ra's

man come lookin

this was embarrassing enough, and somehow it felt

l the confidence they'd had a moment ago was gone. Diane

." His voice was

hless. Diane's eyes widened, and excitement

est and most powerful families in the world. People practic

s standing right o

at him. That was when I sud

d to me was named

e actually come here to ta

d me and snapped, "Aurora, don't just stand ther

to see my husband? He's been trying to arrange a meeting with someone from one

r stepped between us. "I'm not here to

ded, "And your husband isn't important

already started to suspect why he was here, but

ot, that can't be right. Why would someone like you come he

her throat and gasped for air, as if someth

ced at her. "You'r

ack what you need. We're

he hem of my shirt. I couldn'

cademy, but I still couldn't wr

upposed to do after learning it? Could I actually find a

nything, Charles sud

at Connor, though the fear on his face made his bravado hard to believe. "Aurora's going

the finger point

to argue. His knees slammed into th

ath him. The impact looked so brutal t

reamed and stared at Connor in horror. "Wha

I'd never seen a

arently, even fear wasn't enough

spent raising you!" Then she turned to Connor. "Mr. Lancelot, if you're taking h

topped w

y've treated me like garbage for ye

Fine. If money's the probl

ck of gold bars appeared in t

er. Within seconds, the pile had

rushed toward it, snatched up one of the bars, and bit dow

oss the floor and spread into the other rooms. The piles

's enough!" she screamed as the gold closed in around her

r. He turned to me instead. "

at him. After everything I'd se

looked like. I could

d become a m

pable of doing somet

own up for me, and now I was following him into a world wh

was waiting for m

I'd end up at that community college, stuck with a future I didn't wan

bed my identification documents and the ac

walls and turned the house into a wreck suddenly disappeared. Diane,

g broom, or some kind of spell that could transport us in a

ned the back door, and only then d

curiosity got the better of m

me feel like I'd just asked th

. If I looked up and saw someone flying across the sk

uch of a talker, so I d

ing through the passenger terminal, but Connor led me ar

elt different. The sky seemed darker, and the gray wate

where students boarded a ship. It looked

ask Connor where we were going, but one look at his s

t like forever. Then t

und it, and waves crashed violently in every direction. Someho

ly rose from the spinning water. Soft orche

kept coming until it finally