The Bearens' Hope: Book Four of the Soul-Linked Saga

by Laura Jo Phillips

  “Unless there’s something else, I vote that we start now,” she said.

  “As our wife wishes,” Jackson said with a bow. Hope frowned at him while she considered dumping her champagne over his head. Clark rescued her glass just in time as Rob scooped her up into his arms.

  “Such a temper you have,” he said with a smile as he carried her off the balcony and into the huge, opulent master suite. Jackson followed, closing the balcony doors behind him.

  Rob set her on her feet and stepped back. “Have I told you today how beautiful you are?” he asked.

  “Once or twice,” Hope replied with a grin. “But I don’t mind.”

  Rob chuckled as he stepped to her right side. Clark moved to her left and Jackson came to stand in front of her.

  “You are ready, Niha?” he asked softly.

  “Yes, I’m ready,” she replied.

  “Jackson leaned in to kiss her again as Rob and Clark each lifted one of her hands and held them gently.

  “The first injection will increase your body’s ability to regenerate,” he said.

  Hope nodded. They had explained all of this to her already, but she didn’t remind him of that since he seemed more nervous than she felt.

  Jackson looked into her eyes for another moment, then nodded to himself before lowering his mouth to her neck. He kissed her once at the same time that Clark and Rob each kissed the inside of one of her wrists. Then, again at the same time, she felt a small sting in each wrist and her neck.

  An unexpected wave of arousal washed though her at the heat of their mouths against her skin, but she forced herself to remain still in spite of it. Moments later they withdrew their fangs, and their soft, warm tongues licked the tiny wounds, causing her knees to buckle as she moaned helplessly.

  Jackson caught her before she had a chance to fall, and for a moment she was extremely embarrassed at her sexual reaction. Then Jackson’s mouth claimed hers in a hot, deep kiss, and her embarrassment was forgotten as she lost herself in the passion and heat of it. When he lifted his mouth from hers, she felt a bit dazed, until Clark turned her head toward him and kissed her just as hotly, his tongue stroking hers in a sensual caress that had her heart racing. By the time he ended the kiss, they were both panting, but now she needed Rob. She turned around, reached for him and there he was. Rob’s kiss was slower, more sensual than Clark’s and Jackson’s, but just as hot and just as passionate.

  Hope leaned her cheek against Rob’s chest for a few moments after the kiss, just to catch her breath and compose herself. She had never felt such arousal before, not even the first time she’d been with her men.

  “Are you all right?” Jackson asked her after a few moments.

  She smiled up at him. “Yes, I’m fine, just a little weak in the knees.”

  Jackson returned her smile. “Perfect,” he said. “Weak in the knees is exactly what we were aiming for.”

  Hope wasn’t going to touch that one. “So what next?” she asked.

  “We wait for about an hour, then you will fall asleep,” Jackson said. “In the meantime, let’s get you out of your dress and into something more comfortable.”

  “That sounds good,” Hope agreed. She rose up on her toes to kiss Rob on the lips then stepped away from him. “Should I put on pajamas?” she asked doubtfully, suddenly at a loss.

  “A robe might be better,” Jackson said as he crossed the room to the closet and stepped inside. He came out holding a garment that Hope couldn’t quite make out until he held it up for her. She gasped in surprise at the white silk robe with tiny golden owls embroidered down the front and around the edges of the sleeves.

  “That’s too beautiful to wear,” she said as she reached out to touch the rich fabric. She had never felt anything so soft.

  “On the contrary, it is just beautiful enough for you to wear,” Clark said as he stepped behind her and swept her hair over her shoulder before unfastening her dress.

  Hope felt a little nervous at the prospect of standing naked before them, but she noticed that they were all careful to keep their eyes on her face as Clark slipped the shoulders of her dress down for her, and Jackson helped her on with the robe. They were such gentlemen all of the time, she thought. She felt a bit guilty that she was always surprised by it.

  She stepped out of her dress, and Clark picked it up for her while she tied the sash on her new robe. She held one sleeve up, admiring the intricate embroidery.

  “Poutanas yie!” she exclaimed.

  Jackson, Clark and Rob all sped toward her, their senses instantly alert for danger. “What is it?” Jackson asked her.

  “I’m sorry, guys,” Hope said. “There’s nothing wrong, I just realized that I never told you about my owl.”

  “Your owl?” Jackson asked uncertainly. “You have an owl?”

  “No,” Hope replied. “There isn’t really an owl. What I do is called astral projection. I send my conscious mind out of my body for a short period of time. The owl is just the image I use to help myself focus.”

  “I have never heard of a gift like this before,” Jackson said, frowning worriedly. “Clark? Rob?”

  Both Clark and Rob shook their heads, and Jackson’s worry increased. He didn’t know why, but something about this made him feel tense.

  “Can you do it for us, Niha?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Hope replied. “Let’s go over there and sit down.”

  Jackson led the way to a group of chairs set around a fireplace in the corner of the room. After they were all seated, Hope leaned back, closed her eyes, and reached for her owl. After a moment her silver and gold owl appeared in her mind, and she sent it winging out over the beach.

  “Great stars, did you see that?” Rob exclaimed, as he stared up at the ceiling.

  “It was definitely an owl,” Clark said softly. “Only it was silver and gold, and far larger than the one she found on the side of the road that day.”

  “And it was transparent,” Jackson said. He frowned as he studied Hope’s still body. He reached out to her with Water magic, shocked at what he discovered. Shocked and frightened.

  “It feels as though her spirit has left her,” he said. “I do not like this at all.”

  “What should we do?” Clark asked.

  “She did this on purpose,” Rob reminded them. “We should be patient a moment.”

  Jackson took a deep breath and tried to calm himself, but it wasn’t until the giant owl suddenly appeared near the ceiling once more that he allowed himself to unclench his fists. The bird floated above Hope for a moment, then shot downward, merging with her once more. Hope opened her eyes and smiled at the Bearens.

  “That was...surprising,” Jackson said carefully. “What does the owl do when it leaves your body?”

  “It goes where I send it,” Hope said, noting the tension in all three of her men. “This time, it flew over the beach. It’s quite beautiful from the sky.”

  “Do you do this often?” Clark asked.

  “Not really,” Hope replied. “I used it to show us which direction to go when we crossed the desert. And I used it to eavesdrop on those criminals planning the meeting that the Director told us about. I don’t usually do that sort of thing, but Harlan told me they were trying to kill Ellicia, so I made an exception.”

  Jackson nodded. “Do you ever communicate with your owl?”

  Hope frowned. “I tell it where I want to go, but honestly, there is no owl. It’s just an image I use to focus. Why are you guys so tense?”

  Jackson glanced at Clark, then Rob, both of whom silently agreed that they should tell Hope what they’d seen.

  “Hope, there is an owl,” Jackson said. “We saw it leave your body and fly up through the ceiling. A few moments later, it returned and you opened your eyes.”

  Hope was shocked. “What does it look like?”

  “Very large, transparent, silver and gold, with turquoise eyes,” Clark answered. “Is that how it looks to you in your mind?”

  Ho
pe nodded slowly, struggling to accept that there was an actual physical manifestation for her owl. “I don’t understand,” she said. “How could I not know this?”

  “When your owl left you, I sensed your spirit leaving with it,” Jackson said. “Either your spirit is the owl, or they are closely connected.”

  “You guys are very tense,” Hope observed. “Is it because you think the owl is dangerous?”

  “Probably not,” Jackson said, forcing himself to relax. Hope did not need to be worried at this time. “We are merely surprised, that’s all.”

  “Do you think that I will lose my owl after the transformation?” Hope asked. She hadn’t thought of that before, but now that she had, she realized how much her owl meant to her. She didn’t want to lose it.

  “The other Arimas retained their psychic gifts,” Clark reminded her. He glanced at Jackson, then Rob, and knew his brothers were thinking the same thing he was. They sensed that this owl was far more than a psychic gift. But Hope did not need to know that right now.

  “Good,” Hope replied with a sigh of relief. “I would miss it if it left me.”

  “Would you like me to braid your hair for you?” Rob offered, changing the subject.

  “Since I’m going to be sleeping for a while, that’s probably a good idea,” Hope said. “Otherwise it’ll take hours to comb out.”

  As Rob gently brushed Hope’s hair, Jackson searched for a more neutral topic to discuss. He was relieved when Hope provided him with one.

  “How is the new nursery coming along?” she asked.

  Jackson grinned. “It will be complete as soon as the remaining furniture is installed,” he said.

  “Why the grin?” Hope asked curiously.

  “Our Captain cannot quite decide whether to be thrilled for us that we now have a family, or mortified that there is a nursery aboard his ship. He bounces back and forth rather quickly, which tends to leave his face a somewhat interesting shade of magenta.”

  “That there will be four women aboard that are not crew, and therefore not under his command, does not improve the situation,” Clark added.

  “You cannot blame him,” Rob said. “He’s a battle trained Captain, and the Kontuan is a war ship, not a passenger liner.”

  “A war ship?” Hope asked in surprise. “I didn’t know that. Will you get into trouble for putting a nursery on a Jasani war ship?”

  “Of course not,” Jackson replied. “The Kontuan is the flagship of the Clan Bearen fleet. As we are the Consuls of Clan Bearen, it is, essentially, our ship.”

  “Oh,” Hope said, surprised again. She didn’t really know what to say to that, so she skipped it and asked another question. “What does Kontuan mean?

  “It means bear in our ancient tongue,” Jackson replied as he studied Hope’s expression. “Do not worry about the Captain,” he said. “All will be well.”

  “I’m just worried that he’ll be angry,” Hope admitted. “I don’t want us to start off on the wrong foot with the Jasani.”

  “He is not angry,” Jackson assured her. “He is out of his comfort zone, as Ellicia would have said.”

  “I wish I had gotten a chance to know Ellicia,” Hope said wistfully.

  “As do we,” Jackson agreed. “We know what kind of woman she was, her bravery, her determination, her loyalty and honor, but we did not have the opportunity to really know her personally. When it comes time to tell her sons who she was, it will be difficult.”

  “No it won’t,” Hope said. “What you do know of her is all good, and they will need to know that. Her sister will be able to fill in the more personal aspects of who Ellicia was.”

  “Yes, I had forgotten that,” Jackson said, brightening. “Thank you.”

  “This has been an interesting journey,” Hope said. “There are a lot of things I wish had not happened, but I can’t help but feel as though we have a happy ending in spite of it all.”

  “A happy ending, and a joyful beginning for our new family,” Rob said as he parted her hair and began braiding it.

  Hope smiled as Jackson and Clark raised their fists to their hearts and bowed in acknowledgment of Rob’s words. They were such big, strong, powerful men, and yet they were so sentimental, she thought.

  “The one thing I don’t understand is why I had such a strong feeling that I had to go to Jasan, to Bride House,” she said. “That bothers me because the urge was so intense, and I just knew it was the right thing to do, but it wasn’t.”

  “Poutanas yie,” Clark exclaimed.

  Hope looked at him in surprise. “You swore!”

  “I apologize, aspara,” he said sheepishly as he leapt up from his chair and hurried across the room.

  “But you swore,” she repeated. “In Greek. Where did you learn how to swear in Greek?”

  Jackson and Rob chuckled. “Niha, you swear in Greek quite often,” Jackson said with a grin. “It would be difficult for us not to learn it.”

  “Oh,” Hope said, feeling her face heat. “I suppose I need to stop doing that now that I have three sons to raise.”

  “Don’t worry about it too much,” Rob said, bending down to speak softly in her ear, “I promise you that nobody on Jasan knows Greek.”

  “That’s good to know,” Hope laughed as Clark returned to his chair with his hand terminal.

  “What are you looking for?” Jackson asked as he watched Clark search through his files.

  “Ah, here it is,” he said. “Yes, that’s what I thought.”

  “Clark?” Jackson asked archly.

  “A few months ago a secret slave compound was discovered on Jasan,” Clark said, speaking mostly to Hope. “That such a thing existed on our world without our knowledge was shocking, to say the least. As heads of planetary security, it fell to us to beef up our defenses, and organize several search teams to scour Jasan for more such compounds.”

  “Did you find any?” Hope asked.

  “No, we didn’t,” Jackson replied. He turned to Clark with a questioning look.

  “I’m getting there,” Clark said before looking back to Hope. “Bride House is very popular among Jasani male-sets. So much so that it requires a reservation for male-sets to visit.”

  “Ah...” Jackson said, understanding where Clark was going now. Everyone turned to him but he shook his head and waved for Clark to finish.

  “About a year ago we made a reservation to visit Bride House,” Clark continued. “Because of the backlog, our date was set far in advance, and was supposed to take place about three months ago. The discovery of the compound put a lot of extra work on our plates, and we missed our appointment. In truth, we forgot about it completely.”

  “So you guys were supposed to visit Bride House while I was there,” Hope said. “That is such a relief to me, thank you so much for telling me that.”

  “I am sorry we missed that appointment, Hope,” Clark said.

  “I think everything happened the way it was meant to happen,” she said with a shrug. “As my mother said before she died, Tò peproménon phygeîn adýnaton.”

  “It is impossible to escape from what is destined,” Clark, Rob and Jackson translated at the same time.

  Hope smiled, then yawned widely. “Excuse me,” she said, covering her mouth as she yawned again. “I suddenly feel so tired.”

  “It is time,” Jackson said. He stood up and bent to lift Hope in his arms.

  “You won’t leave me alone, will you?” Hope asked, voicing a fear she hadn’t known about until she said it.

  “Not for a moment,” Jackson promised as he laid her on the bed. Rob straightened her robe and Clark tugged her braid out from beneath her and laid it over her pillow.

  “I love you,” she said, yawning again. As soon as the yawn ended, she smiled and started to say something else when her eyes closed and her body went limp.

  Jackson, Clark and Rob stood beside the bed, watching her for a moment, feeling at a loss. They knew what would happen next, and what they had to do, but they co
uld not help but feel nervous about it.

  “Perhaps you should go and get Karma,” Jackson suggested to Rob. “Let her know that we have begun, and that we will need her to send Hope into a deep sleep in about an hour.”

  Rob opened his mouth to respond and froze, as they all did, when Hope’s silver and gold owl suddenly floated up from her sleeping body. It settled in the air above her as though it were resting on a branch, and contemplated the Bearens with large, round, turquoise eyes.

  Garen, Clark and Rob watched the owl carefully for a long moment, knowing that this apparition was far more than a projection of Hope’s thoughts. Jackson considered their options, then bowed politely. Clark and Rob instantly followed his cue, though none of them took their eyes off of the giant bird.

  “Who are you?” Garen asked, forcing himself to speak in a polite tone rather than a demanding one.

  “We are the Sentinel,” the bird replied. It did not speak out loud, but they heard its voice in their minds.

  “The Sentinel of what?” Jackson asked, finding its use of the plural and the singular when it referred to itself interesting, and potentially meaningful.

  The bird tilted its silver head. “We are the Sentinel of the Owlfen,” it replied.

  “You do not look like Clan Owlfen,” Jackson pointed out, remembering the Owlfens that Hope had painted on her living room wall.

  “Our current appearance is most comfortable for those of this world.” The bird blinked its turquoise eyes as it studied each of the Bearens. “Long have we guarded this line, the last with the blood of the Owlfen, awaiting the return of our Clan to the land of the living.”

  “Then you must be pleased to know that your wait is at an end,” Jackson said.

  “Perhaps,” the bird replied.

  Jackson’s fists clenched with that single word. He sensed a threat to their sons, but forced himself to remain calm. A blood-rage would certainly not be of benefit, he cautioned himself.

  “Perhaps?” he asked, pleased that his voice sounded calm. “The infants are what they are. That cannot be changed.”

  “It cannot be changed,” the bird agreed. “It can be ended.”

  “You would do such a thing?”

  “We are wary,” the bird replied. “Our Clan was destroyed and we would see its return. However, it must return as true Clan Owlfen, not as a child of Clan Bearen cloaked in the flesh of Clan Owlfen.”