“Baby, this car is custom made. There’s a difference. Just listen to her.”
I flashed Kayla a grin and took a corner fast. “Yeah, and she doesn’t sass either.”
Chapter 26
JACOB WOULD feel better once he’d gotten some distance and had a chance to calm down. It didn’t mean I had to like seeing him go storming off. It was better to let him go, I knew that much, and at least he wasn’t alone. If anyone could help calm him down, it would be Kayla and Steve.
Ussier turned to me after the door slammed behind Steve. “How much would it take to contact these Ascended?”
“It’s been a stressful evening. I’ll need some time to meditate. The Ascended are very sensitive to moods, and they like their tranquility. If I attempt it now and am successful, then I might just set them off.”
“How much time do you need?”
I thought about Jacob and our renewed connection. The last thing I wanted was to put a wall up between us. I needed him to be with me every step of the way, but Jacob really irritated the Ascended. If I had some time, I could get him to calm down enough to join with me. “Let’s attempt it tomorrow evening. I’m sure you wish to check back in with your people in Pittsburgh, and you’ll need to see to Lisabeth.”
“What do you think her odds are of waking up are?” Ussier’s eyes tightened, and it made me wonder just how deep his bond with Lisabeth went.
“Fairly high. Artemise thought she’d just been stung. Now that we know who set it, I’m sure the trap was meant for me. I would think she’d awaken by dawn, or the next night at the latest. Nerissa doesn’t want me dead, at least not yet.”
“She will recover completely, I’m sure of it,” Artemise assured him.
“You’d better hope you’re right,” Ussier said, moving to the window and peering out into the dark. “Do you want me to go fetch Mr. Corvin before I leave?”
“No, I know exactly where he is and his state of mind. He hasn’t gone far. If I leave him alone, he’ll calm down quicker.” Even as I said it, I wished Jacob were here now. “I suspect once he realizes that I’m by myself at the cabin he’ll be here as fast as he can drive that insane car of his.”
“No doubt about that.” Ussier’s quick flash of a grin turned serious. “I don’t like any of you being out here in the back end of nowhere. Why don’t you come back with us to Pittsburgh?”
I understood Ussier’s uneasiness. The sense of an impending storm had only gotten stronger since we’d arrived back at the cabin. I was reminded of Gerard’s visions, the ones that had prompted him to seek out Artemise. A war in the heavens and worlds being ripped apart. I wasn’t one to pray, but this was something that could not be allowed to happen.
“It’s dangerous in either location, but even if the weres do get whipped up into a frenzy over the unnaturalness in the air, they aren’t hunting for us directly. We cannot say the same for the vampires back home.”
“You’ve got a point there.” Ussier stepped forward and clasped my hand. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then. Try not to end the world in the meantime, okay, old man?”
“I’ll keep that suggestion in mind.”
The cabin grew very quiet and still after the two of them left. Jacob was parked on a ridge somewhere overlooking the town as he talked with Kayla and Steve. He would be safe. The three of them took care of each other. I tucked my awareness of him back into a little corner of my mind and went into the kitchen to prepare tea.
The ritual soothed and centered me. By the time I sat down at the kitchen table to let it steep, I had made my decision. There would be no better time to contact the Ascended than tonight. Events were reaching a critical point. It wouldn’t take long for Nerissa to figure out that her creature had been killed or that Kayla could no longer be possessed. The fact that she seemingly hadn’t noticed either yet drove home to me how distracted she must have been with the tensions among the Ascended.
And that didn’t bode well either.
I lifted my mug and breathed in the gentle scent of the herbal tea. I had to at least try synchronizing my awareness with the Ascended again. And I didn’t know if I was more afraid of failing or succeeding.
“Jacob.” My lover’s mind sharpened as I contacted him. I sensed him read me, his sudden spurt of worry and fear as he realized how remote I’d become. “I need you.”
I couldn’t do this without his full knowledge and consent. It wouldn’t be right. Even if it would be far easier to slip away and take care of the problem before he realized what I was about.
“Do not do a damn thing until I get there,” Jacob said, his mental voice implacable. “Swear to me that you won’t.”
“I do swear.”
I took a sip of the golden tea, trying not to let his upset touch me. We would both need to be calm for this to work. I stared down at my hands, studying the fine network of lines on my knuckles. For centuries, I had killed with these hands, defending myself or my territory. I had never regretted the necessity; in truth, I’d been a warrior over half my life before I’d become a vampire. I understood battle and sacrifice, but Kayla and Jacob had introduced the idea of family into my life.
I had loved Jacob with these hands. I’d held Kayla when she cried. And now Jacob wanted me to raise children with him. As much as the thought had unsettled me at first, I now found it oddly intriguing. But we wouldn’t get our chance to get married or adopt if we didn’t settle this once and for all.
And I was rather looking forward to getting on with the rest of my life with Jacob.
I heard Jacob’s Camaro come roaring back, and moments later, he was striding through the door. “Dammit, I said I didn’t want to argue about it.”
“We’re not going to argue, mo chroí.” I straightened, meeting him stare for stare. “This is important and I need you with me.” I looked past him at Kayla, then Steve. “I need all of you beside me.”
Jacob stopped in front of my chair. “There has got to be another way; it’s too risky. Dammit, Kristair, have you thought that this might be a trap? This is probably exactly what she wants.”
“I don’t think so. I think for the moment she’s distracted and hasn’t realized yet how badly her plans have gone awry. She doesn’t want to trap me into becoming an Ascended again. Knowing Nerissa, she wants me to beg on my knees to go back.”
“Kris, that really isn’t convincing me to let you anywhere near that crazy bitch,” Kayla said. “I cannot believe that I looked up to her my whole life.”
“You both are too emotionally invested,” Steve interrupted quietly, his gaze locked on mine as both Kayla and Jacob rounded on him. “You’re not looking at this clearly.” I didn’t know who was more surprised by his comment, me or Jacob and Kayla. “Kristair, you know the Ascended better than any of us. Do you think it’s actually possible to contact them?”
“I think we have to try. There’s too much at stake to dawdle out of fear.”
“Wait just a fucking minute. It’s not fear, it’s fucking common sense,” Jacob snapped, glaring at both of us in turn. “And since when are you on his side, Steve?”
“I’m not saying I’m best buds with him, but we need to hear him out instead of immediately deciding not to listen.”
Jacob’s fists clenched as fury leapt inside of him. He took a couple of steps toward Steve. “What the hell is this? You’ve never liked Kristair and now you’re trying to encourage him in this insanity.”
I rose from my chair and caught Jacob’s hand as Kayla’s lips tightened. “Don’t say something you’ll regret. You know Steve better than that.”
“Have I stepped into the middle of the fucking Twilight Zone, because if I have, somebody punch me,” Jacob snarled. “I cannot believe you two are defending each other.”
“All of you stop it, just stop it,” Kayla broke in, clasping her elbows, hugging her arms to herself. “I don’t know if I can handle you two agreeing with each other and Jacob ready to brawl with either one of you.”
&
nbsp; Jacob tensed, looking back at me. “Don’t, please, I’m begging you, don’t.”
A pang went through my heart. More than anything, I wished I could give Jacob what he wanted. “I have to,” I said gently. “You know that. If what we suspect is true, we have to stop it now.”
“How, by joining them again?”
“No, by letting them know what Nerissa’s been up to. Interfering with beings she’s suppose to observe? Killing, creating doppelgangers? They have to know this.”
“I’m not going to win this one, am I?”
I hated how defeated Jacob sounded, and I turned him to face me. “Not this time, but if it makes you feel better, I want you with me. I want to keep the link open between us, but you’ll have to calm down for me to do that. They aren’t interested in having the both of us among them, and if you’re with me, it’ll make them pause. But you have to calm down. Do you understand?”
“I can do that.” Jacob’s gaze sharpened. “But I’m telling you this right now, Kristair. I know the secret of the Ascended, too, and I’m damn sure I have the will to use it. If you find yourself stuck back among them, trust me. I’ll be joining you soon.”
“I do not doubt that for one moment.” I touched his cheek.
“Father….” Steve slipped his arm around Kayla’s shoulders as she spoke, and then she sighed. “Fine, just be careful, okay?”
“I want you all here with me,” I said, looking at Kayla and Steve. “It’ll help keep me grounded.” I remembered the lure of the Ascended’s song too well. How seductive it had been to be a part of the whole, sharing all that knowledge.
I finished my tea and went to sit down on the couch, struggling to find that equilibrium again amongst Jacob’s worry and fury. He paced the room, muttering in his head as I sat down and closed my eyes, striving for that sense of calm and reaching out to envelope my lover in it when it finally came.
Jacob struggled briefly. It was not in his nature to surrender, but his need to be with me on this finally won over. I soothed him, taking my time until he was floating in a serenity similar to mine. I sensed him come closer until he stood in front of me, felt his eyes on my face. Then Kayla was there, too, her hand on my shoulder, and after a moment, Steve joined her.
This was my family, not the Ascended.
I reached out, stretching with my consciousness, feeling the strain on my mind. It was so dark and cold, the wall between me and them impossibly high. I stretched even more, throwing every ounce of my will into it until pain sizzled along my nerves.
I touched the swirling mass of minds and recoiled back from the dark emotions, jerking myself out of my meditation. Jacob crouched down next to me, his blue eyes dark with concern. “What is it?”
“Just give me a moment.” I drew in a deep, shuddering breath. “There’s so much anger and cold resolve. Tony was right, there is a divide among the Ascended, but it’s gotten ugly since he’s talked with you.”
Kayla’s hand tightened on my shoulder. “Maybe you shouldn’t go back.”
“I need to. If I can find Tony… at least I know it is possible to find them now.” I looked at Jacob, took another deep breath at his nod, and closed my eyes again.
This time it was easier. The swirl of the Ascended’s angry, discordant song swamped through me and threatened to trap me in its whirlpool. Jacob burrowed into my mind even more until I sensed the steady beat of his heart, until we became inseparable. It gave me the strength to step back and keep myself from being swept under.
The Ascended didn’t even notice our presence. They were too worked up and belligerent toward each other. I moved through the edges, searching for Tony, hoping to stay unnoticed. This was worse than I had feared. The tensions were at a ripping point; all it would take was one ripple in the wrong place to set the explosion in motion.
I hoped my presence wouldn’t be the trigger to set them off.
“I really don’t like this,” Jacob whispered in my mind. “We might want to think of something else. There has to be another way of getting Tony’s attention.”
“I think I have to agree with you.” I started to pull back and had just managed to break free of the Ascended when someone else seized my mind.
“Kristair, what are you doing here?” Tony materialized, looking oddly haggard. “It’s a bad idea. You have to go back; things aren’t going well.”
“Worse than even you know,” I replied, straining even more to make myself visible to Jacob’s friend, though I ended up looking like a wisp of a person next to him.
“You’ve got to go and you can’t return. Somehow, they found out about what I did with Kayla, and hostilities are running really high. Even some of the people on my side think I’ve crossed the line and have joined Nerissa’s camp.”
“They think you shouldn’t have interfered?”
“That’s it exactly,” Tony said. “And if they sense you here, it’s only going to get worse, especially if you’re seen with me.”
“Nerissa is a hypocrite, Tony. She’s the one behind the murders. She’s the one who has been possessing Kayla.” I sensed the shock ripple through Tony before he quickly tamped down the feeling. We both reached out to make sure the Ascended didn’t notice the reaction. To our relief, they still seemed oblivious.
“Are you absolutely certain? This is serious, but I need proof.”
“I don’t have proof, and Nerissa has been crafty enough to keep her activities a secret from the rest of the Ascended.”
“Then I don’t know what I can do,” Tony cut in, his expression troubled. “Nerissa has far more on her side than I do, and she has a stronger hold on them as well. Without proof, it’ll be her word against mine, and I doubt they’d accept your testimony either.”
“That’s not the worst part.”
Tony’s eyes tightened. “Okay, hit me.”
I frowned, thrown off by that odd statement. He couldn’t mean literally, so it must have been a colloquialism, and then Jacob sighed in my head, confirming my suspicions. “What am I going to do with you?”
I ignored him and opened up my mind to Tony, sharing with him as the Ascended shared. It was somehow much easier for me without a body, and with Tony it was less of an invasion than it would’ve been with other Ascended. “Touch my thoughts, Tony. You’ll see the truth of my words.”
Tony slipped into my mind, he and Jacob exchanging quiet greetings. I let him see each memory, and as I did, Tony’s dismay grew. I ended it with the confrontation between us and the doppelganger, and Jacob provided the images from his own encounters with the creature. The degradation of the creature was even more obvious seeing them back to back that way.
“That is against everything we believe in,” Tony said harshly. “What is she thinking?”
“I don’t know, but after seeing the situation you’re facing, make sure you and your faction do not get the blame for this. That could also be her intention.”
“Maybe. I’ll have to think on what to do next. The situation is volatile here, and you need to go back. They may not care that you’ve chosen to live as a human, but they consider you an exile. They won’t welcome you with open arms.”
“I understand.” I could feel my strength waning anyway. This exchange was taking a terrible mental toll on me.
“I’ll try to sneak away and let you know if anything new develops,” Tony promised.
“Don’t take any undue risks.”
Tony chuckled wryly. “Given the situation, I don’t see if we have much choice. I’ll be careful.”
Then he was gone, somehow nudging us back to earth in the process. As Jacob and I hurtled back into our bodies, I felt exhaustion rolling over me in long, gray waves. I had the momentary impression of sitting on a couch with Jacob, Kayla, and Steve around me. My head felt swollen and fragile, and blessed darkness pulled me under.
Chapter 27
THE NEXT day dawned dark and miserable, as if the sun were reluctant to show itself. I had just managed to get rid of Kayla and
Steve for a couple hours so I could deal with my stubborn soon-to-be husband. Kristair hadn’t been unconscious long last night, but it was clear he had no energy left. Not even enough to give me a proper protest when I’d bundled him into the bed.
At least one good thing had come from our visit to the Ascended. Kristair’s burns and bruises had healed sometime while he was with them. There wasn’t a mark left on him.
Kristair eyed me warily as I came back inside and locked the door behind me, his ever-present mug of tea clasped in his hands. “Where did you send them off to?”
“It doesn’t matter. For the next two hours, you’re mine, and I’m going to make every last second count.” I had been looking forward to this, planning out the details in my mind since we’d left that horrible apartment last night.
Kristair took a sip of his tea, and I felt his mental query touch my mind. He frowned as I nudged it aside easily but didn’t try again. “I’m getting the impression that you don’t want to talk about last night.”
I leaned against the back of the couch, cocking one hip on it and slowly eyed Kristair up and down. “I intend on doing something about last night, but it sure as hell isn’t talking.”
“Is sex your answer for everything?”
I snorted and gave him a wicked smile. “I’ve known you to resort to sex a few times yourself. But I don’t plan on starting out with sex right away either. I’m looking forward to making you squirm first.”
Kristair nudged against my mind again, swifter and harder this time, and I deflected that one just as easily. “That’s cheating, love. Keep it up and you just might earn yourself another punishment on top of the one you’ve got coming.”
Kristair gasped softly, his dark eyes going wide. “Jacob, this really isn’t the….”
“Don’t even give me that argument. Do you realize that you get so very prim and proper when I’m about to give you just what it is you’re begging for inside?”
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