Page 18 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)

AUDREY

My throat tightened and the icy emptiness inside me swelled. “I’m not strong enough for anything,” I replied, moving toward the light pouring through the open back door, hoping that the warm air would ease the frozen ache.

“So?” Cyrus asked, but he didn’t add more power to his word, giving me the chance to respond of my own free will, surprising me.

“I trusted someone I shouldn’t have.” I stepped into the sunlight and turned my face to the sky to stare up at two moons.

My thoughts stuttered. Two.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but when I opened them again, the moons were still there.

What the hell?

“Don’t make me force you,” Cyrus said

A hint of power returned to his words, and I was about to open my mouth again when a man, more handsome than Cyrus and almost as tall and muscular rounded a large bush in the garden.

His warm brown eyes widened with surprise when he saw me, and he flashed a smile that would have stopped my heart if it hadn’t already been stopped with shock over the two moons.

“You’re awake.” His gaze swept over my face and his smile faltered, making me cringe. From the essence radiating off him he was as powerful — or awfully darn close to being as powerful — as Cyrus. And while he didn’t look as intimidating, that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to use his power to force me to talk.

“Why didn’t you shift?” he asked, his tone filled with concern and not reproach like Cyrus. “Your injuries have healed enough. It’s safe.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” I pointed at the moons. “I’m seeing double.”

Except the moons were clearly two distinct objects, one white and normal looking, the other slightly pink and smaller. Not to mention nothing else was doubled.

“I’m still unconscious. That’s what this is— Or dead.” No, if I was dead, I wouldn’t have the icy emptiness threatening to consume me or the constant, throbbing whisper of need beneath that cold.

“You look conscious to me,” the new guy said. He glanced up, looking for what I was looking at, but from his lack of reaction, he clearly didn’t see anything wrong.

“If you don’t see it then this has to be a dream.”

“See what?” Cyrus growled.

I pointed up. “Two moons.”

The new guy glanced behind me, his now weak smile melting into concern. “What about the moons?”

What about the moons! “There are two of them.”

“And?” Cyrus huffed.

“Proving this is a dream and I’m unconscious somewhere bleeding to death.”

“I don’t understand how the Sisters prove you’re dreaming,” the new guy said.

“They even have a name.” Of course they did. Because dreams were like that.

Except I had no idea where I’d come up with the two-moon thing. I didn’t read or watch a whole lot of science fiction or fantasy so I doubted my subconscious would gravitate towards something like that, and nothing else about this felt like a dream…

Was I in another realm?

There were a number of portals all over the planet. Some led to a specific realm like the one in Rome which only went to the Realm of Celestial Light, but there were others that could go to any number of realms if you had enough power and the right spell or the right kind of super with you.

I turned to Cyrus. “Where did you take me?”

There wasn’t a portal anywhere near pack lands, but there was at least one within a two-day drive.

And if I was in another realm, did that mean I was safe? It was farther than I thought I could ever get from Sterling, but I didn’t know much about the other realms and had no idea how dangerous this one might be.

“You’re in Stonehaven,” Cyrus said, filling a glass with water at the sink.

“No, what realm?”

The new guy frowned. “Are you saying you’re from another realm?” He pulled out a chair at a nearby table and gestured for me to sit.

I frowned back at him. If he didn’t know I was from the mortal realm then— “You didn’t bring me here?”

“We found you in Darkweald forest.” Cyrus set a plate with a sandwich along with the glass of water in front of me then sat in the chair opposite me. His dark green eyes locked on me and power rolled off him, making my insides tremble, but he didn’t push — not yet at least — and force me to talk.

“You were badly hurt,” the new guy murmured, taking the seat beside me.

Then realization hit me. If I was in a different realm, I must have gone through the portal Sterling had made to summon that monster. That monster was from this realm.

My pulse leaped, suddenly racing. Was I safe here from that thing?

Oh, my God! Were there more of them?

If there were more of them maybe these guys knew how to defend against them. They were certainly strong shifters. Stronger than Sterling and Royce. Maybe a monster like that was nothing to them.

The new guy brushed his fingers across the back of my hand, jerking my attention— hell, my whole essence to him. He was so close I could see the green flecks in his warm brown eyes.

“You’re safe,” he said, his voice soft and soothing, easing some of the panic.

But that only made me aware of his fingers on my skin, the heat radiating from his body, easily seeping through my thin dress, and the aching longing thrumming in my soul.

I struggled to focus beyond my growing need. “You know how to kill those monsters?”

A hint of concern flickered in the new guy’s eyes.

“What monsters?” Cyrus asked.

“It looked like a greater demon in his natural form but all red like a movie monster.” And it had started eating Merrick while he was still alive.

I shuddered and my gaze dipped to the sandwich Cyrus had made me as my stomach churned.

“None of what you just said made any sense,” Cyrus said.

“I’ve read about greater demons,” the new guy replied. “Whil has a book that mentions them. But I don’t know what this movie monster is.”

“It’s—” How did I explain? Did they even have photography here or would it be easier to compare it to a painting or a play?

Except that wasn’t the point. Confirming that these men knew about the monster and were capable of dealing with it was.

“It was big and red with horns and claws and ate people,” I said.

The muscles in Cyrus’s jaw flexed but he didn’t react as if he knew what I was talking about, and the new guy’s eyes grew bigger.

“Do you think—?” the new guy started, but Cyrus shot him a hard look, stopping him mid sentence.

“We need to talk to Whil,” Cyrus said.