“Libby.” Jackson tugged her to one side. No one had noticed; they were all too busy talking at one another, trying to find answers. She met his gaze, felt the fear that had its claws in him. It wasn’t much of a surprise to realize that his fear was for her, not himself.
“I need to get out of here.”
She didn’t need to tell him twice. Within minutes, they were in his room. The silence was blissful after the chaos in the kitchen.
She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to get rid of the weird sensation that her body and mind were disconnected. Jackson gripped her shoulders.
“Come on, pull it together.”
She gave him a dirty look. “I’m trying.”
He grinned. “I’ll help.”
Before she knew what was happening, his mouth was on hers. The heat of it startled her, but it took only a moment before her arms circled his neck. She felt the warmth flood through her from every point where their bodies made contact. Her skin hummed under his hands and her mind cleared of everything but him.
“And we’re back,” Jackson said as he pulled back. His voice wasn’t steady, but the smugness in it had her eyes narrowing. Still, she was trembling and she knew that her voice would be weak if she tried to speak. Settling for a roll of her eyes, she flopped back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling as he sat down beside her.
“Your arrogance continues to astound me,” she announced, once she was confident she would sound normal.
“But it helped,” he pointed out casually.
It had. She felt connected again as the shock of Francis’ revelations wore off.
“What are we going to do?”
“Nothing.” Jackson turned his head to look at her. “You’re doing nothing, and you will make sure you are with one of us at all times.”
Cold fear licked at her, but she ignored it. “And you?”
“This isn’t about you,” Jackson continued as through he hadn’t heard her. “Not really. So we sit tight and wait for her next move.”
“And you?” She asked again. “Will you sit tight, and make sure that you are with one of us at all times?”
“I don’t want you worrying about me.” Jackson’s tone brooked no argument so she didn’t bother. Time for arguing would come later.
“That's an idiotic thing to say. Jeez.” She blew out a frustrated breath as he got up, paced restlessly across the room. She watched as he turned, leaned back against his desk to face her again. “I don’t understand why she set you up with whatever she did. Or how this other guy, this link, fits in.”
She paused as her throat dried at the thought of the man and how tempted she had been to follow him earlier. Jackson frowned as he followed her thoughts, his knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on the edge of the desk.
He was silent for a moment.
“You know.” She sat up. “Tell me.”
“I can guess.” His lips pressed into a thin line. “She wants you torn, and two links is the perfect way to do it. It's unnatural. Impossible.”
“And so....?” It didn’t sound good.
Jackson sighed. “The first revenge, make sure the connection is problematic. My…experience, your double link. This guy she’s planted here to cause trouble, he wants you to know he's here, to feel the connection you have with him. That means she wants us to know.”
Libby was silent as she processed this.
“You really believe she had a hand in what happened to you?”
“I know she did. I trust your mum's talent.” His voice was filled with conviction. “And so should you.”
She trusted them both, Libby thought darkly, even though he didn’t trust her. “She wanted to destroy you.”
“She nearly did.” Jackson pulled at his hair. “And then you. God, when I think about how that link will grow and pull you away from me...”
“You don't trust me at all.” Stunned, she could only stare as he paced away from her.
“Because you'll want him, Libby. That's how it works. It's started already.”
His words wounded her and, although she understood it, Libby still felt as though she had taken a blow. He didn't trust her.
“It makes me so angry, knowing that the link that is so easy for some is going to be so painful for us,” he continued after a moment. “It's so bloody unfair. It...it just wasn't supposed to be like that. Being linked is supposed to be amazing. At first, I didn't think ours would be, since I would never be able to share myself with you. Not completely. ”
If he had turned his back on her, if he had decided that it was an impossible connection, how would that have affected him? How would it have affected her? He’d mentioned once before that denying the link between them could have terrible consequences and she couldn’t help but wonder if that that been Maria’s plan after all. A slow but sure decline…Jackson would have been lost to his family eventually.
A son for a son.
“You didn’t walk,” she said at last. “Why not?”
He smirked and some of the cold fear that sat like a rock in her chest melted away.
“Well, you’re really cute.”
She shoved at his shoulder, scoffing. “Oh, please.”
“It’s true. You’re smart and kind,” he paused. “And you adored me. I never turn away a fan.”
“Be serious,” she scolded him, even as she enjoyed his teasing. “Put your arrogance on hold for a moment and think. Did she expect you to walk?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. You weren't exactly thrilled with the idea and I'm screwed up enough that it was a distinct possibility.”
“But just a possibility.” Libby got to her feet and crossed to the window. It was still light, although the sun was low in the sky. Horses grazed peacefully in the paddock beyond the garden and she envied them. “She would have had a plan B.”
“I think so.” Jackson’s sudden fear had goosebumps prickling along her arms. “You’re plan B. And him.”
It made a horrible kind of sense. Paul had called Maria a murderer, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for her. She wanted to punish Paul, Ian and Anna. Destroying their son by having his soulmate link with someone else.
And if that didn't work, she’d bet her aunt planned to kill her.
It wasn’t something you heard every day, she thought with a hint of humour. Not in real life at least.
“Libby-”
The knock at the door caught them both by surprise. Libby glanced at Jackson, astounded that he hadn’t sensed his mother’s approach. He must be more upset than she realised.
“Libby, Jack. We need you in the kitchen.”
He looked at her, raised an eyebrow. “Ready?”
It hardly mattered whether or not she was ready, Libby thought to herself as she faced the families in front of her. Her own parents, Jack’s family, Paul and Danny. Her cousin.
She felt his guilt, but didn’t have the time to address it.
“It’s clear that you could be a target, Libby,” Paul spoke calmly as though he was used to having this sort of conversation. Given his profession, that was entirely possible. “We need to make sure you are guarded at all times.”
“What about the others?” She protested immediately. “There’s a chance she could target them instead.”
“You’ll all be under curfew,” Anna agreed. “We’re taking no chances with any of you. But Libby, you’re the obvious choice.”
Sickened, she crossed her arms in front of her as if she could contain and minimize her terror. She was the most obvious target for a crazy woman bent on revenge.
Excellent.
“Jack, you’ll be staying with Francis and Eric,” Anna went on calmly. “Neither of you are to go out alone, day or night. And you need to be home by six. Danny, Kelly, same rules apply to you, too.”
Kelly nodded, her face pale as she moved closer to Danny. She was scared for him, Libby realized. She didn’t consider herself threatened at all, but she worried Maria might make a move
on her son.
It was a possibility.
Libby turned to her dad, met his gaze. “Can we go home? I’d like to go home.”
“Sure.” Eric flicked a glance at Jackson. “You might want to pack for a few days.”
Jackson gave Libby’s hand a quick squeeze.
“I’ll be a couple of minutes.”
Kelly rolled her eyes as her brother left the room. “Boys. They think that a spare t shirt and a pair of boxers is packing.”
Libby smiled weakly at the attempt at humour. Again the adults carried on their conversation around them. Planning, going over the probable next steps.
Not wanting to listen to it, she walked through to the living room and began studying the photographs on the wall.
“This is frightening you.” Francis had followed her in, her eyes filled with concern.
“Is this the part where you tell me that everything will be okay?” Libby asked, a note of desperation beneath the strained humour.
“This is the part where we start protecting you.” The answer wasn’t exactly reassuring, but her mother crossed over to her purposefully. “We talked about the connection, about strengthening the link through talent sharing.”
“So?”
“So you need to get Jackson to open up to you.” Francis took a steady breath. “I don’t want you to experience what he went through. I only saw a glimpse and…well, it’s not what I want for you.”
Libby waited in trepidation. “But?”
“But I’d prefer that to the alternative. You’ll be stronger together, the bond between you unbreakable. I think, at this point, it would be a good idea.”
Libby nodded. “I’ll do my best, but he’s pretty stubborn.”
“You’re very persuasive when you want to be,” Francis countered with a slight smile. “Think of it as self-defense. Paul will start tutoring you on using your talent as well. I want you prepared this time.”
The words had her pausing. “This time?”
Her mother shook her head sorrowfully. “Sweetie, I should have made sure that you had some idea of what was coming. A young girl like yourself, completely unaware of the talent, could have reacted very badly. I should have prepared you. I won't make that mistake again; full disclosure, and whatever it takes to keep you safe, okay?”
Libby felt smothered by her mother's guilt and forced the feeling back. “Mum, don’t…it wasn’t your fault.”
“It was, and I will do better,” she replied firmly. “You need to set this link with Jackson, and soon.”
Once she had left, Libby sat in silence wondering if her heart could take any more shocks. When she felt a nudge of guilt and apprehension, she looked up at the doorway in resignation.
“Come on then, Danny. What else don’t I know?”
He almost laughed at her despair. “Um…Jackson talks in his sleep.”
Diverted, Libby perked up in interest. “Really?”
“Really. You featured quite heavily last time I had the misfortune of sharing a room with him.”
Blushing in embarrassment, Libby decided not to ask for details. Instead, she focused on the reason for his visit.
“Don’t say it. It’s not your fault.”
“I am responsible. I’m so sorry.”
She glared at him. “It’s not your fault. No one blames you and neither should you. End of story.”
“I just-” He stopped as her gaze hardened. “Alright. Fine. If you need me to do anything, make sure you ask.”
“Okay.” She straightened up and gave him a brief hug. She was pleased when he returned it. Family, she mused. Aside from the homicidal aunt, she could get used to it.
Chapter Twenty Four
“Celebrity you’d most like to get stuck in a lift with.”
Libby pulled a face, but Kelly waited with an air of intensity that seemed a little out of keeping with the question.
“Probably a comedian,” she mused. “They’d pass the time. Unless they’re not funny in real life.”
“Okay. Favourite ever TV series.”
“I don’t know. Maybe Dawson’s Creek.”
“That’s old.” Kelly smirked at her.
“I spent a lot of time watching DVDs and reruns over summer.” Libby lifted her gaze, automatically searching out Jackson. He was still in the canteen queue, talking to a girl she didn't recognize. She frowned a little, wondering what was so funny he had to laugh quite so heartily.
“Okay.” Kelly tapped her fingers on the table top thoughtfully. “Danny?”
“No idea.” He shrugged. “You know I don’t watch much TV. Why?”
“I’m just trying to focus a bit on something unimportant and fun. It just seems to me that things have been a bit intense lately. Don’t you think?”
“Definitely.” Libby leaned forward a little. “You know, we should go out for the day. Into Birmingham, maybe, do a bit of shopping? Christmas is coming up.”
Kelly brightened. “Good idea. We need some downtime.”
Libby flicked another glance over to Jackson, who was still chatting. He was looking awfully comfortable over there. He looked up in time to catch her glower and winked.
Winked!
As though they weren’t living like prisoners, waiting for Danny’s mother to make her next move.
The curfews and conditions were frustrating, even though she recognized how necessary they were. Mostly, she wished she and Jack could spend more time alone together. Although he was living with them, Jackson slept in the spare room and the house was small enough to ensure that either one or both of her parents was in hearing distance most of the time. She felt almost desperate for time alone with him.
Not that he seemed similarly affected.
Added to that, she hadn’t had time...okay, she could admit it – she hadn't had the nerve to talk with him about their connection, about the possibility to share talents.
About his secret.
She’d been turning it over in her mind for nearly a week, carefully shielding her thoughts from him. It had left her feeling unsettled, a feeling only agitated by her mother’s frequent reminders to get it done.
Irritated with herself, with the situation, she turned back to Kelly.
“Can we go shopping this weekend?”
Kelly turned to Danny. “Can you ask your dad?”
“Sure.” He pushed back from the table, obviously distracted. “Back in a minute.”
The two girls watched as he made his way through the canteen. Libby raised an eyebrow.
“I’d say you’re looking happier, but I’m not entirely sure that he is. What’s the problem?”
Kelly grinned. “It’s all the supervision. There hasn’t been a lot of alone time, if you know what I mean.”
Libby laughed. “I bet it’s a bit crowded with Paul moving in as well.”
“Tell me about it.” Kelly rolled her eyes. “He walked in on us making out in the living room the other day and I thought they were both going to die from embarrassment.”
“No, really?” Libby exclaimed. “Weren’t you mortified?”
Kelly shrugged, non-committal. “Not really. The connection, you know; we can hardly pretend it’s not there. Anyway, what’s the matter with you? You’re acting like you have ants in your pants.”
Libby stopped fidgeting and shot the redhead a dark look.
“Nothing.”
Kelly waited, an eyebrow raised. Libby huffed out a breath and shoved her empty glass to one side. She had no intention of discussing this part of her and Jackson’s relationship with Kelly in the middle of the canteen, but had to give her friend something.
“Don’t you think Jackson’s been talking to that girl for long enough? I thought everyone was scared of him.”
Kelly laughed, her eyes shining with mirth. “It’s your own fault. You’ve made him approachable. And yes, she does fancy him.”
The sound that Libby made was almost a growl. “He’s enjoying it.”
“It wasn’t
that long ago you were chatting up that lad in your History class, young lady. Besides, he’s just enjoying the conversation,” Kelly informed her with a grin.
Libby gave this a moment’s thought before getting to her feet. “It’s ridiculous. I’m going to the library.”
“Do you want me to walk you there?”
Grabbing her backpack, Libby rolled her eyes. “I’ll be surrounded by students, Kel.”
“Alright. Any message for loverboy?”
“Ha ha. No, thank you. See you later.”
She made her way out of the canteen as the bell rang, not bothering to speak to Jackson. She was too annoyed to even look at him right now and slammed both shield and block into place with grim satisfaction. After an hour of staring at the same page in her notes, she decided to call it a day and headed out to her car. Since they'd been given a rare study period, she guessed everyone else in her class had ditch early anyway.
Walking past Jackson’s motorbike, she resisted the urge to kick it over. She knew perfectly well that he wasn’t interested in that girl, but his flirting at lunch still rankled. That he just carried on, laughing and joking around when he could make their connection stronger, and give Maria less power, made her furious.
She sensed him behind her, knew that he'd skipped out on a class when he'd heard her intention to go home. Clearly her shield had a few chinks in it, she grumbled to herself. He had caught her up by the time she had unlocked the car, but didn’t call out and she was glad of it.
As she drove home, she glanced in the rear view mirror at the motorbike that followed behind her. Irritation spiked.
By the time she pulled into her driveway, she had managed to focus her thoughts elsewhere. Barely.
The roar of the approaching motorbike had her shaking her head. Turning back towards the road, she waited for him to turn off the engine. He pulled off his helmet, striding up the driveway until they were a foot apart.
“You’re an idiot.”
He grinned, his expression unrepentant. “Oh come on, we were just chatting. Turns out, Jess is pretty funny. You’d like her.”
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