That day when I told them who I really was and where I’d come from, I wondered if fate sent me here because these men needed me more than my original matches did.
Now I can’t help thinking it must be at least as much that I neededthem.
The last admission slips out of me so much easier. “I do believe it. Which is why I have to tell you—the reason I seemed so upset when we left the park—I saw Uncle Nik across the street, watching what was going on. He was with the woman from the Luminary maintenance staff who warned me about tonight. I don’t know what that means or whether he’s been paying attention to me in this reality… but I feel like that can’t mean anythinggood.”
Asher’s brow knits. “If he’s friendly with the person who warned you, at least it doesn’t sound like he’s on the side of the group trying to kill you.”
I nod. “I don’t think he is. He— The reason I knew where to spy on Gwyn— I recognized her in Salvatore’s video. She was the first target he gave me. In my old reality, he wantedherdead.”
Salvatore makes a scoffing sound. “Who can tell what’s what with these snuffers? But if he’s got his sights on Elodie so he can use her, he’s not getting what he wants.”
Cole folds his arms over his chest, his chin coming up at a defiant angle. “I think we need to find out exactly how he’s involved. The sooner the better, before you end up in even more danger. He’s responding to this huge incident at the park right now… Elodie, you must know a fair bit about the version of him from your original world. Some of that has probably stayed the same. Can you say where he usually worked or anything like that?”
I shake my head. “We met different places each time… I don’t think he had specific ties to any of the locations. He didn’t want me knowing very much about him because of the missions he was having me do.”
Salvatore huffs. “Who here’s the best at seeking spells, then? We go back to the park, pick up his trail from the spot where Elodie saw him.”
What are the chances that Nik is still there? I wouldn’t be able to trace his route from that spot based on ephemera alone, especially if he got into a vehicle, and I’m way more familiar with his presence than any of my matches.
Salvatore’s question niggles at my mind. “There is…”
When I hesitate, Byron squeezes my shoulder. “What are you thinking, Elodie?”
Part of me still balks, but it’s the only way I can see us having much hope of tracking down Uncle Nik while he’s still reacting to tonight’s events.
She did say she wanted to help, didn’t she?
My mouth twists into a wry half-smile. “I do know someone whose glim is finding things—and who’s powerful enough to trace a person all the way across multiple universes. Why don’t I give her a call?”
Forty-Nine
Elodie
When Aunt Daphne steps out of her car into the condo building’s parking garage, the steely glint I’ve caught glimpses of before shines in her eyes. She’s pulled her cloud of tawny waves into a tight ponytail, which simply means they poof out wildly at the back of her head instead of all around it.
As she sweeps her gaze over our surroundings and back to the five of us, she crosses her arms over her chest.
She drops the stern pose a moment later, her hands skating through the air with her usual frenetic energy. I guess she couldn’t hold them still for long.
Her voice comes out way too perky. “So, you’re Elodie’s matches. Quite the varied crew.”
Salvatore arches his eyebrows at her, his hands slung casually in his pockets but tension threaded through hisvoice. “So, you’re the aunt who ripped her away from her world.”
One side of Daphne’s mouth kicks upward. “You should be glad about that. If she wasn’t here, you wouldn’t have a match at all.”
Well, this is only as awkward as holding a faerie party in an iron mine.
Cole breaks in with professorly authority. “There’s a lot we could hash out, but that’s not what we’re here for right now. If the man we’re after is up to something tonight, we want to track him down quickly. Are you going to help us or not?”
Aunt Daphne’s attention settles on me. As I meet her gaze, echoes of our argument just a couple of hours ago ripple through my nerves.
I hold my head high, but I’ve committed to this peace offering. “Wecoulddo this on our own… but I think it’d be a lot easier with you on board. If you’re willing.”
Daphne gives a sigh that reminds me it’s nearly midnight and I have no idea how long she’s already been up today, but then she rubs her hands together in a promising gesture. “Who exactly is this man you want to find, Butterfly?”
What a question. The jagged weight of all my experiences with Uncle Nik presses on my chest, and yet at the same time I barely know anything about him.
I give the simplest answer I’m capable of. “He’s someone I knew in my former life. Someone who was manipulating the world for his own agenda—and maybe other people’s too.”
