Page 48 of What Lies Beyond the Realms

“Okay, I couldn’t find anything about the prophecy or Zomea, but I did come across some other information that you two may want to know. I found references to what happens when you consume the blood of a Lycan,” Flora says.

I feel my pulse pick up. Please don’t let me turn into a wolf.

“It says you may start to exhibit some of the Lycan’s secondary powers.”

“What does that mean? I thought the Lycan didn’t have any magic?”

“They don’t necessarily have magic in the way a Sorcerer or Faery would, but they do have powers within them and within their lands. The main power within them allows them to have more keen eyesight and hearing than we do, along with their ability to shift into a wolf. But their secondary powers would be more specific to the individual Lycan,” Flora says.

Nyx squeezed my shoulder gently. “Do you know what secondary powers the Lycan at the ceremony had? You said the pack leaders came up and talked about all of them during the ceremony. But we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Nyx says.

I thought of their faces. Luke, Yuri, and Dawn. There last breaths flashed in my mind, and I had to push the memory away, swallowing hard. “Yes, I remember them. Luke was an exceptional hunter. Yuri was a gifted healer. And Dawn was a skilled tracker.”

“Yes, those are their secondary powers. You may start to inherit them to an extent. You may also start to notice you run a little warmer than before. But you shouldn’t shift into a wolf,” Flora says.

Well, I’m thankful for the last part, I guess.

“Is there anything else I should know?” Nyx asks.

“Yes, the next blood moon is in two weeks’ time,” Flora says then bows her head slightly to Nyx and smiles widely at me before channeling.

“Tonight might be the last night I have you to myself for a while. I’m not going to waste it.” Nyx just gives me a cocky smirk.

“Wait. Where did she go so abruptly? And what do you mean it may be the last night we’re alone for a while?”

“Flora has things to attend to. She’s not big on small talk either. Tomorrow night we’ll meet Flora and Bim in Nitross, then the following morning you and I leave for Cloudrum.”

“What is Nitross?”

“Nitross is the city I grew up in. It’s the largest city in Nighthold. It’s on the coast, so it’ll be our last stop before we make the jump to Cloudrum. But we can talk about that later. Tonight I wanted to take you somewhere.”

“What exactly did you have in mind?” My interest is piqued.

“Remember how you said you loved the snow and the mountains?”

“Yes . . .”

“I thought I could take you to stay the night with me at my home in the Fate Fields. Just the two of us.”

He’s so damn sexy when he’s smiling at me like this. How can I deny him?

“Sounds good to me. What should I pack?”

“Nothing. I’ll make sure we have everything we need. Let’s go tell Twig he’s on Chepi duty tonight, then we can leave.” Nyx takes my hand and guides me out into the hall.

We find Chepi already with Twig, snacking on slices of meat. I tell Chepi I’ll be back tomorrow, and he takes it fine. He’s more interested in food than what I have to say at the moment. Should I bring Chepi with us to Nitross and back to Cloudrum? Or should I leave him here? I need to remember to talk to Nyx about that later. Nyx exchanges words with Twig before they both turn their attention back to me.

“Here. Change into these, and I’ll pack a few things. Then we can leave,” Nyx says, handing me a pile of clothes. I wander into the bathroom adjacent to the dining room and get dressed. I guess tights and a tunic isn’t proper attire for the snow. I have on thick fur-lined leggings with a white sweater and white and black jacket on top of that. A black knit hat covers my ears, and I slip into black, fur-lined boots. Feels a bit ridiculous wearing all this in the heat of the jungle. I look in the mirror and laugh a bit, but I’m sure I’ll be thankful for all the layers soon enough. I head back to the kitchen, and Nyx appears. He’s donning warmer clothing as well, a large black coat and knit hat.

“I heard you like hot chocolate, so I took the liberty of making a special concoction for the two of you,” Twig says, shaking a large thermos in front of me before stuffing it into the backpack Nyx holds.

“Yum, thank you, Twig.” I wonder what special means. Did he put magic in it?

“Now my home in the Fate Fields is much too far for us to fly. We’ll have to channel. It’s further than I’ve ever channeled with you while you’ve been awake. I just want you to be prepared that it’ll take slightly longer than the few seconds it takes to get around here.” Nyx pulls the backpack onto his back.

“How long exactly? Will it feel the same?”

“Maybe a couple minutes. It’ll be dark, but it’ll feel the same as before. I’ll be holding onto you the whole time.”