Chapter 11 #2
“Feels extremely important.” Important enough for pamphlets. Maybe binders. At minimum a strongly worded family newsletter.
“I agree,” my father said.
“You agree because I discovered it accidentally.” Because if I hadn’t accidentally ripped open reality, I strongly suspected this conversation would still not be happening.
“Possibly,” he admitted.
“Dad.” I narrowed my eyes.
“Daughter.” He folded his hands together with the patience of a man who knew he was losing the argument but had decided to enjoy the process anyway.
Marcus rubbed a hand slowly over his jaw. His expression suggested he was trying very hard not to lose his cool.
“Nexari portals are tied to emotion,” my father said. “They exist to protect. They respond to fear, danger, the instinct to survive. When you found yourself trapped in that prison and feared for your life, your magic reacted on its own. That’s why the portal appeared.”
I rubbed my thumb absently against my palm as I thought back to Grimway: the prison, the wards, the panic clawing through me when that portal opened.
I had no training with the Nexari portals. I didn’t know how they worked at all or how to control them. But I did remember when I thought of my son, Darian, it took us back to our cottage. Like it knew where I wanted to go the moment my son’s face flashed in my mind’s eye.
I’d been thinking about my kid. About getting home. About him being sick and needing me.
“It brought me to Darian,” I said.
My father nodded once. “Yes.”
“I wasn’t trying to get back to Hollow Cove.” I frowned. “I mean… I was… but not exactly. I wasn’t thinking about the cottage.” My eyes shifted toward Marcus automatically. “I was thinking about my son.”
“Nexari power recognizes connection,” my father said calmly. “Strong connection.”
I leaned back slightly. “But I didn’t tell it where to go. I just…” My throat tightened unexpectedly. “Needed to get back to him.”
For a second, nobody said anything.
“Nexari magic protects,” my father said quietly. “Sometimes in ways you don’t expect.”
My eyes drifted back toward the living room where Darian snored peacefully on the couch, one little arm stretched over his head. He slept just like his father.
The portal hadn’t taken me home.
It had taken me to him.
And somehow, that felt a lot bigger than opening a hole through reality.
“So,” I said, running my fingers through my hair. “I can create portal traveling. And what else? I have a feeling you know. Spill it, demon.”
My father laughed. “Well, there are portal pockets, like you can use as temporary storage spaces.”
I stared at him. “Really?”
“And portal sensing. Where portals naturally react to different magic, like Dark magic or cursed magic.”
“Okay. What else?”
“Portal shielding,” continued my father. “I know of demons who have this ability. There’s also portal mirrors.”
I straightened. “What’s that?”
“A portal that briefly opens to another place without traveling,” explained my father. “Spyglass effect. Extremely useful.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Very.” Because I could essentially spy on Addison.
“But there is a drawback,” said my father.
“What drawback.” Marcus had finally joined in the conversation.
My father glanced at him then at me. “The danger is that using the portal mirrors, something sees back.”
I thought about it. “Still could be useful.”
My father leaned forward. “You must take care if you’re thinking about playing with your new Nexari portal abilities. Remember, without training, terrible things can happen.”
“Like dying,” I interjected.
“Yes,” answered my father.
“Can you train me?”
My father shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t. I don’t share your power. But what I can tell you is that Nexari abilities are dangerous when fear starts driving them instead of instinct.”
Marcus finally pushed away from the counter and moved closer to the table. I felt him before I looked at him, his large frame settling beside my chair while his eyes stayed fixed on Obiryn. His jaw had tightened somewhere during this conversation and hadn’t loosened since. “What kind of dangerous?”
My father met his gaze. “Loss of control. Opening portals unintentionally. Connecting to places or magic that should remain untouched.” His silver eyes shifted back to me. “And if Tessa truly can call up portal mirrors…”
“She can spy on people,” answered Marcus.
“Yes,” said my father calmly. “Which is an excellent tool.”
“It’s also dangerous,” said Marcus flatly.
I sighed and dragged both hands down my face. “Can everyone stop saying dangerous like I just adopted a live grenade?”
“You ripped open reality inside a magical prison,” Marcus replied.
“Okay, when you say it like that, it does sound a little concerning.” My eyes drifted automatically toward Darian.
One little arm had somehow ended up dangling off the cushion while soft snores filled the cottage.
Marcus noticed me looking, and his expression shifted slightly—still worried but softer.
“I wasn’t trying to create one,” I admitted. “It just… happened.”
“Yes,” said my father. “And that is exactly why you need to be careful.”
I rubbed my palms against my jeans. “You keep saying that in a very ominous father way.”
“Because I’m your father.”
“Okay.”
“And because you’re stepping into abilities very few Nexari ever develop naturally.”
I stared at my demon father. “So what exactly am I supposed to do here? Just accidentally portal around town until I figure it out?”
“No,” said Marcus. “You’re not doing that.”
I glanced sideways at him. His arms had folded again, his broad shoulders tense beneath his black T-shirt. The protective energy rolling off him practically filled the kitchen. “You’re not experimenting alone,” he said.
“I might not have a choice.” Plus, it sounded like fun.
“You opened something you didn’t understand,” said Marcus.
“I know.”
“You could’ve ended up anywhere.”
“But I didn’t.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened. “That’s not the point.” The quiet seriousness in his voice pulled at something inside my chest. Because underneath the frustration and concern, I could hear it.
Fear. Real fear. Not for himself. For me.
I reached out automatically and touched his arm, warm skin, solid muscle. Marcus glanced down at my hand before looking back at me. “I’ll be careful.”
Something shifted in Marcus’s expression that told me he didn’t really buy it. “You better be.”
I tried for a small smile. “Bossy wereape.”
“Reckless witch.”
“Emotionally repressed gorilla man.”
One side of his mouth twitched slightly despite himself.
Victory. Tiny victory.
“Okay, well, I’m figuring this out,” I declared, realizing I’d made the decision. “No matter what.”
Marcus’s gray eyes held mine. “I know. That’s exactly why I’m worried.”
But my attention slowly shifted back toward my father as my stomach tightened all over again. Because underneath all this portal talk and magical evolution sat the same ugly truth that had been dwelling in my chest since Addison showed up at my front door.
My son got sick, and somehow she was involved.
Now, on top of everything else, I had developed new portal mojo.
Maybe I didn’t fully understand these abilities yet. Maybe I had no business trying to use them. But deep down, I already knew exactly where my brain was headed.
Toward Addison. Toward answers.
And if my new Nexari powers could somehow help me figure out what she did to my kid?
I was going to learn.