by Kris Black
“You think?” He growled. “The last time you tried to use your magic you fainted dead in my arms.”
“It’s the only option left. If it doesn’t work, we’re no worse off than we are now. But what if it does?”
“We have no idea what waits for us in the Isle of the Fae. I wouldn’t count on any familial bonds. Who knows how the faeries think of kin?”
Alina wasn’t sure either. She remembered the love her mother had exuded, basking her in it like a warm hug. But she also recalled the hatred that rolled off Maeve so thickly the acrid stench of it filled her mouth and nose.
“The faeries are the only way to break this curse. We have to try.”
Reluctantly, Christian led her back towards the castle. By the time they reached there, the moon was full in the sky. “Perhaps we should warm up inside before we go to the forest?”
Alina’s nose looked like a cherry and her breath came out in smoke in front of her face. However, if she warmed up, she would be hard-pressed to venture back out into the freezing temperatures. She shook her head and motioned for him to continue. Christian huffed out a sigh, continuing their trek towards the woods.
The wolf pack began howling, a chorus in ode to the moon. Both Alina and Christian paused, waiting to see a tree move or to hear the snapping of a branch. These wolves may be their people, but right now that was a blurred haze of distant thought - they wouldn’t recognize Alina or Christian, or even remember they had been human. After a few moments, the echoes died down.
“Are you okay?” Alina hesitantly put her hand on Christian’s arm. His muscles clenched, wound tight.
“Yes, they’re not close. Moving towards the other side of the property, I think.”
“I didn’t mean that. I meant, how are you doing? Not being out there running with them? Not shifting.”
“It is what it is.” Christian was a bowstring ready to snap, it was clear. “Let’s hurry before the pack decides they want to circle back.”
He took her hand in his own as they hurried into the forest. His heightened senses allowed him to see in the dark, as he gracefully stepped over a root or around some carefully veiled ice patches. Alina wasn’t so blessed and relied heavily on Christian and the light from the full moon to guide her.
It felt like they had been walking the whole night when they emerged in the clearing. Just as she had suspected, it was almost a perfect circle - like the one Felix had taken her to.
A firm hand over her mouth. The taste of blood as she screamed.
Alina shook her head. She had to concentrate. She had to think. How did one summon a faerie portal?
Blood. There was blood everywhere. On the ground, on her shoes, on her hands. She closed her eyes and breathed in, filling her lungs. She cleared her thoughts. She needed a faerie portal.
Her body began to tingle, her breath coming a little shorter as she felt her magic seeping from her body into the ground.
Portal portal portal portal.
“Alina,” Christian whispered. Only then did she allow herself to open her eyes. The blood vanished. In its place was a shimmering, suspended circle like a door. The center was clear and reflective, like the enchanted mirror that they had left in the castle. The other tucked within Alina’s skirts.
“Is that what I think it is?” She breathed out, drained.
“You did it.” Christian stood in awe, looking between his mate and the portal she had summoned from nowhere.
Alina moved first, before shooting her arm out to Christian to steady herself. The portal took more and more from her the longer it was open. “We need to go now. I don’t have enough power to hold it open much longer.”
Christian nodded and took her hand, helping her to the portal where they both stepped through.
It was like swimming in thick air. It was as if being suspended for a moment, and then dropped from the water, upside down, onto the ground. Alina landed hard, Christian landing on his feet beside her. He helped her up as she brushed her dress off.
“Did we make it?” She whispered, looking around in awe.
Everything was a shade of green, the shamrock grass, the juniper of trees, moss and ferns, pine and basil - more green than she had ever seen in her life. The sky was a beautiful cerulean blue, clear as glass. Crickets played soft music as the cicadas chimed in. The air was fresh and comfortable, like the brief time between spring and summer. She drew off her cloak as she started to sweat. Christian did the same.
“Welcome to the Isle of the Fae, Granddaughter.”
Titania, Queen of the Faeries, stood before them flanked by four guards. She was beautiful, deadly, and smiling like a cat who got the cream.
***
About the Author
Kris Black has written three novels. Two fantastical werewolf stories that will keep you gripping the edge of your seat. One contemporary YA about summer love.
Of Beast and Beauty is the first story in a trilogy. The first book is a werewolf re-telling of the classic Beauty and the Beast. It has charted the top 10 rankings on Wattpad for re-telling, fairytales, and beautyandthebeast. The first draft of this story is available currently on Wattpad and Radish. The edited version is available on Kindle and e-book. The second book, Of Snow and Blood, is out now.
In My Enemy, My Mate, Rosemarie Capling must choose between her family, honor, and everything else that she has ever known for a love that could span generations. Torn between her pack and her mate, the Alpha of an opposing pack. This novel has almost 200,000 reads on Wattpad and over 6000 votes.
In Saving Summer, Summer decides to spend the summer with her father and step-mother on the East Coast. She thought that the summer she had envisioned had been destroyed. That is, until she meets Noah Adams and sparks fly. Could her summer be salvaged after all?
Background
Kris has been writing novel-length stories since the young age of twelve. Growing up in a small town with very little to do (except tease her younger brother), she turned to books and story writing as a means to preoccupy her time and let her over-active imagination soar. The love for reading and writing never dwindled, only intensified as she grew.
Now a mother of two, she has decided to return to school and focus on her writing again.
Connect with Me
Visit my website: http://www.krisblack.ca
Follow me of Twitter: kris_black8
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KrisBlackAuthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krisblack.author/
Find my Books:
Favorite me at Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/KrisBlack
Download the Radish App and find me there as well
My books are also available in e-book format at most major retailers.