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The light around us faded slowly, and I found myself looking around at an entirely different landscape.
No, an entirely differentworld.
The dirt beneath my knees was an eerie shade of reddish brown, and I was surrounded by dead trees.
Or trees thatlookeddead?
Their trunks and branches were black and gnarled, without a single leaf on any of them. The bushes around them were the same, resembling nothing but the skeleton of a once-beautiful plant.
She’d somehow used magic to take me to the middle of what appeared to be a dead forest.
If I hadn’t been able to feel the wind against my face and smell a strange scent in the air, I would’ve wondered if someone had drugged my candy bar.
“Take your treat. You’ll need it.” The woman released one of my wrists and handed back the chocolate.
I didn’t take it, instead once again trying unsuccessfully to pull my wrist from her grip.
“Who are you? Where am I?” I demanded, my voice trembling.
“These are the Broken Woods in my world, Evare.” Her lips parted in a tired smile, and I noticed her body seeming to droop a little. “Welcome home, Ezra. By now, the shifters will have begun their mate run. Soon, one will find you and claim you.”
“What?”
“Eat your chocolate. Your mate won’t hurt you.” She set my candy on my thigh and patted me lightly on the knee with her free hand, still holding my wrist captive with the other. “I am the sorceress Serae. After I rest, I’ll return with another human. You will be safe with the male who claims you, despite his lust. And my magic changed you when you crossed the veil, so your words will translate naturally.”
“Hiswhat?” I nearly yelled, barely hearing the translation bit.
She gave me one last exhausted smile. “You’ll see. Good luck. If the shifter tries anything you don’t like, act like you’re about to bite him and he’ll stop. Momentarily, at least.” She winked at me, as if that was some sort of inside secret.
Then, she vanished.
I groaned, looking around the dead forest—err, Broken Woods—in hopes to find her nearby, but had no such luck.
Serae was gone.
My gaze lifted to the dark, dusky sky above me. Though the dead trees were massive, they didn’t have leaves, so they didn’t conceal the stars.
My eyes rounded when I saw two moons over my head.
I looked between them a few times just to make sure I wasn’t imagining them.
Yeah, there were definitelytwomoons.
“Damn,” I whispered.
I looked around the forest again as paranoia crept in. I hadn’t processed everything that had happened yet—and I was pretty sure I would have a panic attack when I did.
“Positives,” I whispered to myself. “There have to be positives.”
I was… still wearing my favorite black bra.
Which, a glance downward proved, I could still see through my wet shirt.
Yay.
The Broken Woods smelled sort of spicy, which was kind of appealing.
That may or may not have been a good thing, considering their evil-sounding name.
