The Betrayer (Crossing Realms Series Book 3)

by Rebecca E. Neely

  He could be furious she hadn’t told him sooner, or grateful she’d told them at all. He clung to the latter, even as horror chilled him.

  “That’s insane.” He shook his head in disbelief. New questions assaulted him as he searched for some way to conceive this surreality. He clasped Jordan’s hand, fortifying himself. “Arrogant.”

  His father dropped into a chair. “It’s unspeakable,” he managed.

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “Brilliant.”

  Curtis’ mind leapt, made the connection, and stone-cold understanding dawned. He felt the blood drain from his face. “My gods, has that been the point of the Similitude all along?” he asked, his voice raw.

  Jordan swallowed audibly. “It didn’t start out that way. Once Abel learned how to re-purpose the Similitude, he tried to find ways to apply the knowledge he’d gained. Especially after—”

  “After Libby defeated Haenus,” Nick broke in.

  “And after I crossed realms, denying him the chance by seconds,” Dev put in.

  Jordan nodded. “He decided failing again wasn’t an option. The idea to create another portal was born.”

  “The re-purpose. It’s why they were using you,” Curtis said, circling back around. Releasing Jordan, he paced the length of the room. “He learned from your experience, and your father’s.” He ached with loss, hers and theirs. “He tested him to destruction and tried to do the same to you. Abel’s a murderer.”

  “He’ll stop at nothing to cross realms,” Nick said, his sweeping glance taking in the entire clan. “It always comes back to the brood’s greed. They want the Vitality quarry. An unlimited supply of stones to render into Similitude.”

  Curtis stared at the sea of faces around him. The unspoken threat was foremost in all their minds. If Abel claimed the quarry, he and the brood would conquer Watchers and Keepers. Own their realms. Without Keepers to guard them, humans would die by killing each other, or becoming enslaved to Betrayers.

  He jammed shaking hands into his front jean pockets. “The Second Rebellion isn’t only a battle to save the human race,” he rasped. “It’s a battle to save ourselves.”

  “I don’t understand. How can he create his own portal?” Libby asked in a shaky voice, her face pale. “There has to be a way to stop him.”

  Curtis cleared his throat. “Good questions. Long answers. Ones I suggest we address in the Situation room.” He glanced at the grandfather clock in the foyer. Nearly twelve-thirty. As a child, the pendulum had fascinated him. Now, he watched it like a convict on death row. “Up to a late-night meeting, everyone?” His head was spinning.

  He’d recognized the misery in Jordan’s eyes, the weariness, and he was desperate to be alone with her. He spiked a hand through his hair, still encrusted with dried mud. “If we’re going to do this justice, give us an hour to get cleaned up.”

  “One hour,” Nick said. “Situation room.”

  Curtis fist bumped his brother, and a silent communication passed between them. He recalled a time not so long ago when their situations were reversed, and Curtis appreciated his sympathy as well as his reservations. But he understood Nick would give him a chance.

  Nick inclined his head to the others and they vacated the living room, with Dev glancing at Jordan and muttering.

  Moments later, Libby reentered the room on a rush of breath. “Curtis?”

  He must appear as helpless as he felt, for she flew to his side and pulled him into her arms. “I know what it’s like to feel alone,” she told him. Libby offered Jordan a smile, and he silently thanked her for it. “I have some clothes that should fit you well enough,” she said, taking quick measure of her. “Where should I put them?”

  “In my room,” Curtis replied decisively.

  “You got it.” Once more, Libby hugged him, then left the room.

  Curtis dry-scrubbed his face, as if he could rid himself of uncertainties, along with three days’ worth of grime and beard. A large part of him rejoiced in Jordan’s unexpected appearance in his orderly, logical life where surprises were normally the enemy.

  But another part of him, one he was loath to acknowledge, demanded he ask the question. Though Jordan had proven her ability beyond a shadow of a doubt, what if his clan’s suspicions were founded?

  He hated himself for wondering if his mate could be capable of such treachery.

  And she is my mate.

  What else wasn’t she telling them? Would it always be a matter of asking the right questions? He stared at this bewitching woman—weary, defensive, and filthy—standing in his parents’ living room. By sharing what she had about the portal, it proved she was not only on their side, but learning to trust. Didn’t it? Time would erode the walls she’d built to keep everyone out.

  He’d continue chipping away right now. “Jordan. We need to talk.”

  She straightened, clearly prepared to accept blame. “I know I shouldn’t have said that.” She gnawed on her bottom lip. “About Meda.”

  Curtis sighed, the bittersweet moment still fresh in his mind. “No,” he said softly, trying to see both sides. To divide himself in two. Again. “But he backed you into a corner.” He tried a smile. “Fact is, I’ll be an uncle, three times over. Fiona first. Libby, and now Meda. It’s good news.”

  “He wanted proof. I gave it to him.” She jerked a shoulder. “Besides, I was angry he didn’t believe me, or you.”

  “Jordan.” Her name was a hushed plea on his lips.

  “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me,” she said, her voice brittle, her stance unyielding. “But I’m not your mate.”

  She heard me. Either in the street or here in the network. It wasn’t how he’d wanted her to find out. It didn’t matter now. He exhaled a pent-up of breath. So, this was how it was going to go. Why should he be surprised?

  Short and sweet, stab right through the heart.

  The alley cat, taking a swipe. Fine with him, she could protest all she wanted. As primal as blood calling to blood, he’d heeded her response to him, seen it in those clear eyes of hers, felt her pulse thrum in time with his. And he’d willingly use it against her to convince her of what he knew unshakably in his bones. She was his.

  “Yes, you are,” he said, smiling with a brightness he didn’t feel. “I think you know it as well as I do. You just need some persuading.”

  Her eyes flashed. “You’re confused, is all. When you’ve gone through what we have . . . I’m just saying, it creates a bond people mistake for . . .” She trailed off, her cheeks pinkening.

  Hope surged in him. Had her lower lip trembled? Was she entertaining doubts? “You’re right.” He pounced on the opportunity. “It creates a bond.” Using the pad of his thumb, he tilted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “One I’m unwilling to break.”

  She pushed his hand away. “I’ve killed people, drained them. Spurred them to violence,” she insisted stubbornly.

  “Yes, you’ve made damn sure we know. How many times are you going to clobber yourself with what you did to survive? Use it as an excuse to convince yourself you don’t deserve love?”

  “Stop.”

  “No.” He clasped her hands in his.

  She wrestled to free herself.

  He only held her tighter. “To survive, I killed, only hours ago,” he said, his tone unwavering. “A member of your brood. You could hate me for it.” She couldn’t possibly understand the anxiety it caused him, but he had to know. “Maybe you do. But I’d do it again.”

  She went still. “No. No, I could never hate you. You did what you had to. The waste of life . . .” Breaking off, her voice thickened with unshed tears. “Sickens me.”

  It did him too, but he refused to get bogged down in it. Thoughts of Zane propelled him. “I’d do anything to protect you and my clan. Myself. I won’t a
pologize for it. The same way you shouldn’t flagellate yourself every chance you get with what you did to survive.” He paused. Cocked his head. “By the way, thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “The energy you lent me in the street. Without it, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to fight. Even survive.”

  Jordan seemed to focus on a spot on the far wall. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Baffled by her response, Curtis decided to leave it alone. For now. Before she could say anything more, he pressed on, determined to build his case of belonging together. “What do you think about your ability being tied in with Libby and Meda’s?” He spoke quickly. “It’s no coincidence. It can’t be. You’re too smart for that. There’s a reason why you came to us and I received the Compulsion for you.”

  She said nothing for a moment, as if considering it. “They’re psychic. Psychic is a human phenomenon. That doesn’t apply to me.”

  “How do you know?” he returned. “Maybe you are. After your transformation, can’t you open your mind to the possibility? Have you ever questioned how you’re able to do what you do?”

  “Like Meda said, I’m willing to explore it,” she said begrudgingly, and joy surged through him. Lowering her head, her dreadlocks hid her face. “They’ll never accept me.”

  If he didn’t know better, he’d say he was wearing her down. “I have. Libby and Meda have. So has my mother. The rest will. Give them a chance. Give us a chance. All of us need time.”

  “The one thing we don’t have,” she muttered.

  He couldn’t argue with that, so he didn’t. “My mother is giving you the benefit of the doubt. What she does and says matters.” In this, Curtis had utter faith. All his life, he’d witnessed her influence in action. His mother also conceded to give Jordan a chance for his sake, and he wouldn’t forget it. The others would have to get over it. “Dev and Nick have unconventional mates, to say the least. They’ll get there.”

  “But Libby and Meda weren’t raised as Betrayers.”

  “People can change, Jordan.”

  “I tried to kill you in the street. Steal your stones. Would have left you to die. After everything you’d done for me.”

  He’d match her, objection for objection. “I knew you were going to try to bolt, Jordan. And you weren’t going to kill me. Just knock me out.”

  “If I’d stolen your stones, you’d have died without them.”

  That truth cut him. But he couldn’t, in spite of all the logic he possessed, hold it against her.

  For in the moment he’d realized what she was plotting, he’d also realized he was in love with her.

  The Compulsion and her ability were tangled up in this maelstrom, but it’d been her iron will to escape—in spite of the logic she must remain with him for her safety—that’d ultimately undone him. Her courage. That she was unaware of her own strength was a close second. For those reasons, the fate he’d once felt thrust upon him by the Watchers and their mysterious ways, he now embraced.

  He clearly remembered the first time he’d come across Jordan’s picture while doing online research in the Situation room. It’d been right after she’d tried to drain Dev at the motel. There’d never been a hint at what was to come, or how their lives would intertwine.

  Life with this hellcat would never be dull. “They’re not so easy to steal, you know.”

  Her brow creased in confusion, and he wanted to laugh out loud. “I’d have tried.”

  “I believe you would’ve.”

  “You can’t give me a Vitality stone.” In the way he’d come to know and admire, she jutted out her chin in defiance.

  “I can, and I will. You need it in order to survive.” He held up a hand to silence her rebuke. They’d already covered this ground as far as he was concerned, and he wasn’t about to let her get him off track—no matter how uneasy he was in pursuing this topic. “I have to know something. Say you had managed to steal my stones. You had no idea how their energy would affect you. What made you so sure you could thrive without me?”

  Jordan stared at him, her eyes laced with pain. “I had to take my chances,” she said hesitantly.

  Curtis probed further, a sick feeling settling in his gut. “After the time I’ve spent with you, I see a woman who’s strong. Brave. Smart. Resourceful. But not foolish. I understand why you were afraid to come to the network. Were you that desperate to get away from me? Or was the reason you were so hell bent on escape something else entirely?” His jaw clenched. “Or someone?”

  He’d never once asked or even considered she might belong to someone else. He cursed himself. When it came to this woman, all his common sense fled and emotion ruled.

  She met his question with silence, and tension coiled every one of his muscles.

  Finally, she spoke. “There is someone.”

  His throat constricted. He’d kill whoever it was. “Jordan, tell me.”

  “It’s not what you think,” she said, blessedly relieving his torture. “It’s a woman named Magpie. I have to find her. She’s been like a mother to me since my own died, when I was a child.”

  Her. He sat on the couch, his knees weak. “Magpie,” he repeated.

  “Yes.” She joined him. “She and Kemp are the only ones from my brood I can trust.”

  “Kemp?” he repeated, sincerely shocked. “The one who left you for dead in the warehouse? You can’t be serious.”

  “He didn’t kill me. He defied Abel’s orders because he couldn’t bring himself to do it. At first, I cursed him for it.”

  “And now?” Could he dare hope she was beginning to understand what they might be able to have together?

  “Now, I think maybe I have a chance to save Magpie. No one knows where she is, or they didn’t a few days ago. Kemp loves Magpie. He thinks Abel doesn’t know.” She wrung her hands, speaking quickly. “She’s in trouble. I know it, without the use of my ability or any type of energy. I have to make sure she’s okay. Kemp is the only one who might know where she is or can help me find her.”

  Jordan against the realm. Curtis read her body language, her expression, loud and clear. What his clan had suffered and lost, was too close. Her desperation to find the only family she had left urged him on. “He’s not the only one. I’ll help you. And so will my clan.” He pledged this without a second thought, though he had no idea yet how to make good on his promise.

  He would stand behind this woman, show her she could trust. Give her a reason to believe. And so would his clan, if he had to force them, kicking and screaming. He didn’t dare permit himself to think they wouldn’t help. If, as Jordan did, they insisted on more convincing, he’d provide all they needed.

  Her eyes shimmered, destroying him. “Why?”

  Because I love you. Because you’re my mate. Because I would do anything you asked.

  Curtis longed to speak the words, but it was too much, too soon. If he told her what was in his heart, he risked overwhelming her, maybe even pushing her farther away. She needed to heal, physically, as well as mentally. Her spirit was damaged but not broken. He figured a combination of kid gloves and tough love, from him and his clan, would restore her on all fronts. She had to love herself before she could love him, or anyone else.

  Growing up geeky-shy and awkward, he’d faced insecurities and battles in liking himself, and he’d had a loving, supportive clan surrounding him. She’d been traumatized by a brood master bent on punishing her and her family at every turn.

  So he settled for the safe, obvious truth. “Because you can’t do it alone.”

  She gave a snort of derision. “Your clan won’t help me. Certainly, Dev won’t. Surely you can’t believe any of them would.”

  “Shh.” He held a finger to her lips, silencing her. “You let me worry about that.”

&
nbsp; She said nothing for a long time. “I don’t deserve your kindness.”

  It was a helluva lot more than kindness, he wanted to scoff. It was a purely selfish gesture on his part, to see her light up. To win her heart. Funny, he’d always thought love would unfold slowly, even tenderly for him. Instead it’d crashed into him like a tsunami.

  Curtis fought for control. “Yes, you do. You deserve every kindness ever denied you and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you forget it.”

  Biting her lip, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Curtis felt her struggle as surely as if it was his own.

  Sensing she was on the brink of something significant, he restrained himself from simply gathering her in his arms.

  “You make it sound so easy,” she told him. “Until I met you, my life felt like . . .” She seemed to search for words. “Like I’m dreaming I’m naked in a crowd but I never wake up.”

  He held his breath. “And now?”

  “I see possibilities. I have . . . hope.”

  Her bald admission annihilated him and fanned the fire of his own hope. Before she could stop him, he pulled her close. “It can be scary,” he said, pressing his cheek against hers. “If you’re disappointed, it’s twice as devastating.”

  She nodded against him.

  “Jordan, hold on to your hope.” He wrapped his arms around her, the fit and feel of her body next to his true and right. “Don’t you understand? I see things in a whole new way because of you. You’re the adventure I’ve always wanted and never knew I could have.”

  Lifting her chin, he smiled into her eyes. “All my life, the only Compulsions I’ve ever received have been for children. And I was proud to serve as a Keeper, proud to help those children. I resented it too. Didn’t the Watchers trust me to do anything more important? I compared myself to my brothers. All their Compulsions were life and death missions. Most of the time, I was doing things like preventing bullying, and helping kids cross streets. Of course, I had my share of dangerous Compulsions. But not like them.”