Elianna's eyes glistened as she was utterly mesmerized by her surroundings. Looking around, she observed how they had entered a tranquil beach cove at the base of a mountain, surrounded by lush green trees.

  Looking to her left, Elianna's beautiful, celestial blue eyes scanned the vast, gorgeous blue ocean, which sparkled in the sunlight's rays. The sound of the ocean waves washing ashore on the bright white sand under her feet, and the light, cool ocean breeze rustling the leaves around her, gave the area a peaceful ambiance.

  Looking up and around, Elianna studied the crescent-shaped cove she was in, taking in the dense forest that surrounded her. She noticed curious pillars that seemed to be made of black, polished stone, rising above the trees. Her eyes flicked from stone to stone, taking in how they were placed several feet apart and seemed to surround the forest area. But, as she continued to follow the pillars with her eyes, she realized that there were more pillars in the ocean. Some of the pillars were closer to the beach, but she could also see the tips of other pillars sticking out from the deep ocean water.

  Looking at the pillars closest to the beach, Elianna realized that they were square in shape and had a pointed tip. There were no markings or scratches on the stones, but she noticed a hint of an emerald hue.

  Peeling her eyes away from the luster black pillars, her gaze finally fell on the luxurious beachhouse. The beachhouse was white, three stories tall, with floor-to-ceiling windows covering it on all sides, which brightly reflected the sunlight, making it impossible to see inside. The white beach sand touched the first floor of the beach house. In front of the first floor were two poles that protruded from the sand, connected by a net.

  On the left side of the beach house was a large brown wooden staircase that led to the brown wooden deck of the second floor. The third floor had a few balconies, all with a small table and chairs.

  Elianna's lips were agape as she admired the gorgeous beach house, but a subtle movement near the tree line immediately caught her attention. When her eyes snapped to the movement, she noticed two guards walking side by side near the trees, before they walked back into the forest.

  Elianna relaxed, seeing that they were only Gavarian guards, most likely protecting the area on the king's command. But, a moment later, her brows furrowed. Her eyes darted to the dense forest area, as a strange feeling washed over her. It was something she had never felt before, a tingling yet electrifying sensation, traveling throughout her entire body. The sensation confused Elianna, especially since it felt like it was trying to pull her deeper into the forest.

  "So, what do you think?"

  Elianna started slightly, her eyes widening, as she was suddenly knocked out of her thoughts by Nicholas' voice, coming from behind her. Elianna shook her head, regaining her composure, before she looked back at the beach house with a smile.

  "This place is gorgeous," Elianna whispered.

  Nicholas chuckled behind her, "Glad I didn't spoil the surprise. Your expression is priceless."

  Elianna laughed as her smile grew.

  Celine stepped forward, walking into Elianna's point of view, "You would've spoiled it if I told you not to."

  "Would not," Nicholas countered jestfully.

  Celine stopped and smiled as she looked around. Closing her eyes and leaning her head back, she took a deep breath. As she slowly exhaled, she stated in a relaxed tone, "I missed this place." She looked over her shoulder at her mother, "We should build a portal here that goes to our mansion."

  "I don't think my brother would allow that," Freya laughed as she stepped forward. She smiled as she looked around, "It is definitely good to be back, though." She looked back at everyone and jerked her chin toward the beach house. "Let's go ahead and get settled in."

  Freya turned and began to walk toward the beach house, with Celine and Josephine following. Elianna smiled as she watched them, but her smile faded a moment later as she looked back into the dense forest. Her thoughts drifted back to that strange feeling, and she wondered what it was.

  A moment later, her smile returned at the familiar warm sensation that wrapped around her hand.

  "You okay?" Nicholas asked in a gentle whisper.

  Elianna looked at him, smiled, and interlocked her fingers with his. "I'm fine." She jerked her chin, "Come on."

  Nicholas smiled and nodded, and he and Elianna quickly followed Freya and the others, catching up to them.

  Looking back, Elianna's eyes glistened in wonderment, seeing how they had just exited from a hollow half-boulder. In the center of the half-boulder, a stone archway contained a portal. A moment later, the boulder began to glow an emerald green, before it completely closed, looking like an ordinary part of the mountain that hid the portal.

  Blinking a few times in utter amazement, Elianna looked around again in amazement. Part of her couldn't believe that a beautiful place like this existed, and yet, here she was.

  Walking beside her, Nicholas' gaze flicked to Elianna, and he smiled, seeing her curious expression. He chuckled, "You're going to get a kink in your neck from looking around so much."

  "I can't help it," Elianna said, before she met his gaze and returned his smile. "Everything here is so beautiful." Her eyes flicked past Nicholas, seeing the pillars in the ocean. Tilting her head slightly, she curiously asked, "Hey, what are the shiny black pillars for?"

  "They're wardstones, Dear," Josephine answered with a smile, looking at Elianna over her shoulder. "Powerful spells are cast upon them, creating a barrier around the area."

  Elianna curiously looked around her, but didn't see any signs of magic. "What kind of a barrier?"

  Josephine looked around the area, "The kind that hides a place like this, leaving no trace, and prevents anyone from just wandering or portaling in." Josephine pointed out to the ocean, "The stones also keep the more dangerous wildlife away, making the area safe."

  Elianna nodded, then her brow furrowed, "Wait, what do you mean it keeps people from wandering in? Like they'll hit an invisible wall?"

  Freya chuckled this time, looked over her shoulder, and answered, "No. It actually transports the individuals from one side of the barrier to the other."

  "So you can't walk into the beach house area?" Elianna asked.

  "You can," Freya shrugged. She smirked, "You just need to know where to look for the barrier, and how to get in."

  Celine narrowed her eyes on her mom, "Which is a secret held by the royal family, which my mom has never told me."

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  Freya chuckled and smiled at her daughter, "You never needed to know."

  Elianna curiously looked at Nicholas, "Do you know?"

  Nicholas tried to hide a smile. "Maybe."

  Celine's head snapped to him, wide-eyed, "What?! How do you know?!"

  Nicholas simply shrugged, "Josephine told me."

  Celine's head snapped to Josephine with a questioning gaze.

  Josephine held up a finger. "Before you ask, I should remind you I was Queen Evelyn's personal handmaiden before I tended the gardens."

  Celine looked down and sighed, "I guess that's true."

  Elianna chuckled before she looked around, and the next thing she knew, they had approached the beach house. She looked around the front area and smiled at the poles and net. "Beach volleyball?"

  Nicholas followed her gaze and nodded, "Yep. Maybe we'll play later."

  "More like I'll beat you at it later," Elianna chuckled, then looked at Nicholas competitively. "I almost always win at volleyball at my place."

  Nicholas met her competitive glance and smirked, "Key word. Almost." He chuckled, "And, if I remember correctly, I won the last three times. You're on a losing streak. I'll just beat you again."

  Elianna stopped and narrowed he eyes on Nicholas, "Bet. We're playing now."

  Nicholas grinned, "You're o—"

  "Let's get settled in first," Freya said to them over her shoulder. She smiled, "Then, we can relax and have fun."

  Elianna and Nicholas's shoulders slumped, and they both sighed, simultaneously saying, "Fine."

  Freya, Celine, and Josephine chuckled as they began to climb the stairs. Nicholas let go of Elianna's hand, letting her go first, before he followed.

  Elianna climbed the stairs to the second floor, and when they reached the wooden deck, her eyes widened. She looked around, noticing lounge chairs scattered throughout the deck, accompanied by umbrellas and side tables. Immediately to her left was a pole with what appeared to be a shower head attached to it. To her right was a large bar area, with stools where people could sit. Behind the bar were glass shelves filled with bottles and glasses.

  Celine looked at the bar and smirked, "Oh, we are so going to have fun."

  Freya followed Celine's gaze. "No drinking."

  "Ugh," Celine looked at her mom. "Come on, Mom, we are here to relax."

  Freya raised a brow, eyeing her.

  Josephine chuckled, "We can moderate them."

  Freya pursed her lips, seeming to think, "Fine." She looked at Elianna and Nicholas, "Except you two."

  Nicholas and Elianna shared a gaze before they shrugged and nodded. It wasn't like they had drunk before anyway.

  Elianna and Nicholas followed Freya, Celine, and Josephine as they walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. As they approached, Elianna noticed that two of the windows were, in fact, sliding glass doors. Elianna watched as Freya reached out to slide open the door, but she and everyone else started when the door suddenly slid open.

  "Sorry to startle you, Your Highnesses and Lady," The female mage said, stepping out from inside the beach house. She bowed slightly. "The inside is secured, and we have guards patrolling the perimeter."

  Freya took a calming breath before she smiled, "Thank you. Please advise all patrols to stick to the tree line and forest."

  The mage looked at Nicholas, who nodded. "As you command," The mage said, before walking off and descending the stairs."

  Celine chuckled, "Nothing like a jumpscare."

  Josephine nodded, "Indeed."

  "Well then," Freya smiled at the others. "Shall we?"

  Freya walked inside, with Celine and Josphine following her in. Elianna walked in behind them, with Nicholas following.

  As Elianna entered, she looked around, noticing they had entered what seemed like a large, open area —a lounging space with luxury leather couches arranged around each other. Several glass-cased shelves lined the walls, which contained an assortment of books.

  On the left side of the room was a large kitchen area that had an icebox, a stove, a large kitchen table, and a high-top table with stools. When her eyes flicked across the room, she noticed another staircase that led up to the third floor.

  "Reading room and kitchen?" Elianna asked, eyeing Nicholas.

  Nicholas nodded, "Yep. Downstairs is another lounging area, which has couches and illusionaires." He shrugged, "It's also where we keep the surfboards and body boards as well as game tables."

  Elianna's eyes lit up. "Oh, when can we go surfing?"

  Nicholas looked at her and grinned, "Which do you want to do first? Volleyball or surfing."

  Elianna tilted her head, thinking. Volleyball sounded fun, but she had never gone surfing before. Plus, the idea of seeing beads of water sparkle off Nicholas' sun-kissed skin had Elianna's face warm.

  Elianna cleared her throat and smiled, "Maybe surfing."

  Nicholas nodded, "Then we will do that after."

  Elianna nodded, then looked forward, seeing that Celine, Freya, and Josephine were already heading for the stairs. She quickly followed, with Nicholas behind her. She followed the others up the stairs, and when they reached the top, Elianna noticed they had entered a loft area with gray couches where they could sit. To her right was a hallway that had doors on both sides.

  "Let's pick our rooms," Freya said, walking down the hallway. She reached the first door on the left, then looked at the others. "Let's say we all meet on the second-floor deck?"

  "Sounds good," Josephine nodded.

  Freya nodded, then entered her room.

  "See you soon," Celine smiled at Nicholas and Elianna, entering the room across from Freya.

  Josephine, Elianna, and Nicholas walked down the hallway, and Josephine took the next door on the left.

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, "Want to take the room across from Josephine?"

  "Nah," Nicholas said, shaking his head. "We can take the next two and sleep across from each other."

  Elianna blushed slightly before smiling and nodding, "Sounds good."

  They walked down the hallway, with Elianna taking the room on the left, while Nicholas went into the room on the right. As Elianna entered her room, her jaw dropped at the view. She observed that the curtains were drawn back, revealing a beautiful ocean view through her floor-to-ceiling windows. The floor was a polished red wood, and gray furniture was placed around the room. She eyed the full-sized bed for a moment before she walked over to the dresser.

  Taking out her clothes from her spatial ring, she placed them away into the drawers before walking into the large bathroom. The bathroom was spacious, featuring a large bathtub that was suitable for two people and a separate shower. Elianna put her hygiene items away before quickly getting undressed and changing into her white bikini, which had gold trim.

  After she fixed her hair, putting it back into a ponytail, Elianna stood in the bathroom for a moment, eyeing herself. She turned her body left and right, seeing how the bikini hugged her nicely, accenting her breasts. Her face felt warm as she thought about how much skin she had exposed, and how Nicholas would see her like this the entire time she was here. Her made her lips curl and stomach flutter. Then, when she thought about how she would be seeing him shirtless a lot, her face turned molten.

  Slapping her cheeks to regain her composure, Elianna took a breath before she put on her sandals and left the room. She made her way downstairs, where she heard laughing coming from the balcony area. She observed that the doors were open, noticing Freya was already behind the bar, seemingly making a drink. Celine and Nicholas stood beside each other, Celine dressed in a red bikini that matched her hair, and Nicholas in his blue swim trunks. Their backs were to her, and Elianna immediately noticed Nicholas' well-defined back muscles.

  "You going outside?"

  Elianna nearly jumped and looked back, seeing Josephine standing there in a beach dress and sun hat. But she swore that Josephine was holding back a comical smile.

  Elianna cleared her throat and smiled, "Yeah."

  Josephine nodded and gestured to the outside.

  Elianna turned and walked out onto the outer deck

  Freya looked up and smiled, "There they are."

  Elianna's eyes snapped to Nicholas as he turned around. She had to remind herself not to drop her jaw, seeing him standing there shirtless. She thought he looked magnificent as the sun shone off his eight back, chilled chest, muscular arms, and defined shoulders. She thought he looked like a statue sculpted by the divine.

  "Definitely going to love it here," Elianna whispered, her eyes looking Nicholas up and down.

  Celine smirked, "What was that?"

  Elianna smiled, "I asked if you're ready?" She looked at Nicholas, watching as his beautiful sea green eyes traveled up and down her body. Her lips curled, and her skin tingled, as she could practically feel his eyes moving up and down her body. She tilted her head slightly, "Nick?"

  Of course, Nicholas didn't hear her call him or hear her question. He was too busy admiring her beauty. He loved how the sun hit her ivory skin, making her silvery-white hair gleam, and her gorgeous, celestial blue eyes sparkle. And the way her bikini hugged her, showing off her breasts, had his heart racing. His eyes seemed to have a mind of their own as he gazed up and down her flawless, hourglass frame, then moved down to her smooth, long legs. His immediate thought was that he was definitely going to love it here.

  Celine rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side.

  Nicholas grunted slightly, giving Celine a quick glare, before he looked at Elianna and smiled, "Im sorry, what?"

  Elianna's lips curled, her blush intensifying, "I said, are you ready?"

  Nicholas cleared his throat, composing himself. He nodded and smiled widely, "Yep. Let's go surfing."