Starfire (Grim Gate 2)

“It’s okay. I’ve lost touch with people who meant a lot to be at one point in time and don’t have the excuse of jumping from one realm to the next.”

“I could have done better,” he says grimly. “She was always so full of life and aged gracefully—and I’m not just talking about appearances. She has a zest for life and alluded the same energy. It kept her young in my mind, but that obviously wasn’t enough.”

“From what I was told, she went downhill fast.” I wince as soon as the worlds tumble out of my lips. The guy is grieving the loss of my aunt and I need to proceed with caution.

“That would be her style.” He looks around the kitchen again, eyes lingering on the counter next to the stove, not doubt recalling one of his favorite memories of getting to know Estelle right there on the counter.

I take a small bite of the cookie, chewing it for a considerable time and then swallow. “I remember you being able to use magic, yet you weren’t able to break a simple hex put on you.”

“Ah, again, you are correct. I’m only half-fat, so my magic is more like simple cantrips.”

“What?”

“You’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons and it shows.”

“No, I’ve never played.”

“We should set up a campaign sometime! I’ll admit, it’s been a decade or two since I’ve last been a Dungeon Master, but I think I can get back into the swing of things pretty quickly.”

I let out a laugh. “I think I’d like that. Now…can you tell me more about my aunt?”

“Of course.” Nikolai smiles and lances into detail, telling use bout the time she and Estelle got lost in the woods for days while hunting a demon only to realize there were nearby Lake Michigan the entire time.

Finally, when it’s super late and I’m having a hard time keeping eye yes open, I find Ethan in the living room. I’ve already offered the guest room to Nikolai, and Hunter will keep guard all night. And maybe against my better judgment, I feel completely at peace. I suppose Ethan is right and there’s still a chance Nikolai is evil and will attempt to murder us in our sleep, but that’s something I’m just going to have to risk.

CHAPTER 27

Ethan and I wake the next morning to a full spread of breakfast laid out on the dining room table. There’s everything from bacon to fruit salads, with a plate of freshly baked muffins on the center of the table. Hunter kept watch all night, giving us peace of mind to fall asleep. I stayed up until nearly three a.m. talking to Nikolai, and I’m glad now more than ever we decided to trust him.

While he couldn’t give me any insight to why Aunt Estelle took my memories and bound my powers, hearing stories about her made me remember little things about her, like the way she loved to read romance novels and ate her dessert before dinner on bad days as a way to cheer herself up. And little things like that sparked a few more memories of just daily slices of life when Harrison and I were here.

Playing outside together.

Painting rocks to go in the garden.

Helping her made dinner to take to grandma when she was going through chemo.

The more I remember, the more I feel like I’ve gotten part of myself back, but it also raises more and more questions. We seemed happy and in control. Maybe I was naive as a child not to notice any threats of danger…or maybe Aunt Estelle was good at having us all fooled.

“Whoa,” I say, stopping in the kitchen. “You didn’t have to do this.”

Nikolai flits around, putting dirty dishes in the sink and then checking on the potatoes he’s frying on the stove. It’s organized chaos, and I’m a little jealous of Nikolai’s high energy level, which I’m realizing is just him.

“It’s the least I could do for the both of you,” he tells us and extends his hand, using magic to open a cabinet. He practically skips over and takes out two coffee mugs, setting them next to the coffeepot. “Your hospitality is most appreciated, as is the removal of that bad luck spell.”

Since it was so late last night by the time I finally went to bed, we told Nikolai he was welcome to stay in the guest room. I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit my pillow, but I’m sure Ethan stayed up, making sure Nikolai wasn’t going to try to murder us in our sleep.

Obviously, he didn’t, though he would have had to get through Hunter first.

“Have a seat,” Nikolai motions to the island counter. “And I’ll serve you a plate.”

“I need to go feed my horses first,” I explain as I move toward the back door. “It won’t take long though.”