Samuel slowly nods, obeying his father and pulls away from Victoria. She screams and latches her arms securely around him, eyes wide and shaking her head. Samuel squirms, performing a Butterfly Twist, his moment so quick, so precise as he frees himself from her grip and lands next to Laila. He looks down, watching the palms of my hands tremble as I try to keep Laila's head steady. Dominic shifts, giving Samuel more room and then nods, keeping his weight on Laila as she thrusts and growls at Pastor praying in Latin at her feet. Samuel blinks several times, reluctant and reaches out, wrapping his fingers around Laila's hand. His jaw suddenly drops open, and I gasp, seeing only the whites of his eyes. Laila looks up at her brother and laughs, the face of pure evil staring back at him as she coughs, sending a thin line of black smoke directly into his mouth. "You will be ours too, boy!" A deep, gravelly voice escapes Laila's mouth. Bubbly white foam drips from Samuel's open jaw as hi

Dominic glances up at me, confused. He read my thoughts. I give him a small grin, and his brows push together, puzzled so I let him off the hook."I'll explain later," I say in my head, and he nods slightly, focusing back on Pastor's words of prayer. I, however, cannot.Careful to block my thoughts this time, I continue to let my mind wander as Pastor Ezekiel continues with his cleansing ritual. Did it really happen? Did I somehow fall asleep? Could it have been a test or something so sacred only I could witness? That's certainly how it felt. I sneak another glance, looking for cuts and bruises on anyone's hand or arms, but no one is injured, no one is even out of place. Did the Cherubim Angels really use some kind of time travel to fix everything and place us back where we started? I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm just so grateful.Pastor finishes and steps back, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I smile up at him. "It is done, Your Majesty." His face lightens up. "You

I suck in a breath when I see a tapestry completely different than all the rest, facing me as we enter the Grand Hall. A depiction of a boy and girl, roughly the age of Samuel and Laila, facing one another, connected at the hands.The Gemini.The Hierarchy Realm has been waiting for them...our children. Preparing for their legacy to begin."It is amazing," Dominic whispers in my ear."Your Majesty," Victoria, says, handing me a glass of champagne. "Oh, uh," my eyes go to hers and she gives me a small win, "thank you." I reach for the stem. I guess a sip or two is okay."If there was ever a time to celebrate," Zack chimes in. "This is totally it.""Dominic!" A female voice calls out, and I whip my head to the right. A flash of golden hair rushes by me, heading straight towards my husband, arms stretched out in her white, floor-length gown as it lightly whisks along the marble floor. I turn, getting a better look at her face, and it's as though she walked straight out of a fa

From that point on, I watched Olivia closely. Her eye movement, her facial expressions, anything that might reveal that I'm completely wrong about her, and she's just an innocent woman, waiting desperately for her husband and children to return. An hour went by and nothing. Olivia was cordial, considerate and even friendly toward me as though she were a different person or, somehow aware I was on to her, I can't be sure. When dinner was over, Olivia invited the four of us to stay for a couple of days to help the twins settle in, and we agreed. It was a nice gesture, and I appreciated her generosity.After dinner, we toured Samuel and Laila's rooms, located on the second floor of the castle, directly next to one another with an adjoining door. The twins couldn't wait to show off all the books, gadgets and games they discovered earlier, dashing back and forth while Olivia smiled with pride. She did it all. She completely customized everything to their individual likes, even down to th

"This place," he ignores me, eyes darting around the room. "It is not our realm...it must be having an effect on me, on us. Maybe even the children."I squeeze his hand, but he's lost in thought, agonizing. I can't let him take the blame. He needs to know the truth about her. I reach up, pulling his face toward me and we lock eyes. "The only thing affecting you is Olivia's fucking witchcraft!" I blurt out."Kate!" he shouts and yanks himself away. "You mustn't speak like that!""It's true!" I plead. "The twins know it too!" He glares at me, fury in his eyes, and if he weren't my husband, I'd be frightened. "They are mistaken! And so are you!" "No!" I shout, standing up to him, "Olivia, she's cast some kind of spell. There's no way you would have allowed her to kiss you otherwise."His face clears, nostrils flaring with each breath as he stares down at me."I wanted to wait," I whisper. "I wanted more time to prove it, but we don't have time." I move closer to him. "Laila is