Grey bowed slightly. “We haven’t been formally introduced, but I am Grey.”
He didn’t use his title, which was rare. I’d never heard him referred to as anything other than the Devil of Darkvale, and he certainly had never asked my friends to call him Grey.
But technically, this woman was my family. It was the only logical reason we looked alike.
“What do you want with me?” The woman’s eyes glanced warily to the carriages. She clearly wanted to make a run for it. Had her father erased her memory, too? What did she know?
Anything?
I pulled the book out of my pocket and showed her. “Do you recognize this?”
She looked at it blankly for the briefest moment, then recognition flared, and she gasped. She raised a hand to her head, wincing, and managed to keep a grip on her baby with her other arm. Her eyes met mine. “How did you get that?”
“I found it when I found the Shadow Guild tower hidden in Guild City. More than three hundred years from now.”
She began to pant, her breath coming more quickly. She was panicking.
I reached for her arm, trying to steady her, but she stepped back. Concern shot through me. “Are you all right?”
“I will be.” She forced her breathing to calm. “May I touch the book?”
“Sure.” I held it out to her, confused as hell. What was going on with her?
She raised her hand to her lips and
pulled her glove off with her teeth, then reached for the book and pressed her fingertips to it. She flinched, her eyes going wide and blurry. Tears began to roll down her cheeks, and she swallowed hard, forcing them to stop. After a few moments, her gaze met mine. “We should speak.”
I looked at Grey. “Is there somewhere private around here?”
He looked around, his height allowing him to see over the crowd. “I believe I see a small garden over there.”
“Is that okay with you?” I asked her.
“Okay?” she asked bemusedly.
“Is it good?” I corrected, remembering that she didn’t understand modern slang.
She nodded, her lips pressed flat into a line.
Grey led us through the crowd, which parted easily for him. The garden was indeed relatively private, tucked back behind a locked iron gate covered in vines. Grey reached for it and yanked, breaking the lock.
“Well, that was easy,” I said.
“No magic protecting it.” He shook his head. “Humans.”
We walked into the small garden, and he shut the gate behind us. It was about five meters by ten, vines covering most of the iron fence and gate that separated it from the bustle of dreary, gray London. Inside, the lush plants and flowers dampened the noise, making it feel like a peaceful retreat. A small, square pond sat in the middle with benches all around. I pointed to one. “Will that do for you?”
She nodded and walked toward it, clutching her baby close. Questions raced through my mind as I followed her. She had no luggage. Was this all she owned? Did she have money? Why was she leaving?
To get away from Rasla, I had to assume. I’d seen the bars on her awful room. But she was running with nothing, it seemed.
She sat on the far edge of the bench, and I joined her, leaving a small spot for Grey at the end. Silence stretched between us for a few long moments, until her gaze met mine.
“We must be family,” she said, her voice questioning. “Three hundred years into the future?”
I nodded. “The year 2020.”
“Oh, my.” Her eyes widened. “It took you so long to find my book?”