Evan moved like she intended to get in between her father and the wicked, dangerous wolf who seemed to have laid claim to her.
“We will get used to nothing if we’re dead.” Rhys took over, cutting off that fight. “Eddie, can you handle us all?”
“We need to leave.” Dean had gone tense again. “She’s almost here, and she’s brought reinforcements.”
“I shall do whatever it takes to protect my king and queen and my mistress,” Eddie said with a light of determination in his eyes.
The doors flew open and Liv floated in, her feet not touching the floor. “You’re not going anywhere. I should have known you would bring the traitor. Little demon, step away from them and the king might be satisfied with merely killing you.”
“Come around me. Put a hand on me,” Eddie bade.
The room was starting to fill up, and yes, there were a whole lot of demons.
Fen had changed again, and he stood before the whole group. It was obvious to me that they had worked together before. They were a team, and Fen was the front line.
“Mom, I need you to touch Eddie.” Lee’s voice was steady even as we were being surrounded.
“I’ll get that ward back up,” Liv promised. “He won’t be able to teleport you out of here. Not all of you. Who are you going to leave behind, Danny? I’ll take the newbie. I’d like to see what makes him tick.”
“I’ll stay behind,” Daniel said. “Son, get your mother and Kelsey out of here.”
“And I win the martyr bet.” Rhys shook his head. “Eddie, do what you need to do. Fen, we’re going now.”
I felt a bubble go around us, and it was like the world’s volume had been turned down. I saw Liv shout something and then the whole crowd rushed our way.
But it was too late, and for the second time that day, I found myself in another place entirely.
Chapter Three
I stood in the middle of mountains, though they didn’t look like the ones I’d been to in the Rockies. These were gentler, more rounded, as though age had softened them. We were by a stream, flat emerald green land spreading as far as my eye could see.
It looked a bit like the northernmost parts of Faery.
We seemed to be at the base of a mountain, and I could smell the salt of the sea, hear the crashing of waves, though they seemed to come from below us.
I should have worn a coat because it was cold and there was a soft twilight, though I’d thought it was still day. When we’d come through the painting, I’d glanced at the clock in the office and it had read a bit after one p.m.
“Is everyone here?” Eddie had fallen to the soft earth. He looked up at us with weary eyes.
Rhys bent down and picked up the small demon, cradling him in strong arms. “We’re all here.”
“Even…” Eddie began
Rhys nodded. “Even the unborn. They’re fine. As always, you have served us with strength and honor, my friend.”
Devinshea moved in behind me, his hand covering my belly as though he wanted to ensure Rhys was right. I felt him sigh in relief. Arwyna had made it, too. She clung to Dev’s hair.
“You did great.” Lee gave Eddie a thumbs-up. “You should take a nap and when you wake up, I’ll have a hunk of meat for you.”
“But I must get our domicile ready for my mistress,” Eddie argued.
Kelsey was right there, taking his clawed hand in hers. “All I need is to be here with you and Trent and Fen and Gray.”
Eddie looked away. “I am afraid Master Gray is not in residence at this time, but we expect him soon.”
Oh, something was wrong there. I feared Kelsey was handling the entire situation far better than I was, but now I worried things were about to go wrong for her. Twelve years. So much could happen in twelve years. Where was everyone? This valley we were in looked empty. Would we jump again? Was that where I would find Neil and Sarah and my dad?
How old was my dad now?
Twelve years. Those two words sent panic through me.
“And Trent’s not here either,” Evan said.
“Dad’s on assignment back in the States.” Fen was stepping into jeans that looked to have come out of the backpack Evan had been carrying. She pulled a sweater out and handed it to him. “When Eddie’s had a chance to rest, I’ll take you to him, Mom. I can’t tell you how happy he’s going to be to see you. And he’s going to be relieved the ritual worked. Dad told me about it. He wasn’t sure, but I knew he had hope. The baby is Gray’s right?”
Kelsey nodded, worry plain on her face. “Yes. That was the plan. Gray and I would have a child, and then Trent and I. Where is Gray?”
Fen pulled the sweater on and ran a hand over his mass of dark hair, pulling it back and tying it at the base of his neck. “I think Dad should explain that to you. Gray’s alive. He’s not a prisoner or anything. Having you back might help.”
“Why do you call Trent Dad but Gray is Gray?” Kelsey got to the heart of the matter.
Evan put his boots on the grass, a move it looked like she’d done a thousand times since Fen didn’t even have to look down to shove his feet inside.
“Again, I would rather talk about it with Dad around. Mom, we’ve waited twelve years. You can be patient about this,” Fen said in a calm voice. “I don’t know everything. Dad should be the one to talk to you, and he’s in Atlanta right now.”
“I’ll have you there in no time at all,” Eddie promised though his voice shook.
“In the morning,” Rhys corrected.
“But, I can…”
“The morning is fine,” Kelsey interrupted. Her voice was calm, though I could see her clear frustration in the way her jaw was tight. “You need your rest. You’re not used to transporting so many. You did great, Eddie. But where are we?”
Dev had moved away, his hands on his hips as he took in the landscape around us. “I suspect we’re in Huldrefólk country.”
Lee moved in, a huge smile on his face as he held his arms open. “Hey, Mom. Long time, no see.”
I was still numb as he enveloped me. I’d promised him I would see him in the morning. I told him not to worry and called him my darling, and then he’d been left on his own. He’d been left to fight and suffer and bleed. He’d lost his eye. I hadn’t been here to protect him.
I had to fix it.
He seemed to realize I wasn’t responding and stepped back.
Daniel moved in and pulled Lee into a bear hug. “It’s good to see you, son. I want all the stories, but first we should get your mother somewhere warm. Where are we?”
The smile was back on Lee’s face. “Papa’s right. We’re in Iceland, at the northernmost tip. We should get inside. It’s much warmer in the mountain.”
Dev had Evan wrapped in a hug, Fen watching carefully.
I had to get it together. I wasn’t going to allow this timeline to stand, but that didn’t mean my children didn’t deserve their mother’s love. I reached out to Rhys, who still carried Eddie. “Hey, baby.”
He went still and took a long breath, as though fortifying himself. “Hey, Momma.”