Sapphire Falls (The Lost Realm #2)

3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Morgan

M organ’s head was spinning as Avery led her down a wide stone staircase. The last few hours made no sense, but nothing in her life had made sense after she and Avery climbed Quartz Mountain. The last month and a half had been filled with so much pain. Pain from healing from her wounds, pain at the loss of her sister, and the aching pain at the loss of who she once was. She couldn’t go to work. Hell, she hadn’t even returned to her condo after she was released from the hospital. Instead, she’d moved in with her parents and tried to help find Avery, even through her own agonizing recovery.

This evening she’d left her parents house and drove to a nearby waterfall to try and clear her mind. One moment she was standing on the platform overlooking the waterfall and the next moment her head was filled with her sister’s voice, screaming her name. Somehow, she wasn’t even sure it was possible, but the railing began to shake before it just collapsed and she was plummeting down the waterfall, still hearing nothing but Avery’s screams.

Morgan hadn’t been injured beyond a few scrapes and a lungful of water. She had followed that strange looking woman after she had pulled her out of the waterfall because she didn’t know what else to do. The woman had touched her head and Morgan could suddenly understand what she said. It didn’t go without notice that the woman looked similar to the monster who took her from Quartz Mountain, but she’d pushed down her fear and followed her. Kyla was her name, and she knew Avery and promised she would help her find her sister. There had been no reason to trust this woman. Every instinct in Morgan had been kicking and screaming to run, but she had a feeling that Avery must be hurt or in danger and this woman might be her only chance at finding her sister. Kyla said she’d get them to Avery quickly, but Morgan hadn’t thought quickly would mean in the arms of some winged woman. Winged and with pointed ears. Fortunately, Kyla wasn’t lying and Morgan had gotten to her sister as she writhed in agony on the stone floor.

Something erupted within Morgan when she had seen that man standing over her sister. As she prepared to shoot him, shadows had emerged around her and danced at her feet. Then, she’d pulled out her gun and shot him without question. All she had been thinking was that she had to save Avery, had to keep her safe, and it had felt as though the shadows were answering her deepest concerns.

“Are you okay, Morgan?” Avery asked as they walked down floor after floor of twisting stairs. Her voice was hesitant, like she already knew the answer to her question and regretted asking. The open air windows showed an inky black night, dotted with more stars than Morgan thought could be possible.

“I think I’m in shock. This can’t be real. It’s another one of my hallucinations,” Morgan replied. She didn’t fully believe this, but after there had been no body found in the tunnel, Morgan had begun to give the answer others wanted to hear. As the doctors said, the bear attack had caused a lot of trauma and her mind was trying to cope with what had happened to her. Hallucinating that the bear transformed into a giant man with chiseled features and pointed ears seemed to be the only reasonable explanation.

Morgan reached out her hand and stroked the back of Avery’s green gown. It was like nothing she had ever seen. All subtle details of plants and forests in a form fitting dress. It felt so real , but her sister would never have had a reason to wear a dress like this in Montana. Avery turned on the stairs and took Morgan’s hand in hers. It felt so warm, so lifelike.

“I know it sounds crazy, but this is real. We’re in the fae land. We probably should have been more interested in fairy tales as kids because I’ve got so little baseline for the magic. It’s been a struggle to comprehend this world.”

Morgan tensed her shoulders. Maybe she actually was lost in a world filled with the nightmarish creatures that had caused her pain. Only now the creatures were willing to bargain for her life. She didn’t want to admit it to her sister, because she knew nothing about the fae who held her captive, but she’d felt some relief when the shimmery winged man wouldn’t back down on keeping her here. At least he didn’t resemble her attacker. Her sigh came out more like a cry as she squeezed her sister’s hand.

“I thought you were dead,” was all Morgan could say as she walked hand in hand with her sister.

“Same. The last thing I saw was that bear dragging you away.” Avery’s voice shook with emotion as she spoke.

Her sister looked at her with such a strange mix of sorrow and delight. Morgan couldn’t tell if her sister was happy to be in this alleged fae realm, or if she was suffering like Morgan.

“Here’s my room,” Avery said, unlocking the four locks barring the door.

As Morgan entered the room, she immediately noticed the unmistakably male clothing folded neatly on a stool in a corner. The rest of the room was white, fluffy, and overly feminine. It felt like Morgan was transported into a luxurious cloud. After all the fear, all the doubts about what had happened to Avery, here she was living in comfort and presumably sleeping with that creature that had called her his soulmate.

“What is going on here, Avery?” Morgan asked, pointing to the men’s clothing.

Avery’s face could never hide what she was thinking. She turned as bright as a cherry. “It’s hard to explain. But I found my soulmate. Like a real, tangible connection that I can feel. Even right now.”

Morgan’s face hardened. Her posture stiffened. Only Avery would disappear into another world and find an alleged soulmate in a little over a month. It hurt Morgan, thinking about how hard everyone had searched for Avery. How much Morgan had worried that the monster who took her had gone back for Avery, killed her, and hid the body. How distraught her parents were, even putting up a missing person billboard on the highway.

“So we’ve been busting our asses off searching that damned mountain for you, and you’ve been up here playing princess in the tower with your supposed soulmate? Are you kidding me, Avery?” Morgan demanded.

Avery looked hurt. Her expression slipped from a grin to a scowl as she crossed her arms. “You have no idea what I’ve been through, Morgan. Or even why I’m in this tower. I was kidnapped by that horrible man Rylo! And so many other awful things have happened to me, like being forced to murder a man who was kind to me. I don’t think you’ll get what I’ve been through.”

“Oh I get it!” Morgan snapped, bringing her hands to the jagged scars jutting down her face. “I absolutely get it ! After all, I just killed a man!”

Avery’s face softened. She uncrossed her arms and brought her hand to Morgan’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry that you had to do that. But I wouldn’t be alive without your help, and Savine—” Avery paused and looked at the stuff on the floor. It seemed like she was choosing her words carefully. “I wish Savine’s stuff wasn’t here right now. It’s not something we need to talk about at the moment. You’ve been through so much, and I know how overwhelming this place is. Do you want to tell me how you survived the bear attack and how you got here?”

This was such typical behavior from her sister. One moment thinking only of herself and her needs, the next remembering that Morgan existed. It was always like that between them. Usually Morgan was okay to lurk behind Avery’s shining personality, but not today. Not when they’d been mourning Avery. Not when Avery had been actually enjoying her time in this place enough to start a new life without Morgan in it.

“Do you really even want to know?” Morgan asked.

“Of course I do! I’ve been so worried about you. I’ve—I thought I saw you die in front of me and I’ve been worried about Mom and Dad.” Avery’s voice sounded rough and she slumped into the soft bed, exhaustion etched in her features.

Morgan’s heart tightened. She had felt the same way. And now Morgan was with Avery, leaving their parents with two missing daughters. She didn’t know how they could possibly cope with that loss. She’d seen the devastation Avery’s disappearance had caused her parents.

“Yeah. Me being here is going to break them. You have no idea how hard your disappearance has been on them. On everyone, really. I’ll tell you my truly messed up story of how I survived, but first can I get a shower or whatever is the fae equivalent? I’m still in these wet jeans and I’m freezing.”

Avery’s face looked like it was going to crack, like she was going to be spilling tears in a matter of moments. She’d always been able to cry at the drop of a hat. It was one of those things that drove Morgan crazy when they were kids. But this was different. These tears weren’t over some petty argument. They were because her sister was hurting. Morgan moved onto the bed, damp clothes against the crisp, white bedding. She pulled her sister in close for a hug.

“Ave, how are we going to get home?” Morgan asked.

Avery just shook her head. After a long stretch of time, she whispered, “We can’t.”