Page 128 of Ruling Destiny

Elodie sits before me, shaking her head.

“No,” she says after I’ve made my case. “No way am I helping you with that.”

“Fine.” I rise to my feet and snatch the book from her hands. “Then I’ll go it alone.”

I’m halfway to the door when she calls me back.

“I can’t fucking believe I’m letting you play me like this.” Her mouth tugs into a frown.

I meet her look straight on. “What do you say we count this as number seven?”

She rolls her eyes. “You know you can’t enter the same river twice.”

“Which is why I have no plans to cross my own timeline,” I say. “I won’t go anywhere near it.”

“Then I don’t understand—” Her brow creases, eyes narrow in confusion.

“You don’t need to understand,” I say. “You just need to show me how, and I’ll take it from there.”

“Does Braxton know what you’re up to?”

I close my eyes. I was hoping she wouldn’t ask. When I open them again, her gaze is lit with suspicion.

“I left him a note,” I say. “He’ll find it when he wakes, which is why I need to get out of here before that can happen.”

“You do realize this is not going to go at all how you think.” Her voice is admonishing. “And you absolutely cannot risk changing a thing because—”

“Because of the butterfly effect, and the balance of the universe, and yeah, I know. But I’m not out to change anything. I just need—” I pause. “I just need some information.”

“There’s a whole library of info right here at Gray Wolf,” she says. “Free for the taking.”

“Why is it starting to seem like you’re trying to stall me until Braxton wakes and the two of you can join forces against me?”

Elodie groans. “Fine.” She relents. “You sure this is what you want?”

“Absolutely certain,” I say.

“So, why the book? Why magick? Why not let me send you out the same way I did with Braxton?”

“Because I’m not sure how long it’ll take. And if I miss that portal, then I need to know how to find my way back on my own.”

“The thing with magick—” Elodie starts, but I’m quick to cut her off.

“I need to have a crystal clear intention, I know.”

She shoots me an impatient look. “What I was going to say is the thing with magick is that while it is a process of bending reality to one’s will, it can be really unstable.”

“I’ll take my chances,” I tell her, but according to the hard set of her jaw, the slant of her brow, she’s far from sold.

“You do realize that most people who use it never return?”

“Most is better than none,” I reply. “Also, it’s entirely possible you never see them again because they found what they wanted, no?”

“And what about you?” she asks. “Do you plan to come back?”

I nod. “Believe it or not, I like my life here.”

“You swear?”

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