Page 27 of Edge of Wonder

Hesitantly, I sat down while Sebastian stood near the window. He was quiet, likely brooding over the fact that he’d revived his greatest nightmare. Why had he done it? He could have left or said no. Tessa was pretty persuasive, but she couldn’t force him to bring back the dead. Could she?

“That was smart of you, earlier,” Sebastian said softly, breaking the silence.

“What was?”

“You broke the bonding spell. Everything happened so fast and when I looked for you, you were gone. I thought…” His voice faded, and he turned back toward the window.

“You thought you’d gotten rid of me? Don’t you have one of those devices with the demonic hand inside? I bet you were relieved.”

“No. That’s not it.” He faced me again, a pained expression hardening his features. When I challenged him with an impatient tilt of my head, he pounded his fist against the window frame. “Look. I just…I’m glad you were able to save yourself.”

“Don’t worry. This damsel has strings attached to her distress. So I don’t expect much from others.”

He winced; his words coming back to bite him.

I sighed, hating that my bitterness had followed me into my new life. It wasn’t what I wanted. Sebastian might not be the hero who risks it all for the girl in the made-up tower, but he wasn’t the enemy, either. I wasn’t sure if it was possible to define our relationship after all the starts and stops, lies and confusion. All I knew was that it was complicated.

“Sorry. I’m still trying to make sense of everything. What happened after I broke the spell? How did you find me?”

“You were right about the clue. Warren, the artist who painted Julian’s portrait, had your necklace and a key to the underground vault. He also had a note from Tessa. I pieced it together from there.”

“So, you found out who I was, and you still came back?”

Sebastian pushed away from the wall and approached the table. “Alice, I—”

He was interrupted when Tessa returned to the room carrying a tray of tea and a plate of fruit tarts. She blew at a spot of dust on Julian’s workbench and placed the tray in front of me with a flourish.

“Ta Da! Fresh fruit tarts and black tea with extra sugar. Just the way you like it.”

My eyes widened. “You made that in Julian’s kitchen? With what?”

“A witch never reveals her secrets.” Tessa poured two cups of steaming tea. “But it’s magic,” she whispered as she passed me a cup and a warm tart. She sat in the chair across from mine and slid the plate of tarts out of Sebastian’s reach. “None for you.”

Sebastian scoffed and leaned against the workbench. “As if I’d try food you prepared.”

I suppressed a laugh and tentatively took a sip of my tea. The warm sugary liquid tasted like bliss, and I closed my eyes to savor the taste. Next, I tried a tart, sinking my teeth into the soft, crumbly pastry.I missed this…

Tessa sipped her tea before placing the cup back into its saucer. She shook her head as if to clear it and forced a smile. “It’s so good to see you again, Alice. Vivian and I have missed you. She would have come with me, but she’s dealing with an urgent problem at home.”

“What problem?” Sebastian asked.

“Oh no, you don’t. If you disappear for ten years, you miss out on the family details. You haven’t earned it.”

He shrugged, appearing detached and uninterested, but not getting an answer was eating at him. An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. The tea soured in my mouth the longer it went on.

“I’d like to know about Vivian,” I said, darting a glance at Sebastian. He didn’t return the look, but his shoulders relaxed slightly and he moved closer.

Tessa drummed her fingers on the workbench. “Fine. But only because Alice wants to know.” She angled her head toward me and explained, “The story is actually about Jamie, Sebastian’s younger sister. She’s best friends with my twin girls, and they’re all about your age, though Jamie is the youngest.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” I said, studying Sebastian’s reaction.

He nodded. “She’s a bit of a hellion—or she used to be.”

“Trust me, she still is. I’m not sure which one of you is more trouble,” Tessa said. “But anyway, back when the girls were younger, I warned them they’d have to kiss a lot of frogs before they found the one.” Tessa crinkled her nose. “I just thought Jamie knew I didn’t mean actual frogs. Needless to say, Sebastian’s family has a house guest, and Vivian is at home trying to prevent Argus from committing murder.”

“Jamie did what?” Sebastian growled, but Tessa ignored him.

I choked on my tea, inhaling the liquid down my windpipe.Kissing frogs? Murder?And I thought I had problems.

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