Forbidden Law (An Alien Love #1)

Chapter Twenty One

Ariss was right. Jace had been a whirlwind of anger and power, busting through the air at full speed ahead when she lowered the shield. She held him at bay with a simple flick of her wrist. He froze in midair, his feet about a foot from the ground as his eyes bounced with fury.

"Be gone, children. I am tired and it is late. Go find the portal from which you came and leave."

I nervously touched the dagger where I had stowed it: in the back of my waistband where it sat with a warm weight. Jace and Rayne came to either side of me and fussed, throwing glares at the elder Morfilian as they led me to the waterfall entrance.

"Did she hurt you?" Jace whispered in my ear, guiding me with a hand between my shoulder blades. "I swear that will not happen again-"

"No. She was just telling me more riddles is all. I'm ready to go home."

He just nodded, though the subject wasn't completely dropped. I could tell he would push later. He waved a hand to the side, pulling the water aside with sheer mental force. Rayne disappeared into the darkness first, then we followed.

"What did she mean by portal? I thought you guys just ran the whole time."

Rayne piped up from the shadowy silhouette of thin bushes. "We went through one over the Atlantic."

I huffed and brushed hair aside. "Why would one be over water? Where was I when this happened?"

Jace chuckled and took my hand as he whispered in my ear. "You had your eyes clamped shut. With your nose in a cute little wrinkle."

"But...wouldn't I have felt it?" I stammered.

"Not exactly," Rayne replied. "It's just continuing air, if you're not paying attention. It's over the water because it'd be hard for humans to find."

"Remember," Jace said, "super sight. We can also sense the presence."

I scowled at not being able to see their faces despite the faint glint of inner light that shone from their eyes. A gasp escaped me as my legs were suddenly whipped from under me, my shoulders caught by a strong arm before they could crash into the forest floor.

"Jeez, could I have a warning first?" I grimaced. My voice sounded breathless, and I became horrified by the heaving of my chest. Too much had happened in such a short time that I felt like a watermelon about to explode. I buried my face in his shoulder as they began to run. The sounds of howling wildlife vanished as our momentum surged.

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Guilt spread, spilled ink in water, as my birthday drew close. It was tomorrow. The dread of it pulled my mood into the trenches. The inner conflict that had plagued me since our trip to Poland affected Jace and my parents, because I couldn't keep the questioning look from my gaze when I looked at them. I took particular interest in my mother. But she looked and seemed the same as usual, and I couldn't help a little disappointment at the fact she'd never spoken up.

And Jace...

I would come close to telling him what Ariss had told me, but when it reached the tip of my tongue, a sharp, insecure yank pulled in my chest. I didn't know what to do. My family's safety was important, at the top of my list. Never in a million years would I have ever thought they'd be in some paranormal danger. Brought on by my mother, no less. Nor was Riley here to talk to as I'd like. Half Morfilian? My brain refused to accept it. It wasn't an option. I was quite human. I didn't have speed of sound, glowing eyes, or even adequate height.

Night had fallen, and I was curled on the couch in my living room. The book that was propped on my knees teetered when I scooted farther under the quilt that draped over me two-fold. Mom hummed in the recliner, her hands sorting through a messy pile of coupons in front of her. Dad had gone out to get some things for my birthday tomorrow. He was the type to think he could bake, when really, everything turned out like dusty bricks. But it was the effort that counted.