back far enough to free him from her reach. “Oh, er—wow. You must have been…young.”
“Very,” she said.
James tried not to feel satisfied at Malcolm inching his chair away, but he couldn’t seem to help it. Apparently pregnant women were fair game, but mothers of exes were not. Even Malcolm had his boundaries.
James started on the spell at the kitchen table, keeping Ariane and Malcolm company until they finished dinner. Neither of them were keen on talking anymore. It should have been easy to focus in the silence.
But instead of drawing, he tapped the pen against the table and eyed the pale band of skin where he had used to wear a warding ring. He had thrown it aside at Motion and Dance, so it was probably still there—maybe in the dust under the piano. Elise’s ring would be nearby, too. It seemed fitting for the rings to have been lost together.
It hadn’t been all that long since James could close his eyes and find himself immediately transported to Elise’s mind. He missed watching her jog around Reno, drink tequila with breakfast, and even get in fights with her ex-boyfriend.
Or, to be more precise, he missed being so close to her. Even when they were miles apart. But their bond didn’t work between dimensions.
When he looked up again, Ariane was gone. Malcolm had finished eating. He was picking food out from between his teeth with a knife.
“I’m not going to take you to the Haven’s door,” Malcolm said, flicking a string of plaque off of the blade. “I need to get away from the Union. Far away.”
“I expected that would be the case,” James said, setting down his pen. “But I still need your help. Elise is in an ethereal plane right now, and I want you to get her.”
“She’s in Heaven ? I’m not going to Heaven. Not a chance.”
“No, certainly not. I only want you to book a flight to Yakutsk, in Russia, and then drive to Oymyakon. When she returns to Earth, that’s where she’ll appear.”
“Russia,” Malcolm said with a disbelieving laugh.
“You want to get away from the Union, don’t you?” James asked.
He blew a breath out. “I suppose that’s ‘away,’ yeah. But why aren’t you going to get her? You haven’t abandoned her, have you?”
“No,” James said. It came out sharper than he intended. Sharp enough to make the other man lean back in his chair, tipping it onto its rear legs.
“Right,” Malcolm said slowly. “So…why aren’t you the one hopping a plane to Yakutsk?”
“I can’t,” he said.
Malcolm gave him a calculating look. “She was in love with you the whole time, you know. Back when we were dating. I mean, she certainly wasn’t thinking about me when we fucked.”
A headache throbbed in James’s temples, like every vessel in his skull was threatening to rupture. He pinched the bridge of his nose. It did nothing to relieve the tension.
“I know,” he said. “I felt much the same.”
Malcolm’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “Wait—you did?”
“Always.” James’s voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat before trying to speak again. “Just…go to Oymyakon. There’s a field where the farmers walk their cattle in the summers. She’ll come back there. It might take a few weeks. There’s a house you can stay in, if you—”
“Logistics are no problem, Jimmy. You know I’d pick go pick her up even if you hadn’t saved my arse—can’t leave a pretty girl lost in Russia. But I still think it should be you.”
“You’ll do it, though?” James pressed.
“I’ll do it.”
That tension in his skull alleviated. Just a little. “Thank you,” James said.
“You two are so fucked up.” He stood, taking his snifter of gin with him, and leaned into the living room. “Oi! Ladies! Nice to meet you! I’m out of here.”
If there was a response, James didn’t hear it.
Malcolm turned back, and the two men shook hands. The kopis had a firm grip and an unusually serious look in his eye.
“What do I tell her when she shows
“Very,” she said.
James tried not to feel satisfied at Malcolm inching his chair away, but he couldn’t seem to help it. Apparently pregnant women were fair game, but mothers of exes were not. Even Malcolm had his boundaries.
James started on the spell at the kitchen table, keeping Ariane and Malcolm company until they finished dinner. Neither of them were keen on talking anymore. It should have been easy to focus in the silence.
But instead of drawing, he tapped the pen against the table and eyed the pale band of skin where he had used to wear a warding ring. He had thrown it aside at Motion and Dance, so it was probably still there—maybe in the dust under the piano. Elise’s ring would be nearby, too. It seemed fitting for the rings to have been lost together.
It hadn’t been all that long since James could close his eyes and find himself immediately transported to Elise’s mind. He missed watching her jog around Reno, drink tequila with breakfast, and even get in fights with her ex-boyfriend.
Or, to be more precise, he missed being so close to her. Even when they were miles apart. But their bond didn’t work between dimensions.
When he looked up again, Ariane was gone. Malcolm had finished eating. He was picking food out from between his teeth with a knife.
“I’m not going to take you to the Haven’s door,” Malcolm said, flicking a string of plaque off of the blade. “I need to get away from the Union. Far away.”
“I expected that would be the case,” James said, setting down his pen. “But I still need your help. Elise is in an ethereal plane right now, and I want you to get her.”
“She’s in Heaven ? I’m not going to Heaven. Not a chance.”
“No, certainly not. I only want you to book a flight to Yakutsk, in Russia, and then drive to Oymyakon. When she returns to Earth, that’s where she’ll appear.”
“Russia,” Malcolm said with a disbelieving laugh.
“You want to get away from the Union, don’t you?” James asked.
He blew a breath out. “I suppose that’s ‘away,’ yeah. But why aren’t you going to get her? You haven’t abandoned her, have you?”
“No,” James said. It came out sharper than he intended. Sharp enough to make the other man lean back in his chair, tipping it onto its rear legs.
“Right,” Malcolm said slowly. “So…why aren’t you the one hopping a plane to Yakutsk?”
“I can’t,” he said.
Malcolm gave him a calculating look. “She was in love with you the whole time, you know. Back when we were dating. I mean, she certainly wasn’t thinking about me when we fucked.”
A headache throbbed in James’s temples, like every vessel in his skull was threatening to rupture. He pinched the bridge of his nose. It did nothing to relieve the tension.
“I know,” he said. “I felt much the same.”
Malcolm’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “Wait—you did?”
“Always.” James’s voice was hoarse. He cleared his throat before trying to speak again. “Just…go to Oymyakon. There’s a field where the farmers walk their cattle in the summers. She’ll come back there. It might take a few weeks. There’s a house you can stay in, if you—”
“Logistics are no problem, Jimmy. You know I’d pick go pick her up even if you hadn’t saved my arse—can’t leave a pretty girl lost in Russia. But I still think it should be you.”
“You’ll do it, though?” James pressed.
“I’ll do it.”
That tension in his skull alleviated. Just a little. “Thank you,” James said.
“You two are so fucked up.” He stood, taking his snifter of gin with him, and leaned into the living room. “Oi! Ladies! Nice to meet you! I’m out of here.”
If there was a response, James didn’t hear it.
Malcolm turned back, and the two men shook hands. The kopis had a firm grip and an unusually serious look in his eye.
“What do I tell her when she shows
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