I opened it, then laughed through my tears. Inside were two cold cheeseburgers and a large order of lamb kebab. “Thank you, sweetie. But—how did you get here?” I craned my neck to look behind him, expecting to see Jason coming down the hill, but there was no sign of him.
“Jason brought me.” He pointed to the top of the mound. “We waited up there until the big man with the beard went away. Then he told me to come down.”
Jason must have seen me with Michael and waited for him to leave, before sending Geordi down the hill. But where was he now?
I grabbed Geordi’s hand. “Let’s go find him, so I can thank him for bringing you back.”
Geordi came willingly, but he shook his head. “He’s gone, Tata. He said he couldn’t stay, but he wanted to make sure I got back to you okay.”
Something in me cracked with a pain so sharp, I almost fell. I was furious with Jason for taking Geordi, but I understood why he had. I’d imagined finding Geordi, taking him back, then duking it out with Jason like we’d always done. And like he always had, I’d expected him to get over the anger, and stick around. Instead, it looked like he’d finally given up on me.
I ran to the top of the mound, pulling Geordi along. Though the sun was long gone, enough light lingered for us to see that, sure enough, the place was empty as always.
I turned to Geordi. “Did he say where he was going?”
Geordi shook his head, fighting the tears. I wasn’t the only one Jason had abandoned, and it made me want to kill him even more. At least Nick had never led Geordi on.
“Oh, sweetie,” I said. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Geordi said bravely, swiping his nose. “He said to give you the food, and to make sure you ate it.” He gave me a fierce look that was so much like one of Jason’s own, I wanted to cry myself.
“I promise,” I managed solemnly. “We’ll go to the car, and I’ll eat as soon as we sit down.”
Geordi nodded, and we started to walk toward the road. Eric would be waiting for us. He at least wouldn’t desert me. The Rousseaux were back in Hell for the time being, and as far as I knew, the Dioguardis didn’t know where Geordi was. I didn’t think Jason would have given him to me if they did. I didn’t know what had changed his mind—why he’d suddenly decided Geordi was safer with me. But I was eternally grateful for it.
As for what we’d do next, I had no idea. Even if I could remember how to drive Vadim’s boat, we couldn’t go back to Marseille. At least, not right away. Maybe the harbormaster in Marmaris would sell the boat for us. That would give me enough cash to get us out of Turkey.
Maybe we’d go to Switzerland. There was still Lily’s and my bank account, which I could tap into. We could take a little time to recover before I started my “temp job” as gatekeeper to the Angel of Death. At some point, I’d have to face the monumental task of how to stay on Earth. But maybe not right away. Maybe, for a little while, we’d get a reprieve.
We reached the bottom of the hill and stepped onto the road. The car was still pretty far away, but I saw Eric lounging against it. He saw us and straightened, relief evident in his every aspect. I would have waved, but I didn’t want Geordi to think I was acting crazy again.
Suddenly, Geordi stopped and looked up at me. “I forgot—Jason said something else. Right before he left.”
Hope soared—maybe he hadn’t ditched us after all. Maybe he’d told Geordi something to help me find him, or to give me a clue about why he’d left. “What is it, sweetie? What did he say?”
Geordi thought carefully, like he wanted to get it just right. “He said to tell you…I have it, too. The thing he has, but Daddy didn’t—I have it, too.”
My heart stopped and my blood froze and I stared at my sweet, angelic little nephew, with his black-black hair, and his blue-blue eyes, Jason’s words roaring through me.
Rare cases…blood so strong…
Demons can sense other demons…
Someone has to shield the baby…
Somewhere deep inside, I shook. And immediately, I felt Eric’s presence, reassuring, offering his strength, even when he didn’t know why I needed it. I was glad he was there—glad I didn’t have to face this alone.
“Tata Hyhy,” Geordi said solemnly, “am I going to be like Jason when I grow up?”
Oh, God. I didn’t know whether to hope he wouldn’t…or hope he would.
I dropped to my knees and dragged him close.
“I don’t know, sweetie. I just don’t know. But no matter what, I’ll be here with you. I will never, ever leave you—I swear it.”
A word about the author…
Kerry has been a writer since before she could read. Her father used to copy down the stories she dictated, most of which involved princesses who got bored with their princes and ran off with the dragon instead.
To this day, she likes surprising her readers. And she still likes dragons! She’s fascinated with the “other”—ghosts, psychic powers, mythical/ mythological beings—and with human relationships and interactions. She loves history, and how it connects with and influences our present and our future, and she also loves a good mystery. And science! But most of all, she loves stories—hers or someone else’s, telling them, listening to them, reading them. Which is why she’s thrilled to be here, writing them for you to (hopefully) enjoy!
She has a degree in Comparative Literature (French and Middle English—think Rabelais, Flaubert, and Gide, side by side with Chaucer, Geoffrey of Monmouth, and the Welsh Triads) from U.C. Berkeley, and a Master’s in Teaching English and Mathematics from the University of Portland. She lives in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with her husband, two “kids” in their mid-to-late teens, assorted cats and dogs, and more hot pepper plants than anyone could reasonably consume.
To connect with Kerry, visit her website at
https://kerryblaisdell.com, or go to http://bit.ly/KerrysVOML to subscribe to her Very Occasional Mailing List (to win free books and learn about upcoming releases).
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Debriefing the Dead (The Dead Series Book 1) Page 27