Return to the Darkness - Ripley Proserpina Page 0,20

that was his sleeping place, he’s not there.”

That was what I’d been pretty sure about, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Okay. I was going to have to put that creature to sleep again.

Did we ever get to really escape the demons, real or figurative, that chased us through time?

Tears that I wasn’t going to shed gathered in my eyes. They stayed where they belonged. It was funny to feel that ice forming inside of me again. I’d gone north to thaw. Less than a day back and I was once again shielding myself.

“Oliver, what should we do?” I asked again.

“We use the stones to get my dad back. Thorn will know how. Then we figure out what the fuck he did, undo what we can, kill Erdirg, and get the fuck out of Dodge.”

Well… that seemed like a plan. And one I could get behind. “Okay. We’ll do that. And when I see him, what should I tell him?”

This time it was Oliver who met my gaze. “Tell him we’re coming for him.”

Chapter 6

Thorn was standing outside when we drove up to the house. As soon as the car stopped, he was running to us.

After he opened the door, he pulled me into his arms. “You’re okay?”

“I’m good.” He was breathless, and his body shook. He’d really been frightened. “Thorn. I’m good.”

“I jumped through portals to get to you, Lacey. Don’t go anywhere I can’t follow.”

I’d never thought of it like that. If our roles were reversed and the guys were disappearing in front of me, I’d be a mess. “I don’t do it on purpose.”

“Not yet, anyway,” Oliver said as he exited the car. “Let’s go inside.”

It was cold outside, and without Aaron’s body heat, I started to shiver again. With his hand on the small of my back, Thorn led me inside. It was a little bit warmer, but not much. We went into the living room, and I grabbed a blanket off the back of the sofa.

“She’s been cold since she came through,” Oliver said. It was true. The cold had seeped into my bones, along with the disquiet that came from knowing what was coming next.

I curled up on the sofa. Thorn sat on one side of me and Oliver on the other. “We’re going to get your dad back.” I yawned. “He sent us back with stones.”

Thorn tensed. “What sort of stones?”

Aaron took them out of his pocket and handed them to him. They fit in the palm of his hand, and he shook them. “Okay.”

“Will they help us get Mr. Chee?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. “It’s going to line up our timelines and yank him right through.”

“The sooner we do it, the less damage he can do.” I honestly feared for Mr. Chee when Oliver got a hold of him. Not that Oliver would hurt him, but he was going to rip him a new one.

“Let’s do it now.” I made a move to take off the blanket, but Oliver reached for the edges and pushed them back together.

“Not tonight.”

“Ol—” Aaron started.

“No.” He cut his brother off. “She’s still freezing. You saw what happened. Just because she can do something, doesn’t mean she should. And I’m not willing to risk her for our father. We don’t know what will happen.”

“She’ll pull him through,” Thorn said. “That’s it. With the stones, she’ll act like a magnet.”

“And what else might come through?” Oliver asked. “Or reach through and grab her?”

“Guys. I’m right here.” I appreciated what Oliver was saying, but this was their dad. And I could see that while Oliver was clear about what he wanted to happen, Aaron was torn. I couldn’t make them both happy, but I needed to do what was right. Before anyone could stop me, I tumbled off the couch and snatched the stones from Thorn’s hand.

“I’m doing this.” I told them, in case it wasn’t clear. “So any instructions you might have, go ahead and give me, now.”

Thorn held up his hands. “I’m not really in the habit of telling you what to do, Lacey.”

I probably could have handled this differently. But it was too late to take it back because the next second the world tilted in that way again and I was… well, this time I wasn’t passing out. No, it was a different sort of trip.

One time, when I’d started out living with Rick, I accidentally stumbled upon his so-called evidence locker. Rick wasn’t a cop and wasn’t necessarily interested in following rules.