Ryleigh tucked the mass of brown curls behind Mia’s ear, but it only popped out again a moment later. “I wish I could tell you everything would be okay.”
“But that would be lying.”
Ryleigh forced a smile. “It might be lying. It might also be true. We have no way to know.”
“No kidding.” Mia sighed and rolled her eyes.
The gesture threatened to bring a genuine smile to Ryleigh’s lips. She bit the inside of her cheek. “Look, Mia. We’ve talked about this before. I can’t promise you everything will be all right, but I can promise you I will always stand by your side. I will protect you and take care of you as best I can.”
Tears shimmered and tipped over Mia’s thick lower lashes. “I know.” She shook her head and swiped the tears. “But you have responsibilities now. To more than just me. An entire kingdom is counting on you to save them. You ca—”
“Stop right there.” Ryleigh held up her hand, halting any further arguments. “You come first, Mia. You always come first with me.”
Mia finally formed a tentative smile. “I know. You’re my hero.” She clutched the mug against her chest in a two handed grip and batted her lashes.
Ryleigh reached a hand under the blanket and tickled Mia’s feet. “You sarcastic little brat.”
“Stop. You’re going to make me spill my tea.” Somehow, Mia managed to balance the mug through the fit of giggles. She regained control of herself and placed the cup on the nightstand beside the bed. “You have to go soon, Ryleigh. The dreams are coming more frequently. There’s violence coming…bad things.” She tucked her shaking hands beneath the blanket and pulled it up over her shoulders.
Mia’s delicate features and slight build made her appear so fragile, yet she possessed great inner strength. She never would have made it through the past month if she didn’t. “I’ll go soon enough.”
“Can I come?” She sat up straighter.
Ryleigh frowned. “I thought you said violence was coming.”
“It is.”
“Then why would you want to come?”
Mia shrugged. “I miss Sadie and Kiara…and Dakota.” A blush stole up her pale cheeks as she played with the edge of the blanket.
Her sister had the biggest crush on the young Death Dealer in training. This time, Ryleigh couldn’t stop the smile.
Mia ignored her. “I miss Nika and Nahara.” She grinned. “I want to fly again.”
Ryleigh couldn’t argue with that. Flying on one of the huge hounds had been the most amazing experience of her life. They both appeared similar to enormous Tibetan Mastiffs, except for their wings.
Nika was gorgeous, with his black fur, mane, and wings, but Nahara, with her cream color coat and the pink and gold markings forming a crown around her head, then leading down her back and onto her wings, was truly incredible.
“We’ll go soon.”
The excitement lighting Mia’s eyes dimmed, and she lay down.
Great. Now Ryleigh was going to give in. “I worry about taking you there after you got so weak the last time.”
Mia pulled the blanket up under her chin and snuggled down into the pillows. “I’ll be okay. I feel fine now, and I won’t stay as long this time. Kiara said I’d get stronger each time I visited. Until, one day, I’d be able to stay.” She looked up at Ryleigh, eyes pleading.
“All right. We’ll go this weekend.”
Mia smiled even as her eyes dropped shut. “I knew you’d say yes.”
A surge of love shot through Ryleigh. Despite only three years’ difference in their ages, Mia was more like a daughter than a sister. Ryleigh had helped raise her since she was a toddler and had pretty much taken care of her on her own once their grandmother fell ill several years ago. She stood beside Mia and tucked the covers tighter around her. “I love you, little sis.” Ryleigh kissed her sister’s head.
“I love you too, big sis.” The sleepiness in Mia’s voice made her sound so much younger.
She smoothed Mia’s hair back off her face. The dark circles beneath her eyes had gotten worse over the past few days. She had no doubt Mia’s destiny lay in Cymmera, as did her own. Eventually. But she desperately wanted to offer Mia the opportunity for a few years of normalcy. Friends, sleepovers, boyfriends…human boyfriends…proms…Ryleigh rolled her shoulders, the weight of responsibility sometimes too heavy a burden.
When Mia’s soft snores became more rhythmic, and she would probably sleep the rest of the night, Ryleigh got up and moved quietly to the door. She reached for the light switch but thought better of the idea and left it on. No sense taking any chances Mia would wake frightened in the dark. She closed the door gently behind her and reached for the bat she’d left beside the door. The bat was gone.
“Everything okay?”
She jumped, and her back hit the wall. “What are you doing here, Jackson?” She stared into the darkest, most intense eyes she’d ever seen. Eyes that bored straight through to her very soul, as they had the last time he’d pinned her with that same passionate gaze. Heat laced with the adrenaline charging through her system.
He moved closer. “I was feeling…restless.”
She inhaled deeply, his rich, earthy scent invading her lungs. Her body betrayed her. Even as she struggled to maintain the scowl, her heart rate accelerated.
He placed his hands against the wall on either side of her head, effectively caging her between his body and the wall. “I thought I’d check up on you.” He nuzzled her neck, just above her frantically racing pulse. “Make sure you guys were okay.”
She fought the urge to melt into his arms. “How thoughtful of you.” Definitely too breathless.
He pulled back, his customary cocky grin firmly in place. “You are a stubborn woman, Ryleigh Donnovan.”
She lifted a brow. “And don’t you forget it, Mister Maynard.”
His laughter warmed her in ways she didn’t want to think about, wasn’t yet ready to face.
His expression sobered quickly as he glanced at Mia’s door. “Is she all right?”
The concern etched in the depths of his eyes touched her as nothing else could have. His tenderness toward Mia had helped him worm his way into her heart, even when he frustrated her nearly to death.
“She has nightmares, says there’s violence coming to Cymmera. I don’t know if it’s just bad dreams or something…more.” She really wasn’t ready to contemplate the possibility Mia knew the future.
Jackson cradled her cheek in his hand. “It’ll be all right. I’ll have Kiara talk to her and check her over.”
Relief lifted some of the pressure from Ryleigh’s chest. “Thank you.”
Kiara was the strongest healer in Cymmera. It didn’t hurt that both Ryleigh and Mia liked the soft-spoken woman. And her daughter, Sadie, was adorable. A small glimmer of happiness surfaced at the thought of the rambunctious toddler. Yes. A visit to Cymmera this weekend would be good for her as well as Mia.
“I miss you, Ryleigh.” He traced the line of her neck with his finger.
“I miss you too.” What could she say? It was true. But it didn’t matter, nor would it change things.
“Come home with me.”
“You know I can’t. Not yet.”
“Yet?” He grinned and held her gaze.
She bit her lower lip to keep from smiling back at him.
Jackson groaned and pushed away from the wall. He turned his back on her and wandered down the hallway into the living room but didn’t bother turning on the light.
Ryleigh followed but remained silent. This was a sore subject between them. Now that Jackson had taken his father’s place as King of Cymmera, he wanted Ryleigh to rule beside him.
He finally turned back to face her. “I need you with me, Ryleigh. I need you to take your place at my side.” He raked a hand through his thick, dark hair.
Even in the dim light cast from the hallway, Ryleigh could make out tufts sticking up. She took a
few steps closer to him, reached up and smoothed his tousled hair. “I know. But I can’t now. You know that, Jackson. You said you understood.”
He gripped her wrist and brought her fingers to his lips. “I do understand. But it doesn’t make it any easier to be without you.”
“It’s not easy for me either, you know.”
“Oh no?”
“No. I miss you. All the time. I think about you constantly. The urge to be with you is overwhelming.”
He pulled her into his arms.
She lowered her voice even more. “It scares me. I’m afraid of losing myself.” The confession didn’t come easy. Jackson was a strong man. A warrior. It would be easy to lose her own ambitions, her sense of self, her independence. She lay her cheek against his chest, letting the steady, rapid beat of his heart soothe her.
Jackson rested his chin on her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pressure you. The desire to claim you is almost irresistible now.”
She wanted Jackson so badly, wanted to be with him all the time. But her first responsibility was to Mia. She had to stay in her own realm until Mia was strong enough to survive permanently in Cymmera. She’d already resigned herself to the fact she’d one day live there. It seemed her destiny and Mia’s surely lay in that direction. But she hadn’t yet found a way to wrap her mind around her role as queen. It was just too far-fetched.
Jackson pulled back. He smoothed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. “Come with me now.”
“We just went through all of this. I ca—”
“Not forever. Just for tonight. Come with me for a while.” He tugged on the hair he still held. “We’ll work on your training, since you’ve probably forgotten everything I taught you.”
Ryleigh laughed, relieved he’d let the difficult conversation drop. Mia should sleep the rest of the night, didn’t usually get up twice. On the off chance she did, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs would be there. The couple had been kind enough to take them in, and they would take care of her until Ryleigh returned. She shrugged. “Sure. I guess I could go for a little while.” She wouldn’t sleep anymore tonight anyway. “Let me change quick.”
“Fine, but hurry up about it. I don’t have all night.”
“Yes, dear.” She rolled her eyes but figured he couldn’t see in the dark.
He swatted her behind.
She may have figured wrong.
“Don’t roll those eyes at me, smart ass. As usual, you underestimate my special powers.”
She laughed, not quite sure if he really could see more clearly in the darkness or just knew her well enough to expect the gesture.
Jackson followed her down the hallway to her bedroom.
She opened the door but then stopped short and glanced over her shoulder. “Give me the bat, though. I want to put it away first. Otherwise I might forget, and I won’t have it if I need it.”
Jackson frowned. “What bat?”
A chill prickled her skin. He didn’t seem to be playing. “I propped a baseball bat outside Mia’s door when I went in to her.” It only took a split second to realize he didn’t know. She reached for the light switch.
This time, when he clamped a hand around her wrist, his grip held none of the tenderness his earlier touch had. “Shhh.” He pulled her against him and pressed his lips close to her ear. She strained to hear his whisper over the blood roaring in her ears. “Go get Matt up. Now. I’ll get Mia.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he clamped his hand over it. “Now.” His urgent whisper propelled her toward the Jacobs’ door.
* * * *
Jackson resisted the urge to search the house. It wasn’t easy. As he crossed the few feet to Mia’s door, his hand itched to grip his sword, but he ruthlessly tamped down the need. He had to get the girls to safety first.
He threw Mia’s door all the way open. Darkness crouched in the corners despite the overhead light. “Mia.” He called her name as he crossed the room, hoping not to frighten her, even as he pushed back the covers.
Her eyes shot open before he could call her a second time. “Jackson?” She sat up and swung her feet off the bed. “What’s wrong? Where’s Ryleigh?”
“Come with me. Quickly. Stay quiet.” He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her from the bed, his gaze continually darting from one end of the room to the other, his free hand hovering over the sword at his side.
“Ry—”
“Shh, Ryleigh’s coming.” He released her arm, placed his hand on the small of her back, and guided her toward the hall.
The instant Mia spotted her sister moving down the hallway toward her, she ran. Without a sound, she threw her arms around Ryleigh for the briefest second, then stepped back and turned to Jackson, her eyes pleading silently for reassurance.
A fist knotted in Jackson’s gut. Instincts he didn’t understand rose to the surface, hindering his ability to think logically. He’d been devoid of emotions for hundreds of years before he met Ryleigh and Mia, and the overload of feelings battered him. He must keep them safe.
Ryleigh kept an arm draped protectively over Mia’s shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. But anger filled them as well. And determination. The same need to protect her sister that had filled them the first time he’d seen her. The love that had kept him from killing her as he’d been instructed. He tore his gaze from hers in an effort to gain some sort of focus.
Eleanor Jacobs stood beside them, sword in hand, a dangerous scowl out of place on her delicate features. Her aggressive stance pulled him quickly back to reality.
He didn’t dare speak, didn’t dare mask the slightest sound that might signal an attack. He drew his eyebrows together and held her stare.
She used her sword to point toward the living room, signaling the direction her husband had gone.
He glanced quickly over his shoulder in the direction she indicated before leaning close to Ryleigh’s ear. “Seek out Elijah.” The prophet would keep them safe until he could figure out what was going on and return to Cymmera.
She nodded and pulled Mia closer.
As soon as he shifted his attention back to Eleanor, she sheathed her weapon at her waist, pressed her hands together, fingers entwined, and lifted them over her head.
The familiar tingle washed through Jackson. Like static electricity.
The intensity increased until she could no longer contain it. Eleanor ripped her hands apart, tearing a portal open in the dim hallway, revealing the Kingdom of Cymmera.
The familiar white stone walls of the castle brought immediate comfort, and Jackson had to resist the overwhelming urge to follow the girls through the portal.
Ryleigh turned to look at him, wisps of long blonde hair framing her face, and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. It sent a jolt through him, reminiscent of the jolt of electricity when he called a portal. He held her worried gaze until the last of Cymmera disappeared, tamping down the desire she elicited.
With the girls removed from immediate danger, Jackson’s resolve hardened. He turned a slow circle in the hallway, reaching out with all of his senses. He moved down the hallway toward Mia’s room, then stood just outside the door where Ryleigh had left the bat. Matt Jacobs would secure the property, search every inch of the yard and house. But he wouldn’t find anything. Whoever had been there was long gone, leaving no trace of what his intent had been.
Positioning his back against the wall, Jackson crouched and ran a hand over the spot where someone must have stood. He placed his hand flat against the floor, and let his eyes fall shut, trusting his instincts completely. If someone tried to attack, he would undoubtedly sense it. Energy flowed into his hand, heated his palm. Someone familiar had stood there. Someone he knew. He concentrated on that one spot, desperate to bring it into focus.
The heat dissipated. The knowledge was there, yet so elusive, like a wisp of smoke carried away on a soft breeze. He couldn’t quite grasp it. Giving up, he stood and faced Matt Jacobs. “Find anything?�
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“Nah, nothing. But I didn’t really expect to.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “What do you want to do?”
Matt stared at him, sword held ready. “I don’t know.” With one last look around, he sheathed his sword at his side. “We’ve built a life here, Jackson. Eleanor and I. And yet…I don’t know. I guess sometimes I miss my home.”
Jackson grinned at the other man. “So come home then.”
Matt’s crooked smile didn’t quite reach his dark eyes. “Maybe. I don’t know. I wish it was that simple.” He sighed and propped his hand on his sword handle, fingered the jeweled design. “Anyway. For the moment, I’ll return to Cymmera, until we can figure out what’s going on. I don’t want Eleanor in danger. That’s part of the reason I left in the first place.”
The admission cut through Jackson. His kingdom was in danger, and because of that, some of his people had fled. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.”
The other man waved him off. “It wasn’t your fault. The girls needed protection. You simply did what you had to do. Besides, you made it very clear when you asked me to take them that I had the option of saying no. I like Ryleigh, and Mia’s a great kid. And they are princesses of Cymmera. No matter where I choose to live, my loyalty will always lie with my kingdom.”
“You’re a good man, Matt.” Jackson clapped him on the back. “Thank you.”
“Come on. Let’s go check on them.” Matt’s gaze darted one last time around the hallway, before he turned, lifted his hands, and tore open a portal to Cymmera. He glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Jackson. This time joy flickered in his eyes. “It’s been too long. I forgot how amazing it feels to hold all of that barely contained energy.”
They stepped through the portal into the castle and waited to be sure nothing followed them while the portal closed.
If he knew Ryleigh, she would settle Mia but not stray too far from her side. He thanked Matt again and jogged up the stairs into the tower that held Ryleigh and Mia’s chambers. He pushed open the heavy wooden door and found Ryleigh curled on the couch hugging a pillow against her chest.
Battle for Cymmera Page 26