had someone I could feel so comfortable with.
"Maybe," Thrain said, hesitating. "Or maybe not. Either way, I'd rather not stay here. We might outnumber whoever's involved, but we don't know what we're dealing with. I say we wait for Cass at that forsaken place in Scotland. What was it called?"
"Inverness?" Aidan prompted. "The Lore Council's still looking for us. My house's the first place they'll suspect."
Thrain hesitated, thinking. "You're probably right. But the property's protected by magic, and you both can teleport. By the time someone gets in, you're already gone. What do you say?"
Aidan shifted to face Amber. I held my breath as I turned from them to Thrain and then back to them. Seriously, the way they stared at each other freaked me out. Their faces remained blank but something seemed to cross their pale features every now and then, and I wondered whether they could actually communicate with one another telepathically.
Amber nodded and jumped up. "Goody. I take her, you take him. Whoever's last is a lame duck." Grabbing my hand, I felt that push again and the weird sensation in the pit of my stomach returned. A groan escaped my throat as I closed my eyes and leaned into the comforting hand holding me tight. I heard what sounded like a light switch. A moment later, when I dared to look again, I was standing in the middle of a large room with modern furniture and a huge fireplace. The nausea forgotten, I turned to the window to look at the low moon casting a soft glow over the huge patch of greenery stretching behind the large bay windows. In Rio it had been night. Here, morning was about to break. We had just travelled thousands of miles, from South America to Europe, in just a few seconds.
"Is that—" My voice trailed off.
"Woods?" Amber laughed. "Uh-huh. I remember the first time I came here I couldn't stop staring."
I returned the smile. "Where I come from we have lots of green but it's usually covered by a huge layer of snow. This is magical. May I?" I pointed at the window. She nodded, so I inched closer and opened it wide to draw in a huge breath of air. It smelled delicious of earth and rain and damp wood. Mystical. With the time difference, I guessed it was about five a.m. Even tough I was tired from all the lack of sleep, the sun was about to rise, and I had no intention to miss my first sunrise in the Scottish Highlands.
The groan behind me told me Aidan and Thrain had just arrived. Judging from Thrain's pained expression and body language—him bowled over as if he was about to empty his stomach all over the floor, rasping for breath—I guessed he didn't enjoy it.
Thrain let out a string of curses. Talk about travel sickness. I smiled under my breath. Gael would never have let his guard down like that. Gael. In all the drama and excitement I had completely forgotten about my boyfriend. How could I possibly? What would he think when he found out I was gone?
"I need to make a phone call," I said.
Amber eyed me carefully. "To whom?
Her attitude didn't deter me. She was anxious that no one discovered our whereabouts. Though I had no idea what was going on, I somehow understood the magnitude of the situation and was okay with her brusque way. "My boyfriend." For some reason my gaze wandered instantly to Thrain as though to catch his reaction. He didn't say a word but a thin line formed on his forehead. It could be the result of his dizziness, which was obvious from the way he leaned against the couch, his hands clutching the chocolate brown material for dear life. Did I want him to be jealous? I pondered the thought for a moment, coming to the conclusion that I very much did.
Amber winked at Thrain. "Can't be the real deal if you're mentioning him only now."
I could feel the telltale heat of a blush scorching my cheeks. "It's sort of—"
The door burst open, interrupting my halfhearted attempt at providing a believable explanation. In the doorway stood a stunning blonde with glossy hair that framed her face with skin like porcelain and elfin features.
"Aidan?" She inched closer and grabbed him in a tight hug, laughing. "Oh, my gosh. I thought I'd never see you again."
"You mean you hoped you'd never see me again." He laughed as she punched his arm