As she had several times each day, she began lowering the walls surrounding her Vista. By inviting him in, she believed she could offer him intimate, potent, and healing energy.
“In the reno, I knew you were trying to pass into my Vista on some level. Guarding it has always been a strength of mine. Maybe it’s something I inherited from having a mixed background. Maybe it’s even why Abel couldn’t get my stones away from me.”
She recalled the final moments of the Second Rebellion. Magpie and Kemp had both given their lives, fighting for the Keepers. They’d been honored and given a proper burial. Jordan fell silent, mourning them both. She knew without their help, they might not have been able to defeat the brood.
She also knew Magpie would always be with her, just as she’d told her.
Trembling, her dreadlocks fell across her cheeks and fanned his chest as she admitted, “You never stopped loving me. You never gave up on me. Even when I didn’t deserve you. Maybe I still don’t.” She managed a half laugh, half sob. “If you wouldn’t have protected me, lent me your energy to give me safe passage through the Betrayers’ portal, I wouldn’t have made it. And the clan never would’ve won.”
Bending, she nuzzled his nose with her own. “You were right. I did lend you my energy in the street when those Betrayers jumped us. I didn’t want to tell you because I wasn’t ready to admit my feelings for you. I love you,” she said tearfully. “And I’ll never stop.”
The Vitality stone at the base of her throat pulsed its warmth against her skin. “I’m sorry for leaving. I’ll never let you down again. You can believe in me because I finally believe in myself. You made ‘together’ a new word for me. We have so much to do. I want to be by your side. As your mate. Your lover. The mother of your children.”
She opened his palm to plant kisses in its center. He didn’t react.
Okay, then. I’ll try something else. Logic was what he understood best. Wasn’t it?
She held tight to his fingers. “I want to find out what my father’s numbers mean. We have to do it together. And I want you to know all of me.” Her Vista fully open, she sifted through memories, enabling him to see her as a child, as a teen. Her father and mother. To feel her joy and sadness, her pain and triumph.
There was no responding tug of energy or warmth save for her own.
Jordan refused to give in to tears. She’d shed enough to last a lifetime. Weary, desperate, her grief morphed into anger. Closing off her Vista, a hard knot formed in her stomach. If he wouldn’t listen to reason, she’d knock some sense into him another way. She dropped his hand.
“Curtis, you need to wake up. Talk to me. Get well. If you think I’m going anywhere, you can think again. You’re the one who made me to come to the network in the first place, remember?” Her voice rose. “How can I ever prove to you how much I love you, all of what I’m saying, if you don’t wake up?”
“Always the alley cat,” Curtis mumbled.
Her pulse raced, and joy spilled over. “What? What did you say?”
Shifting, he opened his eyes and cleared his throat. “I said, how about a glass of water?” he croaked.
“Oh, my gods. You’re awake. You’re talking.” Shaking, she fetched the water and nearly bobbled it. “Curtis,” she breathed, lifting the glass to his lips.
He drank deeply. She snatched it from him. “Go slow. You haven’t had any for days.”
He smiled, stopping her heart. “I’ll go slow,” he said, his voice still rough. “As long as you’re the one supervising my recovery.”
She beamed at him. “You bet I will.”
“Jordan.” Reaching for her hand, he linked his fingers with hers. “I’ve heard everything you’ve said. Known you were beside me every moment. It’s where I always want you to be. I love you.”
Her entire body tingled and wept with joy. “I love you too.” She hesitated, but she had to know. “Curtis, can you ever forgive me?”
He studied her with those navy eyes, and in them she saw the answer. “As long as you don’t go off halfcocked by yourself anywhere, ever again.”
Gratitude soared in her. “I promise.”
He used his other hand to cup her neck and pull her closer. “Not so fast. As long as you forgive yourself and share your life with me. Fight, love, dream alongside me. Make a family with me.”
Oh hell, she was going to cry after all. “Yes. Yes to all of it.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking. It seems you’re in need of a last name.” He paused, and her heart leapt. “I’d like to give you mine. Jordan Geary. Got a nice ring to it. What do you think?”
Her smile widened. “I think it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”
“How does a wedding sound? Keepers don’t practice such rituals when they claim their mates, but humans do. What do you say we break tradition? Kind of a celebration of our victory, as well as humans’? Have one in the backyard by the copse of trees?”
Soul-deep satisfaction filled her, and she knew she would revel in this moment for the rest of her life. Jordan showered kisses on his face, his nose, his cheeks. “I’d love it.” Bursting with happiness, she rose. “Let me get the others.”
“Wait. I need another minute.” He gripped her hand.
Alarmed, she assessed him. “Why? Are you okay?”
“I’m going to be fine.” Pushing himself up on his pillow, he drew her into his arms. “I told you before you were the adventure I’d always wanted,” he murmured, pressing his lips to hers. “Right here, right now, might be the best part of it so far.”
Epilogue
The baby burped, and moments later, lay sleeping on Curtis’ chest. Chuckling, he patted his diaper clad bottom. “Connor Geary. You sweet little man.” Bestowing a kiss on his forehead, he placed him in Fiona’s waiting arms. “He’s just beautiful.”
“Thank you.” She glowed. “I think so.” Nuzzling her nose against his cheek, she laid her son in his crib.
Jordan peeked around the door of the nursery, spotted the sleeping baby, and lowered her voice. “How’s our nephew?”
“Getting bigger every day.” Fi grinned as they moved into the hall. “He finished another whole ounce today.”
“You and Thad should be proud.” Jordan hugged Fi and grinned at Curtis. “How’s my mate?”
Curtis yanked her into his arms and kissed her. “I think the doctor prescribed more bed rest.” He winked at his sister. “I couldn’t be better, especially under your care.”
Jordan laughed, low and throaty, heating his blood. “Nick said you wanted to show me something?”
“I do. Fi, we’ll catch up with you and Thad later. Don’t forget we have tickets for the first pre-season Steeler game Thursday.”
“Wouldn’t miss it. See you soon.”
“What’s up?” Jordan asked. They strolled across the street to his parents’ house. Once inside, they descended the stairs to the Situation room. On the conference room table, the Clan Scrolls lay open, their aged leather and intricate stitching at odds with the gloss of the rest of the room, and at the same time, perfectly at home.
Reverently, she touched the thick pages of parchment. “They’re exquisite.”
“I’m still in awe of them,” Curtis agreed. “I’ve been studying these, as you know, for the last few weeks while I’ve been recovering.” Taking her hands in his, he flashed her a smile. He’d been researching his theory for days and had only verified it this morning. “Coordinates.”
She bounced on tiptoe. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.” Satisfied at being able to give his mate the answer for cracking the code, he winked. “The numbers your father told you are the locations of stones. The ones stolen during the First Rebellion and hidden by the Betrayers.” He slid a paper toward her.
She
pored over it. He’d listed all the numbers she’d told him, ordering them by way of degrees, minutes and seconds, and included the corresponding locations.
She gaped. “How did you figure it out?”
“An accounting of the first Rebellion is recorded in the Scrolls in detail. I read through those pages several times. I started thinking, what information would your father have had that was so secret it wasn’t written down anywhere? Why? By cross referencing what we know about the first Rebellion, the dates, the locations around the world, it’s the only thing that makes sense.” He paused. “I’m wondering if we’ll find your mother at one of these locations,” he said hopefully.
Her eyes shone. “Do you really think?”
“I did some checking. What do you know about your grandmother? Your father’s mother.”
“Delaney. He mentioned her a few times, but she died when he was fairly young.”
“Abel’s father was Maxton. He was half—something he hid from the brood for obvious reasons. His mate was Greer, and they conceived Abel. But Maxton also had a mistress.”
“My grandmother.”
Curtis nodded. “She gave birth to your father, Lathan. He and Abel were half-brothers. There’s no way to be certain, but I’m wondering if your grandmother came by the locations of the stones when his lips were . . . loose, shall we say. Anyway, Delaney loved her Lathan, even though she knew him to be half. It’s my theory she told your father the numbers as a kind of leverage, an insurance, in case he ever needed it. Which, as it turned out, he did. I think, in order for your mother to have a chance at survival, your father told her the numbers when Abel forced her out of the brood. Sadly, I’m betting he knew he’d never see her again.”
Her face tightened with emotion. “Why would my father tell me she was dead?”
“I don’t know,” Curtis said quietly. “Maybe Abel was telling you the truth. Maybe she wanted it that way. Or he did. Your father probably thought it would be easier for you, instead of anticipating seeing her again. My guess is your father decided to stay with the brood to give you stability. If you’d both left, you’d have always been on the run from Abel. By not telling you what the numbers were, I’m guessing he thought if it was discovered you had this information, you could honestly say you didn’t know what they were.”
“He spent most of his life protecting me,” Jordan marveled, both her pride and grief apparent. “And he died, thinking of how he could continue to do so from beyond the grave.”
“I promise you this.” Curtis smoothed a dreadlock from her forehead. “If your mother is alive we’ll do all we can to find her. Then she can tell you what happened. From everything you’ve said about your parents, all their decisions involved your safety. All I know for sure is, these are the locations of the hidden stones.” He tapped the paper. “These may have kept her alive all these years. It’s up to us to find them, and hopefully, her.”
“She might not want to be found, Curtis. She’s a Betrayer.”
“Yes.” He rubbed her forearm. “Who can be transformed.”
“Then I’ll hold on to that.” She scanned the paper clutched in her hand. “My head is spinning. Seattle. Dallas. Jacksonville. Milan. Istanbul. Berlin.” She frowned. “Woodstock, Vermont. I’ve never been.”
“Me either. It’s our first stop. To get us there, I have another surprise for you.” Tugging on her hand, he hustled her up the stairs and outside, to one of the two spacious garages the clan maintained for their service vans and contracting equipment.
“Curtis,” she said, laughing. “What are you up to?”
“Close your eyes.”
She obeyed, and he slid the door aside with a flourish. “You can open them now.”
With an amused expression, she stepped into the garage.
Gaping, she blinked several times, and faced him. “A rat-rod. You bought me a Model A rat rod?” Her eyes gleamed. Circling the vehicle, she ran a hand over its stripped doors, its antiquated gauges, its whitewall tires. “A ’31, too.”
She stopped and whistled. “That’s a Cadillac 500 cubic inch high torque street engine. I think I’m going to faint. It’s gorgeous.” She pointed to the other side of the garage. “What’s all that?”
“Parts.” He laughed, thrilled by her reaction. “So you can build your own after we return in the next six months or so.”
She launched herself at him and wrapped her legs around his waist. “An extended honeymoon.”
Caressing a thigh with one hand, he palmed the back of her neck with the other and crushed his mouth to hers possessively, offering all of himself. Gradually, he eased back and traced her generous mouth with the pad of his finger. “You’re so beautiful when you smile.”
Her eyes misted. “I thought I was the happiest woman in the realm at our wedding. Me, in a white dress, even a veil. And you, vowing to love and cherish me forever. And now, all this? You amaze me. How can I ever thank you?”
Winking, he set her on the trunk of the rat-rod. “I’ve an idea or two.” From his pocket, he produced a set of keys and handed them to her. “But for now, take me for a ride.”
“Gladly.” Jingling them, she hopped down, opened the driver side door and met his eyes from across its expanse. “Curtis, for weeks now, things have been back to normal.” Her smile faltered. “I have just one question. The consequences you warned us about for using the Vitality in a way it wasn’t intended. Do you still think there’ll be any?”
Curtis had wrestled with the same question and discussed it at length with the clan. He opened his door and climbed in, waiting for her to join him, then clasped Jordan’s hand in his. “I don’t know. But you and I, we’re going to live our lives.”
His eyes, ever alert, scanned the yard, their neighborhood, the network and beyond, before meeting hers lovingly. “Together?”
She brushed her lips over his. “Together.”
Dear Readers-
I sincerely hope you enjoyed Curtis and Jordan’s story! If you would, please take a minute to leave a review. I sure would appreciate it. Thanks!
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Hugs and happy reading!
Sincerely,
Rebecca
Also from Soul Mate Publishing and Rebecca E. Neely:
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A MIGHTY GOOD MAN
Her personal and professional life on the skids, a family emergency forces writer Hank Jerry to return to the small town and the aunt she left behind.
Fresh out of prison, Jack “Gent” Darcy is bent on cutting ties with the Creds, but when you're a war counselor in a national gang, they don't let you just walk away.
Injured and on the run, Jack lands on Hank’s doorstep, and makes her a proposition she can’t refuse: write his story about life inside one of the most powerful gangs in the country. It’s simple—she’ll get her career groove back, and he’ll bury the gang, then disappear—his version of freedom.
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The Betrayer (Crossing Realms Series Book 3) Page 24
