I rose to consciousness the next morning very reluctantly, snuggling deeply into the nice soft bed that hugged me just as tightly. Even my dreams had been warm. No, scratch that, they had been hot, sweaty, sinfully erotic. A man with golden eyes had been ravishing me with such sweet reverence, I had never felt so desired nor so aroused. His sweet mouth had nibbled and licked his way all over my body, making sure not to miss a single spot that made me shiver, moan, or whimper. I was begging, panting, and reaching wantonly for him by the time he rose above me to finally claim what was his. The dream was so hot, so sexy, and left me feeling so achy that I was angry having to wake up without the amazing end that I knew would come if I had continued it. Quietly groaning in protest, I rolled over and finally forced my eyes open only to blink in confusion up at the unfamiliar ceiling. Or rather, what should have been my ceiling. Yet, try as I might, I couldn't find a hint of my flaking, sl

I gave her a grateful smile and picked up one of the brushes running it through my hair quickly, trying not to wince when it caught the knots and snags that had built upon each other over the last few days. I ignored the already fraying ends of my hair and quickly pulled it back, braiding it with deft fingers before looking around for something to tie it with. The maid, obviously trained well to anticipate people's needs, handed me a bright ribbon that was oddly flexible like rubber bands. I smiled my thanks again and wrapped the ribbon around the end of it. I forced myself to ignore my reflection, knowing there wasn't anything I could do until Erik got back and I was able to get something else to wear.I turned to the maid and tried to figure out how to ask her if she was the one to take me to my new room. With a judgmental eye, she looked me up and down before shaking her head and saying something else slowly. She was still hissing her words, but this time I caught the different w

After hours and hours of walking back and forth several times, I did not come across the trail, or any kind of trail at all, to be honest. To make matters worse, it was getting colder as the night began to fall.My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Yet another worry to add to the pile of worry that was building in my mind. "This has got to be one of the top ten dumbest decisions I have ever made," I grumbled to myself as I slumped on a rock, giving up on moving any further in the dark.There were plenty of branches around that had fallen from the trees, and I thought for a moment about making a fire and possibly cooking something over it. "Oh, get real, Mara!" I snapped as I wrapped my arms around my knees, trying to hold on to what little heat I had left. "You are not a girl scout and wouldn't know how to hunt unless it was on a good bargain for the meat you cook on your stovetop." Shivering harder, I let my mind wander back home, trying to

The gentle sun was bathing my face in warmth the next morning as I awoke and found myself staring up at the same image from yesterday. A gorgeous dragon was above my head, poised and ready to roar or breathe fire. I tried to make out the symbols that circled it as I slowly sat up in the bed. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Tohr's voice came to me. I wasn't surprised, having fallen asleep with him in my room last night. He had been kind enough to keep me covered. But I really should have known there was no way he would have left me alone. "Yes, it's very beautiful," I arranged the blanket under my arms so there was no chance it would fall. My face flushed, realizing he had seen me completely naked last night when I was distraught.I looked back to the runes again to get the attention off me. The weirdest thing about the runes was that I could almost recognize them. They were tickling the inside of my brain, yet I couldn't figure out exactly where I knew them from. "We are the 'fyre'," he tr

"What the hell, Erik?" I snapped at him.I began pacing around the room over and over again. I was desperately trying to figure out how to get myself, and my brother, out of this crazy mess of a world. "Mara, please calm down and take a seat," Erik implored me. He held out a chair that was in front of the vanity and waved a hand to it. I let out a loud sigh and sat down in the chair, trying to arrange the scarves to allow me some privacy. "I know you have a million questions. So, spit them out. What do you want to know?" Erik began patiently. I gave him half a smile when his words echoed something he had said to me often while we were growing up. I would proceed to hound him with questions, and he would, just as patiently, answer them as best he could. "How did you find this place? What do the tattoos mean? What are those bear/horse/dog creatures? How far from earth do you think we are? Is there any information on when the portal opens here? Why is the king insisting on taking m