Chapter 4 #2
“Home?” I ask, looking at his hand and feeling that this is somehow some kind of test. Not sure if I’m failing or passing it, I give Brynn’s hand a fond squeeze, release it, and put my hand in Dom’s and let him pull me up to a standing position.
“I hope you make it back for the tree decorating party,” Brynn calls out to me. “I’d really love to hang out with you some more.”
“We’ll see,” Dom calls out as I race to keep up with him as he charges to the car. “You don’t live in the pack house?” I ask. “I thought that’s where we’d be staying tonight.”
He opens the Falcon’s passenger side door for me. “I live on the southern edge of the border to The Wilds. As much as we are family, raven and wolf shifters have different preferences in their living situations.”
“How so?” I ask curiously.
“Wolves don’t mind living on top of one another. Ravens need more space, and I prefer to be as high up as possible,” he answers.
He tells me funny stories from when he first came to live with the Durrands, and I notice that the weird intensity he had when he came upon Brynn and me talking has faded.
He drives through the pack lands until we reach a grove full of trees situated on a hilly bluff.
He parks, and I wonder why we’re stopping here for some reason until he points to the large tree in front of us.
“This is where I nest when I’m home with my pack. ”
I look again at the tree and realize there is a small, wooden house nestled in its branches, with a staircase going up on the side of the tree that leads to a circular deck.
Amazed, I follow him up the stairs and take in the beauty of the view that encompasses the pack lands and beyond. “It’s even more beautiful than your nest in the city,” I tell him, my voice filled with awe.
“If you like this view, follow me,” he says, guiding me around to the house’s back deck.
What I see takes my breath away. The sky behind Dom’s nest is multicolored.
A gorgeous blend of lavender, tangerine, and violet.
Beyond us are rolling hills of grass that, like the sky, alternate between a sunshine yellow and the more traditional green.
“My nest is situated close to the border, so it offers a view of The Wilds.”
“It looks like a child’s fantasyland,” I say in complete wonder. “My research has always painted the area between realms as wild and dangerous.”
“Don’t be fooled,” he warns. “The Wild’s topography is ever-changing, depending on what’s going on in the realms. During the pack war, the border sky stayed blood red, and the clouds dropped rain that smelled of rotting flesh and was the consistency of oil.”
I look out at the view and have a hard time picturing the beautiful scenery in front of me like he describes.
“Even when it’s beautiful, it’s deadly if you don’t know how to navigate it.” Dom points past a flower-covered hill. “See that lake over there?”
I look to where he’s pointing and see a lake that is the same stunning color as Dom’s eyes. I imagine standing at its crystal-colored shore and being unable to resist taking a swim in its cool, glistening waters.
“The lake’s water acts like a slow acid to anyone but the sea gargoyles who live in its depths, and who only surface to claim unfortunate swimmers once their flesh has been softened like ceviche.”
My still-full stomach turns a little at the image he’s drawn me. I look at him. “Are you trying to scare me out of making the trek to the coven?”
He shakes his head. “I would never deprive anyone of such a grand adventure, but I wanted to let you know some of the dangers your Mergen books might have left out.”
“I have no choice but to navigate The Wilds. It’s the only way I’ll be accepted back into the Order,” I say, but even as I speak the words, I know they aren’t as fueled with desperation as they were just two days ago. What would a life outside the Order look like for me?
A simple look over at Dom tells me what I’d like it to look like.
The handsome thief, who makes every moment spent in his company come alive, is eroding my yearning for the quiet, scholarly life I’d always planned.
I drag my gaze from him and look out into the breathtaking vista of The Wilds and realize Dom’s captivating presence in my life offers similar dangers as the ones he warned me The Wilds hold.
Beautiful and ever-changing and dangerous to me.
Unlike The Wilds, Dom wouldn’t mean to hurt me, but what could a shy, bookish scholar offer him except my magical power that is already his due for stealing the orb?
“Are you sure?” he asks. The question seems weighted, as if he’s asking me more than if I still want to steal the Bryndonian Orb.
Where would I go if I forgot about retrieving the orb and returning to the Order? I belong nowhere. A mage that can’t even manage their own power doesn’t have many options.
I take a deep breath. “Yes, I’m sure.”
He slowly nods at my answer, turns away from me, and heads into his house. As I watch him walk away, I can’t help but wonder if I should have given a different answer.