Page 43 of Joined By Magic

“Can you call him?” asked Atalie.

“Yes, I’ll just—”

Leo appeared in the middle of the room, Andrew by his side. The old man clutched a bag tight to his chest, and his eyes looked haunted.

“Damien,” Leo said, “we’ll go to the portal site first and make sure it’s secure. Ready?”

Damien nodded, and both men disappeared. I studied Andrew. “Are you okay?”

He met my gaze with his bright blue eyes. “No. How can Leo expect me to be under the same roof as that—”

He shook his head. My stomach lurched. Of course. Andrew hated the Ataran king with a passion. And in Atar, he could still be a wanted criminal.

Shit.

Leo reappeared alone. “The portal’s deserted. I don’t think they want a fight, they just want me gone. I’ve collected Peter.” He held out his hand. “Come on.”

I spared a last look at the apartment that had become my home. Initially the site of so much fear and shame, it was now my safe place, where I felt loved. Tears pricked my eyes. “I’ll miss it here.” I took Leo’s hand and cursed how small and sad my voice sounded.

He looked down at me, sadness etched into his features. “Me too. It felt like home with you in it.”

He gave my hand a single tight squeeze, and we vanished.

Chapter Twenty

Liv

TheAtaranportalbuzzedwith eerie light, the corona of blue magic that surrounded it cold and alien. It didn’t feel like Leo’s magic, which I’d come to know and trust. My arms prickled.

Peter and Damien waited in the deserted clearing. No guards. The message couldn’t be clearer: get out, we won’t stop you.

Leo vanished to collect the rest of the group. I raised a hand to Peter as he crunched over, heavy boots loud in the silence. He sighed. “Here we go again. Back to our favorite place.”

“Yep.”

“Any news on the runaway prince?” Damien cut in, his booming voice making me jump.

Peter shook his head. “No. It’s driving Garron mad. We’ll get him, though. It’s only a matter of time.”

Leo reappeared, delivered Hex, and vanished. Hex stood with her eyes closed, arms crossed over her stomach. I patted her back.

“I don’t know how you stand doing that all the time. I fucking hate it.” She glared at the portal. “I’m sure that thing’s going to be worse.”

Leo deposited Andrew, Helen, then Atalie. We fell silent as we faced the portal. I realized I hadn’t asked a very basic question. “Was this how you got here from Atar so fast?”

“Yes.” Leo’s brows furrowed. “The king forbade me to be the one to risk it first, and I ignored him. I might get some backlash from that.”

“How was the trip?” Peter eyed the device.

Leo paused before responding. “Very odd. Impossible to describe. Want to go first?”

Peter nodded. “May as well get it over with. I take it I won’t get shot when I appear on the other side?”

Leo shook his head. “No. They’re expecting us.”

Peter stood before the device, bathed in its cold light. His face appeared sunken in the weird shadows, older than his years.

Leo stepped up beside him. “Just walk in. Think of it as a doorway. Three steps and you’ll come out the other side.”

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