Two weeks later, Mike stood on the edge of the palace wall, looking out at the ocean. Tomorrow, he would return to his world with the help of Queen Magika. Leaning forward, he stood on the wall and gripped the edge of the opening looking out over the kingdom. While Marina knew that he had said he would return to his world, they had not discussed when. Now, he needed to figure out how to tell her.

“There you are,” Marina laughed, she finished climbing the last of the stairs and came up behind him. Her face glowed with happiness. She wrapped her arms around his waist, threaded her fingers together, and rested her chin on his shoulder blade. “I wondered where you had gone. Isn’t this wonderful? I still cannot believe that Queen Magika and King Quay named this The Fae Day celebration!”

Mike chuckled at her delight in finding him. He loosened her hands enough to turn around and pulled her against his body. Bending, he buried his face in the curve of her neck. They stayed like that for several long minutes before Mike raised his head so he could look down into her eyes.

“You deserve it. Without you, none of the kingdoms, especially this one, would have had anything to celebrate. I’m very proud of you, Marina,” Mike said before his expression grew somber. “I have something to tell you. I wanted to wait, but… there would never be a good time.”

“What is it?” Marina asked, gazing up at him.

“Queen Magika is opening a portal for me to return to my world tomorrow. I want you to come with me. It won’t take long, I … I’d like for you to be there if it is possible,” he suddenly said.

The smile on Marina’s lips faded. She searched his face. He kept his expression calm. He didn’t want her to know that he was worried that he might not be able to return.

“I knew that you wanted to return. I talked to Father and Mother about it before begging an audience with Queen Magika. They all felt it wouldn’t be a problem. You understand…,” she swallowed and looked up at him with shimmering eyes. “You know I cannot stay in your world, don’t you? Queen Magika said….”

Mike touched her lips with his fingers. He knew what the Queen had said. She had warned him that there was no knowing what might happen if Marina went to his world. He had asked about the possibility of Marina going with him, then discarded it, then blew all of his carefully laid plans by blurting out that he wanted her to go. He did not want to jinx their trip by mentioning all the things that could go wrong. He had spent the night thinking of them.

“I just need to take care of a few things. We’ll only be gone for a few hours,” he said.

“I love you, Mike. Whatever happens, as long as I’m with you, we will work it out,” she swore.

Mike threaded his fingers through her hair and captured her lips. He knew she was right. Queen Magika and Marina’s father had both warned him that if Marina decided to return with him to his world and they stayed, she might lose her gift of magic.

There was no guarantee, but there was enough doubt that he couldn’t ask that of her. Instead, they would return to his world long enough to leave a message for his sister, Ruth, telling her that he was alright and where to find him if she wanted to come. He would also stop by the office and close the missing person’s files for Carly and Jenny. He had taken a photo of them together in front of the castle with his cell phone. It was abstract enough to be difficult to pinpoint where they were, but had a date and both women with their children—fortunately, Carly’s were not in the form of their dragons.

“It won’t take long,” he promised as he pulled back.

“I will be there, beside you, forever,” she breathed. “I love you.”

The look in Mike’s eyes softened. “I love you, Marina. The moment you touched me, I knew I was a goner,” he chuckled, staring down into her glowing eyes.

“I’m glad,” she teased.

Mike listened to her light laughter as it echoed in the wind. Turning, they looked down over the festive party taking place far below. The people of the Isle of Magic, those from the Isle of the Sea Serpent, and even the reluctant Drago, along with a glowing Carly and their three children, were enjoying the King and Queen’s celebration.

Mike’s thoughts turned to Magna. When they had returned to the throne room after the explosion, there was no sign of her. The charred remains of the creature that had been inside her lay scattered among the ruins of the room. Mike hoped that whatever had happened to Magna, she was finally free of the parasite that had been controlling her.

“Come on,” Marina said with a grin, pulling him back to the present. “Geoff and Erin want us to join them. I will teach you how to use Mr. Bow.”

Mike grinned when he saw Geoff and Erin waving at them. Charlie barked and excitedly danced between the brother and sister. It would appear that Charlie had abandoned him in favor of the two children.

“You’re on,” he chuckled. “I’ve been itching to see how that thing works.”

* * *

“Are you ready?” Queen Magika asked, standing on the throne platform early the next morning.

Mike gave a sharp nod. Next to him, Marina nervously bit her lip. Her parents and Isha stood to the side silently watching.

“Remember, you will only have until the first rays of the sunrise. If you are not back at the place where you arrived once the sun crests on the horizon, the portal will close, and I cannot open it again. You will be trapped in your world,” Queen Magika warned, stepping down until she was even with them.

“We understand,” Mike replied, reaching out and gripping Marina’s hand.

“Marina, do you have your Grandmother’s stones?” Queen Magika asked, turning to Marina.

“Father…,” Marina called, turning toward her parents.

“Yes,” Ariness said, stepping forward with a small sack.

“Please place them in a circle around Marina and Mike,” Queen Magika instructed.

Marina’s mother stepped forward to help Ariness. Once they were finished, Cornelia stepped inside the circle and hugged Marina. Mike could see the worry in her eyes.

“I promise to bring her back,” he said.

Cornelia gave him an uneven smile and nodded. “I know you will,” she murmured, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Ariness walked over, wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist, and gently guided her back from the circle. Queen Magika glanced once more at Mike, and he gave her a nod. The Queen began to chant, slowly walking around the circle until each stone began to glow.

“Oh! I almost forgot,” Marina said in a soft voice, turning to face him.

“What did you forget?” he asked, puzzled.

Marina lifted her arms and wound them around his neck. “To distract you,” she said, capturing his lips.

Mike closed his eyes as the colors began to swirl with a dizzying speed. He wrapped his arms around Marina and held her tightly against him. Deciding the distraction was an excellent idea, he lost himself in their kiss.

* * *

Yachats, Oregon

“Where are we?” Marina asked, glancing around her.

Mike pushed down the churning in his stomach and took a deep breath of misty and salty air. He knew exactly where they were—on the beach in Yachats State Park, where this whole adventure had begun. Now the question was, how did he get to his house then into town. Frowning, he remembered that the rangers had a service yard not far from the point.

“We’re on the beach where Charlie and I were before you opened the portal,” he explained, trying to gauge which direction he needed to go in the fog. “There is a ranger’s service yard about a half a mile from here. If we are lucky, we might be able to find a vehicle we can borrow.”

“Is the fog always this thick?” Marina asked, turning when he began to pull her up the beach.

“Give it five minutes and it could be gone,” he chuckled.

They made their way up the beach to the path. It didn’t take them long to reach the parking lot. The fog began to lift as they hurried down the road. By the time they reached the service yard, it had cleared. Mike grinned when he saw the pickup truck parked outside the shed.

Since the park closed at night, the rangers were a little less prudent about locking things. They hurried over to the truck. Mike tested the driver’s door. Sure enough, it opened. He stepped back and motioned for Marina to get in.

Sliding into the driver’s seat, he closed the door before he checked the visor and the glove box for the keys. Frowning when he came up empty-handed, he thought for a moment before he leaned forward and felt under the seat. He closed his fingers around the metal keys. Rookies! If he was staying, he would need to have a talk with Marty.

Sliding the key into the ignition, he started the truck and backed it up. Turning the wheel, he turned on the parking lights and pulled up to the main road. If he went out the front entrance, he’d have to pass the ranger’s house. Lucky for him, he knew a better way. Turning left, he turned on the lights and headed in the opposite direction toward a service road for emergency vehicles.

Within twenty minutes, they were turning onto the main highway. Mike checked the time on the radio. It was just after one in the morning. Sunrise would happen around a quarter to eight, give or take a few minutes. He’d rather be back here with plenty of time to spare. Lifting his phone, he pressed the Home button.

“Hello, Mike. How can I help you?” a soft, feminine voice asked.

“The box speaks!” Marina squeaked, speaking for the first time since they’d reached the highway.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what you said,” his phone replied.

“Set alarm for seven a.m.,” Mike instructed.

“I’ve set an alarm for seven a.m.,” the phone replied.

Mike grinned when he set his cell phone down, and Marina immediately picked it up and began turning it over. She shook it and frowned. Reaching over, he pressed his thumb to the Home button and it lit up.

“We use cell phones here to communicate,” he chuckled.

“You captured Queen Jenny and Queen Carly’s images in it as well,” she said.

“Yes, with the camera,” he explained, reaching over and pressing the icon. “Press the small symbol on the bottom and it will look at you, then press the round button.”

Marina giggled when she saw herself. Pressing the button, she grunted when she saw her photo. Lifting it up, she studied it for a moment before repeating the process more than a dozen times, looking at each one and striking different poses.

"You have just discovered a popular trend here called selfies,” Mike laughed.

“I never realized I had such small breasts,” she complained, pulling her shirt down to reveal her cleavage and taking a photo.

“Okay, that is enough,” Mike said, grabbing the phone out of her hand and sliding it into his jacket pocket. “And your breasts are just right,” he informed her in a gruff tone.

* * *

Three hours later, Marina walked around the small office where Mike said he worked. They had gone to his house first. He had walked through the rooms, picking up items and placing them in different colored backpacks. She had watched him select and discard items before carefully packing other things. He had given her a number of images in frames and some of his clothing that he wanted to take.

“Can you wrap these so they don’t get damaged?” he had asked in a slightly rough voice.

Marina saw the lines etched around his mouth and knew that he was feeling the strain of having to decide what he could take and what he couldn’t. She had nodded.

“Of course,” she said, taking the stack into the living room and sitting down on the rug.

Picking up the images, she saw that they were of his family. He had told her of his parents’ deaths. It was obvious that their passing still affected him. She paused on the image of him with a woman. They were so similar in appearance that they had to be related.

“That’s a picture of me and Ruth last year at Yosemite. That reminds me, I need to call her,” Mike said, turning and pulling his phone out as he headed back to his bedroom.

“Damn it, sis! Don’t you ever answer your phone? This is Mike. I wanted to let you know that I’m okay. Listen, something incredible has happened, but I wanted to let you know that I’m safe—and happy. Oh, Charlie is with me, so don’t worry about the damn dog. I’ve met the most incredible woman….”

As she wrapped the photos, Marina listened to Mike tell his sister what had happened to him. Her heart swelled when he told Ruth how much he loved her and that he wasn’t sure if they would ever see each other again, but that he wanted her to know that he would always love her no matter where he was.

Lifting a hand, she hastily wiped a tear from her cheek when she heard Mike’s footsteps as he came back down the narrow hallway. He stepped into the room, a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He looked up from the file he was holding. “They have decided there is a serial killer on the loose here. They even have Charlie listed as a victim. If they aren’t careful, they’ll have everyone buying guns and running around like lunatics,” he scowled.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, walking over to him.

“I’ve faxed off the info and pictures of Jenny and Carly, left a detailed note giving my immediate resignation due to a family emergency, and mailed off a letter to Ruth telling her what to do with all my assets here. There isn’t much else I can do,” he replied with a sigh. “I did tell them that Ross Galloway is innocent. It looks like they are trying to pin my disappearance on him as well.”

“So we can leave now?” she asked.

Mike closed the file and walked over to his desk. “I have one more phone call to make,” he said, leaning down to brush a kiss across her lips. “Then, we’ll leave.”

Marina rubbed her arms and smiled. “Good. It is cold here,” she laughed.

He paused and shrugged out of his jacket. “Here,” he said, wrapping the jacket around her shoulders.

“Thank you,” she sighed.

“Five minutes, I promise,” he said, walking around his desk and sitting down.

Opening the file again, he picked up the phone and pressed the keypad. His gaze moved to the clock on the wall. He grimaced. It was almost five in the morning here, so it was the same in California. He sat up when the phone answered on the second ring.

“Asahi Tanaka,” the voice greeted.

“Agent Tanaka, this is Mike Hallbrook from the Lincoln County Police Department,” Mike said.

“You aren’t dead,” Asahi replied.

Mike chuckled and sat back in his chair. “No, I’m not dead,” he agreed, lifting a hand to run it across the back of his neck.

“Did you find the missing women?” Asahi inquired.

Mike was silent for a moment. His mind replaying everything that had happened. If Marina hadn’t been standing there looking at the photos on the wall, he would have thought he’d dreamed the entire incident.

“Yeah, I found them. Carly Tate and Jenny Ackerly are safe and happy,” Mike replied.

“Can you tell me where they are?” Asahi persisted.

Mike’s head was shaking even as he realized that Agent Tanaka couldn’t see him. “They won’t be coming back,” he replied with a sigh.

“And you, Detective Hallbrook. What about you?” Asahi asked in a clipped tone.

“I won’t either,” Mike answered.

Silence greeted his response. Mike knew Asahi was still on the other end. He could hear the sound of traffic in the background.

“Are they real?”

Mike debated on how he should answer Asahi. Did he tell the government that, yes, there are alien worlds out there, just not as far away as they thought, or did he just hang up and not say anything else? In the end, he compromised, the pen in his hand flowing over the words he had written.

“Yes,” Mike replied. “Goodbye, Agent Tanaka.”

The last sound that Mike heard was Asahi’s breath. He hung up the receiver. He was pretty sure it would be prudent for him and Marina to make a hasty departure. If he had been in Asahi’s position, he knew he’d be on the phone already.

“Time to go,” Mike said, closing the file again and rising from his seat.

He walked over to the door and turned out the light. Turning to the left, he headed for the back entrance. He knew where the cameras were, but it wouldn’t make a difference. By the time Asahi figured out what was going on, Mike and Marina would be long gone.

“Are we going home?” Marina asked, resting her hand on her stomach.

Mike threaded his fingers through her hand and nodded. “Yeah, we’re going home,” he said.

“Good. I would not want our child living in this foggy world,” she said, following him out the door.

Mike had been looking up at the surveillance camera but quickly turned back to her, Marina’s words echoing in his ears. She was waiting for him. The sound of the door closing behind him echoed loudly in the early morning fog, and a new sense of urgency filled him. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her down the alley.

“You could have told me this when we got back,” he said, opening the door to the truck and waiting for her to slide across the seat.

“What fun would that have been? Now, your selfie will look like this,” she laughed, scooting closer to him and making a funny face. “Plus, I wanted to make sure you would come back before I told you.”

Mike cursed and backed out of the parking space, glad that there was no traffic behind him since he forgot to look first. Pressing on the accelerator, he mumbled for her to fasten her seat belt. The drive back to the State Park felt like it took forever.

A few minutes before seven, Mike replaced the keys under the seat of the truck and tucked the note he had written to Marty in the sun visor. This time they parked in the parking lot near the beach.

Sliding out of the truck, he turned to help Marina down. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a moment. He never wanted to let her go.

She reached up and touched his cheek when he closed his eyes for a moment. “Are you sure you want to do this?” she quietly asked.

Mike pressed a kiss against the center of her palm. “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. The trees here are very talkative,” she said, touching her forehead. “They have so much to tell.”

Mike looked at her with a startled expression. “You can hear them?” he asked in surprise.

Marina nodded. “Ever since we got here. They remember you. They said you are the man with the animal that waters many trees,” she chuckled.

Mike’s gaze moved to the trees in wonder. Shaking his head, he gathered the backpacks from the back of the truck, picked up the box, and he nodded to her.

“Let’s go home,” he said, tucking the box under his arm and gripping her hand tightly in his.

Coming next: The Sea Witch’s Redemption:

Seven Kingdoms Tale 4

Off the coast of Yachats, Oregon:

Gabe grabbed the net and began pulling it in. He enjoyed the peace and quiet of working offshore. The sound of the motor, the waves slapping against the hull of his boat, and the high-pitched cries of seagulls hoping for an easy meal were his companions. He preferred them above anything else.

He frowned when he felt the net shift. Afraid it might have caught on something, he looked over the side. The last thing he wanted to do was take a chance of it snagging and tearing. It was a pain in the ass to patch. Shifting, he pulled again. This time it wasn’t the strange weight in it that concerned him, but the low moan.

“What the hell?” he muttered, pressing on the winch control button. “Shit!”

Gabe’s eyes widened when he saw a person in the net. Moving swiftly, he finished pulling in the net and lowered it to the deck of the rocking boat. Grabbing the side, he released it from the rigging and knelt next to the still body.

“Damn it,” Gabe muttered under his breath. “I don’t need a dead body on my boat.”

He rolled the figure over and drew in a shocked breath when he saw that it was a woman. Yanking off his gloves, he carefully brushed the long tangle of midnight hair back from the pale face. He cursed again when he touched the icy cold skin of her neck. He was trying to find the vein in her neck to see if she was still alive when he jerked back as another moan escaped her.

“Hey, lady,” Gabe said in a rusty voice. “Can you hear me?”

He watched in fascination as the thick black lashes of her eyelids fluttered for a moment before she opened her eyes. He stared down into the crystal clear green depths, wondering who in the hell she was and why she was miles off the Pacific Coast in freezing water. He was just about to ask her that when she rolled to her side and threw up all over his rubber boots.

“Ah, hell,” he muttered, looking down at the heaving figure.

To be continued: The Sea Witch’s Redemption

Seven Kingdoms, eight amazing love stories! Collect them all….