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“They do,” I said automatically. “I’m part of the Reaper Order, and I want you there. I understand you feel discarded by what happened in this life, but if we keep learning and growing after we die, the Reaper Order must know the mistake they made. They may not be able to intervene now, but I think things will be different once we get to the other side.”
Autumn’s gaze dropped to her pate. “You really think they’d want me, after all I’ve done? I left the coven.”
“And you can come back,” I pressed. “That’s the thing about the Warlock’s Trial. I don’t think it was ever meant for the Reaper Order to judge us. I think the reapers show up when we’ve decided we’re ready. Don’t forget that you’re a reaper, Autumn. It is your birthright. To be accepted into the Reaper Order is to accept yourself and your power.”
Autumn looked up at me, and a kind smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Lucas. I really needed to hear that.”
Nadine set her fork aside. “Marcus is really quiet. Mandy must’ve gotten him back down for a nap. I’ll go let her know she can leave him in his cot and come get something to eat.”
Nadine left the table, and the room went silent. A full minute must’ve passed where no one said anything.
Finally, Verla wiped her mouth with her napkin. “So, Autumn, tell us a bit about yourself.”
“I was born in Octavia Falls and lived there through my early twenties,” Autumn explained. “You may have heard of my mother, Nina Loren.”
“Nina’s a lovely woman,” Verla said. “We worked together at the college.”
“She’s a very good professor, but an even better mother,” Autumn praised. “She raised me well, and I thought I would become a leader like her. Then I received the powers of a reaper in my Evoking Ceremony, and nothing was ever the same since. I was called a liar, and told I was seeking attention, as no one believed a female could possess the powers of a reaper. I left shortly after graduating from Miriam College of Witchcraft. I became a travel photographer and went all over the world. I’d have gone anywhere as long as I didn’t have to live in Octavia Falls. It was on my journey that I met my wife while I was photographing national monuments in Arizona.”
Her features brightened as she began talking about her wife. “Summer was a light in my life when I was going through the darkest of times. She was a skilled hypnotist; I’d never seen power like hers in any woman before. I didn’t know my place in the world, but she showed me that my place could be anywhere, as long as it was with her. I never had to lie to her about what I was, because she always believed in my power. We traveled together for decades, even though she battled many health issues. Her health took a turn for the worst several years ago. She had always wanted to see where I grew up, so I brought her here. She died of a stroke before we could leave. I lost the will to travel after that, because I didn’t wish to be separated from my wife. I now live in my father’s old hunting cabin, and my mother and I still speak on occasion. She is the only one who knows where I went when I left…”
Autumn trailed off as Nadine came downstairs, looking worried.
“Where’s Mandy?” Nadine asked in a shaky tone.
The look in her eyes worried me, and I immediately sat up straighter. “Isn’t she in our room, putting Marcus down for a nap?”
“I just checked there,” Nadine said. “And all the other rooms upstairs. I thought she must’ve come back down.”
I felt the blood drain from my face, and I shot to my feet. “She didn’t come downstairs. Nadine, what are you saying?”
Panic entered Nadine’s tone. “I’m saying I don’t know where Marcus is!”
Verla was at her side in an instant. “I’m sure they’re here somewhere. It’s a big house.”
“Mandy!?” Nadine called, but no answer came.
I must’ve taken the stairs two at a time. My heart was beating so fast I hardly processed the next few minutes. Chairs squeaked against the floor as the others quickly stood and spread across the house to go looking for them. I thought Nadine followed me to the second level, but I was passing each room so quickly I wasn’t sure.
“Mandy! Mandy!” Our voices overlapped, echoing throughout the house. I checked every room upstairs and heard doors open all the way down to the basement. We checked everywhere, then double-checked again. Every room I checked was as empty as the last.
From downstairs, Rishi began to cry. Each high-pitched mew was like a piercing dagger through my heart. Rishi was calling out for Marcus, too, but there was no answer that could calm the torment.
I stopped in the doorway to our bedroom, where Nadine had slumped to the bed. Her hands trembled as she lifted Marcus’s baby blanket to her nose. Verla sat beside her, but no amount of comforting words were enough.
Tears broke from Nadine’s eyes, and she began to wail. Footsteps sounded on the stairs as the others ran to check on her. A huge group formed in the hall.
“Where are they?” I demanded. “Did you find them?”
I was met only with silence. Then Professor Warren shook his head and said, “They aren’t here, and there’s no sign of a struggle.”
The whole house seemed to flip on end. I had to brace myself against the doorway as the reality hit me.
Marcus was gone. Mandy had kidnapped our son.
Chapter Twenty-Two
NADINE
