She snort-laughed then we both burst into giggles. Not that the incident was comical in any way, but her reaction was indicative of the wife and mother we knew. Eight hundred years later and she had not changed one bit.

“All right, come on.” She jumped to her feet then stared down at me with her hand outstretched. “The Coven is up and scheming and looking for you two.”

I groaned.

“I know. But she will come back, and we have to be ready.”

“I know.” I put my hand in hers and let her pull me to my feet. Then I scrubbed my face real hard and let out a shaky breath. “Thank you for coming out here . . . I needed that.”

She tucked her black hair behind her ears. “Me too.”

In the eight hundred years since she died, our daughter had taken many disguises. For her safety. Thankfully her voice and mannerisms had not been altered by magic, or I may have lost my mind ages ago. Even her soulmate had had to change alias every few decades. It had been a constant struggle and worry, to live in this world awaiting the return of two females. My mother and my wife. The former was the bane of my existence. The latter was my everything.

We were almost there.

Francelina knowing the truth about her own past . . . as Celina. My chest tightened. I longed for the day when I could call her by her real name again, I feared only that would finally heal the cracks in my soul.

I was so lost in my despair that I had not realized I’d followed Auryn inside the house until a large hand landed on my shoulder. Golden mist swirled around me, lightening the pressure in my chest with every second. I frowned and glanced up to find Hunter Bishop standing beside me, watching me with golden eyes full of their own heartbreak. He didn’t speak. He just nodded his head once. I gave him a small smile and a nod. I would take the relief anyway I could get it. He winked, squeezed my shoulder, then strolled over to sit on the brick ledge beside his daughter at the hearth. The sight of Emersyn’s blindfold had my stomach in knots. They’d robbed us of one of our strongest weapons, a move that was not coincidence.

“What are you thinking over there, Frost Mountain?” Tegan’s voice whispered through my mind. She must have followed my stare because she then cursed in my head. “Emersyn. What is it?”

I glanced over to where Tegan stood at the front window, her back to me yet I saw her reflection easily. I arched one eyebrow and sent my response back telepathically as well. “We need to find a way to get her back into the fight or we may have to strip her of her Mark.”

Tegan spun to face me, her eyes wide. “What? Strip her Mark?”