She was vaguely pleased that the doctor had given them a perfect excuse for why Ariana was injured but she didn’t remember if she answered. She didn’t remember how she ended up in this chair. Her fingers were so tightly intertwined that her left hand was asleep and she slowly peeled them apart. It might have been hours since she sat there staring at the doors. Time moved in fits and starts. One second Serena would be in front of her offering a cup of tea, the next she’d be alone. Finally, the doors opened and she stood. Her right foot was asleep and she limped forward to meet the doctor, trying to peer over his shoulder.
“Not so bad, but a lot of blood loss. It’ll take her a while to come round. I’ll stay and keep a close eye on her.” The doctor held open his hand and Tilly sagged with relief until she looked at what he held out. “Never seen a ball like this before. That from a newfangled London gun?”
Newfangled indeed. Tilly had been a fingerprint analyst in her former life and had seen plenty of forensic reports. She also knew that Ashford had always kept the modern gun he used to carry with him when he regularly had to rescue people from the portal.
“What in the hell?” she said, immediately apologizing to the doctor for swearing.
He seemed unfazed. “Not a hunter yourself, then?”
“No. Nor will Ariana be after this.” She grasped his wrist and thanked him before hurrying around him to see Ariana.
She lay peacefully enough under a clean sheet, though there were bloody rags and bits everywhere. The physician’s assistant bobbed his head as he cleaned up around her. Tilly rested her palm gently on Ariana’s forehead, knowing keeping fever down would be an issue. She watched her chest rise and fall for a few moments, unable to get the sight of that bullet the doctor had shown her out of her mind.
“What in the hell?” she repeated. She ignored the questioning look of the assistant and spun out of the room.
Ashford had been laid out on a couch in a sitting room with Serena, Kostya, and Owen watching over him while anxiously awaiting news about Ariana.
“She’s going to be all right,” Tilly snapped. She barely registered their sighs of relief as she shook Ashford’s shoulders, trying to rouse him.
“He’s really sick,” Owen said. “I don’t know if it was the spell he did or what, but maybe you better let him sleep it off.”
“Tell me what happened,” she said.
Serena patted the chair next to hers and Owen sat on the edge, hands gripping his knees. “We were almost too late. We saw Uncle Julian following that Nick blackguard toward the woods. The trees were a lot closer to the stables back then.”
“We remember,” Tilly cut in.
“Er, of course. We tried calling him and he seemed like he might have heard us but he was acting almost as if he was drunk.” Owen held up his hands. “I know he wasn’t, mind. But he was staggering a bit and kept clutching at his head.”
“He was too close to himself,” Kostya explained. “It’s very dangerous to go back in your own timeline.”
“Well, someone really should have told him that,” Owen said bitterly. “Might have saved—”
“He knew,” Tilly said, equally bitterly.
“We did see you both, Aunt Tilly. And you two as well,” he said, smiling tremulously at his mother and father. “Anyway, I guess he thought he had a pretty good shot at Nick but he was still ignoring us. We didn’t want to outright holler and have Nick look back, but we thought we could distract Uncle Julian enough so Nick could get out of range. I was looking around for a stick or a rock to chuck at his back when Ariana…” He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. “Foolish lass jumped out and got right in the way of the gunshot. As if that bastard’s life was worth more than hers.”
“That’s not why she did it,” Serena said, patting his shoulder and handing him a handkerchief. “She did it to save her father.”
“But he wasn’t in any danger.”
Kostya sighed. “She wanted to save his soul.”
“You’re sure Ariana’s going to be all right?” Owen asked. He nodded toward Ashford. “I’m sorry I hit him. When I saw all the- all the blood, I panicked. I didn’t dare try any healing spell on my own and he was so unruly… I’m awfully sorry but it seemed the easiest way to get him back.”
“How did you get back?” Tilly asked, staring at Ashford. Her anger was dribbling away, being replaced with fear. Why was he still unconscious? “Not Ashford’s spell?” If that was the case, it was no wonder he was so ill. Fool, stupid fool for leaving her in the first place.
Owen patted his overly embellished waistcoat that was now spotted with Ariana’s blood and pulled out a small velvet pouch. She recognized it as one of a set she made for Ariana years ago. He sprinkled out a few bits of dried herbs into his palm and showed them.
“It was Ariana’s spell. Or maybe one she learned from someone in her coven.” He paused when he saw her eyes widening in shock. So, it had happened like the future she’d seen. Or close. Far too close for comfort, but that was over now once and for all. She hoped. When she didn’t interject, Owen went on. “I watched her while she did it to get us back and it worked
