“The rest of them moved toward the fence, in complete silence. Each of the teenagers jumped swiftly onto the iron spikes. With a blurry speed, they climbed up onto the sharp finials, and leaped down to the other side”

“She reached back with remarkable speed and, raising the weapons above her head, slid them out to the sides. The swords made a high-pitch metallic screech when their surfaces glided against each other”

“There were tens of thousands of them; white and dark-skinned, adults and teenagers, some looking scared, some simply curious, the others—completely in awe, seeing the Summer Realm for the first time.”

“She opened her hand, and a ball of fire blasted from it toward the cloudless sky of the Realm. It whirled above the Shifters, growing and stretching into a huge flaming disc. It moved down, forming a spinning inferno wall around them.”

“Jatred gripped Jasmira’s hand. This time his fingers didn’t go through like they did before, when she appeared as an illusion. Her body was solid again. She held onto the chain halfway between the jewel and the clasp. The clasp flew open. One side of the chain encircled his wrist. The other part snaked around Jasmira’s wrist. It linked them in an unexpected bind. The metal felt as cold as a sheet of ice. They both yelled and tried to pull free, but it wouldn’t budge.”

“The Winter Shifter army rushed toward their opponents at full speed. A unified roar thundered over the field.”

“When she brought her lips back closer to his face, his eyelids flickered and shut for a moment. In a swift motion he rolled on top of her, and his mouth was on hers before she could make a sound. His hand pressed on her lower back, tracing the curve of her waist. She felt the heat building inside her and the goosebumps rising on her arm. His other hand slowly moved upward, until his fingers flexed back and forth in her hair.”