by J. P. Grider
Ethan looks as confused as I feel.
“How can I put this so you’ll understand,” she wonders. “There’s a glitch in his DNA. He can feel like an empath…all the pain and suffering that we feel, he feels. But when he touches you…instead of healing you and taking the pain away…he…well, he takes the life out of you.” My beautiful birth mother turns to me, “Like he did that day to you in his car.”
“You were there?” I ask in amazement.
“Yes, we have no choice but to go where Storm goes…until now that is.” She looks to her husband and to Summer. “I think we need to leave, so that Honor can save Storm’s life. Us being here may be the reason it’s not working.”
“But he’s dead,” I say. “I can’t bring him back to life. I can only heal people who are alive.”
“No, Honor. You’re special.” My mom kneels and presses her hand to my face now. “You can bring him back to life. We all can if we try hard enough.” My mom tells me with a sincerity of a heavenly being.
“No. At whose expense?” Ethan says. “She’ll die young.”
My mom smiles her angelic smile. “God put us here for a reason, Ethan. To help others. Yes, our lives are cut short, but we are doing God’s work.”
“No,” he insists. “It is not God’s work to die saving others. It is His work to save them if they should be saved. Otherwise, it is their turn to die. To every thing there is a season…remember?”
She still smiles, undeterred by Ethan’s rant. “To every thing there is a purpose,” she reminds him. “We are heroes,” her sweet voice resonates deep in my heart.
Mom looks at me. “You are a hero, Honor,” she kisses my forehead. Dad follows and then they walk towards Summer.
Summer gives Ethan a hug and says, “Remember who you are, Ethan.” She kisses him on the cheek and grabs both my parents’ hands.
In one white moment, they float to the heavens where they belong…leaving us to live as we should.
Mom’s words invigorate me.
I lay my left hand next to my right. With all my might, I concentrate on Storm – absorb his pain, his blood, his soul.
Closing my eyes, I allow Storm in. My arms heat up again. I convulse as my lungs fill with pain. Screaming because I’m on fire inside, it takes all my energy not to pull away. I hear a swishing sound blow past my face. In the faint background I hear Ethan yell, “The bullet.” Storm’s wound burns under my hands, but the hole gets smaller. Though my eyes are still closed, I know his skin is joining beneath my touch. His hot skin turns warm…then cooler. My hands rise…and fall. Rise and fall. I feel his heart beating through his back. And at the sound of his breath catching in his throat, I collapse on the ground.
Chapter Thirty-Two
I wake lying in my bed in my very own bedroom surrounded by flowers, balloons, and…boys. Well, Ethan and Storm to be exact. Ethan is sitting at my desk in one corner of my room; Storm is on my mended beanbag chair in the other corner. I blink my eyes a couple times to adjust myself to the light, then I push myself up on my elbows and lay my head against the headboard.
“Storm,” I say first, glad to see him smiling and upright. “You’re all right.”
When he stands, I can’t help but notice how beautiful he is. The bed dips next to my hip where he sits. “Thanks to you…I couldn’t be any better.” Storm bends to kiss my forehead, but right before he does, I notice that spark in his eye. The same one I see every time he looks at me. And I can’t help but think that he sees the same spark in my eyes when I look at him. But I love Ethan…and I could never disappoint him by allowing him to see my feelings for Storm. Though I can’t help keep him from feeling what I’m feeling for Storm. But I’m sure Ethan will ignore those feelings…just like he has been.
Storm’s kiss is warm and tender on my forehead, while the butterflies in my stomach assault me much like stinging wasps rather than sweet Lepidoptera. “I owe you my life, Honor.” Storm smiles. “Thank you so, so much. Anything…anything…you ever need or want, I will give to you. That is my promise.” He rises from my bed, tips his proverbial hat towards Ethan and leaves my room, closing the door behind him.
Ethan sits on the other side of the bed and takes my hand. “How are you? You feeling okay?” he asks.
“Yeah. A little groggy…and weak, but…for the most part, I’m good.”
Moving in closer, Ethan kisses my lips, leaving them there for a few wonderful moments. Of course, I kiss him back. When he pulls away, he gazes into my eyes. “Honor,” he pauses, unsure of himself. “Um…about your…um…parents. Do you remember seeing them?”
A smile spreads across my face as tranquility washes over me. “Yes. I remember.” But I don’t dwell on the subject. I’d like the memory to remain untouched. “Tell me, Ethan. What happened afterwards…with the elixir, the Gaffer…are we still in danger?”
He shakes his head. “Not for the time being. Hunter and Uncle Tom helped us lug the elixir out of the school. We know we weren’t followed. We also sort of buried the dead bodies under some brush. Hopefully they’ll stay hidden for a while. No one has bothered us yet and it’s been almost two weeks.”
“Two weeks?” I interrupt. “I’ve been out that long?”
A soft smile plays across Ethan’s lips. “Pretty much. You’d come awake a bit, and then you’d fall right back to sleep. Your parents wanted us to call a doctor, but then we’d have to explain the events leading up to what happened. We kinda wanted to keep that to ourselves….Storm was good at convincing them you’d be okay. Tamlin helped too.”
“Tamlin?”
“Yeah. Well, she told us you filled her in on your secret, so…we filled her in on the rest. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Oh no, of course not. She was here?”
“Yeah…and I think she has a thing for Storm.”
I watch Ethan’s face and I know he’s looking for a reaction from me, but I just laugh it off…though it’s killing me inside. “So no one is after us anymore? I find that hard to believe.”
“Well…I think taking out two of their men halted them for a while. We’re not out of the dark forever, but…I think we’re safe for now…Anyway, let’s not talk about that. C’mere.”
I fall effortlessly into Ethan’s arms as he slides next to me on the bed. I feel his heart pacing way too fast and I sense his anxiety. “I love you, you know,” I say, knowing he needs to hear it.
“I love you too, baby.” He pulls me close and I fall asleep on Ethan’s shoulder, thinking…this is exactly where I want to be…for now.
The End
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Acknowledgements
I’d like to start by dedicating this book to my children – Matt, Sarah, Mary, and Christina.
I’d also like to once again thank my beautiful stepdaughter Melissa for her remarkable vision in storytelling. Without her, my stories wouldn’t be what they are.
A huge thank you also goes out to my wonderful editor Sue Toth. I can’t believe how many grammar rules I had forgotten or never knew. Thank you, Sue, for setting me on the right path.
As always, I wouldn’t stay sane through the writing process without my writing possé – Amber Dane, Kathleen Ball, Stefan Ellery, and Jessica Musso (Lupo). Thank you for your never ending encouragement.
And last but certainly most – my heartfelt gratitude goes out to my husband Johnny for his patience with me while I set out to launch a new career at this point in my life. Thank you, honey, for all you have to put up with. I love you so much.
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