I turn my back and focus on Theo, who is now by my side, her hands running all over my body. “Did he hurt you? Are you OK?” she asks, her eyes wide and anxious.
I cup her cheek, reassuring her. “I’m fine,pulu. It will take more than this little fucker to mess me up.”
Then, we both turn to look at Maximus; he’s now grinning widely as Donovan grabs him into a bear hug. “Hey, man. I’m so fucking glad you’re alright!”
“Easy, tiger,” Max laughs. “It almost seems like you missed me!” Max looks over Donovan’s shoulder and gives me a wink. “Where’d you pick up Alexis and Cosmo? And what are you doing here, Lexi?”
Maximus is naturally chaotic and anarchistic, but even for him, this nonchalance is weird.
Donovan frowns. “They arrived through the light-portal, like us. But where’s Wes? Has he shifted as well? WES?” Donovan starts to bellow his brother’s name. “WES!”
“He’s around somewhere,” Maximus shrugs, with a completely casual gesture.
Beside me, Theo gasps, and Cosmo growls. He strides towards Max, looking like he’s going to start throwing punches. “Where is Wes, you fucktard? Answer the fucking question.”
“Don’t have an aneurysm,” Max replies, scratching his head. “We landed, did some exploring, then split up. No biggie.”
My head spins. There is only one thing that explains the situation. “How long have you been down in these tunnels, Max?”
My cousin frowns, confused. “What do you mean? Since we went through the shadow-portal? I dunno. It’s not like I’ve got a fucking watch on—but I’d guess, three or four hours? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to visit, Lex?”
He doesn’t hear all our sharp intakes of breath.
“How long, Max?”
“Well, the first hour was taken up with me coming out as a hellhound,” Max says, looking puzzled, “but after that?” He shrugs again, “not that long. We decided to explore separately for a bit, then you all turned up, looking like the Scooby gang.”
“How is this possible?” Theo croaks, her voice barely a whisper.
“I told you time was slippery here,” Donovan sighs, sounding weary to his bones.
Maximus's confusion deepens as he looks between us all. “Why are you all freaking?”
Donovan is the one to tell him. “While only hours have passed for you down here, I’ve been alone in the white sands for a long time,” he says. “Years. Several years.”
“What?”
“Add to that the fact you and the twins disappeared from the academy just under twelve months ago.” Cosmo’s voice is irritated. I can’t blame him.
“Lexi? Are they fucking with me?” he asks, looking at me.
I shake my head. “It’s the truth. I came to Validus Vale a few months ago to search for you.”
“No. Fucking. Way.” Maximus’s eyes widen as he turns to Donovan. “Years? You’ve been in that white desert, by yourself, for years?” Even my wayward cousin can understand the weight of what Donovan must have been through. “But it’s the same day for me. What in the ever-loving fuck? Gods, I can’t even..” He stumbles forward and grabs Donovan into a huge hug. “I’m so sorry.”
“I spent a lot of time in my centaur form, which helped,” Donovan mumbles.
Max blinks. “You’re a centaur? Cool! But, bro—years?”
“Yeah, yeah, we feel bad for Dono,” Cosmo snaps. “But if you’ve only been down here for a hot minute, it should be easy to find Wes, right?”
“Oh yeah, piece of cake,” Maximus grins. “Let’s go get him.”
8
“Let’s go get him!”
Those are all the words I need to hear. My body springs up before my brain fully engages. “Let’s go!”
