Page 104 of Magic and Muffins

“Is this real? Are you really here? How?” I asked, my voice still sounding hoarse.

She pulled back and cupped my face with her still strong hands, studying me as I studied her. How hadn’t she aged a day since I’d last seen her?

“You’ve matured so much. What happened to your neck?”

“It’s a long story, but I’m fine.”

She nodded as she released my face and took my hands.

“How much time has passed?” she asked.

“Ten years,” I said.

“Ten years.” Her happy expression turned worried then sad.

“Have you been here this whole time?” I asked.

“We have.” Grandpa Hunter appeared out of the mist, carrying their packs.

“You both look exactly the same,” I said.

Grandma shrugged. “We’re trapped in a limbo of sorts. It’s between Earth and the fae realm. Time doesn’t seem to exist in a space like this.”

“Look at how you’ve grown, Everly,” Grandpa said. “How is Vena? Is she still getting into trouble?”

I smiled and gently squeezed Grandma Hunter’s hands. “She’s well. Misses you terribly. She’s going to be so happy to see you again.”

The pair exchanged sad glances.

“Do you still have the rock with you?” Grandma Hunter asked. “The one they gave you to enter the portal?”

“No. A vampire tricked me and grabbed it before I understood it was the key to getting out of here. Please tell me you still have yours.”

“No, sweetheart. We broke ours as soon as we realized why she’d sent us in here."

“She? What happened?”

Grandma Hunter patted my arm and looked at her husband. “Barnaby, get out the chairs. Let’s sit down for a moment.”

He set the packs down and dug out a pair of collapsible camp chairs. Grandma sat with me while Grandpa sat on the packs.

“It’s best to start from the beginning. Ten years ago, we received a commission to find something for a private buyer.”

“An artifact that will pull a race into the veil?” I asked.

Surprise lit her expression. “How do you know? Please tell me they didn’t continue our search.”

“Sort of. A lot has happened since you went missing. Tell me what happened to you first, and I’ll catch you up with everything. But the abbreviated version, please. I don’t think we have a lot of time.”

They shared a worried glance.

“Well, we were hired to find a relic and were given a book that had some clues. We didn't think anything of it when the buyer contacted us a while later with another lead and asked to meet in person. We were out of leads of our own at that point.

“The meeting was at night. A vampire woman ambushed us before we even knew what happened.”

Grandma reached up and touched her neck as if she could still feel the bite. And when she did it, I saw the bite marks. They were still there. Fresh like they’d only happened hours ago.

“Once she had control of us, she brought us here, gave us the rune stones so we could enter, and told us to fetch the relic hidden in the veil. However, as soon as we entered, her thrall on us vanished.

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