Chapter 6
Brent stood outside of Jacinda’s hotel room. He had always regretted not knowing how to find her or her mother. And he understood enough about the situation to believe they thought they were protecting everyone.
They weren’t. Tyrell lost his life when they could have found a way to stop it.
“Knock, dude.” Preston patted him on the back. “Seriously, why are we waiting out here? Don’t you want to meet her?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want her to hate me for not being there.”
“Doubt she’s going to blame you. Now knock,” Preston urged.
Before he got the chance Jacinda opened the door. Big, pale green eyes full of sadness greeted him. Her power flowed past and around him. And he thought his power was a smorgasbord, but Jacinda far surpassed that.
Her head tipped before she glanced down and back up. “You’re my grandfather?”
“Yeah, Tyrell was my son. I’m Brent Shadows. Whatever you feel like calling me is fine. I’m sure you aren’t used to having grandparents around.”
She shook her head. “No, unfortunately, the only family I’ve ever truly spent time with was my mother.”
“I am so very sorry for your loss. I wish Tyrell had trusted me to help.”
Her face scrunched up. “He left a note saying to trust you. I don’t think he distrusted you. I think my mother convinced him not to take your help. She meant well, but she knew better than anyone how everyone who gets too close to us dies.” She glanced back at Chatan.
He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Not this time,” Chatan promised.
Brent couldn’t be much happier in their pairing. He’d seen a few brief visions of how they brought out the best qualities in each other.
Wanting to be clear, Brent vowed, “Anything I can do to help, I will do. I want to understand.”
She stepped back, pulling Chatan with her. “Come in.”
Robert looked around. “We should take this to Brent’s home. I think it would be best to discuss everything there.”
Jacinda glanced outside and frowned. “What about my car?”
“We’ll take care of that, if you trust me,” Robert assured. “My nephew will drive it back. He’s been looking for an excuse to take a road trip with his mate.”
She turned her attention back to Brent. “And where do you live?”
“Seattle.”
“Which is close to your father, right?” she asked Chatan.
“Very,” Chatan answered. “In fact, I have an old vehicle there. I’m sure he’d bring it to us to use until your car arrives.”
“Okay.”
“You’re welcome in my home,” Brent stated.
Chatan ducked his head. “Already talked to Eddie and Jackie about staying with them. But it’s up to Jacinda.”
“Either way. They’re a few blocks from me.” Brent touched Jacinda’s arm. “I do want to get to know you.”
She blinked, then winced. “Same. I’m sorry, I should be more enthusiastic—”
“But you just lost your mother. Don’t apologize. I wish I knew the whole story, but I only know a small piece.”
Jacinda leaned into Chatan as she met Brent’s gaze. “My mother thought staying away from everyone kept us safer.” She blew out a breath. “I’m not sure I agree with that anymore, but I never had anyone in my life to make me reconsider.”
“You do now,” Brent answered.
“I need to grab my things, but then I’m ready,” Jacinda said.
Robert dipped his head. “I’ll need your keys.”
“Sure, but Chatan has them at the moment.”
“Only because you were so upset,” Chatan explained as he handed them to Robert. “It’s the blue Toyota Tercel out there.”
“I’ll be back for it after we get you where we’re going,” Robert assured.
“My house, for now. I’ll take them to Jackie and Eddie’s when they’re ready.” Brent looked at Jacinda. “If you’re okay with that.”
Nodding, she gathered her few things that weren’t in the box and placed them inside.
“That’s all?” Brent asked.
“I transmute everything. It’s easier that way.” She lifted a shoulder.
Impressive and sad. There was so much he wanted to do for her. Yet, Brent needed to learn more, so he didn’t offend her. He wanted to make up for all the lost time, but he’d figure that out.
* * * *
Brent’s aura flowed with power. Colors rippled around him, magic, so many emotions. Regret, love, sadness. All for her?
Jacinda couldn’t bring herself to ask why he lost touch with her father if he cared so much, but she was willing to bet it had everything to do with her mother.
She didn’t want to think badly of her mother, especially now that she was dead, yet she was having a hard time coming to terms with everything.
Robert touched her shoulder and she met his gaze. “Yes?”
“Ready?”
“Yeah.”
Robert reached out for Chatan. Everyone else touched him. Then they were in a living room with shelves of books, a large entertainment center, and warmer touches she wouldn’t have expected of a sorcerer. Then again, Chatan had explained he had known Brent for years, and he was a good friend of Eddie and Jackie’s.
Chatan took the box and set it on a table in the adjacent dining room. Clearly, he’d been there. It was so strange to think a man she only recently met knew her grandfather and was familiar with his home.
“Sit, please. Can I get you something to drink? Eat?” Brent asked.
Chatan pulled her onto a couch.
Robert offered a smile. “We’ll send Chatan the information about your car. We need to do what we can for your mother.”
He disappeared with Preston and Jacinda closed her eyes with the new wave of sadness washing over her. Chatan wrapped her in his embrace without a word.
After a few moments, she opened her eyes and found Brent sitting before her. He took her hands. “I wish there were something I could say or do to prove I will help you, no matter what it takes.”
She let out a breath before asking, “Do you even know what Thanatos is?”
“Not exactly, but with some information, I can figure that out. I won’t stop until we find him and end him. He took my son, the daughter-in-law I never got to know, and he wants you. He can’t have you.”
“I’ll tell you what I know, and I won’t blame you if you reconsider.”
He snorted. “You definitely don’t know me if you think I’d ever give up on family.”
Chatan squeezed her hand. “He won’t, Jace. One thing I know for certain, if Brent says he’ll do something, he will. He’ll stop at nothing.”
Jacinda looked at Chatan, then Brent. She explained everything she knew. How Thanatos had planned to slaughter one of her early ancestors, but she made him fall in love. Then he followed her all through her travels and she cursed him to be trapped in the shadow realm between worlds. Only he managed to curse her and now hunted her bloodline. At least, that’s what had been passed down for generations. At this point, she couldn’t be sure of anything.
Brent sat back, rubbing his jaw. “Thanatos summoned an entity from another realm and became something more?” He stood up and paced away. “And from the symbols on Mina’s body, I may know where it came from. Which means Amelia may know of a way to stop him.”
Jacinda shook her head. “He’s not possessed by a demon. How would you stop him?”
Brent looked at the ceiling for a second, then answered, “Spirits and demons are often just entities from another realm and essentially the same thing. And I helped Amelia stop Crom Cruach a few months ago.”
She held up a hand. “An Irish god?”
“Not a god. A very powerful being from another realm. My guess, the world he was from died, and he was somewhere between, influencing worshipers in Ireland, until someone tried to summon him and help him possess someone. His essence created the first vampire. My blood bound put a stop to Crom Cruach before he could be pulled fully into this world.”
The door opened, and in walked a beautiful woman with auburn hair. She couldn’t be any older than Jacinda, yet she was a vampire, and something far more.
Brent walked to her. “Amelia, this is my granddaughter Jacinda, and you’ve met Chatan, right?”
She nodded. “Hi, Chatan. A pleasure, Jacinda. Sorry, just woke for the day.” She held up the note with a smile at Brent. “Everything okay?”
“No, not in the slightest, and we’ll need your help. Did you hear all that?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I need a little more background.”
Brent rubbed his neck, then looked at Jacinda. “My son, Tyrell, left thirty years ago and only sent letters. He wanted to protect me from what was hunting his wife. He died twenty years ago. Mina died in the last couple days. I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting Jacinda, but I showed you this picture a while back.”
Jacinda caught a glimpse. It was the same picture that fell out of her father’s journal.
Amelia smiled. “That’s both of you?”
Chatan nodded. “That was the only time we met before recently. I didn’t remember until my dad mentioned it just a few days ago.”
“Well, Jacinda, Thanatos needs to be stopped. He’s hunted down most of your family,” Amelia announced.
“I have to figure out how,” Jacinda answered.
Brent sat down in front of her. “We’re helping you whether you like it or not.”
“Figured that.” Jacinda blew out a breath. “Look, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it, but we’ve been fighting this battle forever. I’m not used to other people getting directly involved. None of us are.”
“We’ll find a way,” Brent assured.
Chatan rubbed Jacinda’s back. “Trust him. Besides, my father should have some more answers. We all just need to get together so we can come up with a solid plan.”
“When do you want to contact him?” Jacinda asked.
“Do you want to get some sleep before then? We can plan it for tomorrow, probably in the morning. You can meet Eddie and Jackie tonight.”
She rubbed at her face.
“Would you rather stay here?” Brent asked.
She didn’t have a damned clue where she wanted to stay. Turning to Chatan, she asked, “Where do you want to stay?”
“Up to you, Jace. I don’t expect you to be happy wherever we go tonight.”
“I don’t know. You know these people better. You decide.”
Chatan looked at Brent. “No offense, but I’d be most comfortable with Eddie. I think Jacinda may too, until she gets used to the idea of having a grandfather.”
“Of course. I can drive you over, unless you would prefer to walk,” Brent offered. Then he turned to Jacinda. “Just one thing. Promise you will take the time to get to know me. Doesn’t have to be right away.”
She nodded, her heart twisting. “I think being there might be easier. At least for the night.”
“We’ll drive you over. Maybe we can all eat dinner tonight, if you have an appetite.”
“I’ll need to eat either way. But that sounds good. Chatan says you’re friends with them both.”
“I am. Though it started by my sister asking me to watch over her daughter. Jackie is my niece.”
“You can tell me the story another day.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Now, let’s get you over there. Jackie has texted several times asking when you’ll be there.”
“That’s daunting,” Jacinda answered.
“She’s known Chatan almost as long as Eddie. They are good friends.” He gave Chatan a look that chilled her bones. Hopefully, she wasn’t the other girl he’d fallen in love with at some point. Did she really want to know the other woman he’d loved?
Chatan sighed. “Don’t. I know what you’re thinking. You have nothing to worry about.”
“How close were you two?” Jacinda asked. Brent’s demeanor surrounding Jackie made her question things she hadn’t considered.
“We’ve been friends since we were kids. And long before either of them were willing to admit what they wanted, I had a brief relationship with her. Long enough to know she loved Eddie, and that was never going to change. I haven’t wanted her since I realized who she was meant for. Besides, she was an attempt to get over Jenna. One that failed miserably.”
Jacinda nodded slowly. She could live with that. “That’s a relief. I had to know, though.”
“If I had known you were in my future, I would have never touched another woman.”
Jacinda couldn’t help the small laugh. “Please, don’t. I’m not upset. You mentioned being in love twice before. Can you blame me for wanting to know if Jackie was the other one to break your heart?”
He caressed her face. “She’s a good friend. She didn’t hurt me. We were intimate exactly once and we both knew we could never do it again. If that’s too awkward, we can stay here. Or a hotel. I could even take you to the cabin I have on my father’s reserve if this is all too much.”
She took his hands. “I trust you, and her. But if I ever meet the other, will you warn me first?”
“You have my word, and when we’re alone I’ll tell you about that, so you don’t worry anymore.”
“I won’t be jealous. I just want to understand.”
“You have my word. Now, are you ready?”
“I am.”
Brent squeezed her shoulder. “If it makes you feel any better, Eddie gave him a black eye and bloody lip for going there with Jackie.”
“No, that doesn’t.”
“Oh, I like you. Smart enough to want to deal with emotions, and not petty enough to want revenge for something long in the past,” Brent murmured.
“Seems silly to worry about something that far back. As long as there aren’t lingering feelings.” Her face scrunched. “Sorry.”
“You’re fine, Jace. I should have mentioned it sooner.” He squeezed her hand. “Wasn’t sure how you’d take it.”
“As long as she isn’t like Jenna, I’m good.”
Chatan shook his head. “Oh no. She’s not. Not at all. I can’t stand to be around her if you haven’t noticed.”
A slow smile spread. “Then I won’t mention it again. I know who you want.”
“You, now and forever,” he vowed.