Shadow Kissed (Magic Side: Wolf Bound Book 4)

Savannah

Rich notes of amber and hickory filled my nose as we entered the dense woods. Dusky orange leaves littered the forest floor, and the thick boughs overhead blocked most of the sunlight from filtering in.

Countless tiny lights floated through the air—like lightning bugs, only smaller and more brilliant. I reached my hand up, and they swirled around my fingers. “What are those things?”

Sam plucked one from the air and inspected it. “No idea. Radioactive gnats?”

We quietly and cautiously moved through the trees, keeping a wary watch on our surroundings. Unlike the moor just outside, there was a cacophony of noises in the forest: the rustling of feathers, the scurrying of something in the underbrush, and the creaking of branches overhead.

I scanned the area as my imagination ran wild, knowing that many creatures dwelling in the Dreamlands were far worse than anything my imagination could conjure. Memories of the noctith demons and the grasping roots in the cave in Forks rose from the depths of my mind, making my skin crawl.

Ahead, something—a woman—moved between two trees. She was gone as quickly as she’d appeared. I blinked, unsure if my mind was playing tricks on me. “Did either of you just see that?”

Jaxson and Sam silently shook their heads, and their bodies tensed as they scanned the area. But there was no sign or scent of her.

Creepy magic?

We kept moving, and after a while, a subtle glow filtered through the forest. The orb had to be just up ahead. My pace quickened, but I kept my footfalls light. A circle of bright, almost fluorescent, mushrooms had grown below a large, twisted oak.

“A fairy circle,” Jaxson said, his eyes still scanning the forest. “Don’t step in it.”

Fairies?

I frowned. There was still a huge world beyond Magic Side I was totally unaware of. Once we defeated the Dark Wolf God and weren’t fighting tooth and claw for our lives, I couldn’t wait to learn more about this world I was now a part of.

As I skirted the fairy circle, a flash of movement over Jaxson’s shoulder drew my attention. I tensed, and then he followed my gaze, but there was nothing out there—or at least not anymore.

The trees thinned, and then another flash of movement. “There!”

Darting from tree to tree, I moved closer until I caught sight of a pond about the size of a soccer field. A stacked-stone retaining wall lined the edges, and what appeared to be a limestone tower or turret rose from the center of the water. The orb hovered above it like some strange planet or giant marble. Aside from a faint golden glow emanating from it, the orb was identical to the first.

Had the movements I’d seen just been reflections of the orb glistening on the water?

I chewed on my lip, searching for a boat or a bridge, or really anything that we could use to get over to the turret. “This is going to get interesting.”

“Well, it seems like you can manipulate things with your shadow magic now. I suppose you could use your shadows to send it over,” Sam said matter-of-factly.

I glanced at her. “You’re a genius, Sam.”

My magic was still so new, I hadn’t even considered it. But if I could pull swords out of people’s hands and restrain lions, I should be able to move things as well, right?

I had no effing clue how to do it, but why the hell not try?

“Just don’t drop the damn thing in the water,” Jaxson grunted.

And there was that. But none of us could fly, and I wasn’t keen on finding out what lurked in the waters of the Dreamlands.

I scooped out the moonstone he’d given me at the castle and looked at it forlornly. Its magic vibrated in my hand and made me feel like I could do anything. If only I could have one of them for keeps.

I pulled my attention from the moonstone and concentrated on calling my magic instead. After a moment, it began flowing through me like a cool stream, and shadows coalesced below me.

I exhaled harshly, focusing my mind on creating those ribbons from earlier. But only more shadows formed at my feet. Why wasn’t it working?

“Keep trying,” Jaxson said. There was a hint of unease in his voice, and I sensed Sam moving behind me. “Focus and find a way to get that rock mounted on the orb.”

The more I concentrated, the more the shadows boiled and moved, but they didn’t form a ribbon. As I strained my mind, the hair on my neck began to rise. Something was here. Fear crept up my spine, and my shadows disappeared as I turned to see what was going on.

Jaxson and Sam had felt it, too. Both looked out over the pond at a woman standing in the shadow of the trees.

An ethereal vision. Vines and leaves wrapped around her, and white and yellow flowers stuck out of the long tresses falling over her shoulders. She was beautiful, but like so many things in the Dreamlands, I had the uneasy feeling that she was deadly. Like a bright red berry or a spiky caterpillar. The aura around her said, Don’t touch.

“We’ve got this.” Jaxson’s voice was stern, his expression sharp. “Focus on the orb before more creatures or guardians show up.”

Right. I was more than happy not to have to deal with the creepy forest lady.

Closing my eyes, I drew my magic around me again, focusing on the way it tickled when it spread under my skin. I pressed my eyes shut and took a steady breath. Come on, Savy. Focus.

The tingles gradually moved down my arm and to my free hand, and when I opened my eyes, a single black ribbon snaked out of my palm. Excitement and giddiness thrummed through me. Angling my hand down, the ribbon twisted and grew until it was several yards long and twirling in front of me as if waiting for my command.

In a weird way, it was cute.

Tenderness blossomed in my chest at this magic that I’d spawned. It was a part of me as much as I was a part of it.

I opened the fist holding the glowing moonstone, and just as I would speak to my wolf, I spoke to my ribbon. Can you take this stone and place it on top of that orb in the lake?

The ribbon paused, then jerked toward my hand. Two smoky tendrils grew from it and wrapped around the moonstone until it was completely veiled. Then the ribbon took it and began moving out over the water. When it seemed the ribbon would snag, it grew longer and continued moving.

My magic was like a whole other entity inside of me. Kind of like Wolfie, I mused.

The wonder that filled me was cut short as Sam shouted, “Savy, watch out!”

I instinctively jerked backward and landed on my ass, hard, as a green blur whizzed past me.

Damn forest lady.

I flipped over and pulled back to a crouch. Sam rushed to my side.

Where was Jaxson?

Where was the moonstone?

Panic surged within me, and I jumped to my feet. The shadow ribbon was still attached, but it was struggling to stay above the water. I pushed more magic into it, and it steadied. I sighed audibly, my nerves twitching like jumping beans. Just a few more feet.

As the ribbon carried the moonstone upward, a damp hand clutched my throat and yanked me to the ground.

It all happened so fast.

The wind burst from my lungs as my back slammed into the mud. I blinked my eyes open, and my vision focused on the face above me. Pale green skin, dark green eyes, and long, flowing hair with flowers strung in it.

The woman’s lips curled in a growl, revealing a set of pointy teeth, and her grip on my throat tightened.

I didn’t dare release my concentration to shock her with my magic. Everything I had was maintaining the ribbon, and I knew I couldn’t do both at once.

So I did the next best thing: I ejected my claws and whacked her in the side of the face.

Loosening her grip slightly in shock, she reeled back and slapped her free hand to the bloody claw marks I’d left. Her eyes flashed with anger.

That’s right, I’ve got thorns.

A flash streaked through my vision and pulled the forest lady monster off me. Her hand reached for my throat, but then she was gone. I sat up, gasping, but quickly pivoted back to the lake, just in time to see my ribbon dissipate into vanishing wisps of shadow.

The moonstone plunked into the pond just below the turret. No!

Horror hit me like a freight train, and I screamed in frustration, though it came out more like a screech. My throat was dry and bruised after the forest bitch had strangled me.

Heart pounding, I spun around. Where was she?

Fuck—where were Jaxson and Sam?

I was alone, and the situation was bad, bad, bad, and I had to decide what to do quickly. I couldn’t worry about the others; they were probably chasing the tree lady. We needed every moonstone we had, so getting that one back was on me.

Time for a swim, Wolfie.