Jamie's Heart [Amazon Warriors 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (7 page)

“I wish for a lot of things, but kicking your ass is not one of them,” she said as more silent tears came to her eyes. She had never cried so much before in her life, but she was so happy to have her sister back.

Jordon blanketed her body over her sister to give her a hug. “I love you, sis.”

“I love you, too, sis.”

They continued to embrace each other in silence for a while. They had been each other’s rocks for so long it had been hard being unable to help her sister or ease her pain.

“Okay, let me wake Conrad.”

“No, wait! I don’t want to talk to him, please.”

“Jamie, what happened between you two, and what have you been doing in there for the last week?”

After a long pause, Jamie replied, “Nothing, I just can’t deal with him right now. Please, Jordon. Get him out of here.”

“I don’t like this, Jamie. He’s been here for you practically twenty-four-seven, and now you just want me to send him away? That’s too harsh.”

“Thanks, kid.” Both Jordon and Jamie whipped their heads around to see that Conrad hadn’t moved, but his eyes were now wide open and staring intently at Jamie. “But it sounds like Jay’s made up her mind.”

After a moment of awkward silence in which Jamie and Conrad just stared at each other with Jordon looking between the two of them, Conrad left the room, sounding so down beaten when he said, “I’m glad you’re okay, shorty.”

Jordon watched him go then looked accusingly at her sister, who just looked away from her with pain and regret written all over her face.

She didn’t understand what had just happened, but she could tell that both of them were hurting.

All Jordon could do now was console her sister and welcome her back from wherever she’d been. She’d figure out the rest later.

* * * *

Conrad stormed into his family home and straight into the kitchen to get a beer from the fridge. He passed his father on the way, who no doubt saw his ire and followed him.

“You all right, son?”

“Jamie’s awake.” Conrad popped the top off his beer and took a deep, long draw of his drink.

“That’s great! Isn’t it?” his father asked with concern and confusion.

“Yeah. She kicked me out, and I don’t think she was just kicking me out of the hospital room. She might as well have kicked me out of her life,” Conrad said bitterly, taking another drink.

“I can’t believe that, son. Why would she do that? What happened between you two?”

Conrad looked over at his dad and gave him a meaningful look as he set his now-empty bottle down.

It took his father a minute, but Conrad saw the moment he figured out what had happened because his eyes went as wide as saucers. “Oh.”

“Huh, yeah…oh.”

Silence filled the room before his dad walked over to the fridge, got two bottles of beer out, cracked them open, and put both down in front of Conrad.

Conrad looked at his dad, confused.

His dad shrugged. “You need them more than I do.”

Conrad half smiled at his dad and downed his next bottle of beer.

“That doesn’t explain why she would kick you out,” his dad said, trying to figure everything out. His father was a very logical man, and often Crimson sought his advice on battle strategies of war.

“I didn’t react too well afterward.” Conrad was filled with guilt whenever he remembered that morning. “We fought, and then she collapsed.”

“It’s a good thing your mother’s not here. She’d kick your ass for treating that girl like that.” There was shock and disappointment lacing his father’s tone, and Conrad hated hearing it.

“I know, I fucked up! But cutting me out of her life, isn’t that a little extreme?”

“Maybe, but you don’t know she has cut you out. Jamie has just woken up after being unconscious for over a week, and she is probably still hurt by what happened. Give her time.”

“You weren’t there. It seemed pretty final to me, and I don’t have time to make things right.” Conrad downed his third bottle. “I got my orders through yesterday. I have to report back for duty in two days.” He saw disappointment across his father’s face before heading out of the room, silently putting an end to the conversation.

Before he left though, he had to ask, “Where is Mom?”

His dad couldn’t contain his smile.

“It’s been over a week, and we haven’t heard from your brother. She’s gone to CIA headquarters at Langley to, err…ask them where he is.”

Conrad gave a short burst of laughter as he left the kitchen. The CIA was about to get a rude awakening.

It had been two days since she had woken up from…whatever it was.

Jamie had eventually given up the fight, too exhausted to continue with the unwinnable war raging inside her.

The gods had won.

Jamie had fought every soldier and creature they had sent to fight her. Just as she was about to give up, going against all the Amazons believed in, the gods stopped the constant onslaught of fighters they sent to kill her.

The gods had sent Jamie back to this realm, stating, “You have proven yourself to be a capable warrior, one worthy of living. Therefore, we shall not kill you for your insolence. It appears that going back to your true life partner without being recognized in return will be punishment enough.”

Jamie had been so enraged she couldn’t help it when she shouted, “Then what was the
fucking
point bringing me here?”

Zeus shrugged nonchalantly. “We thought you’d die.”

Bastards.

Now she was being released from the medical center today. Jamie knew what she needed to do and who she needed to see, and as soon as the paperwork was filled out, Jamie was heading straight for her.

A short time later, Jordon met her at the hospital and they both made their way to the elder’s home. Jamie thought about all she’d been through recently. She knew Conrad and Jordon had come to see her every day while she had been under. It was comforting to know that they had been there for her, but when she woke up, the first thing she felt she had to do was distance herself from Conrad.

Jamie regretted the way that it happened, but she just couldn’t deal with being near him. Instead, Jamie decided to focus on getting answers to all the questions she had since waking up in the medical center.

As Jamie walked with her sister across the estate, Selene Quin, Conrad’s eldest sister, ran toward them, looking urgent.

“What’s wrong?”

“He’s leaving,” Selene told them as she reached their side. She must have run full speed to reach them, but there wasn’t a bead of sweat on her.

“What? Where’s he going?” Jamie knew who she was referring to and couldn’t help the distressed tone of her voice. She may not have wanted him around right now, but she didn’t want him to go, especially not like this.

They all started running in the direction of the Quin family home as Selene explained what was happening.

“You were in your coma, or whatever it was, for ten days. Conrad only got two weeks’ leave, Jay. He’s been called back to duty.”

Jamie’s feelings of guilt increased. As hard as it was being around him, she didn’t want Conrad to leave.

Jamie ran harder and faster than ever before. She didn’t know what she was going to say or do, but she couldn’t let him leave like this. Every time he left they never knew if he would make it back, she may never see him again.

As they rounded the side of his family home, they saw him hugging his sister and father good-bye.

Jamie froze. She couldn’t move to stop him or to run from what was happening. All she could do was stare as her heart was being torn apart.

“Jamie, what the fuck are you doing? Go talk to him.”

As Jordon pleaded with her to go to Conrad, he looked up at her. They stayed that way for what felt like forever, neither of them willing to make the first move.

“Jamie?” her sister asked with concern in her voice.

“I can’t.” Her voice cracked, and a tear fell from her eye as she admitted her weakness.

As if hearing her words of defeat, he turned abruptly and climbed into his pickup before speeding down the drive and off of the estate. He couldn’t get away quick enough. All she could do was watch him go, not knowing if or when she might see him again.

“I have to go see Lucia.” She had to focus on getting answers and hopefully fix what had happened. It was the only way she could remain sane.

Lucia was one of the elders of the tribe. She knew more about Amazon culture and their history than anybody else. She would be able to answer Jamie’s questions.

Jordon followed her as she made her way to the elder’s house. “I’m coming with you. I want to know what’s going on with you. I can feel there’s something different about you, but I can’t figure out what.”

They walked in silence the rest of the way to the Gomez house. She knew Jordon was pissed off with the way she’d treated Conrad. She hated it, too. It just hurt so much to even think about him, knowing what had happened.

Lucia was welcoming and invited them into her home when they arrived.

“So to what do I owe this visit?” the elder Amazon warrior asked.

“I have some questions that I hope you can help me with. It’s about what happened to me last week.”

“What did happen to you last week?” she asked, just as puzzled as everyone else was about her condition.

There was no easy way to say what she had to, so she decided to just spit it out.

“I was summoned to Olympus for challenging the will of the gods.”

Her sister gasped. “What? Why the hell would you do that? We never go against the will of the gods.”

“You have a recognized true life partner?” the wise elder woman asked with understanding and pity.

As Jamie nodded, Jordon asked in confusion, “Wait, you’re partnered?”

Jamie sighed as she got ready to explain what was happening to her to her twin sister.

“The night I was taken to the medical center, I must have fulfilled the Amazon’s code. Conrad’s been recognized as my true life partner.”

When thoughts and attitudes started to change within the Amazon community, the queen and elders started to accept that relationships were going to occur between Amazon women and men. So the queen and elders watched interactions between Amazons and men for decades before they came up with a code. A code an Amazon’s true life partner must adhere to, to be recognized by the gods as worthy of an Amazon. Since the code came into place, Amazons across the world had found love with their true life partner.

The code states an Amazon’s true life partner will fight for them, fight with them, and fight against them. By fighting for an Amazon woman, and not because a man thinks he has to but because he wants to, a man proves himself to be honorable and respectful. When he fights side by side with an Amazon warrior, the man demonstrates courage and loyalty. Finally, if he fights against an Amazon woman, the male shows strength of character and trust.

“What? That’s great news.” Her sister beamed. She seemed thrilled, and clearly she didn’t understand. Then it appeared to dawn on her. “But wait, why would he leave if you two are partnered?”

“Because the gods recognized that Conrad is my true life partner…but I’m not his.”

Silence filled the room as they all let that sink in. It was the first time she had acknowledged the truth aloud.

“Surely that’s impossible, right, Lucia?” Jordon asked, dumbfounded.

“I’m afraid not. It’s rare, but it can happen.”

Jamie’s heart sank.

“The code was written for relationships between Amazon women and mortal men. In that relationship only the mortal must fulfill the code. It was never considered that two Amazons may fulfill the code to become true life partners, but in this case both of the Amazons in the relationship must fulfill the code to prove they are worthy of each other. What were you and Conrad doing when he was recognized as your true life partner?”

“Arguing.”

“About what?”

“I told him I’ve been in love with him for years, and although he denies it, he has feelings for me, too. He argued that we could never be together.”

“You were fighting for him?”

“I’ve been fighting for Conrad for years,” she said in an annoyed huff.

“Maybe covertly, but that morning it sounds like you were quite overt about it?”

“I guess.”

“Tell me, can you think of a time you have fought against Conrad?”

“All the time”

“Have you fought beside him, protected a common interest?”

“We have fought to protect our family and the tribe together before.” Then it dawned on her. “I really have fulfilled the code.”

Lucia nodded as Jordon perked up for the first time since Jamie announced she had been partnered. “So that means Conrad must be close to fulfilling the code, too, right?”

“Yes, but he has yet to fight for Jamie’s love.”

“So, what happens to me now? To Conrad?”

“Is there a chance Conrad could fulfill the code and have you recognized as his?” Lucia asked, sounding hopeful.

Jamie gave a mocking laugh. “Unlikely.”

Lucia’s shoulders slumped, and the look of hope was replaced by sadness.

“I’m sorry, Jamie, but once an Amazon has been partnered, that person becomes the other half of their heart and soul. The morning you fought for Conrad and fulfilled the code, you gave him a piece of your heart and soul. You cannot live as half of a whole. Over the next six months, you will become weaker, losing your Amazon abilities, and eventually you will become mortal.”

Both Jamie and Jordon sat there in stunned silence.

“Three months after that, your weaker mortal heart will no longer be able to function, and you will die a mortal death.”

She heard a whimper from her sister. She had to stay strong for Jordon’s sake.

“What will happen to Jordon?”

“You’re referring to what happened to your uncle and father. When your father lost his link to your uncle, he withdrew inside himself. As long as Jordon doesn’t do the same and relies on those who love her, she will live as long as any other Amazon.”

“I don’t care about me. How can we save my sister?” Jordon was becoming hysterical, shouting and pacing around the elder’s living room.