A Bear's Mirrored Romance

PrologueEight Years Earlier–Helencia Gardens Estate–Great Aunt Esme’s Home          Evan and Gemma felt bored in the old nursery. It rained the entire day so they couldn’t play in the garden. They found themselves trapped inside their Great Aunt’s rambling home with its old lamps and rickety pipes. Usually, Aunt Esme would say, the sun was too bright to be wasted they needed to go out and play. This wasn’t one of those days.          Today, they explored the house.          “Okay, we’ve explored everywhere,

              The next morning, the two girls walked to the lawyer’s office. As expected, they entered the waiting room lobby of the law firm to find a frosty reception from Gemma’s family. They were all there for the money, but no one wanted to share or deal with anyone else.              Evan and his wife, Sara, stood in a corner. “Clearly, something’s wrong in paradise,” Becky whispered from behind Gemma. The girls never got along well with Sara. Partly because of what she was doing right now. She was in the midst of telling Evan what he should do and how to do it. Long ago, Gemma discovered Sara acted like this when money became involved.              “Well, that’s all the money-grubbing relatives.”      &n

             “Kevin, shut up for a minute and listen. It’s fine. Just send us our severance pay and we’ll call it a day. No, it doesn’t matter. Because we were going to quit, anyway. No, that does not mean we can date. No, Becky isn’t available either. Goodbye Kevin and don’t call again.” Gemma disconnected the call and looked at Becky.             “That was nasty. Thanks for dealing with him, hon. He’s so creepy.” Becky bubble wrapped an empty mason jar.             “Yeah, I’m calling to reroute our mail right now. I don’t trust him not to track us down and stalk us. At least he won’t find us here tomorrow if he comes around.”           &n

              It took hours to unpack everything from the truck and more time to get Professor Digby to leave. Night fell while Gemma and Becky focused back on the items hidden within Gemma’s bag.             “I’ve not been able to get my mind off the mirror. You really hit it hard on the railing. I hope it’s not broken further.”             “I’m glad I have heard no scrapping of glass. So, I don’t think it dislodged the glass.” Sitting at the kitchen table in the old servants’ cottage, they carefully opened her bag and pulled the items out.             Laying them down, the mirror looked no worse for wear and both women sighed in relief at that. The book, however.

              Larin knocked an empty tankard from the table beside him in irritation. It’d been hours since he spoke to her, Gemma. The more he thought of her and her fragile beauty, the more imperative it felt to him is that he must be by her side. Her ignorance was not the bliss, many claimed it to be. It endangered her life. Part of the problem started when Ester passed. The illness took forever to kill the sweet old woman. The magic and medicine they possessed couldn’t save her from the magical disease, combined with her age. Magic was in short supply, and a war waged on.              Now the other guardian Esmeralda died, and her replacement failed to take her place. That guardian died, too. Gemma now stood in the position of becoming one of the two guardians. Mirror guardians were always twins. One must exist on either side of the portal.