by Bryce Evans
Gabriel placed his hand on Jia and she seemed to calm down. Lilly wondered if maybe they were mates, but with both of them being so young the mating pull wasn’t there yet. Or maybe they all felt a closeness she would never understand.
“Jia, Emerson, I brought you here today to help fill in some gaps. Hopefully you can help us locate the rest of the facilities and catch the people responsible,” Jonas said. They could all hear the sadness in his voice at what had happened to these two young ladies.
“Jia, you were there the longest, and if you don’t want to do this now, please tell me and we can stop until you feel better. Emerson, the same goes for you. Nobody will push you into this,” Jonas told them.
“I want to do this. I don’t know how much I can tell you, though, because I was kept in that room all the time. My food and clothes were brought in there. I very rarely got to talk to someone and they had a slot in the door where they would pass stuff to me, like boxes and supplies. But I’ll do whatever I can to help you catch these...I can’t even call them people, because they were terrible. Every last one of them,” Jia answered with fire in her eyes.
“Good. Let’s start with some easy things right now. If you see that we have something wrong, just tell us so we can change it,” Jonas insisted. “But take a look at the boards and see if we missed something.”
They all sat on pins and needles waiting for anything that could possibly help them. Jia stood up and walked over to the board where they had written the information about the first facility down. Her son couldn’t keep his eyes off her and continued to stand until she sat back down. Lilly couldn’t help the tears that pooled in her eyes as she watched Gabriel.
Her mate smiled and wiped the tears from her face. “He’s such a good kid,” Sindred whispered. “One day he will make a good mate.”
“You think they’re mates too?” Lilly asked.
“Maybe, or maybe they just feel close to each other. Only time will tell. He’s only fifteen, and they’re both still too young. But either way, we have to look after Jia, too. She has no family and with how smart she is, I think she’ll be a target for others. We can talk to her later about it.” Sindrid kissed the side of Lilly’s face in a way that always made her want her mate even more. He would take in a thousand kids if he could, and she couldn’t blame him. If Lilly had her way she would have a whole pack of children.
Jia pointed at the board. “There are two more facilities that I know of for sure. I had to send some samples to both of them. We were all testing the same blood to see if the molecular structure changed. One of the labs was in Saint George, Texas and the other one was in Prince City, Tennessee. I don’t have the physical address, and they might have been moved, but that’s a lot of equipment, so I doubt it.” Jia looked down at her feet as if lost in thought. “It didn’t matter how many times I banged on the door, begging for someone to let me. Nobody cared. Not a single one of them had a shred of humanity in them.”
The room was quiet as Jia turned back around and stared at the boards. The only sound that could be heard was Sindrid typing on a laptop. God only knew what this poor girl had to endure. Lilly knew her mate was pissed off by the way he was typing. He had a lot of people working on this, trying to locate these facilities. It wouldn’t surprise her if they had the addresses by the end of the day.
The last board detailed what they’d seen when they rescued everyone. Someone had written ‘man with blue scrubs,’ with no other description. Jia picked up the red marker and wrote by it: white male, doctor, short black hair, black eyes, swimmer’s build, specialized in genetic testing.
“I never knew his name, but if I saw a picture of him I’d be able to pick him out.” Jia shook her head. “If he wasn’t a psychopath, he might’ve been an attractive man.”
She turned back around to write something else. There was no doubt what type of man they were dealing with, but Jia’s last words underneath his description shocked them all: evil bastard who needs to die.
After she was finished she put the marker down and faced the group. “That’s all I can remember right now. If something else comes to me I’ll write it down.” Jia started to walk off, but stopped. “I don’t know if you realize just how bad it was for the ones taken. They did horrible things to them. This should’ve never happened. You have to make sure that it never happens again,” she said heavily.
Jonas stood up and approached her. “We will, Jia. We will. I’m hoping that we can find the other two facilities with the information you’ve provided. I’m sorry you had to witness that, and go through it yourself. You’re right; nobody should have to endure that.”
Jia lowered her head. Lilly could see the pain she must have suffered to watch people day after day being tortured. “I had to watch it, and I never want that to happen to another soul again.”
Emerson stood up and held her arms open to Jia, who ran into them. Lilly knew they all wanted to jump up and hug both of them for what had happened to them, but they knew that right now the girls were very jumpy and didn’t want people to touch them. Lilly understood how they felt, and couldn’t believe that they were standing here today. These two ladies were survivors and she felt privileged to be around them.
“Emerson if you would rather not talk today that’s okay. We can work with this information until you feel up to it,” Jonas said.
Emerson pulled away from Jia, but held her hand while she spoke. “I was drugged through a lot of it, but most of the doctors were covered up with scrubs and masks. None of them actually spoke to me. They just acted like we weren’t real human beings, just test animals. They poked and prodded to get their samples, then went to the next person. But Jia got his description right.”
“Thank you, Emerson. If you think of anything more, just write it down,” Jonas said. “I think that’s all for now. We have a lot to do in order to find these facilities. They may actually be a part of a company that’s legit. It might be set up to do something with medical supplies or medical testing; a believable cover to hide what’s really going on behind their walls.”
Jonas smiled at both girls as they huddled together. Nash continued to stand beside Emerson, but he was careful not to touch her right now.
Lilly stood up and stretched, then kissed the top of Gabriel’s head. “Where are you going now?”
“I don’t know yet. I didn’t know if Jia wanted to do something or play video games. I’m leaving it up to her,” Gabriel said.
“She may need to lay down, so don’t tire her out, okay?” Lilly said.
“Yes ma’am. I’ll let her decide.”
Lilly watched as Gabriel waited for Jia to talk first. He was such a good kid. He waited with his hands behind his back, as if he was trying to keep from touching her. He never pushed her, and that said a lot about a kid his age. He was still too young to mate, but he was mature, like Jia. She and Emerson hugged one last time and then parted ways.
Gabriel ran back up to Lilly. “We’re going up to the room so Jia can lay down for a while. I have some homework to finish while she sleeps.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be up in a few. I’ve got some things to do in my office,” Lilly said as she hugged her adopted son. She already loved him like he was her own flesh and blood. She made sure he had a picture of his parents in his bedroom, and they spoke of them often, laughing at the stories Sindrid would tell. They would never let him forget his parents. They’d given their lives for him, and for all of them, with the information they carried.
She could tell all of this bothered him, but helping Jia had helped him come to terms with what had happened with his parents. Maybe that was why he was attentive to Jia. Only time would tell, but she would make sure she loved Gabriel with everything she had.
Forcing the video from her mind, Lilly prayed that they would find these people soon. She was scared that they would kill more and more paranormals, all in the name of money. The people who’d done this had sold their souls for money, and would rot in hell for what the
y’d done to their own people.
Emerson waved good-bye to Jia. The girl looked tired and said she needed to lay down. She hoped that Jia wasn’t sick, because that was the last thing the girl needed after all she’d been through. She explained to Jia that if for any reason she needed her, she should call the number Emerson had given her. Nash was kind enough to give her his phone number in case Jia needed to talk to her.
In fact, Nash was the nicest man she’d ever met. He wasn’t flashy or conceited; even though he was rich, he was still humble. He wore blue jeans and t-shirts. Nothing like her father or his crowd. He’d even made an effort and tried to talk to her father, who of course shrugged him off simply because he was a shifter. She would never understand her father or what caused him to be like this.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Nash said.
Emerson glanced up at him. “To be honest, I was thinking about you and how nice you are.”
“Well, I’m a nice guy.” Nash gave her a lopsided grin.
“Apparently. Everyone likes you, Nash. I haven’t met one person yet who hasn’t had something nice to say about you. They all love you, and maybe that’s how shifters are, but to me it’s rare. I’ve been around my father’s crowd so long that I’ve become distant, but not here. I really do like it here at the lodge.”
“I knew you would. You’ll see that this is a great group of people who live here. I love them all. That’s what I missed growing up; a family that shared everything and loved each other. Even,” Nash held up a finger, “when you do something wrong. Once Ash got here she felt it too. This was what we were missing—family and friends to call you on your shit.” Nash laughed. “Trust me when I say that they will always tell you when you’re wrong, but they do it in a nice way. That’s why I’m so excited for you to join the Unit. They are a family and they protect each other. They’re not looking just at physical strength; they need your mind, your abilities. For you to use what you’ve been blessed with.
“You see, any one of them, including me, would’ve stopped to check on that car and would’ve ended up in the same predicament you were in. So, don’t think ‘if I was only stronger this wouldn’t have happened to me.’ The purpose of the Unit is to solve the mystery and get these people so they can’t do this to anyone else.”
Emerson stood there with her mouth open and tears in her eyes. “If only my dad had said that to me when I woke up, would I be having these panic attacks or be second-guessing myself? Why couldn’t he have said it like that and be the loving father he once was?” Emerson wiped away the tears that escaped.
“You said he was once a loving father?” Nash asked, interested.
“Yeah, he wasn’t always this way, Nash. I don’t know what happened. When my mother was killed, he changed. Even toward me, he changed.”
“Have you ever tried to talk to him about it?”
Emerson pushed her fingers through her hair. “Some, but he just changes the subject. To be honest, I’ve…I’ve let him get away with not talking to me for so long that I never bring it up. I know I should’ve put my foot down, but my father is different and I guess I didn’t want to know the truth.”
“I’m sorry, Emerson. I truly am, but we can’t go back. If I could, I would’ve gotten to you sooner. But it did happen, and I’m here now for you. I’ll hold your hand and tell you that everything will be okay. You’ll never forget this, but you’ll find a way to cope with it and go on with your life. These panic attacks will get better and you’ll realize that the answer was always inside of you.”
Grabbing his arm, she searched his eyes. “Are you for real? What if you get tired of waiting on me? I’m going to disappoint you, and what if—”
Nash leaned forward and softly slid his lips over hers. He didn’t force the kiss, but he wanted her to know that he was here to stay.
Pulling back, they both stared into each other’s eyes. “Emerson Prescott, I’ll wait forever for you if I have to.”
Emerson wrapped her arms around his chest. “Thank you. Thank you for being here for me.”
“Always.”
She didn’t want to let go, but they couldn’t stay like this forever, even though she would. His body was so warm, and he smelled divine. All she wanted to do was lick him all over. Whoa, where did that come from?
“Are you tired?” Nash’s voice mumbled in her hair.
“Not yet. Are you?”
“Nope, I could stay like this all day.”
“I think you would get tired pretty quick.”
“No ma’am. You’re the most comfortable pillow I’ve ever had.”
Emerson giggled. “I’m a squishy pillow.”
“No, you’re everything.” Emerson felt relieved for the first time since her mom died. She didn’t feel like she had to impress Nash. He seemed to like her as she was. To him she was perfect.
“I want to take you up to the mountain to meet Jessie. She does all kinds of crafts, and it’s simply remarkable to watch her blow glass and make her jewelry.”
“That would be fun, and I want to thank her for this.” Emerson held up her bracelet.
“I think she would like that. You ready?”
Emerson walked hand-in-hand with Nash down the hallway. When the elevator door opened, her heart started beating faster.
Nash didn’t hesitate; he pulled her inside, trying not to give her time to think about it. He moved closer to her and whispered, “I have another surprise for you, but only if you can answer my riddle.”
Her whole face lit up, because she loved riddles. “What’s the riddle?”
His eyes twinkled. “Are you sure you can get this?”
“I’m very good at riddles, Nash. I think I can handle this.”
“Okay then. Well, what slides, stomps its foot, and jingles all the way?”
Emerson looked down to the ground in thought. “What slides, stomps its foot, and jingles all the way?”
“Yep.” Nash took her arm and led her out of the elevator. She was so preoccupied that she didn’t realize that a woman was standing in front of them handing him a coat and he was slipping it over her arms. Then he led her out the door.
“Emerson.”
“Huh?” She looked up at him, pulled out of her deep thought.
“What slides, stomps its foot, and jingles all the way?” He pointed, and that was when she heard bells, and saw a horse pulling a sleigh up the hill.
“A sleigh,” she whispered. He was taking her for a sleigh ride.
“We’re going to see Jessie in the sleigh?” she asked, excited. Her eyes darted back and forth from him to the sleigh.
“Yep.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God.” Emerson jumped up and down, clapping her hands together. “This is wonderful. I’ve always wanted to ride in one.” She jumped up into his arms and kissed him, then pulled away and ran down the steps.
A man stepped down from the sleigh, smiling. “She’s all ready to go, Nash.”
Emerson was too busy petting the horse to even give the man a second look. She loved horses and always wished she could own one, but her father was allergic to them.
“Thanks, Josh, I appreciate this. And sorry for the short notice.”
“No problem. The big ones are out on tours, and Betsy here had just finished her lunch. She should be ready to go now.” Josh started to walk off but stopped, “Oh yeah, the blankets are in the box and there’s fresh hot chocolate in the Thermos. Have fun.”
Nash stepped over to where she was standing and smiled. “Good surprise?”
She couldn’t stop smiling. “The best.”
“Well Miss Betsy has had her lunch and is ready to go. So, my lady, are you ready?” Nash held his hand out to her.
“Why yes, kind sir.” Emerson gave him her hand and he helped her up into the sleigh. Nash got in and pulled out a blanket, and placing it over both of their legs.
“Warm enough?”
“Yes…and thank you for doing this, Nash. I’ve never had this many su
rprises in my life.”
“Many more to come.” Nash said with a wink. He made a clicking sound with his lips and the sleigh moved forward. This was a moment that she would always come back to. This would be her happy thought.
“If you want some hot chocolate, look in that Thermos and pour yourself some. We just had some fresh snow fall last night, so it should be a white ride.”
Her face felt like it was going to break from grinning much, but she didn’t care. This was wonderful. She closed her eyes and listened as the sleigh slid across the snow and the bells jingled with each step Betsy made as she stomped the ground. It was magic.
Chapter Seven
Nash turned just so he could watch her. He would do something for her every day just to make her smile. She deserved that. It had started to snow, making the trip even better. Her eyes were closed and tilted toward the sky so the snowflakes hit her face. Her arm was intertwined with his as she leaned up against him enjoying the ride. He swallowed hard and looked away. The mating pull was tearing him up inside. He wanted her so badly but he would never push her. She was too fragile for that. He needed her to want him and crave his touch like he was craving hers.
“I’ll always remember this moment, Nash. Thank you for bringing me here today and letting me be a part of it. You’re a very special man. I don’t know how I deserve you.”
“Because we’re mates and I want to do this for you. Everyday I want to do something special for you. You’re mine, Emerson, and I plan on showing you how much you mean to me. I’m thankful that the gods choose me to be your mate. That’s how special you are.”
“Oh, Nash.” Emerson shook her head then threw herself over and hugged him. He let go of the reins, knowing Betsy would lead them straight to Jessie’s house. She took him there often and Jessie fed her apples as a treat. The horse loved the woman.
He wasn’t sure if he should stop Emerson when the kiss deepened and she slid across his lap, straddling him. She slid further up, pressing her breasts against his chest, and damn it felt good. Her soft moan was almost his undoing as she pushed against his crotch. If he didn’t stop this now, he wasn’t going to be able to control himself. He wanted her so badly that he didn’t know if he actually had the strength to stop.
