“Hopefully, our Spring will have the spell memorized.”

  Autumn prayed he was right. Before leaving, she paused before Rachel.

  “She’ll be back. Give her time to get her new beau out of her system, and she’ll train you to be a witch.”

  Although the girl appeared skeptical, she nodded. Addressing Chloe, she said, “I’m sorry I locked you in the shed and stole your clothes.”

  “Why did you do it?” Chloe asked.

  Rachel’s dark gaze dropped to her toes, and she gave a half-hearted shrug. “I thought maybe Aunt Spring would believe I was you. Maybe everyone would, if they found out you came through today.”

  “What would that have gained you, Rachel?” Keaton asked gently.

  “People who care,” the girl whispered, and the sound of her loneliness was hard to hear.

  Autumn pinned RK with a narrow-eyed stare. “Do better, asshole.”

  But he ignored her in favor of watching Keaton cover Chloe’s shoulders with his large hands and squeeze lightly. Then, RK approached his daughter.

  “I’m sorry, Rach. Sorry for being a shit daddy.”

  Surprise kept the girl silent.

  He stroked trembling fingers down her dark hair and tentatively smiled. “If you can forgive me, maybe we can start fresh and I can do better, like our new friends suggested. Whatcha think?”

  Nodding, she reached for his hand, but he bypassed her gesture to hug her.

  “I love ya, Rach. I know I never tell you, but I do.”

  “What about Mama?”

  RK winced. “Yeah, one thing at a time, alright?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, so I hate to destroy a tender moment, but we have to go. The longer we’re here, the more the balance goes bye-bye,” Autumn said. Giving in to instinct, she hugged Rachel. “Take care, kid. Stop being a brat, and seek out Alastair and Spring. They’ll see you’re taken care of and taught what you need to know. Got it?”

  “Thank you, Mom—uh, Miss Autumn.”

  With a quicksilver smile for the father-daughter duo, she clasped Chloe’s other hand and headed for the woods. They stopped a few yards away.

  “Oh, RK?” Autumn called back.

  “Yeah?”

  “Tell your wife I said knock off her shit, or I’ll find a way to come back and do it for her.” She met his tired and dull eyes. “Your kid deserves a mom who’s present, Keat. Don’t either of you settle for less.”

  He smiled, and in his bloated face, she saw the ghost of her husband. “I’ll remember.”

  “Good.” With a nod toward the woods, she asked, “Any booby traps I need to be aware of?”

  “Nah. We spread rumors so the locals leave us alone.”

  Laughing, she allowed her husband and daughter to lead her away.

  “Think they’ll patch things up?” Keaton asked her when it was just the three of them.

  “Who knows? Clearly, my alternate-reality twin is an unfeeling bitch. It’s easy to see he’s hurting, and not just from the ass-kicking you gave him. I’m sad for them all.”

  “Me, too.”

  Chloe squeezed her hand. “I’m glad I got the good mom and dad.”

  “You did get pretty lucky, didn’t you?” Keaton shifted to wrap an arm around Chloe’s neck and drag her close. “Just like us.”

  “Just like us,” Autumn repeated. “Let’s go get Jolly.”

  21

  Autumn’s family was in the clearing, being guarded by the mammoth Cerberus, whose drool—while disgusting—no longer ate through everything it touched. The beast was taking special care to watch over her returned pup, that seemed fascinated with LJ.

  Pausing, she held Keaton and Chloe back to watch the scene.

  Startled, he glanced at her, then followed her sight line to the others. He, too, seemed able to appreciate the uniqueness of the crowd deep in discussion. The fact that there were practically two of everyone was discombobulating and gave the illusion of double vision, if one didn’t look close enough to see their appearances were slightly altered by things like hair length and clothing.

  “I love them.”

  Turning to face her, Keaton grinned. “I know you do, babe.”

  “No. I really fucking love them.” She met his gaze and snorted softly. “I’m the hard-ass. The tough one of the group. The one everyone relies on to kick ass and take names later.”

  He nodded, a question in his clear blue eyes.

  “But I think I love too much. Too hard.”

  “Why is that a bad thing?”

  “It makes me reactive. Look at me, coming here, punching Gothica in the face, and tearing the world apart to find my kids.”

  His wide smile was engaging, and nothing but respect shone back at her from his gaze. “Babe, those are your superpowers. Not things to be ashamed of.”

  Chloe was watching her with a curious expression, as if waiting to see how this conversation would turn out.

  “What do you think, kid?” she asked her daughter.

  “I think you’re the best mom ever.” The raw honesty was visible for everyone to see and matched the awe in Chloe’s voice. “I love you.”

  The rush of tears burned, and Autumn rapidly blinked them away as she bent and pulled Chloe into a bear hug. “I love you, too.”

  “And because you love so hard and too much, I know she’ll always be protected if anything happens to me,” Keaton said gruffly. The emotion of the moment got to him the same as them, and they spared a moment for a group hug.

  “Let’s go home.” Autumn smiled down at Chloe and caressed her cheek. “Then we’ll discuss what kind of puppy to get you and your brother. But only after you’ve been suitably grounded for practicing magic without an adult present.”

  “Aw, Mama!” But Chloe’s complaint was half-hearted, and the idea of a new puppy brought forth her endearing grin. “Do I get to pick what kind?”

  “We’ll see. Certainly not a three-headed Cerberus.”

  In minutes, they’d joined their family from both sides of the portal. After the hugs and thank yous were spread around, their group linked hands.

  “Spring?” Autumn looked to her younger sister for guidance to return to their reality.

  “I’m—Oh!” Eyes wide, she stared at something beyond Autumn’s shoulder. “Wow.”

  “Without turning, I can tell you caught sight of Half-Naked Knox,” Autumn said dryly. “I had a similar reaction.”

  “One we’re going to discuss when we are safely home,” Keaton promised.

  “Shhh. This feels like a weird dream anyway. Let me enjoy it.”

  His chuckle made her grin.

  Knowing it would be a minute before they got their return spell sorted, Autumn dropped her husband’s hand and twisted to see Gothica and HN Knox approaching. They both looked rumpled and extremely satiated.

  Autumn nodded her approval. “Good for her! Well done, Gothica!” she called out.

  Goth Spring’s flushed face was a joy to see. Perhaps she’d found the love she was denied by her selfish family.

  “Now, I need you to get rid of your sexual brain fog and work with us to get home.”

  Grecian-clad Knox stepped forward, and Autumn noticed he didn’t let go of Gothica’s hand. Undoubtedly, the man was smitten.

  “I can take care of that,” he said. “All those planning to go through the portal, to the left. The others, stand on the right.”

  “What about the trade? How do we know whatever went through will return here?” Autumn asked.

  “I’ll make sure of it on this side, as Isis will on your side,” he assured her.

  Gothica sighed her adoration.

  “He must’ve been something in bed to put that look on her face,” Spring whispered in an aside.

  Her Knox cleared his throat.

  “I didn’t say you weren’t.” Grin pert, she patted his chest, pausing to appreciate his muscles. “Clearly, some things are universal.”

  He laughed, drawing the attention of his godlike counterpart.

  The two men studied each other with marked interest before HN Knox spoke. “I can see your power radiating from you. Why haven’t you taken your position with the deities?”

  “Her.” Tilting his blond head toward Spring, Knox smiled. “I go where she goes.”

  HN Knox studied Autumn’s perfectly groomed sister before glancing down at Gothica and grinning. “I can understand why. I believe I’ve found my life’s mission.”

  “Jesus, my heart just melted in my chest,” Autumn quipped. “Okay, enough of the sap. My son needs to get home for his afternoon nap, or we’re all going to be in trouble.” Facing Alastair, she said, “Which reminds me, Uncle, we need to contact Isis to reattach that anklet.”

  “Prepare yourselves,” HN Knox said.

  The lights went out, and the pitch black was as disturbing the second time as it had been the first.

  When their world righted itself, they were in the clearing, alone, and the rip in the fabric of space was sealing itself. Autumn saw the Cerberus puppies bounding toward their mother in the tiny slit of the opening. A second later, the space where she was staring looked like an open field framed by forest.

  “I’m not going to believe this wasn’t a dream,” she muttered to herself. Turning to the others, she said, “Okay, head count.”

  EPILOGUE

  “Chloe’s missing!”

  Autumn froze in her tracks to stare at Keaton.

  Ten years had passed since their children had accidentally opened a portal to another world, and still, whenever she came home and found her husband in a tizzy because he couldn’t find one of them or the other, she had a heart-stopping moment. But reason usually reasserted itself, and she would remember nothing could be as bad as that day so long ago. Chloe was now a young woman, and the likelihood was that she’d gone off with friends and hadn’t opened an ancient book to conjure a three-headed hellhound.

  Autumn’s hands only shook a little when she set her shopping bags on the counter. “Missing how?”

  “She should’ve been home a half hour ago. It’s her birthday party.” Keaton absently kissed her cheek, then went to the kitchen slider to stare out the back door as if seeking Chloe.

  Joining him, Autumn looked at the newly gathered crowd on the pool deck.

  “They’re early,” she muttered.

  Keaton snorted. “No. You’re just late.”

  After giving him a grimace and a side-eyed glare because she couldn’t argue when he was one-hundred-percent correct, she let her gaze roam over their guests.

  Spring was laughing with her husband, Knox, who held their five-year-old daughter, Megan, on his lap. The girl was petite, with large jade-green eyes, a riot of chestnut curls, and a sweet smile that was mainly reserved for her dad. It had to be hard for a shy child in a clan of loudmouths, but the girl never complained. Other than her unfortunate klutzy tendencies, she reminded Autumn of Spring at that same age. The intelligence in her watchful gaze couldn’t be mistaken for anything but a big brain absorbing everything.

  Across from the trio, Summer held Spring’s son, Phillip, who at two was already the pint-sized image of his gorgeous father. With dancing blue eyes and a winning grin, the toddler was already learning to use his charm for evil. He was a particular favorite of the Goddess Serqet, who visited with regular frequency since she’d buried her centuries-old grudge against the couple. In her eyes, the little gremlin could do no wrong. In anybody’s eyes, really. Only Knox was able to keep him in check. But Phillip did have a healthy respect for Alastair when he raised a brow in warning.

  Winnie’s triplets were in the pool, and being the terrorists they were, they splashed Olivia and Jolyon, who had their heads bent and were clearly conspiring against the trio of fourteen-year-old boys. Autumn knew this because it was always an all-out water war when the five of them were together in the pool. Yes, it was three against two, but Jolly and Ollie were a formidable duo when they teamed up, and they always teamed up.

  Glancing away, Autumn scanned the deck, taking in the groupings of family and friends. She laughed when she spotted Alastair in a loose flannel button-up over top of his pale-blue tee-shirt. It was a cool spring afternoon, but weather was nothing to witches able to control their body temperatures. Ever since their trip through the portal, he’d dress down for family functions like this.

  Moving on, she did a head count. Everyone was there, and everything was set up for the birthday girl, who appeared MIA.

  “Have you tried scrying for her? Or have you messaged Damian to see if she’s there?” she asked Keaton.

  “You know I only seek the Aether as a last resort. I’d never admit this to anyone else, but that guy scares the shit out of me.”

  Autumn held out her hand, earning a look of confusion from Keaton.

  Grinning, she wiggled her fingers. “Your man card. Hand it over.”

  “Rude.”

  “Only a little,” she agreed as she stepped into his arms and curled hers around his neck. “The house is empty⁠—”

  “Except for our other monster, who is standing right behind you.”

  Dipping his head, Keaton kissed her. It wasn’t as long or as amorous as Autumn preferred, but it was enough to tide her over until they could find alone time. She released him to welcome their youngest son, William.

  Dutifully, he lifted his face so she could give him butterfly kisses with her nose.

  “How’s the sweetest little warlock on the planet? Hmm?”

  His amber eyes sparkled even as he groaned. “Mom! You can’t say those things anymore. Everyone thinks I’m a baby.”

  “You’re my baby.”

  “I’m ten. Practically grown up.”

  “Pfft. You’re nowhere near grown up, and besides, you’ll always be my baby, Will.”

  He grinned, and she was forgiven for treating him like a small child. Heaving an internal sigh, she reminded herself to give him his wings. With his auburn hair, golden eyes, and hair-trigger temper, William was her kid all the way. But he also knew how to laugh at himself and have fun. Those traits, he’d inherited from Keaton.

  “Do you happen to know where Chloe went?” she asked as she began unloading the last-minute grocery items onto the counter. Soda, various-flavor potato chips, and Cheetos were a required party staple for the next generation and the one thing she refused to conjure. She’d be damned if she would use her power to feed their junk-food addictions.

  When he reached for the bag of barbecue chips, she tapped his hand and pointed to the cabinet. “Bowl!”

  “Chloe’s with Sabrina and Aeden. Something having to do with her upcoming finals.”

  “I suppose we should’ve planned the party for after,” Keaton said, ripping open the Cheetos bag and ignoring Autumn’s glare.

  William, smart boy he was, returned to the kitchen island with four large bowls and handed one to his dad.

  “Bowl. And don’t sneak anything to the dog,” he told him, much to Autumn’s and Keaton’s amusement. William was a fifty-year-old in a child’s body.

  Pausing her sorting action, she turned to face him and put a hand on her hip. “Did she say when she was going to return?”

  His reply was the standard one-shoulder Thorne shrug.

  “Great. Just great,” she muttered.

  “No one cares, Mom.” Will stretched to kiss her cheek, then tucked four of the two-liter soda bottles in his arms and headed for the door. “They just like hanging out,” he said over his shoulder.

  Keaton continued to stuff his face as she emptied the food into bowls.

  “He’s right, ya know,” he said. “Our family would get together whether there was a special occasion or not. They appreciate the bond and the routine.”

  “I know, but I wanted to make this special for her. She’s graduating in another couple of months and will be going off on her own.”

  “I know, babe. Trust me. It’s a lot harder for me to let her go than for you.”

  Autumn removed the bag from his hands and replaced it with the filled dishes. “Yeah. Talk about an overbearing father.”

  His grin flashed, telling her he wasn’t offended, but it quickly died. “Have you noticed anything strange about her lately? Beyond the average twenty-two-year-old wanting to move out and conquer the world.”

  “Yes. And I suspect it has to do with Derek. She’s upset that he’s got himself a new girlfriend.” Autumn met his steady stare and grimaced. “Deep in her heart, she loves him. Always has since they were kids and he saved her from Zhu Lin.”

  Keaton nodded. “But because he’s a few years older, he’s a man of the world and not ready to settle down with a childhood friend. Am I close?”

  “Yes. She’s hurting, and I think she needs to hide from those closest to her for a bit.”

  “So they don’t see her pain,” he concluded.

  “So they don’t see her pain,” she agreed.

  “Still, I’m going to text her again. She needs to make an appearance.”

  “She’ll answer for me. Take this tray outside for the kids, and I’ll call her.”

  After a check of their surroundings, he stepped up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “We can let the others wait a while longer, and I can welcome you home properly now.”

  His suggestive tone set her afire, and for one brief second, she considered a quickie. But their family members were all outside, expecting a birthday party.

  “Hold that thought until tonight, babe.” She ran her hand down the front of his shorts and rubbed, grinning when she felt his immediate response. “And be sure you’re well rested.”

  “Dammit, woman! Now you’ll have to serve the food. I’ve got an erection to kill.”

  With a girly giggle, she picked up the tray. “Fine. But then you’ll be the one responsible for getting Chloe’s ass here. She’s got a party to attend. Use my phone and tell her I said boys are dumb and not worth losing sleep over.”

  “Hey!”

  One of her brows shot up, and he gave her a sheepish look in return.

  “Fine. We’re a dumb lot.”

  “I didn’t say men were dumb, just boys. You’ve gotten smarter with age.”

 

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