Page 31 of Boundless Magic

“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.

---