A thumping noise startled me, and I looked up, lifting my hands automatically into a defensive position. A large, snowy white rabbit stood just a few feet away from where I was sitting. This wasn’t an ordinary rabbit by any means, and the sheer size of it set my pulse racing. It had to be at least as tall as I was. I froze, not wanting to move or make a sound.
The rabbit hopped across the path in great leaping bounds that shook the ground under me. It stopped at the foot of one of the bendy trees, whose leaves were shaped like a heart split in two, just like the sketch in the book. How hadn’t I noticed that before? The creature sat up on its hind legs, the tops of its giant ears brushing one side of the leafy heart, and suddenly looked back at me. I watched in awe, as it shrank, getting smaller and smaller until it was the size of a tiny dwarf rabbit before it disappeared into a hole in the ground.
As soon as the rabbit disappeared, the ground began to rumble, shaking the leaves in the tree over my head. Apples fell to the grass around me as the tremors got worse. The trunk of the tree shifted against my back and I sat up, covering my head as the fruit pelted me. The ground sounded as if it was going to split in two. A paw, capped with razor sharp claws, rose from the hole the rabbit had just disappeared into, the points glinting dangerously in the sun.
I jumped to my feet, readying myself for battle as the earth continued to shake underneath me. The blood whooshed in my ears as my heart thudded hard in my chest, but I was focused on the hole and ready for anything.
The hole expanded, swallowing the small tree beside it as the ground crumbled away. Out climbed an enormous cat, at least five times the size of the ones I was used to. Its shaggy dark gray fur was painted with shimmering golden stripes that were blinding in the sunlight. Its glowing green eyes considered me flatly as its sneering mouth spread wider, revealing teeth even pointier than its the gleaming claws. It purred low in its throat, the rumble buzzing through the air. The cat’s tail twitched once, twice, and then it came for me.
I opened myself, dipping into that deep well at my center to draw out a mighty bolt of flashing power that would knock the giant tabby cat back to wherever the hell it came from. But nothing happened. I could feel the quivering magic in my bones, but I couldn’t access it. Even as a young girl, I’d been able to draw into that wealth of power, tapping into the endless reserve of the energy from the air around me and the earth beneath my feet. This didn’t make sense. Why couldn’t I use my magic?
The cat crossed the grass on its giant paws, hissing now, its mouth spread into a sharp-toothed grin. It jumped with its sharp claws aimed at my chest, and I dove out of the way, twisting into a practiced somersault that delivered me right back onto my feet again. I turned to face the feline as it spun in a circle, green eyes blazing, baring its teeth in a lethal grin. I strained every muscle in my body, clenched my teeth tightly, and urged that shivering power to come rocketing out from inside of me. But I couldn’t draw from the air around me, couldn’t awaken the magic from the hidden place deep inside my body. The earth in this world was as useless as my fingertips, as the dead, scentless air I was breathing.
The cat came at me again, picking up speed as I stood there, powerless, my magic completely inaccessible. I forced the rising panic down, swallowing it whole. I didn’t have time to lose control of my senses. I had to get out of this situation, then I could deal with whatever was blocking my abilities. Centering myself again, I prepared to dodge the cat’s second charge. My mind raced to come up with a way out of this that didn’t involve a spell. The next time I rolled onto the ground to avoid it, I could grab a few apples and aim for its sneering face. It was a shitty plan, but what choice did I have?
An arrow whizzed by my head, close enough that I heard it cutting through the air. It buried itself in the cat’s rear leg, crippling it before it could leap at me. It wailed, disturbingly human sound, as its emerald eyes expanded in shock. A second arrow dug into the ground next to its front paw. A warning. The cat took off, still hissing as it returned to the gaping hole in the earth. It dropped into the chasm, disappearing from sight.
I turned to face whoever had come to my rescue, a relieved grin curling over my lips. A man stood a few feet away, another arrow at the ready and aimed at the hole in the ground.
“Thanks for—” the words died on my lips right along with my grin.
He turned his blazing blue eyes on me, his face set into a rigid expression as he shifted the point of the arrow up from the hole at his feet, and aimed it directly at me. He’d already demonstrated how good of a shot he was. I tried again to see if I could stir the magic laying stubbornly dormant at my core, but it was a no go. Unable to defend myself the only way I knew how at this distance, I resigned myself to being at this stranger’s mercy.
CHAPTER 3
~
“WHO ARE YOU?” HE ASKED, his deep voice rumbling in a way that reminded me of the giant cat.
“A traveler,” I said.
“Are you here to harm the Queen?”
I shook my head slowly, not risking any sudden movement that might give him a reason to shoot that arrow. I hadn’t felt this helpless since I lost my parents.
“I don’t even know who the Queen is,” I replied. “I’m just a traveler. From another realm.” I didn’t see a reason to tell him anything else. He was either going to shoot me where I stood or stand down.
The toned muscles in his arms relaxed as he slowly lowered his bow and eased his grip on the arrow. I didn’t doubt he could notch that arrow again in a heartbeat, shooting me right in the center of my back if I tried to run off. He was dressed in a uniform of some kind—his long legs were clad in black pants and a matching shirt stretched over his broad shoulders and muscular chest, the sleeves pulled up past his elbows to show off the bronzed skin beneath. His eyes were the exact same stunningly magnificent true-blue color as this world’s sky, but they were made even more striking by the tanned skin surrounding them. His face was locked tightly into a watchful expression, giving away nothing of what he was thinking or feeling.
I should have been able to read his energy easily from this distance, but the air was as dead as my magic. Everything about the atmosphere here was blocking me like an invisible wall. I didn’t get it. How the hell was I supposed to get out of here, if I couldn’t kickstart my magic again?
“Why are you here?” he asked, eyes narrowed to blue slits.
“I’m looking for someone.” When his eyes widened, I hastened to add. “Not the Queen. Someone from my realm. Have you seen any other travelers?”
He considered me for a few uncomfortable seconds before shaking his head. “No, but I haven’t been in this realm for very long.”
“You aren’t from this world?”
“No,” he admitted. A gust of scentless wind blew through the orchard, ruffling the short golden-brown hair on his head. His toned arms were covered in the same light-colored hair. The blazing sun made them look like they were wrapped in a layer of spun gold. “I only arrived a few days ago.”
My shoulders slumped a little. There went any chance of this guy having any real information about this realm. He was just another traveler. But why was he walking around in uniform and carrying a bow and arrow? Maybe he could still be of some use after all.
“My name’s Alicia,” I said. “Alicia Stark. Thanks for getting rid of that cat.”
He tucked his arrow into the quiver on his back and hung his bow there as well. I relaxed a little more once the weapons were put away.
“You seem pretty harmless,” he said with a shrug.
I had to smile at that. No one I knew back home would describe me as harmless, but I was happy to let him think that way for the moment.
“Grayson Blackwell,” he said, his deep voice growing a little friendlier, but I still didn’t trust him. Just because he’d put that bow away, didn’t mean he couldn’t retrieve it again in an instant. I had to keep my guard up until I could get a good feel for what he was really all about.
“Did you come to this world through the portal?” I asked.
“I came by invitation,” he said, his light eyes narrowing again. “To report to the Queen.”
My eyebrows snuck together, just a little. The Terra Magicarum had mentioned a queen. So, had the fantastically unhelpful, plum-gobbling centaur. And there was a castle on the very top of the mountain. Now this. All roads pointed her way.
Grayson walked over to one of the trees and reached to pluck a light green apple from one of the branches. He tossed it in the air, letting it spin a few times before catching it again.
“I wouldn’t eat that if I were you,” I piped up. “Unless you have a death wish, that is.”
He grinned, showing off a mouthful of straight, white teeth as his eyes narrowed into flashing slits, the blue in them the type that could make you forget how rude it was to stare. “Apples are usually pretty safe,” he replied.
“Not in some of the realms I’ve visited.”
He tossed the apple into the air again, much higher this time, and caught it one hand. His light eyes were backlit with the magnetic confidence that loosened his posture, from his broad shoulders to his relaxed limbs. As he moved, his shirt stretched over the muscles of his chest, and I found myself momentarily ogling him before I gave myself a sharp mental slap to the face and snapped out of it. What could I say? World traveling was lonely work.
“I’ve traveled from realm to realm for most of my adult life, battling the most vile, bloodthirsty supernaturals imaginable. If I can survive nightfall surrounded by a nest of crazed vampires or an ogre uprising, I think I can survive a bite of this harmless apple.” He grinned at me again and I smiled back, shrugging my shoulders.
“Suit yourself,” I said, crossing my arms. “I’ll be here to administer CPR when that bite poisons you.”
He chuckled low in his throat, but he threw the apple over his shoulder. It hit the grass with a thud.
“Now you can say you survived bloodthirsty vampires, mutinous ogres, and harmless apples,” I replied, deadpan.
He pursed his lips instead of smiling, his beautiful blue eyes boring into mine, as soothing as a dip in calm waters. “Where exactly are you from?”
“Somewhere else,” I replied.
“That sounds like a lovely place,” he said, his grin sharpening at the edges. “Maybe I’ll visit sometime.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that sprang from my lips. If I wanted information, I was going to have to give a little. “I’m from a realm of humans.” There were a few of those. I didn’t know this guy. Better to keep the description to a minimum until I knew if I could trust him. Sure, he saved my life, but he also aimed an arrow at me afterwards. “What about you? Where are you from?”
“A shifter realm,” he said. It was hard to keep looking at him when his eyes were doing their best to draw me in and distract me with his easy charm.
“Interesting,” I muttered, more to myself than Grayson. That explained the vibrant eye color and off the charts magnetism. I should have been able to sense that about him immediately. Shifters and supernaturals had a long history of not getting along, and we normally knew each other for what we were the instant we crossed paths—though not here, apparently—something in our blood drawing us together while simultaneously shoving us apart. I reassessed him quickly in light of this new knowledge, from the top of his wavy, light brown hair to the tips of his toes. I hated being unable to read him. The loss of that sense was crippling. No matter what I did, the air refused to cooperate. My body was full of churning magic and swirling energy that refused to come out. It was maddening.
“If you came here to serve at the pleasure of the Queen, I can take you to her,” Grayson said, his voice suddenly serious. “Her castle is a day away on foot, and it’ll be dark soon so it’s best to wait until morning. I was planning on camping out here.”
I lifted an eyebrow, not quite ready to accompany this tall, light-haired stranger anywhere. “I take it, you work for the Queen?”
He nodded. “Everyone and everything in this realm serves the Queen.”
My gut twisted at those words, an uneasy feeling rippling through my body. It was the closest I’d come to harnessing a feeling from the air since I’d come screaming out of the portal.
“I sure as hell don’t,” I replied.
His face tightened to match the storm brewing in his eyes. “You didn’t come by invitation?”
“Sure, I did.” It was sort of true. Something or someone had brought me here. If the Queen sat at the heart of this world, then she might know why I’d landed here instead of my home world. I thought about my parents on that last night, tucking me into bed before they stepped through that last portal—the one that took them away from me. Could they be behind this somehow?
“Then you must be here to work for the queen,” Grayson said.
I snorted a laugh at the idea of toiling for some pretentious royal. “Hell no. I work for myself. Always have, always will.”
He chuckled but his cerulean eyes darkened considerably. “If you’re here, it’s because the Queen wants you to be here.”
I wasn’t excited by the sound of that. Or by the way he stared at me, with open suspicion narrowing his baby blues.
“I’d be happy to discuss it with her,” I said. “Maybe we could come to some kind of agreement.”
His face softened just a touch, the suspicion cooling to resemble something closer to confusion, though his eyes were still troubled. “I can’t tell if you’re brave or stupid.”
I barked a laugh at that. “I think you’ll find I’m a pleasant mix of the two.”
He laughed again, more deeply this time, but his eyes stayed distant, like he was working hard to solve a particularly stubborn puzzle. “What are you?” he asked, coming right out with it. Good to know it wasn’t just me. This world was affecting his senses too. “I can’t quite read you.”
“I’m a white witch,” I said, and waited for his reaction. He could turn up his nose or attack me outright. It just depended. Clans of shifters had been at war with clans of supernaturals in some realms for decades. But, in most worlds, we just deeply disliked each other. I wasn’t getting that vibe from Grayson. But then again, my senses were out of whack.
“That explains the mix of bravery and stupidity,” he said, but he was smiling, his light eyes glimmering in the bright sun.
“Watch it, shifter,” I said, smiling too. “So, do you know where the heart of this world is?”
His sandy eyebrows pulled together, his eyes darkening again. “The Queen sits at the heart of this world.”
Well, I guess I owed that centaur an apology. I’d make sure to swing by on my way out. “I need to find the Queen.”
Grayson looked off in the direction of the castle. “You simply follow the path, but it leads through the woods. And those are dangerous, especially at night. Like I said, I was going to set up camp for the night and head out first thing in the morning.”
That normally wouldn’t faze me, but with my magic out of order, I needed to tread more carefully than usual. “I’d rather at least get a head start, so I’m going to keep going…at least for awhile.”
He looked at me as thoughtfully. “Yeah, okay,” he replied as though I was waiting for his approval. “If the Queen invited you, she’ll want to speak with you as soon as possible.” He shrugged, then nodded. “Let’s get going.”
I bit the inside of my lip. Invitation was a strong word, but there was no way in hell I was going to admit to bending the truth. I’d never been to a world where you needed an invitation to enter. If you had the ability to unlock the portal, you could come and go as you pleased. But since the portal was locked, if I wanted to get back home, I needed to speak to the woman in charge.
“I travel better alone,” I said stubbornly, keeping my eyes on him as I bent to retrieve my things from the plush grass. I tucked the book and leather jacket into my knapsack before slinging it onto my back again.
He s
miled again and it seemed less guarded. “Who will protect me from all the dangerous fruit in this realm if we don’t stick together?”
I had to smile at that. A smartass shifter? I could do a lot worse. Not to mention he was extremely easy on the eyes.
Grayson’s eyes narrowed to blue slits again, the corners of his mouth lifting into an even sexier smile that was like a sucker punch to the gut. Damn, how long had it been since I’d gone on a date? I spent most of my time never even thinking about men.
“It’ll be good company, provided you aren’t planning to go bat-shit crazy with your magic. I know how trigger happy you supernaturals can be.”
“I’ll try to control myself,” I said, my lips twitching up into a tiny grin to match his. I didn’t see a reason to tip my hand about being unable to use my powers. Better for him to think I was in full control. “As long as you don’t shift and crush me to death.” Shifters had a bad habit of losing control of themselves for a few seconds during the shifting process. A wise witch stayed the hell out of the way whenever that transformation started.
He laughed. “Should we shake on it?” He extended a hand.
I took his hand, shaking it firmly as I made my pledge. “I promise not to go into a magic frenzy and kill you.”
He kept shaking my hand, grinning down at me as I smirked at him. “And I promise not to shift and crush you to death.”
We didn’t let go of one another right away. This close, I could smell the scent of his skin—clean, earthy, windblown, typical of shifters. But he also smelled spicy and masculine.
Grayson slid his warm, calloused hand out of mine and motioned toward the red dirt path. “We should go.”
I stared up at him, straining hard to read him, to get a feel of his energy, but I just couldn’t get a handle on it. The sensation of being blocked refused to lift. I nodded, keeping my eyes on him.
Broken Magic Page 3