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Lucienne inhaled deeply the night ocean air as she stepped out of the plane.

A formidable-looking man in a black trench coat strode toward her.

“Kian,” she cried, breaking into a run. He enclosed her in his arms. Even in the safety of their own territory, Kian never let his guard down. His cold sapphire eyes on his clean-shaven face stayed alert. They only warmed at the sight of her.

“Welcome home, kid,” he said, kissing the top of her hair.

“Welcome home yourself.” Lucienne laughed, breaking the embrace. “Didn’t you arrive only a few hours before me?” Kian had been tracing the Sealers for three months outside the Sphinxes.

Lucienne knew her enemies wanted Kian dead almost as much as they wanted her. If they got him, they’d surely maim her. “Next time, bring more people with you,” she said in a stern tone. “I mean it!”

“It’s more convenient to travel lightly,” he said.

Orlando stalked toward Kian, and the two men clasped hands.

“At least take this one with you,” Lucienne said. “Like his fish, Orlando doesn’t require a lot of sleep.”

“I sleep. I just do it with one eye open,” Orlando said.

“I prefer you sleep with both eyes open,” Kian said.

“Working on it. One on Lucia and one on my fish,” Orland said.

Vladimir approached them, regarding Kian coolly. “McQuillen,” he acknowledged.

“Blazek,” Kian said flatly.

Both men’s expressions turned neutral.

Lucienne sighed. She recalled someone saying you can’t have two alpha tigers in the same family. But at least they managed to be civil to each other. Three of them shared power in Sphinxes, but she could override their decisions when she had to.

Kian returned his attention to Lucienne. “We’ve smoothed out New York operation.”

“Which means we’ll have to renovate the Illinois station next,” Lucienne said.

“The Red Mansion,” Kian said with a nod. “I’ll be there to prepare for your arrival.” He eyed Vladimir as they all headed toward a high-powered black van with darkly tinted windows. “Blazek can manage to stay behind for once.”

“I go where Lucia goes,” Vladimir said. “She’ll need more protection in the enemies’ oldest stronghold.”

“You’ll only distract her in her home base,” Kian said. “Anyway, it’s purely family business.”

Before the two could get into an argument, Lucienne cut in, “Family business has to wait. I’m returning to Alaska at first light tomorrow. We’re taking three choppers.”

After the van dropped everyone outside the stone castle, Kian drove Lucienne back to her pristine white mansion that stood out atop the cliff above the ocean.

The house sparkled like a diamond in a small forest of flaming red maple trees. When they were alone, Lucienne pulled the necklace out from around her neck and opened the locket. “The Eye of Time,” she said, waiting for Kian’s reaction.

Lucienne watched his eyes rivet on the shining chip lying inertly on the Twilight Water. The apple in his throat bobbed up and down as he said in a proud, choked voice, “The prophetic dream you had ten years ago came true today, Siren.”

Lucienne’s eyes moistened.

“Trouble is,” she said, “what I harvested is merely a shell of what the Eye of Time should be. Someone else got to it first and initiated it and then left it behind.”

“The Eye of Time is the ladder to the unlimited sky. With every step, you’re moving closer to the stars,” Kian said softly. “And you have it in your possession. That’s what matters.”

Lucienne nodded.

“One step at a time, Lucia. I couldn’t be any prouder. As for that someone—”

“We’ll take back what he’s taken from us.”

“Look at that thing. I still can’t believe it is the Eye of Time.” Kian’s eyes shone softly. “After a million years, it fell into our hands.”

“I only wish Jed was here to see it.”

“I do, too, kid.”

Together, Kian and Lucienne gazed at the Eye of Time that reflected the lust red maple leaves overhead for a very long time.