“How could you not love something so wonderful,” she whispered, reaching her hand out to stroke his fur. The cat purred noisily against her touch. Jules scratched him behind the ears, smiling. “I always wanted a cat,” she played. Jared rolled his silver eyes at her and strolled around the circle.
“Show them more,” Andrew called out to the great cat that was now pacing back and forth, its immense paws thudding gently against the earth.
The cat nodded once, and then turned deep brown and stood on its hind legs, now an enormous grizzly bear, only to change again. This time, it was a small furry rabbit.
“Can he turn into anything he wants?” Jules asked Andrew.
“No,” the rabbit had turned back into Jared. “I can only turn into an organic creature. Must be something living.” He took two steps toward Jules, touched her hand, then she was looking at a perfect replica of herself.
“WOW.” She reached her hand out to touch his face, well, her face. “Can you be anyone?”
The perfect imposter stepped over to Phoenix, and held his hand. After a moment, he changed. Now Phoenix was looking in the mirror. “I can’t make his flames,” the imposter said with clear disappointment.
“That’s because it is not a physical characteristic. I do it all in my mind.” Phoenix said, tapping his temple. He seemed pleased with himself, but then again, Phoenix usually did.
Jared touched each of them, copying their features perfectly. He could copy all of their physical aspects, but none of their gifts. It was a formidable gift, just the same. Jared seemed to be more at ease, knowing they were at least living creatures, not the undead creatures of mythology.
Jolice asked everyone to sit beside the fire. She began chanting in some language Jules had never heard before. Victor explained it was an ancient native language from Brazil. She was glad he understood it. To her, it sounded more like garbled nonsense. The flame in the fire pit grew to over ten feet high, and then turned a bluish-white.
“The Great Spirits are sending us a messenger,” Jolice explained.
The same mist that had swirled around Michael now swirled around the flame. It died down and in its place was a man, well sort of. He looked more like a ghost. Nick didn’t recognize him, but Jules did.
“JOE!” she exclaimed, rising to her feet. “Joe, you are here,” tears of joy escaped her eyes as she ran head long to the fire pit.
“Hello, Baby. I trust you have been well?” His voice was musical, serene.
“I was so lost, and I tried to move on, and live, but it was hard, but now...” She trailed off, biting her lower lip.
“I know, I saw your little stunt.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Thank you for looking after my beloved Jules, she was, is, my light. Her happiness and safety are my whole being, in death as it was in life. For that, I owe you my gratitude.” He spoke directly to Nick, his eyes a deep sincere blue.
“I was sent to deliver a message.” He spoke to all of them now. “The Father chose me because he knew Jules would trust me, and you would all trust her. There is something big going on, something we cannot see. We only know that the beings of the Dark Alliance are forming partnerships. This is never a good thing. They are gaining strength every day. You are to infiltrate the Dark Alliance, find their plan. When you have discovered their agenda, you will know what you must do. If you are successful, I will be back.”
“But, how can we do that? What is the Dark Alliance?” Jules asked her late husband.
“You have all been chosen for this. Your meeting was not chance, but fate. All the things that have conspired to bring you together were not accidents, even my death,” he said the last part only to Jules. “You are the purest of souls on earth; the Phoenix, majestic and pure, a healer, and a little pig headed. The fallen angel, sickened with grief, but full of heart, a most pure understanding of love for human kind. The witch, a good heart with the gift of knowledge. The vampires, a breed prone to evil and yet defy nature and will themselves civilized. And let’s not forget the shifter; a protector by nature. And of course, the human, blessed with a heart able to hold unconditional love, the purest of all gifts.” He turned his head back to Jules, and spoke very softly, “and you, you deny the feelings you have inside. I have been watching you. You will not be able to do your job unless you surrender to them.”
“But, I could never betray you that way, Joe. I love you still. I could never...”
“Nothing would please me more than to have you happy again. You have my blessing, my love. Just be happy.” And with that, he faded away.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
No one spoke. Jules gazed longingly at the empty pit where her husband had stood only moments ago. Nick wanted so badly to ask her what Joe meant about her feelings, a twinge of desperate hope deep in his gut. But he couldn’t. Not now. It was Andrew who went to her side, putting his arms around her. They stood there for a long second.
“I knew you were gonna get me in trouble one day,” he said to her, grinning.
“Oh, shut up Andrew!” Jules snorted back at him, smiling. Nick wondered if he would ever be comfortable playing with her like that. He hated to admit, but he was jealous of Andrew. He could be close to her with such ease. Every time Nick tried to be near her, his entire body went stupid. He felt like a kid around her. Maybe he wasn’t good enough for her. He had always known, deep down, but he knew it in the front of his mind now.
“Well, looks like you guys are staying!” Jolice erupted. “Let’s get your room set up.” Then, as an afterthought, she asked, “Do you want separate accommodations, or will you share?” she asked, not having a lot of experience in that department.
“We will share, if that’s all right,” Andrew said. “We don’t want to cause any trouble.”
“Nonsense,” Victor replied. “We want you to be comfortable here. You are family now, and we have bigger things to worry about than whether or not you offend anyone.”
The sight of her beautiful Joe left Jules’s mind spinning. She had accepted that she would never see him again. But she guessed that she shouldn’t have been surprised, not with everything she had learned since moving to Boston. His words replayed over and over in her mind. He was telling her to embrace her feelings and he gave her his blessing to be happy. Obviously, she knew that he would want her to be happy, and she would want the same for him. But she never imagined that he would show up and tell her to do so.
She was angry, though, that he had to die to get her there. Sure there was a grand scheme or some shit, but there was no acceptable reason for such a beautiful soul to die. Of course, if he had not, she would have never met Nick. Her husband had been a vibrant soul in life, and she saw the same sparkle in his eyes today. It did her heart good to know that he was happy and at peace.
But could she embrace the emotions she was feeling for Nick? For some time, she wondered if they were even hers at all. Nick had a gift for emotions. She couldn’t help but wonder if she felt them because he wanted her to. Deep down, she knew that wasn’t the case though. Nick would never do that to her and she knew it. She had been using it as an excuse to hold on to her grief. The same grief that her Joe just told her to let go of.
She realized that she had been lying to herself all this time. She hadn’t wanted to, but somewhere along the way, she had fallen for Nick. There was a time when she thought no one would ever be able to fill the void left by Joe, and she now knew that no one ever would. But she found that there was room in her heart for Nick too. The grief and pain of Joe’s loss was still there and probably always would be, but it was dull now and she felt a glimmer of hope for the future. Where the grief used to burn in her heart, a new fire set up shop. But this one wasn’t painful. It was wonderful.
She would have to admit it to herself first. Say the words. I’m in love with Nick. No, say them out loud. She was terrified. If she said it out loud, it would make it real. Could she do it? Would it feel like she was being disloyal to Joe?
Joe told her to. It was
what he wanted. Jules knew that she would always love Joe. Nothing would ever change that. No, nothing could ever replace him. “I love Nick,” she said to herself, and instead of overwhelming guilt, she felt relief.
They all retired to their rooms after that spell, deciding to sleep on the events of the evening. Each of them needed time to process all the information that had been dropped in their laps. Each of them needed time before deciding on a course of action.
Nick lay across his bed with his arms behind his head. He wondered if the conversation he heard at the office had anything to do with the alliances Joe spoke of. He was staring up at the ceiling when there was a light knock at his door.
“Come in,” he said, not having to wonder who it was. He recognized her scent immediately. Hell, it had been engraved in his memory since the first time he saw her.
“Am I bothering you?” Jules’s voice asked.
He quickly sat straight up and told her, “Of course not.”
“I just, well I was thinking. There was something you wanted to say to me today, but we were interrupted by all this...” she said, waving her hand in the air.
“Are you sure now is a good time? I mean, with seeing Joe and all?”
“Yes, if it’s what I think it is, now is the perfect time.” She sat on the corner of his bed. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of her neck, showing off the long lines of her throat. Nick’s mouth watered just looking at her. “I have never been one to doubt Joe, and I have always listened to him. He was usually right, and it would be very disrespectful for me to not follow his wishes now.”
Nick thought that over in his mind for a moment. Could he tell her? Did he really have the balls to do it? It was now or never, so he screwed his courage up tight and pulled in a deep breath.
“Jules, I, I wanted to tell you something today. Something I think you already know, but I feel if I don’t say it, I fear I may never get another chance.” He hesitated for a moment, and then took a deep breath, gathering all his courage. “Jules, I love you. I have been in love with you since the day I met you, the day you said you felt like a mouse in a maze. I didn’t realize it before, but that’s exactly what my life was like. I was searching, even though I didn’t know what I was searching for. When you walked into my life, I finally knew where I was going. I saw your face everywhere. I followed you at a distance, I would say for your safety, but really it was so I could see you.” He shook his head. “When I saw you jump from the bridge, the pain in my heart was too much. I jumped from the side of the river to grab you before you hit the water. I wanted you to live! For me. I know it was selfish, but I did it anyway. And when I kissed you! Every part of me felt alive. I have wanted to do it again for so long, but I was afraid you hated me for changing you; again, because I wouldn’t let you die.” Jules was silent as he poured out his soul. “So that’s what I wanted. I want you to love me. I want you to be with me. I know you still feel loyal to your husband, but the truth is, he’s gone. I am here. Do you think, maybe one day, you could find room in your heart for me too?”
There. It was all out. Nick felt lighter, pleased to have it all off his chest. But the feeling quickly turned to fear when she didn’t respond right away.
She let out a big sigh, and then turned to him, “Nick, you are by far the closest friend I have ever had.” She paused for a long second. He could feel rejection swelling up in his chest, heat coursing through the veins in his neck and face, but he fought to keep his face straight. He could see the conflict in her eyes, but she continued, “I don’t know what I would do without you. I don’t think I even know how to be without you.”
Nick tried to look away from her, to avoid her eyes. He didn’t want her to see the pain and moisture that was building in his eyes. This was the classic it’s not you, it’s me let down.
But Jules would not let him look away. She gently placed both of her hands on his cheeks and turned his face back to hers. She was closer now, and he could smell her sweet breath washing over him. She leaned in closer and very gently, softly, pressed her lips to his. The entire universe was swept away at that moment, leaving only Jules and Nick. She pulled away to look at him. “I know how you have struggled with me. I know what you must have been going through. You let me be me, let my heart heal in its own time. You have been a part of me since we met. For that, I am grateful.”
Nick’s heart did a little dance and then soared. He had been wrong. She was giving him the chance he so desperately wanted with her. He wanted to say something profound to her, but his voice wouldn’t work. Instead, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and brought her lips back to his. He kissed her with all the pent up emotion he had been carrying for so long. When she moaned lightly, he pulled her body down on his bed. He pulled her close to him so that their bodies touched from lips to hips. He kissed her face, her neck and her shoulders. The whole time he murmured how much he loved her.
They stayed together for the rest of the night, talking and kissing. They talked about everything from their lives before they met to the current situation at hand. Nick knew he could spend the rest of his life just kissing her and he would be a happy man. That didn’t mean that he didn’t want to claim her with a passion that set his skin on fire. But he had waited this long and given her the time she needed to heal, and it paid off. Soon, so very soon, he was going to mark her so that world would know that she belonged to him. Eventually, the first light of day came creeping through the window and they prepared themselves for what promised to be a long day.
The smell of eggs and bacon drifted up the stairs, a signal that breakfast was nearly done. Nick’s stomach growled.
“I thought you needed blood,” Jules remarked at the sound.
“I do, but I can appreciate a good home cooked breakfast too.” He told her. “One of the perks of being a half breed.”
“Well, let’s not waste any time then,” she smiled at him.
The atmosphere downstairs was light, family-like. Everyone who ate food was gathered at the long, deep cherry dining table, waiting for Rachel to give the word that it was ready. Nick personally offered to prepare Jules’s breakfast for her. He wanted to wait on her. He wanted to give her anything she wanted and everything she needed. He would be her personal servant if that was what made her happy. While she allowed him to warm her blood, she declined the offer of servitude with a sly smile. Of course, that sent other parts of his body out of control and he was stuck at the breakfast table with a raging hard on. Not that he minded. Now that he knew Jules was his, he would stake his claim. It was only a matter of time.
Phoenix followed Nick around the kitchen where Rachel was turning scrambled eggs over in the large frying pan. “Well, good morning,” she said to Nick, her eyes twinkling a bit.
“Mornin,” was all he replied.
“So, are you going to tell me what happened last night or not?” Phoenix demanded.
“What do you mean?” Nick asked, even though he knew exactly what he meant.
“I know Jules was in your room all night,” he stated. “What happened?” He thought he was going to bounce right out of his feathers. It reminded Nick of a kid trying to wait to open his Christmas presents. The thought of kids made Nick smile.
“I don’t kiss and tell,” he shot back at him, and then realized it was a mistake.
“So there was kissing!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. He took two steps toward him. “Did you finally get up the nerve to tell her? Tell me everything! You know how I love a good sappy story!”
“Yes I did, and no I’m not telling you anything, if you want to know, ask Jules,” he said flatly.
“You suck man, really.” And he sauntered out of the room, hanging his head. A part of Nick hated to disappoint him. Phoenix thoroughly enjoyed the relationships and happiness of others. Perhaps it was because he did so little in the way of dating himself.
Over breakfast, they discussed their options. Nick told everyone about the conv
ersation he had overheard at work. Of course, they had to explain to Jules, Andrew, and Jared about the Dark Alliance. Victor explained that it was not so much a place, as a society for those whose intentions are not good. Evil doers, he called them. Members could be vampires, witches, demons, werewolves, etc.
It was unanimously decided that Nick would go to work today, and listen in on conversations. He would be the spy. They had already decided as such before they met Andrew and Jared, but now it was even more important than before. They weren’t sure that what he heard had anything to do with the Dark Alliance, but it was a start.
Victor agreed to investigate a few places he knew to be evil doers hang outs, and Jolice would start working on a spell to look for alliances.
Jared agreed to morph into a rat or something equally inconspicuous and listen in alleys and other dark places. Andrew was not fond of the idea, but eventually agreed. Everyone was needed to do their part.
Michael and Phoenix would fly over as much land as possible, looking for anything that seemed out of the norm. Jules, Andrew, and Rachel would stay at the mansion with Jolice. That ruffled a few feathers with Jules, but after Nick convinced her that she was needed to protect the others, she calmed a bit about it.
After breakfast was cleaned up, everyone went out to do their jobs. Nick dressed in a simple pair of jeans and a pullover, gathered his laptop and files for the office, and kissed Jules lightly on his way out. He heard lots of whoo hoos and assorted other banter as he got in his Mustang. The engine roared to life, effectively drowning out the banter still going on inside. He saw Jules in the doorway waving bye to him as he drove away.
Nick was ecstatic with his new relationship with Jules. For the past eight months, she was all he thought about. He had dreamed of holding her in his arms and kissing her lips. Now he could do it in life. He could express his feelings for her openly, without fear of rejection. His head was filled with her all the way to work.
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