Chapter 20

I stepped through the portal and on to the sand. The ocean's roar was deafening after the quiet evening in the grove. I moved away from the portal and crouched low in the underbrush of ferns and reeds that grew between the dead end road and the surf.

Liam stood off a little ways, looking disoriented. I grabbed his hand and pulled him down next to me. The last thing we needed was for someone to spot us before we even had a chance to get started.

The portal started closing, shrinking in on itself. At the last minute, Poe came flying through, circling in ever larger arcs.

"Okay, I didn't think that was actually possible." Avery took a deep breath, still looking wild. "What now?"

"Now," I said, "we go hunting. Can I see the letter again?"

She handed it to me as I dug out my phone and used the light from the screen to read the directions Avery's cousin listed in the letter. I glanced around in the darkness. The moon was already lower in the sky. We'd ha