Luke felt a consoling warmth in his hand. He angled his head to glance at the human contact. Nina, her sister from another time, was squeezing his hand and Lawrence’s too. Despite their current doom, Luke felt a chuckle bubble in his throat. He vividly recalled the girl standing beside him, ready to fight magical creatures, hiding under Baric’s bed. She had been half-naked then and lying next to the man whose hand she held. The sight then had been appalling, her embarrassment laughable. But it had been Baric’s unwavering faith in the stranger that had caught Luke’s attention. His older brother had been devoted to a witch, a witch who was probably responsible for their father’s suffering. Perhaps Luke had been jealous at the time. Jealous that Baric could be so loyal, so warm to a person he
