Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 4)

Savannah

A vast, windswept moorland stretched before us. Snowcapped mountains rose in the distance, fronted by forest-covered rolling foothills. While it was not night in the Dreamlands, sunlight filtered down through clouds and a pale sky.

The damp cold bit through my clothes, and I shivered. “This is nothing like the Dreamlands we visited last time.”

“Our legends claim that the Dreamlands are made up of hundreds of realms, each unique and inhabited by different creatures,” Jaxson said.

I rubbed my arms to warm them, and Jaxson’s jaw tensed. He pulled me close, which sparked another flurry of shivers for all sorts of other reasons.

I tried to focus on the task at hand.

The Moon had anchored her spell in the Dreamlands with three massive floating orbs infused with her magic. We had to find them and recharge them with the moonstones she’d given us. I was pretty sure the moonstones were more than just mundane receptacles for magic—they seemed to be pieces of her lifeforce, judging by the way she’d withered the moment she handed them over.

My gaze settled on a derelict castle perched on a rocky outcrop, our first destination. She hadn’t given us any details about it, just that it was a ruined keep. “Maybe fate will throw us a bone, and this place will be populated with friendly furry creatures.”

Fate had been a sour bitch so far, so I didn’t get my hopes up.

“Unlikely,” Sam said dryly. “What do you say, shall we go storm the scary fortress?”

“Let’s go.” I touched my pocket where I’d stashed the moonstone. A faint glow filtered through the fabric, and like I’d downed a shot of Red Bull, I felt my magic spike.

I could get used to having a battery of the goddess’s power.

We started down the gentle slope as a light fog moved across the quiet landscape. Patches of bright pink flowers contrasted with the bleak, yet eerily beautiful, scenery. They looked like a type of strange heather, and their blossoms shrank when we moved through them.

My boots squished over patches of moist earth. Even though it had been bold to ask, I was deeply relieved that the goddess had let me take my Swiftleys.

Jaxson and Sam moved quietly on either side of me, their postures tense and alert. The moonstones in their pockets gave off a similar glow to mine, and together, we probably looked like strange beacons bobbing over the hills like will-o’-the-wisps. Hopefully, no watchers decided to take an interest. At least no one stopped us on our way up the slope to the fort.

Black and orange lichen covered its crumbling walls. The place seemed long abandoned, but a faint pulse of magic radiated from it, warm and soothing like the magic coming off the moonstones.

“It’s in there,” I whispered. “Do you feel it?”

Sam nodded as she climbed the outcrop of volcanic rock that spilled out of the gentle slope on which the castle was perched.

“Stay alert,” Jaxson said as a raccoon-sized animal scurried into a gap in one of the fallen walls. “We have company.”

The faintest scent of tar rose on the breeze, and my nerves hummed. Get in and get out. That’s all we had to do. The quicker, the better.

I glanced up at the stone wall, which towered above us at least a hundred feet. Apart from several windows that pierced it, there was no gate or entrance. “Should we go around the other side, or—”

Sam gave me a wicked grin and leapt ten feet in the air. Her claws dug into the stone, and she scrambled up the wall like a goddammed spider monkey.

Jaxson looked back at me with a glint of amusement flashing in his eyes. “You good?”

“Perfectly fine,” I snarled. He knew I hated scaling heights.

Slipping my claws out, I raised my chin and jumped onto the wall. My claws sank into the moss-stained limestone, and I heaved myself up, my muscles feeling exceptionally strong with the extra kick of moon magic.

Jaxson followed and somehow made it look even easier than Sam had.

Despite my moon-fueled burst of energy, I was breathing hard by the time we reached the top. I pulled myself up and slung one leg over the crumbling wall.

From there, I had an intimidating view of our surroundings. Just below the outcrop, about a hundred yards in the distance, a dense forest stretched out as far as my eyes could see. The wind carried scents of moss, earth, and the acrid odor of freshly laid asphalt on a hot day.

That last part was definitely unexpected, and I had no idea what it implied.

My breath hitched at the sight of the giant stone orb in the paved courtyard below. Hauling myself over the wall, I carefully descended. Sam was already on the ground, but Jaxson stayed just below me, I supposed to catch me if I fell.

I sighed in relief when my feet finally hit firm footing, and I quickly moved to inspect the white stone orb.

The thing measured at least twenty feet in diameter and levitated about four feet off the ground. The closer I got, the stronger the Moon’s power grew, vibrating through me like a drumbeat just beyond the edge of hearing.

There was something both beautiful and ancient about the orb’s simplicity. There were no magic runes, no ornamentation, no pretense at all. It was just her power made manifest, holding the Dark God at bay. The thing was completely smooth apart from a little notch at the top, a perfect match for a moonstone.

The problem was how to get it in. The orb was levitating just a few feet too high, and I couldn’t reach the damn notch in the top. There was no graceful way to get up, and I didn’t want to scratch the thing with my claws lest I damage it.

Or, more likely, it might damage me.

What would happen if I touched it? Just patting the moonstone in my pocket gave me a jolt of power. It could be like jamming your hands on the wires at a power transfer station.

Screw it. I gave the orb a fast tap. Cool as a cucumber.

Still not sure I wanted to scale it with my claws, I reached for the moonstone in my pocket, but a blur of movement from across the courtyard froze my hand in place.

“We’ve got company,” Sam said, and Jaxson was at my side in an instant.

We scanned the courtyard. For a moment, the only sign of intruders was an intense acrid odor, and then two figures bearing curved swords slipped out from behind a collapsed portion of the castle’s upper story.

“Holy shit,” I whispered as my skin prickled. “What are those?”

One of the figures was double the height of the other, but they wore identical threadbare trousers and an oversized capelet with a hood. They appeared to be men, but their ashen, weathered skin and gray eyes indicated they weren’t human.

“Savy,” Jaxson said as he slowly stepped forward, “put your moonstone in the orb.”

The instant I moved back toward the orb, the two figures bounded across the courtyard, and they were on us in a second.

Shit, they were fast.

Sam kicked the smaller figure as he lunged at her, and he ricocheted off the wall, but he recovered in a breath and crouched for another strike.

Jaxson ducked under a singing blade that almost took off his head. Panic surged through my veins, and my magic flared. Instinctively, my hand flew out, and a ribbon of shadow shot forward, wrapping around the sword that kissed Jaxson’s chest.

What the hell?

That had never happened before. I tugged on the wisp of shadow, and the weapon flew out of the bastard’s grip. Shock cut his grisly features, and he growled before jumping onto Jaxson.

Exhilaration coursed under my skin. Crushing the lion monster with my shadows had been awesome, but this…this was even better. Had the moonstone given me this new magic?

I flung the sword on the pavement behind me, then shot another shadow ribbon at Sam’s attacker. It wound around his neck, and then, with a flick of my wrist, I flung him across the courtyard.

Holy crap!

He hit the stone wall adjacent to us, and his limp body dropped to the ground like a sack of rocks. For a second, it looked like he was smoking, and then he burst with a piercing light that exploded across the courtyard.

I screamed as my eyes burned.

“Fuck!” Sam shouted. “What the hell was that?”

I blinked a couple times until the bright spots cleared from my vision. A pile of ash lay where there should have been a body.

That was definitely one way to go out with a bang.

Jaxson was locked in combat with the other figure, and I had no doubt he’d make short work of him.

“Watch out, they go nuclear when they die!” I shouted. “Don’t get too close!”

Jaxson cursed and kicked the creature in the chest, sending it flying back.

I scrambled over to the orb. Here we go.

Crouching, I jumped with my arms wide and landed on its upper surface with less grace than a drunk girl in heels on the dancefloor. I cursed my throbbing ribs and inched my way up until I could reach the little notch at the top.

Before I got there, another blinding pulse of light consumed the space, and I pressed my face against the orb to shield my eyes.

“I hate those fucking things!” Sam swore.

After a moment, I opened my watery eyes.

“Are you okay up there?” Jaxson shouted.

“Fine! Just a sec.” Once I was sure I wasn’t going to slip off, I scrambled up the last few feet and deposited the moonstone in the opening.

The inaudible thrum of the orb intensified, and it emitted a warm glow, casting a column of light high above the castle—a pylon.

I slid off the orb, landing firmly on my feet. “One down, two to go.”

Jaxson stalked toward me like a predator. His clothes were torn and tattered from the lion attack, and a glistening gash stretched across his chest where a sword had sliced him. Sweat and blood covered his brow, and God, was he beautiful like that.

Clink.

Something bounced on the pavement below the orb. The moonstone. I bent down and picked it up. The thing was warm to the touch, but all of its magic was gone.

“Are you hurt?” Jaxson asked Sam.

“Apart from my eyes, no.” She glanced over at me. “Thanks, by the way. Your magic is getting wicked good.”

“I’m beginning to use my shadows, but I’m not quite sure how this works. I think, in part, it might have been the magic of the moonstone. It gave me a little boost.”

That wasn’t entirely accurate, though. My magic was getting stronger, almost by the day. But using it was also sapping my energy more and more. Without the magic of the moonstone, my muscles felt like jelly.

Jaxson pressed the moonstone he was carrying into my palm. Its magic spilled into my body, filling it with a new reserve of power, and I felt strong again. Invincible.

“Thanks.” I peered up at him, but I couldn’t help my gaze from dropping to his fresh wound. It was already knitting, but his shirt was torn and bloodied. “Sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

“You had my back.” He touched my cheek and gave me a look that sent fire through me and made my knees tremble. “I’m going to thank you later.”

I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling overheated. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Sam chuckled. “Now I know how to get you moving.”

My cheeks flushed, but I couldn’t help the smile that spread. “Shut it, Sam.”

I pocketed the spent moonstone just in case the moon goddess wanted it back, then followed Sam as she vaulted up the wall. Damn, that girl had no fear of heights and was also a showoff, but I loved her, even if trying to keep up with her was probably going to get me killed.

At the top, I balanced on the broken remains of a tower and gazed out over the forested landscape.

“Are you seeing what I am?” Sam asked.

My heartbeat skyrocketed. Two areas in the forest, separated by at least a kilometer, glowed. They hadn’t been there earlier, which suggested that they were tied to the orb we’d just recharged.

I smiled. “Bingo.”