“I’m not a dude, young lady. And telling me not to worry is like telling the ocean not to wave.”
“Whatever. Look, here’s Nichelle and her crew pulling in. And Mrs. Mac is heading over now, too.”
A van had indeed parked in the driveway that belonged to Lucas, and I smiled a little as my friend climbed out of the driver’s seat. She opened the back door and lifted a small, sturdy boy from his car seat, pausing to close the door before she carried him across the grass to where we waited.
“God almighty, this kid is getting heavy.” Nichelle puffed a little as she approached us. “Here, baby. Go see Aunt Jackie and slobber on her a little.”
I held my little namesake close to me, sniffing in his sweet baby scent. “Don’t listen to your mother, baby boy. You are not at all heavy. You’re just the right size. And you can drool on me any day. Auntie Jacks loves you. Auntie Jacks loves you sooooo much.” I felt the tears form at the back of my eyes. “You’ll talk about me to him, right? And you’ll show him my picture so he doesn’t forget me? Kids forget at this age, and what if I come back and he doesn’t know me?”
“Relax, girlfriend.” Nichelle patted my arm. “I promise, I won’t let him forget.” She held my gaze, her eyes steady on mine. Of all of our friends here, Nichelle understood more than anyone else about why we were really leaving and what we were going to face. I’d never gotten into details with her, but she was the woman who delivered my boyfriend’s weekly bags of blood; she knew there was something different about Lucas. A little while back, I’d had enough of an honest conversation with her about being prepared, and I felt confident that she was.
“Good heavens, Jackie, you act like you’re going to fall off the edge of the earth.” Mrs. Mac rolled her eyes and patted her hair, which had recently been transformed from its natural gray to a bright and vibrant fuchsia. It hurt my eyes to look at her too long. “I know you haven’t traveled much since you came down here before Maureen passed—God rest her soul.” She crossed herself at the mention of my late grandmother, who’d been her best friend. Nichelle and I automatically followed suit. “But you should be glad you can go now, before you get too old and infirm to get around.”
“Gee, thanks, Mrs. Mac.” She was always good for my ego and self-confidence. “I’ll keep that in mind. And here was I about to say I was going to miss you most of all.”
“Of course, you will.” She smiled serenely. “But don’t you worry, honey. Everything is going to be fine here, and you’ll be back before you know it. And just think of the stories I’ll have to tell you!”
“That makes it all worthwhile.” I leaned over and wrapped the diminutive woman in a tight hug. “I love you, Mrs. Mac. Please be careful and listen to Nichelle. And Charlie.” I dabbed at my eyes. “Take care of each other, all right? Promise me?”
Charlie lifted both of her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, I’ll do what I can, but I’m not promising to keep this one in line.” She pointed to Mrs. Mac. “She’s too much woman for me to handle.”
“You better believe it, honey!” My neighbor beamed. “Now Lucas, you and Jackie hurry and kiss me, sweetie. I have another engagement to do this afternoon, and my ride is going to be here any minute.”
Without further ado, she kissed my cheek, patted my boyfriend on his ass and hurried back to her house. Lucas took advantage of her departure to hug both Nichelle and Charlie and climb behind the wheel of his car. I lingered, wracking my brain for any last-minute instructions or advice to share.
“Jackie, come on. We need to go.” Lucas leaned out his window.
“All right, all right. Geez.” I pressed one more kiss to the toddler’s chubby cheek and squeezed Nichelle’s hand. “I love you guys. Please take care.” Stepping back, I included Charlie in my words. “I love you all. Please remember that. Be smart and be careful.”
To my astonishment, the younger woman fisted her hand and pushed it against her mouth. “I love you, too, Jackie.” Her slim shoulders trembled with what looked like a sob. “God, look what you made me do now. Just go, won’t you?” She turned and fled into my house, leaving us staring after her.
“Don’t worry. I got this.” Nichelle patted my arm. “I’ll take Jack inside, and he’ll have her laughing again in five minutes. You two—go save the world for the rest of us, okay? And listen, don’t get dead, or I’m going to be pissed.”
I slid into my seat and fastened the seatbelt. Lucas heaved a sigh.
“And we’re off.”
“Who else is going to be at Harper Creek when we get there?”
I glanced at the strong profile of my handsome boyfriend as he sped along the backroads. “I know the usual suspects—Cathryn, Zoe, Rafe and Nell—but remind me about the new recruits.” Lucas kept me up to date on the plans for what I’d privately termed Cathryn and friends save the world, but in the busyness of getting things lined up for my absence, some of it had gone in one ear and out the other.
“Um, well, there’s Veronica, of course.” He spoke her name with the same reservation he always did. While I was actually fascinated by the centuries-old great-grandmother of our boss, Cathryn, Lucas hadn’t yet made up his mind about her. I guessed it had something to do with the fact that she had turned him into what he was now: a half-vampire. She wasn’t responsible for the death broker part of his current state of being—that apparently was Fated, according to both Cathryn and Veronica—but knowing what he was destined to be, she’d given him the additional power that came with his vampirehood.
“Right.” I nodded.
“Julia didn’t make it down yet, but Cathryn says she’ll meet us at the safe house.”
“Oh, I like her. I’m glad she’s team White Hat.” Julia was a necroloquitar, which was a fancy way of saying that she talked to dead people. Lucas and Cathryn had met her in Cape May a few years back, at the same time they’d met each other . . . and had their little fling. That had happened before I even knew Lucas and before he’d been changed, so I didn’t hold it against him . . . but it didn’t give me warm fuzzy feelings toward Cathryn, either.
“The three Irish brothers Cathryn recruited are either at the headquarters or will be shortly.” Lucas smirked. “Cathryn didn’t say this, of course, but Rafe texted me that the middle one, the time traveler, has the hots for Cathryn.”
“Oooooh.” Now this was good news. “And is the feeling mutual?”
“Apparently so, since what Rafe texted me was that he was pretty sure that, uh, ‘boss lady is screwing the Irish time traveler.’”
“Wow. Good for Cathryn.” I meant that. Of course, good for me, too, because if she’d found love elsewhere, I didn’t have to worry so much about her continuing to pine after my boyfriend. “What are their names? The brothers, I mean.”
“The oldest is Daeglan, and he can go invisible. Then there’s Seamus, Cathryn’s boy toy, and the youngest is Cillian, who is a medical manipulator. He’ll be a good resource to have on our side.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I didn’t want to think about the circumstances that would make his services necessary.
“And then there are the special surprise guests.” Lucas slid me a sideways glance. “Tasmyn and Michel Sawyer are coming up from King, and apparently, Marica Lacusta, the witch from Romania who led both Tasmyn and Nell down a dark path—and then tried to kill Tasmyn—is joining the fight on our side, too.”
“Wait—the crazy lady? Nell told us about her, remember? What the hell is Cathryn thinking of?”
“According to Rafe, who was none too pleased about it either, she’s thinking that we need the firepower the witch brings. But we’ll all have to be vigilant around her.”
“Duly noted. Is that it? Are we missing anyone?” I tried to remember who Cathryn had mentioned the last time we’d spoken.
“Well, Daeglan O’Casey managed to recruit the fox for our side. She’s coming in with him later today, I heard.”
“The fox?” I frowned.
“Yep. She’s a kits
une, a Japanese fox spirit. Or she’s possessed by one . . . I’m not entirely sure how that works, to be honest. She can shift into the forms of other people, and she’s got a few other tricks up her sleeve.”
“Lovely.” Just when I thought I’d gotten used to all the various types of supernatural gifts, I learned that even more paranormal creatures existed. Sometimes it stretched the boundaries of my imagination. Or the limit of my belief.
Lucas reached across the console to take my hand in his. “Don’t worry, Jacks. It’s going to be okay.”
“Hmmm.” I wasn’t sure I bought that. “Do you ever stop and think about how bizarre our life is? Or do you ever wonder if maybe you fell and hit your head at some point, and maybe you’re really still a professor back in New Jersey, and all of this is part of your brain-damaged hallucination?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Honestly, I used to think that. When I’d first moved to Florida, sometimes I’d pinch myself black and blue, trying to wake up from what felt like a nightmare. But then I met you, and I started to get used to the idea of what I am now.” His fingers tightened around mine. “If this is a dream, I’d rather not wake up and find out you’re not real. I can get through the rest of the crazy crap, but I couldn’t lose you.”
“Aww . . .” I sniffled again, fumbling with a tissue. “That’s so sweet. I feel the same way.”
“It’s true. But more to your point, sometimes I wonder whether what Cathryn and Veronica say about all of this being fated is true. Was I born just to be a death broker? Am I destined to play some crucial role in this battle? Or was it all just luck that things happened this way?”
“Is it easier to believe fate had a hand?” I rolled my shoulders, which were getting stiff from riding in the car so long.
“I guess it is. Otherwise, I have to be the one who takes responsibility for all the crazy stuff that happens to us.” He was quiet for a minute. “Do you ever wish fate or destiny or whatever hadn’t sent me to live next door to you? You might be living a nice quiet life still, going to bingo with Mrs. Mac and writing your cookbook review column.”
“That sounds horribly boring.” I beamed a smile at him. “Nope. I’m happy with the bizarre twists my life has taken. We may have unusual friends, and we might be on our way to fight against a tremendous evil at risk of our lives . . . but I wouldn’t want to be doing it with anyone else but you.”
“Right back at ya, babe.” He winked as the car slowed. “And here we are. Ready to roll?”
Taking a deep and cleansing breath, I kissed his fingers where they clutched my hand. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Tasmyn
“Are we crazy?”
From his place on the wide leather seat next to me, my husband rolled his head to look my way. “Define crazy.”
“We’re driving straight back into the belly of the beast.” I kept my voice low because Marly, Michael’s mother, was dozing on her comfy bench across from us. The three of us had pulled an all-nighter to wrap things up at the nursery in a hurry before we left for an indeterminate time. Of course, Marly had also had the additional stress of saying good-bye to her husband and daughter, who would be covering everything at Sawood while the three of us were off fighting the good fight.
“We talked about this. Over and over, from the first time Cathryn came down to recruit you. We went back and forth for weeks . . . months. And we decided that we had to do it.” Michael shrugged. “Having second thoughts now, while we’re rolling along the highway in Carruthers’ fancy limo, probably isn’t a good idea.”
I knew he was right. The very first time Cathryn had appeared on our front porch, asking if we could all talk, I’d been wary. And when she’d explained in her measured and logical way why Carruthers needed my help, my gut response had been to say no.
Being Cathryn Whitmore, of course, she’d merely smiled, nodded, and informed us that she’d give us a little time to discuss everything before we made a final decision. I’d wanted to tell her exactly where she could shove that time, but Michael had intervened, telling her that we’d be in touch.
“I made a decision in my freshman year of college not to continue working with Carruthers. It’s not something I’ve ever regretted.” I fiddled with a thread on the knee of my jeans.
“But you didn’t actually cut all ties with them. You’ve done some work here and there over the years.” Michael reached across to capture my fingers. “It was all good stuff. You’ve helped people, just like you always hoped you could.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But this isn’t the same thing. Cathryn doesn’t want me to use my passive gifts to help her save the world. She wants the big guns. The power. The fireworks.” My stomach turned over at the thought of it.
“You’ve been practicing, and you’ve been working with Aline on refining that power. You’re not going into this unprepared, Tas. You have an extraordinary ability to contribute to this cause.”
I squirmed a little in the seat. “I just wish . . . I wish that we’d had a reason to tell Cathryn no in the end.”
Michael let out a long breath and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand. “I know, babe. I understand that you wanted a good excuse to bow out of this. But we agreed that if you weren’t pregnant when we got the final call, we’d go with them.”
My free hand crept down over my middle, where my stomach was flat. “It’s crazy. I know it is. Here we have insider information that the world is teetering on the brink of destruction, and I’m depressed because I’m not about to bring another soul into it. Doesn’t make any sense, does it?”
“Sure, it does. I think you show amazing optimism.” His crooked smile never failed to make my heart beat a little faster. “But try not to get upset. We’ve only been trying for a few months, and the stress of knowing what we do hasn’t helped, I’m sure.” Tugging me closer, he wrapped one arm around my shoulder, snugging me tight against the side of his body. “We’ll go help the good guys keep the world from going down the drain, and then we’ll come back home and make babies. Okay?”
“Is that a promise?” I smiled, nuzzling against his neck.
“Absolutely.” Michael played with a strand of my hair. “So, tell me. Who are you most worried about seeing once we get to Harper Creek? Nell or Rafe?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Actually, neither. Believe it or not, I’m kind of excited to see Nell—awake, that is. Last time we were in the same room, she was in a coma.”
“Uh huh. What about Rafe?” There wasn’t even a hint of jealousy or bitterness in Michael’s voice. We’d long ago worked through our issues surrounding what I’d called the dark ages, those months during my senior year of high school when I’d pushed Michael away and used Rafe Brooks both as a distraction from my pain and a cover for my increasing involvement with Marica Lacusta.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him, too. He was my friend before he was anything else, and now that he’s with Nell, I hope we can get back to that.” Staring out the window at the scenery rushing by, I added, “Caroline Brooks says he’s very happy and settled. I’m happy for both Nell and Rafe, even though never in a million years would I have expected them to end up together.”
“I’d have to agree with you there.” He was quiet for a few minutes, and I began to relax against him, feeling the adrenaline that had kept me awake and alert begin to fade away. “What about Marica?”
My body tensed. Cathryn had been up front with us about her plans to travel to Romania and recruit my former science teacher and mentor . . . and incidentally, the woman who’d tried to kill me when I’d attempted to end our association. Ms. Lacusta had been spirited away to her homeland, where her family had promised to ensure that she would never be a threat to anyone again. The prospect of seeing her, let alone working with her, gave me a serious case of dread.
“I have to believe that if Cathryn thinks she’s necessary to this fight, she must be. I don’t like it, and I don’t really trust either Cathryn or Marica. But I’m not a sevent
een-year-old kid anymore. I know what I can do, and I have no doubt that I can match the witch when it comes to power.”
Michael whistled softly under his breath. “Wow. Okay, that’s my girl. Guess I’ll just sit back and wait for the fireworks to begin.”
I grinned and patted his leg. “I’m so glad you and Marly are here with me. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.”
“There was no way I was staying behind, and you know Mom. Once she understood what was happening, she wouldn’t let us go alone. I’m still kind of shocked Cathryn agreed to let her join us.”
“Marly might not have extraordinary powers, technically, but she can be very persuasive. Plus, Cathryn told me she thought it would be a good idea for me to have as much support as possible, all things considered.”
As though she’d sensed us talking about her, Marly stirred on her seat. “Did I nod off? I’m sorry. I’m just exhausted.”
“Sleep while you can, Mom.” Michael tried to keep his tone light, but we all realized what he meant: we had no idea what we’d be facing in the next days. While the entire world was about to be threatened by the Hive’s plans, we’d be the ones on the front lines of the battle.
“Are we nearly there?” She squinted out the window. “It’s been a long time since I was up to Harper Creek.” She smiled at me. “Seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” I agreed. Michael’s parents had joined us during the visit way back when Cathryn had initially recruited me as an agent, when I was a freshman at Perriman College. I’d completed a few missions before I’d gone undercover on a case that was deeper and more involved than anyone had guessed. That tragic operation had been Carruthers’ first experience with the Hive. We’d all been shocked at the pure evil coming up against us; little did we realize that what we saw then was only the very tiniest tip of a large and deadly iceberg.
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