Chapter Thirty-One: ReturnIt was disorienting for a moment to step through the portal and return to Earth after so long in Fire & Ice. She trailed Orin and Ryland out of the portal, with Eamon, Eli, Marek, and Kriss following behind her. They stepped off the platform, and only Caius was there to greet them. He came forward, but didn’t reach out in welcome to any of them.North didn’t feel slighted in the least. She was relieved to avoid any physical interaction with the man. The room was cool, and she shivered slightly. Having been in his presence before when he was displeased, she was sure the coolness originated from Caius’s power—whether intentionally or subconsciously.“Welcome back to Earth. I trust your trip was productive?” He asked the question in a knowing way, and there was no doubt Caius had already been fully apprised of everything that had occurred in the other realm. She doubted he approved of her interference, a fact which seemed confirmed when he looked at her a momen

Chapter Thirty-Three: In Hot WaterThe tempting smell of food woke North, and she rolled out of bed before realizing she was alone. That caused a mild surge of disappointment, but the pleasant ache between her thighs went a long way toward assuaging the feeling of abandonment. No doubt, Ryland had been practicing discretion, or perhaps he’d left to help the others with something.She stretched and yawned, feeling calm and refreshed after her nap. Her head felt stuffy from all the crying, and there was a slight pain in her chest, but the grief had faded again to a more manageable level. It was the first time she’d really had a chance to process and cope with it, so she doubted she would’ve been so composed if Ryland hadn’t fed from her negative emotions and then found another way to soothe her with their lovemaking.Her clothes remained in the closet where she’d left them, so she quickly slipped on a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt, not bothering with anything else as she left the roo

Chapter Thirty-Five: TiranogThey left the cabin the next morning, and North prepared herself to face another contingent of Pytor’s people. They reached the edge of the ward, which Eamon and Orin quickly stripped. There was a faint shimmer in the air, and she could tell a difference, as though the barometric pressure had dropped. A moment later, the van crossed the invisible threshold, and she sensed they were vulnerable once again.A bright flash made her cry out, and she clenched her hands around Ryland and Eli’s thighs, since she sat between the two of them in the backseat of the van. A group appeared before them, and she didn’t recognize them, but they weren’t wearing magical camouflage. “Who are they?”Eli patted her thigh. “They look like Council guards.”“I sent a call to Caius last night and asked him to send a rift to the edge of the ward, so we could avoid the danger of traveling.” Marek offered that information without looking away from the guards.North frowned. “If they c

Chapter Thirty-Seven: BindingNorth woke feeling confined and first assumed it was just the last tendrils of a dream she was having trouble shaking off. She opened her eyes and learned it was no dream. Vines tangled around her, originating from the plants growing on the walls. She started to struggle and managed to roll over enough to see Orin was also in a similar position. The others remained free of the encumbering vines, though an occasional one trailed across the men around her. “Help. What’s happening?”As one, all their eyes opened simultaneously. She saw confusion and fear on five of the six faces surrounding her, but Orin seemed calm. “What is this, Orin?”He gave her a lazy grin as he brushed one of the tendrils, which released its hold on him at the tender caress. “It’s the binding, North.”She frowned. “What’s that?”“In fae culture, it’s how we recognize and claim our mates. The plants are in tune to us, so they responded to the power flowing between you and me. There’s n

Chapter Thirty-Nine: BloodThe reception was as dull and tepid as the rest of the city had been so far. North looked around the semi-crowded reception room, which was sparse in decorations. That didn’t surprise her after seeing the rest of the monotonous gray world these people lived in, but she couldn’t help interpreting it as a sign of her unwelcome as well.She was still looking at the other attendees, noting Parsh was far across the room, when Eamon slipped up beside her to put his arm around her waist and offer her a drink. She was surprised to see it was a rich plum color rather than gray, like everything else seemed to be. “What is it?” She couldn’t help the note of suspicion in her tone.“It appears to be some variation of wine,” said Marek as he joined them, sipping his own glass. “It’s not bad.”Her other lovers were going through the pretense of mingling, and though she knew she should be doing the same, she hadn’t yet managed to peel her feet from the floor where she had t