Page 50 of Quest for her Knights
I shake my head. “Not that I know of. Do any of them exist here?”
“It’s said that a few unicorns still exist, although I’ve never seen one,” Blaze replies, making my eyebrows raise in surprise. “I don’t think I know what most of the others are. What’s a bear shifter?”
“Oh, it’s a man who can shift into a bear. But they’re mostly just in romance books.”
“How is that romantic?” Draven asks, confused.
“Oh, it’s one of the best romance tropes! You know… the heroine is running from a bad guy and ends up in the forest, scared and alone. The bad guy catches up to her, and suddenly a bear appears out of nowhere, kills him, then prowls toward her. She backs away, afraid, but then he shifts into a large naked man and tells her she’s his fated mate and growls, ‘Mine.’ She swoons, and they make love on the forest floor, sealing their bond forever.”
I sigh wistfully, staring into the fire. It’s such a romantic cliché, but one of my favorites. A man wanting a woman so badly that nothing can keep him from her. Is it wrong to want that kind of love?
When I realize nobody’s said anything, I glance up. They’re all staring at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Is that an example of the dom you mentioned before?”
Oh hell—are we really going there again? I’m not sure I can handle the embarrassment of explaining my strange taste in men to these four.
Not wanting to lie, I slowly nod. “Yeah, he could be more of a bad boy. Either way, he’s definitely an alpha.”
“An alpha? What’s that?” Arrow asks.
“You know, the kind of guy who’s always in charge, who takes control of everything, especially his woman.” I shoot Ranger a side glance before looking back at the fire.
“Sounds like someone I know.” I glance up to find Arrow smirking at his brother.
It’s true, Ranger definitely gives off alpha energy. So does Draven. And I have a feeling Blaze and Arrow are no different. It’s just that Ranger is the one currently in charge.
“I think you’re all probably alphas,” I say softly.
Silence follows before Blaze thankfully changes the subject.
“Did you have family back home?”
I nod. “Yeah, my parents are back there. I didn’t get to say goodbye. Coming here happened rather quickly.”
“Couldn’t you have spoken to them before you left?” Arrow asks, confused.
I shake my head. “No. The more I stalled, the more pain Ari was in. And I couldn’t exactly tell them I was going to another world. That sort of thing doesn’t exist there, well, I guess it does in stories, but nobody believes it’s real.”
“It doesn’t exist like that here either. You and Freya are the only ones we know of who’ve ever traveled through a portal from another world.”
“Really?” That surprises me. Ari had said there were hints of magic here, and I assumed portal travel was one of them. “But you do have magic here, right?”
They exchange glances, but no one speaks.
“Did I say something wrong? We don’t have magic in my world… that I know of. But Ari said it exists here.”
Ranger is the one who answers. “Yes, there is magic here. But it’s rare. And complicated.”
“How so?”
He sighs, scrubbing a hand through his blond hair before looking at me. “It’s against the law to use magic. People are afraid of the power it gives those who wield it.”
I consider that for a moment, thinking about all the fantasy and paranormal romance books I’ve read. It might not be the same, but I’ve read plenty of stories where the heroine had to hide her power from the world.
“That must be really hard for people born with magic.” I glance up at their surprised faces. “I’m assuming people are born with gifts, right?” I ask.
