Marina’s breath caught in her throat. “For me?”

The lady laughed. “Of course. I already have a tiara. It’s at home on my dresser.”

Marina clutched the princess set and looked up at the lady, who looked as if she were glowing under the midway lights.

“Thank you,” Marina said, so overwhelmed that the words came out as a whisper.

“Every little girl deserves to be a princess,” the lady said. “And everyone should have a little magic in their lives.”

Then the lady touched her cheek and walked away. Marina held the princess set close to her chest, her young heart overwhelmed with the kindness of a stranger. In fact, that single act of kindness had affected her so much that it had probably shaped her into the person she was today.

“Holy shit!” Marina bolted up from her chair.

No way. It couldn’t be that easy.

Chapter Thirty

She ran into the cabin, grabbed a box off the bedroom floor, and sat it on the bed. She started yanking clothes out of the box and tossing them left and right like a madwoman. At the bottom of the box she found what she’d been looking for. An old wooden chest that her father had given her one year for her birthday. She’d painted it several times as her favorite color changed with age, and now it was flecked in spots, showing five different colors on the top alone.

She placed it on the bed and said a silent prayer. Then she slowly opened the box and reached for the princess ring in the bottom corner. The princess ring with the big red stone. As soon as she touched it, she knew.

This was it.

The ring shimmered and then began to glow. Inside the glow, the appearance shifted and for just a moment, she saw its true shape. It was the ring Alexios had shown her. The ring of power. It had been right there in her possession the entire time.

Snooze began to bark, breaking her out of her trance.

The stalker!

If he was outside then he’d try to steal the ring.

She ran into the kitchen, trying to find something to hide the ring in, and grabbed the first thing she saw on the counter. Banana nut bread. She parted it a bit on the bottom, then shoved the ring inside and wrapped it back up in Saran Wrap. Then she pulled the decoy ring out of her purse along with her cell phone and sent Alexios a text.

He walked through her front door seconds later, looking more haggard and more anxious than she’d ever seen him.

“How’s the generator holding up?” she asked. If Alexios didn’t have any power left, he couldn’t even attempt to contact Zeus.

“Hanging in there,” he said, giving her an expectant look.

She nodded and put one finger to her lips, then motioned to the barking dog.

Alexios’s eyes widened but she could tell he was thrilled. She handed him the bag with the decoy ring and he stared into it at the cheap bit of jewelry and frowned. Then she thrust the banana nut bread at him and he looked even more confused.