“What’s he got against this place? Against— you know. What we do.”
“That’s a long and sad story, Owen. Your father was put through the wringer. We all were. But it’s different now. Far more welcoming.”
They crossed through the gates, which swung slowly open of their own accord as soon as they were right in front of them. As soon as they were on Povest land, a lone figure appeared from the forest like a wraith, moving toward them at what seemed a very fast pace.
“Is that a sentinel or something?” Owen asked anxiously. “Do I need to prove myself?”
Sorin barked a laugh but quickly turned grim as the figure grew closer. Owen could now see it was a woman in a pink dress, a sash flapping behind her.
“Not a sentinel,” Sorin said with weighty solemnity.
Owen’s sense of foreboding grew as the woman got closer. She must have come from nearly a quarter mile away, but her feet ate up the ground and she was upon them in moments.
“Owen,” she berated, stopping in front of their horses. “It’s been ages. How bad of you to make me wait so long.”
His heart seized, threatening to stop. Her curls were no longer lustrous but littered with twigs. Dark circles ringed her once clear blue eyes, now hazy and unfocused. She clasped her dirty hands in front of her and beamed up at him. It reminded him of a wolf baring its teeth right before it attacked. He didn’t have his bow on him and yet he reached for it instinctively to protect himself.
“Say hello to your friend, Owen,” Sorin said dully.
He swallowed hard to clear his dry throat. “Er, hello Maria.”
Chapter 2
Tilly paced in front of the portal, wanting to tear the curtains from the wall. Wanting to strike out at Ashford. It was all his fault after all, not being honest when he couldn’t destroy that filthy book. She made a feral noise in her throat, instantly turning the blame on herself.
Talk about dishonesty. They’d all made a pact when Owen was a tiny baby and Ariana was still in the womb. No magic. Never again, no matter what. They were going to live normally. No harm would come to their children because of Ashford’s and Kostya’s powerful lineages.
And that’s when the real lying had begun. Years and years of it. She’d actually had the audacity to visit her family in the twenty-first century, leaving the children with Farrah and the rest of her beloved house staff. What was wrong with her? Hindsight was laughing at her now, rubbing it in her face at how wrong she’d been.
“Why can’t you get it working?” she snapped, surprised at the guttural sound of her voice. She’d been crying nonstop for hours, interspersed with anguished moans of self-recrimination.
“Because I can’t, darling,” Ashford said, maddeningly calm. She knew he wasn’t calm at all, but was trying to keep her from flinging either herself or him out of the second story window. “Ariana might have done what generations of Alexanders have been trying unsuccessfully to do. Close up this bloody portal once and for all.”
An indescribable sound climbed out of her throat and she paced some more to keep from hitting him.
“She couldn’t have. Keep trying. You can break whatever she did. You have the bloody book right there, Ashford. Bloody well use it, damn it!”
She broke down into fresh tears once more. How could she possibly have any left in her? She fell into Ashford’s open arms, alternately beating his chest and clutching at his shirt for comfort. But there was no comfort to be had.
“We killed her,” she sobbed. “We—”
“Hush,” he said forcefully, squeezing her tight enough to make her gasp. “Stop. Call for a drink, tea or whisky, whichever you think might help. But you mustn’t say such things.” He patted her back, making soothing sounds. “We’re going to find her, love. She’s going to be fine.”
Serena poked her head around the door frame, her own face red with tears. Her son Owen was gone as well, but at least they knew where he was going. To family, safety. Ariana was heading toward nothing but bad.
“What— goodness, what is all this?” Serena stepped tentatively into the room and gasped, putting everything together. “Oh no. She couldn’t have. She didn’t. Perhaps she went after Owen.”
“She didn’t,” Tilly said, trying to keep from sounding like a shrew to her best and oldest friend.
But underneath her fear was a disgusting stain of envy. Serena knew Owen was all right, albeit out of her sight for a while. She knew exactly where he was going and how to find him should she want to. Tilly knew nothing. Well, something. She knew about that horrible future she’d witnessed before Ariana was born. Panic welled in her and she couldn’t speak to explain. Gasping, she collapsed onto the bed and clutched at her collar.
“It looks like Ariana went through the portal and did a hell of a good job closing it up. I can’t even sense it being here anymore.” Ashford pressed his lips together, clearly wishing he hadn’t been so forthcoming. “I’m certain we’ll figure it out soon, though,” he added lamely.
Tilly looked away from him before she went off her rocker with rage. Why couldn’t he fix it? It was his house, his family’s curse. It was supremely irresponsible of him not to have studied harder, done more. Done something. She knew she was being unfair and tipped over onto her side, curling up in a ball.
“Let me get Kostya,” Serena said. “He’ll sort it at once.”
She ran from the room while Ashford took over pacing duties. “He won’t help,” he said. “He’s too afraid.”
“He will,” Tilly muttered from her fetal position. He would or she’d…
Kostya raced into the room with Serena on his heels. “What’s this about? How can
