by Krista Walsh
Though she would never admit it aloud.
“We’ve got nothing but the future, Allegra.”
Her blood raced as her wanderlust mixed with baser desires. “Then I see no reason why we should waste another minute.”
Dropping her lashes in a wink, she started toward the bedroom. A low chuckle rumbled behind her as Matthew followed.
***
Daphne drew in a breath and stared down at her shaking hands. There would be a lot of explaining to do when she got home. Not only would her mother want to know about Tyler’s role in Mayes’s plan, but Daphne would also need to confess how far she’d pushed to achieve what she’d needed to do. As tempting as it was to keep her dirty little secret to herself, she knew she’d never be able to get over it if she did. Or have the strength to ignore the next temptation without the support of her family holding her back. She would need to admit how she’d taken in Mayes’s power, and how Tyler had actually done her a favor by removing what she didn’t need. She was no stronger now than she was before — magically, anyway — but would that matter in their view?
While she was sure those she loved would understand, she did wonder if it would change the way they looked at her. Would her mother and grandmother increase their watchfulness, their trust replaced with concern that she was returning to her old habits? Would Hunter ever be able to forgive her for what she’d done?
Apprehension hugged her heart, and she tugged at the collar of her shirt to try to give herself a bit more air.
“Do you think you’ll ever regret what you had to do to get out of there?” she asked Gabe.
Out of all of them, he was the only one she hadn’t had much time to talk to since they’d gotten back. The others might not have noticed it under his determined good cheer, but to her he still looked exhausted, the lines around his mouth tight. His brow was pinched, as though he were in pain, although physically she couldn’t see much wrong with him other than bruises. Turning Mayes to stone had changed something in him. She hoped Vera’s company would be enough to prevent the change from having too strong an effect.
“How could I regret it?” he said. “All the people left alive that I cared about were on that ferry, not to mention the one other schmuck waiting for me back in town. I did what I had to do to keep them all safe. It’s the only goal I had for myself, and I achieved it.”
He put his arm around Vera, and she rested her head on his chest.
Daphne watched them, and a glimmer of hope rose inside her that Hunter would see things as Gabe did, though her fear of his response made her feel hesitant as Gabe raised his finger in the air to create his third rift. Unlike the others he’d created, this doorway shifted, its golden light wavering. He dropped his hand and pressed his fingers against his brow, wobbling on his feet. Vera held on to him, helping to steady him, and he released a breath.
“Sorry, I guess I’m stretching myself pretty thin.”
Daphne’s disappointment was mixed with a tinge of relief. “It’s all right. I don’t mind waiting until later, after you’ve had a chance to rest.”
Gabe frowned. “No, it’s not fair that you need to put off going home. Just give me a minute.”
He shook out his arms and rolled his neck, causing a few loud pops to fill the room that made Vera wince. After he seemed to have woken himself up, he raised his hand again, and this time the doorway came up strong.
“Thank you for getting me out of there,” Daphne said. “You could have left me behind and watched your own ass, and you didn’t. I won’t forget that.”
Gabe offered her a weak smile. “You risked your life to save the entire world. It was the least I could do.”
Daphne turned to Vera. “You take care of yourself. Looks like you’re going to have quite the task on your hands keeping this one down until he’s recovered.”
Vera’s lip quirked. “I just hope I’m up to the challenge.”
Daphne chewed on her lip, then moved toward the doorway. It didn’t make sense to put this off any longer. And she wanted to go home. She wanted to see Hunter. She wanted her mom, and her Gram, and a whole plate of apple strudels. She wouldn’t even mind giving Benji a cuddle, enduring all the hair of his thick Maine Coon coat.
Focusing on that least threatening desire, she stepped through to her street, and her breath caught as the rift closed behind her. Quickly, she walked the rest of the way home and stopped in front of her house. The lights in the basement were off. Emmett was no doubt sticking around with Molly until he was sure she’d gotten settled. It warmed Daphne’s heart that he’d met someone who would push him, challenge him to stay on the straight and narrow. And maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing for Molly to have someone around who tempted her to walk on the wild side once in a while. Every teenager should experience that at least once in their lives.
Then again, considering Molly was the one who walked out at night armed with her bow and arrows, maybe it would be her teaching Emmett a few things.
The lights in her apartment on the second floor were off, but on the main floor, the living room window glowed bright and welcoming. She pictured her family sitting inside, not sure when to expect her. She’d called them yesterday to let them know she was alive, but had left it at that. They didn’t know it would be a different woman walking through the front door than the one who’d walked out.
Or at least, that’s how she felt. As though she’d been tested and was still waiting for the results to come in.
With a shaky breath, she climbed the stairs and stepped into the foyer.
The second the front door closed behind her, the door to her mother and grandmother’s apartment flew open, and both women were there, their arms around Daphne, pulling her inside, barraging her with questions.
“You couldn’t have called to tell your mother you were on your way?” Cheryl asked. “We’ve been waiting for you all day.”
“Do you know what was pushing back against our protective circle?” asked Evelyn. “Mary-Lynn was certain they were going to get through. She wanted to give up, said she was too tired to keep going, but I told her, Mary-Lynn Villette, you sit right where you are and focus on holding on. I’m not letting my granddaughter and her friends take more of the brunt of this than they need to.”
Beyond their questions and fawning, beyond their matching green eyes and bright-colored clothes, Hunter stood in the doorway to the kitchen, leaning against the door jamb with one foot over the other, his arms crossed, a warm smile lighting up his face.
Daphne melted at the sight of him. She wanted to push the others away and disappear into his arms, but she had something else to do first. Better to get the worst out of the way and face the consequences.
“There’s something you should know,” she said.
Hunter’s smile faltered, but he came over. He took one end of the couch and reached out a hand, inviting Daphne to sit beside him. Cheryl and Evelyn fell silent and took the loveseat at an angle with them, concern written on both their faces.
Slowly, Daphne filled them in on what had happened. She sped through most of the challenges and threats she’d encountered, highlighting their rescue of Molly and the role of the Collegiate, whose presence stunned Evelyn and filled Cheryl’s expression with awe.
When Daphne reached the part about Tyler, Cheryl scowled. “That no-good, good-for-nothing scad of a warlock. If he were still alive, you can be sure I would track him down and tear off his head with my bare hands.”
Hunter cleared his throat, and Cheryl threw herself against the back of the couch, crossing her arms. Benji took the opportunity to jump on her lap, and she buried her fingers deep in his fur. “You never met him,” she said. “If you had, I don’t think there would be any judgment in your look. You’d be rooting for me. Trying to steal his own daughter’s power. How low can a man get?”
Daphne bowed her head. “That’s not all there is.”
With nothing else left to tell them, she went into the details of how she’d brought down
Mayes. She told them how far she’d lost herself in her magic, how certain she’d been that she wouldn’t find her way back. Tears soaked her cheeks, and she couldn’t let go of Hunter’s hand, though she was holding too tightly to know if he was squeezing back.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I made promises to all of you, and I broke them. I honestly felt it was my only choice, but I had to draw so much. I didn’t even know who I was anymore. And I thought it was worth it, that I’d done something to save you all, but it didn’t even work.”
“Oh, honey,” Cheryl said, and she stood up, sending Benji jumping off her lap with a petulant meow. She squeezed herself onto the couch beside Daphne and wrapped her arms around her so tightly that Daphne felt all of her broken parts being pressed back together. “Baby, it’s all right. We know. It had to have been so terrifying, and when Hunter called us to say that you were saying your goodbyes, all I could wish was that I was there with you. Helping you however I could.”
Evelyn crouched down in front of her, her silken hands adding to the pile growing in Daphne’s lap. “It was foolhardy and dangerous, but it took courage and a great deal of self-sacrifice. We’re proud of you, Daphne. Don’t doubt that for a minute.”
Though she could barely see anything through the veil of tears blurring her vision, Daphne glanced toward Hunter. His opinion was the one she feared the most, and at the frown on his face, her heart nearly shattered. But he stroked his fingers along her cheek and shifted on his seat toward her.
As though they were alone in the room, he leaned in and locked gazes with her, his hazel eyes so stern, she was sure she would start sobbing again.
“If you ever do anything like that to me again, Daphne Heartstone, I will kill you myself, is that understood? My relationship with you is stressful enough. I don’t need the extra heart attack.”
“So y-you’re not mad at me? You don’t think I’m s-some horrible m-monster who scares you for being what I am?”
Hunter’s jaw dropped, and a moment later Daphne found herself bundled against his chest.
“Crazy woman,” he said. “I’m in love with you. I’m sorry if I don’t always have a great way of showing it, if sometimes I don’t know how to express my fear for you, but do you honestly think a show of power is going to push me away now?”
At those words, Daphne sagged into his arms and cried until her tears ran out. While Hunter wiped them away, Evelyn disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a pot of tea and a plate of apple strudels.
“You look like you haven’t eaten in days,” she said. “Put a few of these in your belly and you’ll be right as rain.”
“Where’s Emmett, by the way?” Cheryl asked. “You didn’t leave him in Boston, did you?”
Daphne shook her head and wiped her face on her sleeve, certain that she looked a fright with her runny nose and messed hair. Her self-consciousness evaporated quickly, though, under Hunter’s smile. “He went home with Molly.”
Cheryl and Evelyn exchanged a glance. “Our Emmett in young love, hmm?” Evelyn said. “Oh dear.”
Daphne bit into a strudel, and Evelyn’s words came true. As the cinnamon and nutmeg drifted over her tongue, the tension in her chest released, and she sagged back into the couch. Yes, she had displayed the greatest show of magic in known history, but this was where true power rested: in the love of her family and the sweetness of a homemade strudel.
***
Gabe sagged against Vera, and she helped him toward the couch. Percy went into the kitchen and came back with a tumbler of whiskey, which he set down on the end table.
“You going to be all right, man?” he asked, and for a rare change, there was no humor in his voice.
Gabe frowned. He didn’t like people worrying about him. It made him feel as though they had something to worry about. And they didn’t. Not really. Although Mayes’s — Akutiel’s — memories were playing havoc with his head, he was sure they’d settle down eventually.
He grabbed his drink and took a slow sip, allowing the heat of the whiskey to float over his taste buds and down his throat. It didn’t still the images in his mind, but it did steel his nerves against them.
“I will be,” he said. “He was just so…old. And evil. When I absorbed the jinni’s memories, I never thought I’d experience anything like that again.” He forced a laugh. “Maybe I was right, because this was so much worse. Deverill acted out of self-preservation and necessity. His was a neutral kind of chaos. Akutiel found pleasure in destroying people’s lives.”
His stomach twisted as another memory pushed forward in his mind, one filled with blood and screams, but he shoved it aside before the full weight of the scene sank into his subconscious.
Vera’s cool fingers brushed his hair off his brow, and Percy shifted uncomfortably on his feet.
“I’m not going to lie,” he said. “This whole being around other actual people thing has really taken the wind out of me, so if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to go downstairs and take some tension out on a video game or something.”
“Are you sure? I can take you home.” Gabe tried to stand up, but his spinning head forced him back.
“No,” Percy said, holding up his hand, “I think I’m good. If you die trying to help me, I don’t trust Vera not to kick my ass, and I know she’d win.” Vera blew him a kiss, and Percy winked at her, then turned back to Gabe. “Honestly, man, take your time. I’m looking forward to getting back to my life, but if I had to take a break from it, I couldn’t think of a better place. Your basement is huge.”
He started toward the stairs, and Vidar and Baxter scrambled to follow him.
Vera watched the dogs run, then cast Gabe a quizzical stare, and he rolled his gaze to the ceiling. “He keeps peanut butter down there and eats it with a spoon. He now has two spoons, so he can share.”
Her mouth fell open in a silent ‘Ah.’
Another slew of memories rushed through his head, and he rolled onto his side with a groan, resting his head on Vera’s knee. The fire crackled in front of them, and through the windows, the sky grew dark with an incoming snowfall, closing them into the cozy warmth of the room.
Vera stroked her fingers through his hair. “Now that your friend is gone and it’s just me, are you going to give an honest answer? You’re not all right, are you?”
He looked up at her, her skin still pale even through the murky brown hue of his sunglasses. “I was being honest,” he said. “I will be.”
“But you’re not right now.”
He released a breath to settle his writhing stomach. “No. Akutiel is in my head, moving things around, trying to get comfortable. I can’t sleep, because he keeps taking over my dreams. If I let myself relax for one minute, he sweeps in. But I can handle this. It’s only been twenty-four hours.”
“What happens if you can’t handle it?” Vera asked. The lines around her eyes were tight, and the grayness of her stare was shot through with fear. Gabe wished he could put her at ease, reassure her that everything would be fine, but the truth was, he couldn’t be sure.
“I’ll probably go insane,” he said. “But that won’t happen. Not when I have such a good reason to hang on to my sanity.”
She offered the best smile she could, but it didn’t do anything to soften the tension in her face.
He reached up and caressed her cheek, and she tilted her face into his palm.
“I love you,” she said.
“I love you back, bookworm.” He wasn’t even surprised by the lack of hesitation in his reply.
Tears filled Vera’s eyes. “I was so worried I’d lost you,” she said. “After everything. After your father… I don’t know what I would have done. What I would do, if even after destroying Mayes, he managed to take you away from me.”
Gabe eased himself up and closed his eyes as he removed his sunglasses, wanting to give himself time to adjust to the light in the room without them. When he was sure the glare wouldn’t create any shooting pains in his skull �
� a bonus he didn’t need — he met Vera’s gaze.
The tug as his mind connected with hers wasn’t as strong as it usually was, with Akutiel taking up too much of his attention, but it was enough to soothe him. She was his miracle. With her by his side, how could he not win this final battle?
“The only reason I got through most of what I did was the thought of you,” he said. “We’ve both been through hell and back, but I wouldn’t change a thing, because the day Jermaine Hershel brought you into my life was the best day of my life.”
Vera rested her brow against his, and he cupped her face with his hands.
“How about we slow down a bit now,” she said. “We can stay here with the dogs, help Ara decorate the new store, hide the Book of Universes somewhere no one will ever find it again until the Collegiate asks for it, and leave the rest of the world to fend for itself for a while, okay?”
Gabe chuckled and ran his fingers through the cascade of red hair that had fallen over her shoulder. “If I ever have to save the world again, I’ll make sure I only do it with you by my side.”
She raised her head to meet his gaze, and again he felt the click of their minds meeting, more noticeable this time, settling some of the other thoughts galloping through his head. A surge of hope ran through him that maybe he would have less trouble taking over the new memories than he’d thought, as though the soothing nature of Vera’s stare carried as much power as his love for her.
“Do you promise?” she asked.
He stroked her lips with his thumb. “I promise,” he said, and he sealed it with a kiss.
Thank You for Reading
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