We laughed again and it felt so good. My tension from the apology ceremony, and the search for Jackie was disappearing with each silly giggle. I thought about the meeting tonight and how happy I was that Garrett was including me. William would be there. I remembered what his hand felt like in my hand and how soft his lips…”

  “Are you going to eat the food or just sit there and daydream about William?” I’m sure I glared at her, thinking that she’d gone into my mind, but then I saw her smiling conspiratorially. “I must have looked just like that when I thought about Garrett.” I blushed and took a forkful, and then another and soon I was thinking only about the delicious food warming my belly.

  “Liam, how do you think the meeting in Faerie went?” Jackie looked a little concerned.

  “It was a shock for my people. You don’t really know our history, but we’ve fought wars against demons in the ancient past. There will be an adjustment period for some of the more conservative fae. My family supports you as do the families of the other Elders, so you don’t need to be concerned.”

  “Wow, Liam, you’re using contractions.” He gave me a sideways glance when I started to laugh.

  “I’m afraid that, despite my best efforts, I’ve succumbed to the American passion for shortening and combining words until they lose their beauty and their impact. I’ve fought against it for years, but now that I spend so much time with you young shifters, I’ve given in. There are no contraction-al abominations in the fae language.”

  “So yo, Li, wuzzup?” Liam rolled his eyes, shook his head and went out to the patio to do some gardening while Jackie held her hand over her mouth trying not to choke. “Do you think he understood what I said?”

  “Yes, but I don’t think we should push our luck. He’s been very patient with us.” She wiped the tears away with a napkin.

  After we finished I said, “I’ll clean up. I know you want to go see Ethan and Kyle.” She nodded, gave me a quick hug and went back to her room to get ready. I hoped that Ethan wasn’t in bad shape over Sinc. I started clearing the table. Maybe later, I’d call Maya and fill her in on my crazy adventures.

  Chapter Forty-nine

  Jackie: 2:00 PM Sunday

  The drive to Kyle’s house only took me fifteen minutes, but it seemed longer because I was completely on edge. When I pulled into the driveway with the Saab, the front door sprang open and I was pulled out of the car and held in the tightest Ethan hug ever. He clutched me and kissed my head and then pushed me away so he could look at me, as if he still wasn’t positive it was me.

  “It’s me. I’m safe, so it’s all good now.” I reached up to touch Ethan’s cheek and he grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

  “But how do you feel? Oh crap, I probably shouldn't have hugged you so hard. Sorry.”

  I looked at the guy across the street who was watering his lawn. “Can we go inside? I could go for a coke.”

  “Sure, sure, I’m sorry. Come in. Kyle will be back in twenty minutes. His car was overdue for an oil change and I think he wanted to give us some time alone. He and Peter have been really great letting me stay here.”

  Peter and Kyle's home was modern, spacious and comfortable, with large couches and chairs, soft carpeting, warm colors and lots of windows to let in the sunshine. Ethan got me a coke and I sat at the kitchen table across from him. We just stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one of us wanting to be the first one to ask the serious questions. Ethan and I wouldn’t lie to each other, which would make the next few minutes tough.

  I started. “Are you quitting the team?” I couldn’t keep the catch in my voice from betraying what I hoped his answer would be.

  He looked down at his hands, then smiled a quarter smile and looked up at me again. ”I was ready to call Garrett last night to tell him I was quitting, but Kyle practically tackled me before I made it to the phone.

  To quote Kyle, ‘If you fucking even think about quitting the fucking team I’ll shoot you with the fucking crossbow.’ He had a lot of other choice words for Sinc which I won’t repeat if that’s okay.”

  “I could have predicted that reaction.” I laughed. "If I'd been here I might have tackled you too."

  He gave me a crooked smile, a clump of his hair flopping over an eye.“I’m sticking with it. It’ll suck hard core for awhile, working with both of them, but I’ll have to be a grownup. I know that she did it because I’ve been pushing her so hard. She tried to tell me a few times, but I kept thinking I could change her mind. Even you warned me. So it was partly my fault.”

  “You know that she doesn’t really give a shit about Sasha. He was—just her way out.”

  “To be honest, that upsets me more than if she actually fell for someone else. Maybe I didn’t really know her very well.”

  “She doesn’t think she deserves a guy like you.”

  He turned away. “Well I can’t live that way. She thinks I’m so great and then she sticks a knife in my heart? If she decides she wants me back and then pulls the same shit again, it’ll be ten times worse for me the next time and then again the time after that. She closed the door and it’s staying closed. I still love her, but I don’t think… I don’t trust her anymore.”

  There were dark circles under his large golden brown eyes, probably because he hadn't slept. I decided I’d better tell him. “Did you hear what I did to Sinc?”

  “What did you do, Jackie?” Kyle was standing in the doorway with two pizza boxes and a huge grin. He threw the box on the table and grabbed me for a hug and a kiss on the forehead. He got plates and more soda and sat down next to me. “Tell me you beat the crap out of her.”

  “I punched her and broke her nose.” Kyle doubled over with laughter, but Ethan just shook his head, frowning.

  “Having some anger issues, are we?”

  “You sound just like Rob.” He narrowed his eyes, waiting for me to be as honest as he’d been. “Okay, yes, I exploded. I should never have done it and I apologized. I don’t know why it happened.”

  “C'mon, we all know why it happened. You need to talk to someone who can help you. We’re here anytime you feel like you want to talk to us, but you need a professional.”

  “I’ve been to shrinks before. They’re okay, but I already know what they're gonna say so it would just be a waste of time." My two friends didn't respond. "I’ll be fine if I just take some time off, and get enough sleep.” They didn't look convinced so I looked away.

  “Rest will help your body recover, but you need someone to help you deal with your feelings. He terrorized you.” Ethan reached across the table to grab my hand, but I pulled it away.

  “I’m not afraid anymore.” I snapped at him. “Kennet is out of the way. There’s nothing for me to be afraid of.” They looked at me warily, wanting to help, but not knowing what to say.

  I stood up. “Look, I’m angry, you’re right about that.” I paced back and forth. “I’m angry that he put me in that shitty little room and made me…kiss him and…then…then fucking chained me up…and beat….beat me until I…until I couldn’t stand up.” I found myself in Ethan's arms, sobbing into his shirt while Kyle ran to get a box of tissues. Ethan led me to the couch where I sat next to him and buried my head in his shoulder, sputtering, ”I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

  Kyle was growling. “I wish I could have seen him taken by Lord Caelen. He’s going to be executed now?”

  I pulled away from Ethan and wiped my eyes. “You guys don’t know, do you?”

  “What? “ Kyle was instantly on alert. If he’d been in leopard form, his ears would have been straight up facing forward.

  “Relax, ‘cause this will take awhile.” As I wiped away the last of my tears, I told them everything about Isaiah and our discovery about my ancestry and our bargain. Kyle asked a million questions about learning to travel the lines and then they both sat shocked and silent when I told them about summoning Isaiah in Faerie to take Kennet to the demon realm for two months. When I’d finished, I waited for a sign from them to give me a clue as to how they'd taken the information.

  Kyle reacted first. He stood up from the arm chair and walked to me, then kneeled down, saying. “Jackie, you-are-my–freakin’-hero.” Ethan and I laughed. “No I mean it. Rogues, Inc. has become the premier supernatural crime fighting agency on the planet. Our salaries are going to triple. No one else has an ass-kicking demon on their payroll.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that raise, Kyle, since its Garrett who signs the checks.”

  “Well, I’m just sayin’ is all. Hey, don’t you have an in with that guy?” He grinned and plunked himself back in the chair. I turned to Ethan.

  He looked thoughtful. “You say you did it for Isaiah, because you owed him. But it was also about you taking your power back from Kennet.” I shrugged. “And how did it feel?”

  “Kind of amazing.”

  We chatted and ate a couple of slices of pizza each, joking around about some of our funnier experiences during our training. They asked me about how Garrett's nest was fitting in and how Bridgett was doing. We talked about hitting a movie together soon. I felt more relaxed than I had since I'd gotten back.

  Ethan had been watching me closely while we talked. “I think I've changed my mind. Forget about taking too much time off. Get involved with a really juicy case. The more you work and use your powers and skills the less what happened with Kennet will affect you.”

  “Ethan, I knew we made you team leader for a reason.“ I hugged him. “I have to go guys, I’ll see you tonight at the meeting.” They walked me to the door. “Thanks for all that you did to find me.” I gave them each a kiss on the cheek and then backed out of the driveway and onto the street, heading home to Garrett.

  Chapter Fifty

  Garrett: 3:00 PM Sunday

  I was up, showered and dressed but Jackie was nowhere to be found. At first I was a little annoyed, then I started getting nervous. I found Bridgett watching a movie upstairs and asked her where she’d gone.

  “She’s at Kyle’s. She wanted to talk to him and Ethan before the meeting tonight. She took your Saab.”

  I thought about jumping in the SUV and tearing over there, but then yanked myself back to reality. No one was trying to hurt or kidnap her, she was safe. It was fine for her to take the car over to Kyle’s house or to the mall or to Maya’s or anywhere else. I took a breath and called one of my donors.

  When I got back an hour later, Jackie was home and had joined Bridgett upstairs for the end of the movie. I sat on the couch next to her and snaked an arm around her shoulders, pulling her a little closer. When she was nearby, I couldn't stay away from her. My protective instincts were in a constant state of high alert. “How did it go?” I asked.

  Instead of speaking out loud, she sent, “He’s staying with the team. He’s upset but he’ll be fine. I told them about—everything. Ethan said that the best thing for me to do now would be to get involved in a juicy case. Kyle said I’m his hero.” She grinned at me and I could see that spending time with her friends was exactly what she’d needed. “Have you looked at the cases on your desk yet?”

  “No, I’m doing that with Sasha in twenty minutes. He went out to feed an hour ago.”

  “He’s not with Sinc?”

  “She dumped him.”

  “That’s what I figured she’d do. Ethan says he’s done with her, that he can’t trust her. I hope they try to work it out.”

  “Jackie, sweetheart, look at me.” She stared at me with those glorious green eyes, a wry smile curling her lips. “We will not interfere. They are adults and will work things out, or not, on their own.”

  “Okay, boss.” She reached for the hand I had resting on my leg and brought it up to her lips to kiss gently. “Thank you, Garrett, for taking such special care of me last night.

  “And every night, forever, my love. Do you remember last night’s nightmare?” Her body grew tense and she shook her head. I dropped it.

  We settled back in to watch the very end of the movie, when the handsome hero finally gets to kiss his beautiful sweetheart. Bridgett sighed and got up. “I think I’ll go downstairs and start dinner.” She walked past us and headed down the stairs, humming the movie’s theme song.

  “That’s just too cute. She’s in love.” Jackie watched her disappear. I shut off the movie credits and, taking shameless advantage of our sudden alone time, I pulled her into my arms to kiss her. She responded and pressed herself against me, making me wish that I could put off going through the stacks of requests on my desk. I pulled away and she grinned at me. “At least I never have to wait till the end of the day for a kiss from my handsome hero.”

  “My kisses are available to you at any hour of the day.”

  She laughed. “I may test that theory tomorrow around 10 AM.”

  “10 AM kisses will be slower and sleepier but will contain just as much love and affection.”

  “Well, that’s alright then. You go do your work and I’ll help Bridgett.” We walked together down the stairs and parted ways at the bottom, me heading toward my office on the left and Jackie hanging a right into the kitchen. Sasha was there waiting for me, making himself comfortable in a leather chair that faced my desk.

  “Run down and get your laptop, please.” He was back in about twenty seconds and had it booted up and ready in another thirty. I grabbed an assortment of requests off the top of the pile and handed them to him. “You go through those while I go through the next bunch. Divide them into top priority requests, requests we might consider at a later time, requests to be forwarded to someone else and then rejects which will just get a polite letter back saying… whatever." I shrugged. "Make a note of each.” Sasha nodded and we began.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Bridgett: 6:00 PM Sunday

  Jackie and I finished dinner and cleaned up. Since the team wasn’t living here anymore, it was just me and her eating real food, so that made it pretty easy. She’d told me earlier that a couple of weres were probably showing up with the house plans along with the rest of the team including Rob, so I’d made extra fajitas just in case. Jackie seemed to really like my cooking. Either that or she really liked that she didn’t have to do the cooking. I liked to cook, so it was never a problem for me.

  I decided to ask her something I was afraid of hearing the answer to. “Do you want me to move back to Maya’s tomorrow?”

  She looked surprised. “Bridgett, I want you to stay here with us, at least until you want to move out and get your own place. You’ll be away a lot over the next two years, but I still want you to get your GED. Then you’ll go to college when you’re back for good. Ethan and I are registering for the local community college.

  “How are you two going to have time for college and the team?”

  “I’ll work it out. It’s important to me.” She put away the last plate and turned back to me.

  “I’m not really interested in college.” I crossed my arms.

  “You’ll change your mind.” She leaned back against the counter meeting my gaze and looking stubborn.

  “What if I don’t?” If anyone had walked in and seen us they’d have probably turned around and walked out again, not because the claws were out or the curses were flying, but because the look passing between us was just as intense. “If I live here, I’ll follow your house rules, but going to college is a decision for me to make for myself. I’ll listen to everything you and Garrett and Maya and whoever have to tell me and then I’m going to choose. It’s my life and you’re not my mom.”

  “The GED is non-negotiable.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “That’s fine.” I smiled to appease her.

  “College is your choice. However, you did say you’d listen to what I have to say and I’ll have a lot to say on the subject.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Can’t wait.”

  “Can’t wait for what?” William stood in the doorway looking good enough to kiss and I had to take a breath to keep from running and throwing myself in his arms. He wore jeans and a blue polo shirt that matched his eyes, and his red hair was wavy and adorable the way it fell over his forehead. He was grinning at me so I couldn’t help but grin back.

  “We were discussing Bridgett going to college, William. What do you think?” Jackie smirked at me. I glared at her in response 'cause I already knew what my nerdy boyfriend would say.

  “You should definitely go.” He looked at Jackie, who was beaming at him. “I’m thinking of taking a night class if Garrett says it’s okay. I’ll switch to computer science as my major. Once I get better, then Sinc can concentrate more on the scientific end of things. I think she likes the forensic stuff better anyway.”

  He turned back to me, “Bridgett, I wondered if maybe you’d like to go for a walk, now that the rain stopped. We could go to the new place down the road. I hear they have great desserts and coffee. We can catch up. I promise we'll be back before 10:00 for the meeting.” His dimple magically appeared when he smiled.

  That just about sounded like heaven. “I’ll get my jacket.”

  We walked slowly down the road, his hand twisted around mine, his thumb rubbing over my knuckles. We talked about the search for Jackie and the fight with Kennet, Jackie punching Sinc and the movie I’d watched today. He laughed when I told him the plot, so I asked him what kind of movies he liked. He’d been a Star Wars fan and had watched Twilight Zone and Star Trek reruns before he was changed. He hadn’t watched any movies when he was with Eleanor, but since he’d been living here he’d watched what Heinrich and Sasha liked to watch: a lot of gory horror movies and the usual action adventure stuff. I could live with that. I told him we’d rent the first three Star Wars saga movies so he’d have a chance to catch up. He seemed excited by the idea.

  When we got to the small ice cream parlor, we picked a table in the corner and sat right next to each other. I ate my strawberry ice cream and he drank his coffee and we continued to talk softly about all kinds of things. Mostly, we spent a lot of time breathing in the other’s scent and finding things to laugh about so we could lean against each other. We sat close enough to hold hands and his long fingers kept moving slowly around mine, exploring every surface, squeezing to emphasize a funny moment between us, then moving again to rediscover the same territory. Neither of us could have said for sure if there were other customers in the little restaurant, or if the coffee or the ice cream was worth a return trip.