What they didn’t know: He hadn’t been able to destroy his mother’s only treasure at the height of his madness, tens of thousands of years ago. He wasn’t able to do it now. The bead he crushed was the second crystal belonging to Ashley that she’d made a necklace out of.
Xander jogged into the fog, using his senses to guide him. Darian had killed off six Others while the rest had fled. He only cared about one of the Others – the one who took Jessi.
“Clear!” Jule called from Xander’s left.
“Clear,” Eden echoed, closer.
“X,” Darian’s voice carried a grim note.
Xander spun and headed the direction of the Grey God. He didn’t sense the Original Other until within range of his mind manipulation power. However, he didn’t sense Jessi at all, meaning she wasn’t with him.
Darian’s foot was across the Original Other’s neck. The creature on the ground was breathing hard but alive and awake.
“Where’s Jessi?” Xander demanded.
“He’s not telling me,” Darian said. “I saved him for you.”
“Vaporized,” the Original Other responded.
Fury filled Xander. He knelt beside the prone form. He focused his mind magic on the Other, whose ancient mind was older than Xander’s. The creature resisted well.
“You better hope that’s not true,” Xander said softly, dangerously.
“I knew you couldn’t … do it,” the Original Other said. “Your ruse worked. I won’t be tricked again.”
“If anything happened to Jessi, it won’t be a trick next time. Now, where the fuck is she?”
The Other said nothing.
Xander knocked Darian’s foot off it and snatched its neck, before it was able to Travel. He hauled the creature up.
“Xander,” Jule warned.
“I won’t kill him,” Xander replied. “I’m going to melt his brain.”
“Then I can kill him,” Darian offered.
Xander channeled his magic into the Other’s brain. He didn’t need to use it all to get what he wanted, but he wasn’t about to let someone who hurt Jessi off with a quick death. Focused on the Other, he closed his eyes.
“I killed her,” the Other said.
I know when you lie, Xander said into its mind. The Other’s brain told him otherwise, that it wasn’t entirely certain what happened. Xander went through a familiar routine, one he used on traitors. First, I’ll paralyze you, and then you’ll live through pain unlike any you’ve ever experienced.
Unlike Eden, who treated Xander similarly for a good cause, Xander did it out of revenge.
The Other’s body seized up then went limp, its head lolling back, as it lost the ability to move. Xander ransacked its mind, yanking out information about Jessi while channeling the magic to force the Other to relive the pain he’d caused throughout his lifetime.
The Other’s last memory of Jessi appeared. Xander witnessed Jessi running. Red fog blocked her for a second. It cleared, and she was out of the creature’s ability to sense her. Relying solely on his mortal senses, the Other unleashed a bolt of purple lightening.
Jessi disappeared.
Xander’s restraint snapped, blinding him. The long-dead predator in him returned, thirsty for blood. The memory of power coursing through his blood mixed with the sense of loss he last felt when he was a child. As before, the world had been yanked out from under him. He sought revenge then; he did so again now. He buried his fangs into the Original Other’s neck, not caring what happened when he killed the creature.
Hands grabbed at him and his meal, and someone was shouting. He wrapped his arms around the creature protectively, not about to let it go until every last drop of blood was gone. Familiar anger and pain swirled through him, the same he felt the night he killed the last Grey God.
Lightening exploded between him and his dinner, knocking him back. Xander launched forward, trying to shake free the hands that wrestled him away.
Stop, son. She’s alive.
He froze and oriented himself, suddenly aware of what he did. The Original Other lay in a heap on the ground, his throat shredded. Jule had one of his arms, Darian the other, while Eden’s hands were on his shoulders.
“Where?” Xander managed.
“I’ll show you. Can we let you go?” Eden’s voice was calm, steady.
Xander sucked in a deep breath. He nodded. He didn’t wait for them but wrenched away. Blood filled his senses, and his gaze drifted to the Original Other.
“By some fucking miracle, you didn’t kill the bastard,” Darian said. “Seriously, what happens if I kill him?”
“He dies,” Xander snapped. “We can’t kill one another, but you can kill us.” He turned on Eden so fast, she stepped back. Her hands went up. “Now, Eden.”
“Follow me.”
“Darian, you’re gonna have to kill him, before he dies of his wounds,” Xander added over his shoulder.
“Will do.”
Xander’s control was slipping again. He had the urge to kill, to feel the warmth of blood running over his hands and smell it covering his body. Long-dead instincts were near the surface, waiting for Eden to slip up, so he could take her out next. He wanted to feel the power in him again, to take away his anger.
Unable to sort through why he was so close to losing it, he wiped the blood from his face onto his arm and trailed her.
The moment he saw Jessi’s still body, his scattered thoughts crystallized into one and any anger he felt fled. Xander understood the question Sofi wouldn’t tell him, the one he had the answer to already.
What was more important than power, betrayal and revenge, the tenets on which he built his life?
However good her underlying motivations, she still lied, tricked and betrayed him. He killed many people for far less. But it wasn’t anger he felt standing over Jessi’s unmoving form. It was fear. Loss. Regret.
And a warm emotion swept through him that he never before experienced. It was strong enough to wipe out anything negative he might feel towards her. It was the dizzying, intimate sensation he got when he was inside her, the one that made him lose interest in other women, because fucking and feeding from them just wasn’t the same. Sassy and brave, Jessi made him reconsider his desire to spend eternity alone.
He needed her.
Xander dropped to his knees beside the pale woman. Gently, he gathered her warm body into his arms. Holding her was enough to calm him. Her eyes were closed, the long eyelashes wet from tears. Blonde curls tickled his arm. He assessed her body to identify where she was hurt, so he could heal her.
Eden crouched beside him and touched Jessi’s forehead.
“The Other got her, but it had to have been a glancing blow. She wouldn’t be here otherwise,” Eden murmured. “She’s newly dead.”
“I can vamp her,” Xander said. He lowered his head to her neck, breathing in her scent with a mix of longing and anger.
“Not if her heart’s stopped,” Eden said, pushing at his shoulder. “No blood flow, no vamp.”
“I’ll take the chance,” he growled and bent over Jessi once more.
“You really want this girl?” Eden asked thoughtfully. She pushed him away again.
“Get the fuck away from me, Eden.”
“I owe you one, Xander.” Her words stopped him.
Xander looked up, not fully trusting the woman who raised and then ditched him. Her green gaze was intent, the silver around them swirling as she fought to exert some influence over him.
“Answer my question, and I’ll do for her what I did for you.”
“Fuck her up?” he snapped.
“I told you once I’d make it so no one you love ever died. I meant it.”
“Immortality.”
“Yes.” Eden’s smile was barely visible. “I am the Original Human. I may not control them, but I maintain power over my kind, the way you do over the vamps. Tell me you want to spend your immortality with her, and I’ll make it happen.”
Xander brushed
hair from Jessi’s face, eyes on her pale skin. He didn’t like seeing her vulnerable like this; he wanted to hear her sharp tongue and watch her face turn pink when he looked at her too long or provoked her. He wanted to hear her whisper his name after they made love and flutter soft kisses with her full lips across his face, the way she had the other night. He needed to be inside her and share her emotions, emotions he wasn’t capable of feeling on his own.
He wanted the only woman who chose to sacrifice herself to the Original Other, as part of a horribly planned attempt to save those she loved. Somehow, her awful plan worked, without her turning over the gem and betraying him.
“I need her, Eden,” he said quietly, a note of raw emotion in his voice for the first time since he was a child.
“Then she’s yours.” Eden’s smile was wider, her eyes sparkling.
Eden’s magic wasn’t visible. He felt the cool power of an Oracle move through Jessi and into him. He cradled her against his chest, waiting to feel her pulse. At long last, Eden’s power took effect.
Slowly, faintly, Jessi’s heart began to beat again.
Chapter Eighteen
Jessi awoke from a deep sleep. Her room was bright, the bed more comfortable than she remembered. Groggily, she rolled onto her back and stared at a wood ceiling.
When did I get one of those?
Brow furrowing, she pushed herself up to examine the unfamiliar bedroom. It was large, decorated in whites and blues with an open door that led onto a balcony, obscured by a billowing white curtain.
She definitely didn’t recall this place. Pushing herself up, she caught her reflection in an oval, stand alone mirror with innately carved wood. She wore nothing more than a long T-shirt and her underwear. The same breeze giving the curtains heartburn tossed her hair around, and she pushed it aside, a flash of red making her gasp.
The necklace. Jessi reached for it, surprised to find the real one around her neck.
She looked around once more with apprehension. Was she dead or …
A glimpse of blue beyond the curtains drew her to the balcony, and she pushed the drapes aside, astonished to see the swath of ocean resembling miles of blue silk.
“A cruise,” she murmured.
She sought some explanation. The last memory she had was of purple lightening, a cold, dark place and the damned Other, none of which explained how she ended up here.
Puzzled, she pushed open the doors on the side of the room opposite the balcony. One led to a closet, another to a bathroom and a third into a spacious living area, off which was another balcony. She scanned over the comfortable furniture and past the living room to a large kitchen and dining area before her gaze returned to the two forms seated on the balcony.
Xander was one by his size. Her heart lurched at the sight of him, and her blood began flying through her in a mixture of excitement and desire. She neared the door to the balcony and paused, eyes going over Xander’s body.
Dressed in swim trunks and nothing else, his long, lean legs were propped up on the balcony railing. His dark hair was tied at his neck, his muscular frame at ease. Heavy features were shaded by a day or two of stubble, his red-hued gaze on the ocean. The calming intensity around him tugged at her, made her want to curl up in his arms.
The woman beside him was a stranger. Skinny with a crooked nose, her eyes glowed red, too, and her frown was apparent.
Uncertain what was going on, Jessi hugged herself and inched closer. She saw no sign that the kids were here; the place was meticulous. If Brandon and Ashley were around, there would be little messes and beads everywhere.
“…just saying, maybe it was a mistake.” The young woman on the balcony was whining in a way that reminded Jessi of Ashley.
“You had enough time to think about it,” Xander’s response was gruff.
“That was before I decided to go vegan.”
“It’s been two days, Ingrid.”
“It was a recent decision.”
“Let me guess – you met a new guy, and he’s vegan.”
“You’re Ingrid?” Jessi asked, surprised. She was expecting a big-boobed beauty, not the scrawny girl.
Both of them twisted to face her. Xander motioned to the door. Ingrid rose with a frown.
“Great. Two bosses who don’t believe in wearing clothes,” she grumbled.
Ingrid breezed by her and slammed the front door. Jessi’s face warmed. She glanced down, suspecting she should’ve searched for clothing.
Until she looked up and saw Xander’s appraising gaze move over her. Desire pooled in her lower belly, and the ache at her core was intense enough that she wanted to sit down. Xander met her gaze, the intensity of his look adding to her misery.
“A cruise?” she asked.
“To Cabo.”
“Wow … that’s where I’ve always …” Her gaze sharpened. “Did I tell you that?”
“I read your diaries.”
“Xander!” she groaned.
“I rescue you from an Other, and you’re giving me shit?” he challenged, standing. He moved into the living area.
“You won’t learn boundaries, will you?” Jessi didn’t retreat, her body burning for him too much for her to want to leave. She gazed up at him.
“Not where you’re concerned,” he replied firmly.
“Where are the kids?”
“Safe in Texas. You’re welcome for saving your ass again.”
“I saved your ass, too!” she retorted.
Xander’s features softened in warmth. He tipped her chin up and kissed her lightly. It was all the invitation she needed. Jessi sank into his hard body, beyond relieved at the feel of his smooth skin. His comforting scent and heat filled her senses.
“I thought I lost you,” she murmured.
“As much as you might like that, no.”
“I don’t want that!”
He wrapped his arms around her tightly.
“No one is coming for the gem again? You didn’t destroy the world?” Apprehension filled her at the thought of facing Jonny or Others. She did her best to protect those she cared about and ended up here. She squeezed her eyes closed, pressing herself against him. His oak-amber scent and the heat of his skin intoxicated her, made her feel like – even if the world ended – she might not care, if she was in his arms.
“It’s over,” he replied.
“I passed your damn trial?”
“Close enough,” he answered, reaching between them to lift her chin again.
She flushed, as much from the fire building within her as his words.
“I would’ve kept you either way,” he added with a small smile. “I have to tell you something.”
“How I ended up on a cruise?”
“No.” He was pensive for a moment. “You were dead for a few minutes.”
She stared.
“I asked Eden to save you, because I couldn’t,” Xander continued. “She made you immortal, Jessi.”
His words baffled her. He watched her try to process the idea.
“Immortal,” she repeated. “As in, I get to live forever?”
“Like me. With me.”
Speechless, she tried to imagine what eternity would be like. It was beyond anything she could envision.
“Most Naturals end up immortal or at least, age slowly, if they mate with Guardians. Ash and Brandon will probably do the same,” he added.
Another thought occurred to her. “You like me enough to keep me around?”
“Yeah.”
His simple, earnest response and the conviction on his face floored her.
“It’s a lot to think about,” she admitted.
“It can be undone,” he added, an edge in his voice.
“No.” Jessi smiled, surprised to find no part of her disliked the idea of spending a lifetime – or several – with him. “No. It’s a lot to take in, and don’t you ever make a decision like that on my behalf again, without consulting me.”
“You were fucking dead.”
> “You wanted to keep me around forever. You like me. No, you love me.” She wanted to cry, overwhelmed, this time by different emotions than those that plagued her this week. Living forever was not something she ever considered; being with him wasn’t something she thought was possible
Both? Jessi grinned.
He grimaced.
“No one will ever fuck with you again.” His tone was soft but lethal.
“I’m afraid to ask,” she murmured, aware of what his strength was able to do.
“It’s universally understood that you’re off-limits.”
She almost sighed. “So you aren’t mad at me for taking off the necklace and lying to you and not trusting you to help me.”
A flare of something went through his gaze. His jaw clenched.
“You are mad at me,” she said, uncertain why the idea made her want to laugh, especially after he went through the effort to keep her around forever.
“That shit won’t happen again.”
“You survived, didn’t you?”
“No more secrets, lies or boundaries,” he growled.
“We’ll see,” she said, grinning. “Since you can’t read my mind, and we have eternity together …”
He kissed her hungrily, robbing her of resistance and breath. Jessi yielded. She loved the combination of his passion and gentled strength. His lips teased her, his mouth opening so she could taste him once more. The furnace in her belly was beyond hot, her blood roaring with need. When he lifted his head, her thoughts were too addled for her to focus on anything more than the sensations of the body against hers.
“Deal?” he asked in a husky voice.
She nodded. “No more one-night stands.”
“Yes, kiri, I know,” he replied with a chuckle. He rested his forehead against hers. “I understood that when I made my choice.”
“I don’t know how you did it, but thank you,” she whispered. Tears rose as she began to realize exactly what it meant to be where she was. In his arms. On a cruise. For the first time since meeting him, she didn’t feel as if the world was crushing her.
“You didn’t fuck things up too bad. You’re brave. Stupidly so.”
Lizzy Ford Page 31
