Robin’s POV

I couldn’t shake the dreadful feeling that something was very wrong with Alina. It lingered all day, increasing by the hour. She hadn’t been well lately due to her immense grief. We were all suffering from the loss of Aunt Lenora. All of us were devastated, but Alina had taken it especially hard. She had lost so much, had traveled so far, then experienced the loss of someone she viewed as a much beloved sister. I could understand why Alina was so heartsick, but it worried me so.

I glanced at the clock seemingly every five minutes. I needed my workday to be done so I could get myself to Alina’s as quickly as I could. Something awful had happened to her: I just knew it.

An eternity later, I sped to my fiancé’s house and pounded on her door. “Alina! It’s Robin. Darling, let me in,” I called. She’d given me an extra key, but I didn’t want to just barge in just in case I was overreacting. I jumped when I heard a voice behind me.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, Robin.” Although Mathilda’s voice was cultured and controlled, I could detect concern there. One had to know Mathilda very, very well to detect it.

“It’s okay. Actually, I’m glad you’re here, Mathilda. I’ve had this nagging feeling all day that something is wrong with Alina.”

“I felt much the same. I consulted Gunther, who told me to get over here right away. I can’t help but feel that time is of the essence,” Mathilda said, producing her own key to Alina’s door.

My heart nearly stopped at seeing my beloved Alina on the floor. How long had she been there? I’d seen a lot in my career as a police officer, but when it is one of your own, it’s an entirely different matter. “Alina! Oh, Grandmother Ariadne, no! Alina!” I barely recognized the strangled, desperate sound of my own voice as I bent down to turn her over.

I barely registered a pulse, and Alina sounded as though she were breathing through a layer of pond water. “My God! Alina, what happened to you?” I whispered, taking her hand and bringing it to my lips. I called out to Mathilda, who came to kneel beside us. “We’ve got to get her some help now!” I said, moving so I could gather Alina in my arms.

“There is no time to get her to a hospital. Besides, they cannot help her. As you can see by the evidence here, she has been mixing potions. Now, we both know she is a whiz at it but something must have gone terribly wrong. In the state she has been in, she likely hasn’t been able to concentrate normally. We will have to take care of her here. Any help traditional medical personnel gave her will certainly kill her.”

“Mathilda…”

“Robin, you must trust me,” Mathilda said. “Seeing my daughter like this is unnerving, to put it mildly, but that does not hamper the knowledge I have about these things. It was magic that put her this way, and it’s magic that we must use to counteract it.”

I couldn’t argue with Mathilda’s statements. As a goddess, an immortal, and someone who has been around for centuries, a person would have to be stupid to even think about arguing with her. “Tell me what to do.”

“We must counteract the poison that is flowing through her body, Robin. I will do the spell, but I need you to monitor her vital signs. You’ve heard the saying about the cure being worse than the disease, I’m sure. This is very apt in this case. This could kill her, but doing nothing will definitely kill her. Do you understand?”

I bit my lip and nodded. “I’ll do anything you say.” There was absolutely no choice. I understood the cure could be fatal, but it was much better than sitting here and watching her die if we did nothing.

“Right. Now, Robin, I need you to keep a finger on her pulse while I perform the spell. I need to know immediately if you detect any changes in her breathing and heartbeat, all right?” Mathilda said.

Again, I nodded, then complied with her instructions.

Seeing Mathilda work was always awe-inspiring. Being a highly skilled and accomplished witch and a goddess, she made all of this look easy. This time, however, appreciating this beauty was farthest from my mind. My full attention was on Alina and looking for any changes. I wanted to ask Mathilda how long Alina would be like this if she survived, but I didn’t want to interrupt her while she worked.

My blood ran cold a few minutes later. “Oh, Ariadne! I’ve lost her pulse. She’s not breathing.”

I got into position to begin CPR, but Mathilda squeezed my arm, stopping me. “No, Robin, you mustn’t. I was able to complete the spell before we lost her vitals, but there could still be small amounts of the poison that will grow and damage her heart if CPR is used. Remember what I said. Traditional medical aid will only cause more damage. It is exclusively magic we need now.”

“How do we revive her then?” I asked, panic wrapping itself around my heart like unruly vines.

“There is nothing more we can physically do for her,” Mathilda said softly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“No! I can’t and won’t accept that. There has to be something more we can do. Alina can’t be…can’t be…dead.”

“There is nothing more we can do for her physically, Robin. What I am saying is that if Alina is to return to us, she must be retrieved from the spirit world. She has…passed from this life but only just. If we make haste, we can possibly bring her back. I must prepare to travel soon,” Mathilda said.

Mathilda started to get to her feet, but I clamped a hand over her elbow to stop her. “Send me. Mathilda, you must send me. I’ll get Alina and bring her back.”

Mathilda turned her wise eyes on me, her lips thinning in a slight frown. “You are unaware of the dangers, which are many, Robin, There is always a risk of not being able to come back. I don’t have time to teach you about all the dangers.”

“Then tell me what I absolutely need to know. Mathilda, please! You must send me. I love her!”

“Robin, I–”

I took Mathilda by the upper arms, my gaze boring into hers. Normally, I would not even dream of handling her this way, but this was not a normal situation. Mathilda didn’t pull away, and she kept her gaze locked with mine. “Please, Mathilda. You must! I love Alina with everything that is within me. I love her more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. Without her, there is nothing. If I have to walk through the fires of Hell to get her back, I will not hesitate to do so. You must believe me!”

“Oh, Robin, I do believe you. Your love for Alina isn’t even a question.” She sighed, then gently pulled away from my grasp so she could take my hands in hers. Again, her gaze locked with mine, and I felt as though she were looking into my very soul. “To get Alina back, walking through the fires of Hell is a very distinct possibility. I can see that changing your mind isn’t possible, so I will send you. I will do everything I possibly can from here to protect you, but it might not be enough. You could end up stuck there, which means your physical body will die. I cannot control what happens to you once you are there. We will both need to ask the benevolent spirits in the Afterlife to guide you and Alina back.”

“I understand,” I said grimly.

“I will prepare the way. As time is of the essence, we don’t have the luxury of going as slowly or carefully as I’d like. When I call to you, you must quickly bring Alina to the bedroom and place her on the bed. I will then instruct you further.”

All I could do was nod, for I couldn’t speak around the lump constricting my throat. Unbearable sorrow ballooned in my very being as I lifted my Alina to cradle her close.

I was never really a crying man, but holding Alina’s lifeless body was enough to send me off the edge. Great sobs wrenched themselves loose, and tears spilled down my cheeks, falling onto Alina’s face and into her hair. My world was torn asunder, and life ceased to have meaning the instant Alina left me.

“Oh, Alina!” I whispered, wishing I could channel my own life force into her so she would revive. “How did this happen? How could this have happened to you?” I covered her face with desperate kisses and stroked her hair. My arms rocked her. My soul longed to see her open her beautiful eyes and hear her soft voice saying my name.

My Alina was a work of art. She was beautiful in every way, and I loved how she looked at the world with such wonder. I had never met anyone as unique as Alina. Of course I knew about the mission Aunt Lenora had begun. I knew time travel was possible, yet I’d never experienced it firsthand. However, meeting Alina and having her in my life made it real to me in a way that nothing else ever could. This beautiful, courageous woman had traveled many, many centuries to escape a horrible death. She’d had to adapt herself to present day customs and culture. She’d been alone in the world until we’d met and I’d helped her reunite with Mathilda. I’d rejoiced with Alina during times of great joy and cried with her while in the throes of horrible heartache. Alina was the epitome of Old World, which completely fascinated me. I loved the sense of awe that surrounded her when she discovered something new. Alina was a rare treasure, and I marveled that she was mine. I was so thankful to have her, but as I clung tightly to her, I cursed the fates for taking her from me.

I sat, lost in a world of despair as I studied Alina’s exquisite face. “My Alina…oh, my beautiful Alina! How could you have left me?” My voice was ragged and foreign sounding, even to my own ears.

Time seemed to stand still. Mathilda hadn’t yet called to me, so I remained as I was for I don’t know how long. My instincts kept telling me to speak aloud to Alina as if she could still hear me. Maybe, wherever she was, she still could. I just didn’t know. Even so, I followed what my gut and heart told me to do. I had nothing left, after all. My instincts and Mathilda’s knowledge were the only things I had to bolster me.

As I studied Alina’s still face, the war in my heart was in total contrast with how peaceful she looked. I caressed her cheek, feeling another tidal wave of grief ascending. I sobbed her name and kissed her softly. “I love you, Alina. I can’t live in this world without you. You are my heart…my love and my life. You’re my world, Alina. When that time portal opened and hurled you here, my life was changed irrevocably. You’re everything, Alina. Without you, there is only darkness. Come back to me, Alina. I need you. Please come back to me. I can’t live without you.”

I brushed her lips with the pads of my fingers, desperately wanting to feel air pass through them. “Do you remember when we first met? You remember how I hired you to cook my mother the dinner of her life? You were so willing to please, and you worked your butt off to impress my mother. You succeeded, Alina, my love, and you amazed me more that night than anyone ever has before. I knew you were meant for me the first time I saw you. You seemed to drop from the sky from some distant star. This time and place was so alien to you, but you were determined to make it work. There was never anyone like you, and oh, Alina! When you said you loved me after I told you how I felt about you, I was so happy. When you agreed to marry me, there was never anyone as overjoyed as I was. You remember all that, Alina. I know you do. I need you, Alina, my love. I need you back with me so we can have that life together that we both want.”

Over and over, I spoke of my love for Alina, hoping against hope that she could somehow hear me. One thing I knew was that if I couldn’t bring her back, I didn’t want to come back myself. I could now understand how Uncle Tyrone felt as Aunt Lenora died in his arms. Unless a person has held the lifeless form of their soulmate, they can never possibly understand the grief and agony that I was feeling.

“Robin, it’s time. You must bring her now.” Mathilda’s voice cut through my torment and brought me to attention.

I easily lifted Alina and walked toward her bedroom. Her frame had always been slight, but now, she was even lighter. I’d known she’d lost weight, but she’d been able to disguise it somewhat because of all the layers she wore. However, the reality of it was in my face while holding her like this. If I succeeded in getting us both back here, I wasn’t going to leave her side for an instant until I got her through this. If I got her back, I was not going to lose her again, ever!

“I will get you back, Alina. I will bring you back where you belong,” I whispered into her ear as I settled her on the bed.

“Lie down next to her,” Mathilda commanded. “What you must remember when you find Alina is that she must come willingly. You cannot drag her back against her will. You might have to convince her to come back with you. It is very beautiful in the spirit world, and sometimes they do not want to return to this mundane existence.”

“I will bring her back. I have to,” I said.

“If anyone can, it’s you, Robin. Once you are there, call for her. You can also call on anyone else you know who has passed from this life. I will ask benevolent spirits to guide you as you are traveling. You can also call on them once you arrive. Remember that once you pass from here, I cannot control what happens to you. All I can do is ask the spirits for your protection and keep vigil,” Mathilda said.

“I understand,” I replied. “I need to hold her. I need to feel her in my arms as I go. Will that impede this process?”

“No. In fact, I’m sure it will help greatly. She will feel your love and sense your nearness,” Mathilda said. I climbed onto the bed beside my beloved, and Mathilda helped position her so I was holding her comfortably.

Mathilda began to chant softly, and I felt myself drifting. My eyes slid closed and the world faded. The last thing I heard from her was her plea for the benevolent spirits of Drogo, the Great Alpha; Ariadne, Goddess of Witches; Calista, the Fairy Goddess; and Mariana, the Vampire Goddess to lend me their protection. My last coherent thoughts were of Alina and that at least all the bases were covered with so many spirits being called upon.

When next I was aware, I was in a new place surrounded by breathtaking views. I gasped as I took in the ethereal sunset and listened to the otherworldly sounds of music within a nearby ocean. Was Alina here? If she was, I knew she’d love this. I wanted to take her to a tropical locale on our honeymoon, which she’d been looking forward to.

“Alina! Alina, where are you? It’s Robin. Can you hear me, darling?” I called into the distance.

“Well, if this doesn’t beat all! Young man, this is supposed to be a quiet and peaceful location, but your bellowing is making it anything but.” I was brought up short by a cold, harsh voice. I blinked and saw what looked like an old fairy floating slowly toward me. She stopped a few feet in front of me and gave me a scathing look.

“My apologies, Ma’am, but I’m looking for–”

“I know who you are looking for, human,” the winged woman said.

“M-may I ask who you are? If you know who I’m looking for, could you tell me where she is?” I asked, taken aback by the abruptness of this…was she a spirit? She had to be if I was in the world of the spirits. I had to be, for there was no way scenery like this could ever be present on Earth.

The woman sighed in an exasperated sounding way, then shrugged. “My name is Flora. I would normally require lesser forms of life to address me as ‘Your Majesty’ but I’m growing soft in my old age. Call me Flora.”

Your Majesty? Well, that was a new one. I don’t know too much about the Fae and never really asked. I knew Crystal very well, of course, and she always satisfied whatever curiosities I’d ever had. I’d never heard of anyone named Flora being some sort of royal personage with fairies, but that wasn’t saying much, considering how little I actually knew. The only Fae royalty I’d ever heard of was Crystal and her mother, Ella, and I had never personally met Ella.

“A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Flora.” I reached for her hand but she didn’t extend it. Instead, I was rewarded with a condescending stare.

“I can’t say the same for you, human. Your kind bother me,” Flora said on a lofty sigh. “State your business and then get out of here.”

Nothing like cutting to the chase, I thought. “I’m here to collect my fiancé, Alina Blankenship. You stated that you know of her.”

“I do, human, but what comes here stays here,” Flora said.

“Not always,” I said. “Alina can’t. She’s important.”

“Don’t bother me with such trivialities, human. Your little earthly lives are nothing to me,” Flora said.

“Then it shouldn’t expend too much energy for you to tell me where I can find Alina. I’m not leaving here without her, Ms. Flora. Of that you can be sure of,” I said with determination.

Her humorless laugh chilled me to my very core. “You have no control when you go. Your earthly body still has claims on your spirit, so you could be thrust out of here at any second.”

This was the possibility I feared most. Something told me that if I failed to get Alina this trip, she’d be forever lost to me. There was no way I could let that happen. If I had to beg, I would. Pride could never be a factor when it came to my Alina’s life. I leveled a pleading look at her. “Flora, if you want me to beg you for information, I will. I’m sure you laugh in the face of finite timelines now that you exist here. As short as my life may seem to you, it will be an eternity for me if I can’t share it with Alina. However finite my life may be to you, I can’t live it without Alina. Please tell me where she is so I can get her. I beg you.” I sank to my knees before her. “Please.”

The being clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. “Far be it for me to keep her here if she wants to go back. If it were left up to me, I’d keep her here on principal alone. I rather enjoy watching the sufferings of mere humans. Alas, there are other forces at work here. Walk about half a mile over that sand and you’ll find her. Now scram.”

“Thank you,” I said, rising to my feet. I didn’t have to be told twice. I began jogging in the direction she pointed but made the mistake of looking over my shoulder one more time. I didn’t like the smug look on her face, nor the evil gleam in her eye.