Jaden (St. Sebastians Quartet #1)

by Heather Elizabeth King

  He was talking to his brother, Chris. At the same time, he knew he was looking at Chris, he also knew what Chris was saying was true. He didn't know how he knew it to be true, but it was.

  They set off at high speed. He was thankful he'd taken such deliberate steps to make sure the princesses were set securely in their seats. While the road to the castle was paved, none of Maliki Bakari's men had been out to tend to it in over a year. The threat of war loomed and that was all anyone was focused on. So the once smooth road was pocked in places. They bumped up it, toward the castle at considerable speed.

  Kenda yelped in pain when something pinched his thigh. When he looked down, he saw Kesi had wrapped her little arms around his leg and was holding tight to him. Her little body shook. He could only imagine the terror she was feeling. As her protector, it was his job to not only guard her, but to see to her overall well-being.

  He stroked her back and pushed hair out of her face. She was the youngest of the princesses and the most fragile.

  "You send the wrong message by running!"

  Kenda looked up to see Adia looking from him to the road behind them. Adia was the oldest and the most like her uncle Brell, although, thankfully, she hadn't inherited his lust for power. But she was a fighter. She was always willing to fight for herself and her sisters.

  "With your sisters here, little one?" Chris said.

  "I'm not little. I'm eight," she pronounced. She tilted her chin higher into the air. "I can protect my sisters. Isn't that right, Sauda?"

  At six, Sauda was tall and lanky for her age. She was the same height as Adia, and tried to be as tough. Kenda wasn't surprised when Sauda nodded and said that she too could protect her sisters."

  "Not today, little ones," Chris said.

  Kenda tried to recall his name in this world, but he couldn't. But he knew this man. He knew all of them.

  Thunder cracked overhead. A moment later, lightning flashed. Then it happened again. And with every crack of thunder, the sky darkened.

  "He's near," Kenda said. Again, he wasn't sure how he knew, he just did.

  "Faster!" Chris said. "I can hear him nearing."

  Kenda looked down at his weapons, at his sword. But weapons like these were useless against Prodigy. Prodigy didn't fight with weapons. He fought with magic. Dark magic. Black magic. Against such a thing, they were helpless. They needed Zuri.

  The wagon continued up the hill. They were going faster now. Even faster than before. He didn't think they could risk going any faster. The wagon wasn't made for such travel. Why hadn't they taken one of the heavier, faster vehicles? In hindsight, he saw that they'd been reckless and stupid.

  "Faster!" Chris shouted again. "I see him through the trees."

  Kenda turned to look behind them, then swore. He could see the wizard, too. And he wasn't alone. And he wasn't traveling via wagon. He was on foot.

  He was on foot and gaining.

  Three creatures followed close behind him. They weren't from Two Lands, but from beyond the border. They were night crawlers. They moved only in darkness and, it is said, ate human flesh.

  The four of them ran forward, gaining on the wagon.

  Seeing what they faced, Kenda pulled out his sword. It might not work on Prodigy, but it would work on night crawlers. But even as he pulled his weapon free, he noticed something else. The trees. The trees were shifting unnaturally in the wind. What was this new evil?

  "Tree men!" the driver shouted.

  Tree men? Kenda wondered. What on earth was a tree man?

  Then he remembered. These weren't from Two Lands either. He'd thought they were a myth. Some believed tree men were the offspring of the same evolutionary parents as humans, but had evolved in a different direction. They'd made their homes in the trees and had never developed beyond hunting for food. They were scavengers with long arms, for swinging between the trees. Their feet were said to be like human hands. Their bodies were covered in thick, coarse hair and they had the faces of apes.

  So much for calming Kesi's fears. He was sure this was everything and more that she'd been afraid of.

  He looked down at her and saw she'd had her face pressed into his thigh. She couldn't see anything, which he supposed was good. But he had to release her so he could fight.

  Thunder continued to crack and the sky darkened until the only light was coming from the lanterns at the front and back of the wagon. He could see the tree men, trailing them through the trees. He could see the night crawlers, but only because their eyes were yellow.

  He extricated himself from Kesi, making sure she was secure in the wagon. Then he crouched, weapon at the ready. He used the lightning to track the tree men. At any moment they would attack. They were getting closer. Prodigy and the night crawlers were getting closer.

  Lightning flashed across the sky. At the same time he saw this, he saw a tree man let go of the tree it was swinging on and descend toward them, screeching as it fell. Kenda lifted his sword, ready to fight. Then the sky flashed bright orange. In an instant, the darkness was gone, replaced by blinding sunlight. The night crawlers cried out in agony, then fled into the forest, looking for cover. Some of the tree men fell from the trees, others fled back the way they'd come. On the road, between the wagon and Prodigy, the witch Zuri floated. Her hair whipped out around her like black smoke. Her red gown fluttered in the wind, and her hands were held out, toward the wizard.

  She didn't say anything to him. She didn't give him a warning. Her hand flashed out in Prodigy's direction. Kenda couldn't see what exactly she did, but Prodigy's clothes went up in flames.

  Zuri turned to the wagon. "Go!" she shouted. Then she turned back to face the wizard. "You are on the land of Maliki Bakari and do not belong here. Take your devils and go!"

  The earth rumbled and his body shook. From far away, someone was calling his name.

  "Go!" Zuri shouted, and the wizard flew backwards, head over heels through the air.

  "Kenda!" the voice called again.

  Still breathing heavy, Kenda pulled away from the hands that clasped him. They had to get back to the castle. He had to keep Kesi safe.

  "Kenda!" The hands grabbed him again. They shook him again. "Wake up!"

  His eyes popped open onto a view that warmed his heart. Jaden. They were in his bedroom, in his house, in St. Sebastians.

  He was out of breath. Sweat dripped from his temples.

  "You're having a nightmare."

  He looked left, then right. Then up and into Jaden's eyes. And that's when he knew the truth.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Kenda had the most orderly kitchen Jaden had ever been in. It had taken her less than a minute to find the coffee and coffee filters, then put a pot of coffee on. She'd suggested breakfast, but Kenda was too wound up to wait for her to make anything. As it was, he'd had a hard time sitting on the deck and waiting for her to bring the coffee out to him.

  Now they were sitting on cushy chairs, looking out at the water. Well, they were facing the water, but Jaden couldn't see it. All she could see were the images from his dream.

  She listened as Kenda relayed everything he'd dreamed about, from the lake, to the princesses, to the attack from Prodigy. Then the way Zuri had appeared out of nowhere, bringing the sunlight with her. The image of the tree men closing in on the princesses made her flesh crawl. Then there was Prodigy and the night crawlers, running at them.

  "Night crawlers and tree men, that Chimera seems like a fantastic place," Jaden said. "I can't imagine why the daughters of the king have preferred to stay in stasis all this time."

  "But they didn't call it Chimera. They referred to it as Two Lands."

  "The Kingdom of the Two Lands. That's what Zuri called it. And that's the title of the second book. The one that Hayley's trying to find a translation for."

  "How is that going?"

  "She's had it less than a day, so she can't have found out much. What I would love to know is how one brother could be so evil? What was their relation
ship like when they were children? Did Brell somehow expect that he would get the kingdom all to himself, even though he was the younger sibling? How did their relationship fracture so much? And why didn't their father see what would happen when he died?"

  "I can't answer any of that, Jaden."

  "We need to see Zuri. All of us need to go to her today."

  "Is she still a witch in our world?"

  "I'd say so. She was able to incapacitate our car so we'd have to come to her front door, and repair that same car so we could drive down the mountain and back home."

  "So why does she stay here? Why doesn't she go back to Chimera and save everyone?"

  "She's here to save the princesses. To bring them back to Chimera with her." Jaden raised a hand in front of her.

  Kenda stood from his lounge chair, put his coffee down on the table, then motioned for her to move over.

  He was in sweatpants this morning and he hadn't bothered with a shirt. She also knew that he wasn't wearing anything under his sweatpants. He was practically naked. And in the summer sunshine, with his hair mussed, he seemed perfect. Like a dream. Would she wake up back at home and find out all of this had been a dream? Even with the threat of Prodigy and the peril of the sisters, she wanted this to be real. She didn't want to lose Kenda.

  "There's not much room," she said, as she shifted to make room for him.

  "There's room enough." He squeezed in beside her, then sighed contentedly when she eased an arm under him.

  They sat like that for a while, in the quiet of the morning. Their breaths synchronized, their arms around each other.

  "When I was dreaming, when I was in his head, I remember Kesi wrapping her arms around his leg and looking up at him. She was crying and her lips were trembling; and her eyes. She was only four, but her eyes. It was like looking into your eyes."

  "You're telling me I have the eyes of a four-year-old?"

  "No. But I could see you in her." He shook his head. "Or maybe I can see her in you."

  Jaden worked free of him and sat up. "So you think Zuri is right, that we have..." she paused to exhale. "...that we have the souls of the sisters in us?"

  He didn't answer at once. He stared out toward the water, then slowly nodded. "I do. The dreams, what happened to you yesterday in the pool. Prodigy is trying to get at Kesi through you."

  "What about you? Does your dream mean that somehow you're connected to the man who was Kesi's guardian?"

  "I don't know. Like you said, we need to see Zuri. She's the only one who'll be able to make sense out of all of this."

  "Zuri said when Kesi found her guardian, she'd know she could go home."

  "And you haven't felt any change?"

  Jaden shook her head. "But that doesn't mean anything, I guess." She let her head fall back against the lounge. "Who knows. This is all so confusing."

  "The only thing that's not confusing is that I'm glad you're here. I'm glad all of this happened, if it's the reason I met you."

  She looked at him, but wasn't sure what to say at first. She settled on honesty. "I feel the same," was all she said.

  Then they were kissing.

  He spread her thighs with his knee, rolled on top of her. She exhaled as the weight of his body pinned her to the sofa. In a moment, his sweatpants were down around his thighs and he'd slid into her. And for a while she forgot about Prodigy, Zuri, and the princesses. All that mattered was Kenda and the exquisite sensations thrumming through her body.

  *****

  Jaden was back on Kenda's deck a few hours later. They'd made love out here, on the lounge, then had gone up to shower where they'd made love again. After that, Kenda had gotten dressed and gone to the office. He'd promised he'd only be an hour or so. She figured that was the perfect time to call the girls and get them together for a visit to Zuri. She'd wait until Kenda returned, but there was no telling how long it would take to gather the ladies. She didn't have anyone's telephone number, but Kenda had Hayley's saved on his house phone. So Hayley was first on her list.

  Hayley answered on the first ring.

  "Hey," Hayley said. "Everything all right?"

  "I'm fine, but I think we should get together."

  The line was silent for a few seconds. "Okay. It's just that..." More silence. She laughed. "Oh! I'm a little slow this morning. I drank too much last night. I drank too much and you spent the night with Kenda."

  Jaden looked down at his phone then swore. She hadn't even thought about how it would look, her calling from his house.

  "Oh, that. Yeah." She cleared her throat and went on. At least she tried to go on, but Hayley interrupted her again.

  "One night at your house, last night at his house. So is it official? You guys a couple or what? You know that means you can't move at the end of summer. You have to stay right here in St. Sebastians. I have an extra bedroom. You can move in with me if your aunt gives you the boot."

  "Hold on. It was just two nights."

  "I saw the way you were looking at each other last night. Once we get all this Chimera business out of the way, it'll be smooth sailing for the two of you."

  "That's why I'm calling. Kenda had a dream last night. I think he's involved."

  Hayley interrupted her again. "Hold that thought. Give me thirty minutes and I'll be over. Bria is here, so I'll bring her. You call Sydney. Something tells me we all need to hear this.

  "What about the gallery?"

  "Only open till noon on Saturdays."

  As good as her word, Hayley and Bria were on Kenda's doorstep in thirty minutes. Sydney had beaten them by five. And she'd stopped at Aunt Edna's Bakery and brought pastries and bagels for their impromptu meeting. Jaden had brewed a fresh pot of coffee and brought the pot outside to a table. She poured a mug for each of them, then went back to the kitchen for milk, cream, and sugar.

  "Would you get a load of this view," Sydney was saying when Jaden returned. "I'd never leave the house. We're right on the water."

  "It's gorgeous," Hayley agreed. "I have a view of the ocean that's pretty spectacular, but I'm not on the water. If I were you, Jaden, first thing on my bucket list would be to make love on this deck."

  Jaden pulled out a chair and sat. She couldn't help grinning. And she couldn't have kept quiet if she'd tried. "Done."

  Hayley's eyes doubled in sized. Bria covered her mouth. Sydney high-fived her with a, "You go girl!"

  "Talk about a smooth operator!" Hayley gave her a stage clap.

  "No, not so smooth," Jaden said. "I don't know if it's real or all the stuff happening around us. It's all pretty intense. But I know I like him. Probably more than I should."

  "Why more than you should?" Sydney asked.

  "Look at him. He's perfect. He's beautiful and rich and he could have any woman he wants."

  "And he wants you."

  "We'll see how much he wants me after all the excitement of this Chimera stuff is over."

  Hayley had been adding cream to her coffee. She stopped to look at Jaden. "Not for nothing, but Kenda isn't that type of guy. He doesn't have casual affairs with women. He doesn't invite women into his home. And if he ever did, which he hasn't, he'd never in a million years leave them in his house alone. He's not like Nico and Tyler."

  "Tyler doesn't seem so bad."

  As one, Jaden, Hayley, and Sydney looked at Bria.

  "What?" Bria asked. "He seems sweet."

  "Tyler? Sweet?" Hayley finished pouring cream into her coffee. "He's the worst of the lot. Why do you keep defending him?"

  "He's only sweet to you because you're Nico's sister," Sydney added. "Nico would kill him if he made a pass at you."

  Bria shrugged. "I like him."

  "I like him, too," Sydney said, "but don't you go trusting him."

  "Or falling for him," Hayley added. "He'd break your heart without even meaning to."

  "I'm not." Bria fisted her hands in front of her and tried to smile. "I'm not ready to have another man in my life. I'm still recovering from the las
t one."

  "Any word on his whereabouts?" Sydney asked.

  "No. He could be in Mexico by now for all I know."

  Somehow, Jaden didn't think Bria thought her ex-husband was in Mexico. She wouldn't live with Nico and have Nico walk her to work and pick her up from work every day if she did. Bria was afraid her ex was nearby.

  "But you don't think so." Sydney's words mirrored Jaden's thoughts.

  Bria took a few seconds to answer. Then she exhaled sharply and shook her head. "No. I think he's in St. Sebastians."

  Jaden looked from Hayley to Sydney, but neither said anything. "What makes you think that?"

  "I feel...you ever feel like someone is watching you? Not like Prodigy. This is different. And...and he leaves signs that he's been places where I go. Nico thinks I'm imagining it, but I'm not."

  "What signs?" Hayley asked.

  "He's superstitious. Very superstitious. He has this thing about finding pennies, tail side up. He thinks that's the worst omen possible. And a few times I've shown up to work and found a penny, tail side up, in front of my locker."

  Jaden felt Hayley and Sydney's eyes on her.

  "Don't look at each other like that." The anger in Bria's voice startled Jaden. She'd never heard Bria sound angry before. She hadn't even thought Bria was capable of anger.

  "Sorry," Jaden said. "There's no judgment."

  "Feels like there is."

  "No, there isn't," Hayley said. "We haven't been through what you've been through. And look, you're still here. Nobody has a right to judge you, least of all us."

  "It's just," Jaden explained, "that's pretty scary."

  "Have you noticed anything else?" Sydney asked.

  "Sometimes I think I see him out on Main or at the Downtown Mall. But he's always gone before I have a chance to get a good look."

  "He knows you have a brother who lives in St. Sebastians?"

  "Of course. We were married for five years. We'd visited Nico a few times. Not as much as I would have liked. Billy never liked Nico. And he'd go absolutely crazy whenever Nico's friends came around."

  Jaden put her coffee down and reached across the table. "I won't let him hurt you. If you need me at any time, call me. I'll answer my phone, no matter how late or early."