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“That’s—” Mara blinks.

“Unbelievable?” Mateo asks.

“Uh…yeah,” she breathes.

“How does it work?” Rome asks, leaning forward.

“She can stop time, and either rewind afterward or move on from that point. No one would know any different; it’s as if they're suspended. As you can imagine, it could be a dangerous weapon in the hands of those with bad intentions. They could do anything they wanted within the frozen state.” I look at each of their shocked faces.

“Can she choose who it affects?” Archer asks.

“Yes,” I answer.

“The ramifications,” Lace mutters.

“Catastrophic,” Mateo says.

“She hasn’t tested many of the aspects of her gift.” I shrug. “We don’t know how long she can keep the spell going. Obviously, that would lead to a variety of consequences.”

“Your parents would take advantage,” Mara guesses.

“They would use her in a second,” I say.

“Damn,” Lace says. “Why would they want to hurt their daughters?” She shakes her head before drinking water.

“Not every parent is like Rome’s,” Archer says softly, and I look at him. “Why haven’t they been able to find her? Or you?”

“Their magic isn’t advanced, and they weren’t gifted with anything extraordinary. They can do basic spells, but not much else. Their main gift is allure. Humans are attracted by their aura. It’s similar to influencing others, but not as powerful. Granny grew up with family money, yet she lives simply. She never admitted it, but I believe she paid them to leave us.” I’m grateful she did. “It’s been years since they reached out to her, so there has to be a reason. It could be as simple as running out of money.”

“Will she give it to them?” Mara asks.

“She will do anything to keep us safe.” I drag a piece of lettuce around my plate. “That’s been her goal in life.”

“Do you think they will be satisfied with that?” Rome pushes away his food.

“Perhaps.” I tilt my head. “I wish I could be sure, but their behavior is erratic. Most of the time, they would call her. Making the trip is odd.”

“Gran isn’t worried,” Mateo says.

“She never is,” I mutter. “She hides her worry.”

“True,” he mumbles.

“Would they hurt you?” Archer leans forward.

“They could try, but I don’t think it’s their objective. My magic is too powerful to truly hurt me.” I wipe my hands on the napkin. “Instead of threats, they would pretend to be the best parents in the world to get what they want.”

“Shit, I need to be more grateful to Mom and Dad,” Rome says.

“You're lucky,” I point out. “At least I had Granny to compensate.”

“What about your sister?” Archer caresses my forearm. “Did you spend time with her?”

“It wasn’t too bad. We found ways to be together. The three of us would pool our spells, spend weeks together, and hide our location. It’s not like I never saw her.” I cringe.

“But it wasn’t the same,” he guesses.

“No.” I stare at his hand. “We could have taken a chance and lived openly together. But the threat of their presence was always there.”