* * *

The next morning, I woke early and went to our bedroom. Sofia still showed no signs of changing back. I shook her awake. She stumbled out of bed and looked in the mirror, breathing out heavily.

“What if you’re stuck like this forever?”

“I won’t be,” she said. “I told you, Corrine said I just have to wait.” She climbed back into bed and leaned against the headboard. “Tell me exactly what happened with Kiev.”

I frowned, running a hand through my hair.

The truth was, as much as I hated to admit it, Sofia’s plan had worked. The dinner with Kiev and Mona had gone far better than I could have expected. Kiev had behaved civilly with me, and I’d tried to respond in kind—even if I was still a bit stiff in some of my remarks. Having the witches there to guide the conversation had definitely helped.

I wasn’t sure how long this truce would last. I was certain that we would still clash—that just seemed to be in our natures. But something told me we’d come to an understanding. Perhaps even a sense of respect for one another. At least this seemed to be enough to satisfy Sofia. I supposed, now that I’d recovered from the shock, I was grateful she had done what she had.

“There’s not much I can tell you,” I said. “Kiev and I didn’t do a lot of talking, but we were civil to each other. The witches led most of the conversation.”

She smiled. “I’m glad.”

She reached for my face instinctively, her—my—hand brushing against my cheek before I could stop her.

I flinched and stepped away. “I want my wife back.”

Chapter 16: Sofia

It took longer than any of us could have expected but, finally, I turned back into myself.

I managed to convince Derek to keep my trick a secret from Kiev. There was no need for Kiev to know. It would only be detrimental to their newly formed relationship. I still regretted Derek finding out. If Vivienne’s vision hadn’t been such bad timing, neither of them would have ever discovered my trick. Still, the two men were now on speaking terms. And that was all that mattered.

I’d never been so happy to look in the mirror. I stared at myself for several minutes once the transformation was complete, touching my face and running my hands along my skin. Derek was overjoyed. He scooped me up in his arms and kissed me hard.

Now that I was back, and Derek and Kiev were on civil terms, we needed to call a meeting to discuss the map they’d found. Derek arranged for a meeting in the Great Dome that evening. Kiev, his siblings, Mona, Matteo and Saira were already seated in the dome when we arrived. Mona slid the map toward Derek and me.

Black crosses covered the parchment, scattered across every continent. North and South America, Europe, Asia…

I exhaled sharply. The shock in Derek’s face mirrored what I felt. Vivienne, Xavier and other members of our council gathered behind us, peering over our shoulders at the map.

“I suspect that some of those gates are no longer functioning properly—like the one we entered through,” Mona said. “But more skilled witches than myself will be able to break through them regardless.”

“Do you think there’s any chance other creatures know about these gates?” Derek asked.

Derek’s question sent my head reeling. I didn’t think I could handle another intrusion of Elders and Hawks. We’d been there, done that. Gotten the postcard.

“I very much doubt it,” Mona said. “I believe only the witches know about these portals. They keep them secret. They wouldn’t want other supernatural creatures meddling with their plans here.”

“Thank God,” I said.

“Are you capable of closing gates?” Derek asked.

Mona bit her lip, frowning. “I haven’t tried, but I think so. Gate opening is a much more skilled process, but closing I believe I can manage.”

“The Ageless was able to close gates,” I said. “You’re as powerful as the Ageless, aren’t you?”

Mona’s face twitched. “Yes.” She looked down at the table uncomfortably. “But I don’t think it’s going to help. There is one warlock who is especially powerful. Rhys. I thought I might have killed him, but I can’t be sure. If he is still alive, I believe that he might have developed the skill by now to open gates. He’s one of the most advanced warlocks of our kind. He is—or was—a Channeler, like me. Only more experienced and disciplined in black magic.” She paused and glanced up at Kiev before continuing. “Close one gate, and another could just be opened the next day. I don’t think closing gates is the answer.”

I looked at Derek. Neither of us seemed willing to accept her statement.

“Well, closing these gates would be a start.”

“You forget that I can’t leave this island,” Mona said. “The Shade could withstand the attack of one witch without my presence, but more than one—hell, I’m not even sure that I could hold up the spell even if I was present.”

Derek turned to Ibrahim. “Can’t you close gates?”

He nodded. “I can.”

“Then you can go. Take another witch with you. Close as many gates as you can.”

Even Ibrahim looked dubious. “Derek, if what Mona says is true, this isn’t going to solve anything.”

Corrine gripped Ibrahim’s shoulder. “And how do we know these gates aren’t being guarded by black witches capable of overpowering Ibrahim? I don’t want to risk losing him again for a mission that probably won’t even be effective.”