LITMIR.BIZ

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filtering through the high windows. A tall vase with a bouquet of flowers stopped me in my tracks.

      “My mother insisted on fresh flowers throughout the house.” I lightly pinched the silky petals between my fingers. The thought of my mother brought forward the last night I saw her. Even though she was my step-mother, she’d been there for me since I was a child, filling in the motherly role for my father and myself. She’d been so frantic that night, witnessing both daughters’ deaths in the same night.

      I swiped at my eyes and tugged Cooper along, away from the hall and my haunting memories.

       CHAPTER FOUR

      Cooper led me down the main stairwell and I gripped the bannister for support, flickers of memories of Gemma and me sliding down them during our childhood games.

      “Are you okay?” Cooper asked.

      I exhaled a breath I’d been holding. “Just taking it all in.”

      We rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and stopped at the door to the dining room.

      Cooper dropped his arm and leaned closer, our faces inches from each other. I clamped my lips together, very aware that I’d forgotten to brush my teeth.

      He crooked a finger, bringing it up to my chin. His touch sent an electric pulse through me. “Maggie, you won’t go through this alone.”

      “I know.”

      He cocked his head slightly, as if gauging my response.

      I smirked. “Thanks for being here. I know there are other more exciting missions you could have taken.”

      Cooper laughed. “Any case that you are involved with is exciting enough.”

      He held my gaze until the door in front of us swung open, revealing a familiar face.

      Thomas scooped me into a firm hug and I felt a few of my vertebrae pop and my breath whoosh out of me, bringing with it an unladylike squeak.

      The stubble on his cheek scratched against mine. “You’ve recovered nicely.”

      I leaned back, taking in the grinning face of my relative. “Thank you.”

      He spun us around several times.

      “Thomas,” a stern female voice called from inside the room. “Please don’t make her throw up on her first day as a conscious human.”

      Thomas rolled his eyes. “Yes, mother.” He called over his shoulder before kissing me on the cheek and setting me on my feet.

      His heavy hand rested on my shoulder directing me into the room. I looked back at Cooper and he followed close behind, his head tucked against his chest. A hint of a grin tugged his lips upward. I guessed Thomas had to be reeled in frequently.

      I knew the room before I stepped inside. Mahogany cornice outlined the space. I’d always loved this room. It was gothic and dark at night but during the day the ceiling-height windows streamed large beams of light into the room. Someone had opened them, the lace sheers billowing upward as a delicate cool breeze brushed across my skin like a whisper.

      Sophia stood from her seat at the other end of an extended table that could seat twenty people comfortably. My father had hosted many parties at the house and I briefly wondered if I’d been oblivious to other Prognatum visiting our home in the past. Sophia indicated the seat next to her. Her short hair was damp, making her appear more human than she’d been in my tomb and a tight smile touched her lips before they smoothed to an impassive line. She was all business today.

      So was I.

      The moment I sat down, a plate was placed in front of me. I turned to see a woman dressed in a white shirt and black pants retreating to the kitchen. The scent of bacon overwhelmed my nose. Thomas sat down in the opposite chair from me and I twisted around to find that Cooper was nowhere to be seen. My stomach flip-flopped; he said he wouldn’t leave me.

      Suddenly, Cooper appeared corporeal a few feet from the table. “Sorry, I forgot you can’t see us now.”

      Turning in my chair to face Sophia, I asked, “What does he mean I can’t see them? He’s standing right there.”

      Sophia’s eyes narrowed and she pressed her lips together before answering. “This process has no precedence, but I think that since you are back inside of a non-transformed body, your view of the After beings is unable to be interpreted.”

      “At least when we are non-corporeal,” Cooper interjected.

      “How am I supposed to infiltrate the Shadowed if I’m not able to see them?” My stomach churned and the food in front of me no longer seemed appetizing. What had I done? At least in soul form I was able to defend myself, now, in this body I was helpless.

      “It’s the price you pay,” Sophia said calmly. “You will be human for a little while but the transformation will be worth it.”

      “If I live that long!” I argued, starting to panic. Nothing about this plan was going the way I thought it would. Being mortal without a full set of memories wasn’t going to help me destroy Hannah.

      Thomas shoveled a forkful of eggs into his mouth, grinning. “Good job, mother.”

      Sophia flicked her gaze at him then back to me. “I think you should eat.” She speared a piece of egg on her fork. “Someone is here to see you.”

      Who could be here to see me? Cooper was my only friend at that point. Everyone else was undoubtedly terrified of me. “I’m not hungry.”

      “You should eat,” Cooper chimed in.

      I picked up a piece of toast and nibbled on it, the hunger I had felt earlier completely gone. “Happy?” I murmured.

      Sophia gave me a satisfied nod and turned to her son. “When are the rest coming in?”

      “In a few hours,” he said between hearty bites. “I called them as soon as Cooper said Maggie was up.”

      “Excellent,” Sophia murmured.

      “Who are the rest?” I inquired. “More Prognatum?”

      She nodded. “Yes. We are finalizing the plan for your infiltration of the Shadowed.”

      The dry toast stuck in my throat. “I don’t have all of my memories back yet. They are going to see right through me.”

       Especially Jackson.

      “It’s not going to happen today, but that’s part of the reason I brought your visitor here.”

      “Who is it?” I was beyond curious.

      She glanced up at Cooper then back at her plate. “Your father.”

      My fingers went numb, the toast falling onto my plate. “My father is here?” I repeated, not sure if it could be true.

      Sophia nodded. “Felix had me contact him after you had reunited with your body.”

      I remembered the disappointment in my father’s eyes the night I’d killed Gemma and Tristan and the fact that he hadn’t bothered to see or speak to me for the past century made my insides twist.

      Sophia patted her lips with her napkin and delicately placed it back on her lap. “Cooper will take you to him when you are finished.”

      I looked down at my plate. I wasn’t hungry but I picked up a slice of bacon, delaying the inevitable.

      Sophia ate her breakfast quietly while Thomas and I made small talk. He lived in New York City, close to the vault where he’d been guarding me. He was currently single with a soft spot for sushi. Not that I really needed to know that, but he was a good distraction.

      “What are you going to do now?” I asked, picking up another slice of toast.

      He shrugged,

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