“There’s a possibility of that?”

  “It’s all supposition, Tums. Other than a trip to the Netherworld, I’ve never done anything like this.”

  Dropping her hand, she nodded. “All right. I’ll leave you to read this book, since you’re the one with the photographic memory. I’ll see about summoning the Goddess for permission after I shoot a text to Dad and Uncle Alastair.”

  “Good idea. If anyone has any experience with this, it’s them. Dad might have some good insight since he resided in the Otherworld so long.” Spring smiled prettily as she always did when she had a solid plan of attack.

  “I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re right,” Autumn said, returning her smile. “If Isis answers anyone’s call, it will be his or Uncle Alastair’s.”

  As she turned to go, Spring caught her arm.

  “We’ll get them back, Tums. I promise you I won’t rest until I do.”

  Overcome with gratitude and love, she hugged her youngest sister tightly. “You really are the family jewel, sissy. You are forever bright, beautiful, and kind. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.”

  “I say that every single day,” Knox said from somewhere behind Autumn. His voice was packed with adoration for the woman he loved enough to fight the world and the heavens for.

  A becoming blush tinged Spring’s cheeks as she met her mate’s gaze. Theirs were two souls that had survived many incarnations and would always find the other, regardless of time and circumstance. They were two halves of the same whole, and a couple more devoted to each other would be difficult to find.

  “And so you should,” Autumn replied with an arched brow. “She’s da bomb.”

  “True. She blew up my world in the best possible way,” he responded with a wide grin.

  “Pfft. That was corny as hell.”

  “You started with the cheesy phrases. Now go calm your husband as I kiss my bright, beautiful, and kind woman.”

  Knox closed the distance and wrapped a large hand around the back of Spring’s neck, gently tangling his fingers in her hair. The look of love he graced her with was heart melting to anyone observing. No one could witness his emotion for her and not be awed by it.

  “Don’t distract her. She has to help me find my kids,” Autumn warned. “Time is of the essence here.”

  With a quick press of his lips to Spring’s, Knox released her. “We know, and we’re going to get them back, Autumn. Count on it.”

  Tears stung her eyes, and she nodded. “Thank you. Both of you!”

  After blinking away the moisture, Autumn dashed up the stairs and grabbed her cellphone from the counter. A shuffling in the children’s playroom caught her attention, and she went to check it out.

  Nothing.

  Frowning at the large indentation on the daybed, she started toward it, then stopped, mentally waving off the oddity. It was a mystery for another day. Right now, she had to get her father here. Deciding a call was better than a text, she dialed his number.

  “Autumn? What’s wrong, honey?”

  “The kids are missing, Daddy,” she croaked out. What was it about her father’s confidant voice that turned her into a small child again?

  “Missing?”

  Before she could reply, the connection dropped and there was a pounding on the front door. She rushed to the foyer.

  Preston Thorne, her personal superhero, didn’t bother waiting for an answer and, instead, shoved open the door and entered the foyer. When his worried amber gaze locked with hers, he opened his arms, inviting her for a comforting hug.

  Autumn flew across the room and dove into his embrace.

  “Tell me what’s happening, sweetheart.”

  “We don’t know much other than we think they teleported to an alternate dimension. Spring and I were hoping you and Uncle Alastair could help us.”

  “Of course. Have you already come up with an action plan?”

  “Spring and Knox are down in the ceremony room, studying the book we think Chloe may have used. Keaton is checking with his parents to see what they know, if anything, about it.” She drew back and ran shaky fingers under her eyes to hide the tears that escaped. “It’s dusty as hell and looks to be older than this house.”

  “Okay. Call Al while I go down and look at the book. If Keira and Phillip come back, direct them to us.” Her father tilted her chin up. Giving her a warm smile, he said, “They’ll be home by suppertime.”

  “Have you had experience with your kids teleporting to an alternate plane, Dad? If not, I’m going to call bullshit on your overconfidence.”

  He chuckled, and Autumn could hear the tension he tried to hide.

  “Go on. See what Spring’s found,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll call Uncle Alastair and see if maybe he can contact Isis to request permission for the spell.”

  “Good idea.” With a kiss to her forehead, he shifted to go. He hadn’t moved more than two steps before he turned back. “The Book of Thoth. I remember seeing it in Isis’s keeping. Ask if she will allow us to borrow the portal spell from it.”

  Spring entered the room with Knox on her heels. She waved the tome in the air and grinned. “No need. From what I can tell, this is almost an exact replica of the Book of Thoth.”

  No one needed to ask how she knew it was the same. Spring had already read the original, and her photographic memory could verify if what they had was a duplicate.

  “That’s not good,” Autumn muttered. “That fucking thing has been nothing but trouble, if you ask me.”

  “True. Especially the spells opening portals,” Knox added. “Considering an exchange always has to be made, I’m wondering what came through to this side and how we find it.”

  4

  “Is that a real possibility?” Autumn asked. Her horror at her children accidentally unleashing some monstrous creature on the unsuspecting citizens of Leiper’s Fork made her stomach drop ten feet below ground.

  “A possibility, yes. You should be asking if it’s along the lines of a probability, though.” Knox grimaced. “The answer is also yes.”

  She shared a concerned look with her father before saying, “Okay. We’ll wait for the fallout in case it’s some Godzilla creature, but for now, we need to find my kids.”

  “We should still seek permission for using any of the spells from this book, Autumn.” Preston’s expression was heart-attack serious. They all knew the backlash involved in defying a goddess.

  “I know, Dad. I intend to. The three of you work out what we need for this. I’m going to the clearing to summon Uncle Alastair and, with him, Isis.”

  She stepped out the back door, closing it behind her. As she dialed her uncle, her gaze fell on the barn in the distance and, behind that building, the woods where she and Keaton used to meet when they first fell in love. So much had happened in that time. So many years filled with heartache, then eventually, love.

  Autumn walked in that direction just as Alastair answered the call.

  “We need you, Uncle,” she said without preamble. “Can you teleport to the clearing between my house and Thorne Manor?”

  “I’ll be there momentarily.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You never have to thank me, child. I know if you’re calling, it’s important.”

  Gratitude closed her throat, and she couldn’t speak. But he didn’t wait for her reply, and the line went dead.

  With a searching study of her surroundings to ascertain no mortals were in the general vicinity, Autumn closed her eyes and visualized the glen where their family performed ceremonies. Her cells warmed to burning, but before it became unbearable, the wind kicked up. The cool breeze caressed her face, whipping her hair around her head and providing necessary relief.

  Goddess, she loved the ability to teleport anywhere in the world in seconds. There was a sense of freedom attached to the act. As if she could always escape the demands of life by visualizing where she wanted to go.

  When she lifted her lids, Alastair was there, his hands raised to the sky. A half smile curled his lips as he watched her.

  “Better?”

  He referred to the cooling breeze he’d created, and Autumn appreciated his thoughtfulness.

  “Much.” She strode forward and hugged him tightly.

  There had been a time when they were at odds due to misunderstandings, mostly on her part, but she’d come to adore her renegade uncle. Many times, his fuck-the-world-I’m-doing-it-anyway attitude had saved someone she loved, and Autumn could appreciate the hell out of his tactics.

  “What’s the problem, child?”

  It was humorous that he would call a woman approaching forty “child,” but from a warlock almost twice her age, it seemed fitting.

  “My children have gone missing,” she said simply.

  All humor fell from him, and his classically handsome visage grew stony. “What do you mean? Has someone abducted them?”

  “Not that we can tell, but we aren’t sure. Spring believes Chloe may have transported herself and Jolly through a portal into another plane, using a spell from a duplicate Book of Thoth.”

  Alastair’s skin took on a sickly cast. “Are you positive?”

  “Not one hundred percent, but close. There’s a magical signature attached to a page that was opened in the book.”

  “Christ!”

  “My thought exactly.” She touched his arm to keep his attention. “Dad’s at the house with Spring and Knox. Keaton’s trying to hunt down his parents to see what they know.”

  “But you’ve asked me here for another reason,” he concluded.

  “Yes. If my kids did, in fact, cross planes, we need to seek permission from Isis to open the portal to retrieve them. We also need to find who or what may have come through in exchange for their entry.”

  “I’ll get my security team on capturing whoever or whatever is here, if anything. We’ll need to return it to its own reality.” Gripping her hand, he squeezed it lightly. “You and I will need to summon the Goddess.”

  “That’s what I was hoping.”

  “Let’s cast the protection circle. The last thing we need is to have something or someone attack while we are calling her forward.”

  “On it.”

  Together, they created a ring of candles, drawing sigils in the four directions: north, south, east, and west. Then, when they were satisfied, they joined hands.

  Autumn spoke first.

  “Goddess, hear our plea.

  Assist us in our time of need.”

  “Exalted One, we call on you to help us find Autumn’s children,” Alastair added.

  Ringing began in Autumn’s ears, and the atmospheric change was electrifying. Frowning, she locked gazes with her uncle, startled to see his confusion.

  Something was wrong.

  “What is it⁠—”

  “Shh, child,” he whispered.

  Releasing her hands, he walked along the boundaries of the circle as if testing for weakness. His head cocked as he listened for Goddess knew what.

  “It’s as if she can’t come through,” he murmured, talking to himself.

  A heavy frown tugged at his dark-blond brows, and the concern on his face ramped up Autumn’s anxiety a hundredfold. Her heart felt like it was going to escape her chest and take flight. It was difficult to take a deep breath. How much of it was nerves, and how much was the weighty atmosphere? She couldn’t say for certain, if questioned.

  “What the fuck is happening?” she asked in a stage whisper.

  “I—”

  A feather could’ve knocked her over when Alastair’s clone walked from the woods. Or rather, what he might’ve looked like if he ditched his tailored suits for flannel and let his hair and stubble grow unruly. Although he had a few scars on his face and neck and his sapphire eyes held the same alert expression as his counterpart, the guy appeared more down to earth. His rolling walk was relaxed despite his cautious expression.

  “Holy hell! It’s Paul-Bunyan Alastair!”

  Other than a sharp glance, her uncle ignored Autumn to warily watch the other man approach. Clearly affronted that his clone would wear anything off the rack of the local farm store, Alastair was filled with disdain.

  His arrogance was laughable.

  The lumberjack version eyed them but never crossed the protective barrier. He seemed to take particular interest in her, making Autumn just as curious about him.

  Stepping in front of her, Alastair drew the man’s attention back to him. “Care to tell us who you are and why you’re roaming these woods? This is private property.”

  “Lawd, tell me this version of me doesn’t always walk around with a stick up his lily-white ass, Tums,” Lumberjack Alastair said in a heavy Southern accent.

  In an instinctive act, both she and her uncle clenched their fists to stem off the influx of locusts that came whenever Alastair swore. Better safe than sorry because who knew if the newcomer had the same curse?

  “This version?” she asked, absently noting he sounded like Alastair’s cousin Boyd.

  Crossing his arms over his well-muscled chest, the clone snorted. “I wasn’t born yesterday, girl. I knew immediately that I’d been thrust into another world. The question is, what the hell are y’all going to do about sending me back?”

  They’d finally discovered what—or rather who—came through the portal her children had opened.

  5

  Isis was a no-show.

  With Lumberjack Alastair waiting across the clearing, looking more bored than Autumn had ever seen the one from her time, she and her uncle closed the circle.

  Keeping her voice low so it wouldn’t carry, she asked, “What do we do about him? Do you think he’s legit? Or is it possible he’s someone glamoured to look like you?”

  “I’m highly offended you believe that ruffian resembles me in any way,” he replied with a sardonic smile.

  Autumn paused to consider the earthier version of Alastair. “Oh, I don’t know. He has a certain appeal for women.”

  “If he does, I’m not seeing it.”

  As her uncle tugged his cuffs and straightened his tie, she struggled not to laugh. “Just don’t let Rorie see him. She’ll order you to dress in flannel shirts and hiking boots.”

  “Heaven forbid.”

  She laughed as he mock shuddered. When her uncle returned her grin with one of his own, Autumn knew he wasn’t offended. “Should I get you a gift card for the local farm store? You might be able to find some Wranglers and a Stetson that fits.”

  “Your father didn’t punish you enough as a child,” Alastair muttered.

  “He punished me plenty. I seem to recall you always snuck me out of my room to take me fishing.”

  His brows shot up. “You remember that?”

  “Yeah. It was sweet. But don’t for one second think I’m not aware you do it for the next generation.”

  His rare burst of laughter was robust, echoing off the surrounding trees and drawing the attention of Lumberjack Al. The other man straightened from his slouched position and headed in their direction.

  “Do you think he’s a decent guy just wanting to get home? I mean, he has the potential to be an evil asshat, right? Just like anyone, doesn’t it depend on formative years?” she asked, rushing to get her concerns out while they were still alone.

  “Yes.” Alastair winked. “But he can’t possibly be more formidable than your old uncle.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.” She touched his arm. “Let’s get LJ and head home. I’m itchy and need to find my kids. They’ve been gone too long.”

  “LJ?” he asked as they strode across the glen.

  “In my head, he’s Lumberjack Alastair.”

  A quicksilver grin flashed, but he didn’t comment.

  As they reached his clone, the man gave them a bored look.

  “Isis having none of it, girl?” he asked, choosing to ignore Uncle Alastair.

  “Apparently. What do you know?”

  “She’s capricious at best. Little spitfire when riled⁠—”

  “Not of her! About this portal thing,” she snapped.

  “Same ol’ Tums,” he said with a smirk that Autumn wanted to slap off his face. “Impatient as always, aren’t ya, girl?”

  “My children are wandering around your world, unattended and probably scared out of their fucking minds, dude. So yeah, you can say I’m impatient.”

  LJ sobered and cast a fleeting glance at Alastair’s stony countenance before addressing her. “Sorry, honey. Let’s get to Thorne Manor and find a spell to reverse this, okay?”

  “I don’t live at Thorne Manor. The spell that was used was from the Book of⁠—”

  “It was from a book her husband’s family possesses,” Alastair cut in smoothly. Gesturing toward the path to the Carlyle estate, he said, “After you.”

  “If you’re this uptight in your world, I wonder what my Angelica is like.”

  “Angelica?” Autumn and Alastair asked simultaneously.

  “My wife.”

  She shared a look with her uncle, feeling like her surprise must’ve shot her brows right off her face. “Did you ever meet anyone named Angelica?”

  With a frown and a shake of his head, he gave his rugged twin a small shove in the direction they were to walk.

  “What the hell is this, then? Who did you marry, if not Angelica? Thornes only love once,” LJ demanded with a scowl, refusing to budge an inch.

  “Her name’s Aurora Fennell. She’s my mother,” Autumn said despite her uncle’s warning look. “Surely, you’ve met her?”

  “Can’t say I did, hon.” LJ shrugged and moved toward her home.

  “What about when you returned from the war?” she asked, somewhat desperately. If he’d never hooked up with her mother, two of her sisters were never born.

  “Vietnam,” Alastair added when the guy still appeared confused.

  “No Vietnam war in my time,” LJ replied with the standard Thorne shrug. If his appearance didn’t already label him one of their own, his mannerisms certainly did.

 

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