Gabby straightened proudly. “You’re on the Isle of the Monsters.”
Jabir blinked. “And there are actual monsters here?”
“Of course! We are trolls. The other kingdoms think of us as monsters. The Isle of the Monsters is ruled by Empress Nali and her mate Asahi. He came from another world like you. One called Ear-th,” Williston added, pronouncing Earth like he was saying ear with a th on the end. “They’re wise and kind.”
“So the Empress won’t be mad that I landed here?” Jabir asked, suddenly feeling anxious.
After all, being the Empress of Monsters had to give her enormous powers of some kind. Still, if she married a human, she can’t be all bad, can she? he reasoned.
“Only if you hurt a monster,” Mikey said, then grinned. “You don’t seem like the monster-hurting type.”
Jabir’s shoulders relaxed. “I’d never hurt anyone. I love unusual creatures. At home, I help take care of Grombots and Tasiers, and we even have a family of Pactors! Those things will eat anything if you aren’t careful.”
Gabby’s face lit up. “You’re a weird alien monster. I like you.”
Williston gave a grunt of approval. “He looks more like Emperor Asahi. I’m glad he is not a sky demon like the last one. It was not nice.”
“What happened with that alien?” Jabir asked, his dragon perking up.
Gabby shook her head. “It was terrible. It almost destroyed the kingdoms. But Nali fixed it. She always does.”
Jabir bit his lip. “I need to find my friends. We all came through the portal together, but we got separated. I can’t get back home unless we find Phoenix—she’s the only one who can open another one.”
“We’re heading to the Manticore village,” Gabby said thoughtfully. “From there, we can send a message to the Empress. If anyone can find your friends, she can.”
Jabir’s eyes lit up. “Really? That’d be amazing. Is it far?”
Gabby shook her head. “It’s near the Great Lake.”
“Come on, yummy boy. It’s a long way still to the village and I might get hungry along the way,” Williston said, licking his lips and rubbing his stomach.
Jabir hesitated, unsure, until Mikey grinned and winked at him. A grin tugged at his lips. Williston was teasing him.
You laugh now! his dragon snorted. I give him heartburn if he try to eat me.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Valdier
Mandra’s boots struck the flagstones with a rhythm too sharp, too restless for the tranquility of the Valdier royal gardens. He paced beneath the golden glow of late morning, the scent of sun-warmed blossoms thick in the air, but none of it could calm the storm churning inside him. Overhead, the twin suns of Valdier blazed across a flawless sky. He glanced upward—waiting.
He didn’t need to feel the familiar hum of energy from his symbiot to know she was coming.
He felt her.
Ariel.
His steps faltered as the sleek golden ship their symbiot had transformed into shimmered into view above the treetops, descending in a graceful arc toward the landing circle at the far end of the garden. Precious’s surface gleamed in the light, its curves smooth and impossibly fluid. As it touched down, the symbiot dissolved, folding in on itself like liquid stardust, then reshaped itself into a Werecat next to his mate.
Mandra moved forward, his long strides eating up the space between them. His breath caught when she smiled at him, radiant and steady as the morning sun. His arms wrapped around her before she could speak, lifting her off the ground as he buried his face against her neck. Her scent filled his lungs—wildflowers and sunshine, fresh.
Her arms curled tightly around his neck, anchoring him. “I’m here, big guy,” she whispered. “I’ve got you.”
He held her tighter, his body trembling with emotion he couldn’t voice. For a moment, he simply breathed her in, as if the press of her body in his arms could steady the chaos in his mind.
Slowly, reluctantly, he lowered her until her feet touched the ground again. He looked down into her face, his own expression raw with a mixture of love, guilt, and worry. She raised an elegant brow, the corner of her mouth quirking in that way that always pierced through his armor.
His cheeks flushed. She looped her arm through his and gently tugged him into motion.
