by Abby Blake
Strange how when retirement was something he would do in the future he’d been looking forward to it, but now that the choice was here he wasn’t quite ready to make it.
And of course he might very well be jumping the gun with the whole starting-a-family idea. Just because they were mates, fate unfortunately didn’t guarantee they would actually like each other. It was rare, but it was a possibility.
He watched the couple move up the stairs and out of sight and wondered what the hell to do next.
Chapter Seven
Jennifer wasn’t surprised to find them both waiting for her in her dream. A distant part of her mind registered that Thomas had his arms wrapped around her as they both slept, but inside her dreamscape they sat in simple wooden chairs facing each other.
“Interesting choice,” Thomas said, glancing around the emptiness that surrounded them. “I think I preferred the whole naked bit from previous dreams, but I suppose this will do.”
“Do for what?” she asked.
“For the talk you obviously want to have with us.”
“Oh,” she said, not really sure what she wanted to say. Now that she knew that inside these dreams she was actually talking to Adam and Thomas and not to herself, words didn’t seem to want to come.
“I’m sorry I upset you before,” Adam said, leaning forward as if he wanted to touch her.
“You didn’t upset me,” she said quietly. “I was just shocked that you would suggest resigning. We barely know each other, yet you want me to give up everything I know. What am I supposed to do while you two are off playing superhero?” She tried not to react to the way Adam closed his eyes at her words. Was that because he’d thought about what she would do, or because he hadn’t?
“You could join our PUP squad,” Thomas said with a smile.
She rolled her eyes and snorted at the ridiculous suggestion. “Sure. Right. Me play superhero. Not likely.”
“Why not?” Adam asked. It was obvious that he was trying to hide his distaste for that idea, but Jennifer could see that he was making an effort to find a compromise.
“Well, for starters I’m human.”
“Not a problem,” Thomas said with a wide smile. “When you’re ready, we’ll make you a werewolf.”
There was that suggestion again. She tried to ignore it for the moment. “I’m also pushing mid-thirty.”
“Barely an adult in werewolf terms.”
“But I—”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” a feminine voice said from behind them. Both Adam and Thomas leapt from their chairs and dropped into fighting stances. Jennifer sat frozen as they all stared at the newcomer. Somehow the pixie queen had stepped out of the nothingness surrounding them and into the reality of their mating dream.
“Is she real?” Adam asked Jennifer. She didn’t have an answer for that.
“I assure you, I’m very real,” Emmallina said as she stepped closer and sat down in a chair that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “And I sincerely apologize for intruding, but I needed to get a message to Benjamin. It’s too dangerous to summon Alex, and I hoped this was the safest way.”
“Can all pixies dreamwalk?” Thomas asked, sounding a little worried.
The pixie queen must have picked up on the disquiet her visit was causing because she took a deep breath and said, “It is a skill that seems to be unique only to me. I know not of other pixies capable of dreamwalking.” Her gaze settled on Thomas. “I realize that at this moment you have very little reason to trust me, but I need you to give this information to Benjamin. I know that he will choose the wisest course of action.”
“How do you know?” Adam asked, looking skeptical.
“Because she’s an Oracle,” Jennifer said, unsure where the information was coming from, but absolutely certain that it was true.
Emmallina gave her a soft smile. “I had hoped to hide that truth from you, but it is clear that you have a sharp mind. It is very difficult to dreamwalk without revealing some of my own secrets.”
“So you know the future?”
“No,” Emmallina said with a shake of her head. “Think of the information like a history book. History is being constantly written, people’s actions are being recorded, outcomes, mistakes, love, and loss all flow into my mind. I can’t see what will happen in the future, but I can see choices made in the past. Benjamin is a good man, and a strong leader. I believe he will make the right choices.”
“But if you can see all of that,” Thomas asked quietly, “why don’t you know what happened to your daughter?”
Emmallina gave them a sad smile. “Because the information does not include all species. Each Oracle holds the knowledge of only a couple of species. For me it is vampires and humans. I am especially blind when it comes to the actions of my own people. It is that way for all Oracles.”
Jennifer nodded. Knowing everything about everyone would make it impossible to have any sort of relationship. Emmallina gave her a sad smile as if she heard the thoughts Jennifer had believed were private.
“Just as it is difficult for me to hide inside your mind, it is the same for you to try and hide from me while I am here. Again I apologize and assure you that I am trying not to intrude. I am already aware of the happenings in your life thus far, but your emotions and beliefs remain your own. Once I leave your dream, I will not be able to sense your conscious thoughts as I am accidentally doing now.”
Jennifer nodded, glancing at her men, hoping for some sort of conclusion here. In some ways she felt honored that Emmallina would seek her out, but she hadn’t really gotten used to the idea of mating dreams. Having the queen of the pixies dropping into her mind was rather disconcerting.
She was really, really glad that they hadn’t been up to the sexcapades of the previous dreams when the woman arrived.
Emmallina nodded as if she heard that thought, too. Heated embarrassment scalded Jennifer’s face, but the woman simply smiled kindly and turned her attention to Thomas and Adam.
“The Oracle who was murdered twenty-seven years ago held the history of the warlocks and witches. It was believed that she planned to pass some part of her information on to humans. I don’t know what. But when the Warlocks’ High Council contracted the PLA for her assassination, my husband originally refused the contract. It was the Ruling Body who overruled him.”
“That might explain Jason’s actions,” Adam said, clearly still upset by his friend’s betrayal. “What could the warlocks have known that they were so frightened of humans knowing?”
“What, you mean besides the whole paranormal creatures are real part?” Adam asked, apparently more agitated than his relaxed posture suggested.
“No she means something that humans knew a long time ago,” Jennifer said as the information she wanted was suddenly in her mind. “Emmallina doesn’t know what the Oracle planned to pass on, but she suspects that it goes all the way back to the origin of the human species.”
Emmallina shook her head, the movement more of wonder than of denial. “You are an amazing human, Jennifer. Clearly you are meant for more than the life you have led so far.”
The woman gave her an approving nod and then slowly faded from sight.
* * * *
Adam woke with a jolt. He hadn’t actually been planning to sleep when he’d sat down at the table, but it would seem that the urge to dream was connected to his mate’s. It was a little concerning that he would feel sleepy whenever she did, but it did point out that the sooner they claimed her the better for all of them.
But then the pixie queen’s words came back to him, and he pushed the chair back quickly and headed upstairs. Jennifer looked beautiful lying in Thomas’s arms, and she still looked half asleep when she sat up and gave him a shy smile.
“I guess you need to go speak to Benjamin,” she said quietly. “I’ll just…um…find something to…”
Her words trailed off, and it was obvious that she was at a loss as to what to do now. Fortunately the Oracle’s words w
ere precise on this matter. Jennifer truly was meant for more than the life she had led so far.
“You’re coming with us, beautiful.”
She looked quite pleased for a moment, but then worry entered her eyes once more. “But I don’t know any more than you do. I would just be getting in the way.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, beautiful. When you said it had something to do with the origin of the human species, do you understand what that meant?”
“I think so,” she said, looking a little surprised. “In fact I’m pretty sure that humans once had skills similar to that of warlocks.” She laughed quietly, the sound not quite humorous. “Considering that I have no idea what skills warlocks have, that’s kind of a non-answer.”
“Except that we know what warlocks are capable of,” Thomas said as he grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs. “The information you gleaned from Emmallina’s mind might well explain the current mission we’ve been on.”
“But how can I explain a mission I know nothing about?”
“Jennifer, we need to talk to Benjamin. As soon as we have clearance, we’ll explain everything. What you know is very important.” Adam hesitated a moment before adding, “And the way you handled yourself both inside the dream and in the pixie queen’s chambers proves that you are more than capable of being a valuable member of our PUP squad.”
“Do you really think I should join PUP Squad Alpha? I mean, even if you do make me a werewolf—”
“When we make you a werewolf,” Thomas cut in.
She glanced at him but didn’t comment either way. “It’s not really who I am. I’ve always been more of the behind-the-scenes type of worker. Not the charge-into-danger type.”
“Babe,” Thomas said as he helped her off the bed and onto her feet, “not all of what we do is dangerous, and trust me, there is always paperwork, but we will support any decision you make. As your mates we want you to be happy. We’ll find a way for that to happen, even if that means taking fewer assignments or commuting back and forth to your home.”
“But my house is hours away from here,” she said, glancing between them, looking surprised that Thomas would even suggest such a thing.
“Not via slip travel,” Adam said, trying to forget how nauseous traveling with Alex always made him feel. Alex had once suggested that they would grow accustomed to it the more they traveled with him. Kind of like a sailor getting his sea legs. For Jennifer’s sake Adam was willing to test that theory. Although just the lingering nausea from the two trips today was enough to convince him to consider retirement more closely.
It wasn’t until they were out the door and halfway to headquarters that it finally occurred to him that Jennifer had used the word “house,” not “home.” Maybe she was warming to the idea of being closer to them.
He reached for her hand, hoping that everything would work out the way he’d dreamed.
* * * *
Four hours later Jennifer was truly ready to believe that not all PUP squad activity took them into danger. Her head pounded from the influx of information, but it had turned out to be true that she’d absorbed more of the pixie queen’s Oracle knowledge than she’d first realized. She would have thought it imagination if Benjamin, Samuel, Skye, Thomas, Adam, Alex, Brody, and a warlock named Darian hadn’t confirmed over and over the words that kept coming out of her mouth.
Darian looked particularly concerned.
“So you’re saying that humans and warlocks evolved from the same species?”
“No, I’m saying humans and all paranormals evolved from the same species.”
“All?” Thomas asked as she unwittingly provided more information she hadn’t realized she’d known.
She shrugged, biting her lip self-consciously. “I’m sorry. It’s kind of like remembering a movie years after I’ve seen it. Some parts make sense, but some are really fuzzy. I’m not really sure what I know until it comes out of my mouth.”
“Kali describes her skill in much the same way,” Alex said.
“Ava, too,” Brody agreed.
“But, I’m not one of the Oracle’s receptacles,” she said, feeling even more confused. “For one thing, I’m way older.” Five years probably wasn’t all that much in paranormal terms, but Jennifer still couldn’t shake the feeling that life had somehow passed her by.
“You’re probably right that your skill is not connected to what happened to Ava and Kali and the others, but there is no doubting that the pixie queen’s visit in your dream has left you with a huge amount of knowledge.”
“Is it possible,” Skye asked, looking as shell-shocked as Jennifer felt, “that humans have these abilities and just don’t realize it? I remember reading somewhere that the average human only uses ten percent of their brain’s actual capacity. Maybe the Oracle’s receptacles were only sent the information that enables them to use that ability, not given the ability itself.”
“That would make sense,” Benjamin said, “and seems to explain why they have abilities like telekinesis and whatever that shield thing is that Ava can do.”
“It might even explain how Ava was able to pass the skill to Nathan,” Brody added.
“So what you’re saying is that all humans would be capable of these skills?” Darian had paled considerably. “I think that might be the Ruling Body’s reasoning for the Oracle’s murder in the first place and for what is happening now. Even if the PLA is not officially involved, someone high up is making these decisions. The fact that we’re protecting these women puts us all in danger.”
“These women?” Brody asked incredulously. “My wife is one of the women you’re talking about.”
Darian held up his hands, apparently annoyed when he realized the way his words were being interpreted. “And mine, also,” he said through gritted teeth. “I love Amber. Nobody is more important to me.” He glanced around the room. “What I mean is maybe the Ruling Body has a good reason for not wanting humans to know this information. I’m not agreeing with their methods, just suggesting that the skills Kali, Ava, Hannah, and Amber have might be dangerous in the hands of humans.”
“Not necessarily,” Jennifer said, feeling the need to stand up for her own species. She was the only human at the table after all. “Maybe skills like the ones the Oracle’s receptacles share would bring peace.” She huffed in exasperation when the men around the table, and even her own sister, looked skeptical. “Considering some of the weapons humans have access to, I can’t imagine things getting more dangerous.”
“You could be right,” Brody conceded.
“Would it be all humans?” Benjamin asked quietly, the calm amid the storm of emotion.
“I don’t think so,” Jennifer said. She didn’t miss the quiet collective sigh of relief that admission fostered. “I’m not sure what sets them apart, but few are capable of doing what the Oracle’s receptacles are doing.”
“Thank the goddess for small favors,” Brody said quietly. “But with six billion humans on the planet that could still be a huge number.”
“But none of this explains why the pixie assassins chose to burn the victims,” Skye said thoughtfully. “If they were assassinating humans why wouldn’t they have chosen a more human method? People are murdered every day. Even with Alex involved with one of the targets, PUP Squad Alpha wouldn’t have gotten involved if they’d thought it was a human serial killer.”
“That’s true,” Alex said immediately. “Ronan might not have even called me in to help if he’d thought he was dealing with a human.”
“The assassin who came after Kali—the pixie queen’s daughter, Connistanterina—might be our best chance of learning why she did what she did,” Alex said. “But we’ve tried on several occasions to interrogate her without success. Do you think her mother would be willing to help?”
Jennifer nodded. “I believe she would. Emmallina is very worried for her daughter, and it’s not just fear that her daughter is dead. It’s also a deep-seated fear that Connistanterina was
somehow being manipulated, that her actions weren’t of her own volition.”
“That would be a pretty natural reaction for any mother,” Thomas suggested. “No mother wants to believe she raised a serial killer.”
“Ordinarily, I would agree with you,” Jennifer said, “but I believe in Emmallina’s case there is more to it than just a mother’s false hope.”
“Okay, we need to make contact with the pixie queen,” Benjamin said decisively. “Alex, is there any chance of being able to slip back into the room where you found Jennifer?”
“Unlikely,” he said with a shake of his head. “The pixie king obviously knows more than he’s saying. I suspect that any entry to the palace now would be met with deadly force.”
“Alex is right,” Thomas said in agreement. “When the king told us to leave, he was pretty convincing with his threats.”
Benjamin nodded his acceptance of their assessment. “I’m going to avoid going through official channels at this stage. That leaves us with only one option.” He turned to Jennifer and smiled. “I hope you’re sleepy, because you may be our only chance.”
Chapter Eight
Thomas was wide awake. Granted, he’d spent most of the past two days lying down and trying to sleep, so it was no wonder he felt well rested, but it wasn’t getting them any closer to making contact with the pixie queen.
It was four in the afternoon, and the three of them were currently lying above the covers, fully clothed, on Adam’s bed. Thomas desperately wanted to pull his mate into his arms and make love to her the way they’d dreamed, but far from accepting their suggestion of a new life, Jennifer seemed to be stubbornly holding on to the old one. She’d called her boss, organized for less than two weeks’ vacation time, and then given them no reason to believe she was interested in staying.