I want to say so much to him, tell him everything, tell him anything, take away his pain, but my lips are stunned into silence. So, I do the only thing I can do.
I lean forward and press my lips against his.
He doesn’t hesitate, kissing me back, his tongue slipping into my mouth. His power surges through me and my heart speeds up, fluttering like a damn lunatic. Sparks of electricity dance across my flesh and spin a web toward him, mixing with his power and sending lightning crackling through our bodies. The sensation feels good.
Really, really good.
No good doesn’t describe this. This kiss is everything my first kiss should’ve been. And my second kiss. In fact, I’ll probably compare every other kiss I have from now on to this kiss, to how wonderful his lips feel on mine. I never want it to end. And I may have let it go on forever if a sharp bite of guilt didn’t nip underneath my skin.
I try to ignore it at first as Foster tangles his fingers through my hair and pulls me closer. But the longer we kiss, the sharper the feeling feels, until it becomes too painful and I have to pull away.
Beyond lost, I wonder if Foster feels the guilt too. But he looks content, his eyes closed, soft breaths rushing from his lips.
When his eyelids open, he reaches up and tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry things were so shitty between us at first, but I want to make up for it. Maybe we can start over?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to start over. I like a lot of the stuff that’s happened between us.”
He smiles as brightly as the clear sky outside, and then leans in to kiss me again.
I want him to so badly, but that biting sensation of guilt nips inside me again, like sharp fingernails against my flesh.
“So, what do we do now?” I ask before his lips touch mine. I’m pissed off I have to stop the kiss, want to figure out where the hell this guilty feeling is stemming from. But I can’t ask him. Not about this. “I mean, what’s next, other than me practicing controlling my powers so I can get the portal open?”
“Well, with Easton stuck here with us, we’ll probably want to make opening a secure portal a top priority or else he’s going to drive us crazy.” He tries for a smile, but it looks forced. “And we also need to try to find a way to get your powers to connect to the other gods’ and goddesses’ power sources.”
“What about food and clothes and stuff?” I ask. “Is there things like that here?”
“No, but my mom should be able to send us some supplies through a secure magical signal.”
“If she can send supplies through it, then why can’t she just travel through it?”
“Because the energy of the signal will probably hurt her. Maybe even kill her,” he explains. “Only non-living objects have been transferred through the signal before. That’s why my mom’s shadow only appears when she communicates with us.”
I gape at him. “Her shadow?”
He chuckles at my shock. “It’s kind of like a spirit. All elemental protectors can temporarily remove their spirits from their bodies. But it takes a lot of practice and a lot can go wrong. Out of all my brothers, only Porter has ever tried it, and he did it without ever practicing and … well, he’s never been the same.”
When he mentions Porter’s name, my heart does this bizarre sprinting thing, which makes no sense at all. I barely know Porter, and what I do know kind of unnerves me. So why is my heart suddenly acting like a ditzy spazz at the mention of his name?
“Everyone keeps acting like there’s something different about Porter,” I say. “And I think I may have sensed that when I first met him.”
“There is … But it’s not really my secret to tell.” He wavers. “Maybe one day he’ll tell you.”
“Or maybe you could just tell me now?” I suggest.
“Sorry, but I know he wouldn’t want me to tell you.” He offers me an apologetic look.
“All right, I guess I get why you won’t tell me.” I feel a tug inside my chest, and I’m pretty sure it’s coming from the link. “Do Porter, Max, Hunter, and Holden know what happened to us?”
“They do and they want to come see us as soon as they can.” His eyes shadow over for a fleeting moment, but the lightning returns when he shakes his head. “Hopefully by then, Hunter can fully repair the link.
I nod in agreement, but deep down, I feel like a liar. I’m not sure why other than maybe something is messing with my head. At least I hope that’s what it is.
Chapter 14
Foster
Kissing Sky was the most amazing thing ever. After spending years thinking I’d never have that and finally having it … there are no words. I also feel more connected to her than I ever have with anyone else.
At the same time, I’m scared shitless. While I told her most of the truth, there are some things I’m too afraid to tell her or that aren’t my secrets to tell. Like with Porter. Like what’s really going on with the link. And like with what really happened to Brody.
After I finish explaining what I can to Sky, she ends up falling asleep. With how much power she used to open that portal, I’m guessing she’ll probably sleep a lot over the next few days.
Knowing my mom is going to send another message soon, I climb out of bed and slip out of the bedroom, leaving Sky sleeping in the bed.
The house we’re at is the only house in this world, and I have no fucking clue if it was here before we showed up or if our powers created it. It’s mind blowing to think about, that we tapped in to this kind of energy.
Sky’s and my powers …
I still can’t get over how fucking amazing that sounds.
Then again, Easton was part of it too …
A frown pulls at my lips as I wander into the living room where Easton is lounging on a sofa with his shoes kicked off, and he’s playing with an orb of water energy.
“Did you tell her everything?” he asks me as he tosses the orb toward the ceiling then catches it.
I flop down onto a sofa. “I told her pretty much everything.”
He flicks the ball of energy, and it hits the wall, splattering into a puddle. “Did it not go well? Is that why you’re sulking?”
“No.” I wipe the frown off my face, not wanting to talk about the reason I’m frowning, that it has to do with him and Sky and with all of my brothers and Sky for that matter. I sink back into the sofa and rub my hand across my face. “Sky handled the news better than we thought she would. She wants to find her mom, though. Her real mom.”
Easton raises his brows. “You know that’s going to be nearly impossible, right? Mom and Dad think she’s more than likely dead.”
“I know, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her. And I’m not going to until I’m one hundred percent sure.”
“Well, I don’t think you should wait, but I guess it’s your call.” He seems annoyed, but I pretend not to notice.
Just like I pretend not to notice the way he looks at Sky sometimes. Or like the time he got turned on by her sassiness and lost grip on his powers enough that the faucet turned on.
And he’s not the only one of my brothers acting this way. Sure, all of my brothers flirted with Sky in the beginning, but when they found out what she is, they backed off. Not just because nothing can ever happen between any of them and her, but because they know how I feel about her. But when Sky was in the room of darkness and her powers and internal pain blasted down the link, not only did it alter the link—deepen it—but it messed with all of my brother’s heads. They feel more connected to Sky now and in tune with her powers and emotions. And while Sky hasn’t flat out said it, I think she’s starting to feel that connection with my brothers as well. Although she probably doesn’t understand why. But I’ve seen the confusion in her eyes, the perplexed guilt when she broke up the kiss between us.
Hopefully, Hunter will be able to get here soon and return the link back to its original state so everything can go back to normal. My brothers and I have always been close and I don’t
want us fighting over the same girl. A girl that none of them can even technically be with. Not intimately anyway.
“Have you told Sky about Brody yet?” Easton asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I shake my head. “Not yet. I’m worried she’ll end up feeling guilty about it. And with everything else she’s been feeling over the last few hours… I’m worried she’s going to have an emotional breakdown.”
“I know… I can feel how much she’s hurting.” He touches his chest with his hand and my jaw ticks, but I bite back my irritation. “She shouldn’t feel guilty about it. It wasn’t her fault. If Brody hadn’t forced himself on her, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“I know, I think Sky’s the kind of creature who’ll feel guilty about something like that, even if it wasn’t her fault.”
We grow quiet, the crackling of the fire filling up the silence. It’s usually not this quiet between us, but we’ve been a little off since the link got altered.
“You should probably wait to tell her,” Easton finally says, pushing to his feet. “Wait until at least the shock of everything else has worn off.”
I nod, in complete agreement. He’s right. I shouldn’t tell Sky yet about what happened to Brody. That the kiss he stole from her ended up killing him. That I really didn’t get into a fight with him. That the reason Max, Holden, Hunter, and Porter took off is because they were hiding Brody’s body in one of the worlds so no one will ever find out what happened. That Max erased Anders’ and James’s minds, the elemental protectors who helped Brody trap Skylin in the room of darkness. But not before I got in a few swings. Although, Anders ended up sucker punching me in the face; hence the bruise.
They got off easy if you ask me. And I’m not going to lie; a part of me wanted to make it so they were buried right beside Brody. My brothers stopped me from doing it, though. I guess that’s good. If I had done it, if I had unleashed that darkness that’s always inside me, it would’ve probably taken over. Would’ve probably killed who I am and left a demon of darkness in its wake.
It’s one of the complications of being an elemental enchanter, and another thing I haven’t told Skylin about yet. That if our kind ever tap into that darkness, if we ever fully release it, we’ll become a part of the darkness forever.
Chapter 15
Skylin
“Can you feel the darkness, my queen.” Darkness’s laughter echoes in my head.
“Leave me alone!” I scream.
“Never,” darkness promises. “I’m going to continue to torment you the only way I can for now. And eventually you’re going to crumble and give in. And then, you’ll want to be my queen.”
“That’ll never happen,” I promise with my fists clenched at my sides.
“You say that now,” darkness purrs. “But when you find out the truth, you might change your mind. Trust me; sometimes letting the darkness take over is much easier than feeling what lies on the other side.”
“What’re you talking about?” I whisper, my chest constricting as the darkness thickens around me.
“You’ll find out soon.” Darkness laughs.
And laughs.
And laughs.
Until I can no longer hear anything else.
Iridescent Chaos (Enchanted Chaos, Book 3) is coming September 2018!
Want to read more of Skylin’s story? Iridescent Chaos (Enchanted Chaos, Book 3) is coming September 2018!
For more info on upcoming releases, visit my website, jessicasorensen.com
About the Author
Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.
Also by Jessica Sorensen
Enchanted Chaos Series:
Enchanted Chaos
Shimmering Chaos
Iridescent Chaos (releases September 2018)
Capturing Magic:
Chasing Wishes
Chasing Magic
Untitled (coming soon)
Chasing Hadley Harlyton:
Chasing Hadley
Falling for Hadley
Holding onto Hadley (coming soon)
Cursed Hadley:
Cursed Hadley
Enchanting Hadley (coming soon)
Tangled Realms:
Forever Violet
Untitled (coming soon)
Curse of the Vampire Queen:
Tempting Raven
Enchanting Raven
Alluring Raven
Untitled (coming soon)
Unraveling You Series:
Unraveling You
Raveling You
Awakening You
Inspiring You
Fated by Darkness
Untitled (coming soon)
Unexpected Series:
The Unexpected Way of Falling
The Unpredictable Way of Falling
Untitled (coming soon)
Shadow Cove Series:
What Lies in the Darkness
What Lies in the Dark
Untitled (coming soon)
Mystic Willow Bay Series:
The Secret Life of a Witch
Broken Magic
Untitled (coming soon)
Standalones:
The Forgotten Girl
The Illusion of Annabella
Confessions of a Kleptomaniac
Rules of a Rebel and a Shy Girl
The Opposite of Ordinary
Broken City Series:
Nameless
Forsaken
Oblivion
Forbidden (coming soon)
Guardian Academy Series:
Entranced
Entangled
Enchanted
Entice (coming soon)
Sunnyvale Series:
The Year I Became Isabella Anders
The Year of Falling in Love
The Year of Second Chances
The Coincidence Series:
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
The Redemption of Callie and Kayden
The Destiny of Violet and Luke
The Probability of Violet and Luke
The Certainty of Violet and Luke
The Resolution of Callie and Kayden
Seth & Greyson
The Secret Series:
The Prelude of Ella and Micha
The Secret of Ella and Micha
The Forever of Ella and Micha
The Temptation of Lila and Ethan
The Ever After of Ella and Micha
Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always
Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always
The Shattered Promises Series:
Shattered Promises
Fractured Souls
Unbroken
Broken Visions
Scattered Ashes
Breaking Nova Series:
Breaking Nova
Saving Quinton
Delilah: The Making of Red
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets
Tristan: Finding Hope
Wreck Me
Ruin Me
The Fallen Star Series:
The Fallen Star
The Underworld
The Vision
The Promise
The Lost Soul
The Evanescence
The Darkness Falls Series:
Darkness Falls
Darkness Breaks
Darkness Fades
The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):
Ember X and Ember
Cinder X and Cinder
Spark X and Spark
Unbeautiful Series:
Unbeautiful
Untamed
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