Page 48 of Summer L.A.W.

A cold gust swept through the clearing, rattling the trees. The compass in his hand spun violently, the needle jerking like it wanted out. Joell grabbed his wrist before he could drop it.

“Hold on,” she ordered. “We’ll get you inside and figure it out.”

Lioness lifted her hand; the air shimmered, and a doorway of light opened in the fog, showing a narrow corridor leading straight to the mansion steps. “Portal’s open. Move fast. Whatever’s in that mist isn’t friendly.”

Mason hesitated for half a heartbeat. The soldier in him wanted to face whatever followed; the part of him that remembered Crystal drowning in blue light wanted to get to her before anything else could.

He ran.

As soon as his boots hit the first step, the fog collapsed behind him with a sound like the crash of a wave. The world snapped back into color. Thunder cracked overhead, and rain began to fall. It was not normal rain, but heavy, glittering drops that hissed when they hit the ground.

Lioness slammed into the door. “Well,” she said, breathing hard. “That escalated quickly.”

Joell turned to Mason. “Welcome back to the madhouse.” With a flick of her wrist, the double doors opened.

He looked past her, through the foyer, to where candlelight flickered down the hall. “Where’s Crystal?”

Joell’s expression softened, just for a heartbeat. “In the library. And before you ask, yes, she knows you’re here.”

Mason nodded once. “Then that’s where I’m going.”

The mansion’s front doors slammed closed behind them before Joell could reach for the handle. A gust of damp air had swept through the foyer, rattling the chandelier and making the candle flames stutter.

Magda looked up from the library table, eyes narrowing. “That’ll be them.”

Sahara’s bowl of water trembled violently. The surface turned opaque, like milk poured into ink. “And something else,” she said. “The energy following him didn’t stop at the boundary. It’s probing the wards.”

Rayna’s voice carried from the kitchen. “I knew I should’ve put coffee on a timer last night.” She padded into the library, one hand holding coffee, the other already glowing with a faint defensive light. “Who breaks into a house with a thunderstorm for backup?”

Before Magda could answer, Joell and Lioness strode in with Mason between them. All three looked windblown and damp. The storm had left glittering droplets clinging to their hair and clothes, each bead of rain glowing faintly before evaporating.

“Close the door!” Magda called.

Lioness shoved it shut. The echo boomed through the foyer. “Done. Did anything follow us? If so, it’s not invited to brunch.”

Joell wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. “No visuals. Just a feeling. The fog wasn’t weather. It was following Mason with intent. Intelligent intent.”

Rayna snorted. “That’s comforting,” She nodded toward Mason. “And this genius? What’s he doing here?”

Mason met her gaze without flinching. “Following orders. Hers.” He gestured toward Crystal, lying on the couch.

“Crystal didn’t order you to drive through interdimensional weather!” Rayna shot back.

Lioness lifted her sketchbook. “Technically, she dreamed him here. Different department.”

Joell stepped between them. “Focus. The wards are compromised. We can lecture the dimensions later.”

Sahara and Magda were already at work, tracing symbols in the air that glowed for a heartbeat before sinking into the walls. The mansion groaned, settling under the strain.

“She’s here,” Magda said, nodding toward the sofa. “Weak, but stable. The connection between them hasn’t closed.”

Mason moved before anyone could stop him. He crossed to Crystal, and every candle in the room tilted toward him as if drawn by gravity.

Crystal lay back against the cushions, pale and damp, hair spilling like gold seaweed over the armrest. Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of his steps.

“Mason,” she whispered.

He dropped to one knee beside her. “Hey. I’m here.”