“I’m sorry. I was just surprised.”
Samson stared up at them with bright blue eyes. Iain thought he saw a few specks of black flitter through Samson’s irises, but he couldn’t be sure without staring.
“You’ve made sure he gets plenty of exposure to sunlight?” asked Iain.
“Yes. Just as Joseph said. Samson likes it, so we play outside a lot. Will built us a greenhouse so we could be out there in the winter, too.”
Jackie looked at Dana, then back at Samson. The look on her face was one of awe and tenderness. “May I hold him?” she asked.
“That’s up to Samson.” Dana knelt down and asked the child, “Do you want to go see Miss Jackie?”
Samson looked at Jackie, then back at his foster mother. He nodded.
Jackie stepped forward, out of Iain’s arms. He didn’t like that she’d left, and he had to fight back a surge of irrational annoyance.
She held her arms out to Samson, waiting to see what he’d do.
He toddled into her embrace, and she hefted him up, grinning as she hugged him tight. A look of longing consumed her features, barely hidden by the joy beaming out of her. “You’ve gotten so big. I’ve missed you so much.”
Samson pulled back, gaze somber as he studied her face. His chubby hands patted her cheeks, and then he pointed at her eye, then at his.
“He remembers you,” said Dana.
“Of course he doesn’t. He was too little.”
“No, he’s telling you that he’s seen you before. It took us a while to work out his hand signals, but I’ve gotten pretty good at it now.”
“Do you remember me, Samson?”
Jackie’s eyes widened and she swayed slightly on her feet. Iain hurried forward and wrapped his arms around both of them so she wouldn’t fall over with the child.
“He…” Jackie trailed off, shock whitening her skin.
“It’s okay,” said Will. “It’s part of how he communicates. Don’t be afraid.”
“What did he do?” Iain demanded, struggling to keep his voice in control.
“I saw a flash from the night he was born. I saw my own face backlit by the sun.”
Dana nodded and pulled Samson out of Jackie’s grasp as if worried for his safety. “It’s what he saw that night. I told you he remembers you. He seems to remember everything.”
“Has he shown any signs that he’s dangerous?” asked Iain.
A second later, his mind filled with an image of him scowling, towering over Jackie while she held newborn Samson. He’d threatened to kill the child, thinking he was a demon, but Jackie had stayed his hand.
That night, Iain had been the dangerous one. He realized now how that had to have looked to Samson, so small and helpless—how afraid he must have been.
“He’s a good boy,” said Dana. “He’s different, but not evil. We’re raising him right.”
“I know you are,” said Jackie. Then she looked at Samson. “I always knew you were a good boy from the moment I saw you. You’re going to make us all proud.”
Iain didn’t like it. The child was a risk, or at the very least an unknown. He couldn’t let Jackie linger here. Night was falling, and it was no longer safe. For any of them.
“We should go now. It’s getting dark, and we still have work to do.”
Jackie nodded and leaned over to kiss Samson on the cheek. She pointed at his eye, and then at her own. “I’ll see you again soon.”
They left the modest house and went back out into the cold. Jackie hugged herself, and he could feel a wistful sadness radiating out from her. He wanted to wash it away, but there was nothing he could think to do.
Once they were in the car, she said, “Thank you. For bringing me here. It’s good to know that he’s okay.”
“It made you sad.”
She was quiet as he pulled out of the driveway and onto the road. “It made me wish I’d been able to keep him. I’ve missed so much in such a short time. He’s already walking. He’ll be talking any day now, at this rate. I hate that I wasn’t a part of that, you know?”
“He remembered you.”
She smiled, shaking her head. “He did. It’s hard to believe, but he did.”
“He’ll remember this visit, too.”
“So will I.” Jackie looked out the side window, leaning her head against the glass. “I’m not going to let Joseph stop me from seeing him again. I’m not going to let that child think that I don’t want to be a part of his life.”
“Even if it’s dangerous? We have no idea what he’s going to grow up to be, or what he’s capable of now, even.”
“I don’t care. I understand that Joseph doesn’t want to risk having him inside Dabyr, but he gets no say over what risks I take on my own.”
“What about me? Do I get a say?” he asked, knowing it was stupid to even hope for such things.
She turned toward him. “Do you think he’s evil?” she asked.
“Evil is not something you are—it’s what you do.” It had to be, or Iain was a giant hypocrite for not killing himself long ago, the way he did with other soulless creatures. “As long as his actions are good, then he deserves to live.”
Jackie let out a heavy sigh. “He’s never going to fit in anywhere, is he? Humans will know he’s not normal, and your people will shun him because of who his father was.”
“Our people. You keep forgetting that you’re one of us.”
“I’m a lot like Samson, you know? Both of us are screwed because of who our father was. He and I are going to have to stick together.”
Iain bit back his comment that she wasn’t screwed—she just hadn’t accepted her fate yet. If aligning herself with Samson made her feel better, then let her think what she wanted. “How are you going to be part of his life and have your old life back?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll find a way. I’m smart. Samson is obviously smart. We’ll make it work.”
Like him, she wanted everything. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that it wasn’t possible. She could no more live a human life with Samson in it than he could breathe new life into his soul and be the man she deserved. They were both fooling themselves, and sooner or later, they were both going to have to choose between what they wanted and what was right.
He was pretty sure he knew how it ended for both of them. He only wished he was going to live long enough to see her come to accept her rightful place.
Logan hated taking risks like this with Hope. She had no idea how precious she was. And until today, he’d had no idea how easy he was to manipulate.
Still, he couldn’t be mad at her. She was doing what she thought was right. He couldn’t fault anyone for that, or he’d die a hypocrite.
He did exactly as she said, funneling his power at a specific set of runes carved into the side of the Sentinel Stone. They began to glow with blue fire, and a brilliant line of light spewed out, widening as he kept his focus on those runes.
“Keep going,” she said. “Just for one more second.” She tossed her amulet and the attached note into the light and stepped back. “There. Let it go.”
Logan did. He released his power, letting it flow back into himself. He expected the gateway to snap shut, but instead, it stayed open those scant six inches.
And then it began to widen.
Fear took hold of him, and he grabbed Hope, shoving her behind him. He knew gateways were dangerous, and yet he’d let her stand next to him while he did this, risking her life like an idiot.
He focused on those runes and tried to funnel power away from them. “Go get help,” he ordered. “I may not be able to stop it.”
And there was no way of knowing what might come through. If Hope was right, then this place, this Temprocia, was rustic but not terribly hostile. But if she was wrong or he’d accessed the wrong runes, then there was no way to know what would soon be stepping into their domain.
Logan’s efforts seemed to be doing no good. The crack continued to widen.
He stopped wasting his power trying to close it and readied himself for attack. Moments later, several Theronai came running out of the main building, swords drawn.
“Hope said there was trouble,” said Nicholas, who came to stand beside him, blade in hand.
“Perhaps. I can’t close the gate. I don’t know what may come through.”
“We’ll be ready for it,” said Nicholas, radiating confidence.
Joseph’s angry voice sounded from behind him. “What the fuck are you doing?”
“It’s not his fault,” said Hope. “It was my idea.”
“Yeah? Well, the next time you get an idea, ignore it.”
Logan barely controlled the anger lashing inside of him. “Do not speak to her that way. It was my choice to participate. We are trying to save Grace’s life.”
“By provoking an attack from another world? Great idea,” said Joseph.
There was a high-pitched, tearing kind of sound, and a moment later a figure appeared inside of the light. All he could see was a silhouette, but it appeared to be human, and alone.
The figure stepped through, and the light winked out, revealing a woman of indeterminate age. She was draped in shaggy layers of fur, leather, and rough fabric, all in muted, natural colors. Long, silver hair flowed over her shoulders and down past her hips. Her smooth face was a perfect mix of beauty and strength. The color and movement in her eyes reminded him of leaden waves kicked up by storm winds. Those eyes also gave away her origin. This woman was Athanasian.
She stood still, regarding the group of people that had gathered. As soon as her gaze fell on Hope, her lips quirked in a slight smile of relief. She opened her arms and Hope rushed forward before anyone could stop her, embracing the woman.
Logan shifted a protective step closer, unsure if he should pull Hope away or trust her instincts.
Hope turned and offered him a teary smile. “This is Brenya, the woman who raised me.”
Brenya cupped Hope’s face in her hands. “Are you well, child?”
Hope nodded. “Perfect. Everything turned out fine, just like you said it would.”
“So you remember?” The woman’s voice was soft and melodic, almost mesmerizing.
“Some things. Logan helped restore what I’d lost. More of my past comes back to me in bits and pieces, but I remember you. We need your help.”
Brenya opened her hand, and in it was Hope’s amulet and the curled paper on which she’d written her note. “I mustn’t stay long. Time flows more swiftly in Temprocia, and every moment I’m away is one my people are in danger.”
Joseph stepped forward. “I’m Joseph, leader of this place and these people.”
“Then you shall lead me to Grace.” Her tone was imperial, demanding obedience as her rightful due.
“First you tell me who you are,” said Joseph.
Power seemed to radiate out from her, making her appear taller than she really was. “I’m a healer. That’s all you need to know.”