“Send you back where?” Rowan asked.
“Um. About that…” I chewed my bottom lip, blanking on how to tell him. He was the only one who didn’t know about the whole world-traveling thing. It was definitely a night for revelations.
No more secrets. It’d either bring us closer… or tear us apart.
“Evan was sent to us from another world,” Lake told him. Had he sensed my inner turmoil? Bless him. “One with horseless carriages and large balloons that can take you flying through the sky. There are no demi-humans, demons, or mages. Magic exists but is much weaker than it is here.”
Rowan’s face scrunched up. “Sounds like someone’s had too much wine.” He looked at Briar. “You should lock up your supply, Specs. The pup can’t hold his liquor.”
“I’ve not had a sip of wine. This is tea.” Lake nodded to his mug, and his tail flicked once. A sign of his agitation. “I speak the truth.”
“He does,” I said. “Lupin travels across the realms in his magical emporium, finding lost souls or people at the end of their rope, and helps them. I visited his shop on my twenty-third birthday, made a wish, and then woke up here in Bremloc.”
“What wish?” Rowan’s mouth twitched. “To have your own har—”
“One more word, and I’ll make you eat every sickeningly sweet dessert in that kitchen.”
He put his hands up. “Fine, fine. What was your wish?”
“To find a place where I belonged. Which brings me to my next point…” I placed my empty glass on the side table and laced my fingers together. “As you all know, I never knew my parents. Well. I recently learned about my mom. Her name was Cynthia. She loved to bake, just like me, and one day dreamed of opening her own bakery. And she’d been called the Beauty of Exalos.”
“Exalos,” Maddox repeated. “But that would mean—”
“That I was born here after all. When I was a baby, my mom found Lupin’s shop and begged him to take me away. That’s when he sent me to my other world.”
“Why did your mother request such a thing?” Maddox asked.
“I’m getting to that.”
“Get there faster.”
“Be patient,” Briar said. “Can’t you see this is hard for him?”
Maddox scowled.
“My mom was running from someone. Lupin was her last resort to save me.” I stared at the floorboard, noting a design in the wood and skimming my foot over it. “I know this is a lot to process, and I’m sorry. It was a lot for me too. It still is.”
“You’re shaking.” Briar stood and offered me his hand. “Come over by the fire where it’s warm.”
The shivers had nothing to do with the cold, but I let him guide me to the couch between him and Maddox.
Lake emitted a low whine, no doubt feeling my whirlwind of emotions. “I’ve sensed something in you ever since the winter solstice. A gnawing ache and restlessness. Is this why?”
I nodded. “I met a mage in the woods that night who was performing spells beneath the solstice moon. We sat and talked for a while.”
Maddox growled under his breath. “You thought it wise to sit and chat with a stranger you met in the woods? You could’ve been hurt, Evan.” He glared at Lake. “Why did you allow him to wander off on his own, wolf? You were supposed to be watching over him.”
“Don’t get mad at Lake,” I said. “He and Rowan were asleep, and I had to pee. I wandered off on my own, followed a flashing blue light, then found Xavier. That’s his name.”
“So your small bladder is to blame,” Maddox said, losing some of his ire.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I grinned and lightly bumped against his arm. I loved when he picked on me. He turned his face into my hair and took a deep breath.
Did my scent calm him like all of theirs did for me?
“About this Xavier…” Briar rested a hand on my thigh and rubbed small circles with his thumb. An instant comfort. “What role does he play in this?”
“He knew my mom. They grew up together, and he kept his feelings for her hidden. Before he could confess to her, another man swept in.”
