The huts that had been destroyed were rebuilt and, overall, Terrenia was thriving. If you didn’t look for the black tendrils of darkness that had once been threading through the landscape, you’d never even know they’d been there.
Anastasia smiled as Kaley padded over. “Hey, girl.” Since the defeat of Vincent, Kaley had taken it upon herself to become the village cat, spending most of her time running around, searching for someone to play with—or someone to feed her.
She rubbed against Anastasia, but when Dakota reached over to pet her, Kaley gave him her full attention.
Anastasia wondered if somehow Kaley could sense his irritation. Things between them had been strained since he’d brought up the baby conversation three months ago. Why couldn’t he just understand she wasn’t ready yet? Hadn’t they just gotten their lives back? Hadn’t they finally been allowed to be happily married without war looming on the horizon?
Why couldn’t he just be patient?
“Hey, you two!” Elizabeth greeted them happily.
“How did it go?” Tony asked as Anastasia and Dakota stepped up onto the porch.
“Went fine.” Dakota headed into the house.
“What’s going on with him?” Elizabeth asked, watching her son disappear inside.
“Just tired. We’ve been traveling a lot recently.”
“Sure that’s it?” Tony asked.
She forced a smile. “Yes, Tony. It’s been a long time since we just relaxed.”
“The war is over, Anastasia, you can breathe again.” He put his hand on her shoulder.
If that were true, then why did she have a feeling in the pit of her stomach that was telling her it was far from over?
“I’ll relax once the worlds are all at peace.”
Tony raised an eyebrow. “Are they not already?”
“We’re getting there.” Not you, too.
“Everything will settle down soon, Anastasia.” He offered her a smile, and she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
“Thanks, Tony.”
“You got it, kid. Now, how about some food?”
Anastasia released him, and they walked into his and Elizabeth’s cottage together. The space was warm and decorated in such a home-filled-with-love way that just the simple act of walking in had the rest of the stress from the day melting away.
Pictures from an old instant camera she’d picked up for Elizabeth decorated the walls, along with drawings Tony had done on parchment that used to be designated to mapping out attack plans.
Anastasia never realized what a talented artist Tony was before, but he certainly deserved the credit. Each image was incredibly detailed with pencil strokes, and more realistic than some of the art sold back in Seattle for outrageous prices.
“How are things with the Guisnows?” Elizabeth asked as she prepped the homemade pizza she worked on.
Anastasia glanced at Dakota as she took a seat on a barstool. He sat on the couch, hunched over a glass of Terrenian whiskey.
“Good. It seems the effect Vincent had on the worlds is dissipating.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.” She smiled. “So, what’s next for you two?” She didn’t bother hiding the underlying tone in her voice.
Elizabeth had made it very clear to Anastasia that she was ready for grandchildren.
“I’m not sure yet,” Anastasia answered honestly. She really had no clue. “How are things with the new trainees?” she asked Tony, in desperate need of a subject change.
“They are doing well. Selena is an excellent teacher.”
Anastasia smiled. She and Selena had become close friends over the last two years, despite the fact that the woman had once blamed her for the deaths of her children.
She was grateful that Selena no longer blamed her, but for Anastasia, there was no getting past the deaths that remained dark stains on her soul.
“Anastasia?” Tony pulled her from her thoughts, and she offered him a smile.
“Sorry, I spaced out for a minute. Is my grandmother coming tonight?”
“She is! She should be here any minute.”
Just as Elizabeth finished speaking, the door opened, and Carmen walked in. She smiled at Anastasia, then turned toward Elizabeth. “That smells delicious, Elizabeth.”
“Thank you, Carmen. How are you?”
“Fair to mid-land. How about you?”
Elizabeth smiled. “Doing great.”
“How are things with Queen Orlaith and the Guisnows?” Carmen asked, taking a seat at the table.
“Good. I was able to help their daughter.”
Pride shone on her grandmother’s aging face. “That’s wonderful.” She turned toward Dakota and raised an eyebrow. “Hello, Dakota.”
He lifted his head and smiled, the tension in his brow dissipating. He had a weak spot for Carmen, and no matter how mad he was, he couldn’t keep it up while around the older woman. “Hey, Grandma.” He stood and strolled to the dining table, then kissed her wrinkled cheek and took a seat next to her at the table. After scooting out the chair next to him, he looked hopefully at Anastasia.
She smiled and took a seat, gripping his hand beneath the table.
“I know you aren’t ready yet,” he whispered. “It’s okay.” He kissed her cheek, and she leaned against his shoulder. No matter what they came up against, whether it was fighting side by side in a war, or learning to finally live, Anastasia could handle anything as long as he was beside her.
2
Terrenia
Anastasia
The world around her was dark. Moans and pleas of the dying filled her ears as she searched for any sign of where she was. Taking a shaky breath, Anastasia stepped forward, her head throbbing as though someone had driven a spike through it—or maybe a dozen spikes.
“Hello?” she called out, wincing when the words brought her more pain. “Hello? Is anyone there?”
She could feel the magic in this place, the steady humming as it surrounded her, but it was not from light or good power. The air was pregnant with despair, seeping into her bones, causing them to ache. Her chest heaved as she sucked in breaths that filled her nose with the putrid scent of decaying flesh.
“Hello?” she called out again, stepping toward the rustling sounds before her. Conjuring a ball of light, Anastasia gasped.
“Help us,” a black shape moaned as it reached for her. Woman or man, she couldn’t be sure, it merely resembled humanoid-shaped tar, with the black dripping off of it and sizzling onto the ground.
“What happened here?”
“Help us,” another cried out from behind. Turning, Anastasia realized she was completely surrounded by the creatures. They crawled toward her, and she backed away.
Blue lightning streaked through the air, striking the ground before her, causing the ground to spray up with black dirt.
She shielded her eyes, and when the light faded, cautiously opened them again. A man stood before her, his face shadowed by the night.
“Ana.”
His voice familiar, Anastasia stepped toward him, using her light to illuminate him.
“Dakota! Thank God. What happened here?”
He didn’t speak, just continued staring at her as if not truly seeing her. As she got closer, she covered her mouth with shaking hands. “What happened to you?”
Blue lines climbed up the sides of his neck, disappearing into his hair. Eyes that should have been blue were lined with purple, the expression reflected in them so unlike the man she loved.
“What’s wrong?” She took a step toward him, but he held his hand up to stop her.
“No, don’t come near me.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Me.”
“What do you mean?” The pulsing grew stronger around her, making it nearly impossible to focus on anything. Her vision swam as the crushing pain in her head increased the closer she moved to him. The strange creatures parted for her as she walked, focused more on Dakota.
“I’m wrong. You n
eed to stay away from me.”
“How can you say that? I won’t let anything happen to you!”
“Too late.” He smiled now, and the purple in his eyes flared to life, completely eclipsing the blue. Flinging out a hand, Anastasia’s ears rang as she was blasted back further into the dark abyss.
Anastasia sat up quickly, her breathing ragged, body coated in a thick film of sweat. What the hell was that?
She laid back against her pillow, pressing a hand to the heart still hammering against her ribs. It had been a long time since she’d suffered from such a bad nightmare. Hell, the last time she’d woken up in a panic, Vincent was still alive.
“Easy, Anastasia,” she said to herself. Opening her eyes, Anastasia squinted at the light pouring in from the open windows. One look at his side of the bed confirmed Dakota had already gotten up, so she dressed and went to find him.
He was sitting on the porch with his shirtless back to her, and she stood for a moment, drinking him in. She doubted she would ever grow tired of seeing him this way, bathed in the sunlight of a new day.
It certainly helped he was incredibly easy on the eyes.
As if her thoughts crept into his own, he turned to grin at her. “Enjoying the view?”
“Always.” Anastasia took a seat next to him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she leaned against him. His body was warm, a comfort to her even during the darkest days of her life, and it helped now to erase the remnants of the nightmare.
“Sleep well?” He placed a kiss on the top of her head and offered the steaming mug in his hand.
She took it gratefully and sipped on strong coffee, a luxury they brought back with them each time they visited Seattle. There were just some things they couldn’t live without.
“I did. I can’t believe I slept that long.”
He laughed lightly. “You needed it.”
“How about you?”
“Eh, I slept all right.”
“What happened?”
The area between his eyebrows creased, and Anastasia straightened.
“It’s nothing. Just a bad dream.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He smiled and pulled her back against him. “Nope. I want to sit here with my beautiful wife and watch the sunrise over our home.”
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Brightly colored birds took flight for the day. She could see it every day for a hundred years, and Terrenia would still be just as beautiful as it had been the very first day she arrived.
“My view is better.” He grinned down at her, and she smacked his chest lightly.
“Corny.”
“So true though.”
She leaned back against him, grateful for the warmth his body offered to her.
“All those years ago, did you ever think this is where we’d be?”
“In an alternate world?” She laughed. “Can’t say that would have been my guess.”
“Mine either, though, that’s not what I meant. I mean here, together. Sitting on the porch of our home watching the sunrise.”
Anastasia smiled. “I had hoped.” She turned her face up to his and accepted a sweet kiss. His lips were tender on hers, a gentle caress, and she nearly groaned.
How was it that after two years he could still manage to turn her into a pile of mush with just one kiss?
“Have I told you today that I love you?” he whispered against her mouth.
“Not yet.”
“Well, I do. With everything that I am.”
“I love you, too.” She pressed her lips to his again briefly, and then leaned back against him.
“What’s the plan for today?”
Anastasia sighed, she was so ready for a day when there didn’t have to be a plan. A day where they could do nothing but lie in bed all day and no one was counting on them to be in any certain place.
“We need to go to Seattle. I want to check on things there.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“What’s wrong with Seattle?”
“Nothing, but I’m guessing you’ll want to swing by the precinct and talk to Ashton. Playing mediator between you two is not a fun job. Every time we go, I worry I’m going to have to kick his ass or help you hide his body.”
Anastasia laughed. “Look on the bright side. We’ll be able to get more coffee and bring Tony back a city-made pizza.”
Dakota laughed. “That should earn us some brownie points.”
Anastasia kissed him loudly and got to her feet. “We don’t have to go yet, though.” She grinned and began to back into their home. Dakota stood, his movements primal as he moved toward her.
She ran, giggling back into the house, and when he scooped her into his arms, she knew there was no way life could get any better than this.
3
Seattle
Anastasia
Anastasia and Dakota stepped through the portal and into the living room of Dakota’s childhood home. Elizabeth still hadn’t sold it, and since she owned the property outright, it helped having a place to stay when they needed to be in Seattle for longer than a day.
“Where to first?” Dakota asked, setting down his bag.
“We need to go talk to Ashton.”
“Think you’ll be able to restrain from kicking his ass?”
The detective and she had gotten off to an okay start when he’d helped them in the final battle against Vincent, but that was where their amicable relationship ended. Once he’d gotten back to Seattle and realized a handful of Pickries managed to stay behind, leaving Seattle in a panic, he’d blamed her for bringing her war to his world.
“I can try.”
“Just for the record, my money’s on you,” he said with a grin.
“I’d hope so.”
They turned and headed upstairs to his bedroom, where they kept a change of clothes. The typical Terrenia wear of tight pants and a crop shirt handmade from animal hide didn’t go over well with Seattle residents. After the invasion of Vincent and his Brutes two years ago, they didn’t tend to care much for anything that even looked like it came from a different world.
Just because the cork had been popped on the fact that there was life in different worlds, didn’t mean people accepted it.
Dakota chose jeans and a white T-shirt, covered with a black leather jacket to combat Seattle’s January temperatures, and she chose dark jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt that would hide the gun in her waistband.
Looking more like a modern couple, they climbed into Dakota’s car that he kept stored in the garage and pulled onto the street. She glanced at her old house and smiled as she watched the toddler running around the front yard with his dad.
It was almost therapeutic for her to see new, happy memories being made in the house that held so many horrible times for her. Maybe some of the love there now could wash away the pain of the past.
Dakota reached over and squeezed her hand as they began the drive into downtown. It amazed Anastasia how, for the most part, everything still looked the same. Other than the graffiti damning the other world creatures painted on tunnels and the sides of buildings, with the structures and overall feel, it was as if nothing had changed.
They passed a grocery store, and Anastasia’s mouth began to water. “We need to grab some Nutter Butters while we’re here.”
“You already ate the eight packs we bought last time?”
“Hey! No judgment, Mr. Obsessed with Goldfish Crackers.”
Dakota shrugged. “Those little bastards get me every time.”
Anastasia laughed, but her happy feeling quickly disappeared when they pulled into the parking garage of the Seattle PD.
“Remember, calming thoughts,” Dakota said as he laced his fingers through hers.
“It’s calming to imagine running my fist into his arrogant face. Does that count?”
Dakota chuckled. “Sure, baby. You do you.” He kissed her loudly, and they made their way inside.
&
nbsp; A few waves and handshakes later, they were ushered into Ashton’s office. The captain of Seattle PD was never happy to meet them, but today, things felt even more strained than usual.
His dark hair had gone greyer at the temples, and he pulled black-rimmed glasses off to rub tired brown eyes.
“What can I do for you two?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.
Not seeing a reason to beat around the bush, Anastasia cut straight to the point. “We wanted to see if you could help us locate the last remaining Pickries, so we can send them back to their world.”
He grimaced. “Oh, those little bastards. Those are the most annoying fucking creatures I’ve ever come across. Even more so than my ex-wife, and trust me, that’s saying something.”
“Well, hopefully we can get them out of your hair,” Dakota offered.
Ashton looked straight at Anastasia. “Not going to hold my breath, but you’re more than welcome to try.”
“If you could have managed tracking their locations, we might have been able to find them.”
Ashton rolled his eyes. “Recently, they’ve been hanging out over on 118th street near Thornton Creek.”
“Great.” Anastasia started to stand, but Ashton shook his head.
“I’m actually glad you are here,” he said to Dakota. Anastasia didn’t miss the tone in his voice or the way he looked directly at Dakota. “We have a bit of a situation.”
“What do you mean?” Dakota asked.
“Do you remember Gwen Murphy?”
Anastasia thought back through everyone she’d met over the last few years, but no one came to mind.
“You mean the woman Vincent was seeing?” Dakota asked. Anastasia wasn’t surprised he remembered—he had a memory like a steel trap.
Ashton nodded. “What you probably didn’t know, because I didn’t know until last week, was that she has a kid.”
Anastasia straightened. “I’m sorry, what?”
Ashton didn’t respond, simply stared at her, eyebrows lifted in annoyance.
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