The Threads of Fate (The Divining Sisters Series Book 3): The Divining Sisters Series, #3

By Heather Hardison

Book 3 in The Divining Sisters Series

After reuniting in Salem, Massachusetts, Alex, Izzy, and Hazel begin to retrace the threads of fate that bind them to better understand where this journey is leading them. As their enemies close in and up the stakes, the pieces of their past start to shift into place, revealing key details about their destiny set in motion lifetimes ago. Will learning more about their past incarnations help them overcome their fears to embrace their shared mission, or will the adversaries reemerging from their past stop them before stepping into their full power?

The Divining Sisters is a fictional divination series that follows a group of women who are witches, healers, and diviners in multiple lives, and they reincarnate lifetime after lifetime to reunite with their coven so they can fulfill a mission of keeping their craft of divination, healing, and magic alive for future generations.

The series focuses on reconnecting with past-life gifts, sisterhood, empowerment through facing fears, & learning to step out of the shadows.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather Hardison
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223208570

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Copyright © 2023 Heather Hardison Ph.D.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations contained in critical articles or reviews. This novel is a work of fiction. All names, characters, businesses, organizations, locations, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locations is completely coincidental.

For information contact:

[e-mail]

http://author.heatherhardison.com

Cover Design by Heather Hardison and Andy Hardison

Cover Image: Canva image named Magic hand by Dasha Gribovskaya

About Author Photo taken by Andy Hardison

First Edition: September 2023

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This is dedicated to all those healing old wounds and finding peace once those heavy burdens are finally released. Healing is hard work, but the reward is worth the effort.

She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom. From The Scarlet Letter when Hester finally removes the Scarlet Letter, the marker of her shame.

di·vine

/dəˈvīn/

verb

To foretell, especially by divination

To guess or know by inspiration or intuition

To practice divination

div·i·na·tion

/ˌdivəˈnāSH(ə)n/

noun

The art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge, usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.

Unusual insight: intuitive perception.

CHAPTER ONE

Alexandra Steele

Flight from Boston to Memphis, December 2019

***

Alex stood guard over the sacred documents inside the dark tomb. She shifted her weight to the back of her heels to give her arches a break. These long shifts were brutal but necessary. This information couldn’t fall into the wrong hands, and she’d sworn to protect these ancient texts at all costs.

Faint sounds from the adjacent tomb had her on edge. She couldn’t leave her post to investigate until her replacement arrived. It wasn’t like her sister to run late.

She tried to tune in to her sister’s frequency.

She paced in the small enclosure; something was off. Why couldn’t she detect her sister’s energetic signature?

The sounds coming from the corner behind her grew louder. She wasn’t alone.

She strained to make out the source of the noise, but it was too dark to see from where she stood. She rubbed her eyes. Either they were playing tricks on her, or shadows were closing in.

Faint whispers echoed behind her. She spun around. Paranoia was setting in. Was it all in her mind?

She wished they had enough guardians to work in shifts. If her sister arrived, she might stay to keep her company even though her feet might give out any minute.

The hairs on her arms stiffened. Someone was near.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through the middle of her back as she was thrust forward by the impact of the blow from behind. She tried to regain her footing but couldn’t steady herself before falling to the ground.

She rolled to her right side, coughing up blood. She tried to prop herself up to catch her breath.

Light footsteps traveled around her and stopped next to her head. The figure bent down close enough for her to see the face of her attacker — someone she’d trusted with her life for over a decade.

Disbelief washed over her as she realized that she had failed to keep the sacred scrolls secure. They’d been betrayed by a sister near and dear to them all.  

How could you? We took an oath! she cried out with her last breath. Why?

The dream shifted.

Alex fled through the woods of Salem past Proctor’s Ledge. Someone was hot on her trail. She had to keep running to find Izzy. They’d been separated while fleeing from the witch hunters.

Heavy footsteps trailed her, but she was running out of steam. Why did it feel like she was running in slow motion? Panic overtook her.

A cold hand jerked her back violently, spinning her around until she was face to face with her nemesis, Marlena.

Did you think you could hide from me forever? You should have known I would catch up eventually, Marlena barked.

Alex scanned the woods around her for anything she could use to defend herself.

It’s just a dream! I’m safe, Alex repeated to herself.

For now, but I wouldn’t get too comfortable. I’m closer than you think.

She cocked her head. What’s that supposed to mean?

I was able to track you through Izzy’s dreams; she showed me everything.

Alex shook her head.

Did she not tell you about our visits?

Alex didn’t respond.

Marlena grinned. I didn’t think so. If she’s keeping that from you, what else is she not telling you?

***

Alex awoke on the plane in a cold sweat, shaking from the disturbing interaction with Marlena. She’d just left Izzy and Hazel in Salem and was halfway home to Memphis, Tennessee. She was questioning her decision to leave them behind. Maybe she should have rescheduled her therapy clients and ridden back with them. This was the second foreboding dream she’d had since reuniting with Hazel, their sister from several past incarnations. Something didn’t feel right.

Izzy had offered to ride with Hazel to Memphis to keep her company for the twenty-hour drive and had assured Alex they would be safe, but she was still worried. Everything was happening so fast. With each passing day, a new obstacle seemed to appear. Would it ever end?

She kept telling herself that she would see them later next week when they arrived in Memphis, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She had promised Max that she would watch over Izzy since this was her first trip after her brain surgery a few months ago. But their plans had changed, and she would be traveling without her. Izzy tended to take too much on herself if she wasn’t careful.

Alex hadn’t slept much since arriving in Salem. She wasn’t surprised that she had dozed off on the plane, but now she wished she hadn’t because the unsettling feeling from her dream had taken up residence in her gut. Even though it was just a dream, something nagged at her that she couldn’t shake. Was Izzy keeping things from her?

Normally she wouldn’t dare question her loyalty. They’d been through so much together, and she’d always been reliable and forthcoming. But given recent events, doubt was creeping in. In Salem, Izzy had admitted that she hadn’t told her about the past life she’d previously uncovered with Hazel. As Harriet in that life, Hazel had been jailed in Salem during the Salem Witch Trials. It was a crucial piece of the puzzle they’d been desperate to solve for a year and a half. Why had she not revealed it earlier?

Would Izzy have ever told her about it if Alex hadn’t tapped into the vision of Cotton Mather and Judge Jonathan Corwin at the Witch House on their tour? The two men had been discussing Harriet’s fate, and Izzy had only confessed after Alex had filled her in on that vision. She’d been boxed into a corner and had no choice but to come clean at that point.

And Jackson was acting weird again. Every time she visited Salem, he became overprotective and skittish. It was so unlike him. Something was off. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the two of them were keeping things from her, and she intended to find out why once she was home.

Her stomach had already been tied in knots after the dream she’d had this morning before her flight out of Boston. Trackers had been hot on their trail, and the three sisters were forced to separate to have a fighting chance. Alex had chosen to go it alone and sent Izzy and Hazel off down another path, hoping the trackers would follow her and not her sisters. A feeling of foreboding had set in after that dream, and it hadn’t let up. Something told her that they’d just awoken a sleeping foe when the three of them had reunited.

She pulled out her dream journal and added the stabbing dream to the list. She flipped through all the entries she’d logged of all the incarnations she and Izzy had uncovered since they’d first met. Most had come through Alex’s dreams that Izzy later confirmed through the Akashic Records. This book held the key to what this all meant. She was certain each dream was a clue and that one day it would all make sense.

She reviewed some of her earliest recovered memories, amazed that she had lived all these lifetimes. The journal was filled with numerous incarnations as healers, diviners, and witches. Reconnecting with each of these lifetimes had been healing for her on so many levels. She had finally found her voice and was using it to reach out to others who were awakening too. On her podcast, she pulled from the experiences she’d lived in the past to awaken those who were ready to tap into their own power and reconnect with gifts they’d possessed in times gone by.

Those variations of herself still coursed through her veins and gave her the strength needed to forge ahead on this path that still wasn’t clear. Izzy had told her that it was best not to see too far ahead at any given time. She might resist if their mission seemed too daunting. For now, Alex just focused on reconnecting with her incarnations that had a direct impact on this lifetime. All the wisdom and gifts from each life resided within, imprinted in her cells so they were never far below the surface.

Those past versions of herself were showing her the way. Their lost dreams and incomplete missions lay at her feet. Could she deliver what they’d waited for ages to bring about?

She flipped the page and found a note Izzy had left for her when she’d doubted her capabilities in the past.

Don’t fight against the seasons of your life. We must experience them all — the fire of summer, the shedding of autumn, the self-reflection of winter, and the rebirth of spring. If you resist this process, you will make it infinitely more difficult. Instead of drowning in the sorrow of injustices of the past, look for the lessons we took from each battle. Hold that hard-fought wisdom close. If you don’t learn from those experiences, you’re bound to repeat the mistakes of the past.

She had been right; Izzy was always right.

Before Alex left Salem, she and Izzy had promised to check in several times a day to make sure everything was unfolding as planned.

Alex pulled out her phone from the front pocket of her purse and reread their texts from earlier in the day.

ALEX: About to board. I’m already counting down the days until you arrive back in Memphis. Take care of our Hazel.

IZZY: Be safe. Text me the moment you land. I know you hate flying. I’m surrounding you with light to calm you.

Her stomach twisted.

She hated that Marlena was making her question Izzy’s motives now. Izzy had always been her rock. Why were her dreams warning her otherwise?

She tried to redirect her thoughts to making holiday plans for when Hazel and Izzy were back in Memphis, but she found it incredibly difficult to ignore the intrusive images that continued to play in her mind’s eye from her dream. Marlena had gotten in her head and was stirring up trouble as usual.

Damn this hex that linked them. Centuries of being connected to her had only made it easier for Marlena to get under her skin. Alex desperately wanted to uncover more details about the hex that bonded them. Maybe then she could sever the threads that tethered them to each other.

All she’d learned so far was that Marlena had hexed her many lifetimes ago in an attempt to steal her magic in a power grab that had left Alex destitute and out of favor with the king she’d once counseled. And in the course of cursing her, she’d created an energetic cord linking them that was so powerful that they hadn’t been able to break it after centuries of battling each other.

Marlena had been relentless in her pursuit of Alex across lifetimes and had even joined forces with the witch hunters during the witch trials to track her down to enact her revenge. But as far as Alex was concerned, she didn’t want retaliation; she wanted her freedom. She was ready to leave it all in the past if she could just unchain herself from Marlena once and for all. She had already stolen too much from her.

She hated that she was letting Marlena live rent-free in her head. Instead of celebrating their reunion with Hazel, she was questioning the loyalty of her other sister.

What did Marlena uncover in Izzy’s dreams? And why is Izzy keeping it from me?

CHAPTER TWO

Hazel Palmer

Salem, Massachusetts, December 2019

Hazel’s heart sank with the setting sun over Salem Harbor. In just a few months, she’d grown attached to Salem and the people she’d met during her stay. Connecting with her past life here had been transformative. In many ways, it had healed her to uncover her past ties to this quaint town with so much rich history even though it had been traumatic to relive her days in the Salem jail during the witch trials.

This experience had awakened her magic as well. She was more alive than she had ever been. She had Esme to thank for that. She had believed in her and hadn’t pressured her as she struggled with the lingering wounds from that lifetime. It hadn’t been an easy road, but it had been worth it. In the end, she’d found her way back to her sisters. Right here, in Salem, where she’d last seen them in that incarnation. Isabella and Adeline hadn’t abandoned her after all. They’d been cruelly ripped away from her, but they had never given up their search for her, even in death.

Penny for your thoughts, Izzy said, sitting down next to Hazel on the bench facing the harbor.

Hazel’s head hung low. It’s going to be harder to leave than I thought, she replied, choking back tears.

You don’t have to leave. It’s totally up to you. Alex and I would understand if you decided to stay.

Hazel shook her head. I’m not giving you two up now that we’ve found each other again. I’ve prayed for a family that I would feel safe with my entire life.

Izzy smiled gently at her. It’s okay to feel conflicted about leaving.

Hazel inhaled deeply; the brisk Salem air burned her lungs. This is the first place where I felt loved and accepted as my true self. Esme gave me that gift. She’ll forever be in my heart.

Izzy rubbed Hazel’s back. We can come back anytime. Alex already feels like this is her second home, and I see why now. There’s magic in the air here. It pulsates through every inch of this town, and it stirs the soul. No wonder you don’t want to leave.

Hazel smiled at the couple strolling along the shoreline. So many people who’ve come in the store have confessed that their soul awakened as they drove into town. It’s such a magical place, despite its dark history. Those imprints haven’t faded with time. I wonder if I’ll lose that connection once I’m gone.

Izzy shook her head. I don’t think you will. It’s part of your history. That will always stay with you. Harriet’s still in there.

Hazel wiped her tears on her jeans.

Salem holds a special place in our history. It’s always going to call out to us. Alex even dipped into a bit of depression after she returned home from her first visit last autumn. She’s been homesick ever since. I tapped into that magnetic pull through her. That thread from our past resonates strongly for us. Of course, some of that energy I picked up could have been from your arrival several months after she’d departed.

Hazel nodded. Could’ve been. My inner witch had definitely stirred once I settled in here. What hurts the most is that I was starting to think Salem might be the place where I finally settled down. I’ve never felt that about a place before. I wish I hadn’t let myself get attached. Tears stung her eyes as she imagined leaving.

Who knows what’s in store for us. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Alex moved here after seeing her come alive when we arrived. I haven’t seen anything close to that spark back home. We’ll be back. This isn’t goodbye. It’s just another chapter in our story.

Hazel smiled. It comforted her to know that her sisters were drawn to Salem as much as she was. It had quickly carved out a space in her heart that was irreplaceable.

Ready to head to Esme’s for dinner? Hazel asked, standing up from the bench.

Yes. I’m starving.

It’s a short walk. Hazel strolled slowly in front of Izzy. She wasn’t in a hurry to get to Esme’s. It would be one of the last family dinners she would share with them since they would depart in a few days. She’d been prolonging her goodbyes. She had started to pack some of her belongings a few hours ago, which made their departure real. No more denying the inevitable.

After walking several blocks, Hazel turned left and held open the small wooden gate to Esme’s walkway.

This is it. Hazel gestured to the sage-green townhouse.

Izzy grinned. It’s so cute. It fits Esme’s personality.

Hazel opened the door to an assortment of aromas.

It smells divine in here, Izzy exclaimed as Esme greeted them.

Some of Hazel’s favorites — white bean soup and homemade biscuits, Esme replied.

It smells like home, Hazel thought as a sharp pang pierced her heart. She suddenly missed Luca even more. Preparing to say goodbye to his family made her distance from Luca more noticeable. They’d shared many dinners and late-night talks in this kitchen when he’d stayed with Esme in the fall.

What would it be like when she was no longer in Salem near his family?

Hazel fought back tears throughout dinner and barely spoke, trying to keep her composure. Her heart was heavy with grief over leaving behind the only mother figure she’d known. Her mother had been cold and aloof and had shunned her for her intuitive gifts. Esme had embraced her as she was, showing her a love that she’d never even dreamed of. Typically, over dinner, Esme would share stories of their travels and memories from trips to visit relatives in Romania. Hazel usually lingered after dinner to help Esme clean up as she taught her about the craft and discussed her plans for her mystical store, Alchemy. She’d always seen herself in those glimpses of the future when Esme had shared them with her.

Was Izzy right — would they return someday?

Izzy carried much of the dinner conversation as she recounted her travels to Sedona, Oregon, and East Tennessee over the past few years. Esme’s youngest daughter, Marta, was particularly interested in hearing about her experience in Sedona where they had family. She was curious if Izzy had felt the same energetic portals that she had on family trips to her aunt’s land.

Izzy stayed in the dining room to talk with Marta and Irina while Hazel helped gather the plates after dinner. She quietly dried the dishes as Esme washed. She wasn’t sure how she was going to muster up the energy to say goodbye in a few days. Any time she’d tried to speak about it, her throat had seized up.

*

Izzy gave Hazel space as they walked back to the store in silence. Hazel had been on the verge of tears all night.

Esme said there’s a cot in the storage closet that I could set up for you in the back room, Hazel said as she unlocked the door to Alchemy.

That would be great. I just thought it would be better to stay with you instead of at the hotel again. That way you aren’t alone as you pack.

That’s so thoughtful. Tonight’s gonna be a struggle for me.

I figured. Izzy followed Hazel to the closet near the back room of the store.

Hazel shifted a stack of folding chairs and a box of costumes in the packed closet. Oh, here it is. Are you sure you’re gonna be fine sleeping on this tiny thing?

I slept in a recliner for months after my surgery. I think I can manage this.

Hazel chuckled as she wheeled the cot out. If you say so. I’ve got a set of extra sheets upstairs in my room. If you want to get this set up, I’ll fetch those.

No problem.

A few minutes later, Hazel returned with the sheets and helped Izzy make the bed.

Just two more sleeps before we hit the road to Memphis, Izzy said, smoothing out the sheets.

Hazel’s stomach dropped.

One last day with Esme.

CHAPTER THREE

Alex

Memphis, Tennessee, December 2019

Alex threw her purse and keys on the counter as she walked into her kitchen.

Mmm…something smells good.

You’re a few minutes early, Jackson said, stirring the sizzling pan. I thought I’d have more time to plate this up for a better presentation.

Wow! Did I forget a special occasion?

He swooped in for a kiss. Any day you come back from a trip is a special occasion. He kissed her and steered her toward the table where a glass of wine was waiting by a garden salad. Give me two minutes.

He returned to the stove and moved the pan off the hot eye.

Alex settled into her chair and took a sip of wine from the glass that Jackson had already poured for her.

Hope you’re hungry.

Starved. Haven’t eaten all day.

A few moments later Jackson set a bowl in front of her next to her salad.

She smiled. Mushroom risotto. Fancy.

I thought it would be nice to have dinner while you filled me in on your trip. He smiled, sitting next to her.

So much happened. I can’t believe I was only gone for a weekend. My head’s spinning. I still have a ton to do to prepare for Hazel returning with Izzy. There’s so much we’ll have to catch her up on once she gets here.

What’s she like?

Alex smiled gently. She’s sweet and kind and curious. She’s a lot like Hester was in my dreams.

Alex’s brow furrowed.

What’s wrong? he asked, picking at the risotto.

Something was bothering me the whole flight back. While we were in Salem, I tapped into a conversation between Cotton Mather and Judge Corwin at the Witch House, where Corwin lived during the trials. They were talking about someone named Harriet, which we later learned was Hazel in that life. When I mentioned it to Izzy at dinner that night, she told me she’d dreamt of Harriet. But for some reason Izzy never told me about any of it. She tried to brush it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but it feels more than that. I think she was deliberately holding that dream back from me. Alex shifted in her chair. I think she’s keeping secrets from me.

Jackson swallowed hard and put his fork down.

Alex cut her eyes at him. What’s going on? Something’s up.

I was hoping we would at least get through dinner first.

Alex squinted and pursed her lips. Ah, so there is something.

He took her hand in his. Izzy wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. At least, she didn’t want to. She did it for me.

What do you mean? You and Izzy are teaming up now?

Oh, come on. No one’s teaming up. She was giving me time to adjust.

To what? Alex pulled her hand back.

When you were in Salem last year, I had a dream that seemed a little too real and it stuck with me. I asked Izzy about it, and she did her thing where she scans the records like you always say. She traced it to a life we had together.

Alex’s eyebrows raised. You and I?

He nodded.

When?

The 1690s.

The Salem Witch Trials!

He nodded again. In the dream, you’d sent me after Harriet because she was being kept in the jailhouse in Salem. I was in the court room during part of the trials, but I got called away when I received word that your mother had turned you in for witchcraft in Connecticut. I dropped everything and rushed back, but I was too late. His head lowered. They had staked you in a field for three days and then took you to the waterfront where you were drowned.

A lump formed in Alex’s throat. She had relived that fate many times.

I didn’t know you and I were together in that life, she said softly.

We were engaged.

Her eyes met his. We were? she asked tearfully.

He nodded. Well, Jacob and Adeline were.

Jacob! That was you? Cotton mentioned you in the vision I had. So, I was Adeline in that life?

Yeah.

She finally had a name for the lifetime she’d relived so often.

So, we were engaged, she repeated with tears streaming down her face. But we never made it, she whispered.

His head hung low. I’m sorry.

Why are you sorry?

If I hadn’t been out of town, maybe I could have saved you.

Is this why you didn’t want Izzy telling me more about that life?

I didn’t mean for you to never find out about it, he said, shaking his head. I just couldn’t bring myself to confess that I had failed you.

Failed me?

You sent me to Salem to bring Harriet home and not only did I fail at that, but I couldn’t make it back in time to rescue you from your cold-hearted mother. I couldn’t bear to think of seeing a look of disappointment in your eyes for the rest of our lives.

Stop it! She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Look at me. You didn't let me down, okay? Don’t ever say that. I would never hold that against you. It was out of our hands. And no matter what we face now or what we’ve been through in the past, we will always be here for each other. Do you hear me?"

He nodded but still averted his eyes.

She slipped out of her chair and knelt beside him as she gripped his hand tightly in hers. Death can’t even sever our bond. We’ll always find our way back to each other. And we’re proof of that — right here right now. Somehow, we made it back to each other. And we’ve had over twenty beautiful years together already. We eventually got the future we had dreamed of all those centuries ago. So, don’t you dare think for a second that I would hold what happened against you. She wiped her tears. I’ve just been waiting for you all this time, she said as her voice cracked.

***

Addie chased Harriet around the large tree at the crossroads in the woods outside their cottage while Isabella gathered herbs along the trail.

Addie, come help. There’s work to be done, Isabella scolded her.

She ran over to her older sister and took the basket from her. She followed her around the path holding the basket as Isabella chose the herbs she wanted to experiment with.

Leaves rustled behind the shrub where Isabella plucked berries for their nightly concoctions.

Addie squinted her eyes as the form of a young boy came into focus.

You can come out. We mean no harm, Addie called out.

The boy slowly revealed himself.

What’s your name? Addie asked.

Jacob Dixon.

She extended her hand. Adeline Sumner.

I know, he said softly.

She cocked her head to the side. You do?

I pass by your house on the way to church every Sunday.

She smiled. I remember now.

His green eyes drew her in. There was a gentleness about them that told her everything was going to be okay.

Addie, we need to head back, Isabella said, ushering her and Harriet toward the house.

Jacob followed the girls through the woods to the clearing by their family cottage.

It will be dark soon, Addie said. I need to go in. I hate the dark.

I will protect you. I will stand in this spot until you are fast asleep in your bed.

But you will miss dinner on my account.

No matter. I will not abandon my post, he said definitively.

She smiled. I will eat quickly and hop right into bed. She giggled as she skipped through their front door.

After dinner, she peered out the window. Jacob was sitting on the stump next to the garden watching the house. He had kept his word.

She changed into her nightgown and slipped into bed. She was fast asleep, knowing he watched over her as she nodded off.

The dream shifted.

Addie and Jacob sat under the stars in the field just feet away from her family cottage.

Do you ever think about where we will live when we are married? she asked him.

I do.

Where will we go?

Anywhere but here, he replied. It’s not safe here for you or your sisters.

I must wait for Harriet. We cannot leave her behind.

We will send for her once she is of age. My priority is keeping you safe. I swore all those years ago to protect you.

When?

The day we met in the woods. I knew that day.

Knew what?

That we were meant to be.

She giggled and nuzzled under his arm. He had always made her feel so safe. There was nowhere else she would rather be than by his side. She would follow him anywhere.

***

Alex woke up and rolled over to find Jackson staring at her.

Creeper, she whispered groggily.

He laughed.

You have nothing better to do than watch me sleep, like a stalker?

You looked so cute. What were you dreaming about?

Why? She rubbed her eyes.

You were smiling in your sleep.

She grinned. I dreamed of Jacob and Addie.

Oh. His smile faded. Did it end badly?

She shook her head. "Not at all. They were young…I mean we were young. That’s the first time I’ve had a pleasant dream of that life. It was nice."

He frowned.

Sorry you didn’t get to see us happy in that incarnation. She rubbed his hand gently. I wish you could have shared it with me earlier.

I should have.

Why wait so long? she asked.

I didn’t want to pile on and add to the weight of what you were already dealing with.

But that left you suffering in silence. I don’t want that for you. We’re a team. Think about all those times you supported me when I was struggling. I couldn’t have gotten through it without you.

You were already having panic attacks. Telling you could have made it all worse. At least I only had one memory to process. You’ve had dozens.

Don’t do that. She took his hand in hers. Don’t minimize your experience. From the sound of it, this was a heavy life you tapped into. That’s still a lot to carry.

He grew quiet. Sorry for getting all protective. I guess I didn’t handle that well. Your trip back to Salem set me off.

It’s not like I handled things well either. I was cracking under the weight of it all just a few months ago. It’s a lot to work through. She reflected on her dream. They had seemed so happy before they were ripped apart. I wonder what happened to Jacob after Addie’s death, Alex wondered aloud.

Oh, right, I didn’t make it to that part yet.

That was in your dream, too?

He nodded. It was a detailed dream. He exhaled deeply. Jacob confronted Addie’s mother, and when she confessed to turning you in and confirmed your death, Jacob strangled her.

Oh, my God!

Yeah, it got dark.

So, you killed Marlena in that life, Alex said, putting the pieces together.

That was her?

She nodded. I pieced that part together a little while ago. She’s woven throughout so many of my lifetimes.

That actually makes me feel a little better, he confessed. You know…that she wasn’t a nice person.

So, I guess Jacob didn’t fare too well after that, huh?

He shook his head.

That’s so sad. They seemed so happy together. She shook her head. They’ve taken so much from us.

No one’s taking you away from me again, he reassured her. He reached over and kissed her. So, what’s on the schedule today? Are you unpacking and washing clothes since you just got back?

Actually, I thought we’d just spend the whole day relaxing in bed. Is that okay?

No complaints from me. He slipped off his house shoes and slid under the covers.

She snuggled up close to him. We don’t do this enough. We owe it to ourselves to make up for all the lost time from those lives when we were kept apart. I don’t want to ever take that for granted.

Me either. He kissed the top of her head.

She nestled herself in his strong arms and let him protect her just like Jacob had longed to do over three centuries ago. They had found their way back to each other against all the odds. They owed it to Jacob and Addie to make the most out of every moment they had together in this life.

CHAPTER FOUR

Isobel Frey

Salem, Massachusetts, December 2019

After Hazel turned in for the night, Izzy rummaged through the basket of snacks and teas that Esme had kindly left for her. She settled on chamomile tea to help her wind down. No wonder Hazel was finding it difficult to leave. Esme thought of everything to make you feel instantly at home.

Izzy perused the front room of the store as she sipped on her tea. Her skin tingled, and she smiled. She’s got a protection spell over the store and everyone in it, she whispered to herself.

She gravitated toward the table in the middle of the room. She ran her hand across the bowls of crystals and picked up a labradorite palm stone. She cradled it in her hands and tuned into its energy. It vibrated in her palm, tickling her gently. She nestled the stone back in