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Green lights dance across a dark sky. Shimmering and coiling like a snake. “The northern lights,” I whisper.

“Perhaps,” says Sebastian. “Here we call it the Dragon’s Breath.”

I study the shapes in the sky, like green fire amongst the stars. “Are we near the northern hemisphere, or the southern? It doesn’t seem too cold.”

Sebastian shrugs. “No one knows, save the dragons. They created the Otherworld as a safe haven for all paranormals of the earth. Elijah suspects we are near the Antarctic.”

“And you?"

He shakes his head. “Personally, I believe we are in a different world altogether. The sky here never changes. It is always like this, both darkness and light. A place where both creatures of the night and creatures of the sun can live in balance.”

He guides me forward. Where once stood a driveway, now the land is covered in cobbled streets, and instead of a black limo, a dark carriage awaits us. And not just any carriage, but one fit for a man of Sebastian's wealth, with sleek lines and a polished mahogany frame that's pulled by a team of four horses. Something about the majestic beasts doesn't look right, however, and when I step closer I understand what it is.

The horses have six legs each and manes of glistening silver and gold hair!

Past the moat, golden lights drift in the sky like fireflies. They are lanterns, I realize, illuminating buildings torn from a different century. Manors that belong in medieval France. Villas reminiscent of Spain. Gothic cathedrals with sharp angles and stained glass.

The sky turns moist and rain begins to fall, soaking us, but I don't care. I'm too entranced by what I'm seeing.

Lily opens the carriage door, and Sebastian helps me in.

"Ready to experience the Otherworld?" he asks with a wink.

I nod, my mind exploding with the possibilities of what my life has become.

Chapter 10: The Morgue

Death,be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art so;

~ John Donne

Lily givesa sharp cry from the driver's seat outside and the carriage shifts into motion with barely a jolt.

Sebastian is quiet as we travel over cobbled roads, and I don't disturb his silence with the million questions buzzing through my mind. Instead, I stare out the carriage window, marveling as we leave the Night brothers' estate behind and enter the town proper. The northern lights, or Dragon's Breath as they call it, casts rays of color against the rain-slicked streets. The buildings around us resemble something straight out of a Bavarian village, with peaked roofs and colorful shutters. They're pushed up close to the edge of the cobblestone streets, leaving narrow walkways on either side for pedestrians.

And, despite the late hour, there are people making use of them, too. We pass several couples headed in the opposite direction we are, as if coming back from an evening event. They're dressed in a style that reminds me of the fashions of Victorian England; formal vests, coats and hats for the men, narrow-waisted skirts and bonnets for the women. Many of them look as human as I do, but when I examine them more closely I can see evidence of their supernatural heritage, from the twitch of a tail that peeks out from beneath one man's topcoat to the gleam of vertical pupils in the yellow eyes of a woman who looks up at me as we speed past.

It is almost too much to take in.

I sit back and run a hand through my damp hair, shivering a bit as I attempt to wrap my mind around the new world I'm now inexplicably a part of.

"Everyone lives together peacefully?" I ask, finally breaking my silence.

"As peacefully as humans do," Sebastian replies.

"Right. So that's a no, then."

"We have our justice system, as you know," he says, finally turning to look at me. "And there are communities of paranormals here, with their own rules and laws. Overall it works. But we do have our conflicts and occasional wars, sometimes between different races, sometimes amongst our own ranks. If it's an internal conflict, the dragons usually leave the community to handle their own as long as it doesn't spill into the rest of the Otherworld. If it's between factions, the dragons will get involved and arbitrate before things get too out of hand."

"Dragons. Those are judges, right? And they're like, real dragons? Big flying dragons?"

"Yes. Big flying dragons. There are six. One born of each of the elements that shape this world."

I shift in the carriage as we go over a bump and my hip hits a sharp edge of wood. That's going to leave a bruise. "I thought there were only four elements? Earth, air, fire and water?"

"In our world there are two more. Light and darkness. Vampires are born of darkness."