CHAPTER TWO

The Veil Between Worlds

The rain had been falling for three days.

Not the gentle kind that tapped softly against windows and lulled people to sleep. This rain was relentless. Cold. Gray. It soaked through jackets, flooded sidewalks, and turned the entire city into a blur of wet pavement and glowing streetlights.

Eveline hated it.

She shoved her hands deeper into the pockets of her oversized coat as she made her way home.

Ten days.

In ten days she would be eighteen.

Most girls her age were excited about that sort of thing.

Freedom.

Parties.

New beginnings.

Eveline couldn't remember the last time she'd looked forward to anything.

The foster house waiting for her wasn't home.

None of them ever were.

Home was a word people threw around carelessly, never realizing how precious it actually was.

The wind howled between the buildings.

Eveline pulled her hood lower.

The shortcut through the alley would save twenty minutes.

Normally she avoided it after dark.

Tonight she was too tired to care.

She turned the corner.

Immediately, she knew she'd made a mistake.

Voices echoed ahead.

Male.

Several of them.

Laughter followed.

Loud.

Drunken.

The kind of laughter that made her instincts sharpen.

Eveline kept walking.

Don't react.

Don't show fear.

Don't give them a reason.

She had learned those lessons years ago.

"Hey."

She ignored it.

Another voice.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Her shoulders stiffened.

The laughter grew louder.

Footsteps followed.

One pair.

Then another.

Then several more.

Eveline counted automatically.

Five.

No.

Six.

Too many.

A figure stepped into her path.

Tall.

Broad shoulders.

The smell of alcohol rolled off him.

His grin widened as she stopped.

"Where's the rush?"

"Move."

The grin widened.

"Oh, she's got attitude."

More laughter.

The others spread out behind him.

Blocking the exit.

Eveline's pulse slowed.

Not faster.

Slower.

The way it always did when things went wrong.

The way it did when survival became more important than fear.

"I'm not interested," she said flatly.

"Who said anything about interest?"

The way he looked at her made her skin crawl.

Like she wasn't a person.

Like she was something to possess.

Something to take.

Another stepped closer.

Then another.

The circle tightened.

Every instinct she possessed screamed danger.

Still, she refused to back away.

One of them reached for her arm.

Big mistake.

Eveline moved before he touched her.

Her fist connected with his jaw.

Pain shot through her knuckles.

The boy crashed into the pavement with a curse.

For one beautiful second, silence fell.

Then everything exploded.

"What the hell?"

The remaining five surged forward.

Eveline kicked one in the knee.

He collapsed.

Someone grabbed her jacket.

She twisted free.

Another hand caught her wrist.

She drove her elbow into a stomach.

A grunt.

A curse.

But every time she fought one off, another appeared.

Too many.

Too close.

Too fast.

She wasn't losing because she was weak.

She was losing because there were six of them.

A shove sent her stumbling backward.

Her shoulder slammed into brick.

The wall.

No room left.

No escape.

The boys advanced.

Smiling.

Breathing hard.

Confident.

And for the first time that night, genuine fear flickered through her.

Not because she couldn't fight.

Because eventually even the strongest person gets overwhelmed.

Then the world changed.

The temperature dropped.

Instantly.

The rain stopped falling.

Every droplet froze in midair.

The boys froze too.

One swallowed audibly.

"What the hell..."

Eveline looked toward the mouth of the alley.

A woman stood there.

Silver hair.

Dark cloak.

Motionless.

Watching.

Aunt Elara.

Relief crashed into her so suddenly it almost hurt.

Then confusion followed.

Because something about her aunt looked different.

Older.

Sharper.

Dangerous.

The darkness itself seemed to bend around her.

One of the boys laughed nervously.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?"

Elara's expression never changed.

She simply looked at him.

The streetlights shattered.

Every bulb exploded at once.

Glass rained from above.

The boys screamed.

And ran.

Not walked.

Not retreated.

Ran.

Within seconds they had disappeared into the storm.

Silence returned.

The rain resumed.

As if nothing had happened.

Eveline stared.

"What."

Her voice sounded strangely small.

"What was that?"

Elara sighed.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"See what?"

No answer.

Of course.

No answer.

Just like always.

Years of frustration erupted inside her.

"Who are you?"

Her aunt's expression softened.

Pain flashed across her features.

"Your aunt."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one I can give right now."

"No."

Eveline stepped forward.

Rain dripped from her hair.

"I'm tired of that."

Silence.

"I'm tired of the secrets."

Silence.

"I'm tired of never knowing anything."

Lightning illuminated the alley.

For a moment Elara looked heartbreakingly sad.

Then she whispered,

"They found you."

Eveline blinked.

"What?"

"We have to leave."

"Leave where?"

Elara's gray eyes met hers.

And for the first time, something ancient seemed to stare back.

"Home."

The word struck harder than it should have.

Home.

A place she'd spent her entire life searching for.

A place she'd never found.

Elara extended a hand.

After a long hesitation, Eveline took it.

The world shifted.

Reality folded.

The city vanished.

Ancient trees rose around them.

Silver leaves shimmered beneath moonlight.

The air smelled of pine, snow, and something impossible.

Magic.

At the center of the forest stood a stone archway.

Massive.

Covered in glowing symbols.

The moment Eveline saw it, her heart skipped.

Because somehow...

it felt familiar.

The runes brightened.

Silver fire raced across the stone.

Wind exploded through the clearing.

The earth trembled.

And a doorway opened.

Not into another room.

Not into another place.

Into another world.

Mountains floated among clouds.

Three moons hung in the sky.

Dragons circled distant peaks.

Silver rivers glowed beneath starlight.

Entire cities glittered on the horizon.

Beautiful.

Terrifying.

Impossible.

"What is that?" Eveline whispered.

Elara stared at the portal.

Tears glistened in her eyes.

"Your future."

Fear curled inside Eveline's chest.

"What aren't you telling me?"

Her aunt looked away.

For the first time in eighteen years, she couldn't meet Eveline's gaze.

"We're out of time."

Then she stepped through.

And disappeared.

The storm raged behind Eveline.

The stars waited ahead.

One final choice.

One final breath.

Then she crossed the Veil.

And entered Vaeloria.