Page 14 of Christmas Past
“We should probably head on down to the bungalow, then.” She paused before taking a breath. “I think it’s time.”
Breakfast flip-flopped in his gut. Even though he’d known this moment would come, now that it was here, he found himself wanting to postpone it just a little longer.
“Dinner at Mabel’s isn’t until five,” he pointed out, although that argument sounded weak even to him.
Devynn’s steps paused, and then she turned to face him. “If we wait too long, your parents are going to expect us to go with them to Mabel’s house. And once we’re there….”
She didn’t need to finish the sentence. Seth knew that once they were at the prima’s Christmas dinner, surrounded by family members, there would be no graceful way to leave. They’d be trapped, at least until late in the evening, and by then it would be that much harder to get away. His parents very likely would invite them to the apartment afterward, would want to spend more time with them, and his and Devynn’s window for escape would only grow narrower.
In his mind, he knew that might be a silly way to look at the situation when they had all of time to play with…but he also understood that she had stretched her abilities by bringing them here, and if they didn’t stick to their original plan, that might throw her off too much.
“I know,” he said heavily. “You’re right.”
They walked the rest of the way to the bungalow in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. Once they were inside, Devynn sat down heavily on the sofa, and Seth could see how tired she truly was, a weariness betrayed by the faint shadows under her blue-gray eyes and the taut set of her full mouth. He thought she’d slept all right the night before, but he had to admit the mattress had felt thin and lumpy after the luxurious memory-foam one they enjoyed in the future.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked as he settled himself beside her.
“I have to be.” She leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, wishing he could lend her some of his own magical strength so she wouldn’t have to tax herself so much. “Besides, what choice do we have?”
None, really. They both knew that. While he was glad they’d come here — glad that he was able to get some closure, and at least let his parents know that he was well, and happy — he also understood that this wasn’t his world anymore.
They needed to get back to the place where they both belonged.
Devynn reached over to take both his hands in hers. Not for the first time, Seth wondered what would happen if he let go.
He probably didn’t want to know.
“Ready?” she asked, and he nodded.
“Ready.”
The world dissolved around them, and he tightened his grip on her fingers. At least he knew that this moment of travel was really nothing more than a fraction of a second, less than a tenth of an eyeblink.
When they emerged from that millisecond of darkness, Seth immediately realized something was wrong. The light coming through the windows was different from what they’d left behind in the twenty-first century, gray and subdued. And when he looked outside, he could see snow falling steadily.
Because he liked to know what the weather was doing, he’d checked the forecast before they left. It wasn’t supposed to snow again until after Christmas.
“Damn,” Devynn muttered beside him.
Seth got up and walked to the window, then peered through the cold glass, whose chill was readily apparent even from a few inches away. The snow was coming down in thick, heavy flakes, and several inches had already accumulated on the ground. This definitely wasn’t the mild winter weather they’d been enjoying in their own time.
“When are we?” he asked, even though he was already dreading the answer.
Devynn rose from the sofa and walked over to the kitchen, where she’d apparently spied a newspaper lying on the table — a paper he knew hadn’t been there when they’d left. “December 23rd, 1925.”
A date when he would have been living here at the house. Thank the Goddess the bungalow was currently empty — he guessed that his former self would have been at work on that snowy Wednesday a year ago — but they sure weren’t when they were supposed to be.
No, they were around a hundred and twenty years too early.
“It’s all right,” Seth said, trying to keep his voice calm. “At least no one was around to see us show up here. We just need to jump forward again.”
But even as the words left his lips, he could see how pale Devynn had become, how her hands trembled slightly. Despite her claims about practicing, he knew that her gift was very difficult to control, and he wasn’t sure how many jumps she could attempt before she wore herself out completely.
“I can do it,” she said firmly, forestalling any questions.
Seth wasn’t entirely convinced, but he knew better than to argue.
“Okay.”
