Page 5 of Boundless Magic

“Spring and Knox are down in the ceremony room, studying the book we think Chloe may have used. Keaton is checking with his parents to see what they know, if anything, about it.” She drew back and ran shaky fingers under her eyes to hide the tears that escaped. “It’s dusty as hell and looks to be older than this house.”

“Okay. Call Al while I go down and look at the book. If Keira and Phillip come back, direct them to us.” Her father tilted her chin up. Giving her a warm smile, he said, “They’ll be home by suppertime.”

“Have you had experience with your kids teleporting to an alternate plane, Dad? If not, I’m going to call bullshit on your overconfidence.”

He chuckled, and Autumn could hear the tension he tried to hide.

“Go on. See what Spring’s found,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll call Uncle Alastair and see if maybe he can contact Isis to request permission for the spell.”

“Good idea.” With a kiss to her forehead, he shifted to go. He hadn’t moved more than two steps before he turned back. “TheBook of Thoth. I remember seeing it in Isis’s keeping. Ask if she will allow us to borrow the portal spell from it.”

Spring entered the room with Knox on her heels. She waved the tome in the air and grinned. “No need. From what I can tell, this is almost an exact replica of theBook of Thoth.”

No one needed to ask how she knew it was the same. Spring had already read the original, and her photographic memory could verify if what they had was a duplicate.

“That’s not good,” Autumn muttered. “That fucking thing has been nothing but trouble, if you ask me.”

“True. Especially the spells opening portals,” Knox added. “Considering an exchange always has to be made, I’m wondering what came through to this side and how we find it.”

4

“Is that a real possibility?” Autumn asked. Her horror at her children accidentally unleashing some monstrous creature on the unsuspecting citizens of Leiper’s Fork made her stomach drop ten feet below ground.

“A possibility, yes. You should be asking if it’s along the lines of a probability, though.” Knox grimaced. “The answer is also yes.”

She shared a concerned look with her father before saying, “Okay. We’ll wait for the fallout in case it’s some Godzilla creature, but for now, we need to find my kids.”

“We should still seek permission for using any of the spells from this book, Autumn.” Preston’s expression was heart-attack serious. They all knew the backlash involved in defying a goddess.

“I know, Dad. I intend to. The three of you work out what we need for this. I’m going to the clearing to summon Uncle Alastair and, with him, Isis.”

She stepped out the back door, closing it behind her. As she dialed her uncle, her gaze fell on the barn in the distance and, behind that building, the woods where she and Keaton used to meet when they first fell in love. So much had happened in that time. So many years filled with heartache, then eventually, love.

Autumn walked in that direction just as Alastair answered the call.

“We need you, Uncle,” she said without preamble. “Can you teleport to the clearing between my house and Thorne Manor?”

“I’ll be there momentarily.”

“Thank you.”

“You never have to thank me, child. I know if you’re calling, it’s important.”

Gratitude closed her throat, and she couldn’t speak. But he didn’t wait for her reply, and the line went dead.

With a searching study of her surroundings to ascertain no mortals were in the general vicinity, Autumn closed her eyes and visualized the glen where their family performed ceremonies. Her cells warmed to burning, but before it became unbearable, the wind kicked up. The cool breeze caressed her face, whipping her hair around her head and providing necessary relief.

Goddess, she loved the ability to teleport anywhere in the world in seconds. There was a sense of freedom attached to the act. As if she could always escape the demands of life by visualizing where she wanted to go.

When she lifted her lids, Alastair was there, his hands raised to the sky. A half smile curled his lips as he watched her.

“Better?”

He referred to the cooling breeze he’d created, and Autumn appreciated his thoughtfulness.

“Much.” She strode forward and hugged him tightly.

There had been a time when they were at odds due to misunderstandings, mostly on her part, but she’d come to adore her renegade uncle. Many times, his fuck-the-world-I’m-doing-it-anyway attitude had saved someone she loved, and Autumn could appreciate the hell out of his tactics.

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