Portal to Passion Read Online Free

at the memory of Maven’s promise to give it to her, if she learned to fully control her magic. At the rate she was going, Deveney felt certain she’d be wearing that prize soon.
    She smiled into her cup as she continued her walk. She knew the symbol on every jar, when at first she didn’t. That made her proud. She’d accomplished something, even if it was a feat of memorization.
    At the front window, Deveney scanned the empty street. There wasn’t a sign of Maven returning from her errands. The severity of the storm made her concerned for her mentor’s well-being. Lightning flashed. Thunder rumbled and rain flooded the pavement. It gave the shop an eerie feel. A streak of light brightened the room and the masks on the walls looked alive, if only for the moment. Deveney gasped, then chuckled to herself, trying to squash the unwarranted fright. She knew this shop inside and out. There wasn’t an item in it she didn’t know by name, dusted at one time or another or refilled its place on the shelf when it was purchased.
    No, there was nothing in this shop that truly scared her. Except…
    She turned to face the back of the store. There was that closet in the storeroom. On occasion, she thought she heard odd noises coming from inside, but she never had the courage to open it. Maybe that was where Maven kept a pet. Her eyes widened at the prospect of what type of pet Maven locked in a closet. Glancing at the multitude of carved animals, it could have been one of many wild, exotic creatures. But locked in a closet… No, there wasn’t anything alive in there. Maven didn’t have a cruel bone in her body and to lock something up like that… Well, that was cruel to the max.
    Curiosity got the best of her when she returned to the storeroom for another cup of tea. Deveney jiggled the closet door’s knob. It wasn’t locked. She bit her lower lip. Should she open it or not? Maven had asked her not to go in there, but why?
    Open it , the little voice at the back of her mind urged. If she really didn’t want you in there, she would have locked it.
    * * * * *
     
    Maven’s spine stiffened as a vision sprang to life in her head. The sight of Deveney, standing at the closet door and the sound of the doorknob jiggle were as clear as if she stood there next to her young apprentice.
    Oh no! She isn’t ready for that!
    The magi gathered her cloak tighter about her shoulders and increased her pace. Not a person strolled the street in this torrential downpour other than her. She could use her powers to teleport the few blocks to the store. But in this dimension, world and time, it drained her powers dangerously low.
    She couldn’t risk it. She needed the magic’s power to help Deveney. As it was, the negative energies of this time were already straining Maven’s magical strength. How anyone survived in this world amazed the magi.
    In the limited amount of time since her arrival, she sensed magic in many beings. Yet no one used their powers. Either they didn’t know they possessed them or were afraid of being labeled as freaks. Maven couldn’t decide which. She learned it wasn’t considered the proper thing to do in this world of cars, money and computers. Maven forced her tired legs to work faster. The desperate need to reach Deveney urged her through the pelting rain and deep puddles on the sidewalks.
    Maven had to get to Deveney before she opened that door.
    She just had to.
    * * * * *
     
    Hesitation made her linger on the knob. Should she or shouldn’t she? It would probably be best if she waited for Maven to return and just asked what was behind the door. Would Maven tell her?
    Probably not. It was then the little devil inside her took control and she turned the knob, opening the door. Darkness greeted her and she could not see. She groped the inside wall beside the door for the light switch, flipped it up and took a step back.
    This had to be the largest closet she’d ever seen. When she stepped inside, she saw only one