"Stay here and be quiet," I hissed. Pulling my gun out of my waist band, I tiptoed to the back door, staying out of the line of sight. "Who is it?"

"I am sorry to disturb you, but my name is Faolán. I am looking for my nephew, Belenus." The voice that carried through was so alluring I almost opened the door without question. Fingers closed around my wrist.

Belenus stood beside me, but his shadow didn't cast on the curtain on the door. His lips were close to my ear, and his words were so faint I almost missed them. 

"Say 'Apologies, but the door does not open until sunrise.'”

It was obviously a code, but if it went south, how the hell was I going to fight an assassin?!

"Apologies, but the door doesn't open until sunrise," I said.

I was not, and I'm still not, proud of how my voice shook. Belenus released my wrist and produced a dagger from seemingly nowhere.

"Then may your hearth burn bright and full until dawn," said the voice, and Belenus' dagger was gone. Before I could respond, he had thrown the door open and embraced the man outside. They spokeso swiftly that I couldn't decipher where sentences ended or began.

They’re speaking a different language. I tucked my gun away and waited. 

Belenus and Faolán pressed their palms together, locked gazes, and went tense. It took me about ten seconds to realize they were sharing thoughts. Almost as soon as I realized this, they stepped away from each other. Belenus looked murderous for a flash, but he drew a breath and gestured to me.

"Faolán, meet Grace Kemp. I owe her my life.” Belenus bowed slightly toward me. 

My cheeks burned when the other man mimicked his bow, and I understood why there were so many legends about elves and fairies absconding with young men and women. Forest green eyes met mine, and the undiluted aura of a full-blooded elf obliterated any thought in my mind except for Faolán.

Faolán was ethereally more dizzying. He was taller than Belenus, approaching a solid six foot three, and despite being lean, his very presence radiated power. I couldn't move, think, or even breathe, it seemed. I felt utterly paralyzed under his gaze, and as we shook hands, his fingers on my skin only imprisoned me in place. His ebony hair was long on one side, hanging nearly to his elbow with immaculate braids amidst the pin-straight silk. The left side was buzzed short, almost militaristic, with an array of mystic knots cut into it. His sun-kissed skin seemed to glow in the porch light, and there was an intoxicating aroma of a forest after a midnight storm, crushed pine bark, and a crisp salt scent that broke over me when he stepped in closer. He was clad in green, leather armor so dark it seemed almost black, and it emphasized his long, lean body like it had been custom made to cling to his lithe muscles. And that was all I could take in as my mind began to tumble. My lungs burned, and the world fogged up in the edges of my vision.

"Faolán, she is a pure human! Shield yourself!".

I sucked in a breath and stumbled sideways as the world spun. That intoxicating, paralytic allure was gone. Belenus caught me in his arms, and Faolán made a strangled sound.

"Grace, are you clear of mind now?" Belenus asked. My head still spun, and my mind still felt clouded and unsteady in a strange way. I wanted to run off and lose myself in the woods. If I did that, then the world would make sense, and I'd find peace. Faolán would run with me, and we could explore forever. "Grace, heed my voice!" Belenus' bellow freed my mind of the yearning, and I blinked up at him.

"My Lady, I beg your forgiveness. I thought not of your race," Faolán gasped. His smooth voice drew me to turn, and I was relieved to find that whatever thrall he'd accidentally whammed me with was gone. The world came back into focus with a few breaths.

Oh, he was still as gorgeous as Belenus, but it wasn't intoxicating. He was easily the most attractive person I'd ever laid eyes on, but it was not the type of attractive I would ever be stupid enough to fall for. Men who looked like him wouldn't give me the time of day.

"Don't worry about it," I said and waved off the mishap as I stepped away from Belenus. "Could we, maybe, move this reunion inside?" I looked over at the wolves again and wondered if any would now be chasing Faolán. The two men stepped inside, and I shut the door.

"Okay, so this is your uncle. Does that mean the Rift is still open?" I asked and peeked out of the curtains to double-check that nobody had followed us. Then I paused long enough to toss my clothes in the dryer. Belenus had led Faolán inside; they were waiting at the dining room table.

"I have kept the Rift open, but it will only hold for so long," Faolán said, and he stared around the house. It was easy for me to tell he was analyzing every inch and item he could see. "It was one of Carwyn's spellcasters that opened it, in order to separate you from Bella." For some reason, I had half expected an ally of Belenus to have opened it but hearing it was their enemy sent a shiver down my spine. "The information I gleaned from his mind was that he was to keep it open until the shadewolves returned with news of your death," he continued. "I saw that they will not be returning. For that, we owe you thanks, Madam Grace."

"You can thank me by getting rid of the bodies," I snorted. Both men stared at me as if my sarcastic laughter was something they couldn't understand.

 "If anyone sees those, it'll cause chaos," I said. The elves exchanged looks again, and something in their silent communication made my spine twitch and crawl. It wasn't that they scared me completely. It felt like they were sizing me up.

"I can dispose of them quite easily," Faolán said. His voice was even and calm—as if he wanted to make sure I understood everything he said. "But, more will come through. I can close the Rift behind myself and Belenus, but Carwyn will reopen it and send a team to cast a spell that will reenact the events here. He will know how to find you.” The statement reached my ears, but it took me a few moments to process what was meant.

They want you to come with them. My inner voice snorted. You'll screw it all up.

"No, no. I can't come with you!" I cried. That was not about to happen. I had a life, a family. I was not about to be dragged into a civil war in another realm. They were magic, for Christ's sake. I had no special abilities at all. I shook my head and began to protest.

"I don't even live here! It's my parent's house. If I disappear, people will-"

Belenus cut me off, "If you stay, then I must stay." I stepped back in shock at the utter sincerity in his words. "I owe you a life debt, and as such, I am bound to you until it is repaid. I cannot break the ancient magic, Grace, without dying myself." He stood up, and I had to take another step back. As his strength returned, he radiated that same power as Faolán, but it wasn't as potent. "Even if I could break it, what kind of man would I be to leave you here to be punished for saving and sheltering me?" I didn't know what to say, and I looked between the two men.

"I cannot stay... Faolán has informed me that Bellatrix was captured by Carwyn's men. Please do not force me to abandon my sister." The end of his statement came out as a near-desperate plea. Those blue-gray eyes burned into me with so much pain; I felt as if my heart would shatter.

"Not to mention, if you come to Aranthem with us, the threat of Carwyn sending men after you or your family is reduced," Faolán offered in a tone so passive I wondered if he even remotely realized what he was saying.

If I stayed, soldiers would come for me. I'm a decent shot, but what could bullets do if a magic user got the drop on me and hit me with a sleeping spell or something? Plus, how could I force Belenus to choose between his life debt to me and his twin sister? How selfish would I be to ask that of him? I barely considered it before I dismissed the idea. I couldn't refuse in good conscience. 

"How long will I be there?" I asked. 

It was Belenus who answered. "When the Rifts are all closed, then Aranthem moves at a faster rate than this realm."

I gave a heavy sigh. Why was I not surprised? Isn't that how these things usually worked?

"When open, they move in synchrony. I cannot guarantee how much time will pass, but a year there is nigh to three months here. I do not see a need for you to spend nearly that length," he said.

I'd remembered, halfway through his explanation, that nobody would probably miss me disappearing for three months. Also, it was better to be missing and return with some made-up excuse than to have my parents come back to find me dead here.

"Fine, I'll come," I sighed and threw my hands up. They both relaxed, but not entirely. "I need to change and pack some things. You two go get rid of the wolves."

I was not about to wander into another realm without being prepared. So, as the two men disappeared outside, I hurried to my parents' closet and dug out a medium-sized waterproof rucksack my mom used to carry stuff for hunting. Truthfully, my dad hunted, and she just supplied food and snacks for him. She wasn't much of a shot. I wished vehemently I could run home and get things, but I'd have to make do with what I could scavenge.

To begin, I raided the first aid bag and shoved everything I could fit into the zipper pocket on the front. After that, I dug in my purse, retrieved my full portable charger, my journal, two pens, my wallet, a watch I'd worn to church three weeks before and dumped in there, breath mints, some intimate wipes, my extra magazines, and a handful of change. I dumped everything into the bag except the mags, then hurried to the bathroom.

The wipes had reminded me to stock up on tampons, and I was lucky my parents hadn't cleaned out my old supply stash from before I moved out. I tucked the entire gallon Ziploc bag in. Then I dropped in a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. From there, I ventured to the gun safe. I knew the combination, so it took no time to open it. If I was going into a world where everyone had magical powers or was stronger than me, and the main choices of weapons were swords and bows, I was going to level the playing field.

I would have loved to take any of the rifles, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I grabbed three boxes of ammo and shoved them into the rucksack. As an afterthought, I snagged one of my dad's hunting knives from its shelf and closed the safe. My next stop was their bathroom, where I acquired a new deodorant from under the sink, a handful of hair ties, and a random roll of duct tape my dad had shoved in a back corner.

Lastly, I surveyed the kitchen. There wasn't much there I could think to bring. There weren't any snack foods, and except for what I had cooked, everything else was frozen or in heavy cans. I found a box with five granola bars, so I tucked those in as well. Satisfied with my load, I swiftly changed into my now clean clothes and shoved the ones I'd been wearing into the bag. Having a set of dry clothes would probably come in handy.

With an afterthought, I tied the garbage bag from the kitchen, dashed out to the trash cans by the fence, dumped the evidence of Belenus' near-death experience, and hurried back inside. I'd just unplugged my cellphone and charger and turned it off to tuck it into the bag when the men reappeared.

Belenus looked a little pale again, as he said, "We burned the corpses using a spell. There is not a single trace of them left." It was easy to see he had not fully recovered and using magic was strenuous.

"Here, eat up both of you," I said and laid out the leftover fish and beans, which Belenus practically inhaled. Faolán nibbled politely. When they were done, I washed the dishes.

"I'm ready when you two are," I said and pointed at my bag. Then I eased my shirt up to show my weapons. 

Faolán tilted his head and looked at my bag as if impressed at my forethought to pack one so full.

"We are ready now," Belenus said. He had gathered his destroyed clothes. "We must return to our allies." His jaw, which was only slightly more pronounced than his uncle's, was set in a determined clench.

I cast one last look around before I locked the door behind us.