“What?” It felt like he’d knocked the wind from her lungs.
“Witches, dragons, and vampires are supernatural. They can’t get through. That means, of the people who know us and understand the situation in Paragon, only you or Nick can go through the door. Nick is mated to Rowan and any length of separation will be torture for her, especially if she has no way to contact him. She’ll try her hardest to keep him from going, and if he does anyway, she’ll be inconsolable until his return.”
“But I don’t have a mate.” Avery chewed her bottom lip.
“You don’t have a mate.”
“And I have no power.”
He nodded.
“You want me to retrieve your brother from a place you haven’t seen since 1745.” Avery tried to process the words as she said them, but they overloaded her brain.
Nathaniel faced Xavier’s portrait. “You have another advantage, Avery. You’re a woman. You have a better chance of reaching him. The Highlanders will be much less threatened by a strange woman than a strange man.”
Avery stared back at the portrait again.
“You don’t have to decide now.” Nathaniel sighed. “It’s a lot to ask, especially considering what you’ve been through the past few days.”
“Considering I haven’t had my stitches out yet and I’ve just discovered I have a sister I never knew about, I think dropping into an experiment in time and space is more than my mind can digest at the moment.”
“I understand.” Nathaniel brushed his fingers over the base of the frame. “It’s a good likeness,” he said absently.
Avery blinked at the compelling eyes staring down at her and flushed at the warmth that pulsed through her again. She mumbled a good-night to Nathaniel, excused herself, and hurried back to her room.
Chapter Four
The next day, Avery, along with Clarissa and Raven, took their mother into London to show her some of the sights. Avery fought an overwhelming exhaustion. She’d been up most of the night thinking about what Nathaniel had asked her to do. She couldn’t possibly do it, could she? Allow him to drop her into a place that was most likely frozen in time on the off chance she could persuade Xavier to return to the modern world?
She was sure it would be physically dangerous. There would be no paved roads or cars in the bubble. Most likely, it would be emotionally traumatizing as well. She had no idea what she’d meet on the other side of the wards. But her most disturbing thought as she considered the proposal was that for reasons she could not explain, she wanted to go. The bubble embodied everything she wanted to experience by breaking from the Three Sisters. It would be an adventure. There was no way to plan for it really. She’d have to survive on her own wits and muscle. Not only that but she was drawn to Xavier—the moment she’d seen his image, she’d been rocked with pangs of curiosity and probably infatuation.
Which, yes, was a problem. Nothing good ever came from infatuation. It was the thing that made you take the wrong bus three miles out of your way just so you could sit behind a handsome man and try to work up the courage to ask him on a date. It was why you watched the same movie again and again just to swoon over an actor that made your heart beat faster. Infatuation made people idiots.
Despite knowing that in her head, she couldn’t stop thinking about the painting of Xavier or of going into the bubble. If she said no, if she refused, who would go and tell Xavier about his family and the troubles in Paragon? Not Nick. She couldn’t do that to Rowan.
“Avery? Earth to Avery.” Her mother waved a hand in front of her face, her long, narrow nose wrinkling with her smile.
“Oh, um, sorry. I was daydreaming.”
Sarah laughed. “I see that. I asked you if you liked this dress. I think it would look perfect on you.”
Avery glanced at the wrap dress in her mother’s hands. “It’s a little formal for my taste. It looks like something someone would wear to an office.”
Mom shrugged. “It’s perfect for when you come home and I promote you to manager. You’ll have to dress more professionally if you want the staff to take you seriously.”
Avery glanced at Raven, but help was not coming from that direction. “I don’t think it’s for me, Mom.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “It’s probably better to buy new clothes locally anyway in case they don’t work out.”
Avery stopped, a moment of clarity seizing her and not letting go. “No.”
“I heard you. I put it back on the rack.” Her mother continued to flip through the dresses in front of her.
“I mean no, I’m not going back.” From the moment she’d set foot in England, she’d known the Three Sisters wasn’t her future. For one pure second, everything was so clear. She couldn’t go back. It would smother her.
Sarah stopped what she was doing and grimaced like she’d just stabbed her in the heart. Avery’s stomach ached as she thought about the pain she was causing her mother. Could she do this to her? Maybe she was being selfish.
“What do you mean, you’re not going back?” Her mother stared at her with nothing but confusion on her face.
Avery cleared her throat and folded like a cardboard house made of paper drink coasters. “I mean obviously I’m eventually coming back. But I can’t go home right away. Nathaniel needs help with a special project, and he’s been so generous letting me stay here. It’s a great opportunity. I’m going to stay… for a while.”
Raven caught Avery’s eye and frowned. Her sister could always tell when she was lying.
Her mother took a step closer. “You can’t intend to continue working for Nathaniel. Not after what happened. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be held up again working in that store?”
“This is a different opportunity, not at Relics and Runes.” She waved her hands. “Um, I’ll be fine, Mom, really. I just won’t be home… right away.”
“Well, how long will this project take?” The perturbed look on her mother’s face made her feel nine years old again and like she was thirty seconds from being sent to her room.
“I think Avery wants to explore a few opportunities before she goes home,” Raven said. “I think it will be good for her.”
Sarah gaped, shifting her gaze between them incredulously. “Okay.” She closed her eyes and nodded. “Enough said.” Turning on her heel, the older woman exited the store and strode down the street without them.
Avery tossed up her hands. “She’s practically signing the place over to me already!”
“You don’t want to go back, do you?” Raven peered knowingly at her sister.
Clarissa, who’d been shopping near the back of the store, joined them. “Why did Sarah just hustle out of here like the place was on fire?”
Avery rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “She’s upset that I’m not going back to New Orleans.”
“You’re not?” Clarissa glanced at Raven for answers and got only a shrug in response.
Avery turned and her two sisters followed, threading their arms into hers at the elbow.
“It’s just… It’s just…” Avery couldn’t find the words.