The nerves that had been hounding her all day dissipated as Gemma engrossed herself in mealtime conversation. She answered meaningless questions, laughed at Sam’s jokes and smiled at Rosie’s outrageous stories. Helen studied her quietly throughout the evening, which unnerved her slightly, but she tried not to let it show.
Gemma glanced away from her conversation with Bryan to flash her a friendly smile. Making a good impression with this woman was paramount to her survival in this family. After only a week of being Harrison’s girlfriend, she was completely hooked. She would do anything to make what they had stick. Helen’s eyes softened toward her and she felt her chest loosen.
Her elated high suddenly vanished when she felt her toes begin to tingle. She tried to keep her expression bland, her only form of outburst being a swift tap to Harrison’s ankle.
His eyes popped up and caught her message. His face fell momentarily before he pasted on an easy smile.
“Sorry to interrupt Bryan, I just realized I never showed Gem where the bathroom was. Knowing her, she’s too shy to ask.”
Gemma blushed and dropped her gaze. “Actually, if it’s okay, I might just pop there before dessert.”
Completely enamored, Bryan shone her a smile as she rose from the table.
“It’s this way.” Harrison held out his hand and she grabbed it like a lifeline.
“Excuse me,” she muttered, lifting her gaze only enough to glimpse a slight narrowing of Helen’s eyes.
Gemma felt her heart begin to thud erratically as Harrison led her down the hallway.
“Hopefully, you’ll only be gone for five minutes.” Harrison opened the door and stood aside. “I’ll wait for you.”
“Thanks.” She squeezed his hand as she brushed past him.
“Be safe.”
“I will.” She shone him a smile before shutting the door and bracing herself for travel.
*****
Black Forest, Germania - 84 AD
“So, how’s the date going?” Ruby pulled on a woolen tunic.
“Fine,” Gemma mumbled, struggling with the leather lacing of the boots her father had “borrowed.” She hadn’t told Ruby it was more like a family dinner than a date.
“That’s it? Fine?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Gemma whispered.
Standing tall, she took a moment to glance around. Her skin rippled with goose bumps. The dark forest smelt dank and earthy. Pine needles created a thick carpet, decorated with fallen logs and mossy rocks as furniture. The trees towered around them like faithful centurions, blocking any view of the sky. Although dusk was only settling in, Gemma could feel the oppressive darkness.
This place is creeping me out.
She tried to squash her jitters as she approached her father for instruction.
“There is currently an archaeological dig being conducted about five miles north of here. Half a mile east is a grove that I believe contains some very important artifacts that will get missed if we don’t move them.”
“A sacred grove?” Gemma hadn’t meant to blurt it out, but now that she had… She cleared her throat. “I just thought… I mean should we really be entering a…well, someone’s sacred place?”
“I know what you’re thinking, Gem, and I don’t want to disrespect their religious customs any more than you do, but these artifacts are important. They’ll teach us a lot about these northern tribes.” He placed his steady hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “You have to trust my judgment.”
Gemma nodded.
“Now, because we are entering such a delicate zone we need to be particularly careful. Dom, Pen, and Ruby will secure the perimeter. Gem, you and I are going to sneak in and re-locate the treasure.”
Everyone nodded and headed off in the right direction. Gemma followed her father on light feet, sensing his urgency. Dodging trees and jumping over roots, they soon found themselves on the edge of a small clearing.
“See the knotted tree stump?” Her father pointed. “It’ll be in there. You’re faster than I am. All we’re looking for is a necklace with a stone emblem that’s shaped like a thin arrowhead.”
Gemma swallowed and gave him a swift nod. Bounding across the clearing, she skidded to a halt by the stump. A heady scent of pungent herbs swam around her. She fought off the nausea. At the foot of a stump lay a human skull next to an urn of what looked like bones. Gemma muffled a scream with her hand and drew in quick breaths through her nostrils. Forcing her pounding heart to a regular rhythm she focused on her task. She plunged her hand into the hollow opening, praying that her image of rotting guts was incorrect. With relief she realized the moisture at her fingertips was moss. Rummaging through bugs and cobwebs she felt her fingers land on a leather pouch. She pulled it out. A shiver descended her spine as she pictured the creepy crawlies she had disturbed.
Quickly untying the bindings, she opened up the pouch. Being in the clearing was useful as the moon provided a murky light for her to inspect the contents. Tipping the pouch into the palm of her hand, she saw the leather strap of a necklace amongst the treasure trove of trinkets and pulled it free. The emblem swung in the dusky light and she noticed four symbols engraved on the side.
“Gemma, hurry!”
Her father’s voice nearly made her drop the various stones and carvings. Steeling her nerves, she hastily returned the goods to the pouch and shoved it back in the stump.
That’s when she heard the low drone of voices approaching from the north. Scrambling to her feet she dove for the trees and was hauled into a run by her father.
“We need to bury this as close to the dig site as possible and just hope that no one unearths it before two-thousand eleven.”
*****
St. Augustine, Florida - 2011 AD
Harrison leaned his head against the wall behind his bed and gazed at Gemma’s beautiful face. Her eyes were wandering around his room as she sat cross-legged on his bed, listening to the soft strains of Emilie Clayton. It had been her request and he was happy to oblige; the music did have a way of soothing the spirit and she seemed to need it. Maybe the jitters from dinner were starting to catch up with her.
He had been pleased with how dinner had progressed. His mother had been a little quiet as she sussed Gemma out, but that was always her way. Thankfully Gemma’s trip was brief, making her bathroom break nothing out of the ordinary. By the time dessert was served his mother was becoming her bright sparkly self and he had noticed Gemma’s posture relax.
They were now up in his room. Sam had insisted on giving Gemma a tour of the house and thankfully he had ended with Harrison’s room. He’d quickly played his big brother card and they were finally alone, sitting on his bed.
He’d watched with interest as she perused his room, running her finger over his desk, pausing to study his CD and book collections, standing in front of his guitar with a look of admiration. She picked it up with cautious hands.
“Will you play for me?”
He was sure he had blushed beet red.
“Please.”
With a sigh of reluctance he had taken the instrument and flicked his fingers over a classical piece he’d been practicing. He’d only just started toying with the Latin American style, but she hadn’t seemed to notice. She had been completely rapt, her eyes brimming with approval.
Thankfully when he’d set his guitar back on the stand, she hadn’t protested and he was now very happy to be sitting next to her. Sparks of fire ignited where her knee rested on his thigh.
Picking up a strand of her sleek hair, he ran it through his fingers and watched her lips quirk with a smile before dropping back to thoughtfulness.
“What is it?”
Her eyebrows puckered as she began to chew the inside of her cheek.
“You know you can tell me anything, Gem.”
“Yeah.” She smiled. Her long fingers drew patterns on his jeans as she softly began. “You know this is my first trip since telling you.”
“I know.�
� He stilled her fidgeting by twining his fingers through hers. “I’ve been dying to ask you about it, but didn’t want to be too pushy.”
She let out a soft chuckle. “Germania, around 80 AD. It must have been the Black Forest. It was so creepy.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?”
“No, I just… You know how I said we always go back to help someone or heal a situation?”
He nodded.
“Well, this one just didn’t feel like it. The electus ‘motto’ I suppose you could say, was always ‘others before self.’ This time just felt…wrong.” She shook her head and wiggled her fingers free. “That’s so stupid. It wasn’t selfish; we were moving an important artifact so that it could easily be discovered. Someone will no doubt find it tomorrow and it’ll make their day.” The hope in Gemma’s voice diminished as she finished her sentence.
“You don’t believe your own argument.”
“My dad said I needed to trust his judgment. Maybe there’s a bigger picture I’m missing.”
“You should talk to him about it when you get home.”
“He’s away on a business trip at the moment. He does a lot of analytical work for companies around the world, mainly Europe. I guess it’s kind of like a front for him. I should just forget about it. Trust him. He’s got a tough job and as far as I know, all of his decisions have led to good things.”
“So, he’s always the one who decides when and where you go?”
She nodded.
“I’m surprised he pulls you out of school so much.”
“It’s only ever for a few minutes and he usually tries to coordinate it with lunch breaks or after school. I get the impression that timing is kind of tricky. Being over there takes a toll on our bodies and so he tries to work it so that we’re there for the shortest amount of time possible.”
“What’s your longest trip?”
Gemma’s eyes narrowed in thought. “One day. Twenty-four minutes for you earthlings.”
He grinned. “You must have been toasted after that ride.”
“I think I was. I had only just started traveling. I was…thirteen? I didn’t used to get as tired then. I feel like the older I get, the more it drains me.”
Harrison didn’t like it. What did that mean for her future? Sensing the worry was a common factor flicking between them, he decided to lighten the mood with a simpler question.
“What was your first time like?”
“Petrifying, exciting, mind boggling.” Her lips toyed with a smile. “My mom started prepping me when I was twelve, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know what was happening to me, but it did still freak me out.”
Harrison shook his head, a little in awe of it all. He couldn’t even imagine winding up in some foreign place in a completely different year. It was bizarre.
Gemma stretched out her legs and shuffled on the bed, her agitation over the recent trip still evident. She folded her legs back up beneath her, but not before he spotted something on her ankle. Grabbing her foot, he wriggled it free and ran his thumb lightly over the skin.
“Hey,” she complained as he twisted her foot for a better look.
“You have another birthmark.”
Her cheeks flushed pink as she grimaced. “Yes.”
“This one seems to be staying put.”
“Yeah. That one’s normal.”
“But it looks the same as your other one.”
She shrugged.
“Do the rest of your family have birthmarks that come and go?” He ran his hand up her calf muscle.
“No. According to my mom they are quite common for time spirits, but we don’t all get them. I’m the only one who seems cursed with the telling mark.” Gemma’s eyes narrowed at him before turning thoughtful. “You know in saying that, you seem to be the only person who has ever noticed it before.”
“Yeah, well maybe I’m the only person smart enough to study you so closely.” He kissed her collarbone and was rewarded with the desired effect. Her mark burned bright.
“Would you stop that, you’re going to make me blush.”
“Stopping kissing you? Never.”
He placed his lips softly on the curve of her neck, making her cheeks flame red. He let out a low chuckle as he pulled back and shuffled her body around so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. The feel of her nestled against him was heavenly. He wondered if her body burned as much as his did. Would he ever get used to the feeling? He hoped not.
“So, tell me more about how your dad gets you to travel together?”
“I don’t exactly know how traveling works, but we’re all linked to my father. I’m pretty sure it’s because we have the same blood.” She shrugged. “He’s the one that controls when we leave and when we come back. That way we don’t have to be near one another in order to go anywhere.”
“So, if he had to, your father could bring you home at any time?”
“Yeah, but he usually doesn’t. Although he did recently.”
“What happened?”
“I got separated from the others and when my parents found out I was alone they panicked. It was really bizarre. Everything was under control. I felt really bad because I had to leave that little girl all by herself.”
“Which little girl?”
“Emilie.” Gemma’s voice glimmered with pride.
“Emilie Clayton?” Harrison voice trembled.
“Yes.”
“So, that explains your dreamy expression in the car when I told you that story. Your birthmark was practically shining. I’ve been trying to figure that one out.”
“You made my day with that story. I thought the men chasing us would have found her for sure, but we got lucky and listen to our reward.”
Harrison’s heart skipped a beat as he watched her face. Emilie was right; this girl was an angel.
“What’s the Latin word for angel?”
“Hmm?” Gemma turned to him with a confused frown.
“Angel. What’s the Latin word for it?”
“Um,” she closed her eyes, “angelus, I think.”
“That’s a much better title for you. That’s what I’m going to call you from now on.” He turned her face toward him. “My spatia angelus.”
Chapter Fifteen
St. Augustine, Florida - 2011 AD
It was Friday afternoon. The Stingray was parked at Anastasia National Park along with a dozen other vehicles. It had been a tense week at school with workloads increasing, Gemma traveling more than normal and then nearly getting caught kissing behind the gymnasium. Gemma had been so pissed off with Harrison for jumping her and nearly getting them in trouble that she didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day.
He was trying to make amends by joining her for her afternoon jog at the beach before heading home. Harrison leaned against his car and looked skyward. The clouds were grey and brewing. He figured it wouldn’t be long before they were standing in the rain. Seemed like they’d got back at the perfect time.
He grabbed the edge of Gemma’s sweaty shirt and pulled her toward him. Thankfully, she fell into his arms with a soft giggle. Feeling forgiven, he nuzzled her neck and grinned. This was where she belonged. It was nice being so open about it all.
The car two lots away beeped. Gemma jumped out of his arms as two people approached and opened the doors. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to his side.
“We don’t even know those people, Gem.”
“We might have.”
He frowned. “I don’t see why we can’t just be ourselves. We’ve been sneaking around for three weeks now. I don’t care what people say. I’m sick of this.” He reached for her hand. “I’m proud to be with you. I don’t want to pretend we’re not together at school anymore.” He kissed her knuckles, making her blush.
“You’re sweet, but can we just keep things under cover for a little longer? Please.”
Harrison sighed.
He guessed it wasn’t all bad. They had managed to work their schedules
so that Gemma stayed late three days out of the week. Her mom thought she was studying with Courtney in the library. Everyone at school still thought the couple barely knew each other and had no idea they were secretly meeting up. They tried to spend as much of the weekend together as possible, but sneaking out and lying was taking its toll on Gemma. She always arrived agitated and tense.
Thankfully she seemed happy to spend time at his place. The beach and his house had become their havens…unless of course there were people at the beach and then she spent most of her time looking over her shoulder.
He rolled his eyes. It wasn’t okay. He was over it.
She kissed his cheek and was about to apologize. He stopped her with a finger to the lips. Hearing those two little words again wasn’t going to change anything. He cleared his throat and looked out to the ocean.
“Still want to go hiking tomorrow?”
“Definitely. I’ve told my mom I’m meeting Courtney for shopping at ten, so we’ll have to swing by a mall on the way home to quickly grab some stuff… Make it look legit.”
He suppressed his eye roll and distracted himself with his next move instead. Since he had her there, he may as well take advantage of the situation.
Her sweet smile grew a mile wide as he leaned toward her.
He could have kept the kiss going until nightfall and sensed she felt the same. Using every ounce of self-control, he pulled away. They were both a fiery, blushing mess.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
She had parked her Ducati at the other end of the lot, hoping no one would connect their two vehicles. He watched her stride towards it. Her steps looked light and happy, making him smile.
“Well, ain’t that just adorable.”
Harrison cringed. He didn’t have to turn around to recognize the condescending tone. Before he took another breath, a hand clamped onto the back of his shirt and whipped him around. His back slammed into the car door, making him wince. He spotted Jordan’s two goons smirking behind him. His heart sagged as he realized his chances of successfully running were zilch.
Golden Blood (The Time Spirit Trilogy, #1) Page 11
