THE BAZAAR (The Devany Miller Series) (30 page)

"Do you?"

Now that my clothes were on someone else, I could see how battered they were. And also how form fitting and downright sexy. Huh. "Sorry about the stains."

She shook her head. "Don't forget about me. I'll need help with Zech, getting him to Midia to be healed."

"I won't. I'll take you there now. He has two of the lodestones. Use the magic to call me when you need me."

She hugged me again, fiercely, then we rejoined the others. I made a door to Midia first and left Marantha at her home. Then I took Arsinua to the hospital, hooking into the women's room. Thankfully, no one saw us enter. "Do you need help finding him?"

"No. I can feel the stones. The magic will take me to him. Go. See your kids."

Yes. My arms ached to hold them. "Goodbye." I stepped back through the hook, picturing the room I'd left Tytan in. Yes, I could have hooked home but I would have been without a car or a reasonable explanation of how I'd gotten home.

Tytan was waiting. Of course he was. According to Arsinua he wanted something from me. So of course he was waiting. I held up my hand before he could talk. "I have to go home. Whatever it is you want from me will have to wait. You understand?"

I'm sure I imagined the hurt in his gaze, or perhaps he engineered it to prick at me. Either way, I discarded it. "I have to go."

He nodded. "You do." He didn't move, didn't try to convince me to stay. 

"You'll be okay?" I felt stupid asking. He was a demon for goodness sake. He could take care of himself. And he was evil. Evil.

"Yes. Go. You and I, we'll have our time together later." Promise ripened on each word.

I left before I could say or do anything that would qualify me for a straightjacket or Arsinua's scorn. With each step, I hurried faster until I was jogging through the Shelter. I waved at my startled colleagues, but I heard Danni explaining away my behavior as the door shut behind me.

Only when I tried to unlock my car door did I realize I would have to make one stop. My fingers were still broken. I needed to get them cast but instead I made an awkward trip to the pharmacy to buy finger splints and gauze to wrap them myself. I had to get home. Home. God that sounded good.

THIRTY-FIVE

W
ould the kids recognize me? Would they know me this time, or would they sense I was different, changed? By the time I arrived home, my hand hurt from gripping the wheel, the gauze that I'd wrapped my hand with not helping the pain. The dash clock said four thirty two. Liam and Bethany would be home. Acid burned my throat.

I parked in the driveway and dashed to the door. My hands shook so hard I dropped the keys twice before getting them in the hole. At once I was met with a shrill beeping. The alarm. I couldn't remember the code. Flustered, I waited until Liam jogged around the corner, his eyes wide. When he saw me he all but collapsed with relief. "You scared me. Punch the code, quick or the alarm will go off."

"I forgot it," I whispered, drinking him in.

"Geez, Mom. You getting senile or what?" He typed in the code and silenced the noise.

I grabbed him before he could leave and held him. He sensed something was up because he didn't try to tug away.

"Mom? What was all the beeping?”

I made a come here gesture with my hand. Bethany hesitated, then ran to me. I had them both in my arms. My kids. Safe. I was home. I was home and they were safe. "I love you guys. So much." The words inadequately expressed what I felt for them, but I wasn't sure I could say anything else without crying. "I love you." I could have held them all night but they protested after less than a minute so I let them go, my heart thudding painfully.

I was still frozen in place when the alarm buzzed as Tom opened the door. He punched in the code then saw me. "You're home early."

"Yes. Shouldn't I be?"

His mouth tightened. "After what happened last night, you should've stayed home."

I wondered what had happened last night after I'd left. "I'm sorry." Wait, no I wasn't. I raised my eyebrows. "Didn't you go to work?"

"Yes."

Mmm. I waited. He said nothing. 

In living room, Liam sprawled on the couch and Bethany sat on the floor in front of the TV. "Do you guys want to order pizza tonight?"

Liam grinned and Bethany whooped. 

I placed the order on the kitchen phone. Tom came up behind me, setting his briefcase on the kitchen counter. "You look different. You sound different. What's wrong?"

Now he thinks something wrong? Not that I wasn't glad Lucy had taken my place, but couldn't one of them have figured out Lucy wasn't me? "Nothing's wrong. I left early. No big."

"You were a mess last night." He moved in closer and my warning bells clanged. He looked like he wanted to hug me. 

"Yes, well, it's not every day a stranger bursts into your house claiming to be me, looking so much like me." I tensed, wondering if he planned to step closer. He did.

"She looked nothing like you. Too hard, too dangerous." He put his hands on my arms and pressed his body against mine. 

I put my hands on his chest. "Tom."

He studied my face. "I don't get it." He stepped back. "What's going on? Are you playing with me?"

"I'm not playing with you." Ever again. "Listen, the past few days, the whole mess, I might have given you the wrong idea and I'm sorry if I did. But Tom, I'm done with you and me."

His nostrils flared and his face whitened. "Done."

"Yes."

He sucked in air, deep breathing away the urge to shout, scream, hit me, whatever it was he felt at that moment. Then he nodded. "I'll move out tomorrow."

The pain hit me, softly this time. "The end of the month. Give the kids time to adjust." Acid washed up in the back of my throat. If Tom moved out, he'd have them part of the time. Hell, he might get custody. He had the better paying job. 

"End of the week. Sorry. I can't stay here. Not if—"

"End of the week then. But let's not tell them tonight. Okay?"

His expression was bleak. "Whatever." He turned his back to me. Walked away. I heard Bethany greet him, Liam grunt something from around whatever snack he'd found and stuffed in his mouth.

It was over. The danger of the Theleoni. Ravana. Even Tytan, for now, was neutered. I didn't trust him to stay that way, of course, but for now it was over. Both the bad and the good.

I would have to remember to hold on to those good things as long and as fiercely as I could. Bad could be dressed for war and walking around the corner any old time it wanted.

For now I joined my family, broken though it was, and reveled in my children's laughter. 

THE END

About the Author

Jen Ponce is an urban fantasy author who also works as an advocate for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Besides reading and writing, she crochets when the mood hits her, creates fun pictures on GIMP, and drinks Diet Coke.

Jen, her three boys, three cats, and goldfish live in Western Nebraska despite her yearnings to live somewhere warmer. (Jen would also like to point out that the cats aren't hers, they are her boys' cats. She loves them but she is not a crazy cat lady—just crazy.)

(Psst, Jen here. Would you do me a favor? If you enjoyed my book, would you leave me a review? It will help other people find my stories and it'll make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you took some of your precious time to talk about my book. Thank you!)