In the meantime, he focused on the calls he needed to make. Chatan held his breath as he dialed his aunt first.
Loretta answered quickly, her tone urgent. “Thank God, you’re finally calling. Is everything okay?”
He glanced at Jacinda and shook his head. “Jacinda lost her mother. We’re heading to Seattle. I just wanted you to know we’re both okay.”
“You should have called sooner.”
He knew that. “There wasn’t time. And I spent a couple days as a cat. She tried to put me to sleep so I couldn’t follow, and I had to get creative.”
“Oh?” The scolding tone died out in that one word, replaced by curiosity.
“Yeah, to protect me. I think she understands I’m not letting her do this on her own. I’ll call soon and tell you the rest, but right now, we’re getting back on the road, right after I call Eddie.”
“Don’t forget about us.”
“I won’t. Neither will Jacinda. Love you, Loretta.”
“You too. Be good to her.”
“I plan on it.” He ended the call and immediately called Eddie.
Less than a ring later, Eddie came on. “Where the fuck have you been? Everyone is freaking out. Robert and Preston are on my case to get them information on where you all might be. I just found her mother’s address. They’re headed out there with her grandfather.”
“What?” Chatan glanced over at Jacinda. Was she ready for everyone jumping in already? Fuck it, it wasn’t like they had much choice. What the hell?
“Robert came by your place to let you know what happened with the whole mess in Saint Morton, and you both were gone. He told Brent. And now they’re on a mission to find you both.”
“Shit, okay. We can make that easy.”
“Good. I don’t know what’s going on, but everyone is worried. Where are you?”
Things were moving faster than he expected. “Kansas City. Stopped for food. She’s finally eating.”
“What?” Eddie replied. “What’s going on?”
He pushed his fingers through his hair. “It’s a long story, and I’ll tell you soon. In fact, I was going to see if we could stay with you. We won’t be there for a couple days. It’s a drive.”
“If they catch up with you, they’ll want to give you the fast trip back. But you know you’re welcome here.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it, just clear it with Jackie first. Please.”
“Yeah, I will. Look, you may want to call Robert. I’ll send you the number.”
“Thanks. See you soon.” He hung up and drove down the road to the Motel 6 he saw on the way in. “We’re going to get a room. I don’t think we’re staying here long. Your grandfather is looking for you.”
She let out a strained sigh. “Great. I don’t imagine that will go well.”
He shook his head. “Why the hell not?”
A snort escaped. “If it weren’t for my family, he would still have his son.”
“Brent is not going to blame you. And he wouldn’t be searching for you if he wasn’t worried. If anyone can figure out how to stop Thanatos, he can.”
“What about your father?” she asked, looking at him.
“Well, he should have more information, but Brent is a sorcerer. He can do a lot of things no one else can do.”
“Thought you said he was mixed.”
He smiled. “He is, but one of his greatest gifts is with the spirits.”
“I guess I don’t get a choice?”
“Why don’t you want their help?”
“I don’t want to put anyone else in danger,” she admitted.
Chatan huffed. “Well, we could let them find us. Preston can track damn near anyone anywhere. They’re going to your mother’s, which means they will be able to track us. And trust me, they will.”
“Call. After we get a room. I want a shower.” She blew out a breath.
“Can I join you?”
Hope filled her eyes. “If you’ll hold me.”
“You never have to ask that.”
Before he could deal with the room, she did. He shook his head as they walked back to her car. “At least let me carry the box.”
She let out a sad laugh. “I fed you cat food.”
“I was a cat. Besides, once you fell asleep, I snuck out long enough to get something else. You did nothing wrong.”
“I love you, Chatan.”
“Love you too, Jace.” He grabbed her box, and they went to the room. “They’re going to want to take us straight to Seattle.”
“What about my car?’
“We’ll figure that out. Start the shower. I’ll make the call.”
She dipped her head and went to the bathroom.
He dialed Robert’s number. It took a couple rings.
“This is Robert McCallister.”
“Hey, this is Chatan. I understand you’re looking for Jacinda Lavelle.”
“Yes, and we just found her mother. We were getting ready to track her down.”
“I’ll save you time. We’re at the Motel 6 in Kansas City. Right off the freeway. Give us an hour. We’re in room eight.”
“Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’ll be all right. She wants a shower, and I want to take care of her.”
“We’ll be there in an hour, with her grandfather.”
“See you then.”
Chapter 5
Thanatos wandered the darkness, searching for a sign of Jacinda. Then she sparked into existence. The girl must be blocking her magic at times. There was no other explanation.
Only now, she was so far away he had to redirect and move through the darkness to reach her. How long would it take him to find her? He wasn’t sure, but he needed to find her or another of her line to keep his strength up. Otherwise, he’d fall back to slumber for a number of years.
He’d learned he’d been cursed to roam the shadow realm, but Scathane had managed to twist the magic, binding him to the blood line. It would take a mimic to free Scathane from him and become free. That’s what the first woman was and the girl he was chasing now. He had not encountered another in all these ages.
He moved across the landscape, catching glimpses of the world he wished to belong to again. Weak spots in the veil showed him the landscape changing as he traveled a great distance.
Then her magic faded again, but he kept going in the same direction, searching for her. It would be easier to just fly, but the in between was cavernous and not so easy to navigate in the air.
If only he had the energy to enter the world and travel the distance. But he could conserve more there, where he didn’t have a true form.
* * * *
Jacinda stood under the water, letting the warmth cascade over her. The chill didn’t fade. Her mother was gone. The whole reason she was searching for a way to stop Thanatos was gone.
Chatan’s arms slipped around her from behind. He pulled her close and she turned to hold on tight. His warmth melted the ice in her veins. She buried her face against his neck, wishing she’d done everything different.
“Tell me what to do,” he murmured.
“Hold me.”
“I wish I could make this better.”
“You didn’t do this, Chatan.”
He ran his hand up and down her back. “I know it hurts, but you can’t stop. She wouldn’t want that. And I can’t lose you.”
Anger flickered in the depths of her soul. “He’s going to pay. Whatever made him what he is doesn’t excuse what he’s done for centuries. He will die.”
“I’ll help you end him.”
She caught his hand. “I can’t believe I threw you across the room. I should have known it was you. I’m sorry.”
A smile pulled at the corners of his lips. “You thought I was that thing.”
She sighed. “Did I hurt you?”
Chatan lifted a single shoulder. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. I healed the bruises on the drive. Honestly, I’m fine.” He took the shampoo and started on her hair. She
let him wash her while she washed him. Having his hands on her brought her back to herself.
She looked into his eyes. “I can’t give up. I don’t want to lose you either.”
Smiling, he pressed his forehead to hers. “Going to fight for me?”
“Mmhmm.” She slid her hand up his thigh, thinking about all the things she could do to drown out the loss for a little while.
He groaned. “Jace, as much I would love to go there, your grandfather will be here soon.”
Gulping, she stepped out of the shower. “I can change your clothes.” And she should at least look at the journal.
“Good, I didn’t bring anything but the clothes on my back, my wallet, phone, and the charger.”
“Sorry.”
“No more of that word.” He shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, taking the towel from her. Chatan dried her, taking his time, caressing in a tender fashion. So much love and comfort.
“Should I be nervous? I’m not used to having anyone but my mother.”
“Honest, Brent is cool. He may offer advice or guidance, but he’s not going to try to parent you.” He combed his fingers into her hair and pressed a kiss to her lips.
Instead of letting him tempt her further, she pulled her clothes on while he watched. “I’ll be in the room, looking at the journal.”
First, she touched his clothes and shifted the color slightly before going back to the bed where the package sat with the journal, picture, and the letter. There she altered her own clothes.
Her mom was gone, but she was with her dad. They were together again. Would she ever hear her mother’s voice, like she had her father’s?
She lay back and opened the journal and flipped through, hoping for a note, a letter, something, hopefully in English. On the last page, she found what she was looking for. The note.
Jacinda, my little dove,
By now, you’ve reunited Dove with Hawk. I wish we could have kept you close together, but I didn’t want Thanatos to target Chatan’s family.
Your mother kept the secret and did her best to keep you away until you were ready. By now, you’ve gained a sense of your abilities, but there is so much more. And she probably sacrificed herself to ensure you completed your destiny, but don’t despair. We’re together again.
Together, you and Chatan will stop Thanatos. And I know my father is meant to help you. Trust Brent Shadows. If your mother hadn’t made me promise to keep him out of everything, maybe we wouldn’t be here.”
Love you forever,
Dad
Chatan stretched out beside her. “May I?” he asked.
She handed over the book.
After a moment he took her hand. Then he spotted the photo of him holding her when she was tiny. “He knew we’d be together. My parents knew. I don’t understand why my mother didn’t believe if my dad did.” He closed his eyes and blew out a breath. “Shit, I don’t know anymore.”
“I wonder if there is something at your house that might explain. Maybe there are more clues.”
“Maybe, but it only feels like home with you there.”
“Until you, I never had a sense of home.”
* * * *
Brent stepped into the house his son lived in with his wife. There were pictures on the wall of the two of them, and a few of a little girl with red curls.
Mina was a beautiful woman, the girl adorable. He’d missed out on so much with his family and that hurt. If he could go back and change things, he would.
Tyrell’s essence had settled into the home. He missed his son even more than he had before. Why had Tyrell kept him in the dark?
Brent sighed. He might not have been able to help sooner, but he damn sure planned to help now.
He wouldn’t let his granddaughter suffer the same fate as so many women in her family, and many men. His son, who died by that thing’s hands.
“Brent, you need to see this,” Preston said from the stairs.
Brent shook his head. There was nothing to see downstairs, besides old pictures he wanted to take with him. He’d let Jacinda take what she wanted, but he planned to keep at least a few of his son’s.
He hurried up the stairs and saw what was left of the door scattered on the floor. Then he saw the blood and moved closer. Dark symbols were burned into a woman’s flesh.
That had to be Mina.
Preston cleared his throat. “You want to see what happened?”
He nodded, no words coming to his lips. That had to be the way his son had died. Or something similar. And the symbols were something Inuala had obsessed over when they were children in their first life as brother and sister hundreds of years before.
Inuala had summoned the entity with the hope of shoving him into Brent’s first incarnation. When that didn’t work, she later attempted the same thing with another man, only Amelia’s first incarnation stopped that, and the first vampire was created. Recently, they had found the damned vampire and Inuala and taken care of Crom Cruach for good.
Something about the symbols made his skin crawl. Did Thanatos come from the same place as Crom Cruach? If so, what was the goal? Was Thanatos himself simply a vessel for something darker and more evil than himself as Eamon had been?
Too many damned questions.
And as the event unfolded, he realized Thanatos was indeed something truly evil. The beast looked like a high demon made of shadows and blood instead of scales.
He’d never seen anything of the like, and the spirits who tended to follow him shrank away from the image of the beast as he killed Mina.
They whispered at him to run, that the creature was not of the world. And yet, he had found some of his son’s notes about Thanatos, suggesting he had started as a man but summoned something he couldn’t control. He hadn’t expected a new creature to come from the merged souls.
The ritual Thanatos performed took Mina’s soul into himself. Which meant Tyrell was in there too. It needed to die. There was no other answer.
The spell ended after Chatan convinced Jacinda to leave.
That poor girl. But at least she was the one he saw with Chatan in several visions. If only he knew who she was and what they were running from, he would have chased Mina down and forced his help on her.
He looked around the room and found a couple more pictures of his son and Mina. He grabbed those as Robert’s phone rang. Brent only caught the last part of the conversation.
“We’ll be there.” Robert looked at Brent. “Ready to meet your granddaughter in an hour?”
He nodded. “Very. But an hour?”
Robert ran his hands down his lapels and glanced away.
“Chatan is trying to console her. Remember, she just lost her mother.”
He nodded. “Damn it, you’re right. I just want to help.”
“You will. So will we. That thing…I don’t have a clue what that was,” Robert said.
Preston shook his head. “Seen some weird shit over the years, but nothing quite like that.”
Brent flexed his hands. “I don’t think it’s all that different than what we dealt with to stop Crom Cruach, honestly. I’ve seen the same symbols he burned into her on things surrounding Crom Cruach.”
“Oh, that’s great. At least he didn’t warp a bunch of people into monsters,” Preston muttered.
“Hey, Amelia is not a monster.”
Preston ducked his head. “No, and that’s not what I meant. But the first vampires were more vicious than most of the younger ones. You have to admit that’s true.”
“Fine,” Brent conceded. “I want to look around, see if I can find anything that may give me some answers. But if I know my son, he left them where only Jacinda would find them.”
“We can help you look until it’s time to meet them,” Preston offered.
“Thank you.”
Chapter 6
Brent stood outside of Jacinda’s hotel room. He had always regretted not knowing how to find her or her mother. And he understood enough about t
he situation to believe they thought they were protecting everyone.
They weren’t. Tyrell lost his life when they could have found a way to stop it.
“Knock, dude.” Preston patted him on the back. “Seriously, why are we waiting out here? Don’t you want to meet her?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want her to hate me for not being there.”
“Doubt she’s going to blame you. Now knock,” Preston urged.
Before he got the chance Jacinda opened the door. Big, pale green eyes full of sadness greeted him. Her power flowed past and around him. And he thought his power was a smorgasbord, but Jacinda far surpassed that.
Her head tipped before she glanced down and back up. “You’re my grandfather?”
“Yeah, Tyrell was my son. I’m Brent Shadows. Whatever you feel like calling me is fine. I’m sure you aren’t used to having grandparents around.”
She shook her head. “No, unfortunately, the only family I’ve ever truly spent time with was my mother.”
“I am so very sorry for your loss. I wish Tyrell had trusted me to help.”
Her face scrunched up. “He left a note saying to trust you. I don’t think he distrusted you. I think my mother convinced him not to take your help. She meant well, but she knew better than anyone how everyone who gets too close to us dies.” She glanced back at Chatan.
He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Not this time,” Chatan promised.
Brent couldn’t be much happier in their pairing. He’d seen a few brief visions of how they brought out the best qualities in each other.
Wanting to be clear, Brent vowed, “Anything I can do to help, I will do. I want to understand.”
She stepped back, pulling Chatan with her. “Come in.”
Robert looked around. “We should take this to Brent’s home. I think it would be best to discuss everything there.”
Chasing Dove (Branches of Emrys Book 4) Page 4