Chrysoprase (The Chalcedony Chronicles) by B. Kristin McMichael Page A

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    I went downstairs and out the side doorway onto the beach. The icy wind blew, and I pulled my scarf up over my face more. I was going to really have to get used to the early winter up in the North Country. By now Chicago would be cold, but not this cold. There was a light cover of snow on the sand, which was a stark contrast to the waves that still lapped the shoreline. The shoreline was still liquid, but I couldn’t wait until it wasn’t. I was a little excited to see the edges of the lake freeze like Sim had told me about. At least there was a little bit of fun I could expect from the weather I was going to have to endure until April.
    Up the shoreline was a silhouette. I walked briskly across the sand, but I had to slow as I neared. It was as if Seth was still there. The silhouette was his size and shape, looking off to the water just as I had found Seth many times. The sun was rising, and the person was only a black shadow. For a moment I could pretend it was Seth. A small part of me hoped everything was wrong and that he was somehow back with me. I wanted to shout and run to him. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and tell him how much I loved him. I wanted him to be really there. It wasn’t true, but I couldn’t help what my heart wanted. As I got closer, it became clear it wasn’t Seth when the person’s hair wasn’t the dark red I was hoping for. Instead, I found the dusty, blondish-brown hair I was still way too familiar with.
    “You can’t just replace him,” I said, not waiting for Logan to turn toward me.
    I had hoped the cold air would cool my temper a little, especially after Ty’s hesitation that Logan would send me off to another time, but it didn’t. Logan had just pushed his way into my life, and not even as the friend he claimed he wanted to start over as. He was trying to be my love interest, and I still wasn’t interested in him. I had moved on. He needed to be told that straight up.
    Logan turned and stared at me with his serious violet eyes. There was a slight smile on his lips.
    “I didn’t do a good enough job making everything the same?” Logan asked. “I thought we made a cute couple. In fact, I’m pretty sure your roommate thinks that, too.”
    Unfortunately, he did a great job making it all the same, with him in place of Seth. That was the problem.
    “We’re not a couple,” I snapped back. “I love Seth, not you.” I meant for the words to sting him, but didn’t actually expect to see it on his face. He looked hurt by my words. We had broken up two years ago. I had moved on. I thought he had, too.
    “ Ahh, but we’re a couple here. Well, maybe not officially, but everyone thinks we will be soon.” Logan was back to smiling as he talked, but his smile seemed different. I looked closer at him. He even seemed different.
    “Logan,” I protested. He smiled even brighter, like he enjoyed hearing me draw out his name. “Back at your house, you asked to be friends. I thought you meant like long-distance friends that saw each other once a year. I was fine with that. A friend is all I want. I can’t date you again. I really do like Seth,” I said with a little less anger.
    “And Seth is in the past, thousands of years in the past,” Logan reminded me. “You don’t think you should move on here in the future?” He was still making a play for me.
    “I can’t move on,” I admitted. Logan was the last person I wanted to confess that to, but it just came out. It was something I couldn’t explain, but I needed to be with Seth.
    A hurt look crossed his face again, but Logan turned back into the sun to avoid my stare.
    “Well, you better face up and move on. The goddess made it very clear that Seth won’t be back in this time. He has a role to play in the past, not here,” Logan replied.
    I sucked in a breath. Seth wouldn’t be back. I thought I could just go into the past and bring him back, but maybe it wouldn’t be that easy.
    “I’m not moving on, and