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Guild hesitated. Then looked toward the house. “Two words.”

Cold slid beneath my ribs. “What words?”

A door opened behind us. I heard footsteps. A slight drag on the right. Her footsteps. Then her voice. “Bethany?”

Nyssa.

Bethany moved. Barely. One blink. Then another. Her head turned… slowly until her gaze found the woman standing behind me. Something flickered inside those empty eyes. Recognition. Maybe. Or something worse.

Her lips parted. “Nyssa.”

I turned. Nyssa stood on the front step. Pale and trembling.

Bethany whispered again. “Nyssa.”

And for the first time since Guild called… I understood.

Bethany hadn’t been returned to us.

She’d been sent to her.

Nyssa broke and rushed forward. My hand caught her arm on instinct. Her body jerked to a stop. She looked at me and I saw it immediately. The anger. The warning… don’t. My fingers opened. Choice. Even now. Especially now. I let her go watching as Nyssa crossed the gravel.

“B?”

Bethany stared at her. Nothing. Nyssa slowed as she approached. No sudden movement and no reaching. She stopped several feet away.

“It’s me.”

Bethany blinked. “Nyssa.”

“Yeah.” Her voice broke. “I’m here.”

Bethany didn’t move toward her. Didn’t cry or collapse. She simply stared not through her like she’d stared through the rest of us. She studied her face with an intensity that made something crawl beneath my skin. Like she was checking. Confirming. Making sure this was really the woman she’d been looking for.

“Nyssa.’

Three times.

The same name.

Nothing else.

Nyssa’s eyes filled. She lifted one hand and stopped before touching her. “Can I?”

For several seconds Bethany gave no indication she’d even heard her. Then her hand moved… barely. Her fingers found Nyssa’s.

Nyssa sucked in a breath and closed her hand around Bethany’s. “Let’s go inside.”

Bethany followed. No resistance and no questions. Just one step after another, her hand held inside Nyssa’s. Vivienne appeared in the doorway. The moment she saw Bethany, both hands flew to her mouth. She didn’t run toward her. Smart. She simply stepped aside. As they reached the door, Bethany stopped.

Her head turned, not toward me.

Toward Nyssa again.

“Nyssa.”

“I know, B.” Nyssa squeezed her hand. “I’ve got you.”