The Oracle: A Story from the Realm

By Jessica White

A woman transported to a magical world, the man who swore in blood to protect her, and the twisted secret that threatens to destroy them both...

Instead of her routine morning jog before work as a contract attorney, Emily Gazer runs straight into a magical land to escape a black-eyed stalker.

Thrust into an ancient world that threatens her life at every turn, Emily finds her only chance of survival lies in a handsome young warrior named Olen.

Despite their attraction, Emily learns Olen and the other men of the tribe are forbidden to take her as a wife. Bound by an ancient oath, Olen has no choice but to take the priestess to his king to use in a forthcoming war.

When an outsider challenges Olen for the right to marry Emily, though, he breaks his vows to keep her with his tribe... but that's only the beginning of their nightmare.

The Oracle is a dark fantasy romance from Stories from the Realm, a dark and steamy collection of books. If you like star-crossed couples and unraveling mysteries, you’ll love Jessica White’s magical series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jessica White
• Release date: Dec 14, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215497647

Jessica White

Author Jessica White - Unveiling Dark Fantasies and Steamy Romance in Small Towns? Welcome to the enchanting world of Jessica White, where the world comes alive with dark immortals, small-town secrets, and sizzling romance. As a passionate storyteller, Jessica weaves tales that transport you to realms unknown, blending dark fantasy, steamy romance, and heart-pounding suspense.? Series Highlights:•The Broken Immortals: Journey into a realm where immortality comes with a price, and forbidden desires ignite a war between light and darkness.•Stories from the Realm: Explore mystical landscapes and unearth the secrets that bind magical beings in this captivating series.•Love Stories from a Small Town: Immerse yourself in the charm of small-town romance, where love blossoms amidst close-knit communities.?‍? About the Author: Jessica, a former Registered Nurse turned masterful storyteller, hails from the breathtaking landscapes of West Virginia. Her graduate degree in Business Administration adds a strategic touch to her narrative prowess. Beyond crafting tales, Jessica is captivated by metaphysical wonders, the beauty of nature, irresistible buttercream icing, and the magic of Harry Potter (still waiting for that letter!).? Stay Updated: Curious about Jessica's upcoming releases? Explore Jessica's world beyond the pages. Follow her journey on https://linktr.ee/authorjwhite and sign up for exclusive email alerts. Be the first to dive into new worlds and discover fresh tales of love, mystery, and fantasy.? Connect with Jessica: Have questions or just want to share your thoughts? Reach out to Jessica at [e-mail].

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The Oracle

A Story from the Realm

Jessica White

Copyright © 2023 by Jessica White

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.

A special thank you to Artscandare, Danny Decelis, and JJ Boehs for all your help with this project.

Contents

Content Warning

1.The Morning Run

2.The Camp

3.A Gift

4.Blood and Honor

5.Dirtier

6.Mates

7.Cold and Lonely

8.The Vision

9.Challenge

10.Worth

11.The Opponent

12.Some Kind of Magic

13.The Prince of Savages

14.The Feast

15.The Bonfire

16.My Protectors

17.Oath Keeper

18.The Man He Wanted To Be

19.Trials

20.Blood Oaths

21.The Warning

22.A Chain

23.A Whisper in my Blood

24.Only Time

25.As Always

26.The Miserable Trek

27.To Go On

28.As One

29.Choices

30.The Anchor

31.A Solution

32.A Hint of Light

33.Persuasive

34.Stiff Competition

35.An Unfortunate Book

36.Appealing

37.One Piece of the Puzzle

38.Trickery

39.Envious

40.Settled

41.Every Dark Corner

42.No Other Obligations

43.Home

44.A Damn Fine Husband

45.No Stone Unturned

46.The Black Eyed Man

47.The Ray of Light

48.A Blur of Man

49.All the Fun

50.Rotten Summer Fruit

51.Ten Moons Later

52.Roots

Author's Note

Content Warning

This very dark series is a work of fiction based on the lives of magical individuals that are in no way human and should not be judged by human norms. They are an entirely different species, animals, from another world with their own communities, morals, values, and traditions.

If you have any sensitivities about cursing, partner violence, stalking, gender roles, sexual assault, or any other type of trigger, you should probably turn back now.

But if you can handle all that-enjoy! I’m thrilled you are on this adventure with me.

The Morning Run

Emily

My death rushed toward me.

I sensed him in my center like some air bubble I couldn’t burp away. Only hovering in the most uncomfortable place under my breastbone, making it hard to take a decent breath.

Kind of like the hot, gnawing calm right before a storm that demolishes everything in its path, some unseen force sat on my shoulders.

Ripping me from this world one cell at a time, Fate unzipped the fabric of reality, unleashing the first dose of devilry within me.

Like a hundred eyes staring down at me, prickly bumps rose on my skin to warn me my life would end soon.

I came out of the darkness of the treetops lining the worn dirt path I took every day before work and made my first step into the sunlight. But not even seeing it rising through the misty morning calmed my nerves.

As if they understood the warmth of the bright orange orb burning off the fog would never touch them again, every hair on my body stood on end.

Beyond the leafless tree that had given me nightmares since the first time I ran under its dead branches, a man obscured by blackness came toward me. Instantly twisting into knots of nausea, my stomach sent out the first warning. Still, I wouldn’t listen.

A split second later, beads of sweat dripped into my eyes, and I wiped them away with my forearm.

My curious soul headed straight for him anyway until a child screaming at the back of my mind finally urged me to turn around. So, I made for the trail leading toward the awkwardly placed natural waterfall at the edge of the city park.

Like a tuning fork striking a doorway, the ground beneath me hummed with such intensity I had to stretch out my jaw to dull the vibration itching the back of my throat.

I tried to shake the buzz from my fingertips as I approached the grassy stretch before the falls until I caught shoes closing in behind me.

Every nerve in my body went on full alarm as the heel of my sneaker touched down on the soft grass. But just as I lifted my foot to escape to the safety of the ranger’s station, the earth beneath me turned to mush under my soles.

As if the ticking clock of my existence was counting down to zero, each thump of my heart grew slower until all the world around me stopped completely.

Like two warbled arms of water, the falls reached out to me, and no matter which way I turned, the pool of the magical elixir followed me.

Stuck inside some room of wobbly air and colors, the pool grabbed me from all directions, sealing me off from my would-be attacker.

The liquefied remains of the park made contact with my skin, and a white light swallowed me, sucking all the air from my lungs.

Like shooting down some never-ending water slide, I hugged myself tight as time and space rushed by.

In a second or a lifetime, I’m not sure, the universe unfolded before me from creation to end, as if I should understand why it was doing so.

Unable to speak or breathe, I demanded my brain to wake up from this crazy dream.

But as quickly as it began, the illusion ended when the hard stone and winter chill in the air built up around me like earth-toned blocks clicking together.

Snatched from one cruel world and tossed into another, I only found myself pulled into a nightmare I would never escape.

The bright light dimmed little by little as my heart rate leveled out again, and a dense forest replaced the grassy field I’d been jogging in. Still, the familiar waterfall that sent me to my doom wiggled its way back to where it should.

Only a babbling brook with a stag arching his dark brown eye at me for disturbing his drink remained where the new playground stood only seconds ago.

The deer’s ears perked up, and the monster behind me reflected in its eyes, sending a waft of black across my face as its breath blew my hair forward.

Instantly sickened by the foulest stench I had ever encountered, I flinched when the little girl’s voice inside me begged me to move.

The heat of its snarl on my skin was like a gunshot going off, and I dashed for the trees on the other side of the stream.

Running faster than I ever hoped to imagine I could, I maneuvered around the trees and rocks in my way. Yet, the stinky breath and growls got closer until the rotting flesh of its fingers gripped my tank top, slowing me.

But when my foot met the dirt road, a cold rush of air drifted across my face as a blur of something whirred past me. A thump made me gasp, and I saw the creature slumped to the ground when I dared to peek over my shoulder.

The ax blade that barely missed me lay deep in its chest, and I froze in place until a whiff of musk and vanilla made me breathe again.

Like the pale sky poking through the trees above us, crystal blue eyes bore into mine as the tattoo-covered stranger moved around me.

The instant his throaty foreign tongue made its way into the world, my knees rattled inside my skin as they fought to keep me upright. Caithfimid dul.

The sole of his worn-out brown leather boot dug into the monster’s belly, and with a jerk, the white-haired young man freed his ax. Bogann siad i ngrúpaí.

An inch at a time, his gaze moved down my body and up again as he pulled his furry coat free of his arms.

The tip of his nose came to my neck, and for reasons I can’t explain, I tilted my chin away for him to sniff me as he covered me with it.

The hatchet slid into the leather straps crossing his chest, and before I could stop him, he had me slung over his shoulder.

Swaying with every step he took, I stared at the ground moving under me as he carried me away. And that was when I understood that the old life I loved so much was over forever.

The Camp

Emily

Every time the hard lump of his meaty, tattoo-covered shoulder dug into my hipbone, it became clearer that I was being dragged further and further from the possibility of ever going home again.

My knees fought against him as I slapped his back. Still, he never flinched a muscle until I screamed, Let me go, you fucking asshole.

One hand cupped my bottom, and the other held my arm as he slid me down his body. The young man’s finger trembled as he pointed it at me. Tá sí ón talamh?

As soon as he realized I didn’t understand a single word of what he was saying, his eyes shifted all over the surrounding woods, and he put his finger on my lips. Must no leave me.

Growling at the sky through his nose, he brought his fingers together at his mouth as he tried to find more words. But when he realized he’d used them all, he grabbed my hand. You are danger.

Another scan of his eyes went over the forest, and he brought my hand to his chest and tapped our fingers together on his ax. Must stay only me.

Though a thousand years and levels of evolution separated us, I understood what he meant from the sheer panic on his face.

When he waited for me to say something while he laced our fingers together, it became obvious that this man was my lifeline. And as he rushed me away, I nodded at him. I will.

The grass and leaf-covered forest floor became a worn, dirt path, and three other men with bushy blonde beards snickered at him as he put his arm around me.

Throaty grunt-words taunted him as the oldest reached out to touch my hair. Still, the hardly grown man who held me close was quick to grunt through his teeth and slap him away. Is liomsa í.

With a smirk, the man with silver streaking his beard and covered from head to foot in tribal tattoos, lowered his head to the boy clinging to me and swept his hand away for us to go first. Ar ndóigh, prionsa.

While the others bantered as they walked along the path, the man beside me never said a word, only looking around us constantly. My fingers went to my chest as I leaned forward to get his attention. Emily. I’m Em-a-lee.

Barely taking his eyes from the forest as he turned his chin back and forth, he slapped his chest. O-len.

Puffy white clouds chugged from his mouth, and it dawned on me how his bare skin shivered. I pulled at the cover he gave me, and he shook his head as he waved his hand at me. You stay.

Untying it from my neck, I was already regretting giving it back when a blast of icy wind went down my shirt. No. No. I can’t let you do that.

Jerking at my elbow, he spun me toward him and sighed as he retied the closure. You stay.

In the distance, the sounds of chickens clucking and hammers beating against metal grew louder, until the narrow path became a village of crudely thrown together thatch-roofed shacks and tents.

A group of youngish-looking women sat scrubbing dishes in a huge wooden bucket at the center of it all, and he waved one of them over as he pulled me with him. Teacht labhairt léi.

Wiping her hands off on her apron as she came toward me, she flipped her eyes between us. Is there a problem, madam?

Her sweet British-sounding voice took the entire weight of the world from my shoulders when I laughed at her. Oh, thank God.

Laying my hand on my chest, I shook my head. My name is Emily Gazer, — the back of my fingers swept over me — and as you can probably tell, I’m lost as hell. So, can you please tell me how to find a bus or a city or something?

Digging her teeth into her lip, she widened her eyes a little more with every word that came out of my mouth. Oh, gods. You’re Earthborn? Aren’t you?

Pulling my fur coat aside to inspect the clothes peeking out from underneath, she clutched at her dress. You shouldn’t be out here all alone like this. Where’s your guide? Olen murmured to her, and she flung her fingers back at him to shut him up. What happened to the people you were traveling with?

I sniffed at the cold and hugged myself closer, and Olen wrapped his arm around me until I pushed him away. What people? I didn’t come with anyone. I just…

They bickered at each other, and he tugged at my arm to drag me to the little hut behind us as I tried to get a word in. I’m not sure how I…

The cloth door to the hovel unfolded behind her, and he rolled his hand to hurry her up. He’s asking what the last thing you remember is.

I shook my head at the ceiling as she translated back to him. Um, I was running in the park before work and passed through this wall of water and a bright light…

My fingers snapped to stop them so I could complete a full sentence. Hey. Hey. Hey. Can someone please tell me where the hell I am?

While Olen dug his fingers into his scalp as he processed what I was saying, the blonde-haired woman pointed to the ground. You’re in the Realm. Do you understand what that means?

From the dirt floor I stood on to the filthy clothes the woman in front of me wore, I understood wherever I was, I was properly fucked. I was just running before work. I didn’t mean to come here.

Twisting her lips at me, she nodded. No, I realize that. Like she was afraid they were listening, her eyes went up to the ceiling when she whispered, But the gods do as they will. Don’t they?

The weight of what was happening started to sink in, and as Olen’s fingers rubbed up and down my arm to comfort me, I wiped the tears from my face. How do I go back?

The shoulder of her tattered knit cloak jerked back at me. You don’t. I’m sorry.

No clothes, no perfume, not even my favorite hotel-quality pillow to comfort me. I had nothing. Everything I’d worked so hard for was only a memory.

Like a tree falling in the forest, I dove forward as my legs gave out. But his hands were on me, tugging, tossing, and turning until our noses touched as I lay across his lap.

As hard and stout as he was when he saved me only minutes ago, Olen softly stroked my cheek and shook his head. Oracle no leave me.

Something in his eyes called out to me, a dim blinking light on the horizon to bring me back from this sea of chaos I was trapped in. And though I had no idea where he was taking me, I was home now.

A Gift

Emily

Stuffed into one of their patchwork dresses and the fur coat Olen ordered me to keep, I followed the translator through the maze of tents and hovels. I don’t think I asked your name.

A soft blonde braid flung over her shoulder as she looked back at me and stopped until I was beside her. My name is Ula.

Smiling at her, I straightened the hair over my ears to warm them. Thank you for looking after me as you have, Ula. I sure do appreciate it.

Like she was afraid she might break me, Ula hesitated before laying her hand on my back. We all have a job here. Leading me to a long, tented building, she made a single nod. And, since I’ve been with them the longest, mine happens to be looking after the other women of this tribe.

The side flap opened for me, and she tilted her head inside, her serious facade softening when the side of her mouth turned up slightly. But you are welcome.

Every eye was on me as the others fell silent when I stepped through the curtain, holding in the warmth of the fires.

I froze in place, and Ula laid her hand on my back, pushing me toward the left of the makeshift dining room when Olen stood and waved his hand for us. Thabhairt anseo í.

Leaning in my ear as she pushed me around the side of the tables, she sighed. You’re in no danger here. So you can take the insulting sour look off your face.

Pushing the old man from earlier aside, Olen grabbed me away from Ula and shoved me down beside him.

A reddish-bearded man moved down for Ula to sit while she and Olen shared quick mumbles, and she puffed her lips and let the air out slowly as she motioned to him with her fingers. Olen is the only other person among us who can speak any of the common language. He can understand you well he says, but the words he bothered learning to speak are few.

Making a circle in