by Jenna Kernan
“Don’t you dare,” she said to her father. “Don’t you touch one hair on his head, or I will never speak to you again as long as I live.”
Her father’s mouth rounded in shock. Her mother gasped.
“How dare you dictate to us!” said Mrs. Healy.
Marta Healy cast an uncertain glance at her husband. If she had planned to threaten to disown her wayward daughter, Jessie had just cut the wind from her sails.
Nick could not keep his mouth from twitching in delight. His little Dream Walker was magnificent when she was angry. He had never had anyone come to his defense before.
After her father closed his gaping mouth, he stepped back. His wife linked elbows with him.
Jessie had taken their power from them. In that instant, her position had shifted from subordinate to equal.
Nick saw her as he had never seen her before, ferocious and protective, with fists bunched at her side, chin raised and body ready for battle. His woman was an alpha at last.
Nick could not keep himself from grinning, while Jessie stayed stern and aggressive as any pack leader.
“We’ll keep this secret,” said her father, “until you come to your senses.”
Nick stiffened at this insult. But before he could speak, Jessie came to his defense again.
“Then we won’t expect you at the wedding.”
“Wedding!” screeched her mother.
“If he’ll have me, yes.”
Her mother extended a consolatory hand. “But, darling, be reasonable.”
“I was ready to follow him on the Way of Souls. Do you think your disapproval will change my love for him? It will hurt me. But I can live without it.”
It was true, Nick realized. She had walked the Way of Souls to reach him. He could hardly believe the tenacity of his mate. She was more courageous than any woman he had ever met and he was proud to call her his own.
“But he’s dangerous. Nagi is after him. If he loves you, he won’t put you in danger.”
Nick ground his teeth at the realization that Marta Healy was right.
“It is just another reason he needs me. We’re all in danger. You, me, them. Nagi is using humans. Doesn’t that make it our fight?”
Her parents glanced at one another but said nothing.
“Mom, Dad, there is a battle coming, a war. We’ll need everyone. If the Niyanoka and Inanoka come together, we can win. Join us, please.”
Her parents stared at the floor.
Jessie saw their unwillingness to change, even after all they had witnessed.
“You saw the ghosts,” she said.
“It does not change our past,” said Marta Healy, still glaring at Nick.
“I hope one day you will reconsider. I’ll wait for that day.”
Jessie hesitated, but her parents did not move or look up. They seemed embarrassed or perhaps they were already mourning losing her. Nick hoped their stubbornness did not keep them forever separated from their only daughter. From his perspective, the loss would be largely theirs.
He paused. “You should go now. Before Nagi returns.”
The couple exchanged nervous looks and George tugged Marta past them.
Jessie glanced at Nick, her eyes steady. He extended his hand and she clasped it. The connection brought all her emotions to him. He felt her love and her sorrow and her pride. Pride? Yes, she was proud of him, proud to be with him and a part of him.
He smiled in wonder. “I can’t believe it.”
“But you should,” said Jessie, squeezing his hand and leading them down the hall.
Jessie looked at her parents, scuttling out of sight. Nick was possessed by the sudden wave of grief she felt. It hit with such force he tripped. He did not dare stop, but clasped her hand, bringing her attention back to him and to the way out.
She stared at him and he nodded.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
They reached the lobby and paused. Visitors sat in chairs by the fireplace, with blackened eyes and broken arms, but they seemed oblivious to the large number of injured among them. The woman at the counter waved at them as they passed.
“You have a great day!” Her smile caused her split lip to bleed and she dabbed it with a colorful red bandanna.
Nick waved.
Outside, Jessie and Nick saw her parents climb stiffly into their car and start the engine. Apparently George had used L.J. gift to have someone retrieve his car from the road. They did not toot or wave as they pulled out.
Jessie watched them drive away, certain that her mother would not forgive her.
“Perhaps time will change them,” said Nick.
“How did you do that? We aren’t even touching.”
“That one I read on your face.”
“Do you think they will be all right? I mean, with Nagi after us?”
“There is no reason to follow them.”
He left the rest unsaid. Her parents would have no contact with her and so they were in no danger.
They used the ranch van to bring them to Nick’s rental. Nick held open the door to the red Mustang convertible. Jessie tried not to let him see the bone weariness she felt, but could not stifle the groan of exhaustion as she crawled into the leather seat. Nick hopped behind the wheel and lowered the top.
Jessie glanced about. “Where are the others?”
“Safely away, I hope.”
Above them came the caw of a raven. Jessie shaded her eyes to look up at Bess in her bird form soaring in lazy circles.
“Will she say goodbye?”
Nick shook his head. “She never does.”
The light hurt Jessie’s eyes, another lingering effect of her long journey.
Jessie knew Nick loved her but the prickly thorn of jealousy still stabbed at her.
“Will you see her again?”
Nick took his gaze from the sky and studied Jessie before answering. “Not in the way you imply.”
Jessie pressed her lips together to keep from revealing more of her insecurities.
“She does not threaten us. That time was born of loneliness, not love. I am grateful that I no longer walk that road.”
He stroked her cheek. The wave of emotions caused her to sway. She felt the gnawing ache of loneliness he had carried for so long and the isolation known only to Skinwalkers. He had no community to foster him, no tribe, no true love. Only his friends and he was selective with them. He did not love Bess. Never had.
“How did you bear it?” she whispered.
He drew back to spare her his emotions.
Nick’s smile held a deep sadness to it. “What choice did I have?”
Jessie glanced at the blue sky, following Bess’s endless circle. “Only a true friend would have come to me on that road and turned me back.”
Nick kept his thoughts to himself for the moment.
“Why did you do it?” he asked at last.
“What? Believe Nagi?”
“No.” He turned to her. “Take the Way of Souls?”
“That’s easy. I belong beside you no matter where you are. There is no other way for me now.”
“Yet I feared your parents would turn you against me.”
Jessie chuckled. “Nick, facing death can be a whole lot easier than facing down your mother.”
He cocked his head in confusion, as if trying to determine if she was serious. She was.
“Your relationships are very complex.”
She laughed at that. “I’ll say.”
Nick started the car and pulled out, lifting the top to shield them from the increasing wind. Jessie nestled in the seat beside him, happy to be alone with him at last.
She had none of the confusion or torment of their earlier time together. She had made her choice and was content for the first time since she could not remember when. She was safe. She was with Nick and the world seemed full of possibilities. The relief was palpable, pulsing like a heartbeat within her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“How do you know?”
“It’s what I’d do.”
She couldn’t go home. After all the losses, she had lost that, too.
He brushed her cheek and then drew back as if her thoughts had scalded him.
“Nick—”
“It’s all right.” He accelerated down the narrow road.
Jessie stared out the window at the golden grass and blue hills. She couldn’t go home. But what was her home? She and her parents never stayed anywhere long. Her home was where they were, where her people were. But now all that had changed. Now her home was with Nick and she found that was exactly what she wanted most.
She glanced over at him and found him staring fixedly at the road, gripping the wheel a little too tightly.
What could she say to reassure him?
“Nick?”
“Jessie. You need to rest. You’re exhausted.”
She blinked at him, knowing he was right.
“We’ll talk later,” he promised.
The stress of the kidnapping and the battle fell upon her and she could not seem to keep her eyes open.
“Are you all right?” she muttered to Nick.
“Sleep. I’ll protect you.”
She knew he would. She let her eyes drift shut and did not open them until she felt the car stop. She was jarred awake, sitting up and glancing about. It was night and they sat under fluorescent lights beneath some kind of underpass.
“Easy,” said Nick. “We’re at a hotel.”
Jessie rubbed her eyes and stretched as Nick held the door, then turned over the keys to the valet.
“Luggage, sir?” asked a man whose face seemed to pivot around a huge bushy gray mustache.
“No,” said Nick.
Together they negotiated the lobby and reception desk, where Nick secured a suite. It was not until they were alone in the elevator that she noticed the tension rippling from Nick. Instinctively, she reached for him.
He stepped away. “Not yet.”
It frightened her, this need to keep his thoughts and emotions locked up tight within himself. What was so terrible that he did not want her to know?
She knew he loved her, but was love enough for him, this loner who had never stayed in one place or with one woman for more than a few days? She knew what she wanted—never to leave his side. But what did Nick want? To have her with him always? It was a great change for him. Uncertainty made her heart trip along, steadily increasing into panic.
The elevator doors slid open, and he waited for her to precede him and then followed her to their suite, sliding the plastic key into the slot and waiting for the green light.
They found the large room dark. Nick seemed to have no trouble negotiating the room, for he swept past her. A moment later she heard him click on the tall reading light by the upholstered chair.
She was afraid again, not of him, but of what he might say.
Nagi arrived at the sight of the battle to see not one of his ghosts remaining to meet him. All had been repelled by the Seer and sent for judgment. The Spirit Children and Skinwalkers had fled before his coming. Worse still, the Dream Walker had managed to heal the Spirit Wound by breaking free of the illusion of her mind. This meant she left no easy trail by which to lead him.
It was left only to decide how best to act.
The Seer might already have born her brats. Nagi finished his survey of the humans at their meaningless lives but found nothing of interest. He was preparing to depart when he chanced to glance skyward and caught sight of a tiny black speck high in the air.
His mind stretched back to the day his ghosts nearly killed the Seer. It was before she carried the babies. His ghosts had reported seeing a raven.
Could it be a Skinwalker? Nagi rose, light as a cloud of mist as he swept after the fast-flying bird.
Nick wished he could comfort Jessie, but to touch her was to let her see the heartache he carried in his soul. He had not meant to cause her such pain, or make her choose between him and the people she loved most in the world.
She had sacrificed her family, community and now her home, for him. She would never again see the horses that she dearly loved and he wondered if she would ever forgive him for it. If this soul-mate connection was such a gift, why had it nearly cost her life? When was the price too high? When did the weight of the losses kill the love you shared?
He wanted what was best for her. He just did not know if he was best. Before he met her, she had meaningful work, a home, a family; she was happy and safe. Now she was standing alone in a hotel room with only the clothes on her back.
How could she love him?
He feared it was like a thorn buried deep below the skin. After the prick, the festering began, until the infection poisoned the blood.
“Nick, please, you’re frightening me.”
“Jessie, I’ve lived alone for many years.”
Her eyes grew round and her face went pale. But he continued.
“I never had to consider what was best for anyone but myself. Now I have you and I’m not sure what to do.”
“What do you mean, not sure? You’re my soul mate. We belong together.” She stepped forward, hands extended.
“How can you forgive me?”
Her brow furrowed. “Forgive you? For what?”
“I’ve cost you everything.”
“Nick, I love them, but they are wrong about you and about all Skinwalkers. I left because—”
“Because of me.”
“No, that’s not right. I left because they cannot accept you, so they cannot accept me. This is the choice they made. It has nothing to do with us.”
“Everything to do with us.”
“Nick, I can’t go back to things as they were. I’ve changed. I see the world differently and I see myself with you.”
He felt his heart clench, wishing he could believe her. Wishing his love brought her joy instead of sorrow. Wanting so much to come in from the cold and find a place where he was welcome, where he belonged.
Still he wondered if she was better off without him.
Jessie’s eyes narrowed and then one eyebrow cocked, as if she had just had some realization.
“Don’t you even think about sacrificing our love to please them.”
“The price is so high.”
Her smile was sultry as she approached him. “I’ll pay it, because I have gained everything, more than I deserve, in you.”
Nick’s breath caught at the honesty in her gaze.
“I’ll fight them all to keep you,” she said. “And I’ll fight you, too, if I have to. No one is taking you from me. Not in this life or the next.”
In his time upon the earth, many women had tried to possess him. But he had never loved, never trusted another soul with something as fragile as his heart. Now he realized that her words were true. He was holding back, not only to protect her, but to protect that part of himself that he had never given to anyone.
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve been alone so long. It’s hard to believe you want me or that I can make you happy.”
“Not so hard.” She extended her arm. “Just take my hand.”
He stared at her open palm and slowly threaded his fingers with hers. Jessie drew their clasped hands over her heart and closed her eyes.
At her touch, his fears and uncertainties drained away like sand through a sieve. This was his place, the one true belonging he thought he’d never find in this lifetime.
He was blessed by this holy bond. She loved him. He could feel it now. She did not blame or regret. She was happy and ready to stand beside him through any challenge. Her love was fierce and that she would fight any challengers and surmount any obstacle that kept her from him. And even so, her love was a gentle breeze that would caress him and accept him regardless of his faults.
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers. “Can it be true?”
She wrapped her free hand about his middle. “It is true, wolf. You have finally met your match.”
“And I thank the Great Mystery for it.”
He lowered his head to kiss her and she lifted her mouth to meet him, giving him a sweet blending of yielding flesh and urgency.
Her tongue darted into his mouth, firing a desire so bright that he knew it would burn for centuries.
Epilogue
Sun streamed down through the leafy canopy above them as the gathering stood in a sacred circle around the small glowing fire.
Jessie stood beside Nick and beside him stood the parents of the twins, Sebastian and Michaela. Sebastian wore his bearskin cloak over traditional buckskin attire and Michaela was radiant in a heavily beaded white deerskin dress. About her neck hung a small medicine wheel. Michaela held her daughter and Sebastian cradled his son. Both infants were naked except for the swaddling of bearskin.
Finishing their circle was Tuff. He stood in a medicine shirt, dyed green and heavily adorned with long strands of buffalo hair tied across the chest.
In one hand he held a bundle of smoldering dried sage. He waved the other hand rhythmically through the cleansing sacred smoke, passing it over the babies pink bodies, blessing them.
“We welcome these souls to the physical world and thank them for the courage it takes to walk the Red Road that is this earthly life.”
Jessie grew nervous about her part in the ceremony. She and Nick had spent several days with the babies, in an effort to choose names that would serve them best. Jessie had even visited their dreams and had found this time together most revealing.
The infants had asked her for two names. One rooted in the traditions of their people to remind them of where they came from and one common name to allow them to walk more easily in the white world. Their first name would be known only by their family and the other would be offered to outsiders.
Jessie hoped she and Nick had chosen wisely and wondered if the parents would be pleased. She glanced nervously at Nick. He met her gaze and his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, as if he was trying to gauge her thoughts. Then he gave up and captured her hand. Immediately, she felt his calm reassurance flow to her. He had concealed none of the turmoil billowing inside her and felt completely at ease both in the forest and with their decision.
