The Corollaria by Courtney Lyn Batten

stumbled forward. Luke caught her, effortlessly, as Jenny came to a halt in front of them.
    “Okay,” Jenny announced. “We’re here.”
    Emily looked around a furrow puckered her brows.
    They were standing in a dense cropping of trees, markings on two of which immediately caught her eye. Somehow, they were both familiar and strange. Something had changed about the woods as they moved through it.  Emily looked down at her feet as a light twinkle caught her eyes. And then, suddenly, as if someone turned on a switch, the whole forest floor lite up with strange shimmering turquoise colored leaves and flowers.
    Emily looked at Curtis on her right. His eyes were wide with amazement and disbelief.
    Luke’s gaze was steady on Curtis’s face as he looked at Emily. He wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking for, but he didn’t find it in his dark eyes.
    Jenny led them silently between the two trees. The air shimmered as Emily passed through and when she opened her eyes she was suddenly standing in a large clearing. A beautiful city, with white stone and marbled buildings, stark against the green foliage that surrounded it stood in front of her. There were giant sloping peaks for roofs, narrow bustling streets and large almost Grecian looking columns, decorated with brightly colored tiles and paintings. And flowers. Bright burst of reds, dark seductive purples, pinks and oranges worthy of a sunset spilled out of windows, down iron trellises and crowded the stone walkways.
    “Jennifer,” a warm gruff voice said, stepping forward. A tall man with broad shoulders and shaggy black hair eyed Jenny with a mixture of surprise and weariness.
    J enny smiled a little sheepishly. “Hi, Randall.”
    Several other men, all built similar to Randall, flanked his sides. They were dressed in black armor, with swords slung over their shoulders. The handles of their daggers that were sheathed at their sides, glinted in the soft moonlight. The men’s eyes raked over the strangers with apprehension and suspicion.
    “Jenny, I didn’t—”
    “We need to speak with my mother, Randall. It’s important,” she interrupted him. Her tone was serious and grave with a small note of pleading. There was a shakiness to it that made Carson wrap his arm around her waist and squeeze her hip. A muscle in Randall’s jaw twitched.
    Randall studied her for a long silent minute, taking in the electric gold of her eyes.  Finally, he nodded and then looked at Curtis. Jenny and Carson followed his gaze.
    “He’s with us,” Carson said, frowning slightly at the way Randall had looked at Jenny. His arm around her waist tightened in response. 
    “Vampires are not—” h e began, but a man to his right with his black hair tied back into a messy ponytail at the nape of his neck and a dark, scratchy-looking goatee stepped forward.
    His hazel eyes were trained on Curtis. “Son?”
    Curtis eyes widened and he swallowed hard. He was suddenly and inexplicably ashamed. He nodded solemnly. His father’s arms were around him instantly. After a moment, he composed himself and stepped back, his hands still firmly gripping Curtis’s shoulders.
    “Who did this to you?” John asked his son.
    Curtis swallowed hard, his voice shook. “Samuel...”
    The small group of Hunters gasped. Curtis was born to be one of them. To protect the Hidden City. To kill demons and vampires. His enemies. Every Hunter that stood in front of him that night felt a sick revulsion reel through them.
    “Son,” John said thickly. “You are a Hunter. Not this.”
    He put an arm around his son’s shoulders and they began to walk silently further into the city.
    Luke and Emily looked at each other with identical bewildered expressions. Her trepidation danced like cold icy fingers along his skin. Without thinking, he leaned down and his lips touched hers with light pressure. Like delicate silk. Achingly tender.
    Despite the impending danger and her fear and feeling like she was suspended in a