need to talk.
