Captivating Magic (The Thorne Witches #14)

Epilogue

“ Have you heard from Castor or Wilder?”

Dropping the crystal on the map, Laszlo straightened and turned to welcome Ebba with their standard hug and kiss.

“No, Sweet. Still no news.”

Two months had passed with no word from either man. They’d gone up the mountain the day after Spencer’s tribunal and never returned. No amount of scrying or spellwork revealed their whereabouts, and Lo feared the worst.

Ebba’s concern mirrored his. “We should go. I’ve been watching the forecast, and we’re still within the safe-weather window.”

A flush climbed his neck, and her eyes narrowed.

“You already went up there, didn’t you?” she asked. Her voice lacked condemnation, and Lo felt comfortable revealing the truth.

“Yes.” He carried her grocery bags to the kitchen counter and began unloading them. “Alastair, Damian, and I went two days ago. Kyrella helped.”

Mid-process of putting cans in the pantry, she spun to face him and scowled. “Why didn’t you ask me before the shift?”

“I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you, Sweet. You’d already agreed to help when Wilder initially asked. Three nights ago, Francesca’s traveling globe lit up, and Quentin went to Alastair.”

Her expression cleared of ire, replaced by curiosity. “Francesca? Alastair’s granddaughter?”

Lo nodded.

“She’s a Traveler, too?”

“According to Quentin, yes. The night my spirit returned from the past, Castor told me father and daughter had changed a timeline. Apparently, Frankie—that’s what Quentin and Holly call her—used an object entrusted to her by Athena to save her dad.”

“A mysterious glowing globe.” Ebba snorted and returned to putting away groceries. “Those things keep popping up.”

“It would seem so.” Laszlo hugged her from behind and dropped a kiss on her exposed neck. “Did you get my cereal?”

“As if I’d forget. You eat that shit morning, noon, and night. And before you asked, I got the family-sized box.”

He laughed and turned her to face him. “Have I told you how much I love living with you?”

“Yes, and stop trying to change the subject. I want to know what led you to take Ky up the mountain.”

“Quentin can’t touch the globe. For some mystical reason, it only works for Frankie. But like her, he can peer into it. He saw Castor and Wilder head into a portal, and it appeared to be located at the base of the mountain.”

“Ohmygod, Lo! That’s huge!” She frowned as she watched him. “Isn’t it?”

“It would be if we could find it. But we couldn’t. Not even a signature, which is fucking weird. Damian should’ve been able to sense that, at least.” Feeling defeated, he grabbed the box of cereal from the bag and poured a bowl. “I’m worried, Sweet. If Castor and Wilder were able, they’d be back by now. Both Damian and Al agree.”

Ebba handed him the milk jug. “Don’t lose faith. Castor seems self-serving, but he’s street smart and fast when it comes to thinking on his feet.”

He glanced up sharply. “That’s exactly what Damian said.”

“Yeah, I’m just repeating what Kyrella relayed to me.”

“Wait! When did she say that?”

“When I left for the grocery store. She told me all about your trip.” Ebba bit his earlobe. “Jerk.”

Laszlo drew her onto his lap. “I’m sorry. I should’ve said something before now.”

“I understand why you didn’t.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she buried her face against his throat. “I’m sorry about Wilder, Lo.”

“Yeah. I keep praying to the Goddess that he’s with Abbie.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t know what I’d do if that happened to you, Ebba.”

She drew back and smiled tenderly. “You’d do whatever it takes. You did, if you recall.”

Leaning in, he kissed her, and her eager response filled his heart with joy. Following on the heels of his happiness were sadness and guilt. Did he deserve to feel this way when his brother was suffering?

Ebba gripped his face between her hands. “Tomorrow, we’ll try again, okay? We’ll search every day until we find them and bring them home. Abbie included.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered roughly.

“Meh. Maybe not, but you’re stuck with me.”

She surprised a laugh out of him.

“No, Sweet. I meant that you’re too good for me. Not the other way around.”

“I knew what you meant. Either way, you’re stuck with me.”

He nipped her lip. “And I’m a happier man for it.”

“You always know the perfect thing to say.”

TWO MONTHS EARLIER

Wilder’s heart was in his throat as he stared at the pulsing blue wall centered on the rock. “What the fuck is that?”

“A portal.” Castor’s tone was as grim as his expression. “Fuck, I hate portals.”

“They’re bad?”

“You watch movies, boyo. Ever see where they led to anything good?”

The urge to laugh was weirdly strong, but Wilder suppressed it. In the short time he’d come to know Abbie’s father, he understood where her sarcastic humor and unstoppable drive originated.

“She’s alive, sir,” he told Castor. “I feel it.”

“I’m counting on that feeling to help us find her.” The older man focused his determined, ice-blue eyes on Wilder. “And no matter what happens on the other side of that door, you find her and get her out of there. Got it?”

“You’re not sounding too optimistic about your chances.”

“I’m a survivor, boyo, so don’t worry about me. But my goal is for you and my daughter to return here in one piece.”

“That’s good because that’s my goal, too,” Wilder assured him.

A wry smile curled Castor’s lips as he drew back his long white-blond hair and tied it in a ponytail. “Be prepared for anything and utilize your magic if you have to.”

Wilder nodded, facing the pulsing portal with determination. “I’ll do whatever it takes. Abbie’s coming home.”

“Don’t let go of my hand until I tell you, Thorne. Traveling is an art form, and if you get lost in time, no one is going to save you.”

“Noted.”

“Let’s go.”

Thanks for taking the time to read CAPTIVATING MAGIC. I hope you enjoyed it, and I’d really love it if you’d leave a review.

The next story in The Thorne Witches? series will be DISCOVERED MAGIC, featuring— you guessed it —Wilder and Abigail.