Crystal Fire

by Jordan Dane

  The pressure and responsibility of their newfound movement weighed heavy on Rayne, in a good way. Her life had taken on a deeper purpose than she would ever have believed possible on the day she went searching for her missing brother and met Gabriel at a deserted zoo.

  She wouldn’t be a kid on her own anymore. She had a bigger family than the one she’d lost.

  Sam and Quinn became inseparable friends with Lucas. Seeing the boys happy made her feel better. They were Indigos, but Luke had taken them under his wing and pushed them on their abilities. He had a theory that Crystal children were another level in the evolutionary journey, not a final destination. If he’d learned anything from the Believers, it was that no one should feel superior being the top of the food chain. Time made all things possible.

  They were becoming a family and thanks to Gabriel, he helped her feel part of it, even though the bad days still haunted her.

  The next day

  When Rayne didn’t come down for breakfast, he knew she’d had another bad night. Sitting in the great room, he listened for the sound of her footsteps on the stairs, but they never came. He’d lost his appetite anyway.

  Lately, her good days outweighed the bad and he’d been grateful, but on days when she wanted to be alone, he had a hard time knowing what to do for her. After his mother died, he had slid into a dark hole. On the run from his father, he had dealt with his grief and anger on his own. He didn’t have much of a choice, but he’d made sure Rayne knew she wasn’t alone. He talked about the others, when she was ready to listen.

  He had told her that Rafael and Kendra had started a garden and that the children helped fill it. He talked about how it warmed his heart to see his mother’s fertile soil flourish again. It made him feel closer to her. When he wasn’t thinking about Rayne, his thoughts turned to his mother, usually on nights when he couldn’t sleep.

  But Gabe had grown tired of feeling bad and he hoped Rayne felt the same.

  “Enough is enough.”

  Gabriel got off his butt and went into the kitchen. He had things to do.

  Afternoon

  When Gabriel knocked on Rayne’s bedroom door, she answered wearing a pink bathrobe and with her hair damp. With her skin flushed, she reminded him of the stillness of dawn on the rampart.

  “It’s a beautiful day. I hoped you would join me,” he said.

  A smile lit her face. “Wow. You look amazing.”

  He came dressed in a proper suit coat, a dress shirt and vest, his best jeans and clean boots. In his hand he carried a wicker picnic basket. Truth be told, he had fireflies in his belly. Seeing her always made him a bit jittery, especially when she looked at him the way she was now. Her smoky gray eyes drifted over his body, top to bottom, and he felt the heat under his skin.

  He had to admit that a part of him wanted to drop the basket in the hall and have a different kind of picnic indoors. He’d dreamed of Rayne that way now, but nothing would happen between them until she was ready.

  “I need to get dressed. I’ll only be a minute.” Rayne closed the door to her room and he took a seat outside her door.

  She had lied about the “minute.”

  While he waited, his right knee developed a bounce and his hands behaved like strangers. He raked fingers through his hair and straightened his jacket. But every second he had to wait proved to be worth it.

  When Rayne came out from her room, she stole his very breath. The light had come back to her eyes and she smelled bewitching, like an exotic flower. She wore tight jeans with wicked slashes across her thighs, a pale pink sweater that made her look quite small and brown ankle boots. Her gray eyes had taken on a different shade and looked like a fragile robin’s egg. When she opened her mouth to say something, he touched her lips and shook his head.

  He wanted to remember...everything.

  Gabe pulled her into his arms and felt the heat of her body against his. One hand pressed the small of her back. With the other, he laced his fingers through her hair as he kissed her. Her lips tasted like sweet fresh berries.

  He closed his eyes to feel lost in her. That’s where he wanted to stay, but the hallway outside her door wouldn’t do. When he pulled his lips from hers, he breathed in the warm scent of her skin and kissed her forehead.

  “Come with me,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Where are we going?” Rayne asked.

  He loved the velvet touch of her breath on his cheek.

  “You’ll see.”

  * * *

  Holding Gabriel’s hand meant everything to her. The warmth of his skin and the quiet way he looked at her, she felt loved without words. With all the powerful things he could do, he acted a little nervous around her today and that made her feel special too.

  When he took a familiar path behind the estate, she knew where they were going—the high meadow—a place that had been special to him and his mother...and now her. A cool breeze tousled her hair, and the sun warmed her skin as she gazed across the rolling hills that faded to a pale blue in the distance. Hellboy joined them and ran ahead, chasing butterflies. It felt as if they were the only ones on the planet.

  She ran a hand over the tops of tall flowers that lined the path and filled her lungs with the crisp mountain air. When she let out her breaths, she imagined letting go of her nightmares and the fear. Being with Gabriel, she felt strong again, but that strength had come from inside her too. The tragedy of her parents’ death and the fight to find Lucas had taught her how strong she could be.

  When they got to the big boulder in the meadow, he surprised her by walking beyond it. He took her to the beautiful pond, the one that had been cut from the forest and mirrored the sky. The late afternoon sun pitched a thick stand of trees into darkness and made the setting a perfect blend of light and shadows.

  After Gabe spread a blanket for them to sit, she smiled and asked, “What’s in the basket?”

  “Open it and find out.”

  On top he had a fresh bouquet of flowers. She breathed in the scent and dug deeper. Every morsel had a special note from him secreted in the folds of cloth napkins. Personal, private messages written in his hand, telling her how much he loved her and how brave and strong she will always be. With each note, she read them quietly and fought the tears.

  She never knew love could be like this.

  “You thought of everything,” she whispered, and kissed his hand.

  “I thought you’d be hungry,” he said. “You haven’t eaten today, but all I needed is you.”

  Gabriel had packed foods that made her mouth water. She didn’t realize how hungry she was. Exotic spreads and cheeses, stuffed olives, crusty bread, a small bottle of white wine and something amazing for dessert—chocolate drizzled strawberries. She pictured feeding them to him and kissing the juice from his lips.

  “I love you so much,” she said.

  She pulled him to her and kissed his sweet lips. Nothing could’ve been more perfect.

  * * *

  As shadow fingers stretched across the pond and the chill of the mountains closed in on them, Rayne helped him pack up their picnic. They had to get back before it got too dark to see the path. Even before the day was over, Gabriel replayed every moment he had with her. He didn’t want to forget anything. He’d spent the afternoon feeding and kissing Rayne, but he wasn’t done.

  He had more planned and wanted to surprise her.

  Before he would escort her back to her bedroom door and kiss her one final time, he planned to take her to the rampart tower. He’d downloaded his favorite songs on his iPod, slow songs that made his heart bleed and music that made him feel stronger. He wanted to share them with her and dance under the moon. In the days that had followed the shooting, Rayne had told him how she felt and shared her fears in measured doses, but today had been about healing...and hope. He had needed it to
o.

  After he packed up the picnic basket and headed home, something made him stop and gaze across the pond. Hellboy must’ve heard it too. His ears stood at attention and he sniffed the air, whimpering.

  A faint whisper drifted on the wind.

  Gabriel.

  Someone called his name. When he turned, he saw a glimmer of light on the far side of the water. His mother appeared to him, dressed in jeans and a sweater, looking like when they’d picnicked in the meadow. She smiled at him and raised a hand.

  She was saying goodbye.

  Gabe held up a hand to his mother. He sensed it would be for the last time. In the dying light of the sunset, she faded into the shadows of the forest until she became a beautiful shimmer on the water and was gone. Hellboy stayed where he was and howled the lone cry of a wolf before he vanished for the night. The sound of the phantom dog’s bay sent chills over his skin as it gradually died.

  When he turned, Rayne reached for his hand and said, “Let’s go home.”

  Gabriel took a deep breath and let his past go.

  * * * * *

  Acknowledgments

  The inspiration behind Indigo Awakening and Crystal Fire of the Hunted series came from researching Indigo children. Query “Indigo Child” on the internet and you’ll get millions of hits. Real life and headlines often inspire my books, and this time is no exception. For the purposes of fiction, I took liberties in my portrayal of Indigo and Crystal children and supersized their powers, but some people believe that the next evolution of man is already walking among us. Indigo kids are generally described as highly intelligent, gifted teen psychics with a bright “indigo” aura and a mission to save the world. They have high IQs, see angels and commune with the dead.

  At the start of this series, I depict Indigo teens as victims being hunted by a fanatical church until Gabriel Stewart—a powerful psychic boy—comes out of hiding and commits to the fight. The Indigos uncover their growing abilities and awaken the powers of the hive mind. Together, they are more powerful, but in Crystal Fire (book #2 in the Hunted series), the darker side of wielding such psychic power emerges and they must reconcile the Crystal child’s peace-loving nature with the warrior spirit of the Indigo.

  Special thanks goes to Caila Ferrie, a Canadian author who entered a contest of mine and was named a character in this book. She gave an evocative answer to what psychic power she would want to have, and as winner, she sent me a fun list of personal traits to incorporate into the book. Apparently she is a big fan of Disney. Thanks also to O’Dell and Boelens, the real guys, who became my evil villains. Two nicer people you will not find, but in this book, I portrayed their dastardly twins.

  Personal thanks to my support net—my family and dear friends who understand that writers are weird. My brainstorming buddies, Denise and Dana, helped grease the rusty wheels when I needed it—over sushi. And a special hug to my best friend and the love of my life, my husband, John, for his support and peculiar sense of humor.

  I also want to thank my designer Goddess in the trenches, my agent, Meredith Bernstein. Sometimes I think she’s psychic. My gratitude to Natashya Wilson and the creative team at Harlequin Teen and the best PR person I’ve ever worked with, Lisa Wray. You make everything fun! To my amazing editor at Harlequin, Mary-Theresa Hussey, you are a dream to work with and make every book stronger because of your insights. I secretly believe you are a Crystal child, but I won’t tell anyone. Promise.

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  ISBN-13: 9781460322581

  CRYSTAL FIRE

  Copyright © 2013 by Cosas Finas

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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