Kristoff led us to his house, which required a journey down a long, spiraling, invisible road. He warned us to stay behind him because there were gaps where one could fall. Near jumping out of my skin at that knowledge, I basically held on to Angel’s wings, forcing her to go first, and even though she laughed at me, she still offered this comfort. And I loved her for it.
As we walked into the base of the mountain, the water was wider spread than it had looked from above, and there was an invisible house resting on a piece of land just above the vast expanse of river. Or so we were told because, of course, with it being invisible, I could see nothing.
At least not until Kristoff pressed his hand to the wall, and then it was there, in all of its glory. Well, not a lot of glory, to be honest. His home was a simple structure made of grey and green stones, which I would hazard a guess had been collected from within this mountain range.
It didn’t matter to me; I was just grateful to get off this invisible, anxiety-inducing path. Kristoff entered his house first and then both disappeared from sight.
“Anything around this guy real?” I asked.
Shadow shot me an amused look, his eyes filled with fire. “He’s the master of illusion, second to none, and it was no doubt the one thing to keep him alive under my sister’s reign.”
His sister was a fuck of a being, and I hoped there was a slow, drawn-out torture scene in her future. “What’s your sister’s name?”
Up until now, she’d just been referred to as his sister, but honestly, I wanted him to stop claiming that bitch as family.
“Cristell,” he said shortly.
I wrinkled my nose. “Sounds like a mean girl name.”
He smiled. A genuine smile, and fuck, if it didn’t do bad things to me.
“Let’s go inside,” Angel urged, interrupting as she glanced above, like an attack might be imminent. “I’ve always thought you could summon her by speaking her name, and now you have.”
That explained the use of “sister” all the time.
Focusing on where the stone house had been before it disappeared, I closed my eyes and stepped through the “door.” Everything appeared as soon as I crossed that threshold, and I found myself in a surprisingly comfortable room. There was a huge, roaring fire, just like the one in Shadow’s library, and I loved how familiar it felt. The main room had stone floors, with half a dozen beanbag-looking chairs scattered near the fire. Literally the most perfect place to sprawl for a nap.
“Make yourselves at home,” Kristoff said, waving across the room. “One of my favorite human sayings.”
I was curious about that. “How do you know English?”
For the first time since Shadow had gotten between us, the ancient royal was able to look fully at me again. I found myself caught up in his silvery eyes, so striking and unusual. “I’m what you would call a telepath, in your human lore. I can learn from touch.”
“He learns impossibly fast from a single touch,” Shadow said, cutting in, appearing inside the living area. “Every thought, memory, and all your knowledge will be his the moment he grazes your skin.”
Clearly, at some point he’d touched Shadow and now knew everything the beast did. Which was a fucking lot.
“Why didn’t you just do that straight up before asking each other questions to determine you were not imposters?”
Kristoff chuckled, crossing his arms over his broad chest, and how the hell was this dude thousands of years old? Shadow too. They looked like men in their early thirties, in the prime of life, healthy and powerful. Unnatural.
“Touching him was the last part of my investigation,” Kristoff told me, so easy with his knowledge when Shadow was often cagey. “It’s always with caution you allow others to touch you. Because if they have more power than you do…”
He trailed off, but I filled the rest in. If they had more power, they could do a lot of damage to you. Looking toward Shadow, an extended moment of understanding passed between us. That was why he didn’t allow others to touch him unless he was sure of the risk. My lip trembled at the thought that he trusted me enough to let me in now. From what Kristoff had said, it was a big freaking deal.
“Mera hugs a lot,” Angel said. “She doesn’t understand the power thing, and it’s one of her best qualities.”
She sounded annoyed, like she thought they were going to change me with this new knowledge. They weren’t.
These ancient creatures needed me in their lives. They needed the spark and joy that only youth could bring. Whether they agreed or not, it was good that I’d stepped—okay, had been dragged, but semantics—into their world.
Kristoff was still staring at me, ancient eyes stripping me to my core, as he worked out all of my idiosyncrasies. Good luck, buddy.
His smile broadened, as if he’d heard the silent challenge.
“Come, take a seat,” he said. “I’ll find some sustenance for the one who requires food as fuel.”
I didn’t even want to know what he was going to get, but I did sink into one of the thick, golden, puffy chairs. It would be nice to have a decent night’s sleep at some point, and real food, and a shower, and…
“What do you eat here?” I asked, needing a distraction. I’d never seen Shadow eat food, and while I knew how Angel got her energy, I wasn’t sure about the royals, freilds, creatures, or any other in this realm.
“We don’t really have to eat,” Shadow said. “Like Angel, we have evolved to take our energy from a transference with the land and mists. But we can eat if we enjoy it.”
“Do you ever eat?”
He didn’t answer, moving to sit in a chair on the opposite side of me, both of us close to the fire. I’d noticed that the pair of us were naturally drawn to the warmth, sparking embers, and power of the flames.
We were both clearly pyromaniacs—and okay with that.
“I’ve been known to indulge on occasion,” he admitted. “Humans are obsessed with their love of food, and I’ve craved the same feeling.”
And that was all I got out of him. One day, I might figure out what food tempted him to try it, but it was not this day.
“I’ll just stick with my way of loving food,” Angel said, taking one of the chairs farther back in the room.
I snorted out some laughter. “Your creepy apple-sniffing habit.”
She wrinkled her nose at me. “You smell your food too. I’ve seen it.”
I shrugged; she definitely had me there. “Often the smell is better than the taste, which is a fatal flaw in someone’s plan.”
We relaxed while our host did his thing, and I found myself sinking further into the soft surface—it was hugging me like the best weighted blanket. Midnight drifted closer to me, adding its energy to my own.
Sleep. I will keep watch over you.
“Thank you,” I murmured, reaching out to brush through it. This was the sort of sleep I desperately needed: one that was rejuvenating, healing, renewing.
My wolf nosed out from where she’d been since we’d shifted, but I collared her immediately. She’d had her only taste of freedom here, at least until I could figure out what it was that made her go crazy in the realm. I love you, wolfie, I told her. You’re part of my soul, and I hate to do this, but we can’t let loose like that again. We almost got everyone caught, and you and I almost died.
She couldn’t answer me, but it felt like she understood, and thankfully didn’t continue to whine and paw at me. She sank down again, and then I was sleeping.
It was nice that even with a mysterious redhead stranger in our midst, I felt safe enough to go to sleep. Thanks to Midnight, Inky, Shadow, and Angel.
My pack.
