by Bette Maybee
Lucy could see the relief sweep across Julie’s face. Her secret was still safe, or more precisely, both their secrets were still safe. This news about her grandmother had thrown her for a loop and almost unraveled the web she had already set. But, everyone knew a spider was a resilient, stubborn creature. Its web might get ripped apart one day, but by the next morning, a new, stronger one would have already taken its place. At any rate, she’d have to be more careful in the future. The human side of her seemed determined to rear its head where and when it pleased. Looked like she’d have to learn how to control it a bit better. If that were even possible.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“You’re too late.” Simon seemed to shrink into himself. “Liana died ten minutes ago.”
This huge, rugged, seemingly invincible man looked like a ghost of himself standing outside the curtain of the ER cubicle that held the body of his precious wife. Julie watched as Eli reached out and drew Simon into his arms. She knew it really was too late. Even if Eli had gotten here sooner, he wouldn’t have been able to do a thing to help her, unless the ER staff cracked her ribs and opened her up, giving him complete access to her heart.
“This is my fault.” A small voice croaked from behind Julie. She turned to see Lucy, forehead against the wall for support, hands covering her face. She placed her hand on Lucy’s back, but Lucy shrugged her away.
“This is no one’s fault.” Simon separated from Eli and approached his granddaughter.
Lucy pushed away from the wall, sniffled, and ran the back of her hand across her tear-stained face. “I upset her last night. She said she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Liana hasn’t felt well for the last few months,” Simon revealed in a whisper. “It was just her time.”
Eli turned to Simon. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t she tell me?”
Simon shook his head and smiled sadly. “She wanted it that way. Didn’t want you to worry. Oh, she was concerned about it just being the two of us once she was gone, but now, well, now she knows you won’t be alone.”
Simon’s eyes moved over to his granddaughter. He’s talking about her. As if on cue, Lucy slid her arm through Eli’s and rested her head on his shoulder. Julie’s heart fell into her stomach. She would bow out of this gracefully. With the Nephilim on her trail, Eli was safe, and that’s all she really cared about. Besides, the leukemia would probably end up taking her out in the end, even if she was doing great now. Yes, this was best.
“I’ll—I’ll leave you three alone. I’m sure you have plans to make, and I should be getting back to school.” Julie raised her chin and turned to Simon. “I really am sorry about your loss. Liana was an amazing woman.” Doing an about-face, Julie took off down the hall before Simon, or anyone else, could respond. She felt a shock at her elbow just as she hit the revolving door. Looking back as she exited, she saw Eli emerging from the partition behind her, his brow scrunched into a serious scowl. She stopped her escape and stood her ground as he closed in on her, feeling the electricity pulse out of him like a nuclear shock wave. There was no sense in running. She had to face him. She swallowed and willed herself to turn around.
“You should really be in there with Simon and Lucy. They need you.”
Julie watched as the scowl on Eli’s face softened. “And I need you.” He reached out to stroke her face, but she backed away.
“But why? You heard what Simon said. You have Lucy now, and Lucy obviously has you.” She couldn’t help but sound bitter, even though she wanted to sound calm and cool about the whole matter. “I can handle things on my own. The Nephilim will be on my trail, and you’ll be able to be reborn.”
It was as if she’d flipped a switch on Eli’s emotions. His eyebrow suddenly rose along with the corner of his mouth. He was smirking at her!
“Ah.” Eli began to circle her, his arms crossed in self-righteous arrogance. “You’re right, you know. I do have Lucy, or at least, I will have her. And we’re going to be very, very close. I daresay she’s going to know me intimately.”
Julie had had enough. He didn’t need to rub it in her face. She pushed by him, intent on heading for her car, but he grabbed her arm instead. The jolt she felt was just as bad as the night in the pool.
“I just hope she knows what size diapers to buy me.”
Julie jerked her arm away and rubbed the spot he made contact with. It took a moment for what he said to sink in. “Diapers? For you?”
He cocked his head to the side and quirked his eyebrow again. “You’re pretty dense for an AP student, Julie. Think about it. Lucy is the only living blood relative of Laylah.”
Julie’s eyes widened as her brain processed what he had just said. Of course! That was it! Once Eli was reborn, he had to be cared for by a descendent of Laylah, and right now, Lucy was it. Julie looked toward the hospital. Lucy stood by a window watching them.
“Are you telling me that Xena: Warrior Princess is going to be your mother?”
Eli reached out and rubbed the spot where she had been zapped by his out of control electrical burst. She really wanted to feel his lips on her arm, but knew this wasn’t the place.
“Yes. That young woman is going to be my protector, my mother, if you will, until I can take care of myself.”
“Does she know that?
Eli sighed. “She will. In time. She has to discover it on her own, or she won’t believe it. Laylah gave her every tool necessary to come to that conclusion before she died. It’s all right there, in a box in her room. And it can only be revealed to her. Blood to blood. Even I won’t know everything until its revealed to me in the last few moments before my rising.”
Eli had his electrical charge under control now. She was feeling a pleasant buzz in the spot where he was rubbing. She took a step closer, placing her hand on his chest. His heart raced against her palm.
“Why can’t I care for you? Maybe right alongside her? You could have two mothers.”
Eli grasped her palm in his and raised it to his lips, placing a soft kiss in the center of it.
“You were meant to be the love of my life, Julie, not my mother.”
“But you’ll be gone soon.” She cupped his face in her hand.
“Maybe you could find me when I come of age. Seventeen years isn’t too long.”
“It is when you’re human. I’ll be 34 by then. Might even have some wrinkles.” Or be dead. The thought flashed through her mind automatically as it had for the past five years.
Eli traced his finger along her cheek. “You’ll always be beautiful to me.”
Julie glanced over to the window where Lucy had stood. It was empty now.
“You better go. Simon and Lucy need you.”
Eli turned and looked back at the hospital. “You’re right. Thanks for being here. For all of us, I mean. Lucy really needs a friend right now. I’ll call tonight and let you know what’s going on.”
Julie backed away. Maybe she would beat this leukemia thing and meet up with Eli in the future. If that was the case, then maintaining a good relationship with the warrior princess was imperative. She smiled when she pictured Lucy as the leather-clad heroine wielding a sword in one hand, and cradling a red-haired, green-eyed child in the other. Maybe Lucy would make a good protector.
“Why don’t you ask Lucy to call me?” she countered before she could talk herself out of it.
She must have said the right thing. Eli broke out into a satisfied grin as he backed towards the hospital. “Beautiful idea. You’re a smart one after all, Miss Mason.”
Julie waved and turned as Eli disappeared through the revolving door, taking off in a quick trot towards her car. Twenty feet from it she slowed to a laborious stagger, her legs heavy, trembling like she had just slogged through a swamp. Julie leaned against the door to catch her breath as she retrieved the keys from her pocket, then immediately dropped them to the ground.
“Crap! You klutz!” Julie rubbed her thumb across her fingers. Her left hand was tingling. Must have be
en from Eli grabbing her. No! Julie looked in horror from her left hand to her right arm. He’d grabbed the right, not the left. She shook her head, not allowing herself to dwell on the idea gnawing at the edges of her mind, but the rush of vertigo she experienced as she bent over to retrieve the keys only validated the terrifying thought. Sliding down the side of the car, she melted into a crumpled, defeated heap beside it, cradling her head in her hands. This can’t be happening! Not now!
Chapter Thirty
One thing that could be said for Kas Penemue, he had balls. He was the last person Lucy expected to see at the funeral. Eli certainly wasn’t happy about his presence at the cemetery. She caught him glancing more than once at Kas’s giant form as it leaned against a tree. The constant, telltale twitch in his jaw was proof enough that Eli was not a fan, and pissed that Kas had shown up.
She had her own twitch going, but it wasn’t because of Kas. The bitch was standing behind Eli, her hands placed possessively on the back of his chair. It had been three days since either Eli or she had seen her, although she heard him talking to her on his cell through his closed bedroom door. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but definitely heard him say her name more than once. Lucy glanced over at Eli. His head hung low as the preacher made the final committal. It seemed natural for her to reach out and slip her hand into his. He gave hers a reassuring squeeze in response. Who knew her grandmother’s death would be the one thing that would bring the two of them closer together?
Lucy watched out of the corner of her eye as Julie slid her hand from the back of the chair to Eli’s shoulder. Lucy exhaled slowly, trying to contain her anger, and squeezed Eli’s hand instead. It was quite ironic that envy was described as a green-eyed monster. She thought green-eyed bitch was much more appropriate.
Julie’s hand dropped away as Eli stood and led Lucy to the graveside, then, she kept herself a good three paces behind them. Lucy smiled to herself. Blood is thicker than water.
“Do you want to take a flower off the caskets? Something to remember them by?” Eli asked softly.
Lucy looked from her grandmother’s casket to her mother’s. If it hadn’t been for Eli and Simon, her mother’s body would have been held indefinitely in the morgue at Las Vegas or buried, unclaimed. She reached out and pulled a yellow rose from her grandmother’s spray, and a pink one from her mother’s.
“Thank you for arranging this. My mother deserved a decent burial.”
Eli nodded. “She may not have been able to be with Liana in life, but at least they can be together in death.”
“Sorry about your grandmother,” Kas stepped into their path, “and your mother, Lucy. I’ve never been to a double funeral.”
Eli took a step in front of her. Was he trying to protect her? She grabbed him by the arm and hauled him back to her side. Maybe a little jealousy would help the situation. She held out her hand. “Thanks, Kas.” He put his hand in hers and shook it once. “Hopefully, you’ll never have to attend one again.” She smiled. Once she was done with the Penemues, not only would he be attending one, but he’d also be occupying one of the caskets. Oooo ... maybe it would be a family affair and they’d bury all three of them at once! Now that was a magical thought!
Lucy turned her attention from Kas to Julie, who hadn’t uttered a word since arriving at the cemetery. There was something off about her. First, there was the silence. Julie normally would have something to say. Then, there was the makeup. Her foundation looked thick, her blush not the normal pink of her cheeks. Could it be happening? Were these signs of the Fire-Child going into its weakened state before the rebirth? Lucy reached back and snagged Julie by the arm.
“Listen, I’ve had enough death in the past few weeks to last me a lifetime! After things settle down, why don’t we all get together on Saturday and take a drive up to Yosemite before the snow flies?”
Kas’s brown eyes widened. “Uh, I don’t know if that’s the best idea. Last time we got together was the night before Charsey disappeared.”
Lucy wanted to dig her heel into Kas’s foot. She had to make him understand that this was part of the plan. “Then it’s high time you got together again.” She looked from Kas to Eli. “Listen, I know you two guys don’t get along too well, but, well, life’s too short, and I need some friends. What do you think, Julie?” Lucy gave Julie’s arm a squeeze. She could swear she heard Julie moan.
A small smile crept to Julie’s mouth and disappeared. “I guess that would be okay. I’ve never been up there myself.” Her voice sounded weak. Even Eli seemed to notice. He stared at Julie, his brow wrinkling in concern. There was definitely something going on.
Lucy cocked her head to the side and batted her lashes at the two guys. “What do you say, gentlemen? We could even go canoeing up at Mono Lake. I hear it’s pretty cool up there.” Eli shifted his eyes from Julie to Kas and then back to Lucy. There was no way he would deny her this.
“Sure, whatever you want, Lucy,” he said as he walked over to Julie’s side.
She turned to Kas, a raised eyebrow the only sign of her impatience. He shrugged.
“Whatever.”
“Then it’s a plan—” Lucy’s words were cut short as Eli took Julie by the arm and walked away.
“Well,” Kas whispered sarcastically as they both watched Eli and Julie retreat to the other side of the cemetery, “that was rather rude of him.” He pulled Lucy around to face him. “You can’t be serious about all four of us going out together!”
Lucy squinted at Kas in disbelief. “You are such a fucking idiot, Penemue.”
****
“What’s going on, Julie?” Julie inhaled and then sighed. Minty fresh. She could feel her eyes brighten as she smiled at Eli.
“Nothing. Just pushing myself a bit too hard since I got the all clear. Dr. Medford said it might take a bit to get my land legs back.” She inhaled again, a little less conspicuously. “Of course, it helps when you’re around.”
Julie knew Eli’s scent could give her temporary relief from the symptoms of the disease, and she’d use this to her advantage as long as possible. She’d only tell him of the transplant failure when, and if, she had to. Her one main goal was simply to stay alive until Eli was reborn. After that, she didn’t care what happened to her. Death from leukemia or death at the hands of the Nephilim. Six of one, a half-dozen of the other, as her mother used to say. It would, however, be perfect if she could meet up with him in the future, but she knew now that was an impossibility. Death was imminent. Yesterday’s blood work confirmed it.
Julie noticed Eli’s gaze shift from her eyes to something behind her. She turned to see what had garnered Eli’s attention. Of course. Lucy had threaded her arm through Kas’s as she headed back to the limo.
“You’re concerned about her.”
Eli nodded without taking his eyes off Lucy. “I still don’t trust Kas.”
“But neither Kas nor Remy could have broken into my house and taken my picture.” Julie tucked her hair behind her ears. Its rapid growth spurt had stopped several days earlier, even before she realized that the transplant failed. “Someone else did that while they were at home. You said so yourself. Plus, I believe Kas when he says he didn’t kill Charsey.”
Eli leaned his back against the tree, using it to scratch himself between his shoulder blades. “I don’t think he did, either. But I have a feeling he may know who did. It was too much of a coincidence that she was killed the same night the three of us discovered she wore colored contacts. He had to have told someone.”
“I suppose. Whoever it was, he was big.” Julie squinted her eyes shut as the thought of that night brought back the memory of the killer’s hand clamping across her mouth. “Oh my God! His hands smelled like chemicals. Like chlorine!”
Eli looked at Julie, his brow crinkling. “Of course they did. He was just in the pool.”
Julie shook her head. “No. He had his clothes on. He wasn’t in the pool when I saw him. His hands reeked of it. Like he worked with
it.” Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw Eli’s eyes darken. They had both just been slapped in the face with the same conclusion.
“Kas’s cousin. Your pool boy.” Eli grabbed Julie by the elbow and pulled her towards her car. “I’ll look into it. See if I can find out his name. Where he lives.”
Julie stopped walking and pulled Eli closer. She looked over and saw Kas ushering Lucy into the waiting limousine. “His name is Dan,” she whispered. “You played against him in the game with Palisades.”
“You’re sure?”
Julie nodded as tears filled her eyes. “I saw him at the game and again with Renatta, but I didn’t realize it was the same person until Kas mentioned him that night at the pool.”
Eli pulled open Julie’s door. “If he’s the one, there should be some evidence—traces of blood—in his vehicle. He had to transport her body somehow. I’ll locate him tonight and check things out.”
“Then what?” Julie could feel the chokehold of fear on her throat.
“If I find something, I’ll make an anonymous tip to the police. After that, we can figure out who tried to kill you. His accomplice. You’re sure it wasn’t Remy or Kas?”
Julie shook her head. “Positive. This person was a few inches shorter and much slimmer. Remy and Kas are both bigger than Dan. They didn’t do this.”
Eli looked toward the limousine. Kas had disappeared. Lucy was staring in their direction. “Lucy and Simon are waiting. I need to go.”
“Be careful, please.” Julie sat and closed her door as Eli stepped away from the car. A smile tilted Eli’s perfect lips.
“What? The worst he can do is kill me ... temporarily. And you know me, I’m like the Energizer Bunny. I just keep going and going and going...”