“What are the chances we made it worse?” Tyson asked, locking Louis in his unflinching gaze. “There’s a reason we are warned about using this sort of magic, and while I’m fucking impressed you pulled it off, I’m also fucking worried that we may have screwed the world up even worse.”
Louis let out a heavy breath of air. “I’m worried about that too, and that was our only shot. I will not go back again. That part of the timeline will be too convoluted now for me to change it. Once it’s been touched once, there’s no second chance.”
I wouldn’t let him do that again, even if there was a second chance. For that brief moment, when he was not quite back with us, I’d died a thousand deaths thinking he would never return. Some of those sadder emotions must have leaked through our bond, because Louis leaned down and whispered softly to me, “Never, Tee, my love. I will never leave you.”
“Better not,” I said, just as quietly.
When Louis went to open the step-through, I wiggled against him. “I can walk,” I said playfully. “This is more a Compass thing anyway, right?” I’d been watching them carry their mates around for days.
Louis flashed his perfect teeth in a sexy grin, but before he could answer, Braxton said, “He’s a Compass.”
Joy flashed from Louis to me, and my heart actually hurt—in a good way—to know he was finally getting everything he deserved. A loving family. Our true mate bond. And a chance at saving the worlds. Now it was just time to see how the timeline shift actually went, and if we were still facing a battle on our hands.
Louis took us right to Stratford, and as we stepped out, all of us looked around to determine what might have been changed. Judging by the sun high in the sky, it was the middle of the day. I had no idea how long it had been since I properly ate and slept. “Everything looks normal here,” Maximus said, with a quick look around.
“Give me a minute,” Jacob said as he jogged toward a nearby tree, and in seconds he was gone up it, climbing all the way to the top. The agility of the fey was second to none. Justice’s mouth dropped open as she stared at him. “He just, like … ran up a tree?” she gasped, blinking rapidly. “What in the fuck.”
Jessa laughed, but before she could say anything Jacob called down. “Town is still filled with supes, and from what I can see, everyone is going about their normal business.”
I was on my feet now, Louis holding my hand tightly, our fingers interlocked. “Let’s check the barrier,” he suggested, and I knew he was slightly concerned about what we would find. I was nervous, because I had no idea what the supe world was going to do if this hadn’t worked.
It took us just under ten minutes to cross the town and stand before the barrier. It was strong and slightly shimmery, and I could feel Louis’s energy threaded strongly through it. He had been helping to power this shield for a long time, most of his life from what I could tell.
“No humans,” he said, almost sounding surprised. “They’re all gone.”
“Next step is to ask someone,” I added. “We were all somewhat excluded from whatever changed, so we still remember the previous history. But those who remained behind shouldn’t know anything.”
Louis closed his eyes and I wondered who he was communicating with. A moment later he said, “Quale knows nothing about our secrets slipping into the human world. He said he’s heard nothing.”
I was just about to cheer when he froze, his hand tightening on mine. Our connection started to slow, and I almost panicked because he was deliberately blocking me for some reason, but before I could start demanding he share his news, he turned narrowed eyes on me. “It didn’t work.”
“What?” Jessa gasped from nearby. “What do you mean? The humans are gone.”
Louis rolled his broad shoulders, like he was trying to relieve tension in them. “Quale didn’t know anything, but an elder here in America did. It appears I only shifted the timeline somewhat. So … the spell was cut off, and the council did not finish the spell because they didn’t have the power when it was so incomplete. But some footage was released to the humans. Only in America. The President of the United States is requesting a meeting.”
Braxton made a rumbly sound, which I recognized as his dragon poking its head up. “The president has never known about us, even though we have guild members in the White House.”
Louis nodded. “I know, but he definitely knows about us now.”
“He probably just wants to make sure we aren’t a threat to them, right?” Mischa said, looking around the room, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. “I mean, that makes sense.”
No one said anything, and the worry did not fade from any faces. “We have to check our kids,” Jessa finally reminded everyone. “If we’re going again, I definitely need to see them before that.”
Louis shook his head. “No, you four don’t need to go. I’ll take Elizabeth. He asked for a few supernatural representatives, so I’ll bring Jake and Justice too, for the fey contingent. The rest of you stay here, look after those babies, and we’ll keep you updated.”
No one argued, even though I could tell they were all uneasy.
Tyson especially looked like he wanted to protest, but we definitely didn’t need another sorcerer. Louis and I had that covered.
Jessa hurried over and hugged Louis, and then me, very tightly. “Stay safe. Don’t let those humans force you into anything. They don’t control us, even if they think they do.”
Louis’s smile was tight. There was a reason the president didn’t know about us, and it had everything to do with keeping our freedoms. I hoped he hadn’t risked his life in the timeline jump only for us to find ourselves in a similar or worse position in this new future.
When it was just Jacob, Justice, Louis, and me standing there, everything felt a little lonelier and a lot heavier. “We’re going to take a step-through to a friend near the White House,” Louis explained. “We’ll wait there until we know what time the meeting is.”
“I thought the president already requested it?” Jacob asked. “What’s the delay about?”
Louis rubbed at his eyes tiredly. “The president has a lot of requirements and information he wants before we’re allowed to see him. Among that is our names, a list of our abilities, and our guarantee that we will not use any of our gifts on him.”
