Page 19 of Boundless Magic

Unsurprisingly, Autumn’s sister laughed. “Am I?”

Their voices echoed inside Autumn’s cocoon and sounded like they were coming through a 1960s radio with shitty reception. Why she could hearthemand not LJ was a curious matter to ponder at a later date.

“If you want to call me that, I’m cool with it,” Spring told Gothica. “But I’ve been known to bury a bastard or two when crossed.”

Grudging respect lit Gothica’s dark jade eyes before her attention was caught by Knox. Inside his bubble, he was frantic. He threw lightning bolt after lightning bolt at the barrier wall in his helpless need to get to his mate.

“Wow!” Fearlessly, she approached his invisible cage. “Aren’t you a gorgeous piece of man flesh?”

“Man flesh?” Spring grinned at her counterpart when the woman cast a glance over her shoulder. “I’m not objecting to the name. It’s absolutely fitting. I might adopt it for myself.” To Knox, she said, “What do you think, babe?”

His narrow-eyed response caused both Springs to laugh.

“He’s yours?”

“He is,” Spring replied with a loving smile for Knox.

Gothica actually appeared disappointed.

“You and the Knox of your world don’t hook up, I’m assuming.” Autumn’s sister offered up a sympathetic look. “That’s sad.”

“Never met anyone named Knox.” With a shrug, Gothica faced her uncle. “Alastair. Why aren’t I surprised you’ve upset the balance between worlds?”

“Not me.” He hooked a thumb in Autumn’s direction. “Your sister’s kids.”

Gothic Spring approached her bubble and popped it to allow Autumn her freedom. “Yourkids? Plural? I’m surprised you and Keaton had more than your first witchy wonder. That spoiled brat is the bane of my existence.”

“Watch it, Gothica,” Autumn warned in an icy tone. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, but I can promise you, no child of mine is a spoiled brat.”

A calculating gleam lit the other woman’s eyes. “Her name is Rachel, and I promise you, she is. She’s your mini-me and thinks her shit don’t stink.”

Never mind that her brain was reeling from the fact she had a daughter named Rachel, Autumn couldn’t wrap her head around the fact her younger sister’s clone was a raging bitch. “So she’s tough. What’s wrong with that? It wasn’t a crime the last time I checked.”

“It’s a crime when she terrorizes a town of innocents. But you and your lazy-ass boyfriend can’t be bothered to rein her in.”

The last bit caught her off guard. “Boyfriend?”

“Mike, Max, Mark… whatever the hell his name is.” Gothic Spring shrugged, and Autumn cast a dark glance LJ’s way.

“I thought you said I was married to Keaton?”

“You are,” he replied matter-of-factly. “I didn’t say you didn’t run around on him.”

The knowledge was a gut punch. Was everyone miserable in this alternate reality? How truly sad if that were the case. Dismissing the tragedy of their world, Autumn faced Gothic Spring.

“Mychildren seem to have opened a portal to your world. I need to find them and bring them home.”

Gothica’s overpainted brows clashed. “Shit.”

“Shit? What shit? The sound of your ‘shit’ is ominous.”

“I thought she was lying again.”

“She?”

“Rachel.”

“I don’t know Rachel. I only know that my daughter, Chloe, and my son, Jolyon, are lost in your time.”

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