Page 34 of Ivory Ashes

“I’m taking you on your adventure,” Mikhail interrupts.

“You are?” Dante looks at me to confirm, but I don’t have the words.

Mikhail nods. “Pack whatever you want. We’re leaving soon.”

He holds up Clifford. “I already did. Mama said only one stuffy could come with us. I chose Clifford.”

Mikhail takes a step forward and I trail silently behind him, a ghost. “Well, things have changed. Now, you can take as many stuffed animals as you want.”

Dante’s eyes light up. This time, he doesn’t look at me as he asks, “I can?”

“You can. Just do it fast. I need to get back to my castle.”

If it was possible for a little boy’s jaw to unhinge, Dante’s would be on the floor right now. “You live in a castle?”

“Of course I do. All kings live in a castle.”

“You’re a king?!” Dante jumps up, a wide grin on his perfect face. “I didn’t know kings were real life!”

Mikhail slides his hands in his pockets casually. He doesn’t need them to rip my life up by the root. It comes easily for him. The same as everything else in his life.

“I’m real life, aren’t I?”

Dante looks him over like he wants to pinch him to check. I share the instinct. “Yeah.”

“So, there you go. Kings are real.” Mikhail waves him off. “Go finish packing and you can come live in my castle.”

Dante is halfway down the hallway before he turns back. “If I live in your castle, what does that make me?”

“I believe that would make you a prince, Dante.” Mikhail looks at me, amusement written in every line of his face. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

I’m going to be sick.

Dante bounces to his room and I slump back against the door. My six-year-long detour was for nothing. I’m right back where I started.

Except, this time, I took Dante down with me.

12

MIKHAIL

Dante takes one look at the mansion and yanks on his mother’s arm. He whispers in Viviana’s ear loudly enough that I can still hear him, “Is magic real life?”

“Mostly, no—but it’s complicated.”

Everything is complicated. The sooner Dante learns that, the sooner my world will make sense to him.

Viviana is still wearing the clothes she showed up to work in six hours ago. Six hours? Is that all it’s been?

Six years of searching for Viviana without a single hit. No sign of her, nothing. Now, she’s been back in my life for six hours and she’s moving into my house with our son.

Life can really come at you fast.

“Castles are from movies. Maybe other things from movies are real, too. Like…” Dante squishes up his face in thought. “Can dogs talk?”

“No,” Viviana answers patiently, “dogs can’t talk.”

“What about cats?” he fires back.

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