SilasThe chanting of the elders was surprisingly soothing. I closed my eyes and focused on Lux, on our wolves, and on all the goals we have. We can’t achieve anything else we may want in our lives until we guarantee that Kodi and Jax will never be separated again.I can feel the transition from the real world to the other side. For a moment, it’s like I was weightless and then I could tell I was standing instead of lying down. I open my eyes and blink to try to adjust my eyes to the area, but it’s incredibly dark. Even with my enhanced vision, it is hard to see anything.I reach my hand out as I feel around for Lux and relief floods through my body when I grab a hold of her hand. She asks, “What’s going on? Do you see anything? We’ve crossed over, right?”My eyes adjust to the darkness and I say, “Yeah, we’ve definitely crossed over. But… it’s not what I would’ve expected. It’s

SilasHades instructed us on how to get out of the underworld. After he left, it was back to the way it was, just dark and full of smoke and fog. We walked for hours before I finally saw a light and as we got closer, I could see waves and I led us toward a dock.It was beautiful, but the water looked like it went on forever. We stood hand in hand in silence as I tried to figure out what the next best step would be. I say, “This is the River Styx. We read about it, remember?”She nods, “Yeah, I remember you talking about it. “Yeah, I do. There’s no way we can swim through this, though, Lux. It goes on forever. On top of it, there are dangerous creatures in there. If we try to swim through there, that’s almost guaranteeing our death.”She hums softly as she thinks, and I rub her hand as I brainstorm how we’ll keep going. This can’t be the end of our journey. I think this adventure just has a few mo

Silas We finally made it to the dock and I helped Lux step into the only small boat that was available. I looked around trying to see if I could spot Jude, but I have no clue what his dragon form will look like.I look out at the water and watch the waves and I’m still impressed by how clear the water looks. Lux asks, “Does it smell sweet to you? It doesn’t remind me of the ocean the way your scent does.”I smile softly as I take deep breath and I say, “Yeah, it does smell sweet. Must be something about the water over here.”She nods slowly and turns her head and I know she’s deep in thought. I take this moment just to admire her beauty.I step into the boat and run my fingers through her dark hair and say, “You’re gorgeous, you know?”She rolls her eyes making me chuckle because it’s so rare for her to do that action. She murmurs playfully, “Kiss ass.”

LuxMy heart stopped and my body went cold at the mention of seeing my mother. My ears started to ring and I couldn’t focus on what was going on. Kodi is on high alert in my mind as she tries to gouge whether these men are being truthful.I can vaguely hear Silas’s voice. It sounds like he’s muffled, almost like I’m underwater, as he asks, “And how can you guarantee us that we’ll be able to see Rieka?”I can feel all the men as they look at me curiously. They know that I know they’re telling the truth. It’s just the sense that I get from them.Silas snaps, “Would you quit just looking at her when I ask you a question?”The men all chuckle at Silas’s reaction and I ask Kodi, “What do you think?”“I think… they are telling the truth. But it’s hard to know here, Lux. Things are different, our senses are dull, and almost everyone seems to have

SilasThis is the first spirit to actually speak to us… and it’s the spitting image of Kai. Honestly, it doesn’t even look that much older than him.Lux is oblivious to this fact as she says, “Yes, we’re looking for Rieka Hale. Could you lead us to her?”His face scrunches up as he looks around and murmurs, “You don’t belong here.”Lux heard him and says, “I know we’re not supposed to be here and we’ll be on our way soon, but I need to find Rieka Hale so if you tell us where she is then we’ll be gone soon.”“And why do you need to see Rieka?” The man’s voice sounds calm. It’s interesting seeing his demeanor after so many spirits fled at the sight of us.Lux answers simply, “She’s my mother.”He nods and a small smile appears as he says, “I know that. The resemblance is uncanny.”So is your resemblan