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A Strange New Place
JAMES
My heart skips a beat the moment I see Garnet materialize out of nowhere. I’m both overjoyed and dismayed to see her.
Trevan claims that he’s on our side, but if he has taken Garnet away from finding a way to save me, how can I believe him?
“So, where is this Fae friend of ours? I need to talk to him. He has to send me back so I can help Grammy with the potion,” Garnet insists.
“Trevan?” I call, hoping that he shows up. “I don’t know where he went. He was here, then suddenly, he disappeared, and you were in his place.”
I step forward, not knowing if I’m corporeal enough to touch the woman I love or not. She hesitates, then falls into my arms. I hold her to me, breathing a sigh of relief that I can feel her.
This realm is vastly different than anything I’ve ever seen before. I don’t know how to process the strangeness of it all. I’d barely begun to look around when my host vanished and my love took his place. The purple trees are disturbingly beautiful, as is the pale pink water that flows near us. Green and orange blooms cover the forest floor, and there’s a faint blue haze in the air.
“His name is Trevan?” she asks, and it sounds as if she’s contemplating something.
“That is what he told me. I don’t know enough about him to know if he’s trustworthy or not. Of course, Luca swears that you and he used to come here as kids. I can tell that he trusts this Fae man completely. Is that enough for us?” I counter.
“It’s going to have to be. Otherwise, I may never get home, and you might not be saved. And I can’t live with that. I’m sure the others are freaking out that I disappeared.” Garnet pulls away from me and starts pacing. “Trevan! Show yourself!” she shouts.
A burst of yellow, blue, and green sparkles appears and turns into the man who saved me. “I am here, child. There is no need to raise your voice and make everyone in the realm aware of what I’ve done…unless you’re trying to get me killed?” Trevan’s voice is like honey, thick and sweet.
Garnet stares at him. It’s as if she recognizes the man and has never seen him before, both at the same time. I don’t know how to explain it. “Wait, I know you. How? There’s no way I should feel as if I know you.” He winces at her words, as if they sting him.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Your little friend used to come here with you to play. That is how you know me, child. Now, if you’re quite finished yelling, we can discuss why I’ve brought you here.”
“Why did you bring her here?” I interject, not giving my girl a chance to verbally attack him again.
LUCA
The moment Orym comes back with the red honeysuckle and not Red herself, I start to panic. “Where is she?” I ask him, grabbing his shoulders and giving him a shake.
“I don’t know. She was right behind me, then it was almost like she disappeared. I looked for her for a couple of minutes, but I knew that she would never forgive me if I didn’t get this back here for Grammy to finish the brew,” Orym reasoned. While I understand what he’s saying, I don’t necessarily agree.
“We need to go look for her. What if she’s in danger?” I insist. When Orym doesn’t respond, I turn to Ryland. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Feel for the bond, Luca. She’s not here. Or if she is, she’s being hidden by magic. It’s the only reason we wouldn’t be able to locate her with the bond,” Ryland explains patiently, as if I’m a child who doesn’t understand.
“So, either Amber has her, or she’s been taken to another realm?” I ask for confirmation. I feel stupid, and hate it, but I haven’t had the bond as long as the others have, and just don’t understand how it works.
“That’s what we’re thinking,” Orym finally says. I’m frustrated and annoyed, but I understand now why they aren’t rushing out to search for Red. Either option means we won’t be able to find her without help.
“Amber is locked up and being watched by the council, though. So, she can’t be the one who has Red. Ugh. What can we do?” Panic still seizes my heart. I just completed the bond with her, I can’t give up on finding her now. I waited so long to claim her as my own. I have to find her.
Ryland grabs my arm and steers me toward the chair at James’ feet and gestures for me to sit. “First, we take care of James. Then we figure out exactly who has Red. Once those two things are done, we can move forward with our search.” Before he can say more, his phone rings. Since he’s the territory alpha, he has to answer, no matter what.
We all stare as he takes the call without leaving the room. “Are you sure?” he asks, growling. “Okay, get a team together and go see if you can figure out how. Keep me updated.” He pauses, then snaps, “No. Do not go after her. She’s too much of a risk to us all. Figure out how she escaped and who helped her. We’ll meet and plan an attack once you have that information for me.”
The moment he hangs up the phone my heart sinks. “Amber escaped. I’m sure you all figured that out from my conversation. I’ve sent a team to investigate. We’ll have to go after her as soon as James is stable. I’ll leave a protection team with you, Grammy.”
She doesn’t say anything in response but looks worried as she stirs the potion that’s supposed to save James’ life.
GARNET
I wait, not so patiently, for the Fae man who claims to be our friend to explain why he ripped me from my own reality to bring me here. My body shakes with rage, and I’m barely keeping my magic at bay. I know from what my guys told me that this man is probably my father, but I'm desperate for him to admit it. I just don't know how to ask yet.
