While he didn’t know if the book distracted her or if something else had, she finally turned back in his direction. She shook her head. “You said you sense it. You’re a Keeper, Layne, a pyrokinetic. You control fire, not sense emotional energy. What you’re describing is clairsentience. It’s a Seeker’s ability, your Seeker’s ability.”
Confusion showed on her face. When her eyes widened, disbelief beat within her. It made the heat in his cheeks burn hotter. He tried to turn away, but her hand warmed his shoulder, keeping him in place.
“Layne… Did you…did you and Heaven…”
Holy fucking hell
“Did we what?”
There was no response, not right away, because she was waiting for him to look at her. He couldn’t. She knew him too well. Aside from Heaven, she was the only woman who knew him at all. She could see through his lies just like his Seeker could, and she wouldn’t answer his question until he looked at her. So he did.
And he regretted it.
“Were you intimate with Heaven?”
The fire within him rose. He had to throw her offtrack somehow, but doing so wouldn’t be easy. If what he and Heaven did came to light, it wouldn’t be by his doing. He would not betray her, yet his mom would make it difficult.
A gust of wind blew through the window. It drew his attention to the wind chimes clinking on the other side. He listened to the faint chiming, allowing it to calm his nerves. This conversation needed to end, but he struggled to find the perfect excuse to walk away. Maybe because there wasn’t one. That left him with one choice—lying through his teeth.
“Why would you ask me something like that? I’m your son, for Christ’s sake.”
She pulled on his shoulder until he turned from the window and faced her. “I’m not asking this to pry. I’m asking because… You have her abilities, Layne. There is only one way that could happen. You’ve been intimate with her. Your souls found their way back to each other.”
What the hell?
“You’re not making any sense. What do you mean, back to each other?”
She gripped the top of the bench with one hand while the other covered her mouth. “It makes sense now. It makes sense why you healed so quickly.”
“Hold on a second.”
He struggled to wrap his mind around what she was saying. She kept jumping from one subject to the next, accurate on all accusations. The more twisted his thoughts grew, the harder it became to deny the truth.
But he did his best.
“You’re trying to tell me that having sex with my Seeker would heal me? Do you know how crazy that sounds, even for this secret society of ours?”
“It’s not the act itself that heals you, but the emotions that are involved. The stronger and deeper they are, the faster you heal. This works both ways. If Heaven needs to be healed, you can heal her the same way she heals you. Your affinity makes it possible.”
He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. Despite wanting to hear more about his connection with Heaven, this conversation was too awkward. And way too dangerous… He had to say something to throw her off.
“Or maybe her healing abilities are that good.”
“I won’t deny that she’s strong, and I’m sure she could heal you easily with just a touch…if it were a minor injury. You were near death less than twenty-four hours ago. You didn’t heal that fast after the arrow wound, and Heaven had been healing you for weeks through touch.”
Damn. He was losing this fight. While he didn’t doubt she would keep this information to herself, she’d still figured out what happened. If she could, so would others.
Regardless of knowing that, he couldn’t confess what happened. He made Heaven a promise. One he didn’t intend to break. That was the difference between him and her husband. As long as there was breath in his body, he’d keep every promise he made to her.
Leaning his leg against the table, he pinched the bridge of his nose. The stress of this conversation caused a dull ache behind his eyes. He couldn’t afford a headache right now, and he couldn’t keep up this charade much longer.
He lowered his hand from his face, giving his mom his full attention. “I can’t do more than speculate on any of this, but maybe it took longer to heal me the first time because she didn’t know what she was doing. Now she does. We’re closer than what we were back then, and we’re also in sync. That has to help.”
She nodded, but he could tell she wasn’t buying his bullshit. “It does help, Layne, but it’s not the reason you healed as quick as you did. Love is the most powerful thing in the world. It is the strongest emotion and provides the strongest energy. When love is physically expressed, our souls connect on this plane. Yours reconnected with Heaven’s, and she healed you.”
“Okay. Stop right there.” He raised his hands in front of him, signaling for her not to say another word. “Earlier, you said our souls found their way back to each other. Now you’re saying they reconnected. What the hell is going on? What aren’t you telling me?”
“It’s complicated, honey. You see, you and Heaven—”
The cell phone near the book buzzed to life. She picked it up, tapping the screen with her fingers. “It’s your dad. Give me a moment to call him.”
She didn’t give him time to argue. The phone pressed to her ear before she turned away. This had to be the worst day for interruptions, or his timing sucked. How many missed opportunities would it take before he told everyone to piss off and disappeared to his room?
Now would be a good time to follow through on the last part. Disappear. Better yet, he could find Heaven, see if his mother talked to her about the things she discussed with him. Maybe that’s why she left to find Dylan.
Only she hadn’t left. Her energy still pulsed inside the house.
Instinct had him moving closer to the door, but he forced himself to stop. There was no point in seeking her company because she wouldn’t be alone. He sensed her mother’s presence. The discussion she planned to have with her mom had her soul quaking with tension.
And her energy proved the discussion had something to do with him.
* * *
A raging fire pumped through Heaven’s heart every second she stood in the hallway. She stared at the steps leading up the back staircase, unsure where to go. No matter where she went, someone would find her, ask what’s wrong, demand she talk.
She couldn’t talk, could barely think. The horde of questions consuming her thoughts left her mind a jumbled mess. She needed to clear her head and process the overload of information Layla dumped in her lap.
Talk about opening Pandora’s box…
Now came the first question—what to do with the information? Should she be alone? Find Dylan? Avoid Dylan?
Layne’s vibrations increased in rhythm, a good indication that the confusion spinning in her also spun in him. Had he known what type of conversation he’d walked into, he may have asked her to stay. Then again, maybe Layla wouldn’t tell him about the affinity. Determination thrummed within her, determination to keep her knowledge to herself.
It didn’t seem fair not to tell him, if what she said were true. The more Heaven tried denying it, the more her soul confirmed everything Layla told her. Seeing Layne for the few minutes she had spoke volumes too. She fought hard to resist the urge to go to him, the insistent pull that started in her navel and tugged her soul in his direction. She’d only felt a similar sensation with one other person. Dylan. Yet the one she felt toward Layne was different.
It was stronger.
Layla had to tell him. She owed him that much and more, but fear kept her protective vibes pulsing below her determination. Whoever she was trying to protect remained a mystery, although Heaven suspected it was Layne. If his mother knew him the way Heaven did, then she knew telling Layne the truth would guarantee one thing. He would lay claim to what was rightfully his. He would lay claim to her.
She needed to find her mother, ask her why she and Delia kept the true meaning o
f the affinity hidden. Was there no limit to the amount of lies that passed over their lips? Each one she discovered twisted her life inside out. She would lose everything before all the lies came to light.
Focusing on the vibrations she knew as her mother’s, she turned toward the den, somewhat surprised to know her mom was closer than she’d expected. At least she wouldn’t have to pass Hope and Scott and take a chance on them wanting to chat. She doubted her sister was ready to give Adalyn back. There was also less chance of running into Dylan too. God knows she couldn’t face him right now, not with the wide range of emotions swirling inside her.
As she entered the room, she spotted her mom near the bay window. The old family trunk sat to her side against the wall, lid open. A few books and files lay on the floor beside it, but her mother had something in her hand. It appeared to be one of the old scrapbooks she’d kept when she was younger.
Her head swayed side to side, just as slow and precise as the page she turned. She neither heard the approaching footsteps nor bothered to look up from the book until Heaven was a few feet away.
Judging by her streaked cheeks and puffy nose, she’d been crying for a while. A crumpled tissue peeked out from her hand. A few more filled the wastebasket between the bench and the trunk.
Seeing her mother this upset was strange. She’d never cried much over the years, or at least not in front of her children. Even the times she’d seen her mother cry, she never knew the reason. That changed today.
“Hi, my angel.”
“What’s wrong, Mom? Why are you crying?”
How odd it was that she and Layla were crying at the same time. Regret consumed both, though the source remained a mystery. With the way her mother studied the book in her hands, whatever memories caused her pain lay within its pages.
“Mom?”
“I’m sorry, Heaven.” Her mother whispered the words as she lowered her head. “I’m so sorry for what Nate did to you and Layne. It’s my fault. All of it.”
“No, it isn’t. You didn’t know what he was going to do.”
When her mother’s shoulders began to shake, Heaven found the box of tissues near her feet and removed a couple from the top. She hated this, hated that her mother was crying, hated that she was angry with her for hiding information about the affinity. The lies she and the others put in place to protect them were hurting them twice as much. She deserved a moment of truth and an honest answer.
Despite how much the lying hurt, the answer she wanted would have to wait. Her mother needed to regain her composure. Criticizing her for keeping more secrets would get them nowhere, and she needed those answers before Dylan returned.
“Here, Mom.” She extended her hand toward her mother. “Please stop crying. When Dad gets back and sees you, he’ll be worried.”
“I’m not your dad’s favorite person right now.” She stared at the tissues before grabbing them from Heaven’s hand. “You see, when Layne told us what happened during your capture, your father’s aura darkened. He wants nothing more than to end Nate’s life.” Her neck quivered as she swallowed. “But I…I can’t stand the thought of…” Her lips pressed tighter as she shook her head. “He was my Keep—”
The words caught in her throat. She lowered her eyes to her hands, nostrils flaring with each breath. It was hard to say for sure with the way she faced the floor, but Heaven swore she saw more tears. The pain radiating inside her spoke a truth very few knew. It spoke of a Seeker’s broken heart over losing her Keeper.
After thinking Layne had died, Heaven understood her mother’s heartache. Granted, his loss would have been under different circumstances than her mother and Nate. But it wouldn’t have hurt any less. How could it? Death, desertion, damnation…the reason didn’t matter. Loss was loss, and dressing it up with a label changed nothing. It still hurt like hell.
So did loving two people.
CHAPTER 21
As her mother blew into the tissue, Heaven lowered herself to the cushion beside her. No matter how angry she felt, she couldn’t be unsympathetic to her mother’s sadness. Despite the secrets she’d kept, her mother had been loving and caring. Keeping those secrets proved that, and the fact that she wanted to protect her. The least she could do is hear what her mom had to say, and there was plenty she had to say. Each guilt-ridden quake of her soul said as much.
Once her mother wiped her nose, she tossed the tissue into the wastebasket then gripped the book in her hands. It was what Heaven assumed, one of her mom’s old scrapbooks. Aged photos stared back from the pages, whispering old tales and secrets that may or may not reveal themselves some day.
Her mother forced her trembling lips into a shaky smile. Then she gazed at the page, trailing her hand along the ribbons and lace surrounding some of the pictures. The ache throbbing beneath her calm exterior said the pictures held more than a story within them. They held history.
Studying one near the bottom, she released a sigh and traced the edge. “I never told you this, but I knew Nate long before I knew your father. I met him my first day of school. I didn’t meet your father until the last few months of our junior year.”
“So you and Nate basically grew up together.”
Her mom nodded. The picture on the page was of a young girl and boy, maybe around thirteen, standing side by side in front of a chain link fence. Each had an arm around the other’s back and their faces were close together. The fence surrounded a football field, which was full of players at the time the picture was taken.
She knew the girl was her mother. They’d compared pictures over the years, and she knew how much she resembled her mom. The girl in this picture looked the same. Yet the guy standing with her, she didn’t recognize. Not at first. Then she noticed his dark eyes, ones that reminded her of Dylan’s.
“This was taken our eighth grade year. During fall, we spent nearly every Thursday and Friday at football games with our parents.”
“I guess it’s safe to say you were good friends.”
“We were best friends.” Her mother smiled at the photo, swiping her finger over their faces. “There was even a point that I thought he might be my soulmate. The year your father transferred to our school, Nate and I had debated on becoming a couple. We’d even talked about going away together for the summer. Then I met your father in March. From the moment I saw him, I loved him.”
It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened next, but allowing her mother to talk about it eased her tension. Besides, Heaven always wanted to hear the whole story about what happened. Maybe now she would.
“Is this where things changed between you and Nate?”
“Initially, yes. It hurt Nate when your dad and I started dating. We cancelled our plans to leave for the summer and I spent that time with your father. Nate came around too, but I knew it bothered him to see us together. We started our senior year in late August. Then everything went to hell.”
“Why?”
Her mom turned to the next page in the book. More photos of her and Nate lined the pages, but there were ones that included Heaven’s father. Though her mom and Nate were smiling, her father wasn’t.
“Your father and I…well…we bound ourselves to each other the summer before our senior year.”
As her mom averted her gaze, the realization of what she meant made Heaven’s cheeks heat, but she said nothing. Her mother wouldn’t bring up her love life for conversational material. It played a big part in whatever she was about to say.
“We didn’t know that binding oneself to their mate increased their powers. Needless to say, your father couldn’t handle the intensity of his abilities. He heard many thoughts from classmates, teachers, friends, and even family. It would make him physically ill. Then something worse happened. He read Nate’s thoughts.”
Tear-filled eyes met Heaven’s. The pain consuming her mother’s heart no longer revolved around Nate. It was the pain of losing a soulmate. The same heart wrenching pain that Heaven felt when Dylan walked out on her
in Aruba.
“What happened, Mom?”
“We had a huge argument about Nate and his feelings for me. I asked if he read my thoughts, too. He said he didn’t because he was afraid of what he would find. Then he ended things. I missed a week of school because of how ill it made me.”
It was hard to believe her father had treated her mother the way she described. For all her life, she’d watched her father and mother interact. He adored her, would do anything in the world for her. Guess they hadn’t been as perfect as she thought, or maybe removing Nate from their life did them good.
“Nate came to check on me every day I missed. I refused to see him, but he was insistent. A couple weeks later, he convinced me to go to a football game. We weren’t there long when I spotted your father with another girl. So did Nate. He did his best to get me to leave. If I’d listened, maybe things wouldn’t have—”
Her voice fell away as she stared across the room. A blank look donned her face, but her energy said her thoughts had overcome her.
“Your dad noticed me too. At first, I thought he was happy to see me. His aura was a beautiful golden color, but when he saw that Nate was with me, it turned neon green. He assumed Nate and I were together. The jealousy ate him alive, and he reacted. He started making out with this girl to hurt me. And it worked.”
“I can’t believe dad behaved the way he did.”
Flipping another page, her mom didn’t answer her. She simply nodded. “I’ve never walked to a parking lot as fast as I did that night. Nate followed me. He offered to drive me home, but I didn’t want to go. So we went to his parents’ cabin.”
The words made Heaven’s stomach knot. She understood what it felt like to think she’d lost the one person who was supposed to love her forever. Love made people do stupid things.
“How long were you gone?”
What the Heart Desires Page 26
