Page 71 of Wake the Dream

Favor after favor, yet Yelena still hadn’t been found. They were no closer than when they started.

And who knew what would happen when Illaria got back to the abandoned video store. Or what she would find.

The carpet absorbed her footsteps as she crossed the room to grab one of Yelena’s favorite shirts from the laundry pile on the floor.

She brushed the fabric against her face, inhaling the familiar scents.

Please. Please let this work.

**

“Here’s your damn pieceof clothing.” Illaria tossed the shirt at Caryss. “Do what you can with it.”

She noted the way Kieran and Caryss glanced at each other upon her return, a quick flit of emotion on both their faces before disappearing, never to return.

What the hell had they agreed to?

A sinking feeling swirled in the pit of her stomach.

Nothing good.

“There is no guarantee that this will work.” Caryss addressed her worktop and the assortment of items she had laid out in preparation. “Your sister doesn’t want to be found. I’ve already made that clear to you.”

“Bullshit,” Illaria countered. She laced her hands behind her back so as not to be tempted with any more strangling. She’d had enough violence to last her to the end of her days.

“I’m going to scry for her. See if I can push through whatever has been blocking her from sight,” Caryss continued as though Illaria hadn’t spoken.

Illaria crossed to Kieran. “I don’t like this,” she murmured.

“Are you angry at me for agreeing?”

“I don’t think I could be angry at you for wanting to find Yelena,” she replied thoughtfully. “I’m worried about you, and I hate the feeling. I’ve never been scared for a human before.”

His hand reached out to stroke her braid, his fingers rising up to massage the nape of her neck. “Let me protect you this once. I’ll pay the price again and again if you can sleep better at night.”

“You are a very different creature than what I first thought.”

“Focus, people,” Caryss snapped. “Be loving on your own time.”

Illaria lifted her head. Okay, fine. Whatever she had to do to make the next move, she would do. She hated feeling like she lagged behind. She might be a Fae, but with Yelena gone, her head had spiraled off into the clouds and she had a hard time grounding herself. Which might account for the block in her magic.

“What do you need me to do?” she asked the old witch.

“Maintain the image of your sister in your mind,” Caryss said, sprinkling dried rosemary and powdered butterfly over a map of the town. This was followed by beeswax and moss. “Focus on your feelings for her and the last time you saw her. Those will guide the spell toward Yelena. With a push of my own power, I might be able to crack the block.”

Illaria recognized the moment Caryss unleashed her magic. It filled the room with a warm glow. Familiar and gratifying. Grounding, yes. The sensation helped her fit back into her skin from where she’d been too airy, too wrapped up in her own head.

This was power Illaria hadn’t felt since leaving Fairy.

She took an involuntary step forward, then glanced down when Kieran slipped his fingers through hers, locking their hands together. He sensed it too, she realized. The way raw magic filled the room. It was through his touch she remained standing when she wanted to step forward. To embrace the swirling energies and draw them into herself as a reminder of what she lost when the doors to her world closed.

She missed it desperately.

Yelena. She had to focus on Yelena instead of getting wrapped up in all she missed.

“Easy,” Caryss whispered.

Her fingertips drew a pattern in the smoke rising from the map.

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