Page 50 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Well there’s a couple ways it can be done. There’s a portal in Nitross that takes you straight into the black forest.”

“Is that how you got me here when I was unconscious?”

“No. Only Fae can move through the portal. I didn’t think it was safe for you, and I didn’t want to risk it.” He takes another drink of hot chocolate.

“But I am at least half Fae. I have Fae blood inside of me.” I state this like he doesn’t already know.

“Yes, your Fae blood should mean you can sense the portal. It may even be one of the reasons your mother kept you away from the black forest. If she was hiding the fact that you are half Fae, she wouldn’t want to have to explain to you about the portal. If she even knew about the portal. I can’t be sure,” Nyx says.

Thinking about my mother makes a knot form in my chest. Deep down I love her, and a part of me may even miss her at times, but I also hate her for the way she treated me. I hate her for selling me out to Aidan. She wasn’t a good person, and I worry that whatever darkness lingered inside her bloodline could manifest in me when I turn nineteen. As the date approaches, I can’t help the uneasy feeling I get sometimes. What if I were to inherit dark magic? A Sorcerer hasn’t inherited dark magic in so long this would be nearly impossible, but I can’t help the lingering wariness in my chest.

“Hey, where did you go just now?” Nyx waves a hand in front of my face, drawing me from my thoughts.

“Nowhere. So how did we cross?” I asked, shaking my head.

“We flew, and we’ll fly again this time.”

“You flew all that way carrying me?”

“No, the Feral Sea is vast. I could probably do it in a pinch, but it would be draining, even for me. We rode on Quazie,” he says.

“Who and what is Quazie?”

“He’s a Quetzalcoatlus. They’re very rare, and there are only about a dozen of them alive today.”

“A Quetza what? What’s that?”

“Think of him as a giant bird. His wingspan alone is the length of three horses standing head to tail.”

“Wow, I can’t wait to see him.” I finish the last of my hot chocolate and mull over everything Nyx told me.

I can’t believe all this time there was a portal to the Faery Realm practically in my backyard. I wonder if Samael knows it’s there or if my mother knew about it. Maybe Nyx is right and that’s one of the reasons she kept me from the black forest. My mother may have been strict with me my entire life and not exactly a loving mother, but I still want to know what her motives were. I need to know why she died. I wonder what Samael’s investigation at the castle found out. Not that I can believe anything that comes out of his mouth. I know he had something to do with their deaths. If they didn’t die by his hand, then he certainly orchestrated it.

“Did you ever learn anything about how my mother and Silas died? There was an investigation, or at least that’s what I was told.”

“Samael told everyone it was a carriage accident and that they were on their way back home from visiting the Lamia Realm. But we both know it wasn’t an accident,” Nyx says softly, like he’s trying not to upset me. “Do you want to talk about it?” He places his hand in my lap on top of mine.

“No,” I say quietly, looking down at our entwined hands.

The hot chocolate relaxes me. I have a little bit of the happy, feel-good feeling I remember from my first breakfast with Twig. I wonder if everything he makes has this effect.

“Can we go in the water?” I ask Nyx, pulling him out of whatever deep thoughts he’s caught up in. His eyes look heavy, like he’s worried or maybe just tired.

“Yes, of course. I’ve been thinking about getting you naked all day.” He gives me a wicked grin, getting off the couch and pulling me up with him.

“Do you have any whiskey?” I look back at him as I walk toward the front door.

“Yes . . .” he says slowly, like he knows I’m up to no good.

“Great. Grab it and meet me across the bridge.” I run out the door.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I step out onto the bridge and quickly realize that I’m underdressed for the freezing weather. Despite the discomfort, I power through and run to the other side, my bare feet sinking into the snow. A sharp pain shoots up my ankles, but I push though it and make it inside. To my relief, I see that the water in the tub is already steaming hot with light-pink bubbles frothing across the surface. Nyx must have used magic to have it ready for me. I quickly strip off my clothes and lower myself into the water. The change in temperature is jarring, but as the needle-like sensation subsides, I sink into the water and sit on one of the benches. The water is pure bliss, and I can feel my body start to relax. The scent of fresh berries, citrus, and vanilla wafts up, and I can tell that the water has been infused with some kind of magical elixir. Whether it’s the hot water or the hot chocolate, I feel more relaxed and at peace than I have in a long time.

Nyx rushes in with a bottle in hand and strips off his clothes. He rushes into the water so fast I don’t even get a chance to enjoy his body.

“Too cold out there for the big strong Faery?” I giggle.