"Eveny," he says. He crosses the space between us swiftly and pulls me into a tight hug. I'm so shocked, I can barely hug back.

"But . . ." My brain is suddenly a jumble of questions. "You left us," I conclude, my voice breaking.

"I did what I had to do to keep you safe, Eveny," he says. "Staying would have put you in terrible danger."

"But you're here now. . . ." I can hardly believe what I'm seeing.

"You need my help." He takes a step forward, and for an instant, I'm not thinking about the present; I'm thinking about all the moments like this we missed, all the times he should have been there to hold my hand, all the instances I felt so abandoned by both of my parents when one of them was out there all along.

"Why now?" I manage. "After all this time?"

"I'm afraid that what happened with Main de Lumiere is only the beginning, Eveny," he says gravely. "You're going to be in danger until we figure out how to stop them for good. So the way I see it, we have two choices: You and I can run tonight, go somewhere they'll never be able to find us. Or we can stay and do our best to stand our ground and protect zandara and everything your mother stood for."

My heart hammers, and my Stone of Carrefour grows hot against my chest. Magic is in my blood-it's who I am, who I'm destined to be. I don't yet know what I'm supposed to do to make things better, but my mom believed I'd be the greatest queen the world has ever known, and I won't let her down. I take a deep breath and steel myself. "We'll stay," I say. "We'll fight."

"You're sure?" His eyes bore into mine, and I'm struck by the depth of sadness I see there. "You could die trying. You realize that, don't you? I'll do everything I can to protect you, but there's always a chance. . . ."

"Mom died trying to make things right," I say. "I have to carry that on in her honor. And I want to find out who killed her and make sure they're brought to justice. Everything about this place, it's who I am. I can't run from that anymore, not if there's a possibility I can fix things."

He stares at me for a minute. "Your mother would be so proud of the young woman you've grown up to be." He smiles sadly. "I'm here now, Eveny. I'm here to help you win back Carrefour and avenge your mom's death. Whatever it takes."

"In that case," I say, my heart hammering, "we'd better get some rest." I don't quite know what to make of my father's return after all these years, but my gut tells me the emotion in his eyes is real. So I push aside thoughts of Caleb, the Dolls, and everything else I'm responsible for, and for just a second I let myself believe in a future that isn't fraught with complications and lies. Maybe this is the first step. Maybe everything's going to be okay.

"Dad," I say softly, "I'm glad you're home."

Acknowledgments.

This book was the result of some pretty incredible teamwork, so I'd love to say a huge "thank you" to Holly Root (the world's best literary agent), Nick Harris (who provided the seed from which this book grew and who has been a huge advocate for the story), and Sara Sargent (whose patience, vision, keen editorial eye, and witty emails kept me sane-and made this book a thousand times better). Novelist Wendy Toliver-my longtime friend and the closest thing I have to a writing partner-also supported me every step of the way and speed-read drafts for me in record time. She's a rock star.

Thanks to Jerry Gandolfo of the New Orleans Historic Voodoo Museum for welcoming me into his world and helping me to understand the intricacies of a fascinating spiritual system in which herbs, dolls, spirits, and magic intersect. And of course thanks to the people of New Orleans: your city's beautiful blend of history, culture, food, drink, architecture, excess, faith, and bon temps inspires me to no end.

Thanks to the other great folks of Waxman Leavell Literary Agency, The Story Foundation, and Balzer + Bray, especially Sam Howard, Taylor Haggerty, Alessandra Balzer, Donna Bray, Caroline Sun, Emilie Polster, Stefanie Hoffman, Alison Klapthor, and Veronica Ambrose. A special thank-you to literary agent Farley Chase (a foreign rights superhero) and the lovely Kate McLennan in London.

And thanks to all my family and friends whose patience I certainly tried while writing this novel! Special thanks to my very own Prince Charming, who listened to me babble endlessly about magic, brought me flowers when I was under tight deadlines, and took me out for Louisiana-style crawfish to celebrate the completion of drafts. I love you, Jas!

About the Author.

Like her main character, Eveny Cheval, KIKI SULLIVAN used to live in New York and now calls the American South home. Find Kiki online at www.kikisullivan.com.

end.