Chapter 11 - Overstepping Nesrin I bit my lower lip nervously. I pushed myself off of my door, holding my head high as I sat down on my bed.  "Do my parents know you're here?" I asked.  "Of course they do. Unlike you, I let the people I plan to visit know of my arrival." His voice clipped. I held back the urge to flinch at how cold his voice was.  "I didn't mean to make you angry, but you weren't there, you with, Imelda. I didn't plan to have it this long," I said, looking down at the ground.  "What did you intend to do then? Because stealing from me is one sure way to make me angry, Nes. You know how dangerous it is to steal from a dragon." Garren bit out. Something abo

Chapter 13 - Bonded Apollo  I could feel the tension Nesrin was subconsciously sending through the bond. It was eating away at me slowly. Not only was she anxious, but I knew how exhausted she was. I knew she was on the verge of collapsing, and if she kept it up, I worried how much longer she would have.  Nesrin had insisted on doing this alone, and I promised I would give her that, but now that I had, I couldn't stop the nagging feeling that kept telling me it was the wrong decision. I looked over at the twins as they slept soundly. Their chests rose at a steady pace. Their tiny hands formed into little fists and were now poking out of the little wraps we had put them in. I still couldn't believe we were blessed with two beautiful girls. I couldn't believe that with everything we had been through, we somehow managed to make it out alive.

Chapter 15 - Rot  NesrinThe air was thick with fog as we were dropped into the dark realm. I cursed as I vowed to pay Weylyn back for these inconvenient landings through the Everlasting portals. Surely there had to be a way to not end up on our backs every time we were transported this way. I groaned as I sat up. Apollo was up before me, reaching out his hand to help me up with an amused smirk on his lips. And eery silence surrounding us along with rotting foliage. The trees were bare and brittle. The sky was grey, and the magic that greeted us was heavy. It stuck to you like sweat and made your hair stand on end. Everything in me was screaming at me to turn back. To run away and find safety, but I couldn't. We couldn't.  A crow's caw in the distance made me jump. I felt Apollo's fingers tighten around my mine. I looke

Chapter 17 - Prey  Nesrin I watched as they tied Apollo up. I watched as he was forced to run behind the beast I now knew to be a Nightrider. I waited long enough for them to move up the path before defending further down onto the forest and trying to track them down the path.  I forced the air beneath my feet to move me fast as possible as I moved forward. It was harder to use my magic here. Dark magic ruled this realm, and using my regular magic was more straining as the energy of this place seemed to suffocate it.  "We should shift," Ahmes suggested again. But doing so was too risky. I couldn't conceal our presence if we shifted. And now the concealment potion was almost conflated out of my system soon. I wouldn't even be able to hide my magic either.

Chapter 19 - Caged   Apollo   The cages smelt like piss and shit. Whatever beasts and beings they had captured during the trek through the South were snarling and groaning as we passed. Claws, partially shifter arms, and bloodied hands reached for us through the gaps of the bars.    Viggo continued to push me through the stench and past the cages that somehow managed to contain those monsters. The smell faded slightly as we moved further down the line. The beings encased in these cages were quieter and curled into themselves. Most had their backs turned to the bars. They had more human-like features, and we're most likely shifters and other beings that were banished here.    "Don't stare at any of the others if you wish to wake in the morning," Viggo instructed as we stopped in front of the last cage