Chrystal Bones (Finding Home Book 1)

by Billie Jo Hanlin

  Blue remembered the last real words he had said to her before she had gotten shot.

  “None of us will ever make the mistake of thinking you need us.”

  The words burned in her mind. She couldn’t let him think that. She did need him. She needed him with every part of her being and she needed to make sure he knew that.

  She turned to the woman who stood quietly next to her. “I have to go back. I have to let them know about the bones. I have people who I need to see and a man I love waiting for me.”

  The woman slowly nodded her head and said, “I did not think you would choose to stay. We are all tied to our destinies and this is yours. Remember we will be waiting for you. We are always here and you can come fly with us anytime you want.” She laughed and it was a wonderful sound full of joy. “You are not what they are expecting. Be true to yourself and you will be who and what you were meant to be.” She started to float up towards the other ghostly women waiting for her to join them.

  “Wait,” Blue called out. The woman paused.

  “What is your name and why do they not know much about you and the other Chrystal Women? Why the secrecy?”

  “In my time of flesh we were not that advanced, no written records were kept. After that,” she shrugged and smiled. “You know how we women are. We like to appear mysterious. That is one thing that will never change,” and then she was gone.

  Blue floated across the boneyard thinking about moving the dead chrystals to the sacred cave when it hit her. She had forgotten to ask where the cave was. She started to laugh. She laughed until the laughter turned to tears for the second time in her memory.

  She sank down among the chrystal and let her essence spread across them. They didn’t have anything to tell her and it wasn’t long before she gathered herself together and flew around the planet, looking for the sacred chrystal cave.

  She closed her eyes and let all of her senses go still. She felt the slight pull and allowed her body to flow towards the direction it wanted to go. She opened her eyes and watched the scenery fly by. She flew over valleys and rivers. Mountains and lakes.

  It was beautiful, this planet of hers. With all the colorful trees and grasses it looked like something out of a child’s fairytale. She stopped at the edge of the ocean. The water was not the blue of the oceans she was familiar with on Earth. This water was a bright orange and the sand was grass green.

  She had a flash of memory of playing on this beach or one like it as a child. Apparently she had always loved the water. It was no wonder she had made her home on the coast of Oregon. She would have ended up there even if the janitor hadn’t told her to go west to find the Merrots.

  She stared out at the small Island and knew that was where she was supposed to take the dead chrystals. She knew there would be a cave leading deep into the planet to its core. She flew towards the island and down into the tunnel deep in the earth. It was a good thing she wasn’t claustrophobic.

  The tunnel went on for miles before it opened up into a chrystal cavern that was huge. Easily spanning a mile in length and width. The chrystals grew out of the floor and the ceiling in abundance. An ice blue tree as big as a redwood made entirely out of chrystal grew in the center of the cavern. Its limbs reached high into the ground above. It looked like the tree was holding the earth up. She could believe that it was the tree of life.

  Smaller caves were dotted here and there. Each waiting to be filled with the dead and dying bones of Shillidon. Blue, green, red, orange, pink and purple, all of the colors were here. The cavern pulsed with life. This was the true heart of the planet and Blue could literally hear the heartbeat of Shillidon. It pounded through her with a primal cry of joy at having its chosen daughter home.

  Blue had no idea how long she stayed before turning and heading back to her body. It could have been hours or days but it was time to rejoin the living. It was time to go home.

  Chrystal Bones Billie Jo Hanlin

  Chapter 36

  Blue hovered over the clearing watching the people who had gathered to wait for her. Jayden was leaning against the tower with Leo beside him. They both looked so sad. Jayden had lost weight and once again so had Leo. Poor Leo. This trip had been so stressful on him. She was a lucky woman to have two such devoted companions.

  One a tiger who had patiently listened to her over the years and been at her side constantly and one who had come to mean so much to her in a short amount of time.

  Her lover. The man she would spend the rest of her life with. She was his and he was hers. It was just that simple.

  She saw her mother and father, Idris and Sparks. Jos and Vihan, they were all here. Her family. She could scarcely believe that she had a family. She never thought to even wish for one. Three months ago she had Riley and Leo. That was it. Now she had all of these people waiting for her and from the looks of it they may have been waiting for a bit longer than she thought. It was time to join them and put a stop to the waiting.

  She swooped down to fly among them, unseen for just a little longer. Leo’s head whipped up and around to look right at her. He let out a loud roar and leapt to his feet. Leo always knew when she was back. She didn’t know how but he was able to sense her.

  Jayden slowly got to his feet. His expression was enough to show her that he was hers in the same way she was his. This strong stoic man was making no effort to hide his feelings of hope that blossomed on his face.

  Everyone in the clearing stopped and turned to stare at them when they heard Leo’s roar. Idris hurried over to them, “Is she here?” he asked, anxiously looking around.

  “What is going on?” the King demanded following his son.

  “Blue is here. Leo always knows when she comes back from her little trips.”

  Janteel gripped his arm tight, “She is here. Oh Daret, our daughter is here.”

  Idris had told them both of Blue’s ability to travel without her body. They had trouble believing him at first. It was not that they thought their son was lying but they had never heard of anyone from Shillidon being able to do that. Dro had confirmed that it was not only possible but that Blue did it in a way he was not familiar with.

  They also knew that Jayden was deeply in love with their daughter and the hope on his face was enough to break their hearts. Enough time had passed for them to get used to the idea that their little girl was all grown up with a life, and a lover. They had been so afraid that they had gotten her back only to lose her again.

  Blue flew around Jayden and Leo. She was so happy to see them. She would worry about her parents and everything else when she woke up. She swirled around them, wrapping them in her love.

  Leo leaped into the air, batting at her playfully. She flew through the clearing with Leo running beside her. She touched them all, Sparks, Jos, Vihan, Dro and Idris, able to in this form give all of them a hug in a way she would not feel comfortable with when she was back in her body.

  Somehow they all felt her and it wasn’t long before the clearing was filled with laughter. She stopped in front of her parents and studied them. They were a good looking couple. She figured it was going to take her a long time to get used to the fact that everyone she had met since leaving Earth was a lot older than they looked. For heaven’s sake they looked no older than she did and they were her parents.

  She then went to Jayden. She studied his face. There were new lines of worry on it. She cupped his strong jaw in her hands. He closed his eyes as if he felt her touch. He gave a ragged sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes he said in a rough hoarse voice, “Blue get back in your body and get down here now.”

  She giggled. She actually giggled. He was the only person in the universe who could make her giggle. He sounded so stern giving orders to her like he really expected her to obey him. She had warned him more than once that she didn’t follow anyone’s orders. This one time she decided to humor him and do as he demanded. She gave him a soft kiss then went to do what he wanted.

  She flew up to the chrystal holdi
ng her body. What if she couldn’t get out? What if her body was trapped in the chrystal forever? What if…Knock it off, she told herself. You have to do this. If she was trapped then she would just have to deal with it. Besides she was not going to let some chrystal coffin get the better of her. She was The Chrystal Woman and according to the others she was the strongest one ever born. She could do this. She had to do this.

  She took one last look around at her friends and family. Her eyes lingering on Jayden and Leo. She had to do this for them. She took a deep breath and entered the chrystal chrysalis. It was harder than ever to force her essence back into her body. It was almost as if she didn’t fit it anymore. Which was ridiculous since it was her body and she doubted it had shrunk any.

  She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Well she was here. Now what? The chrystal started to spin. Faster and faster it went. She heard thunder and the crash of lightning. Her body started to glow brightly. It lit up the chrystal surrounding her.

  There were no more questions, she knew what to do and how to do it. She was the butterfly about to emerge from her chrysalis. She had been changed but she was still herself. It was time to do what she had been born to do.

  Jayden watched the chrystal spin with dizzying speed. When the thunder and lightning started he did not even blink. His heart was in his throat and he could not swallow past the lump. Finally something was happening. He knew he had felt her lips on his. She was here and she was coming back to him. That was all he cared about right now. He was definitely going to have to give some serious thought to giving her that spanking he kept threatening her with.

  The chrystal spun so fast it broke the strings of lightning holding it in place. It hovered spinning in mid air by itself before slowly lowering to rest on the ground in front of them. Lightning once again came from the sky to strike at it. There was a loud boom and the watchers saw the chrystal crack.

  Another bolt of lightning, another crack. The lightning hit three more times before stopping. The planet held its breath along with all of those watching. This incredible event was being broadcast to the whole planet via the news feeds set up. Catching everything on camera for prosperity.

  Blue knew it was time. The chrystal was cracking from the lightning she had called down to her. That had been so cool when the knowing had come to her. She gathered her strength and pushed out with both hands, opening what she thought of as her coffin.

  Blue stepped out into a single ray of sunlight piercing down through a sky prematurely dark with storm clouds. As soon as she stepped out of the chrystal it crumpled into tiny shards around her. The skies cleared and the wind died down to a gentle pleasant breeze.

  Leo raced to her side and with a little more force than usual he tackled her to the ground. He lavished love on her. Rubbing his big head into her chest. She felt his fur brush against her bare skin and looked down to see her shirt was ripped open and covered with blood.

  What the heck had happened? Oh yeah… She had gotten shot. Several times. She vaguely remembered Jayden ripping open the shirt to see her wounds.

  There were no signs of her having been injured. She wasn’t sore at all. Well crap. That meant that she had to have been out for at least a few days. No wonder Leo was so happy to see her. She looked up from hugging Leo to see Jayden towering over them wearing a fierce frown. She smiled at him and said, “Hi, I am back.”

  Jayden looked down at Blue tussling with Leo. She acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He had the conflicting urges to both throttle her and hug her to him and never let her out of his arms again. He sank to the ground beside her. His knees simply giving out in his relief at seeing her alive and talking.

  Blue, feeling shy, looked into his eyes then ducked her head to concentrate on Leo. She pet his soft head as he laid it in her lap. She told Jayden softly, “I didn’t mean to make you think I don’t need you. I do. It is just that this is all new to me. I don’t have a clue what I am doing.”

  Jayden reached out with one finger and nudged her chin up so he could look into her beautiful brilliant eyes. He too remembered the last real words he had spoken to her and he had spent many days regretting saying them.

  “I know you need me,” he told her. “You need me to keep you out of the trouble that always seems to find you.”

  Blue felt the smile stretch her face as she reached up to cup his face in her hands. “Are you sure you want to take that on? It could turn into a full time job the way things are going.”

  Jayden returned her smile, “I would not have it any other way princess.”

  “Stop calling me that,” she said without any heat in her voice.

  “Never. You will always be my princess.”

  She gave an unprincess like snort, “Does that mean you will always be my prince.”

  He reached up and cupped his hands over hers drawing them down to place a tender kiss on each palm. “I will be anything you want me to be,” he told her.

  “I just want you to be mine,” she whispered her deepest desire.

  “I am yours. Only yours. Forever yours,” he vowed. “And you are mine. My princess. My beloved. My everything.” He finished reverently, drawing her into his lap and wrapping her tight in his arms. The relief washed through him in waves. She was here and for now she was safe in his arms.

  Blue twined her arms around his neck and lifted her lips to meet his in a kiss to seal the promises made to each other. The kiss was sensual and seared deep into their souls, tying them together forever. This was the home she hadn’t known she was looking for. Home was right here in Jayden’s arms.

  Leo’s deep growl interrupted the entwined couple. Blue reluctantly broke the kiss and laid her head on Jayden’s shoulder.

  “They are all watching, aren’t they?” she asked.

  Jayden glanced up. Sure enough, every eye was on them. Leo stood guard keeping them all well back from them. He could see the impatience in Idris and his parents. They too needed to see Blue alive and well.

  “Time to face the parents, princess,” he told her. He felt her shake her head.

  “Can you make them go away. I am covered in blood and practically naked. Thanks to you ripping my shirt. I haven’t had a shower in what? A week? So I have to stink. This is no time to be doing this,” she stated firmly. “Tell them to come back tomorrow.”

  Jayden’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

  He had forgotten all about the news cameras recording every moment of their reunion and broadcasting it across the planet. There were a lot more people gathered now than just the parents and the guys. He took her hands in his and holding on to them firmly, he told her the bad news.

  Blue was shocked. Three months. She had been out of it for three months. Then the rest of what Jayden was saying penetrated. News casts, recordings. The whole damn planet was watching her sitting in Jayden’s lap making out with him. Oh no… This wasn’t embarrassing at all.

  She dropped her head back on to his shaking shoulder and indulged in a little self pity. She had been so caught up in Jayden that she hadn’t felt the hundreds of people gathering around them. She felt them now. Boy did she feel them.

  It was a party atmosphere and here she was without a ball gown. If it wasn’t happening to her she might actually find this amusing. Things could only go up from here, she hoped.

  She stood up with her back to the crowd and looked down at herself. Yep. It was as bad as she thought. Dried blood covered the front of her and crusted her jeans. Her t-shirt was ripped down the middle showing her boobs to the world. She tied the ends of the torn shirt together tightly. At least she wouldn’t flash anyone when she found the courage to turn around and face the crowd.

  “You look beautiful,” Jayden told her.

  Blue gave him a nasty look, “You aren’t supposed to lie to me.”

  “I am not lying. You are beautiful, but I will admit you have looked better.”

  She snorted again, cocked her head to side and looked up into his
eyes, “We are going to fight a lot you know.”

  “Oh Yes. I know we will. I would still rather fight with you than be with anyone else. Besides think of all the make up sex we will have,” he grinned wickedly.

  With a smile on her lips and her hand in Jayden’s she turned to face her parents and the crowd of people who had come to welcome her home. Shillidon wasn’t her home. Her home was in Jayden’s arms. But these were her people. She faced them with her head held high. Grace in every line of her body. Jayden on one side and Leo on the other. Together with them at her side she could face anything.

  The beginning…………….

  Read Riley and Cole’s story in Riley’s Run coming soon.

  Riley is running for her life through the mountains of Colorado. The men chasing her wanted what she had taken from them and would stop at nothing to get it back.

  With a bullet in her side and a scared little girl on her back, she has to outrun them all. Her best friend and partner gone she has no one to rely on but herself. She is a loner with a smart mouth and no respect for authority of any kind. Growing up on the streets of Seattle had taught her at an early age not to trust anyone.

  Cole is a lawyer turned business man. Head of a large conglomerate he expects his women to cater to his every need. Betrayed as a young man by the woman he loved, he vowed to never give his heart again. The women who chose to warm his bed knew not to expect anything but expensive trinkets from him. Until he met a tiny redhead who tied his emotions in knots. She showed him a whole new side to the world then disappeared only to return months later bleeding and battered.

  Life is about to get interesting as these two strong willed people clash. Will Riley stop running long enough to find a home in Cole’s arms? Will Cole let go of the past and allow love to fill his heart once again?