Jawbreaker (Four Point Universe Book 14)

by Max Ellendale

  "You're amazing, you know that?" Nalea said, her voice soft. "You just know all this by being present."

  "It's just instinct. You and Audra have the same instincts as mothers, I just perceive it differently. You'll interpret her cries or smells or punches just the same."

  "But yours goes beyond learning. It's innate."

  "Yours is too. I've had thirty-odd years to learn it. You've had two weeks."

  "Hmm. Accurate." She grinned and ran her fingers through Audra's hair when she stirred. "Hi, love."

  "Hungry," groaned Audra, stretching a bit before hugging her wife. "Feed me."

  I chuckled at them and whispered to Elara, "Hear that? Mama has tummy rumbles just like you."

  Elara's heart beat a little faster and I looked down just as she opened her eyes. Her blue-black eyes gazed up at me, seeming to lock onto mine for a fraction of a second. I smiled down at her and shifted carefully to cradle her in my arms. She cooed and grunted, kicking her feet as she stared up at the dim light above us. Her soft, copper skin tone darkened slightly over the past few weeks and the rougher texture of her newborn skin faded.

  "I'll feed you whatever you want," Nalea said, messing up her wife's hair so that even the shortest pieces stuck out in crazy directions. "Want me to whip something up or are you in the mood for something specific?"

  "Some kind of chicken. Maybe chicken tacos?" Audra yawned and huffed suddenly. "Either I'm leaking on you, or your left nipple decided to join the milk party, babe."

  Nalea looked down at herself and laughed. "Nope. All you."

  "Damn." Audra huffed. "In that case, both Elara and I want chicken tacos. She told me telepathically."

  "She told me too." I nodded my agreement. "Didn't you, Baby Boo?"

  Audra sat up slowly while Nalea laughed at us. "She's going to go for your nip if you hold her like that."

  "No way." I chuckled and shifted her slightly when I noticed she angled her face toward my body. "Not these nipples, Baby Boo. They've got nothing happening for you." I pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then looked up to Audra. "Ready or pee first?"

  "You know my routine better than me." Audra pointed to the bathroom before scuttling her way over. She gave the top of my head an affectionate squeeze on the way past.

  Nalea hopped up, motioning to the kitchen. "Think we have taco stuff?"

  "We should. Definitely have chicken and seitan. We may need a grocery drone to drop us some sour cream though," I said, standing up when Elara began to fuss. "Uh oh. Hungry girl." I joined Nalea in the kitchen and rocked back and forth while we chatted.

  "Yep. She's gonna shout in about three seconds." Nalea set down a few things on the counter then kissed Elara on the head. "Sorry, Baby Boo. No milk from us. Four empty boobs meant for fondling only."

  I laughed and bumped my head against Nalea's when she got super close.

  "I hear that fussy butt over there." Audra yawned as she returned to us, her hands still damp from washing. "These boobs are overripe for suckling."

  "All yours, Mama." I let her take Elara, then smiled while she settled into the sofa to feed her.

  "Want me to get to dinner?" I asked Nalea, motioning between the kitchen and Audra. "You can go do the bonding thing."

  "I mean, the bonding thing is just fine but the lazy thing I'll totally do." She grinned and clapped me on the back. "When you teach remote classes, you get bored so easily and we benefit from your excess energy."

  "We all do." I laughed and shoved her. "Go relax. Let me do it."

  "Use seasoning—"

  "Nae!"

  "People like seasoning."

  "Hush up that mouth—"

  "Keep your unseasoned seitan separate." She snickered and Audra pinched her ass on the way by. "Ouch!"

  "Shh." Audra laughed and tugged her to sit down. "Don't pick on Veyda. She always cooks good. Not everyone knows how to kick you in the teeth with Naomi's array of spices."

  "Literally cannot wait for the food fest tomorrow." Nalea grinned, then leaned over to kiss the baby's head. "The milk will be extra yummy, kid. Don't you worry."

  We all laughed at that, and I turned my attention to cooking. I listened to their sweet chattering to Elara and to each other even in the moments when they forgot that I could hear them. Their little family, of enviable sweetness, brought strokes of joy to my heart.

  My phone chimed, and I turned to it on the counter to see a video call from Harlow coming in. I glanced to the trio, who didn't seem to notice the interruption. I whipped my contacts out of my pocket and tossed them on before tapping the answer button. The projector lit up the counterspace beside me as her beautiful smiling face appeared in the graphics that projected it a few inches above my phone.

  "Hi," I said, fighting the smile that threatened to giveaway my excitement over seeing her.

  "Are you cooking?" Her brows lifted and she looked down. "I can see a little."

  "Yes." I chuckled, then held up the cutting board full of chopped onion. "Making tacos for everyone. How are you?"

  "Yum. I had a cereal bar that I found in my desk." She scrunched up her face, but a soft giggle radiated while she rested her chin on her hands. "I'm doing good. How are you?"

  "I'm good. I—"

  Nalea waved dramatically from the living room to get my attention. She gestured wildly, pointing to me, then to the door.

  "Whatcha lookin' at?" Harlow laughed suddenly.

  "I think Nalea's kicking me out or something?" I shrugged while chuckling.

  "Girl, for shit's sake. Ask her over for dinner!" Nalea called out, a groan leaving her. "Clueless. I swear."

  "You pointed to the door. What else was I supposed to think?" I huffed then returned my attention to Harlow. "Sorry. She's meddling."

  "Damn right I'm meddling," muttered Nalea and I wiggled my fingers off screen, sending a burst of air in her direction. She sputtered and swatted at it as if it would help.

  Audra hid her face against Elara and stifled her laughter.

  Harlow's smile broadened and I caught her nibbling her lip. "She sounds fun. So…are you going to ask me?"

  "To come over for haphazard tacos?" I smirked at the notion.

  "Not tonight, oh my God, Veyda. Tomorrow with everyone for actual food." Nalea covered her face, and Harlow lost it to a round of heavy laughs.

  "See what I put up with?" I tossed Nalea a glare and she stuck her tongue out at me.

  "So…are you gonna ask me?" Harlow teased, her brows flicking upward.

  "Yes. I am." I drew in a slow breath, fighting the dissonance that warred inside me. I wanted nothing more than to have her over, tonight, tomorrow, whenever. A freaked out part of me, however, suffered in its lack of authenticity with the girl I liked. I bit the bullet anyway and said, "Tomorrow night, Elara's grandparents are coming over to cook up a celebration dinner for Nalea and Audra. Would you like to come?"

  "I would be happy to join you," she said, right away, a grin lingering on her lips. "Even if it was slapdash tacos, I'd be happy to join you."

  "You're a brave woman," I teased, my stomach flip-flopping with the complicated delight her acceptance brought.

  "Why?" She tilted her head, and her hair tumbled over her shoulder in a manner that called for it to be touched.

  "Because I'm a terrible cook."

  "She is," called Nalea.

  "No, she isn't. Don't listen to her, Harlow," Audra chimed in and swatted her wife.

  "Did I mention privacy is marginal in my living space?" I shook my head at them despite my amusement.

  "Well, how about we have dinner at your busy home tomorrow, and then perhaps Friday you can come over to mine? The only roommate I have is my robot vacuum and he's very quiet. Unusually tidy, too." Her deadpan delivery made me laugh.

  "I'd like that."

  "Then it's a done deal. Text me details about tomorrow."

  "I will." I leaned my elbow on the counter while bending down to meet her gaze. "I'm happy you called. Are you working la
te?"

  "I am. Working on the installation with Genesis tonight. Moving the final items out of storage, then setting them up."

  "I'm excited to see the outcome."

  "Well, that makes two people in the known universe excited for it." She grinned and wagged her brows at me. "I'll be happy to give you a private tour."

  "Looking forward to it." I glanced to Nalea who mimed fist-pumps into the air.

  "Is she signing at you again?"

  "Yup."

  "I'll let you go." Harlow chuckled. "Cannot wait to meet that character."

  "Did I mention she's a detective? Prepare for interrogation."

  "Oh, I'm prepared. I have a will of steel, and an excellent poker face." Harlow grinned and tossed me a wink. "Talk soon."

  "G'night."

  "Night."

  We ended the call and Nalea all but erupted when she was set free from silence.

  "Veyda, she's so into you," she said, before calming down to help Audra shift Elara from one breast to the other.

  "She is, I have to agree," added Audra. "And she's super cute."

  "I'm into her, too. And yeah, she's incredibly sexy. Wait until you see her in person. I need to tell her though, guys. I can't just let her think I'm human." I returned to cooking and followed the instructions on the seasoning packet for once, despite my concerns over it turning into a flavor bomb of yuck.

  "I don't see anything wrong with being honest about your background," said Audra.

  "Maybe not that, but telling her you're a Shadow Protector, particularly the one that broke into her museum on dozens of occasions, getting caught twice at this point—"

  "The second time I meant to—"

  "And being the person she pulled a gun on twice—"

  "I was literally a masked bandit—"

  "Tie all that with your reckless superheroing of late and it's a recipe for disaster. Anyone knowing who you are and what you do is a risk," added Nalea.

  "But how can she keep that from someone?" Audra defended. "She tells Harlow she's Hybridian, fine. Then what? Pretends she doesn't go out and police the streets for the good of all person kind? That's a recipe for a broken relationship."

  "Exactly. I can't tell her one without the other. That's two lies. And I hate lying. I've known her just a few weeks. We've hung out a few times and shared an amazing kiss and all I can think about is how I'm lying to her every time I open my mouth." I chopped the chicken a little too hard and the knife sunk half an inch into the cutting board. "Whoops."

  "Please don't tell me you cut off a finger." Audra covered her eyes.

  "No, but I got this knife stuck inside a block of wood—There it goes." I yanked it out then continued slicing more carefully. "But like I was saying, if I want to continue this, she has to know."

  "I agree with her…" Audra said to Nalea. "I know you're protective of Veyda, honey."

  "I'm outnumbered. Elara should get a vote to even it out."

  "And how do you know she'd side with you?" Audra cocked a brow at her, and I chuckled when I glanced at them.

  We shared a quick dinner together, but I found myself restless as soon as Elara went down for the night, and while Audra and Nalea engaged in their end-of-day routines. It never bothered me before, but tonight it did. I took my leave around midnight, once I knew everyone was settled in, before heading back out into the world under the guise of night.

  The night sky in Seattle lacked the density of stars and planets I loved to stare up at in my youth. Over the years, the light pollution, actual pollution, and travelling drones drowned out the universe. If I managed to make it above the clouds on a good day, I never stopped looking up.

  That night wasn't one of those nights, however. I allowed myself to ride the wind currents, until my energy dimmed under the stress of my thoughts. The cool air on my face calmed me only slightly, before my resources gave out, turning my soaring into a shadow-hopped run.

  When I steadied myself beside my habitual entry point of the art museum, I made sure to tuck my hair into my hat as best I could, while hiding the braid in my jacket. For good measure, I tugged up the hood, then closed my eyes, concentrating the last of my energy into folding into the shadows and ghost-stepping through the walls. My skin tingled, and a lurch of anxiety struck my stomach right before I made it inside. I glanced over my shoulder, horrified by the thought of getting stuck in the in-between as I'd done in the past. It wasn't the worst thing to have to wait out, but it wasn't comfortable at all.

  Tonight, unlike the last few visits, I knew Harlow was there. I chided myself for once again hiding behind my disguise to see her. I could've very easily called her as myself and asked to come in. This life, this half-life that I've led myself into over the past few weeks, only served to further my unrest. Before returning to the Imogen Cunningham exhibit, I hugged the darkness down the corridors until I found Harlow working on the new installation.

  A new marquee scrolled on the free-standing banner beside the door that read, Cosmic Beings in Mesoamerican and Andean Art. Under it, a paragraph about the exhibit explained how these ancient civilizations each had their own unique idea of the origins of the universe, and how humans and supernatural beings played a role in each. Rituals, transformations, animals, and spirit communications belonged as portions of the exhibit as well.

  Harlow's voice echoed in the space as she spoke to her colleague, who I now knew to be named Genesis, as they appeared to map out where they wanted items to go. None of the items hung on display yet, but rather, each area seemed to await its substance while Harlow worked on the plaques.

  "We can move everything in tomorrow," said Harlow, her hands on her hips while she stared at the digital plaque that she finished poking.

  "What's got you into this weird old god and religion stuff?" asked Genesis when they appeared around the corner, pushing a big black box on a wheeled cart.

  "It's just what I'm feeling right now," she said, shrugging. "And so this is what I want to do. It was a popular exhibit when I first saw it. Citizens of Earth are constantly questioning the origins of faith and the universe these days. Why not drag some of that attention to the museum?"

  "Makes sense," they responded, though didn't appear completely convinced.

  Harlow turned slowly, her brow furrowed as her attention fell in my direction. Her eyes flickered all over the place, as if searching for something she couldn't see. She couldn't, in fact, see me, but the notion that she could sense me watching her disturbed me more than it should. I backed away, hugging the shadow along the wall, before hurrying back to my landing place in the Cunningham exhibit.

  I stood in the center, beside the photo of the nude woman I gazed at on my prior visit and turned toward the door where Harlow usually appeared. Unlike last time, she wasn't stealthy or particularly careful about letting me hear her approach. She swung into view, and the beautiful face of the woman I craved met mine. Unlike the smiling, chipper expression she wore during our video call a few hours earlier, she appeared withered by my presence.

  "I knew you were here," she said, her voice soft. She didn't approach me or pull a gun on me this time. "You said you wouldn't come back."

  "There's something I have to say to you," I said, my hands trembling when I fought the swirl of emotions threatening my resolve. The sound of my own distorted voice unnerved me as much as the sadness in her eyes.

  "What could you possibly have to say?" She moved closer to me, a laugh leaving her, but not one of amusement.

  "Harlow, I—"

  "I saw the story on my newsfeed about what you did. And don't deny it was you. Letting that Hybridian go after he held those casino workers at gunpoint. Who are you actually protecting, Shadow Protector? Your species? Because it sure as hell didn't seem like you wanted to protect anyone else from suffering the trauma he caused them." Her confrontation shocked me, and she stepped closer, her face only a few inches from mine as she stared into my eyes. "Who are you really protecting here?" Her gaze flickered back
and forth between mine.

  "Everyone," I managed after a moment while fighting the tightening in my throat. "Everyone equally."

  "Doesn't seem like it. Letting a terrorist walk free doesn't seem like you're looking after anyone, honestly. He'll do it again. They always do. Maybe even consider that a practice so that he can elude you next time or hit a different city. Did you ever stop to think about that?" Her brows narrowed, and the rage overtook her. "Did you ever think that he didn't deserve saving?"

  "I think…everyone deserves a second chance," I said, my voice a hissy whisper through the respirator. Tears welled in my eyes, and I fought them, gulping down the sick feeling in my mouth.

  "No." She lifted a finger at me, shaking it side to side. "Not everyone does. Not terrorists or psychopaths or serial killers or rapists or domestic abusers. They don't deserve anything. The victims deserve justice."

  "Justice isn't for me to decide—"

  "And survivorship is? You get to decide who survives and who doesn't because the perpetrator deserves a second chance?" She laughed again, her hands flopping at her hips. "It doesn't work like that, Hybridian. It doesn't. He could kill someone the next time. You might not make it there in time. And from my understanding, Hybridians are not immortal. You think you can stand between a dozen victims and an entire magazine of explosive ammo?"

  Her words rattled me, rocking me to the core as memories of Nalea's tirade about my recklessness recently joined in on it.

  "You're an irresponsible, dangerous, and thoughtless vigilante just like the rest of them. You don't think. You're not trained to think about truth and justice. You're not educated on our system of serving such, and all you do is make people hope that when something happens to them, you'll always be there to save the day." Tears welled in her eyes and her fingers coiled to fists. "You won't always be there. And you probably won't ever be for most people. Do you hear what I'm saying to you?"

  I nodded, blinking away the tears that tumbled despite my fight. My lip quivered as I drew in a shaky breath. "I'm sorry—"