Glancing at Sam as he and Tanner exchange a flirtatious glance that makes my skin tingle, I examine his face. We’re not family. Not really. The way I feel about him certainly isn’t the way you’d feel about youractualbrother. But he’s still the closest link I’ve got to my past.
Catching me looking at him, he leans over for a kiss. I let him wrap his arm around my waist, growing hungrier as he pulls me to him.
“Hey, come on.” Tanner raps his knuckles on the table. “Let’s at least finish this hand before we…” He waves at us. “Get handsy.”
Laughing, wiping my wet lips coyly with the back of my hand, I slip back into my chair. We continue playing for a while, but before I know what time it is, Kole’s in the living room telling us that Mack and Luther have gone to meet Rev and bring her to the cabin.
Instantly, Sam’s face pales. He puts his cards down and looks at Tanner, who nods at him. “It’ll be okay, buddy,” Tanner says. “It’s going to be fine. When you see her, it’ll all be fine.”
“Tanner’s right.” I squeeze Sam’s leg under the table. “This is a happy moment, Sam.” I fix my eyes on his. “It’s a good thing.”
After a few minutes, with Sam nervously pacing up and down while I sit with Tanner and Kole and try to think of things to say that will calm his nerves, we hear voices outside. Sam sits down on the couch, then stands, then sits again. When the door opens, he jolts to his feet and strides toward it. He stops in the middle of the room.
Mack enters first, then Luther, with Rev coming in behind them. When she spots me, she comes straight over for a hug. She smells wonderful, but instead of her customary bright clothing she’s dressed all in black. We stand to the side as Sarah enters.
She looks the same. Exactly the same. Long silver hair, pale eyes, and smooth skin with delicate wrinkles. I try to meet her eyes, but it’s like all she can see is Sam. She moves slowly toward him as if she’s floating. She’s already crying. Big, thick tears roll down her cheeks. She stops in front of him, reaches out her arms, then takes them back and hugs herself with them. “Oh,” she mutters. “My beautiful boy. How grown up you look.”
A million emotions cross Sam’s face. I glance at Tanner. He’s rubbing his temples. “Sorry,” he says. “I need some air.” He ducks out of the room and Kole follows him.
“Sarah?” Sam whispers her name then suddenly lurches forward and wraps his arms around her. Lifting her up, he spins her around. She starts laughing and thumps his shoulders.
When he puts her down, she cups his face in her hands. “I never forgot you,” she says. “All this time, I was looking for you.”
“I know.” Sam squeezes her hands between his. “I know you were.”
Finally, Sarah remembers I’m here. Holding onto Sam, like she’s afraid he’ll disappear, she turns to me. “Nova, I’m so sorry.” Reluctantly, she pulls out of Sam’s grasp and crosses the room. “I’m so very sorry. Everything I did—”
“Everything you did was for Sam.” I reach out and pat her arm. “It’s okay. I understand.”
As Sarah starts to cry again and returns to Sam, Rev tips her head in the direction of the stairs. “Somewhere we can get you ready?” she asks. She’s holding two bags.
“Sure,” I tell her.
Handing one of the bags to Mack, Rev says, “This is for you. Don’t ask how I got a tux at such short notice. Long story.” Holding up the other bag, she says to me, “This one’s yours. Let’s go get you dolled up, shall we?”
* * *
In the bedroom,I sit on a stool in front of the dressing table and let Rev apply more makeup than I’ve ever worn in my life.
“Why do I need this if I’m using a masking spell? Can’t I just make people think I’m wearing makeup and fancy clothes?”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Rev chuckles. “It hides your true face, makes people see someone else, but it can’t make them see what’s not there.”
“That makes no sense,” I laugh.
“Magick rarely does.” Rev stands back to appraise the mascara she just applied to my lashes. “Hair now,” she says, taking a pair of curling tongs from the bag.
In the corner of the room, the dress she brought me is hanging long and loose. It’s a stunningly beautiful emerald green with a neckline I know will flatter my cleavage.
When Rev has finished with my hair, she combs her fingers through the curls to loosen them. Then she sprays me with a cloud of hairspray. “Time to put your dress on,” she says, stepping back proudly.
She turns away as I remove my clothes and step into the dress. When I’ve pulled it up, I ask her to help with the zip. She slides it up, adjusts the straps for me, then turns me around. “Fuck,” she says, grinning. “You look good, Nova. Really good.”
“I’d say maybe Mack won’t be able to resist me, but I know he will.” I peer into the mirror, wondering how Rev has managed to make my eyes look so large.
“Resist you?” Rev sits on the foot of the bed. “I thought you two…? I thought all four of you…?”
“With Mack, it seems like it’s complicated.” I sit back down on the stool. “He’ll only go so far. He says he can’t cross the line.” I shake my head and sigh.