Page 42 of Into the Dawn
“Should we have put some metal polls out there?” Buddy asked. “You know, to attract the lightning?”
“That’s too dangerous.” Abby slapped her palm against her forehead. “What am I saying? Of course, it’s dangerous. That’s exactly what they want to happen.”
“Are you sure you packed everything?” Caroline asked.
“I think so,” Layla called back. “Considering we aren’t even sure it will make it back with us.”
Kylie and Layla each had extra-large camping backpacks slung over their shoulders packed with items they wanted to try to take back to Arcadia. Ronan was carrying two packs, while Dominic had a backpack as well as Kylie’s guitar case slung over his shoulders.
She knew the chances of it being damaged by the lightning strike were high, but she’d wanted to try to bring it with her anyway. Her guitar had been signed by her whole band and had a lot of sentimental value to her.
Dominic and his brother had made sure to study each of the instruments that were in Kylie’s studio so they could try to recreate them when they returned home. Of course, they could use magic to create anything they wanted, but making some things with their own hands would mean more.
While Dominic and Ronan were dressed in their leather warriors’ garb, Kylie and Layla were both wearing jeans and several layers of tops underneath their waterproof jackets.
The rain was falling in a steady downpour now. Each boom of thunder heralded the storm drawing closer, the sound reverberating through the air and shaking the very foundation beneath them. Lightning slashed through the sky, illuminating the dark clouds with brief, blinding flashes. The jagged bolts of electricity danced across the sky, but no strikes reached the ground, leaving them in a state of tense anticipation.
He knew that Kylie and Layla were both shedding tears, but the rain concealed their grief. They wanted Buddy, Abby, and the rest of them to remember smiles on their faces instead of sadness.
“We shall figure out a way to communicate with them,” he promised. “With magic, we can surely manage it.”
“Or we can ask the gods for help,” Ronan suggested. “Since you have blood ties to them now.”
“I forgot about that part,” Layla admitted with a groan. “They sound scary. I won’t have to meet them, will I?”
“Lunaria is lovely,” Kylie told her. “I don’t know about the God of the Sun since I didn’t meet him yet, but he did save my life so I’m inclined to be quite fond of the guy.”
“He is not a guy. He is a creature. And you can appreciate what he did without being fond of him,” Ronan growled.
Kylie and Layla glanced at each other before both of them burst into laughter.
When the lightning finally struck, there was no warning. The world suddenly exploded with light, trapping them in a blaze of heat that was so intense it stole their breath. For one brief moment in time, everything stopped. The pain that hit him was unbearable, but it was gone almost as quickly as it had struck.
Dominic realized that Kylie was using her magic to block the pain for all of them, but there wasn’t time to scold her. Glancing back at the Ross family, he saw them waving goodbye.
Then, everything faded into darkness.
Chapter Fifteen
“What in thefreaking Jurassic hell is this?” Layla hissed. “Where the fuck are we?”
Glancing around, Kylie recognized the outskirts of the Western Forest from Ronan and Dominic’s memories. All of the bags and other items they had tried to bring with them were gone, leaving Kylie and Layla standing alone in the field where the magical wards had been constructed. She knew that since she could see the shimmering barrier plain as day.
Being struck by lightning was pretty fucking horrible, but it had been easier because of her magic. One second, they had been standing in the rainstorm on Earth, then the next, they found themselves on a strange planet with a dark crimson sky and puffy blue clouds.
Rain was falling, but the storm seemed to be quickly moving toward the dark mountains in the distance. The air seemed thicker, making it harder to breathe, but she quickly adapted to the change. Layla seemed to be struggling a little, and she bent down to brace her hands on her knees as she breathed slow and deep.
“I can confirm that we made it to Arcadia.”
“Are you sure we didn’t die in the lightning strike?” Layla wheezed. “Because the red sky and those gnarly black trees over there are making me think we’ve landed in purgatory.”
Kylie grinned. “Nope. This is the Western Forest. I know because I’ve seen this place in my mates’ memories.”
“That’s good. But why are we here and they’re not?” Layla asked. “How did we get separated? I swear, if they brought us here only to abandon you, I’m going to kick their asses.”
Kylie laughed. “They didn’t abandon us. As for how we got separated, I don’t have an answer to that…yet.”
But she could find out.
