Page 9 of Into the Dawn
He waved his hand in the air, and suddenly, Ronan and Dominic felt a strange tingling sensation shoot through them.
“What the—?” Ronan’s words were cut off as he realized he was no longer speaking Arcadian, but the strange language their friends’ mates spoke when they had arrived on the planet.
“There are many languages and dialects on Earth, but Raven and Allie have assured me this is the one your mate will understand. I have also temporarily shielded your fangs since I have been told those could get you in trouble on Earth. People will think you are vampires out to kill and drink everyone’s blood.”
“They sound like dangerous creatures,” Ronan concluded.
Dominic nodded. “Are we allowed to hunt them?”
“Actually, they are not real. At least, that is what I have been told. There are many creatures on Earth that only exist in stories and plays. It is…complicated. You probably should have gotten a crash course from Allie and Raven on how to behave on Earth, but you will just have to learn the rules of what youcan and cannot do from your mate. You must learn to blend in. Otherwise, you could end up being thrown in someone’s dungeon.”
That was a good point.
The last thing they needed was to end up being discovered by the authorities and deemed enemies.
Ronan was a little confused when he ran his tongue over his teeth and still felt his fangs. “I still feel them.”
“Your fangs are still there, but others will not be able to see them. I also had to dim the glow of your eyes. Human eyes do not glow, and that would be a sure sign that you do not belong there. Remember, Earth is a primitive world that is not ready to make contact with other planets yet. You must do your best to blend in with the general population. Better yet, avoid the other humans if possible.”
“We shall do our best,” Dominic vowed.
They glanced up as thunder boomed and lightning speared through the crimson sky overhead. A few seconds later, a deluge of rain began to fall.
“It is time.”
“Wait!” Ronan protested, his mind racing. He still had so many questions for which he needed answers. “How long will we be there? And how do we get back?”
“You will have until the next storm. We will need the energy from the lightning to bring you back. Remember, your mate must come back with you. After she is healed, she cannot remain on her home world. She would be a danger to herself and to others if she were to stay. Now, brace yourselves. This will probably hurt…a lot.”
Silas flung out a hand, hitting them both with a punch of magic so strong it sent them flying backwards. Rain instantly soaked Ronan to the skin as he landed on the ground hard enough to make his teeth clench. He heard Dominic’s lowcurse and realized his brother had been given the same harsh treatment by the Sun God.
“I guess that was not so bad,” Ronan said, trying to keep his tone light as he got to his feet and held out a hand to his brother.
“Oh, that was not what I was warning you about. I just had to put you inside the sun circle.”
“You could have just asked,” Ronan growled.
The golden god shot him a wicked grin. “Nothing worth having comes easy.”
Ronan cursed as a bolt of crimson lightning streaked down from the sky. The lightning speared into two branches that struck him and his brother at the same time. The sheer force of the strike sent shockwaves cascading through his body, making him feel like he was being burned alive.
The intense agony he felt was unlike anything he had ever experienced before, and it left him gasping for breath. The world around them seemed to dissolve, and magic began to fill them with pure energy.
As the bright light began to fade, Ronan struggled to push past the pain. If suffering was the price they had to pay in order to reach their mate, then it was a sacrifice worth making. They would endure anything to find her. And once they did, they would heal her and figure out a way to bring her back to Arcadia.
Chapter Four
Earth - Nashville, Tennessee…
Kylie Bell wasdying.
That wasn’t an exaggeration or a ploy for sympathy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an abstract concept that might happen sometime in the future either.
It was the cold, brutal truth.
She had weeks, if not days, to live.
Kylie understood her time was ending, though it had taken her a while to accept it. Dying sucked, and not just because of the pain involved. Sure, that was a big suck factor, but there were so many other things that made her last remaining days pretty fucking miserable.
