Wanderlust Beastkin, Beauty and the Beastkin

Elara’s Perspective

My hair spread out around me, this gorgeous deep red-brown, but it felt like I was on fire from the inside, like there was this intense heat, pain, and energy just pulsing through me. Suddenly, everything around me got so much brighter, and then my whole world exploded into flames.

Flames swirled around me, flickering in shades of orange, yellow, and red, but oddly enough, they didn’t sting. They danced through my long hair, and I felt no burn. Glancing around, I noticed the rest of the room was engulfed too, and it was definitely not holding up well. The curtains and my freshly made bed were crumbling into ash. Strangely, even with all this fire, the smoke didn’t choke me; it was almost soothing, like being wrapped in a warm, steamy blanket where I felt hidden away, away from prying eyes. I found a weird sort of comfort in it.

Fire, that’s my magic—I can conjure it. Too bad I can’t control it. Suddenly, the flames surged again, and I heard the bedroom door creaking open.

"Don’t come in!" I shouted just as the door began to swing wider, and Skye stepped inside. I heard her gasp as another wave of fire burst from me, but I was frozen in place.

"Help!" I cried out, praying that Beck would hear my desperate call and rush in to save Skye from my flames.

After what felt like forever, I heard Beck sprinting forward, and out of nowhere, a huge blue bubble appeared around him and Skye. I watched in awe as my fire shot out, swirling harmlessly around the bubble, and I let out a shaky breath of relief.

"Thanks," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper as tears threatened to spill. I was stunned as I saw Beck create bubbles around the flames, snuffing them out like they were nothing. How was he doing this? He moved those bubbles around the room, extinguishing every last flicker of fire until the place was finally safe. Just when another flare of flames erupted, he calmly walked over and grabbed my wrist. In an instant, the fire was drawn back into me, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

"How did you pull that off?"

"I have aura suppression, it’s the ability to suppress other beastkin auras that are weaker than mine. Without your aura exploding out, your power will only be what you choose to use. My bubbles are able to extinguish fire because I can control the air that is in the bubbles and if I take out all the air then the fire will go out because it doesn’t have air to feed on. It seemed like the best choice since I didn’t feel like sending a giant wave crashing through here."

I glanced around at the wreckage of my room, feeling a swirl of emotions. Part of me was bummed out that I had messed it up so badly, but another part was almost giddy at the thought that I had taken down something that belonged to those awful people who ran the snatching grounds.

"I can’t have them coming in here since they will notice that your magic suppression collar is off."

I lifted my hand and felt my neck, realizing the collar was missing. So that’s what’s going on. "How?"

"I removed the collar shortly after you fell asleep because it looked like the collar was making you feel uncomfortable. Although this happened as a result it was a good thing that I did it because its extremely unhealthy to wear the collar before you have fully manifested your magic because the magic will just build up and cause you harm. Since your magic has calmed down, it shouldn’t rage out of control unless your emotions get the better of you. After you have more mastery over your magic there won’t be any more issues unless you level up your aura."

I grinned at him, saying, "You can totally help me with that," but then I realized what I just blurted out, and I felt my cheeks heat up. It was a relief to see his face turn a shade of pink too. Seriously, how can he be so good-looking? I feel like a total plain Jane next to him, and I’m not even that bad, right? I mean, I’ve got a bit of pride as a girl. But hey, even if he’s way out of my league, I can still dream about it and admire him from afar—looking doesn’t cost a thing! He’s like the ultimate catch, and Perla snagged his brother’s attention. I guess it makes sense since she’s a stunning mermaid and all. Plus, she’s such an awesome friend, even if we haven’t known each other for long. I’m determined to be the most loyal friend she’s ever had.

Beck led me into the other room and slipped a bracelet onto his wrist and then onto mine after we stepped into Skye’s space. "This bracelet is charged with my mana so it will suppress your aura. You should wear it for now while you still can’t control it and when we get out of town I can help you practice so you don’t have to worry about getting out of control or setting things on fire accidentally."

I ran my fingers over the silver bracelet he slipped onto my wrist, its design swirling like waves crashing one after another. It felt solid, radiating a gentle warmth, like the kind you sense in a place buzzing with high mana. This had to be the item he infuses with his extra mana. You know, high-aura guys usually keep their special items under wraps, only letting their mates in on the secret. It’s a big deal that he’s letting me use this. Typically, they only share their treasures with someone they’re really close to.

As I touched the bracelet, a warm flutter spread through my chest, and I realized I was grinning like an idiot without even noticing.

Beth’s Perspective

Where on earth is Perla? After Nancy and I realized Perla wasn’t at home, we found out that Caleb was chasing her through the woods. Nancy, being the fierce friend she is, whacked him on the side of the head with her enormous purse—seriously, it was like a suitcase! I swear she had everything in there, which turned out to be super useful when we heard Perla scream and rushed toward the sound. Without a second thought, Nancy leaped into the swirling light and yanked my arm just in time. I would’ve jumped in too; I mean, I can’t just sit back while those two are off having adventures. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

That’s just how it’s always been—Nancy and Perla are the daring ones, and I get pulled along for the ride, but honestly, I don’t mind. I’m the quiet one, the plain friend who’s too skinny, too short, and looks way younger than I am. I have glasses, straight light brown hair that falls to my shoulders, and olive green eyes, all topped off with an olive green headband. My parents insist on dressing me in pressed white button-up shirts and black slacks, even in the summer, which doesn’t help my ghostly pale complexion since I’m usually stuck inside studying. But then I met Nancy and Perla on my street, and they made me laugh and showed me that life could actually be fun.

We followed Perla and ended up in what felt like a completely different world, which sounds totally insane, but I can’t ignore what I’m seeing. Nancy is here too, and she’s witnessing the same bizarre sights. I’ve pinched myself more times than I can count since arriving, but even though we didn’t find Perla, someone found us—a stunning guy with caramel skin and dark golden eyes. He would definitely be my type if it weren’t for the massive scorpion tail protruding from his back and the fact that he immediately threw us into a cage with a few other girls who had animal ears or oddly pointed ears, and some even had wings.

The cage was being pulled by a scorpion that couldn’t transform into a human, but it seemed to be under his control. It was the darkest brown I’d ever seen, with beady red eyes that sent chills down my spine whenever they locked onto me. At first, Nancy and I thought about complaining, but when one of the girls tried to escape and got impaled by his tail, we quickly decided it was best to stay quiet and not attempt to flee.

We were traveling through a desert, and thankfully, our captor had draped a thick white cloth over our cage to shield us from the sun. Still, it made me uneasy, knowing he wanted us to stay in good condition for whatever he had in store for us. We were mostly trapped in that cage, only getting out when someone needed to relieve themselves. After a while, the girls just started sleeping all the time. They were so scared for so long that it felt like their bodies just couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to shut down.

After what felt like an eternity, we approached a massive stone wall encircled by a moat, leading to a city built from gleaming white bricks. A guard at the gate inspected us, and then we were pulled across a lowered bridge into an area dominated by a grand white stone castle and several large buildings, each with their own walls. The surroundings were surprisingly beautiful, with pergolas, flower beds, and flowering trees. A short man in a blue and white robe, similar to what most people around us wore, guided us.

The other girls in the cage were eerily quiet, huddled together. Their terrified expressions told me they recognized this place, but I was still in the dark. Nancy had been unusually quiet since we witnessed that girl being killed, which was understandable; I was still trying to wrap my head around it too.

The man guided us to the rear of one of the buildings, and we stepped into a courtyard surrounded by a high stone wall. There, before us, was a small woman with aged skin, wispy white hair, sharp ears, and a hunched figure, her large black and brown wings unfurling behind her. Her glowing silver eyes seemed to pierce right through me, and a shiver crept down my spine, making me acutely aware that we were in serious danger.

Coming Next Time: The Empire in the South, Yerma