Sold as the Alpha King's Breeder novel Chapter 979

Chapter 30 : Visions of Future Past

*Sasha*

I stared down at the packet that had been delivered to me from Amanda. Apparently, it had come to the dorm, but since I wasn't staying there for the foreseeable future, Amanda had decided it was important enough to send to Lucas's.

She was right. Inside the packet was my new assignment from Professor Augustine. Stone Hamline had requested that I be transferred to the capital building project.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling the weight of the decision on my shoulders. The capital building project was a coveted position, one that could lead to a bright future in the world of architecture.

It was an opportunity of a lifetime, one that no one would be able to pass up… except I had to. I had a mission from the Goddess, an orb to find to complete it, and an ornery Lucas Black to deal with.

I shivered. I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, trying and failing to push the image of Lucas in silk boxers, sporting an erection for me from my mind. He'd taken himself and that erection right to bed next to me–a challenge if there ever was one.

But I'd held my ground. Aside from some kissing and over-the-clothes stuff, I'd stopped him from going any further. I was making my female ancestors proud.

I was also so sexually frustrated I was starting to find reasons to bend.

Sighing in disappointment, I set the packet from Professor Augustine aside and padded down to Lucas's office to get some paper and pen to write my regretful reply.

Lucas himself had been gone in the morning, leaving a letter that said he was getting supplies for the journey. Phoebe and Brady were gone as well, and I wondered if they'd gone with or if they'd taken themselves off somewhere to be safe from the old priestess and her cronies.

I was left to my own devices, and before the packet had come, had been quite bored.

Now, I had a future to tank.

As I stepped into Lucas's office looking for pen and paper, the first thing I saw was an open duffle bag… with a familiar bit of silk hanging out.

No way....

Forgetting all about my rejection letter to Professor Augustine, and, by extension, Stone Hamline, I crossed quickly to the bag.

Sure enough, there was the orb, nestled in its silk covering.

Excitement thrilled through my veins. Here it was, the answer to all our questions. And all I had to do was touch it.

I didn't want Lucas interrupting me, though, and he surely would if I stayed here in the office. Besides, I wanted a more comfortable place to return to than the office floor.

Careful not to touch the orb yet, I scooped the silk package out of the duffle bag and headed to an unused guestroom. I closed the door and then sat on the bed and slowly unwrapped the silk around the orb.

There it was, still blue as ever.

Closing my eyes, I placed my hands on it. And....

… nothing.

I peeked one eye open. The orb's color hadn't changed, nor was it pulsing or showing any other signs of magic.

Frowning, I poked and prodded the orb, rolling it between my hands. For some reason, this time, the orb didn't want to take me anywhere.

I wondered if it was channeling Lucas Black's dire warnings.

Thoughts swirled in my head. Just how was I supposed to operate this thing?! Just wait for it to sweep me away at the most inconvenient moments?

Setting the orb in my lap, I waved my hands over it. “Hocus pocus?" I tried. “Abracadabra?"

The orb was unmoved.

I let out a sigh of frustration and leaned back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

I finally just closed my eyes again. I drew on my dream dancer powers, wondering if there was something I could learn about the orb using them.

A strange sensation rippled through me. It wasn't like anything I had ever felt before, like a sudden rush of energy that made my skin tingle and my heart race. I opened my eyes, sat up, and looked down at the orb in my lap.

It was glowing, pulsing with a bright purple light that illuminated the entire room. I could feel the energy coursing through my veins, like a current of electricity that threatened to overwhelm me.

Suddenly, I was in a new place, holding the orb, which was now purple. I stood behind an altar, next to a richly-robed woman–a religious figure, if I had to guess. She didn't see me. Neither did the people assembled in front of her.

The people were chanting, the woman leading them. They swayed back and forth, offering up praise to the Goddess, and prayers, and… pleas?

Sure enough, there was desperation in the air, and it was felt in every corner of the temple. I clutched the orb, wondering why it had brought me here.

Eventually, the woman at the head of the altar held up her hands and the chanting stopped. “Children of the Goddess," she said, looking sad. “We must risk returning through the portal to follow the White Queen to the Realm of the Goddess. We are not safe here."

There was a low murmur that rippled through the assembled. One young man snorted, locking defiant eyes with the priestess. “And how do you propose we do that?"

“Yes, it's impossible," another said, and the majority of the room agreed.

The priestess reached into a pocket of her robes.

And pulled out the orb–white as it had been in the beginning, but still the orb.

“This is the key," the priestess intoned. “We will use it to return to the motherland."

“How exactly is that going to work? Looks like a rock to me. Are we going to chuck it in the air and hope for the best?" the first young man scoffed.

The priestess's expression turned sour. “Ye of little faith. No, we are not going to 'chuck it in the air and hope for the best.' There are those who can wield the power of the Slipstone and use it to bring us back to the Realm of the Goddess. Once we have found one such, we can...."