Wearing their matching Orca t-shirts and Orca visors I’d ordered on-line, the girls had been all smiles. In major competition with each other, they’d kept their eyes glued to the ocean, each one impatient to be the first to spot a whale. I’d just hoped for Jason’s sake, the whales intended on making an appearance. I guess birthday wishes do come true sometimes, because the killer whales did not disappoint. Ava Rose was the first to spot a dorsal fin, and soon after, a black and white body breached the ocean’s surface. Six mesmerized little girls danced around excitedly, clapping their hands while oohing and aahing. For the next hour, eight Orcas put on a show, spraying water from their blow holes and leaping out of the water. I’d never seen Ava so happy.
“How in the world did you get a rental place to bring that slide out here to the island?” Hannah asked incredulously. She was bouncing an adorable and babbling 9-month old Thomas Jason on her knee. He kept pointing to Ava and her friends. Beyond them, gorgeous western views of the Pacific Ocean and the outlying islands provided a breathtaking backdrop.
Jason chuckled under his breath. He was sitting next to me on the deep-cushioned sofa.
“Don’t you say a word,” I warned.
Ash snorted. “Rent? Ha! She didn’t rent it. She bought it!”
“What?” Hannah and Sienna said at the same time.
“Hey, big mouth,” I said, giving Ash a dirty look. “That was supposed to be a secret.”
“How was I supposed to know that?” He raised his hands in bewilderment and Madison elbowed him.
I looked suspiciously at Madison. “And where did you get your information?”
Madison shrugged and examined the ends of her shimmering black hair as if looking for split ends. Not that she’d ever find one. “I’ll never tell.” She smiled.
“You just did.” Her eyes widened but she refused to look at me. Placing a hand on my hip, I turned to Jessica, who was sitting on my left. “I thought I told you it was a secret.”
She pressed her lips together and tipped her head forward. For once she was wearing her hair down, and I couldn’t see her face.
“Jessica!” I said, and she peeked up at me. “You are so guilty. Don’t bat those green eyes at me.”
“Oh, fine!” she huffed and sat a little taller. “I might have told Madison.” At that point, Laci cleared her throat and Shelby coughed. “Okay! Okay!” she said with exasperation, flinging her hands about. “I might have mentioned it to a few other people, too.” There was a lot of laughter at this point, and I found myself smiling as well. “But, really. You shouldn’t be ashamed. You have every right to spend that million dollars on whatever you want. Mrs. Zimmerman would be proud of you right now. If anyone deserves to be spoiled rotten, it’s Ava Rose.”
“I agree,” Ally chipped in. “But it’s also been good for you too, Lex. You’ve had so much fun ordering all these party favors and planning the perfect birthday party for Ava. It’s occupied your mind and made you happy. You’ve even been amped up about spending money, like I get when shoe shopping.” Ben, who was sitting next to Ally on the loveseat, didn’t say anything but nodded his head emphatically at her words.
I sighed, and Jason placed his hand over mine. I looked down, marveling at that little gesture. So common for others but so new for us. I would never take anything or any moment with Jason for granted. Not even something as simple as a hand touch. Glancing up at Izzy, I said, “I never thanked you properly for getting Ava to safety. It was pretty crazy in Houston and then before I knew it, we were on a flight back home. So, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”
“No,” Izzy said adamantly. “Thank you for getting us out of there, Lexi.” She jumped up and came over to give me a hug. Tears sparkled in her eyes and mine.”
“You guys are going to make me cry. Stop it,” Jessica said.
“I know, right?” Laci muttered, swiping a hand across her cheek.
Izzy sat back down, and I looked at Jason’s sister. “And Hannah, thank you for taking away all of Ava’s memories of Kieran. I still feel bad we had to do that to her, but I know it was for the best.”
“It was the right thing to do,” she responded.
“Yes, it was,” Jason added, squeezing my hand.
After that it was silent for a while. As we watched Ava and her friends giggling and running around, everyone seemed deep in their own thoughts. I was thinking about how blissfully ignorant Ava would remain of Kieran and anything associated with him. What a blessing! Hannah had erased Ava’s memories while she was sleeping, and then Max had put Ava on the front porch of her house, rang the doorbell, and immediately shifted into a cat. I felt bad from the standpoint that Ava was unable to remember a whole week of her life. She couldn’t explain where she’d been or how she’d gotten home.
The police and everyone had been completely baffled, but her foster family had just been happy to have her home safe and sound. It was a weird situation, though. I had to pretend to be just as surprised and excited to see her again. I had to remember not to mention anything about our time in Oklahoma City, because even though we’d both lived it – she now hadn’t. The doctors had checked her out and said she appeared perfectly healthy. They diagnosed her with temporary amnesia but thought eventually her memories would come back. They had no idea how wrong they were on that account.
Sometimes, I almost wished my memories of Oklahoma City could be erased too. But I knew they couldn’t. They made me mentally stronger and more resilient. And without Kieran and Oklahoma City, I never would have discovered I could multi-link – or that Jason and I could be together. I stole a glance at him. He bit his lower lip, raised his eyebrows seductively, and said, “Want to sneak off and fool around?”
“Not fair,” I said, crinkling my nose. “You know I can’t disappear with you and have a make-out session while Ava’s here.”
He looked aghast. “Who said anything about making-out? I was talking about practicing some martial arts moves out on the practice mats.”
“Sure you were.” I giggled. Dang, his smile was so disarming and those full lips just begged to be kissed.
After we’d returned home from Houston, I’d thought for sure he’d be steaming mad at me. What with my mountain of lies, and all. And yes, he’d been upset, but he’d forgiven me quickly. As it turned out, he knew firsthand how Kieran’s threats compelled people to do things they normally wouldn’t. Jason had experienced an ultimatum from Kieran as well – and had been ensnared the same way Ash had. Madison had been with Jason at the time, and with Kieran promising to murder Ava Rose and me if they didn’t come willingly with his men, they’d had no other choice. Madison had never received Ash’s text, because she’d no longer had her cell phone by then.
What no one could have foreseen, was that Miss Palo would be visiting Oklahoma City at the exact same time the Ray-pacs were swooping in for Kieran’s big event. Miss Palo had been there to partake in an annual 20K charity run and had become worried when she detected an overabundance of links all over the city. There was no Oklahoma City Circle of Guardians. Not all cities had one, but Tulsa and Houston did, and they were just a hop north and south. While Miss Palo had been trying to figure out what was going on, she’d had a premonition of the Guardian–Ray-pac battle. She’d been shocked to see me in her snapshots.
Immediately, she’d called Houston and Tulsa for back-up and then placed a call to Jason’s dad. It didn’t take long before they had put it all together. Michael and Sienna had already started wondering why Jason hadn’t shown up for lunch. Then Jessica had Ally call and chat with my mom. A few seconds into that conversation and Ally knew there was no dying uncle and that I wasn’t with my parents. Luckily, Ally had been discreet, and my mom never knew I was missing or that there was a problem. By the time the Bellingham Circle was on a plane bound for Oklahoma, a frantic Izzy called with more detailed information and a location of the compound. The rest was history.
Ava Rose yelled to me from atop of the water slide, “Lexi
, watch this.” I waved and watched her glide down on her stomach. When she got to the bottom she looked at me expectantly, and I gave her two thumbs up.
“Burgers will be ready in ten and steaks in fifteen,” Max called out, waving some big utensil in the air. The grill sizzled, bringing with it that great barbecue smell blended with a pepper medley mix Max had seasoned the steaks with. I could almost taste the juicy tenderloin.
“What is that weapon?” Trevon called out.
Pleased, Max smiled. “This is the Stake all-in-one tool. It transforms from a spatula to a fork to a set of tongs. It’s brilliant! Thanks again, honey,” he said to Laci. “You’re the best.”
She shook her head. “He’s such a gadget guy.” Lowering her voice, she turned toward us. “You should see what I just bought him.” We all leaned in. “You know how he’s always telling everybody to slow down when they eat because it’s so much healthier?”
Madison snorted. “Yeah. It’s so annoying. He’s been doing that with me ever since we were like eight years old.”
Laci nodded vigorously, her curls buoyant once again and her blue eyes crystal clear. “Well, I found a fork that talks and tells you to slow down if you start eating too fast.”
We all cracked up. Then Ben and Trevon started talking about some other cool gadgets. I called out to Ava and the girls, letting them know dinner would be ready in ten minutes.
After handing Thomas Jason off to Dan, Hannah came back and collapsed into her chair. “Wow! That little guy is the light of our lives, but he sure knows how to keep me on my toes. I don’t think I’ve read a book or relaxed in the tub since the day he was born.” We laughed, and then she looked at Jason and said, “So, everything’s squared away with the Senior Council?”
“Yes!” Madison broke in before he could answer. “That’s the one good thing about this mess. Now that we’re all linked with Lexi,” she paused, shook her head, and sighed deeply, as if it was still too terrible to believe, “We’re staying. You know how they’ve always frowned upon linked partners who opt to live in separate cities, so they can’t very well change the rules on us; wouldn’t make any sense to separate us now. But thank goodness,” she said dramatically, “Dakota has asked to stay in Montana, and they okayed that for now.”
“I don’t think anyone knows what to do with us,” Jason said with a troubled frown.
Ash laughed and smacked his hands together. “Yeah, especially Mr. Wright and Carlos. While Mr. Wright and some of the others were trying to decide if Lexi should link with more Guardians, Carlos was worried Lexi was already too powerful and that one day she might usurp the whole Council. Really, it was a riot. They’re clueless.”
“They just piss me off,” Jason said angrily. “They don’t need to do anything but leave Alex alone. The way they always try to control everyone, and especially her – it’s not right. And most the time it’s for their own personal gain. They don’t seem to care about her feelings or what she’s been through.” He realized he was digging into my leg and said, “Sorry.” He took a breath and said, “At least you stood up and gave them a piece of your mind.”
“Yeah, that was definitely the highlight!” Ash said. Leaning back in his chair, he clasped his hands behind his head.
“Why? What did you do?” Hannah asked, practically falling out of her chair with impatience.
“You mean what didn’t she do?” Madison said, a rare note of respect in her tone.
“I want to hear this,” Michael said, rushing over from the grill.
I tensed, remembering the impromptu Senior Council meeting. Jason, Ash, Madison, Izzy, Dakota, and I had all been there to share our stories in front of the entire Council. We’d just gotten back two days before. It was nice to have Miss Palo there, imparting her side of the story. It had also been good to see Ahanu again and have his support. Luckily, we’d had the meeting in Seattle, so I’d driven straight there after a short day visit with my parents.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and fiddled with my earring. “Well,” I said guiltily, “first thing I did was blow my temper. I kind of went off about how I wouldn’t be linking with anyone again unless I chose to do so. And then I told them if my current links remained permanent I most certainly would not be adding any additional ones. Besides that, it was a good time to let my feelings for Jason be known. I told them that watching him nearly die made me realize I was in love with him, not Ash, and then…”
“And that’s when,” Ash interjected proudly, “I wept and put on an incredible show of a man who’s just had his heart broken in two.”
“Which was totally overdone and hardly believable,” Madison added, shaking her head.
I smiled at the memory and continued. “I told them that if my links ever broke, Jason would be the only person I’d be re-linking with. And I might have mentioned something about joining the Canadian Senior Council if they didn’t accept that.” I stopped and took a deep breath.
“You go girl,” Jessica called out.
“Believe me. There is no way they’ll take a chance at losing a Dentelle to another country,” Jason said adamantly. “I don’t want to lose you either.”
I wrapped an arm around him. “I’m not going anywhere without you ever again.”
“Hannah,” Dan called out with a laugh, “TJ is pointing at the steaks. I think that’s what he wants for dinner.”
“Not happening. It’s peas, pears, and milk for him.”
Ally stuck out her tongue. “Ugh! I hate peas with a passion. Poor little guy. I feel sorry for him.”
“You should have seen his face when I shoveled pureed spinach into his mouth,” Hannah said, making a face of her own.
“That’s even worse,” Ben added. “Child abuse, for sure.”
“Vegetables are highly overrated,” Ash said. We all laughed and then Ash brightened and said, “Ask Lexi what she did next at the meeting.” I received several interested looks. I shook my head stubbornly. “Oh, come on,” Ash coaxed.
Madison was more than happy to take over. “Oh, Lexi was so mad she flashed in and out of invisibility and then lifted a few water glasses off the table and launched them into a wall.”
“A few?” Ash said, shoving his shoulder against hers, causing her to rock sideways. They were sitting on a sofa next to each other, and I noticed he kept trying to hold her hand, but she kept swatting it away.
Madison took a sip of her iced tea, and said, “I kept telling Lexi she ought to shift into a werewolf or something. Really give them something to talk about. I told her if she would then I would too. But she totally ignored me.”
Ash laughed and sat forward. “Yeah, she’s good at tuning people out. Did you really tell her that?”
“Yeah. Why?” she looked at him like he was dense, and we all watched the exchange with interest. They were always the best entertainment.
“Because I was in her head telling her to turn into a vampire and suck the blood out of Carlos.”
“You were not,” she said, bopping him on the side of the head.
“Yes, I was. Tell her, Lexi.” He looked at me impatiently.
I nodded. “It’s true.”
“Ha! See, I told you. Now you owe me.”
Madison made a funny sound and screwed up her face. “I don’t owe you anything.”
“Oh, yes you do. And I’ll take a kiss as payment.”
“Turn me into collections then,” she smirked, but her eyes sparkled.
“Oh, puh-lease,” I said, speaking to them both at the same time. “Get a room, will ya?”
Their heads snapped my way so fast, I thought they were going to pop off.
Michael looked at them like they were both a couple of idiots. “Lexi, I thought the telekinesis Flair was from your link with Kieran?”
I rubbed the back of my neck as if that would relieve the tension of hearing Kieran’s name. “It was.”
“But he’s dead,” Shelby said, her eyes blinking rapidly behind her bright orange glasses. Her freckle
s were unbelievably prominent now that summer was upon us.
“Yeah, so what gives? Why do you still have it?” Trevon said, poking his head around Shelby. She always sat in his lap. I imagined it was more comfortable, because he was such a big guy, he nearly took up the entire bench by himself. She would have been squished sitting next to him.
Leaning forward, I rested my chin on my hands. “Don’t know. Not sure why. Maybe because I was still linked with everyone else, so I didn’t lose the one I’d had with Kieran.”
“Oh, if our links ever break,” Madison said, nodding her head slowly, her pupils widening, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you somehow keep all your Flairs.”
“Impossible,” Sienna uttered.
“Oh, I think that’s exactly what Carlos was worried about,” Ash said.
“I can’t imagine that could ever…” I started to say.
“That would be totally badass,” Trevon cut in.
“And it would make Lexi one of the most powerful people alive,” Michael mused.
Grinning so broadly, the wrinkles reached her eyes, Jessica said, “Move over superman, this planet has a new superhero!”
“Jess, you’re such a fanatic,” Madison said.
Max pointed his pronged fork at us. “You guys better keep your voices down.”
“The girls can’t hear us,” Laci said.
“Well, even so, it’s a good idea. Oh, and five minutes on the burgers,” he added.
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens,” Jason said, glancing at his watch. “Full moon in two weeks.” I thought it was cute. He and Max were the only two guys I knew that still wore watches. Ash was all fashionable with his leather wrist bands and rings, and even Trevon wore some fancy black striped stainless steel bracelet.
Dentelle #3 Guardian series Page 40
