Page 85 of Chasing Eternity

“You have two hours,” Roxane cautions. “Should you need to leave sooner, Elodie will have the clicker.”

Of course. Who else would Arthur trust more than his own daughter?

But is Elodie aware of the deeper connection they share?

Elodie wags her index finger at me, flashing the clicker that doubles as a ring. Normally, the idea of her possessing the clicker would really annoy me. Now, I truly couldn’t care less.

Pressing an envelope into my hands, Roxane says, “Do not open until you arrive.”

What the—?

I shoot her a questioning look, but she’s already moved past it. Her gaze sweeps over each of us. “Any questions?”

In unison, we shake our heads. With a swift turn on her heel, Roxane strides toward the control room, joining Arthur, Hawke, Keane, and the rest of the team responsible for making this miracle of time travel happen.

“Ready?” Elodie asks, just as a thick glass shield rises all around us.

With one last look, I mentally bid my goodbyes. Then, grasping hold of Killian and Elodie’s hands, I say, “Yeah, let’s do this.”

As the lights flicker and a tremor runs through the ground beneath us, I’m reminded of the peculiar similarity between the sensations of Tripping and the Unravelings I’ve experienced since I was a kid.

Elodie tightens her grip on my hand, and I squeeze back, feeling a surge of anticipation swelling within as a sudden gust of wind whips at our feet.

The air is now permeated with the sharp tang of sulfur; we’re soon enveloped in a dense cloud of vapor that rapidly grows all around us.

A moment later, a thunderous buzz explodes through the room, and I watch in a mix of awe and apprehension as a brilliant white light streaks toward the swirling vapor, halting abruptly upon contact before transforming into a shimmering gateway.

This is it. My destiny is now moments away.

“Here we go,” Elodie says, her voice brimming with an uncustomary dread.

Next thing I know, the barrier vanishes, gravity loses its grip, and we’re lifted high off our feet as we’re rocketed right out of this time and back into another.

Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad with power.

-Charles Caleb Colton

46

Much like the last time I was here, we arrive in the gardens of the expansive English estate. The air is filled with the scent of blooming flowers, mingling with the distant hum of polite conversation and the occasional trill of laughter.

“Well,” Elodie says, smoothing her dress with a sweep of her hand, “whatever the hell this is, let’s get it over with already, so I can get back to Gray Wolf.” Her tone is unusually terse, her movements stiff.

Since when isn’t Elodie up for a fancy party? She was practically molded and made for events like this. Not to mention that she has, as she once put it,a serious male suitor, who hails from this era and will most likely be here.

“Don’t you want to see Nash?” I ask, remembering how excited she was last time over the prospect of reuniting with the handsome earl.

Elodie shuts her eyes, shaking her head. When she opens them, she says, “Don’t you mean Nash and his new fiancée?” Her voice is thick, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “This party is one year later, Nat. He couldn’t exactly put his life on pause. I can’t believe Arthur did this to me. He knows I avoid coming here in 1814 or any time after. Made that mistake once, thought I’d never have to make it again. And yet, here I am. Yay, me.”

I watch as her face crumbles, and my heart swells with empathy. Which I guess explains why I find myself saying, “Okay, Nash is engaged. So what? Last I checked, a fiancée wasn’t a wife. Not yet anyway.”

Elodie crosses her arms and quickly averts her gaze.

Still, I know she’s listening, so I go on to say, “If what you and Nash have is real, then it’s not too late. There’s still time to make it work.”

“I have no family here, no home, and no immediate means of support. Do you honestly think I could build a life for myself in this place?” She gestures around the expansive lawns. Her brow is furrowed, and her mouth pulled into a frown, but in her gaze, I detect a slim thread of hope, and it’s just enough to pull on.

Despite the urgency of the task before me, there’s an opportunity here that I don’t want to miss. After everything we’ve been through, I really do want to see Elodie happy. She deserves a chance to finally break free of the iron grip Arthur has on her life.