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“We’re mated!” She chokes out the words with a smile, and suddenly, her tears make more sense.
A second later, I’m on my feet with her in my arms, dropping us both back into the pool and pressing my lips to hers with a whole new level of hunger.
Hunger I wasn’t sure I would ever experience hunger for my mate.
After a few minutes, I kick us up to the surface, reminding myself she needs air more often than I do, and we both break the surface with smiles. Neither of us lets go of the other, and I can’t say I mind.
“I’m all clean now,” she whispers as she swims around me, trailing a finger over my back and down my arm.
I don’t need to see her face to picture the smirk she’s wearing, and I don’t need to be told twice.
Serena and Blair made progress earlier this week, but no matter how hard she tried, it was erratic, something she couldn’t seem to recreate. Blair said she was able to mimic his partial shift while they were swimming, but she didn’t realize it. She wasn’t even aware until after he told her, and she hasn’t been able to do it since. They also claimed she’d used wind magic to flip Blair on his back, and while I want to believe them, it seems impossible. Serena has never been able to use anything but her shadows, not since she washed up on the shore here. Everyone knew that, yet somehow we’re meant to believe she was able to, just this once. It seems more likely that Blair used it and didn’t realize it, not that I would tell him that.
Of course, they’d also bonded as well, because why wouldn’t they?
I’d tried not to let it get to me. Blair has loved her forever, he’s told me as much, and I’ve seen it firsthand. But despite that, I can’t help but feel like I’m not needed, not when she has three mates now, one of which is my twin… What could she need me for?
I make my way down to the library and try to push my negativity aside. This isn’t about me, it’s about helping Serena. She doesn’t need to add worrying about me to her ever-growing list of things to do.
It’s easier said than done, especially when Serena’s my best friend. Aside from the fact that I’m stupidly in love with her–something I’m still not sure how she missed–I’ve never been able to hide anything from her. She knows me too well, the same way I know her.
I stop outside of the library and scrub a hand down my face, mentally scolding myself in an attempt to get it together. I’m not sure if it will work, but I have to try. With one last deep breath, I stand up straight and pull open the door, digging deep to try and find the confidence that seems to come so easily to Storm. We’re twins, after all, so it shouldn’t be that damn hard to mimic him.
The library is massive, seven floors in all, with shelves that go as far as the eye can see in all directions. I’d gotten lost in it the first few times I’d wandered off, and I don’t doubt it could still happen even after a few weeks of coming here regularly, both with and without Serena.
I’ve always been the bookworm in our group. I enjoy the data, logic, and understanding that come with reading new things and learning. Before Serena, I’d been happy to stay that way, but she pushed me out of my shell, and I found I didn’t hate it with her and the guys. If I'm being honest, I’m not sure I could hate anything with her.
I make my way through the front half of the library, unable to stop myself from looking around in wonder, even after seeing it dozens of times. Everything is a beautiful mix of white and gold, from the floors up to the ceilings, which are painted to look like a beautiful summer sky, clouds and all. I’d like to assume it’s made with alabaster, but seeing as I don’t know much about this realm, it really could be anything.
The library opens up in a rather grand gesture. Balconies line each floor, allowing you to look down on the entrance and the huge chandelier that hangs just before the grand staircase. It’s breathtaking, but not the best part. The stairs lead to the third floor; all other floors are accessed by side staircases that, while smaller, are no less immaculate. I’d thought the rest of the library would just be rows of books, silly me.
Tucked away in what the queen assumes is about the middle point sits the main attraction, which, surprisingly, isn’t the books.
I follow the main aisle, fending off my curiosity that begs me to explore the rows and rows of books I pass. It takes a few minutes, but it’s peaceful, as if the world's stress is on pause, unable to reach us here.
If only that were true.
The rows of books stop, and the aisle opens into a large circular room. A few tables are scattered about with some of the most comfortable chairs I’ve ever sat in, and in the center of it all is a tree.
Yup, a tree. The trunk looks as if it’s a mass of roots and branches twisting together to make one solid mass. It’s large enough that I’m not sure we could reach around it even if all seven of us stood hand in hand. Its branches and leaves hang low, almost like a weeping willow from our realm, but that’s the only similarity it has with anything I’ve ever seen before. The wood is bright white, rivaling the brightness of the rest of the library, and the leaves are a beautiful pink. As if that isn’t enough, hidden within the leaves, balls of light glow, resembling what I’ve seen of light magic.
I was in disbelief when the queen first gave us the tour. A tree of that size in the center of the library seemed insane. Where would the roots go? And what did you do with the fallen leaves and branches? It’s beautiful, but it just didn’t seem realistic. Queen Rosalynn laughed when I said as much, explaining that none of that was an issue for this particular tree.
According to legend and a few books, she pointed me in the direction of, this tree is magical. It was a gift from the gods that was given with their elemental blessing, something each kingdom is believed to have once had, though nobody can be sure of that now. It doesn’t require watering, and while it might be huge, it stopped growing once it reached the ceiling, with no sign of roots coming up through the floors or ceilings below.
It’s as much a mystery to her as it is to the rest of the realm. It took me a while to get past its utter lack of logic. Honestly, even looking at it now, I still have a hard time, but I can’t deny it’s beautiful.
Almost as beautiful as…
Serena. I find her without even trying; it doesn’t matter where we are or what we’re doing. She’s always the first thing on my mind, even in a room with a giant magical tree.
She’s lying beneath it with her knees up, a book propped up on her lap, and her head resting on Pike, who’s shifted and acting as her pillow. The soft glow of the tree makes her hair shine, the dark blue calling me like a beacon in a sea of white.
Pike’s been spending more time in his wolf form since we got here. I’m not sure if it’s a comfort thing or if he’s missing having a pack, but it seems to be helping. He’s still insanely needy, but that’s pretty normal for him. I can only hope that not having one doesn’t become too much of a strain. This realm isn’t the same as ours; we can’t simply sign some papers and be a pack. Honestly, I don’t know what the protocol is for that.
I’ll have to ask later so we know what we’re up against should it come to that.
Pike hears me before she does and turns to look in my direction. Serena feels his movement and follows his gaze. I see the disappointment on her face when she sees me, but I know it doesn’t actually have anything to do with me. Serena had the best hearing of us all; even unshifted, she could hear better than we did as our beasts. I know not having her beast is taking a toll on her.
