Black Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #2)

by Melissa Pearl

  “What time is that?” Gemma felt panic rise as the image started to fade with her question.

  “Stay focused! Keep your eyes closed.”

  Gemma fought for the image she had.

  “Repeat after me… nine forty-two, July ten, two thousand and eleven.”

  Gemma licked her lips then repeated the words.

  “Now go.”

  Gemma heard the words, willed her body and then felt the tingling sensation spread through every nerve. The feeling was all too familiar as her body disintegrated and reappeared in the caravan.

  Standing with her back against the closet she drank in the scene in stunned silence. There she was, sitting at the table. Gabe was holding her hand and humming. Her shoulders were slumped, but she recognized the tense set of her muscles. That must have been when she was trying to fight off the feeling of reminiscence.

  She felt her brain jolt as she realized that the “her” from earlier today was about to see a naked version of herself.

  Could I handle that?

  The panicky pace of her heart told her she probably couldn’t.

  How do I get back?

  As if she’d said the question aloud, Gabe opened his eyes and looked straight at her. His soft smile was filled with pride as he looked at her face. She ignored the warmth filling her and mouthed an urgent plea.

  “Close your eyes and visualize,” he mouthed back.

  Her lids snapped shut and she willed her body back to the present. Afraid to open her eyes she kept them squeezed tight while the pain of re-connection seared through her.

  “Good job.” There was a smile in Gabe’s voice.

  Gemma let her right eye squeak open enough to see Gabe standing there with her shorts and tank top held in his outstretched hand. She snatched them up and was grateful to see him turn around while she slid them on.

  “How did that feel?”

  “Bizarre.” She flicked out her hair from beneath her shirt. “I didn’t see myself, did I?”

  He peeked over his shoulder then turned fully once deducing she was dressed. “No, you stood up about a second later. Just missed the gold dust.” He finished with a grin. “So, how do you feel?”

  “The pain’s still the same, but I don’t feel tired… at all!”

  If anything she felt exhilarated.

  “Well, that’s because you’re not transporting four other bodies with you.”

  “So the way I feel right now is how it’s supposed to feel?”

  Gabe nodded and Gemma felt her insides jump with excitement.

  “That’s so cool! I just traveled on my own!” She must have looked like a kid in a candy store, her eyes wide with wonder. “Can we do it again?”

  “Absolutely.” He chuckled. “But remember, you only traveled ten minutes into your past. It’s going to be a lot harder to go back over a century. This is going to take hard work and a hell of a lot of practice. You up for it?”

  Gemma breathed in through her nostrils and felt her eyes dance. Was she ever!

  * * * *

  The sun was like a warm blanket. Gemma lay on her back with one arm draped over her eyes. Her belly was full after chicken salad a la Gabe and she was starting to feel energized again.

  She had jumped back three times that morning, she wanted to do more, but Gabe wouldn’t let her. He said although she was young and strong, her body shouldn’t be put under too much strain in such a short space of time. The furthest she went by the end of the day was to her room that morning. She arrived just in time to see herself swinging the door shut behind her. On her return from that trip, she felt the first waves of tiredness.

  “You look a little brighter now.” Gabe threw his apple core into a nearby shrub. “Your cheeks have some color back.”

  “I don’t get it.” Gemma shook her head. “I wasn’t taking anyone with me, why did I feel so shattered?”

  “You’ve been traveling all day. It was bound to catch up with you. Don’t worry, a good night’s sleep should have you ready to go in the morning.”

  “So, same thing tomorrow?”

  “We’ll start sending you back a little further tomorrow, but we’ll break it up with research. If you’re going to head back more than 24 hours, I only want you doing a couple of trips a day.”

  “This is going to take forever,” Gemma groaned.

  Gabe chuckled. “A month spent training in order to get it right is very short compared with a lifetime of no Harrison. Think about it, kid.”

  “Yeah.” She rolled onto her stomach and picked a blade of grass. “I just miss him so much. I know this sounds cliché, but I feel like a part of me is missing.” She sighed. “The sooner the better, you know?”

  “I know.” Gabe stared up at the sky, his mind obviously clicking into that memory bank of his.

  Gemma felt a sudden urge to ask about Lena, but quelled it. She wasn’t sure how ready she was to hear about the woman that just might be her mother.

  “I guess you better get going. We want to keep your whereabouts under the radar. The less questions you get asked, the better.”

  Gemma pushed herself up to sitting and brushed the grass from her top. “What do I tell them?”

  “Just say you were out riding again.” Gabe shrugged. “Look, sweetie, as much as I know you’re going to hate me for suggesting this… but you might want to start acting as though you’re moving on.”

  “What do you mean?” Gemma perched her bottom on the back of her heels.

  Gabe hesitated over his answer, scratching his fingers through his hair. “You’re not going to learn anything about your parents if you keep avoiding them. You need to start pretending that maybe their decisions for you have been right. Bring them back into your circle of trust so to speak.”

  Gemma loathed the idea. She felt the repulsion for it build inside her. “What, so you mean, I just have to act like I’m over it? I wouldn’t do that!”

  “I’m not saying pretend like nothing happened, I’m just saying maybe ice down a little and eat dinner with them once in a while.”

  “So I can spy on them.”

  “Why are you so anti that idea? I’m only trying to find out what they’ve got in store for you. Your eighteenth birthday isn’t far away.”

  “What does my birthday have to do with anything?”

  Gabe sighed and began picking at the grass. “Turning eighteen is a huge step for a time spirit, particularly pure ones like you. You’ll be stronger than you have before, able to move faster, fight better, travel more easily. They’re going to use that. I don’t know how, I just know they are.”

  Gemma felt a mixed sense of awe and trepidation. She liked the idea of being more capable, but it also scared her. And then there was the thought her parents might use it to their advantage. She felt her defences rise with the idea, but also couldn’t help the small notion that it might be true. Anger sparked within and she immediately misdirected it at Gabe.

  “What if everything you’re telling me is a big fat lie! How do I know you’re not just using this to your own advantage?”

  “My goal here is to protect you,” Gabe’s voice was calm in contrast to hers. “Why else would I be doing this?”

  “I don’t know!” Gemma squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Look, Gabe, I appreciate your help, I do. But I’ve known these people my whole life and even though I don’t like them very much right now, they’re still my family. The idea of spying on them just seems wrong.”

  “They betrayed you, kid. They took the one thing you love away from you, because it didn’t fit in with their plans. You trying to tell me you’re willing spend the rest of your life bound by them?”

  “No!” Gemma jumped from her spot.

  “Then what!?” Gabe rose to face her.

  “I don’t know, okay? I don’t know!” She paced away then spun back to face him. “It’s just so impossibly hard to fathom that my parents want to hurt me.”

  “Well, maybe that’s because they’re not your paren
ts!!”

  Gemma flinched. Gabe let out a long sigh, ran his hands through his hair and looked at her.

  “I can tell you for a fact, that all your parents ever wanted was for you to be happy. They fought for it and one of them’s going to keep on fighting, because he can.”

  Gabe’s strangled voice made Gemma’s eyes shimmer. He looked to the ground and ran his hand through his hair. A long sigh escaped his lips.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, kid.”

  She remained where she was, watching Gabe walk back to the caravan. She nearly chased after him, but couldn’t quite make her legs do it. Instead she headed to her bike. As she buckled on her helmet and tore away from the caravan, a new resolve settled inside her… this wasn’t just about getting Harrison back anymore.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – 2011 AD

  Gemma entered the house with clipped steps and headed straight for the kitchen in order to grab her meal and escape to her room. As she reached for her plate, her new resolve coursed through the back of her mind. She let out a long sigh and waved goodbye to the routine of recent nights as she walked into the dining room.

  Pulling out her chair without a word, she sat in her place and began to silently eat her food, sensing the small smiles and nods of approval. Much to her dismay, Dom and Ruby were not there, obviously entertained with dates. Gemma felt the sear of jealousy, but bashed it away with the idea that soon she would have Harrison back and be heading off on dates of her own.

  She squashed the smile and shoved another forkful of food into her mouth. The eerie silence was erased with her mother’s question. “Did you have a good day, Gem?”

  “Fine, thank you.” She tried not to choke on the words. She hadn’t spoken civilly to either parent since Canon City and she was finding it challenging. Hot words of wrath still boiled in her mouth and were desperate to spread their molten lava across the table. She ran her tongue over her teeth trying to eradicate the searing sensation. “I’ve been thinking… about what you said yesterday. About doing what was best for me.” She fiddled with her fork. “I wanted to… ask you if you know what happened the other day… when we went back to Mesa Verde.”

  She decided to start with something that would make her look apologetic as opposed to triumphant. It might be a good insight into how travel with her family worked… and Gabe would appreciate her effort. She was looking forward to telling him of her huge sacrifice tomorrow and seeing his eyes light with a proud glimmer. The idea that she knew that’s exactly what would happen made her lips rise. She dropped her head to hide the warmth that was gushing through her.

  Her father cleared his throat. “I’m not sure, Gemma. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “Well.” She placed her fork down and began running her finger around the lip of her water glass. “I guess I just really, really didn’t want to go at the time and maybe that will-power elongated my departure. It’s never happened before and I didn’t actually mean to do it. That’s why I was so surprised when you hit me.” She couldn’t help the pointed look that raised her right eyebrow.

  Her father’s face blanched. “Yes, well, that was regrettable. I…” His voice was shaking and once again Gemma was sent into the turmoil of not knowing who to believe. Alistair Hart looked pretty broken over striking his youngest daughter, but then again, she couldn’t imagine Gabe ever striking her… no matter how mad he was.

  “I feel like you’ve changed, Dad… and I don’t understand why, but…” She swallowed hard, forcing the words through her lips. “If you want to talk about it then I’m willing. I want to know more about who we are, how we travel… all that kind of stuff. Maybe if I understood it better, I would want to go every time as opposed to that feeling of being forced.” She looked to her plate and dredged up her last piece of courage. “Maybe it would help me understand why you took Harrison from me… because I know, deep down, that you only did it because you thought it was best for me.”

  She was nearly choking on bile by the time she finished, but she managed to hide it convincingly. Both her parents were looking at each other with triumphant grins. She kept her expression warm and serene in spite of the icy chill creeping up her spine.

  “I think discussing your travel and our plans for your future is a very smart idea, Gemma.”

  “Good,” she squeaked and forced a smile. She felt it crumbling moments later and quickly shoveled some food into her mouth.

  * * * *

  “So, dinner went well then?” Gabe’s grin was wicked.

  Gemma threw an eye dagger in his direction, but he batted it away with a laugh.

  “I know it’s not easy, kid,” his voice suddenly went serious, “but just think about your future. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with Harrison or the Harts? Because even if we get him back, there’s a chance they’ll try taking him again and we need to be prepared for the fight.”

  Gemma bobbed her head. Emotion robbed her of any words as she watched Gabe slide on his riding jacket and reach for his keys.

  “So, tell me details.” He surveyed his caravan and patted his pockets before opening the door for her.

  She jumped down to the grass and shrugged. “There wasn’t much actually. He talked a lot about how the body travels and got all scientific on me. It was kinda boring actually.”

  Gabe grinned at her eye roll.

  “Did he mention how he manages to get you all to travel? I’ve never seen anything like it before. Time spirits can travel together, but they both have to get themselves there. I want to know how he visualizes for you guys.”

  “I’m not sure how we’re linked. All I could tell from last night’s conversation is that Da… Alistair is a very capable traveler with a very strong mind.”

  “Yeah.” Gabe nodded, his mouth set in a grim line.

  Jumping onto his bike, Gemma enjoyed the throaty rumble of the engine igniting beneath her. She grabbed onto Gabe’s jacket as he swung around and headed for the library.

  They didn’t talk at all during the trip, but the second she dismounted he was peppering her with questions again. She answered as best she could.

  “And what did they say about taking Harrison?”

  Gemma paled as she swiveled past Gabe, into the library.

  “They kept telling me that Harrison could bring no good to my life and that I had to protect my family. They don’t want another Decimus on their hands.”

  Gabe shot her a confused look. “What is this Decimus stuff you keep going on about? You make it sound like he was a bad person.”

  Gemma stopped her ascent to the computer section; her body frozen on the wooden stairs as a horrible yet emancipating revelation hit her.

  Gabe turned and took in her expression. He rushed back down the stairs to meet her.

  “What is it?”

  “Decimus was bad,” she whispered, “he nearly destroyed our kind. He… didn’t he?”

  Sudden doubt pierced her. Her whole life she had been listening to stories about Decimus and had conjured up an image that was completely loathsome. Now before her stood a man who she knew in her gut was about to say the exact opposite.

  “Destroyed us? What are you talking about? Decimus was a selfless man who only thought of others. His every action reflected that.” Gabe’s voice was gentle and Gemma felt as if years of brick laying were being shattered with this wrecking ball of truth.

  “So falling in love with Harrison isn’t a cardinal sin?” She could hear the hope in her voice and felt it rise with the shaking of his head.

  “What have they been telling you?”

  She licked her lips and swallowed. “They said Decimus fell for a human and was so blinded by love that he told her everything and she used it to try and manipulate him. In the end he put her before his family and they nearly died because of it. That’s why we’re not allowed to be with humans.”

  Gabe let out a soft snort and shook his head. “Well, I’m sorry, but that is a compl
ete load of crap.”

  Gemma’s mouth fell open. “But…”

  “Have Penelope and Alistair ever told you the truth?” Gabe let out a frustrated sigh and pulled her up the stairs, his explanation wafting behind him.

  “Decimus did break a vow, I guess that much is true. The electus swore they would never reveal the family secret to anyone outside the village. But he fell in love with Vala and his heart couldn’t keep it from her. He took the risk and she accepted him as he was.”

  “So, Decimus falling in love with a human, wasn’t a bad thing?”

  “No, of course not. Time spirits have been marrying humans for years. That’s not a forbidden ritual. I’ve heard of some marriages where the human has never found out what their spouse is capable of and they’ve lived quite happily together. You see time spirits weren’t designed to travel miles back into history. They were designed to help those around them. You know, travel back a day, an hour… a couple of weeks. That’s partly why the electus spread themselves far and wide. They knew they could help more people if they traveled further a field and taught their children about how to help others. Once they reached middle age, they stopped traveling and their children took their place.”

  “So, the more the earth was populated by time spirits the further we spread?”

  “Uh-huh.” Gabe pulled out a chair for her and she plopped down in front of the computer.

  “But, how did a line of pure ones make it? If we spread ourselves so wide, didn’t everyone just start marrying humans?”

  “You know we all feel a bond between us. It didn’t take much for the descendants of the electus to find each other again and fall instantly in love.”

  Gemma watched his eyes sparkle and knew he was thinking of Lena.

  “So what happened to Decimus in the end?”

  “Prodo.”

  “Betrayal? But I thought you said that story was complete crap?”

  “I meant that his wife betraying him was complete crap.” Gabe shook his head, obviously still irritated that she didn’t know the truth. “Decimus and Vala had been married for… ten years? They must have had at least eight children. Anyway, someone came to their village. He appeared as a missionary… a priest, but beneath the cloth was an earthly man whose sole purpose was to gain wealth and power. He had heard talk of a people who could vanish to gold dust and re-appear moments later. Legend says he was in search of them, hoping to snatch handfuls of gold as they disappeared. He had a feeling about Decimus and studied him for weeks, gaining his trust then one day managing to trick him.”