The Complete Lost Children Series

by Krista Street

  Grace had changed. Toward me.

  Since returning from the mountain, she no longer leaned on me for support, or hinted at the feelings that had bloomed between us like a fragrant rose. Whatever had transpired in that hotel in Casper, appeared to have died on that mountain along with her horrific past, and it ate away at me like a savage predator.

  Still, I tried. I barely left the medical wing, doing everything in my power to make Grace more comfortable and to help Father and Di in whatever way I could. Yet despite all of that, Grace barely spoke to me.

  The only silver linings were that Rosemary didn’t remember anything after I’d pushed her in the car. She had no idea that I’d started the fire. She didn’t know about my power. And so far, no further questions had been asked from law enforcement. Whatever Edgar had done to them had worked, and our family’s secrets remained safe.

  Perhaps those were the only positives that would come from any of this.

  I crossed the threshold back into the room and approached Grace, my feet silent on the linoleum. Her thin shoulders hunched forward as she cradled her mother’s good hand in hers. Rosemary slept, the bruises on her face like dying purple pansies.

  Grace’s alluring scent fluttered to my nose when I crouched at her side. Outside the sun shone on the lawn’s white snow as another afternoon began, bright sunlight flooding the room through the windows.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked her quietly. “You missed lunch.” I raked a hand through my hair, trying to hide my trembling fingers.

  A wooden smile lifted Grace’s lips. “I’m okay, but thanks for asking.” She looked down, playing with her fingers.

  “Um, sure. Okay. If you need anything, just let me know.”

  Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t reply. However, she angled her body more toward her mother, her shoulders now like stiff boards versus a folded card.

  Swallowing the pit in my stomach, I retreated to the hallway and walked the length of the medical wing again. I’d walked it so many times today, I’d lost count.

  Not for the first time, I wondered if Grace was okay with how we’d handled her mother’s care. It was the only explanation I could come up with for the shift in her behavior. Because extensive injuries plagued her mother, both Di and Father had suggested it be safer to treat Rosemary at home. Hospitals asked questions when battered women arrived in the ER, and right now, questions could lead to our demise.

  According to Father’s medical scans, Rosemary suffered from a concussion, multiple rib fractures, a broken radius, and numerous deep tissue injuries. The cold had also wreaked havoc on her frail body. Two toes still healed from frostbite, and burned skin covered her cheeks. Weeks of recovery laid before her, not to mention, the cancer still ate away at her body. Her treatment for that hadn’t begun, and the clock was ticking.

  But when that decision was made to treat Rosemary at home, Grace wasn’t consulted. As usual, Di took control, calling the shots as she saw fit—and I had agreed, going along with her plan.

  I sighed heavily. Since two days had passed, and Rosemary was improving, no further discussion had been had on the matter. I could only hope that Father and Di provided Rosemary with the best care possible. Otherwise, I had a feeling Grace would never forgive me.

  “Hey, Raven.” Lena’s cheerful voice carried from the end of the hall. She sauntered toward me, her wild red hair flying around her shoulders.

  “Hi.” I nibbled my finger again, not breaking my stride.

  She stepped in front of me, hands on her hips, halting my movements. “What’s up? You look pretty miserable, and your eyes . . .” She forced a smile. “Well, they’re kinda blazing.”

  I hadn’t bothered with contacts that morning. What was the point when Grace and my entire family knew about my power? And I was careful. I only entered Rosemary’s medical room while she slept. Although, without the contacts, any deep emotion I felt was alight for the world to see. Maybe I should have worn them.

  “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

  Lena rolled her eyes. “You know sometimes, you remind me so much of your brother, I could throttle you. It’s pretty obvious everything isn’t fine. What’s going on?”

  I leaned against the wall, shaking my head. A moment passed, and I finally replied quietly, “I don’t know what’s going on between me and Grace. Ever since the episode on the mountain, she hasn’t really spoken with me, she’s not eating much, and every time I try to reassure her that everything will be fine, she just gives me a blank look. I thought I’d done the right thing by stopping her father when he barreled toward us in his truck, and then bringing her mother here so Father and Di could care for her, but now, I’m not so sure. I never even asked her if she was okay with any of that. I just made the decisions for her.”

  Lena frowned and stepped closer, her voice growing quiet. “You saved her life, Raven, and her mother’s. If you hadn’t used your fire, her father probably would have killed all of you, and you know Di and Father are really talented when it comes to medicine. They’ll take good care of her.”

  A memory of Grace’s father careening around the road, heading straight for us, flashed through my mind. “Maybe. But what if Grace doesn’t see it that way?”

  “Have you asked her?”

  “She barely talks to me. How can I ask her?”

  Lena’s eyes softened. “You just ask her. Look, I’ll go and sit with her mom and tell her to take a break. How about you talk to her and sort a few things out, ’cause if there’s one thing I know, Raven, it’s that you both care for each other. I’d hate to see a relationship between you wrecked, before it ever had a chance to begin.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Grace sat at the island in the kitchen, a steaming mug of tea in front of her. Outside, a blue sky stretched across the horizon. Lena had worked her magic again, convincing Grace to take a break. I figured each girl had best-friend super powers. Between their whisperings and dipped heads, I never knew what they talked about, but each seemed to be able to convince the other to do things that no one else could.

  “Do you . . . uh, want to go for a walk outside?” I cupped the back of my neck from where I stood on the other side of the island.

  Grace’s attention fluttered to my arm, her eyes widening the slightest bit. My bicep had bulged from the movement. A brief flare of hope burst inside me, but Grace quickly looked away, pulling her lip into her mouth.

  I let my arm fall. Maybe it was too hopeful to think she’d been checking me out.

  “I should get back to my mom. Lena probably has things to do, and my mom—” She slid off her stool, her half-drunk tea forgotten. “She’s probably going to wake up soon. It’s best if I—”

  I moved around the island in front of her, cutting her off. I placed my hands on her hips before I realized what I was doing. “Don’t go. Not yet.”

  She squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

  It felt like someone punched me in the gut. I stepped back, my hands falling, but I couldn’t stop my quiet plea. “Please, Grace? Just go for a quick walk with me, then I’ll leave you alone if you want. I’ll stop bothering you if that’s what you wish.”

  She studied the floor, her toes wiggling. Her breath hitched, but she finally nodded. “Okay. Let me grab my coat.”

  She scurried from the kitchen, and my stomach twisted into knots. Moving into the living room where the door to the patio waited, I threw on the first pair of boots I saw by the back door. They were Flint’s, so they fit, but I didn’t have a coat nearby. Pacing in front of the sliding door, I decided I didn’t care.

  When Grace returned, she cocked her head. “Won’t you be cold?”

  “Nah, I’ll just start a fire if it gets chilly.” Out there, on Father’s estate, he had maximum security. As long as we stayed on the grounds, no one would be able to see us.

  I slid the door open, the large glass door squeaking in its tracks. Tufts of snow fell onto the rug from outside.

  “After you,” I said.

 
Grace stuffed a hat on her head, her beautiful long blond hair trailing over her shoulders. My gut clenched. God, she’s so beautiful.

  Outside, our breaths puffed in white clouds. A slight breeze blew across the snow strewn lawn. The backyard stretched to the forest. Over the past year, my family and I had spent some time cutting trails through the trees. You could walk out there for hours.

  “This way.” My feet sank into the snow as we walked toward the closest trail, and I was glad Flint had left his boots behind. I couldn’t remember where I’d put mine since my mind was a wreck lately, and if I had been forced to put Edgar’s too-small loafers on, this walk would have sucked.

  Grace followed behind me, her soft breathing filling the air. It wasn’t until the forest swallowed us, that the chill finally set in. With the flick of my mind, I created a fire in front of me. It hovered in the air, moving with me, warming me as we went.

  Grace’s footsteps paused. When I could tell she’d stopped following me completely, I turned to face her. “Are you okay?”

  Her wide eyes studied my flame. “You can really start a fire anywhere, can’t you?”

  I shrugged. “Yeah.”

  She watched the dancing fire, warmth emanating from it. Slipping off her mittens, she stepped closer. “It’s so warm.”

  “I can make it hotter, if you’re cold.”

  Her lips tilted up. “I’d be more concerned about you being cold. You don’t even have a hat on.”

  I chuckled, pushing my hands into my pockets. “If I’m somewhere safe, I don’t worry about the cold too much.” I tapped my head. “You know, internal fire starter and all.”

  She took a deep breath, and pulled her mittens back on. “Your family is extraordinary. Even though I know what you can all do, every time I see it, I’m still amazed.”

  My breath caught in my throat. It was the most she had spoken to me in two days. I swallowed tightly, trying to get my response to the sound of her voice under control. “That’s because we trust you. We all know you wouldn’t tell anyone.”

  She reached for a tree beside us, running her mittened hand over the bark. “Lena said I have a white cloud. A really long white cloud, and that was why she wanted to be friends with me.”

  I stepped closer to her, loving the rosy color coming into her cheeks. “You have a white cloud because you have a pure soul. You wouldn’t hurt anybody, and you’re good, inside and out.”

  Her eyes flashed to mine, tears forming in them. “Are you sure about that? I almost got you killed on that mountain. Would a pure soul really do that?” She rubbed her hand more over the bark, her movements growing faster and more agitated.

  My feet crunched in the snow when I took another step closer to her. “Grace. I—”

  “No.” She held her free hand up, halting my movements. “I dragged you and your family into everything from my past. I put you all in danger, and made you all fearful people would discover who you really are. How could a good person do that?” Pain filled her words, making my heart break. “Maybe I’m not as good as you all think. Maybe I’m not good at all. Maybe I’m as horrible as my father always said I was.”

  “Hey,” I said stepping closer to her, my voice growing gruff. I wiped a single tear from her cheek, before it could freeze into ice. “Where is all of this coming from? You did nothing wrong in Wyoming, and you didn’t drag any of us into anything. I wanted to come with you. I’m the one who called my family. We all chose to get involved and help you. Nothing you did caused any of this. We all made our own choices.”

  “But did you really? None of you knew how bad it would get, and now . . .” She dragged in a breath. “I keep thinking that you deserved better than that. That I’d acted selfishly and didn’t consider the extent that your family and you could have been hurt. That I only thought about saving my mom and wanting her to be safe with me.”

  “Is that why you’ve been distancing yourself from me lately?” I wanted so desperately to wrap my arms around her, to kiss away all of the hurt and pain in her voice. “You think you’re not worthy of us helping you?”

  She squeezed her eyes again, more tears spilling onto her cheeks. “Yeah. I feel awful about everything, especially everything that happened to you, Raven.” Her eyes opened, the tears in them making her irises look like sparkling sapphires. “You risked your life for me and my mom. You didn’t give your own safety a second thought, and I let you do that, without once thinking of the position that put you in.”

  “Oh, babe.” I pulled her to me, no longer able to help myself. My arms slid around her waist. She resisted at first, her body staying stiff, but then she relented and melted into me. “You have it so wrong.”

  “But I don’t. I’m no good, Raven. I’m tainted. I tried to tell you that I’m not like other girls. You deserve someone whole and without all of the crap that comes with being with me.”

  “Just stop it right there,” I growled. Anger rose up inside me, making my hands clench her puffy jacket. “You are not tainted. You are so much more than the ugliness that is your father. Do you really think, of all people, that I’d ever judge someone for how they were raised? The man who raised me was a monster, yet my family still loves me, still accepts me. They’d never turn their back on me, and I’d never turn my back on you.”

  “But you could have died, Raven! He shot at you!”

  “Well, good thing for me that he was a lousy shot.”

  She laughed, the sound bubbling through her tears.

  I traced another finger across her cheek, my gaze drifting to her lips. Those luscious sweet berry lips. “You come from a broken childhood. That’s true, but guess what? So do I. So does Lena. So does Flint, and Di, and Edgar, and everyone else in this beautiful messy family of mine. And you know what? I wouldn’t change it. Not any of it. It’s our pasts, and our actions because of those pasts, that make us who we are today. I hate your dad. I’ll always hate him, but you’re also the person you are today because of the experiences he forced on you, and I freakin’ love everything about you.”

  Her breath sucked in, her head snapping back. “You love me?”

  I thumbed her lower lip. Her tongue darted out, grazing my fingertip. “Yeah. I love you, Grace Anderson. I’ve been falling in love with you for months, and this past weekend, when I saw how willing you were to help your mom no matter the cost to yourself, well, it just made me love you even more. I want to be with you. Forever. You’re it for me, if you’ll have me.”

  More tears formed in her eyes, like giant raindrops before they fell onto her cheeks. “Oh, Raven. Why are you so good to me?”

  “Because you deserve nothing less. And if you have a hard time believing that, then I’m going to spend the rest of my life reminding you.”

  She kissed my thumb, shaking her head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand why you chose to love me, but I’ll take it. I’ve been falling in love with you too, and I want nothing more than to be with you, but I thought you deserved better.”

  I dipped my head, her lips beckoning me. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you understand just how much you deserve this, ’cause you deserve everything and more, Grace. Everything.”

  She leaned into my hand, her skin cool in the winter afternoon. “I love you too, Raven. So much more than you probably know.”

  I growled, as a wave of relief and possession washing through me. Pulling her closer, I pressed my mouth to hers, kissing away all of her fear, doubt, and anxiety. Because if there was one thing I knew, one thing I was absolutely certain of, it was that other people’s sins didn’t define us. Just because Grace’s father was a monster, didn’t mean she was, and I’d spend the rest of our days reminding her of that every time she forgot.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Six Months Later

  I studied the ring in the small box. A perfect, one-carat oval diamond nestled in the setting, a halo of smaller diamonds around it. My heart pounded, my mouth going dry. If all went well this afternoon,
I was going to ask Grace to marry me tonight, and she had no idea it was coming.

  I snapped the lid closed but not fast enough. Jet snickered at my side. “Are you sure that’s big enough? Chicks dig big diamonds. Like huge diamonds. You may want to return that and get the three-carat one.”

  I elbowed Jet, getting him in the ribs which got a laugh from Jasper. “Grace is like Lena,” I replied. “She doesn’t care about materialistic stuff. She’s probably going to berate me for how big this one is, saying I should have bought a smaller one and given the rest of the money to charity.”

  Jet opened his mouth to respond, but Flint beat him to it. “Don’t listen to these yo-yo’s. She’s gonna love it.”

  A chubby toddler hand reached for me, Conroy’s wide eyes on the black box. “Preddy! Me see!”

  “Now, now, little rascal. Don’t be telling your mama that Raven bought a diamond ring.” Luke rearranged Conroy, who perched on his hip, while little Emma sat on Luke’s shoulders. Luke somehow juggled two squirming one-year-olds competently, never dropping them. “She’ll probably want one too, and then papa’s gonna be out all the money he’s saving for that new flat screen.”

  Emma fisted her mouth, straightening on Luke’s shoulders. “Mama. Want mama.”

  Edgar reached for her, crooning to the tiny tot. “Now, you’ve done it, mate. She heard the magic word. Do you want your mama?”

  Emma nodded and clapped. “Mama! Mama! Mama!”

  Luke groaned. “Jacinda’s gonna kill me if we arrive early at her hair salon to pick her up. Apparently, waiting two weeks between blow-outs isn’t acceptable.” Luke dipped his shoulders and handed the wiggly Emma over to Edgar. Emma immediately began patting Edgar on the cheek with her hand.

  I laughed. “If you buy Jacinda a diamond bracelet, I bet she’ll forgive you for showing up early.”

  Luke planted a hand on his free hip. “Just who’s side are you on, Raves? Remember, you and Grace could end up with two little monsters like this and then we’ll see whose laughing.”