Bound by the Moon (The Ancients Series Book 4) (15 page)

“What big guns?”

“Serena called in her brother, Jonah.”

“WHAT?” Kezia spun around, spittle flying as she spoke that one, rage-filled word. “That traitorous little do-gooder! I change my mind, I want to go back with Jessica after all. I want to be there when she thanks my son and daughter, because then I’m going to kill them both!” The fit she threw was on an epic scale, and it made me glad I never knew her when she was alive.

“Is there someone we can call to have her taken away?” One of the wolves suggested.

“Oh, shut your filthy little dog mouth, Emory. I wish I could have come back and killed you again. You’re the reason Agatha was able to get her hands on me to begin with.”

Emory, the white wolf with the bouncing blond curls curtsied in front of Kezia before adding, “you’re very welcome.” If I thought that Kezia’s laughter earlier had been creepy, then Emory made her look like an angel. Her laughter bubbled over drenched in sheer ugliness. It would be hard to describe the way it made me feel other than to say it was akin to listening to nails on a chalkboard, on repeat, for months on end. It was a horrid noise.

“PLEASE! Stop. We have more important things going on here today than your ridiculous death squabbles.” Aislynn shouted above muffled laughter from some of the other wolves. It seemed these ladies weren’t as put together as I had always imagined.

I hugged my father closer to me then, because I knew there were a lot of things that weren’t as I imagined. For instance, it wasn’t his fault that baby Jack and I were in this situation. It just happened to occur on his watch, and I was used to thinking of my daddy as being flawless. “I’m sorry for everything I said to you, dad. I know it wasn’t your fault.”

He hugged me closer to his side, making sure to stay clear of baby Jack, who was sound asleep again now. “No, it was my fault, in a way. I should have trusted your judgment. If it weren’t for trying to be a dad, and not letting you be a grown up, there wouldn’t have been anyone in and out of that house who could have taken the baby. You weren’t wrong, Jessie.”

“I was hateful about it though, and I’m sorry.” I wiggled out of his embrace then. “Do you know what happened? I mean, did you get to linger there for any amount of time?”

“I’m sorry to say, I didn’t get to see much before I was pulled here. Willow was safe, with your mother, and Ashley last I saw. Mikael was taking out his anger on any of the dark ones who would even dare get close enough to him. You really need to make it back there before that man loses his mind completely. I think the only thing keeping him in this world is Willow right now, but if he keeps looking for that fight that will make him feel better, he’s going to find the one that kills him sooner or later, instead.”

“I know. I worried about that too.” Just the thought of Mikael becoming hardened by my death, and seeking his own death, was a punch to my gut. A good part of me knew he would get it together for Willow’s sake. And I prayed that it would happen like that, but there was also that suspicion in the back of my mind that he wouldn’t pull it together. I wondered who would take care of my daughter then? My mom lost her soul mate, she had to be shattered right now. Sierra was probably hanging on by a thread, if at all. Ashley had her own baby on the way, my dad was here with me. Panic set in again as I thought about the fact that it was possible no one would be there for my daughter if this didn’t work. I ramped myself up then, trying to overcome the fear.

“Let’s get this show on the road then, shall we. What do I have to do? Should I just declare my will to go back with Jess, or what?” My dad was apparently in a rush to get back as well. I was sure he had his own reasons for that though.

Aislynn’s face contorted, and there was no mistaking what she was about to say. “You cannot go back, Jameson St. Marks. You belong here, with us, now.”

“I’m going to have to disagree with you there. I belong over there, guarding my daughter, and her daughter, and on down their line through time. That’s where I belong. Who better to accept that duty than a father?” My dad’s anger, and maybe a little desperation, were starting to come through then.

“Dad,” I tugged on his shirt. “It’s okay, and it’s not your fault that you can’t be the one.”

“He is family. He is your father. It is no sacrifice to give up his own eternal rest for his own familial line. It has to be someone who has no blood bond to you or the baby in your arms.”

“Well, what a way to narrow it down.” I looked around the room full of souls. There were those that lingered on the periphery, just out of sight, but I knew they were there. No one else seemed familiar, and my Aunt Anna and her mate, Lucas were gone now too. I didn’t know a single person here who would stand up for me, let alone give up their eternal rest for my family. “I guess we get to hang out and wait for mom together. Mikael and Willow will be along eventually too. I have it on good authority that we are allowed to wait right here for them.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do, kiddo. We’ll wait together.”

“Is there some stupid rule that I can’t come to Jessie’s aid? I’ve always wanted to be a knight in gossamer-style spirit armor.” A familiar face winked at me then as he stepped out of the shadows. “I freely give up my rest and relaxation in this blasé pit, if it means I get to look after Jessie, and her baby.”

“Jack?” My jaw dropped. It was definitely him, and as if he knew I needed proof, to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, he came over and wrapped his giant arms around me, picking me up off my feet, and swinging me around in his trademark Jack Reynolds bear hug. The poor baby strapped to me was not happy about the situation, and let out a quick wail of protest before simmering back down to a quiet sleep. I had to do a quick check to make sure the baby didn’t get jostled loose from my skin then.

“It’s really me, Jessie.”

HOME AGAIN

Jack Reynolds looked just as good as he did before he met his end at Antoine’s hands. He smiled down at me again, before turning his attention back to the other white wolves. “I am offering myself as the guardian for Jessica Marie St. Marks De’Lune, her line, and the baby she carries with her. Is there a reason why my request should be denied? I am blood kin to neither of them.” Jack was all business now. I had forgotten what it had been like to watch him at work in that last vision. His fierce determination would serve us well.

“You need to understand, you will be driven by a singular duty, Jack Leon Reynolds.”

“Leon? Seriously?” Jack elbowed me with a smirk on his face when I teased him about his middle name, but he quickly turned his focus back to the wolves who were speaking.

“If you agree to this, all other obligations will cease to be a priority for you. Your mate will not even top the bond that you will have for these two.”

“Um, that’s a little weird.” I whispered, feeling suddenly unsure about all this.

“He will not love you like a mate, but if it came down to letting his mate die, or you, the choice would be to save you. He would feel compelled to do so.” Aislynn paused momentarily. “Your mate will not meet you on the other side when she passes. If she chooses to wait for you, her wait here, in the Gateway, could be eternal.”

“I understand what is at stake, and I still accept the responsibility of taking these two back with me. I will be their guardian until my dying breath.”

Kezia laughed then. “He truly does not understand. You are not going to have a dying breath, my dear. You will still be dead, yet walking in the world of the living. Others will be able to touch you, and you them, but you are just a guardian spirit. You cannot be killed while you are over there, for no one can kill what is already dead. When her line dies, you will return here. That is all.”

“Then her line will have to stop breeding in order for them to die off. I understand my duties, and will perform them as I am honor bound to do so.”

“Spirit bound.” Aislynn corrected. You will be spirit-bound, it is, unlike honor, a bond that cannot be broken.”

“I understand.” Jack responded.

“Then all that is left is for the three of you to climb on the dais together, and we shall do the rest.” Aislynn turned to me then. “When you feel the popping, like you did on the way here, you will know it is safe to move off the dais toward the side of the living.” I nodded. “Make sure the baby continues to touch you as you are moving around up there, if he becomes unlinked while we attempt this, you may lose him completely.”

“I know. I will be careful.” I smiled at her. “Aislynn, thank you for everything.” She only nodded, and continued to gather the other white wolves to encircle the dead half of the dais. “Thank you all, for the help and guidance you’ve given me. I truly appreciate it. I also thank you for this sacrifice.”

“It is our pleasure, my dear.”

“Truly, some of us have grown tired of being here.”

“If I’m being honest, I was ready to move on the minute that one took me out.” Emory nodded her head back at Kezia then. “My daughter was already grown up by then anyway. I figured I’d see her again from the other side. Emory smiled at an elderly woman who then squeezed her hand. It must have been her daughter, but I didn’t feel I had the time to ask.

Kezia came close to me then, “pass along one thing for me, would you?” She leaned in even closer and whispered in my ear, before Aislynn interrupted to tell me they were all ready.

“Jessie girl, tell your mom I love her, and that I’ll be waiting.” My dad called out from beyond the white wolf spirits. “And Jack, you take care of my girls!”

“I will, Jameson.”

“I love you, dad!” Tears were streaming freely down my cheeks now as Jack and I prepared to mount the dais together. The last thing I heard was my dad telling me he loved me too, and Aislynn calling out, “good luck,” to us.

I stepped through the portal with baby Jack in my arms, our torsos still connected skin to skin, and his namesake on my left hand side. I felt the same popping sensation I had when I first crossed the gateway into the world of the dead. I felt it again as we came through the portal this time, only there was some sort of a blow back as the portal snapped shut behind us this time. Gone was the lavender scent from the other side, and in its place was the stench of rotting blood and nastiness from Louis’s failed attempts to open the portal.

An incessant whimpering from the corner of the cavern caught my attention, and as I stepped off the dais to figure out what was going on, my progress was hindered by the hulking guard who now stood in front of me. I maneuvered just enough so I could peer around his form, into the darkened corner where a slight-framed person sat hunched in on itself. I couldn’t tell if it was a male or female. In that moment, when I was trying to allow time for my eyes to adjust, baby Jack decided to let loose the wail that signified how hungry he was.

I took the baby out of his sling, and held him up in my arms. “We made it sweet cheeks. I’m going to get you the best baby food the world has to offer, my brave little Jack,” I cooed to him forgetting about the huddled mass in the corner, and my newly appointed Guardian. Jack Reynolds turned to me in that moment, puzzled by the fact that I had either offered him the best baby food he’d ever tasted or I’d called the baby I had been carrying by his name.

“Oh my God, my baby! You brought him home to me, Jess!” The squeal of delight as the slight-framed woman, who had previously been huddled in the corner, hurdled herself at the baby and I, made it apparent who had been crying in the corner. Sierra had found her way to the portal somehow.

“Sierra? How did you get here?”

“I followed you that day. When I saw the coast was clear from up there, after they all ran out in a hurry, it wasn’t hard to follow their tracks down here, plus the smell of that mess,” she pointed to the bloody dais, “kind of gave it away. It also broke my heart. I thought it was your blood and his.” She took baby Jack from my arms then, smothering the now giggling boy in a million kisses before she continued. “There weren’t any bodies though. I was just holding out hope that you’d pulled off some crazy white wolf magic and got out of here, but I didn’t know for sure.”

“Oh, Sierra, he’s fine. We took a trip to the other side, but we’re back now.” She hugged me tight, while holding onto her baby with the other arm. A throat being cleared beside us, finally drew our attention back to the only other person in the cave now.

“I don’t know how warped my sense of time is right now, but I’m pretty sure, even if miracles could replace what was taken from you, that I couldn’t have produced that baby.” Jack was pointing at the bundle in Sierra’s arms, and to her credit, she didn’t drop the poor guy when she realized who was talking to her.

“Oh my God! OH MY GOD!” I took the baby from Sierra before she finally did drop him or squish him. The moment the baby was free from her arms she ran into Jack’s. “How is this real? How is this possible?” She held him, then patted his shoulders, his pecs, his arms, and finally hugged his face in between the palms of her hands. “How are you real right now?”

“It’s a long story, we can discuss some of it on the way back. Like how baby Jack came to be, but as for what happened while he and I were away, and how Jack managed to come back with us, I’d rather save that for everyone else to hear at the same time.”

“I understand,” Sierra whispered. “I just can’t believe you’re all back.”

“Not all of us made it back.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father. We saw him on the other side.”

“Oh, Jess, I am so sorry. How?”

“Louis got him before they could gain the upper hand.” Sierra didn’t say anything else then. She just took baby Jack from me as we walked in silence, ascending the long path back to the cave system that would lead us to our pack lands.

“I’m sure everyone will be incredibly excited to see you walk back into the pack. I don’t know what they’re all thinking right about now, but I do know that I was torn. One minute, I knew you guys were gone forever. The next, I thought you’d come back any minute, or that maybe the magic had transported you to some place far away or something, and you just didn’t have a way of contacting us. I don’t know. I was making up some pretty desperate excuses in there before you showed up.” Sierra was rambling, and not that I blamed her, but it did make me wonder how everyone was coping with the fact that I’d been gone so long. “I wonder what they’re all going to say when they get a load of Jack here?” She mused out loud. “I still can’t believe you’re here.” Sierra continued to walk while holding her baby, and at the same time she managed to cling to Jack as well. I couldn’t blame her one bit for that. If anyone had earned a moment of happiness in all this chaos the past couple years had brought, it was Sierra.