by Pandora Pine
There was a rustling of paper as everyone pulled the printed songs out of their pockets.
Jude nodded at Ronan before he ducked into the tent with Copeland. “Hi, our tribe gave me the ceremonial staff.” He held it up so that Cope could see it.
“Well thank goodness. I hate to think what would have happened to me if they’d given it to Baby Bertha.” Cope managed a smile.
Jude knelt at the side of the air mattress. “Look, I know you’re worried, but all of this is just the pageantry of the ceremony. In the old days, they used to bring the patient in on a horse.”
“A horse?” Cope looked a bit scared by that idea.
“Yeah, so we’re a progressive people.” Jude winked. “I’m going to need you to lie back.” He moved up on his knees to help Copeland into the position he needed him in. “I’ll need to set my hands on or near you, but not in any vital locations. Just lie back and try to relax. Focus on the rhythm of the chanting if you can.”
“I heard you teaching it to Ronan earlier. It was quite a thing watching him learn from you. He’s proud of you.”
“See that with your mind powers, did you?” Jude didn’t mean that to come off sounding like a joke.
Cope shook his head. He wiggled his shoulders a bit. His eyes slipped shut. “No, I saw it in his eyes. So would you if you took a minute to stop looking for the snark in him and started looking at the friendship and camaraderie he has for you.” Cope sighed. “I’m ready, but before you start, just one last thing. I believe in you, Jude.”
Thankfully, Cope’s eyes were closed when he uttered those words. Jude wouldn’t have wanted him to see the stunned look on his face. “Listen to the song. To the words of my people,” Jude whispered. He closed his eyes and focused on the music as well. He could feel the beat of the music in his soul. It had been too long since he’d last heard the melody.
Feeling himself relax, he let his body rest until he felt it vibrating at the same frequency as the beat. It was time to begin. Holding his hands over Cope’s body, he began to chant. His hands moved by muscle memory. It may have been twelve years since he’d last performed this ceremony, but his body hadn’t forgotten what to do. How to heal.
With one hand poised over Cope’s heart, the other moved to his legs. Jude could feel the chant rising up in him. The word of the ancients were flowing through him as if they were standing behind him, whispering in his ears.
Jude could hear the song rising to conclusion. He spoke the final words. It was done. The rest was up to the elders to hear his prayers and heal Copeland.
23
Copeland
After the ceremony was over, Tennyson and Carson came into the tent to prop him up and get him ready for the feast. The second most important part of the ritual was spending time with his people.
Jude had ducked out of the tent after the singing and chanting stopped and he hadn’t seen the medicine man since. Before the ceremony started, he hadn’t bothered to explain the meaning of the pot luck dinner either. Each time a new person came to visit him, they brought food.
Dempsey had brought him a plate of shepherd’s pie. Truman and Carson brought homemade mac and cheese, which their three little ones devoured like the velociraptors he’d heard Carson call them earlier. Cope had to admit, the dish was delicious. He even asked Carson to email Jude the recipe.
Greeley, Fitz, and Jace brought him hot wings and told the funniest stories he’d ever heard about Jude. That was another part of the ritual, to spread stories in the oral tradition of your people to those family members who lived far away. In other words, gossip.
Walker and Hunter stopped in with a leafy salad and story about a ride-on lawnmower that had Cope in stitches. He wished Jude had been here for the story. It would have been nice to see the man blush.
“Look who we found!” Ronan announced as he ushered Emilyn and Tennyson into the tent. “The man of the hour.” Jude strolled in last.
“We brought you a cooler for overnight.” Ten set it down near Cope’s side of the mattress. “I packed bottles of water, those yogurts in a tube, and Gatorade. We also have a bag of snacks. There’s stuff to make s’mores and bags of cashews and pistachios. Chips too, I think.” Ten set that down next to the cooler.
“Thanks, guys.” Cope grinned as everyone settled in around the bed. He was really touched by the outpouring of support.
“There are burgers on the grill. Fitzgibbon is our resident grill master. I can’t believe people are still eating, but there you have it.” Ronan grinned. “Especially the velociraptors. Those kids are eating machines today.”
“They were so well behaved.” Em set a hand on her growing baby bump. “I think they knew what was going on today. All three of them are Bertha Craig’s grandchildren. There’s so much of her in each of them.”
“I sensed a lot of empathy in them when they were climbing all over me and petting me.” Cope couldn’t help smiling at the memory.
“Is that what you call it? It looked to me like they were slapping you silly.” Jude laughed.
Cope shook his head. “No, they were very upset that I was hurt. There was a lot of love coming from all three of them, especially Baby Bertha.”
Emilyn yawned. A dainty hand fluttered to her mouth. “That’s my cue to leave. My little jelly bean was a gold-medal gymnast today.” She held out a hand to Ronan who easily helped Em to her feet.
“I’ll bring you both a burger and potato salad when they come off the grill.” Ronan stayed where he was as Ten escorted Em out of the tent. “People are starting to head out for the night now that they’ve seen you and eaten their fill. They understand that you’ll both be tired and wanting your rest. Do you need anything else from the house? Blankets or anything?”
Jude turned to Cope without opening his mouth.
“I have everything I could possibly need out here. Cole and Cassie were kind enough to bring us LED lanterns so we’ve got lights if we need them.”
“Everyone’s rooting for you, Cope. Me especially.” Ronan set a hand on his shoulder before getting up. “Text if you need anything. I mean it. Doesn’t matter what time it is.”
Jude nodded. “Thank you for everything.”
“Anytime.” Ronan walked out of the tent.
“Are you still hungry?” Jude asked.
“God, no!” Cope laughed. “I’ve eaten enough to last a week.”
“Good, you’ll need your strength for the healing.” He got up from the tent floor to sit on the edge of the air mattress.
“So, it’s not done yet?” Cope’s eyes narrowed on Jude who was twisting his hands together nervously.
Jude shook his head. “No. This isn’t like a magick spell that takes effect instantly. It’s going to take some time to work.”
“I still can’t move my legs.” Cope hated saying those words out loud. He didn’t want Jude to think he failed, but on the other hand, he wasn’t healed either.
Guilt was written all over his face. “I purposely didn’t tell you much about the ceremony.”
“In case it didn’t work?” Copeland wanted to reach out to the healer, but somehow sensed it was better to let the timid colt come to him.
“I didn’t want to get your hopes up too high.” Jude shook his head. His eyes were focused on some spot on the far wall of the tent. “But that was my mistake. Part of what makes this ceremony work is everyone’s belief that it will.”
“Before we got started, I told you I had absolute confidence in you, Jude.” Cope meant it before the ceremony started and he meant it now. “There’s a lot of magick in the words you said over me. I could feel it swirling around my body.”
“I could feel it too,” Jude admitted sheepishly.
“Did you have a chance to talk to Dempsey and Onyx about the attacker?” Cope knew now probably wasn’t the best time to talk about this, but hell, when was it a good time to talk about a psycho who was bent on hurting him from a distance?
“I did. Both of them agreed that th
ey were able to pick up on the attacker’s psychic trail of breadcrumbs.” Jude was silent. The tips of his fingers pressed against each other as if he were trying to figure out the right way to say what was coming next. “There’s good news and bad news, according to Dempsey. I was trying to think of an easy way to tell you this, but at this point, I just need to go with the truth.”
“Since we’re dealing with my life and future prospects of living as a free man, I’d appreciate that.” Cope’s voice was gentle. He didn’t want to break the easy flow between the two of them.
“The bad news is that Dempsey is positive the attacker knows where you are and is on their way here now.” Jude looked up at Copeland. The look in his eyes was stone-cold fear.
“And the good news is that he’s on a slow boat from China?” Cope asked, trying to bring a little levity to the situation.
Jude snorted. “No. The good news is that since Dempsey is positive we’ve got enough to trace him and he or she has enough information to trace you, that we’re safe in putting the protection charm back on you. I had him do that after the ceremony was over. That’s where I disappeared to.”
“At least they can’t hurt me any more than they have.” Cope let out a sigh of relief. “Not that I don’t think what you did tonight isn’t going to work, but, I…” Cope felt a wave of exhaustion bearing down on him.
“I know what you’re trying to say. You don’t want to feel better only to keep backsliding.”
Cope nodded. At least Jude understood where he was coming from. That had never been the case when he was with Deacon and he and Onyx barely agreed on anything aside from the fact that he was the bottom and Onyx was most definitely the top. “Not to mention what this is doing to you.”
“To me? What do you mean?” Jude moved closer. His hand reached out to rest on top of Cope’s.
Cope raised an eyebrow. “All I’ve done is throw your life into a complete uproar. First with my dramatic entrance, then with my tale of woe. Now, I’m living in your house, putting you in the line of fire, and woke up this morning paralyzed. I’m kind of the house guest from hell.”
Jude snorted. “You’ve got me there.”
“Did this ritual today sap your energy too?” Cope could see dark circles under Jude’s eyes. The man looked like he was about ready to drop.
“It did. You’re the only one who noticed.” A smile played on his lips.
“No one else lives with you.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Jude’s tone was more curious than anything else.
“It’s barely 8pm and you’re looking like you do when it’s about to turn into the witching hour. Only someone who lived with you would know that.” It was true. Last night when they’d stayed up playing Jeopardy until midnight, Jude looked exactly like he did now, minus the worry lines in his forehead. Cope wasn’t going to mention those.
“I feel like I could sleep for a week,” Jude admitted.
“How do we turn on the do not disturb sign?”
“Probably by zipping up the tent door. I was going to have Ronan inflate one of those twin mattresses for me so that you’d have the queen to yourself.” Jude looked around as if he were trying to figure out where he’d put another air mattress.
“There’s plenty of room here.” Cope patted the space next to him. “All we’re going to do is sleep. I trust you.”
“I trust you too.” Jude stood up and started taking off his jeans. He had pushed them past his ass when Ronan walked in carrying dinner.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ronan bellowed. “The man’s paralyzed for fuck’s sake!”
“Uh, Ronan, I’m taking off my jeans so I can sleep, not so I can fuck Cope.” He turned to look at Cope over his shoulder. “No offense, Cope.”
“None taken.” Cope was trying hard not to laugh. He’d heard a bit of talk tonight about Jude’s propensity to find hot men and have his way with them. He hadn’t seen that side of the P.I. at all. He’d been a perfect gentleman, even when they’d both been naked this morning.
“Now, may I take my pants off the rest of the way or does your backyard have a stricter dress code than I was led to believe?” Jude looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh.
“Whatever floats your boat.” Ronan set two plates down on the small table in the tent. They were loaded with burgers and potato salad. “Ten and I are calling it a night. You have the key to get inside in case either of you need to use the facilities. We’ll make breakfast when you’re both up in the morning. Good night. Heal well, Cope.”
“Night, Ronan.” Jude turned back to Cope. He was already giggling. “Are you fucking kidding me!” Jude mocked Ronan. He snorted before bursting out laughing.
Cope was howling too.
“Those burgers smell pretty good. Dinner in bed before we call it a night?”
Cope nodded. What the hell? When was he ever going to have another opportunity to be served in bed by such a sweet and dare he say, handsome man?
24
Jude
Jude was torn. It wasn’t like him to be wishy-washy in any way, shape, or form, but here he was. He was lying all the way over on his side of the queen-sized mattress. So far over on his side, in fact, that he was half an inch away from ending up on the tent floor. What had him torn was Copeland.
The smaller man had somehow migrated during the night and was sleeping with his head smack dab in the middle of Jude’s chest. His right hand was resting on Jude’s heart, while his left arm was snaked under his pillow.
He’d been awake now for about fifteen minutes. It had been the heat from Cope’s body that had stirred him, but it was being unable to move that had woken him up completely. There had been a moment of pure terror where he’d been sure he was paralyzed just like Copeland.
Whether or not Copeland still was paralyzed from the effects of the psychic attack was a matter up for debate at the moment. Jude had managed to move his right foot out enough to find that Cope’s legs were snugged up next to his own, but how they got there was a bit of a mystery. Cope could have moved them with his hands before settling in to lie on his chest.
It had been years since he’d last done this. Laid in bed with a man. Snuggled with a man. Although this hadn’t exactly been his idea. He’d woken up to find himself with an armful of Copeland. Once the panic attack passed, he’d found a way to make an uneasy peace with the situation. Cope was still recovering from the healing ceremony and Jude threw off a lot of heat. It had gotten cooler overnight and they’d thrown off the sheets before falling asleep last night on separate sides of the bed.
Jude’s usual modus operandi was to get as far away from a lover as possible after he finished fucking them. Usually he’d head off to the bathroom to clean up and would then urge the other guy to do the same thing. If he was interested in round two, he’d invite the guy downstairs for something to eat. If not, he’d tell the guy he had an early morning. There was no contact after the final trickle. No lying in bed. No laughing together. There sure as hell wasn’t any cuddling.
What was odd about this situation, was that his arms, his own traitorous arms, had somehow wound their way around Copeland. There was mutual cuddling going on. One hand rested in the middle of Cope’s back, while the other sat on the curve of his hip, just above his ass. He wouldn’t admit it under torture, but it was almost nice.
“Your overthinking woke me up,” Cope muttered. “Christ, get some WD-40 for that hamster’s wheel. It fucking squeaks.” He snorted. Lifting his head, he peered up at Jude.
“Never mind my hamster wheel. What about your legs? Can you move them?” Jesus, that was the whole point of performing the ceremony. Of spending the night together. Of Jude allowing the cuddling.
“I’m not awake enough yet to test them.” Cope let out a dainty yawn and nestled his face in closer to Jude’s chest. His fingers traced down the side of his ribcage.
“Not awake enough to test them!” Jude was gobsmacked. “Look, princess, where I
come from, we don’t lay around in bed waking up like the world owes us a living. We get up and at ‘em. We work hard.”
Copeland started to laugh.
“What the hell is so funny?”
“You!” Cope pushed himself up on an elbow to look down at Jude. “This has the beginnings of one hell of a speech you’d give to kids before a pee wee football game. Those kids might only lose by a dozen touchdowns now, coach.” Cope patted Jude’s chest. “You might want to work on that a bit.” He offered Jude a dazzling smile. “Oh, and coach?”
“What?” Jude was beyond annoyed now. Why the hell did he still have his arms wrapped around this man anyway? Probably so he didn’t punch him in the face.
Cope lifted his right leg into the air and kicked it like one of the Rockettes. “Your ceremony worked. Can you stop growling at me now and smile?”
Jude let out a sigh of relief. He was so relieved, he forgot to be annoyed at Copeland. He pulled the man closer and held him tight. “Thank God,” he whispered against the side of Cope’s face.
“That goes double for me.” He pulled back from Jude. “Now, as nice as cuddling with you is, Jude, we’ve got work to do. We can’t lay here in bed all day snuggling! What would the neighbors think?” Cope tapped a hand against the side of Jude’s stunned face before rolling to the side and throwing his legs over the side of the bed and climbing to his feet. “Thank you, Jesus,” Cope whispered so quietly, Jude almost missed it.
Jude got out of bed just as quickly, pulling yesterday’s jeans back on while Cope was still standing with his back to him with his face buried in his hands. “I’m gonna go let Ten and Ronan know we’re up. Do you want some coffee?” He slipped on his shoes, never once taking his eyes off Cope.
Cope nodded, but didn’t turn around.
“I’ll be in the kitchen waiting for you. Take as much time as you need.” Instead of walking right out of the tent and turning his back on Cope like he would have done with any other man he’d shared a bed with. Jude stayed put. “I meant what I said the night we met, Copeland Forbes. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. It’s a promise I intend to keep.” Having reaffirmed his vow, Jude walked out of the tent.