Eden's Playground: Graystone Academy Book One, BE Kelly [good short books .TXT] 📗

“How do we stop it from happening?” Anson asked although he had a feeling he knew that answer and he wasn’t going to like it very much.

“Time travel,” Glory leaned forward and whispered across the table as if she was telling him a secret. “It won’t be pleasant, but it’s the only way.”

“Wait—time travel?” Duff asked. “Come on, that really exists? I thought stuff like that only happened in science fiction stories.”

“Well, if you haven’t looked in the mirror lately, we kind of are a science fiction story. I mean—two wolf shifters dating a witch, while sitting around a kitchen table with a fae, talking about time travel. You can’t get more science fiction than this,” Eden said motioning around the table to the four of them.

Glory giggled, “I really like her,” she said. Duff wondered if Eden had picked up on the fact that she had just labeled their relationship. The question was, did she really believe that they were dating?

“So, we’re dating then?” Duff asked Eden.

She shrugged and nodded, “I guess that’s what we should call this, right?” Eden asked. “I mean, I don’t want to go around introducing you two as two wolf shifters I’m having sex with,” she sassed.

“Yeah—I like you a lot, Dear,” Glory said to Eden.

“So, your defining our relationship purely to be able to introduce us to your friends?” Duff asked. That kind of stung a little. He wanted her to be their girlfriend. Hell, Duff wanted her to be more than their “girlfriend,” but they could talk about all that stuff later. Right now, they needed to wrap their heads around this time-traveling thing, go back to try to save Bianca, and figure out who was killing witches in the woods at Graystone Academy.

“How about we settle on calling what we’re doing, ‘dating’, and come back to this later after we can figure out who’s killing women on campus?” Anson asked.

“Fine,” Eden agreed. “So, how do we go back to the past, Glory?” she asked.

“Easy,” Glory said. “We do a spell and if it works, the three of you will end up in nineteen, ninety-one.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” Duff asked. “Where will we end up then?”

“There’s no telling, really. I mean, I guess you three could end up in any time,” she admitted.

“Like being chased down by dinosaurs or witnessing the signing of the Declaration of Independence—anywhere?” Eden asked. Glory shrugged and nodded.

“Well, shit,” Duff cursed.

“Don’t make me get the soap, Duff Kirkpatrick,” Glory warned. He held up his hands in defeat, flashing her his best smile.

“Have you done this spell before?” Anson asked. “You know—sent someone to the past?”

“No,” Glory breathed. “I’ve never done it personally, but I watched my grandmother do it all the time.”

“Watching and doing are two different things, Glory,” Duff said.

“It’s a simple spell, Duff,” she challenged. “I think that between us, Eden and I will be able to figure out how to cast the spell to send the three of you back.”

“When do we leave?” Anson asked. Duff wished they could talk this over, maybe weigh some other options, but he had a feeling that his brother had already made up his mind about what they should do. And God help him, Eden looked just as determined to head back in time.

“Shit,” Duff grumbled. “We’re really going to do this?”

“If you’d rather stay behind, I’m sure that Eden and I can handle things in the past. I promise to keep a very close eye on her,” Anson promised. His brother knew exactly what he was doing—playing dirty. Duff wouldn’t let Eden out of his sight, especially if she was going on some dangerous, foolish mission to save her aunt in the past. If she was going, he and Anson would both be by her side—end of the story.

“You know that’s not going to happen, brother. If Eden goes, I go. The three of us have already made that deal earlier in the pool house.” Duff looked over at Glory who was smiling at the three of them like a loon. She didn’t need to be a mind reader to know exactly what happened between the three of them earlier out there.

“Mind your business, Glory,” Duff grumbled.

“Oh Duff, when will you learn that you boys are my business. You have been for a very long time now,” she said. “I’m just happy that you boys have found someone who can keep you both in line,” she teased. Eden giggled and he shot her a look.

“If we do this, you will stay by our sides and if we tell you to do something, you do it,” Duff growled. Eden gave him a mock salute and Glory laughed.

“So, what do we have to do?” Duff asked, still not convinced that any of this was a good idea.

“I already have the spell,” Glory said, pulling an old crumpled up piece of paper from her apron. “I believe that if Eden and I cast it together, that might work best.”

“I’m ready,” Eden said. She and Glory stood and joined hands, looking the paper over. “Ready?” she asked. Glory nodded and Duff felt as though he was holding his damn breath waiting to see what happened next. Not knowing how any of this would work was the worst part. Would they fly through time? Would it hurt? There were just so many unknowns, he worried that it wouldn’t be safe for any of them.

Eden and Glory took deep breaths and began chanting the spell, “Hear these words, hear the rhyme, heed the hope within my mind. Send me back to where I’ll find what I wish in place and time.”

Duff closed his eyes and sucked in his breath and when they weren’t magically transported to the past, he let it out. Glory and Eden repeated the spell for what felt like an eternity, over and over again, until their voices were hoarse from their efforts.

Eden sunk into the closest chair and buried