Black Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #2)

by Melissa Pearl

  “Yes.” Nathaniel’s voice sounded like melted chocolate. His eyes were distant with a memory that was both beautiful and heart breaking.

  “It’s very… unique,” Gemma scrounged for a polite word. It wasn’t exactly the most attractive piece of jewellery she had ever encountered.

  “So was she.” Nathaniel cleared his throat as he took it from her grasp.

  “Why couldn’t you keep her? Did she die?”

  “No.” He shook his head with a frown and tucked the necklace beneath his clothing. “She left me. I’m still not sure why.”

  “Well, you should look for her and find out.”

  He glanced up with a faint smile.

  “If she left me, it would have been for good reason.”

  His eyes swept over the papers on his desk as he fell into silence. Gemma watched both pain and affection skitter over his face and wanted to ask for more. What was the woman’s name? Why did he still speak of her with such adoration if she left without a reason? Was she married to another man? Was she…? Any opportunity was stolen as Dominic burst through the door followed by a humble man with quiet eyes.

  “Gemma!” He wrapped her in a fierce hug.

  “I’m fine.” His heavy coat muffled her assurance. “Let me breathe, Dom!” She pushed him away.

  “Sorry, I just… I’m glad you’re okay.”

  He turned to face the two men. Gemma watched him blush with a small apology as he nodded at the servant. She could just imagine the bullocking the poor man would have received from her frantic brother. Last time he had left Gemma alone their father had nearly ripped his head off. Since then Dom had been reluctant to leave her side whenever they crossed the line. The arrow shooting of 1393 didn’t help much either. Gemma had been fighting off the cotton wool ever since. The fact he left her today was a huge step, although she was guessing they were going to keep this one under wraps if at all possible.

  “Thank you for your help, gentlemen,” Dom’s voice was quiet and sincere. “I’m afraid we must leave.”

  Nathaniel stood and straightened his shirt, a knowledgeable glint in his eye.

  “I thought as much.” He pointed to the satchel at her feet. “Would you like me to deliver this to Mr. Paulson?”

  Gemma’s face blanched. “How do you know…?”

  “I recognize the satchel. I’m sure he will appreciate its return.”

  “You know, we weren’t stealing it.”

  “Oh, I’m sure.” His eyes gleamed with amusement, just the way Harrison’s did.

  Picking up the satchel, she placed it in his hands with a murmur of thanks.

  “Gemma, we gotta go.”

  She nodded at her brother. Stepping towards the door, she took a moment to study Nathaniel. He returned her gaze with a probing one of his own before he sent her a soft smile.

  “It was nice meeting you.” He bowed his head like a dignified gentleman.

  Gemma smiled. “You too.”

  With that, she closed the door and felt her body begin to break as she was whisked back home to Harrison.

  Chapter Four

  Anastasia National Park, Florida – 2011 AD

  Harrison ran his fingers through Gemma’s silky hair, rubbing his thumb and forefinger over the ends. His body was tucked into the crook of a tree, his feet resting in the sand. Gemma was nestled against him sending comfortable licks of flame over his torso.

  A contented sigh escaped her lips as she shifted her head and looked up at him.

  “I had fun today.”

  He kissed her forehead. “Me too. I especially liked seeing Justin sopping his way to the bathroom.”

  Gemma giggled. “That was pretty triumphant.” She raised her hand and ran a finger down his cheek before turning back to face the water.

  Harrison pulled a clump of her hair north and watched it float back to her body as he tried to decide whether or not to ask. He knew they weren’t supposed to talk about trips when she got back, but more often than not she would let him in. She usually waited until they were alone like this, but they had been this way for nearly half an hour and she still hadn’t mentioned it.

  He wasn’t sure why he was so desperate to know, there was just something about her face when she stepped out of the bathroom that had his curiosity peaked.

  “So… where’d you go today?”

  Her smile indicated that she saw right through his attempted casualness. He felt his cheeks rise with color.

  “I went to London.”

  “To visit the queen?”

  Gemma grinned. “1820. We were rescuing a writer, Arthur Paulson.”

  “That name sounds vaguely familiar.”

  “He apparently published a piece about child labor or something.”

  “Yeah… that does sound familiar. I must have read about him.”

  Harrison watched his girlfriend bite the inside of her cheek.

  A-ha! I knew there was more!

  He kept his lips sealed, trying to wait patiently. She always spilled eventually; he just wished she wouldn’t take so long to do it!

  “Have you ever read about Nathaniel Clayton?”

  “No, I don’t think so.” Harrison’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “He, um, kind of helped me out today and I was just wondering about him.”

  “Helped you out?” Harrison’s stomach clenched. “What do you mean?”

  She let out a long sigh then spilled the beans. They came tumbling out in a torrent of expression that had Harrison’s insides quivering with fear, annoyance, and as much as he hated to admit it, pride. Gemma never thought twice about putting her safety on the line for the sake of someone else.

  Squeezing her tight, he kissed the top of her head. “My spatia angelus. You did the right thing, time angel.”

  She swiveled her head to spy him. “So, you’re not mad with me for getting my sweet butt in trouble?”

  His lips rose. “I’m just glad that Clayton guy was there.”

  “Yeah, me too. There was something about him, Harrison. He was just… lovely.”

  Harrison could tell the word was insufficient. Gemma’s brow wrinkled before she shook her head and looked back up at him with a grin.

  “Did I tell you he looked just like you?”

  “Like me?” Harrison grinned. “No wonder you liked him so much.”

  Gemma giggled. “Maybe he’s a distant relative or something.”

  “Yeah.” His insides buzzed with the thought of a brewing investigation. “I’ll look into for you.”

  “Thanks, babe.”

  He ran his finger over her smiling lips before bending forward to meet them. He let the kiss linger and deepen a little before drawing away. If the fire in his brain was an indicator, he could tell they both wanted more, but the timing wasn’t right. Gemma wouldn’t give herself wholly to him until she could spend the entire night in his arms afterwards. That’s what she’d said and in all honesty, he kind of liked the idea. With the Nazi police as her parents he knew the likelihood of it ever happening before they went away to college was impossible. He could wait.

  He wrapped his arms around her, shooing her parents’ condition of breaking up after high school out of his mind. They couldn’t stop him from seeing Gemma. He would find a way to keep her in his life and he would fight tooth and nail to make sure it happened.

  Gemma’s smile looked forced as she moved to stand. “I gotta go. Debrief’s at five.”

  The phone in his pocket beeped as he took his girlfriend’s hand and headed for the parking lot.

  “Want to go to the movies with Darren and Courtney tonight?” He looked up from his screen.

  Gemma’s eyes lit with the idea, but her smile quickly faded. “We already went out together on Monday. I don’t know if my parents will let me have another night this week.”

  “Did you ask about dinner with my family on Friday?”

  “Not yet.” Gemma bit her lip.

  Harrison couldn’t stop the annoyed sigh fro
m spurting through his lips.

  “Please don’t do the face. I hate the face.” Gemma squeezed his hand.

  “You’re seventeen. You should be allowed to go out when and where you want during your summer vacation.”

  She shrugged. “You know what they’re like with their rules. At least they’ve mellowed. I mean I’m working with you, aren’t I?”

  He gave an unenthusiastic yeah.

  Gemma pulled him to a stop and made him face her. “We always knew it would take time, but they’ll come around eventually. We just have to be patient.”

  “I just wish they’d accept me. I hate the stress on you… and us.”

  “It’s only a stress if we make it one. You know I have to be careful. That boarding school threat wasn’t a joke.” She placed a hand on his cheek. “Look I’ll try for tonight. The trip went well today, they might be feeling generous.”

  He looked away with a huff. He didn’t want to be third wheel to Courtney and Darren again. He wanted to be able to take his girlfriend to the movies without having to jump through hoops of fire!

  “I love you.” Gemma’s soft voice appeased him enough to make him smile.

  “Loved you first.”

  “You so did not!” She slapped his arm as they continued walking. “I liked you for months before you even noticed me!

  “Hey, I noticed straight away, I just didn’t do anything about it.”

  “Oh, so we can blame your slow ass then?”

  Harrison stopped in his tracks, feigning offence. “Slow? You think I’m slow?”

  Giggles rippled from Gemma as she wriggled her hand free and began to run. He knew she was making it easy on him, but he caught her in a flying tackle and raspberried her neck until she begged for mercy.

  Chapter Five

  Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – 2011 AD

  Gemma grinned as she closed the door behind her. Harrison’s lips were still buzzing over her skin. It was a warm lick of memory and could not be extinguished despite the fact she was home.

  She loved it when he chased her, made her laugh, looked at her with those chocolate eyes… or called her time angel. Spatia angelus. She grinned and leaned against the wood. The look of awe on his face was a little off putting, but the fact he revered what she did was a total buzz. He could so easily have rejected her the day she told him the truth, but he didn’t and now he was hers.

  “Gemma, you’re late! Hurry up and get in here.”

  Her mother’s sharp snap used to make her jump a mile and scuttle to obey. Her crab-like habits were fading since her tenacious fight to keep Harrison. Instead, she drew in a breath, counted to ten and glided into the dining room. Taking a seat next to Ruby, she shot Dom a quick look to check they were leaving out certain parts of their journey in this debrief.

  His nod was so subtle she nearly missed it.

  “Okay, let’s go over today.” Gemma’s father rubbed his hands together. “To start I want to say job well done. Things went smoothly with no glitches from our end.” Alistair Hart went on to run down each detail from where they found Arthur Paulson to where they left him. He talked about things they did well and things they could have done better. As he drew his spiel to an end he looked at his son. “Dominic, everything go well for you guys?”

  “Yes, sir.” He scratched his cheek. “Place was easy to find, everything was where you said it would be. We left the paperwork where he’ll easily be able to find it.”

  “And where was that?”

  Gemma’s stomach clenched, her gaze dropping to the wooden table.

  Dom cleared his throat. “We walked past this man that recognized Arthur’s satchel. He asked about it. Gemma played it beautifully and told him that we’d found it and could he return it for us.”

  “A little risky.” Alistair frowned.

  “He looked trustworthy enough.” Dom shrugged. “And besides, the most important thing was that Arthur was saved and you guys did that.”

  Alistair nodded as his keen eyes bore into Gemma. In the past, she was always the first to break. Lying had never been second nature for her. She’d had to learn the skill and was only just starting to master the casual confidence Dom always went for.

  “He seemed to accept my story pretty easily.” She shrugged and popped a smile in for good measure. “I’m just glad he didn’t ask any other details. I thought we handled the hitch pretty well. I can’t think of anything we could have done better.” Her gaze flicked to Dom before landing back on her father. She knew eye contact was key to hiding the lie.

  Alistair’s eyes gleamed with a touch of pride as he nodded his head and slapped the table. He seemed to be making more of an effort since Gemma’s near death experience. Debriefs were shorter, training just a touch less intense. His smile appeared more readily as if he was trying to make up for the fact his youngest nearly died.

  Gemma didn’t fully understand the change. If anything, the whole debacle was her fault, but she wasn’t going to complain about it. The less tension in the house the better. The only thing that made his face all tight with anger now was the mention of a certain blond she refused to break up with.

  “What are your plans tonight, guys?”

  Ruby perked up at her mother’s question. “I’m out with Jenny and Todd.”

  And Alex!

  Gemma bit back her smile. Since Gemma had fought for her right to date Harrison, Ruby had been more forthcoming with information, but she hadn’t mentioned Alex yet. He was a very fine looking college sophomore that Ruby had bumped into on the beach two weeks ago. Gemma hadn’t seen her sister so gaga before. She knew it wasn’t anything like what she had with Harrison, but the guy was certainly getting Ruby in a tizz. Hence the reason he had not been brought up in any Hart conversations.

  “I’m thinking of doing an evening surf with the guys.” Dom looked past his twin sister to Gemma. “You wanna come?”

  “Actually, I’m um…” Gemma glanced at her father. His cheery expression was turning black and tight. “I’ve been invited to the movies.”

  “With who?”

  Gemma sighed.

  “The rules are one date a week, which you’ve already had.” Penelope’s fingers tapped on the table.

  “This isn’t a date. Darren and Courtney will be there.”

  “So a double date then.”

  “It’s not a date, Mom. It’s dinner and a movie with friends!”

  Gemma stood from her chair.

  “This discussion isn’t over. Sit down.” She slumped back down at her father’s command.

  “I don’t understand why we have to have a discussion every time I go out!”

  “We’re already letting you work with him each day, why do you have to see him at night as well?”

  “What else am I gonna do?”

  “Surf with your brother.”

  “Mom, you hate me going surfing at night. You’re always going on about how dangerous it is and how you don’t like me hanging out with all those boys.”

  “Maybe spending time with other boys isn’t such a bad thing?”

  “What?” Gemma nearly laughed. “Are you seriously saying that you don’t mind me hanging out with a bunch of horny surfers for a night?”

  Her mother blanched. “I’m just suggesting that socializing with other people every now and then would be good for you. Besides, Dom wouldn’t let any of those boys near you.”

  “Mom, I wouldn’t let any of those boys near me.” She sighed and tucked a clump of hair behind her ear. “Look whatever, I’ll just go hang out in my room.” She made sure she shot both her parents a dark look before leaving the table with a sulky huff.

  The summer sun was descending when Gemma threw her book on the floor. She couldn’t read. She was too annoyed. Harrison had been pretty gracious about her bailing, but she could tell he was still pissed. His I love you had been almost terse before he hung up.

  The computer on her desk beeped. With a frown, Gemma went to investigate and was soon smiling.
She pulled out her chair and took a seat as she answered a Skype call from Courtney.

  “Hey.”

  Courtney’s stilted image waved, her ringlet curls bobbing.

  “So sucks you couldn’t come out tonight.”

  “Why aren’t you out?”

  “The guys decided to have an Xbox-fest instead of taking me to the movies. Losers.” She pulled one of her curls straight and let it pop back into place. “Darren’s going to have to make it up big time tomorrow. It’s our last night together.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Stupid Maine for some stupid camping and hiking around some stupid national park.”

  Gemma grinned. “What are you talking about? That sounds awesome.”

  “My sisters, my dad and no Darren? It sounds like crap.”

  “I’m sure it won’t be that bad.” Gemma giggled. “Besides, I’ve heard time apart can make a relationship stronger.”

  “And you believe that?”

  Gemma scrunched her nose. “Not really. I’m so sorry, Courtney.”

  Her blurry image sagged. “I’ll get over it… as long as Darren misses me.”

  “He totally will.”

  “Yeah, I just worry that while I’m gone his eyes might wander.”

  “No they won’t.”

  “You’re only saying that because Harrison’s never would. He’s so in love with you, even if you did break up he’d probably be one of those guys who would stay single until fate brought you magically back together.”

  Gemma loved that idea, but thought it was more appropriate to scoff a little. “He’s not that bad. He was in love once before me.”

  “Really?” Courtney sat straight.

  “Yeah, some girl called Amy. She broke up with him because he moved around so much. He swore off girls for the rest of high school after that.”

  “But you made him change his mind.”

  “There’s an exception to every rule.” Gemma blushed.

  Courtney frowned.

  “Look, don’t worry about Darren. I’ll keep an eye on him for ya.”