Chapter 33
Chatan went outside and sat on the step to the porch. “What’s up, Eddie?”
“Josephine Monvoisin is wanted for a list of crimes I can’t even begin to understand. And Jacinda is Brent’s granddaughter. Shit, I didn’t know he had kids until ten minutes ago.”
“What?” Chatan shook his head. Brent was a sorcerer, among other things, who helped Eddie and Jackie because he was Jackie’s cousin. He was part Fae. “Grandfather?”
“Yeah, he hasn’t seen anything but a picture when she turned two. She’s sitting in your lap.”
“What the fuck?” Chatan demanded.
“Shit, I don’t know. You were like ten. She was little, maybe two. You seemed to adore her. She wouldn’t let go of your hair. It’s the only picture he has of her, and I’m sure it’s you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, neither do I. I can’t get a hold of your father. Your brothers don’t remember anything to do with that. I have no solid answer. He hasn’t seen his son in thirty years. He got the occasional letter until his death twenty years ago.”
“Oh fuck. I need to talk to my father.”
“You love her, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I do. She’s the one I’ve been waiting for.”
“Then don’t freak out about her relation to Brent. I doubt she even knows.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so. And why the hell would that bother me? But maybe we can reunite her with family. That makes her Jackie’s cousin.” He rubbed at his face, and considered how to tell Jacinda about his brief fling with Jackie.
“Yeah. Toryn has some interesting notes about her family. Only women born for a thousand of years. Only a few left. Something bad is hunting them. Brent’s looking into it.”
“Thanatos. She said his name is Thanatos. She only knows part of the story. Shit, we need to deal with Josephine before I can bring her out there.”
“Yeah, and Mike is part of the team that’s headed out there to deal with her.”
“When will they be here?” Chatan asked.
“Tomorrow. They want to do this right. They want the elders’ cooperation to get the proof they need to destroy her.”
“Yeah, they’ll be happy to fork it over. But can you guarantee they won’t mind Jacinda being what she is?”
He snorted. “Not going to be a problem. They all respect Brent. I’m more worried about how his blood bound is going to react, but Amelia is pretty fucking cool.”
Chatan shook his head. “That little redhead? Isn’t she human?”
“Vampire and a sorceress as of a couple months ago. She’s pretty scary when she wants to be.”
“Hmm, well, good to know.”
“And I think Amelia will be fine with it, but they aren’t far apart in age. That’s what will make things interesting.”
Chatan snorted. “Of course. Well, I should go. Thanks for the info. Go ahead and give Mike or whoever needs it my contact info. Jacinda is worried I’d somehow dump her after learning about Thanatos, but that’s not happening.”
“What I found on this thing hunting her family, I can’t blame her. Must be hard knowing something plans to devour your soul. At least that’s the theory.”
“Right. Hey, tell Jackie hi for me.”
“Will do. Can’t wait to meet Jacinda.” Eddie hung up.
Chatan found Jacinda staring out the window.
“Still worried I won’t choose you?”
“My father died luring that thing away. Promise you’ll never do that for me.”
Chatan shook his head. “No, but I’ll help you figure out how to stop him.”
She nodded, leaning against the window. “I hope my father was right. He was convinced I need Hawk’s help, but Hawk needs Dove. So, it’s this big circle, because Dove needs me. And none of it makes sense. Dove is the gift. And my soulmate must be you.”
He nodded. “I can agree with that.”
She reached for his hand, then pulled him closer when he took hers. “What if I can’t stop him?”
“Weren’t you the one who told me I could do more than I thought?”
She nodded.
“Stop doubting yourself. I believe in you. I believe in us. So, how about we make love, then maybe you can start trying to teach me? How to use my magic.”
She grinned. “Gladly.”
In the morning, he could call his father. Maybe his father would finally tell him the truth about what happened to his mother.
* * * *
Jacinda sat on his couch in nothing but his T-shirt while he sat in a pair of shorts. She smiled as she took his hands and placed them palm up on her knees. Then she touched the center.
“Okay, Chatan, imagine sparks, right where my fingers are.”
“Don’t cheat and do it for me.”
She smiled. “If you can’t do it after a few tries, I’ll start by giving you the spark to manipulate. Sometimes conjuring elements is harder than starting with them.”
His lips screwed up as he focused on his hands, then closed his eyes. “Stop touching the spot.”
She giggled, but her hands moved away. He lifted the back of his hands off her knees and focused.
There was a snap, then a crackle. He opened one eye to see her leaning back on her elbows, her arms far away from him and sparks dancing in his palms.
Light danced through her eyes. “Not so hard, and no, I didn’t help.”
He pushed more energy into the tiny sparks and lightning arced off his fingertips. “I’m doing this?”
“Yes, you are. All I had to do was tell you how to focus. It gets easier with practice. Soon you’ll call it without even thinking about it.”
He closed his hands and dove on her, pinning her down as he kissed her. “You really have broken through whatever was blocking everything.”
“Chatan, it was always there. Sometimes, those closest to us hurt us when they really want to help. Your mother didn’t know another way. She should have asked for help. And it hurt you all these years.”
He kissed her again. “She didn’t want to hurt me.”
“Of course not. But you’ve got to learn that no one but you dictates what you can do. Got it? Doesn’t matter what they say, what they do, only you can figure out what your gifts are.”
“Maybe you can heal better than you think.”
She snorted. “And some of us honestly have no gift with healing. I don’t. It doesn’t call to me the same way other magic does. And that’s okay. I can’t reproduce everything. I don’t want to either. And sometimes I surprise myself with what I manage to reproduce. However, I accepted long ago that expectations can hold you back if you let them.”
“How?”
“Because I was always stubborn by nature. Tell me I can’t, and I’ll find a way, most of the time. Couple exceptions. The healing. But that’s okay, because I learned first aid.” She pushed at his chest. “Now, we try some other tricks. See how much more we can get you to do. Okay?”
“Yeah, I’m ready.”