He spread out the blanket she had brought and they both sat down nervously. Harrison wasn’t sure how to begin. They had gotten pretty hot and heavy once in a while, but that was never planned. He was still amazed they'd managed to stop themselves from going all the way.
The urge to devour her on the spot was tempting, but this was it... he wanted the moment to last. Taking her long fingers in his, he kissed the tips one by one then gently ran his hand up her arm to rest on the side of her neck.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” her whisper was so soft he nearly missed it.
Taking his time, he leaned towards her and let his lips linger on hers. Fire warmed each particle of his body as he laid her back on the blanket and let himself get lost in the moment. It wasn’t until her arms were wrapped tightly around him that he noticed the desperation in her kiss. He lurched away from her.
“What’s wrong?” Her eyes were wide with fear. The same look Rosie got whenever she knew she was busted.
“I can’t do this, Gem.” He turned away from her, feeling a mixture of wrath and grief.
“Harrison.” She slid her hand up his back.
“You’re leaving me, aren’t you?” His head turned at her silence and eventually his body followed. “How can I make love to you, knowing it’s the last time I’ll ever get to do it.”
Her skin paled as her eyes dropped to the sand. “How did you know I was going back?”
“My gut told me,” he muttered darkly.
They sat in brooding silence for what seemed too long. Eventually Gemma looked up with beseeching eyes.
“You told me once that loving someone is about putting their happiness before your own. I can’t just sit around and let them destroy your family.”
Reaching for her hands, Harrison gathered her fingers and held them like a lifeline.
“We could run away together. They won’t be able to find us. My family could move again.”
“What about Dom and Ruby… and Simeon?”
“Who cares about Simeon!” He loathed his desperation, but couldn’t help himself.
“He was murdered, Harrison,” Gemma’s voice was soft. “You can’t tell me you want to live with that, especially when you know it can be stopped.”
He dropped her hands and turned away.
“I’m the only one who can fix this. I have to make sure they don’t get me as a baby.”
“Meaning you’ll grow up with a different life.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice.
“Please…”
“I love you, Gemma.” He turned back, touching her cheek with gentle intimacy. “I want to marry you one day.”
Her eyes instantly filled and her face crumpled with soul piercing agony.
“You think I want to leave you? You brought me to life.” She placed her hand over his and squeezed his knuckles. “But I can’t let them do this. Please try to understand.”
“I do.” He wiped at her tears, hating that he felt such rage at her departure, knowing it wasn’t going to help her. “Gem…” he kissed her tears.
“I just want to be with you. Since the day I first saw you, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. I can't say goodbye to you, but I needed to see you again. I had to... I couldn't...”
The tears were coursing down her cheeks so fast he couldn’t keep up with the flow. Wiping at the streams with his thumbs, he pulled her face towards his and reached for the fire one last time.
With fervent kisses they both yielded to the flames, their souls disintegrating to ash as they said their final farewell.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Anastasia National Park, Florida – 2011AD
Dawn softened the hues of night, turning the sky amber. Gemma opened her eyes and took in the patient lap of the ocean. With a tentative ear she listened to the birds call and couldn’t keep a smile from her lips.
They hadn’t made love in the end. Neither of them could do it. Knowing it was their last time together they stuck with the familiar and kissed until their bodies were searing with hot flames. Every time they got carried away, Harrison would pull back and tenderly touch her face. He'd open his mouth to say something then change his mind and the kissing would begin all over again.
Eventually Harrison turned her onto her side and snuggled in behind her. With his arms wrapped around her, she dozed in euphoria for the rest of the night.
Running her fingers lightly over the arm wrapped around her waist, she felt the warmth of the night war with the cold chill of departure. Her body stiffened with the thought and that’s what woke him. They didn’t say anything to each other; they couldn’t. So instead they lay in locked silence waiting for one of them to have the strength to end it.
Eventually Harrison’s arm squeezed tight around her waist before he slid away from her. She turned to face him, running her hand over his cheek and into the waves of his hair.
“I…” her voice faltered and she closed her eyes to ward off the tears.
Harrison’s lips touched the nape of her neck, rounded her jaw line and came to rest on her mouth. His kiss was filled with understanding and she delved into the pleasure of it. It ended with a sudden sharpness that stung. With a certain amount of detachment, Harrison stood to his feet and reached to help her up. His hand lingered over her fingers, grasping the tips.
“Tu es ma stella del mattino. Tu es ma gioiello. Ti amo.”
The lump in her throat was so huge she couldn’t get a word past it. Instead she mouthed three words of affection before stepping away from him.
He stood on the beach, looking at her as though she was the most precious jewel on earth. She had to block out the image of him in order to concentrate. Finally she let herself diminish to gold dust, the will to save him making her body soar back to 1993.
* * * *
Grants Pass, Oregon – 1993AD
The sting burning through her body was nothing compared to the scorching in her heart. She tried to ignore the sickening pain at leaving behind the best thing that had ever happened to her in order to cope with what she had to do. Opening her eyes, she orientated herself and shot into the shadows of the large building.
The highway zipped with the steady noise of late night traffic and the neon light above her buzzed and clicked. Keeping her body pressed against the cool wall, she skimmed around the outskirts and headed for the bathroom window with the broken latch. Jumping to grab the edge, she scrambled up the concrete wall and slithered into the stench of a public bathroom. She landed on her toes like a cat and crept into the department store. Clinging to the shadows she wove through aisles of underwear and shoes, gathering what she needed along the way. Twenty minutes later she was standing back in the bathroom, wearing a tracksuit and sneakers.
She hit the pavement and began a gentle jog towards the highway. She was annoyed with herself for forgetting to grab a watch and torch, but her mind had been a little pre-occupied with images of Harrison floating in and out on a wave of nostalgia.
Maybe I shouldn’t have seen him last night?
Are you insane? It was one of the best times you had together!
Gemma shook her head at the discourse raging in her brain and tried to blot the voices from her mind. The highway was well lit and busy, something Gemma was not too keen on. A young girl jogging along the edge of the road at this time of night was way too suspicious. Ducking down the first side street she could find, she tried to capture the image of the map her father had shown her.
Her feet kept up a steady rhythm on the pavement as she rounded corners and headed in a generally northwestern direction. After what felt like an eternity of running she knew she was lost. Stopping to catch her breath, she cursed quietly and closed her eyes, forcing her mind away from panic.
Just take your time and get your bearings. You can do this. You have to!
Her lids snapped open and she forced her eyes to study the street sign closest to her. Her heart leapt in her chest as she recognized the name. Spinning on her
heel she ran back the way she’d come, the map suddenly crystallizing in her mind. A few blocks later she was standing beneath the street sign Butler Avenue. Pulling in her breath, she jogged to number seven and decided to skirt the house to make sure no uninvited guests were lurking in the shadows.
Satisfied she was alone, she shimmied up the trellis and inched her way to the nearest window. It took a little force, but she managed to pop it open and stumbled into the room, catching her balance and the falling lamp just in the nick of time. Steadying herself, she replaced the lamp with ginger fingers and turned to take in the room.
The night-light in the corner allowed a soft glow to light the edges of the furniture. Gemma felt her insides warm as she recognized the framed cross-stitch hanging above the white crib. It had been in the background of the photo Gabe had given her for her birthday. Creeping towards it, she paused to study its intricacies and noticed the small bundle lying beneath her.
Her breath caught as she gazed at the sleeping infant.
“That’s me,” she whispered. Reaching down, she gently stroked the soft tuft of hair on the top of her head and felt her eyes glisten with wonder.
“What are you doing?”
Gemma jerked away from the crib and glanced up to see Lena standing in the door, her body backlit with the light from the hall. Her silhouetted form had a gun aimed at Gemma’s ribcage and a phone pressed against her ear.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” Gemma raised her hands in surrender.
“Police,” Lena’s voice shook into the phone, “there’s an intruder in my house. Seven Butler Avenue. Please hurry, she’s trying to steal my baby.”
Gemma waited patiently while her mother gave the rest of the details. Her hands remained in the air while her eyes soaked in every facet of her mother’s shadowed form.
“Please,” Gemma kept her voice even, “you have to take Lucia and get out of here.”
“How do you know her name?” Lena stepped further into the room, cocking the gun with a frightening click.
“There are people coming to steal her. Have you heard of the astrum arca archa?”
Lena’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
“These people have it and they’re going to find the keys and open it. They need the blood of a strong pure one.” Gemma pointed to the baby who was starting to stir and wrestle against her blankets. “She’s the last one left, Lena. They’re going to raise her as their own and use her. You have to get out of here now.”
“How do you…?”
A rustling outside the bedroom window had them both freezing still.
“Take the baby,” Gemma ordered. “Trust me, you need to run.”
The window slid open and Gemma watched with a pounding heart as Alistair’s foot touched the carpet.
“RUN!”
Lena grabbed the baby in one swift movement and leapt for the door. Alistair yelled out a curse, ordering his wife to give chase. Gemma was too stunned by the appearance of her parents looking so young, vibrant and calculated in their movements that she couldn’t initially move. Reflexes soon kicked in as he stepped towards her with a punch at the ready. She fought him off as best she could, but he was ruthless in his attack. She managed a couple of kicks, but a solid punch to her jaw had her dazed long enough for him to get out of the room.
Coming to, she forced her limbs to action as the squeal of a baby came racing up the stairs.
“Lucia!” Lena screamed.
Careening out of the room, Gemma took the stairs two at a time as she descended into mayhem. Lena was battling off a feisty Penelope; her face was bloodied and swelling, but not enough to slow her down. Gemma winced as Lena landed a solid right hook in Penelope’s face, making the woman fall to the floor.
Gemma’s blood ran cold as she watched Penelope’s perfectly manicured fingers curl around the butt of Lena’s discarded gun.
“No!” The word bolted from her mouth as she dove across the room. Capturing Penelope’s arms, she managed to divert the shot aimed at Lena. The couch cushion swallowed the bullet and two more as the women tussled for control of the weapon. A shot exploded near Gemma’s ear.
“Ahh!”
In spite of the ringing in her head, she held tight to the metal. With a forceful kick, she finally had the gun to herself. Cocking the pistol she pointed it at the woman she used to call mother and froze. Her finger lightly caressed the trigger and her hands began to shake.
I can’t do it.
Penelope studied her in stunned silence waiting for the death warrant that would not be issued. The cold metal instantly felt contaminated and Gemma slid it under the couch with a shake of her head.
A piercing scream from the baby stole her concentration and she turned to see the small form being roughly snatched from Lena’s arms.
“No! Lucia!” Lena’s desperate attempt to stop the man were hindered as Penelope rose from the floor and grabbed a fistful of Lena’s hair. Flinging her back towards the stairs, Gemma watched in horror as her body smacked against the wood then went limp.
The baby’s screams intensified as Alistair ran for the door. Scrambling from the floor, Gemma jumped in his way, punching him with as much force as she could muster. His grip on the baby faltered. Gemma caught the infant just before she hit the floor and held her securely as she listened to Gabe's words scream through her head.
“If things go wrong, you just get the baby out of there.”
Hating the idea of leaving Lena, but knowing her father was right, she turned for the door and was halted by a burning pain searing her flesh. Her body jerked twice as the bullets dove into her chest and belly.
Forcing her arms to remain tight around the baby, she turned her body to land on her back, glimpsing the image of Alistair holding a smoking gun. He came towards her with slow menacing steps. Lena screamed her baby’s name once more. Her voice sounded hoarse.
Gemma fought the blackness growing at the corner of her mind and gripped the wailing child. This was the end. Her sacrifice would be in vain. The despair was piercing and more painful than the bullet wounds.
It was then the front door flew open and Alistair’s body jolted three times before slumping to the ground. Gemma’s eyes rounded with horror as Penelope rose with a scream and raised the gun Gemma had slid beneath the couch. Her delicate body flew back with force before she could even pull the trigger. Gemma glanced up at the officer who held his weapon with a steady hand. His eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and reticent acceptance. Holstering his weapon, he gazed down at Gemma and quickly spoke into his radio, requesting an ambulance.
Lena let out a loud sob and scrambled on her hands and knees to Gemma’s side. Taking her baby, she cradled it against her while lifting Gemma’s wilting head onto her knee.
“The box…” The words came out in pithy breaths.
“Shh, don’t talk, the ambulance is coming.” Lena stroked her hair.
“There might be others… you have to destroy it… you have to…” Gemma felt the murky blackness clouding her vision. Closing her eyes and swallowing against the pain, she forced out her last request. “Dom and Ruby Hart… find them…”
“Dom and Ruby? Who are they?” Lena’s soft voice was growing frantic as she too felt the inevitable. “Wait.” She shook Gemma’s shoulder. “Don’t go yet. Please…”
Her mother’s voice faded with the rest of the scenery as Gemma’s body evaporated.
* * * *
Anastasia National Park, Florida – 2011AD
The sand was cool against Gemma’s skin. Opening her eyes, she took in the majesty of the sunrise as it lit the sky with vibrant color. She could feel the life draining from her as she watched a squadron of pelicans race above the edge of the ocean. Her mind wandered back to the previous night and a soft smile lit her lips.
“Harrison,” she whispered. He wasn’t there waiting for her. That was the plan. She wondered where he was right now and if he was happy. Taking in a final breath she captured her favorite ima
ge of him then let go. Her body filled with a warm peace then swirled into a flurry of gold dust.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Burlington, Vermont – 2011AD
Her eyes popped open and her body jerked north with fright. Running her hands over her chest and stomach, she felt for wounds that weren’t there. Her breath spurted out with relief as her body flopped back onto the mattress.
“Lucia! Time to get up, sweetie!” The voice that called her was familiar, yet it also felt like the first time she’d heard it. “Gabe would you put Mya down and go wake Quinn. Everyone will be late for school at this rate.”
The high pitched giggling that filled the hallway came to a sudden halt and was replaced with the mumbling protests of an adolescent male.
“Alright, Dad! I’m up!”
“Lucia! Breakfast is ready!”
Throwing back the covers, she scrambled into the pair of jeans and the sweater on the floor beside her bed. She ran her fingers quickly through her shoulder length locks and exited what looked to be a very chaotic and inviting room.
Stepping into the kitchen she took in the mayhem with a smile. Two boys were tussling over the Captain Crunch, while an angelic looking six-year-old sat with her legs dangling over the counter, happily humming as she smothered peanut butter over a piece of toast.
“Marcus and Troy, stop that!” Lena suddenly stepped into view and grabbed the box from their grasp, ignoring their protests as she poured the cereal for them.
Lucia stood in the doorway, absorbing it all like a mute dummy. It wasn’t until her shoulder was knocked from behind that she was forced further into the room.
“Quinn, stop pushing your sister around.” Two strong arms wrapped around her and a warm kiss was placed on top of her head. “Good morning, sweetness.”
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