Shadowhurst Mysteries

Realm of Misery: Book 6

No rest for the wicked, especially when the wicked one is me.

Stepping through the portal into Faerie was supposed to be a quick and easy mission, but I forgot, nothing in my life is ever easy.

I never thought I’d say this, but I desperately want to go back to Shadowhurst.

Unfortunately, I can’t catch a break in this evil realm. Danger lurks at every turn. The witch hunters are on the loose. And my friends and I are outnumbered and out of options.

Sacrifices must be made, even if they destroy me.

And I thought Shadowhurst was bad…

EXCERPT

Chapter One

Logan

The portal’s light pulsed against my back as I stepped through the opening. My hand squeezed Savannah’s, and when she squeezed back, it took all of me not to pull her back through the bloody portal to the other side. Following Billie into Faerie seemed to be a good idea at first, but now that we were here, I felt like a complete tosser for letting Savannah tag along.

We knew nothing about this place. 

My eyes squinted, taking in the blinding light surrounding us. Jaw clenched, I held tighter onto Savannah, fingers laced through hers like a lifeline. “Blimey,” I whispered, glaring at the landscape before me. “Dodgy as hell in here.”

To my right, Savannah hissed through her teeth. Her eyes widened as she followed my gaze, and her full lips parted, making all the wrong thoughts rush through my mind. 

Not the time, you wanker. 

I groaned, shaking my head in frustration.

“So this is Faerie, huh?” 

On Savannah’s other side, Billie narrowed her eyes and pressed into River’s chest. The shadows of her spirit magic crawled over her arms, and I shuddered at the thought of having to use my magic in this place. Something about it didn’t feel right; as though danger was looming around every corner.

All around us, luscious trees rose to the sky, my shoulders tensing at their sight. There were no clouds here. Not even one. Instead, the sky was a blanket of colors—every color in the world, it seemed. The light wind that tossed my hair back and forth rippled across the sky, making its hue change in response. My feet dug into the earth and I didn’t fail to notice the purple shade of the ground beneath me. Everything in Faerie was a sodding rainbow. The flowers that bloomed on the trees, the sky, even the bloody dirt.  

“This is it,” Billie answered tentatively. “I think.” She glanced from me to River, then settled her gaze on the horizon. “The trees look like what I saw in my dream, but that’s new.”

All of us followed her pointing finger.

“The cliffs?” Victoria asked, her perky voice piercing my nerves. “I wonder what’s behind them.”

Savannah and I exchanged glances, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was; if the overwhelming darkness covering the cliffs was any indication, whatever lay behind them was scary as hell. The cliffs rose from the ground in massive formations, creating a wall that ran all along the horizon of the land. A deep murkiness encased them and it looked as though a gargantuan shadow swallowed the cliffs whole. Even the sky looked darker, as if night fell over the mountains even though it was clearly midday. Before us, a small path led into the dense foliage of the forest, and if you looked at it from just the right angle, it seemed to point straight for the cliffs. Nothing off about that. 

A hardness formed behind Victoria’s eyes. She reached into the small backpack strapped to her back to pull out a massive stake. Runes covered the shaft and the magic inside me reached for it instinctively. I gritted my teeth, fighting against the energy I strained to contain, eyes bulging as the witch flipped the stake and pointed it away from her. When she caught me glaring, she shrugged. “Can’t be too careful,” she said. “I have the feeling nothing here is as it seems.”

As if in response to her words, one of the large vines dripping off one tree fell to the ground and slithered away. 

Like I said, dodgy as hell.

“What are you thinking?” Savannah asked, pulling the sleeve of my shirt toward her. 

I twisted, my mouth wetting at the sight of her skin, which glistened a stunning shade of bronze in the bright light of Faerie. “I don’t like it here,” I answered.

“Me either.” 

She bit her bottom lip, and I swallowed the lump settling in my throat. 

As her lips spread into a smile, a wave of panic washed over me and I cringed. My head spun around, finding Billie’s troubled face. It didn’t take my reaper powers to know that my sister was freaking out, and when I saw the mate marks on her arm ripple, I knew River and her were communicating through their bond while the rest of us stood around clueless. Clearing my throat, I elbowed Savannah, hoping she’d get the clue. 

“Share with the class, bitches,” Savannah sniped, forcing a grin to my lips. What a cheeky bugger. 

Next to her, Billie’s cheeks flushed while River growled deep in his chest, though neither made a sound. Their eyes met, the gloom behind them making my skin prick. Something was going on with those two; something they worried about sharing. 

“Yo! Weirdos!” Victoria called out. I turned to face her, realizing she had sneaked away from the group like a sodding ninja and was setting up some type of ritual circle around us. “Stop freaking everyone out and just say what you’re thinking!”

Billie rolled her eyes. “There’re no footprints,” she said. 

“So?” Savannah asked.

“So where did the hunters go?” River questioned. “They came through here same as us, we should see some trace of them by now. But there’s nothing. And I can’t smell anyone but us.”

“Mate,” I said. “That’s odd, even for you.”

He shrugged. “Perks of being a shifter. But seriously, it’s like they weren’t even here. I don’t get it.”

“It’s this place,” Victoria said. “Must be protected by fae magic somehow.”

“And you know this how?” Savannah asked.

“Um, because I read,” the witch sniped. 

Even from here I could sense Savannah’s need to argue. Her body stilled and the veins on her neck deepened as she started for Victoria. Before she could do something all of us would regret, I pulled her back, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. I leaned in, whispering, “Let it go.”

To my absolute shock, she did. Not without scowling the entire time, though. 

“You think this place can hide someone’s scent?” I asked, hoping to ease the tension between the two. 

Victoria nodded. “Yep. I’m going to try a locating spell to see if we can track them.”

Her fingers wrapped over two large crystals and she closed her eyes as she bent over the circle she formed around us. Victoria’s long, wayward hair whipped over her face and I could see the muscles in her arms tense as she worked. The circle lit up in a brilliant shade of pink and its energy tore through my body, making my eyes roll to the back of my head. 

“Don’t bother,” Billie said. “You won’t find them.”

Victoria’s eyes snapped open as she twirled to face us. “You don’t think?”

“I know you won’t,” my sister answered. She glanced behind her to the portal, her face reflecting the blue shade. “We should concentrate on figuring out how to close this damn thing and get out of here. Let’s hope we don’t run into the hunters until we’re done.”

Another vine slithered on the ground and we all sucked in a collective breath. My hold on Savannah tightened as I took a step forward, blocking her with my body the best I could. The vine crawled across the forest’s undergrowth, avoiding our feet like a snake, and made its way to another tree. When it twisted up the trunk, I let go of the breath I’ve been holding and faced the group. “I don’t know about you guys,” I said, “but I’m personally chuffed to be here. Great vacation spot.”

Savannah and Victoria chuckled, but River and Billie remained stone still. 

“Seriously, though,” I added. “We should get a move on. No one knows when—”

“Do you hear that?” Billie asked, cutting me off.

For once, I was glad to have reaper magic because the confusion that flooded my system from the group told me I wasn’t the only one wondering what she was on about. My ears perked, and I listened closely, hearing nothing at all. At first. 

Somewhere in the distance, past the blowing wind and the rustle of foliage, a soft melody played. Words I didn’t understand drifted toward me, their sound so soft, I found myself swaying from side to side. “What is that?” I asked.

“What’s what?” Savannah questioned. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Me either,” River and Victoria said in unison.

Billie frowned, her gaze flicking to mine in seconds. “The song, you hear it too?”

“I do,” I answered.

“I heard it before,” Billie explained. “In my dream. Do you hear the water?”

I nodded. 

“Well, that I can actually hear too,” River bit out. “You think it means something?”

“I’m not sure,” my sister said. “But I think we should follow it.”

I don’t. I kept my thoughts to myself, choosing to discern the words in the song filling my bloody brain instead. They made no sense, and I gave up pretty quickly. Brilliant. 

“All in favor of following it?” Savannah asked. 

Everyone nodded. Everyone but me. I wasn’t sure following a random siren call in Faerie was a good idea, but I doubted anything I said would sway this lot otherwise. If there was one thing I learned since getting entangled with this sodding group was that if there was danger afoot, they’d be rushing in, no questions asked. Creeping a glance at Savannah, I rolled my neck and faced forward, head pointing in the melody's direction. 

“Everyone stay together,” River instructed. “If you see or hear anything off, stop immediately.”

No kidding, mate. Everything is off in this damn place. 

One by one, we walked forward with Billie taking the lead. River ran to catch up, leaving us to trail behind them like ducklings following their mom across a busy road. Behind me, the creepy forest of Faerie rustled and hissed, and I took a deep breath in as I flanked Savannah’s side. Eyes narrowed with a singular focus, I followed my sister through the forest. Savannah turned around to flash me a smile, and I tipped my head to return it. My legs pumped harder, rushing to stay at her side as long as possible. 

Keep smiling, love. You’re the only thing in this hellish place keeping me sane.