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despite my anger at him, I find comfort in his familiar touch. There was a time when he would have fallen into that category. Now, I just want him to leave my heart alone, no matter how much my body yearns for him.
    “Baby, you won’t be gone forever. I told you, you can travel in and out of both realms. You just need to learn to protect yourself from those who will attempt to turn you first.” I open my mouth to ask, but he cuts me off. “We really don’t have time to get into this, Shaylee. You need to say goodbye to your mother and aunt, so we can be on our way. Every minute we stay here is another minute you are in danger and I won’t be able to breathe freely until you’re safe.”
    I want to argue with him, but once again, I get that overwhelming feeling of trust and I know I’m going to follow his lead. “How long?” I ask.
    He shrugs. “That depends on how quickly you learn. I’ve seen it take six months and I’ve seen it take several years.”
    Years? Tears burn the backs of my eyes but I blink them away with determination. It won’t be years for me, I won’t let it. I stand up and realize that I am still holding his hand. He smirks at me and I snatch my hand back as though it’s been burned. Considering the heat that lingers from his skin, I would say that analogy isn’t far off.
    I walk to the kitchen, where my mom and Aunt Rhoslyn are sipping tea in silence. When I enter the room, they both look at me and I can see the tears they are trying to hide. My mom walks to me and pulls me in for a tight hug. “I’ve looked forward to and dreaded this day for so long,” she says. “I want you to know who you are and embrace what your dad passed on to you. But, I’ll miss you with every breath, sweetheart.” I’ve never been away from my mom for more than a couple of weeks and I am cloaked in homesickness before I’ve even left.
    “Everything was delivered from your dorm today. So, I packed a bag for you. You won’t need much, but I knew what you wouldn’t want to leave here without.”
    It occurs to me that my mother has been preparing for this day and I’m glad I didn’t fight her too hard about my party. It was her send off. She was giving us both a sweet memory to tide us over. I hug her tightly and motion for my aunt to join us. “I love you both so much.” It’s impossible to keep the tears from rolling down our cheeks as we say goodbye. Aden clears his throat from the doorway to get our attention.
    “It’ll be dark soon, Violet, we need to hit the road before the sun is completely down.” My mom nods, and then gives me one last squeeze. She walks over and pulls Aden down to plant a kiss on his cheek.
    “Take care of her, Aden. I trust you to be what she needs. They wouldn’t have sent you back to her if you weren’t.” Aden gives a short nod, then looks at me and gives a chin lift to indicate that it’s time to go. But something my mother said stops me. Sent you back to her. He was sent back to me?
    I want to get an answer to my question, but Aden has already left the room and my mother just gives me a soft smile and follows him out the door, my aunt quick on her heels. I decide to ask Aden about it later, but something about the statement continues to bother me.

    I glance at Aden from the passenger seat of the sleek BMW he rented for the drive. We’d left my house quickly and he’d hurried me down the block to a parking garage. Once we were out of the city, the tension began to slowly drain from his shoulders.
    A thought suddenly occurs to me, “Aden, I left my cell phone at home.”
    “You won’t need it, baby. It won’t work in Rien,” he answers distractedly. “We’ll get you a new one when we get there.”
    Disappointment settles a little harder on my chest when I realize I will be completely cut off from my family. “Where are we going?” I ask. The scenery is becoming more open; residential areas and sweeping landscape. So far, we are headed