Butterfly in the Sky (BOOK 1)

Chapter Twenty

"At the moment, she's the only option we have."

He groans, dismayed by my answer. "She avoided answering the question. Where are we?"

With only a shrug to offer, I reach for his hand. Maybe I can reassure him that we're okay. If we aren't, Rory needs to know that I won't let anything bad happen to him, I could never allow danger to touch his head. Not again.

"I love you, okay?" Wrapping my arms around his neck, I tug lightly so that he lowers himself. Pressing my forehead to his, I close my eyes. "I would never let anything happen to you, not again. I'll protect you with everything I have and everything I am."

"Aw, how sweet," Cytherea speaks from a small distance away.

I want to snap at her for interrupting our moment, but I don't. It's better to let go of this anger instead of harboring it and doing something I'll regret. Despite her prickly attitude, Cytherea did help us escape immediate danger and now we're in a safer place because of her. Why would I bite the hand that fed me?

"Where are we?" I ask once again now after distancing myself from my mate. Crossing my arms in front of me, I level her with a stern gaze, though it's hard because her stare is ever so unrelenting.

"This place has no name. Those who use it just call it the arctic lands." Cytherea raises an eyebrow, taking a small step over to me.

Pursing my lips, I give her a dubious look. "I've never heard of it before."

She gives a slow smile, her lips pulling back to reveal blinding white teeth. "That's because it's used by witches. If any other species has the chance to see this place, it's only by a witch's authority. You two are lucky to be here."

I choose to believe her. Cytherea doesn't strike me as the type of woman to lie for the fun of it. Looking into her eyes, her gray eyes, genuity washes over me. Something tells me that she's being honest about everything she's just said. With those thoughts in mind, I blow out a breath, letting the tenseness leave my shoulders.

"Did I pass your test?" She steps closer to me, examining me. Her eyes hold a question in them, but what that is, I can't really tell. "You're an odd being. Your aura... you're like a rainbow, nothing set in stone. You have everything at once."

Auras? From books I've read, I know witches come with different specialities or powers. I've heard of abilities such as seeing the future or being one with nature. I even heard of witches who harbor dormant powers, yet still have the resources and ability to craft potions and spells. But I've never heard of a witch being able to see an aura. I didn't think that was an actual thing. Auras were something humans made up as they claimed to be psychic. But it seems I've been wrong, wolves have been wrong. We know so little about this world, our world.

"But the lycan," she shifts to Rory next, taking him in, "his is different. Yellow is what I see, a great contrast to your powerful lineage."

"What does this mean?" Rory dares to ask, interrupting the witch and her studying. "I thought auras were a farce?"

Cytherea shakes her head. She steps away before turning on her heel and leaving. Rory and I look at each other, at a loss for words with this woman's odd behavior. She comes back only a minute later, carrying a vial in her hands. The liquid inside is translucent, a pretty magenta color that glows with the light.

She pulls the corkscrew from the small bottle and holds it in front of us. "Drink and see what I see."

For some reason, I give no thought to her words. I don't hesitate or ask if this is some ploy to kill us. Taking the bottle, I tip my head back, allowing the flavorless liquid to fill my mouth. When half is gone, I hand the bottle over to Rory. He hesitantly grabs it from me and drinks the rest of it.

For a moment, nothing happens, then a glowing appears around Rory. Light bounces off his skin as it grows around him to create a yellow that could match the sun. All I see is happiness around him, and I can't help but reach a hand out to feel. When I do, I catch my own aura. It changes before my eyes from a sky blue to yellow. I almost think it's mimicking Rory's until it becomes violet.

Lifting my eyes, they connect with Rory's. He looks just as mystified as I feel. And as if we have the same thoughts, he reaches out to me, entwining our hands. Our auras wrap around each other, feeling each other, connecting together. They change into a pink color and I can only assume it represents our love.

"Wow." The word comes out breathless from my lips. There's nothing else I can say to depict how amazing the sight is.

A boom sounds through the room, making both of us jump five feet into the air. My stomach clenches and fear seizes my heart. Turning to the door, I come face to face with a broken and torn Alexei. Before, my heart hurt with fear, but now it hurts with pain at seeing my hurt mate.