decide if she believed him now or not, but he didnât ask. Good thing, too. Because Juliet didnât know what she believed anymore.
He went back to the kitchen and sat down in front of the computer, gesturing for Juliet to sit next to him. âNow tell me more about this Internets,â he said. âCan you really get any information you want from it, simply by asking?â
âPretty much,â Juliet said, shaking herself and sitting next to him. He was a quick learner, but he knew nothing about computers yet and Juliet was tired of ordering rare herbs and random minerals for him online. Rowan was frighteningly intelligent, though, and something told Juliet that in a few days heâd be teaching her things about computers sheâd never even dreamed.
âSounds like magic,â he replied, looking back at the screen.
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CHAPTER
2
Rowan sat at the desk in Lilyâs room, reading something on her computer. He was wearing the same dark wool sweater heâd worn before and a pair of warm sweatpants. His black hair was pushed up all around his head in a dozen directions, only making him more beautiful. Lily couldnât decide if she wanted to stare at him a bit longer, or if she was so hungry for the sound of his voice that she wanted to burst the quiet bubble of concentration that surrounded him.
She thought about reaching out to him in mindspeak, but stopped herself. He couldnât know that she was in contact with Lillian, and she knew she wasnât strong enough yet to keep all thought of Lillian out of her head while she and Rowan were in rapport.
It wasnât the first time Lily had avoided mindspeak with Rowan in order to hide what she was thinking, but it was the first time she felt guilty about it. The thought stuck with her, stale and lingering like a rotten mouthful.
âWhat are you doing?â Lily asked in a voice that crackled with disuse.
Rowan turned in his chair to face Lily. âThis is amazing,â he said excitedly. âItâs like your people were trying to make up for everything you lacked without willstones and magic.â He laughed boyishly. âYou donât need to remember thingsâyour computer does it for you. And if you donât know something, all you have to do is look it up on the Internets. Genius.â
âInter net . Not nets ,â Lily corrected gently. âCome here. Itâs too weird to see you in front of a computer.â
âItâs Julietâs fault,â he said, grinning. âShe taught me how to use it. Now Iâm hooked.â Rowan came over, sat on the edge of her bed, and immediately began checking her injuries. He lifted up the edge of one of her bandages. âThis is much better,â he mumbled, pleased with what he saw.
âHow long have we been back?â
âNine days.â
âHow is Juliet? How have you been getting along with her and my mom while Iâve been out?â
âItâs odd,â he said slowly. âNeither of them knows me, but Iâve known them most of my life. At least Samantha doesnât look at me like a complete stranger. Sheâs used to seeing me in other worlds, I guess.â
Rowanâs face fell. Lily knew what he was thinking. The version of Samantha in his world had died not too long ago.
âItâs disorienting,â Lily said, recalling how strange it had been for her to meet the other Juliet, and the other Tristan. âHas Tristan come by? Does he know Iâm back?â she asked as soon as the thought of him entered her mind.
âHe came by once,â Rowan said, frowning. âDrink this.â He placed a straw between her lips and Lily sipped at the bittersweet brew.
âWhat happened?â she asked.
Rowan let out a frustrated sigh. âWellâyouâd been gone for three months. Everyone here thought youâd been kidnapped, and when you finally did come back you were like