Page 108 of Discovered Magic
“We’ve been unable to find him. He gave us the slip.” Royal appeared disgusted by their lack of success.
“Where did you go, and how did you get back here, ma chère?” Draven asked.
Wilder didn’t have the heart to protest the endearment. Abbie’s Guardian was entitled to a slip for all he’d done for them.
She shifted to address the others, not letting go of him. “Heightened emotions trigger my gift, as you know,” she began.
“When I was electrocuted in the cabin, she reacted badly, and the entire structure, with the four of us, went through another portal,” Royal added.
She glanced up and met Wilder’s gaze. “To the present day, up on the summit.”
“Jesus!”
“My thoughts exactly.” She shuddered, causing him to tighten his arm around her. Giving him one of the loving smiles he’d missed so fucking much, she said, “Silas’s body and the cabin landed at the base of the mountain. Royal, Morcunt, and I on the peak. The jackass glamoured into Silas and had me fooled for a minute or two. Once I realized it was him, I got the hell out of there, with Royal’s body in tow.”
“The Aether and his Sentinels were kind enough to revive me.” Royal shot a grateful grin in Damian’s direction.
The Aether’s expression was pained.
“He’s not a fan of spoilers,” Wilder said dryly, clearing Royal’s confusion.
“Ah, yeah. Makes sense. He refused to tell us anything about this journey either.”
“Why did you return without him to this time?”
“Oh, he’s here. Somewhere,” Abbie assured them with a frustrated sigh. “We found him in the ghost town of Perdition Ridge, freaked out, which may have given me a bit too much pleasure. We managed to get Draven’s magical shackle on him, but the jump through time shorted out the spell. He teleported before we could subdue him.”
“But since his return was our main mission, we came to find you and the Fire Cat’s father,” Royal said.
Wilder’s stomach dropped, and he shot a worried glance Damian’s way. “Do you think they missed each other in the crossing?”
“Perhaps. The other option is unfortunate.”
“So many flipping options,” Abbie muttered. She frowned and asked, “What would the other option be?”
“Castor might never have made it back,” Wilder replied in his stead. “But why? If the others were on the opposite side, opening the portal, it only makes sense he’d return there.”
“They didn’t intend to call my brother to open it for the two of you until I was gone,” Abbie explained. “We couldn’t take the risk Morcunt would steal our combined power.”
Damian grew still, as did the air around them.
The hair on Wilder’s neck lifted.
“We have company,” he told the others through their link.
A low hum prickled at the base of his skull, and the air thickened with ill intent.
“Stay calm,” Abbie urged in a quiet voice, her knuckles white as she gripped his sleeve. “I’ve got this.”
“Abb—”
She cut him off with a sharp glance. A look he remembered well. One that said, “Don’t you dare argue with me, Wilder Thorne, or I’ll murder you where you stand.”
He almost laughed.
It was such an Abbie move!
Wilder released her to do her thing, all the while gearing himself to back her up, whatever it took.
