Ezra glances at me. All I can bring myself to do is nod. Ezra puts the SUV back into gear and turns down the street. The pine trees become thick, and the snow is falling harder now. I see cabins peppered along the drive. Ezra pulls off the main road onto a winding private driveway.
My mind focuses on Xander, remembering what he looked like the last time I saw him. All of a sudden, I sense him. I close my eyes, trying to experience more of him. I smell his cologne, recognizing the scent that was on his shirt when we were in the club that night. I feel a warmth encircle me. He knows I’m here.
We drive through a canopy of trees. When we come out the other side, I see a cabin. My heart feels like it’s in my throat. I am both eager and afraid to see him.
Ezra stops the SUV about fifty yards away from the cabin. The front porch lights are on, and I can see one light on in the cabin.
Ezra turns to Nate and me. “Stay here.”
Ezra gets out, shuts the door, and walks across the light dusting of snow on the ground. I scoot to the middle seat and lean forward, watching Ezra approach the front door.
Nate turns to me. “Jes.”
I keep my eyes on Ezra. “Yeah?”
Nate says, “I’m sorry about the way I snapped at you on the plane.”
I look at Nate.
He continues, “I don’t want you to think that I’m mad at you. It’s my stupid personality flaws, alright?”
I can feel his tension, and I put my hand on his shoulder. “Alright.”
His face is still showing signs of worry, but his body instantly relaxes from my touch. Nate sighs, smiling a little, and then he turns back to look after Ezra who has approached the door.
Nate rubs his hands together for warmth. “He knows we’re here. We should be out there with Ezra.”
Knowing that Ezra should have let us come with him, I say, “Yeah, I could sense him as we turned onto the private drive.”
With that comment, I feel tension radiate from Nate, but it disappears as quickly as it appeared.
My attention is still on the door, watching as Ezra knocks.
I feel Ezra’s voice flooding through my mind. He is letting me in, so I can read his reaction to Xander when he answers the door.
I ask Nate, “Can you hear Ezra’s thoughts?”
“Yeah, I can kind of hear them both, except Xander’s thoughts are chopped.” Nate pauses, and then asks, “Can you?”
I whisper, “Yeah.”
Xander’s in there. We all can feel it. Xander’s thoughts are very faint and scattered, like an out of tune radio station. He’s trying to block us, but with three against one new guardian, he can’t win.
Xander doesn’t come to the door. Ezra knocks again and waits, putting his hands in his pockets. We know he’s here.
I can sense Xander is curious about why we are here. He’s wondering why we would look for him after he took part in the abductions with Sam back in Miami. He keeps repeating in his head that he didn’t know. If he had known, he would have never stayed with Sam. He would have never knowingly helped him. He starts thinking of me, knowing that I’m here.
I don’t get much more than that because Xander’s thoughts stop.
I see the door open. I don’t realize it right away, but I’m holding a deep breath in.
Nate reaches for the door handle as soon as Xander partially appears through the opening.
I put my hand on Nate’s shoulder and whisper, “Don’t.”
Nate holds his movement to open his door.
I say, “He will let us know if he needs us.”
Even though I’m being the voice of reason, my body is ready to surge from this car and into that cabin if Xander tries to run.
In my mind, I hear Xander and Ezra speaking to each other.
Xander blocks the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. “Why did you come looking for me?”
Ezra sighs. “Because we need to tell you things that Sam omitted from your past.”
Xander looks around Ezra, focusing on the car. “We being you, Jesca, and Nate. What is he doing here anyway?”
Taken aback by Xander’s irritated tone, Nate whispers under his breath, “Son of a—”
I hush him, so I can continue to listen.
Ezra says, “He is a guardian, just like Jesca and me, and he is more to you than you know.”
Xander moves away from the doorway, disappearing into the cabin. Ezra turns to look at us sitting in the car. I’m sure we look like two children watching him from a quickly fogging windshield. He waves for us to come up to the cabin.
When we get out of the car, the temperature seems to have dropped at least another ten degrees. The air is intensely cold, chilling me straight to the bone. Nate and I walk with speed to the front porch and stand next to Ezra. Ezra walks in first, and we follow.
Chapter 16
Jesca
I look around the warm cabin. Rich amber-colored wood adorns the walls and much of the furnishings. My eyes gravitate to the fire that is blazing in the living room.
I hear Xander’s voice, and he sounds tired. “What? Did you think I would attack you at the door?”
I move my eyes from the fire to the kitchen where Xander is leaning against the countertop, wearing a dark blue sweater with a white T-shirt peeking out of the top and light wash jeans. My stomach flutters briefly from the anticipation of seeing him again. I look down to give myself a moment to subdue my excitement. Nate looks at me, and I know he senses it before I can curb it.
Ezra takes a seat in a chair in the living room, turning on the lamp on the side table. “You had a visitor before us.”
Xander admits, “Yes, an unwanted visitor.”
Xander glances at Nate and nods, and then he looks to me. The weight of his gaze stays with me even after I look away. I move to sit on the sofa across from Ezra, and Nate comes to sit next to me.
Xander’s eyes leave me, moving back to Ezra. “Wait. How did you know?”
Ezra crosses one leg on top of the other. “The same way you could sense us a mile away. And, believe me, Sam Crest definitely leaves an unforgettable presence in his wake.”
Noticing all of us sitting, meaning no harm to him, Xander slowly walks from the kitchen and sits in the vacant chair next to Ezra. Xander asks, “Is that why you’re here? To tell me what the hell is going on with my mind and body? Or are you here to kick my ass for being involved with Sam Crest in Miami?”
Nate snickers, and Xander looks at him with sheer anger. I elbow Nate for his bad timing on jokes. Nate whispers, “Sorry.”
Seeing that I have chided Nate, Xander looks at me. He has a hopeful look in his eyes. Jesca, please don’t hate me.
I think I can’t hate you for something you knew nothing about, Xander.
His blue-green eyes take all of me in from head to toe. My heart speeds up from the intimate feelings his weighing presence is creating in me. I clear my throat, shift in my seat, and look to Ezra in an attempt to get the conversation rolling again.
Ezra takes the cue and leans toward Xander. “First thing, we’re here to tell you things that Sam Crest never did. We want to tell you what you’re a part of.”
Xander replies, “What I’m a part of? Ezra, I left Miami because I was confused and didn’t want to be a part of anything. I didn’t know who to trust then, and I still don’t know who to trust.” Xander looks at each of us, pleading for us to understand why we haven’t earned his trust.
Ezra says, “I know, Xander, but that is precisely why we have come. We have answers for you—answers that your adopted father withheld from you. Just hear me out, and then you can decide if you trust us or not, alright?”
Xander sits back, sinking deeper into the chair. He closes his eyes. I can hear his thoughts again. He is contemplating if he should listen to three Dobrian guardians that are supposed to be the enemy. Well, ‘enemy’ according to what his warped and sadistic adopted father told him anyway. After a minute, Xander opens his eyes. “Alright, I’l
l listen.”
Ezra’s eyes stay focused on Xander as he begins to tell Xander about his life. “You were born to Paul and Rebekah Sera in Boulder, Colorado. When you were five years old, your parents were murdered.”
Xander puts up his hand to stop Ezra from speaking. He looks utterly confused. “Wait. My grandmother told me they were in a car accident while on vacation.”
Ezra watches as Xander processes what he’s saying. He continues, “Your parents were Dobrian guardians.”
Xander puts his hands on his head and whispers, “I thought they were Sondian guardians.”
Ezra emphasizes, “Your parents were Dobrian guardians. They were not on vacation. They were on a mission. They got in too deep, and they were killed by a Sondian.” Ezra pauses briefly. “They were killed by Sam Crest. That is why he wanted you to think the opposite.”
Xander’s face becomes stone-like, all expression and color escaping as the betrayal surfaces.
Ezra explains, “The state granted your grandmother, Nina Fosstin, sole custody of you. When Nina passed, you became a ward of the state. Being in a foster home didn’t sit well with you, so you hopped from shelter to shelter until the day I tracked you down.”
Xander looks at Ezra with confusion in his eyes. His mind tries to make sense of when Ezra tracked him down before this.
Realization hits Xander’s mind. “You! A man was following me. I was afraid he was from the state. I was afraid he was going to put me back into the system, so I bolted. That was you?”
Ezra nods his head in agreement. “I was trying to tell you about your parents, who they were, who you are, and your inherited responsibility as a guardian. Then, Sam came.”
Xander yells, “Damn it! I was scared. If I wasn’t, all of this might have—”
Ezra warns Xander, “Don’t! You were a kid, and you were afraid. I did the same when Sebastian came to me.”
Xander is completely engulfed in Ezra’s words, and I feel like I can breathe easier for just a little while. I say a small prayer of thanks for Xander’s willingness to listen to Ezra.
Ezra tells Xander about Sebastian and Balthazar, Dobria and Sonde, and the implantation of Copulas. He describes Xander’s story of being implanted. Then, Ezra recounts my guardianship and relation to Sebastian. He explains that Anna was his wife and my mother. He continues by detailing when Sam Crest murdered Anna in the cabin while I sat in my crib in another room.
Hearing that story again chokes me up, and I have to excuse myself to the kitchen until Ezra is done explaining my mother’s passing.
Then, Ezra tells him about the upcoming collision of our galaxy with Andromeda. I’m waiting for Xander to have a reaction similar to mine.
Looking back, I thought Ezra was insane when he told me about the collision. It took a little while for the shock to wear off.
But, Xander doesn’t bat an eye. He takes everything Ezra is feeding him in stride.
Maybe he’s taking everything so well because all of this news is mild compared to the life he lived as a child.
He lost his parents and then his grandmother. He was put into foster care, ran away, and then the trusted father figure that took him in betrayed him. When someone has lived through things like that, it’s hard for anything else to come as a shock.
I walk back into the living room as Ezra tells Xander about his purpose. “Just as I told Jesca, Nate, and the other guardians, these abilities that you possess have always been within you, hidden your entire life. They are hereditary. The Copula you were implanted with as a child has intensified the strength of those abilities so that you can guard humanity. You are a Dobrian guardian, and your purpose is to use those abilities to protect yourself and our human race during and after the intersection. Your Copula will help you adapt to our changing world, survive it, and evolve within it.”
Xander sits quietly and leans forward. He puts his elbows on his knees, resting his mouth on his intertwined fingers. Xander stares into the fire. He looks tortured.
I remember that feeling like it was yesterday. I don’t want to see him go through it. It hurts me to watch it stir within him. I get the urge to walk over to him and hug him, but I hold still on the sofa, gripping the cushion on both sides of my legs.
Xander stands and walks to the fireplace mantel. “I don’t even know what my abilities are, Ezra. I’ve only stumbled upon a couple of them because I’ve had to…to survive.”
Ezra nods. “That is why we came. I knew that as soon as you started discovering them, it would be hard to hold back the others from surfacing within you.”
Ezra looks to both Nate and me now, and then he returns his gaze back to Xander. “We are going to help you discover what you are capable of. And, if you’re anything like your cousin, then we’ll have a lot to work with.”
Ezra moves his hand to his mouth nervously, realizing that his thoughts that should have remained in his head slipped out.
I think, Smooth, Ezra, real smooth.
His eyes shoot daggers in my direction.
Xander turns from the mantel, facing Ezra with his hands on his hips. “Cousin? I don’t have a cousin.”
Ezra leans back in the chair, sinking down a little. “Uh, yeah, about that.” Ezra stands abruptly and walks to the kitchen. He mumbles, “Nate Sera is your cousin.”
Xander’s mouth tightens. His jaw is visibly twitching from his frustration. His eyes go straight to Nate. “You’re my cousin?”
I see that Xander has found his threshold for shocking news. And, it’s Nate.
Xander starts walking toward Nate. Nate stands, and I quickly jump between them.
I call for backup. “Ezra!”
Xander growls at me accusingly, “How long have you known?”
I snap back at him, “I just found out yesterday, Xander! Nate didn’t even know. His parents never told him.”
Ezra moves quickly back into the living room, standing between Xander and me.
Ezra says, “Xander, it’s true. I just told them.”
Xander looks from Ezra to Nate. Xander backs up and starts pacing. He keeps his eyes on Ezra. “How could I not know about my aunt, uncle, and cousin?”
Ezra answers, “There was a falling out between your father and Nate’s. Nate’s father pleaded with your father and mother to become inactive for your sake, like Nate’s parents had done for him. Your mother and father refused, saying the only way they could guarantee your safety is if they remained active. After that falling out, your parents and your aunt and uncle were estranged. I would assume your mother’s mother—your grandmother—knew nothing about the rest of your family because of the separated relationship.”
When he spoke to us yesterday, Ezra did not tell us the story about Nate and Xander’s estranged parents or the story behind my adopted parents’ relation to them. I realize that this means my sister, Bethany, is related to Nate and Xander. They are blood cousins.
I speak up. “Nate and Xander, you have another cousin by blood. My adopted parents, your aunt and uncle, had a biological child, Bethany.”
Both Nate and Xander look at me. They are as astonished as I am.
Ezra looks at Nate, and then he glances at Xander. “I get that you both have a bond with my daughter. To what degree, I don’t know. When things went down that night in Miami, the tension was instantly evident between you two,” Ezra raises his voice in anger. “Whatever was going on between you two in regard to Jesca needs to be put aside for all of our sakes. All of our lives are on the line.”
His voice cracks a little, and it causes me to look at his reaction. His eyes are red. He blows out his lower lip, looks down at his feet, and puts his hands on his hips.
He says, “Her life is on the line.”
Xander is looking at Ezra now, like he is studying him and trying to read his thoughts. “Why is her life in more danger than ours?”
Xander looks over Nate’s shoulder at me with concern written all over his face.
Ezra explains, “Sam was af
ter Jesca as well as Corinna that night in the club. He was after her in Georgia before you were sent to track Jesca and me. Xander, Jesca’s abilities surpass all of the other guardians. The only other guardian that possessed similar abilities was her mother. The Sondian fellowship wants to eliminate Jesca because they know that she can put an end to their plans with the intersection. Sam is their assassin, and he is more than eager to be the one that brings down the foundation of our fellowship.”
Xander asks, “Where is Sam? He came to me this afternoon before you arrived. Was he really here, or was that a projection of him in my dreams? Like that lucid…whatever you were talking about.”
Ezra says, “He came to you in a lucid dream. He astral projected his soul, his life force, here to check up on you. He is in Japan with Corinna.”
Xander questions, “How did he know where to find me?”
Nate chimes in, “You have been out of the cabin. Sondians and Dobrians are everywhere. It’s not just us. How do you think we were able to find you?”
Running his hand over his mouth, Xander mutters, “They are always watching.”
Xander folds his arms over his chest. He continues to look out the window. A flash of lightning reflects an amber color across his face. The lightning has become more intense since we arrived.
Xander turns toward us and slowly walks away from the window. “Alright, what do we do now?”
It seems unbelievable that Xander could be so accepting of everything Ezra just told him. It makes me a little envious of his ability to accept things the way they have been laid out for him.
I say, “So, you’re completely fine with everything Ezra just told you?”
Xander looks at me with his magnetic blue-green eyes. “Nothing that he’s told me is fine. All of it is a disaster and insane, but I can sense that Ezra is telling me what I have needed to know my whole life—the truth. No matter how screwed up all of this is, it is still the truth, and that is all I have ever wanted.”
Xander walks over to stand in front of Nate. He sighs before speaking. “Finding out that you’re related to me was definitely an insane moment, but now knowing that you are my blood makes me want to fight alongside you and not against you.”
Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) Page 10