Pure Blood (Time Spirit Trilogy, #3) (17 page)

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Memphis, Tennessee – 2011AD

The flight to Memphis went smoothly. By the
time the plane had landed Harrison was immersed in family
conversation. Sam had entertained him throughout the journey with
his in-depth stories of elementary life and not once was a booger
mentioned. Harrison grinned watching Sam jump around the trolley as
they waited for their bags to appear on the luggage belt.

“I’m strong. I can get everyone’s!”

Helen laughed. Rosie rolled her eyes and
continued her texting frenzy. Justin held onto the trolley like a
lifeline as he played a game of smile and blush with the brunette a
few feet away. Bryan hovered by the belt, trying to bridle Sam’s
enthusiasm.

Harrison watched each member with pleasure.
He really did have an amazing family. The only thing missing was a
slender girl with emerald eyes, a perfectly pointed nose and a
smile that could weaken his knees. Reaching into his back pocket,
he pulled out his phone, running his fingers over the keys and
contemplating if it was too risky to text her. It was only three
little words, yet if she read them in public her face would no
doubt blush or smile and then questions would be fired like a
machine gun, pelting her with holes until they could see straight
through her.

A sudden squall attacked his stomach,
battering his rib cage with worry, tearing at his muscles with
anger. Closing his eyes, he fought the storm.

There’s nothing you can do. Just let it go.
She’s strong. She’ll be okay.

“Okay, that’s it you two!” His mother’s
exasperated voice made his eyes pop wide. “You are not spending the
rest of this holiday on your cell phones. Give them to me.”

“What? Mom, no way! I have important people I
need to stay in touch with.” Rosie was so horrified Harrison nearly
laughed.

Helen extended her hand. “The only people you
need to be in touch with are in Memphis. Now hand them over.”

“Mom, really…” Harrison went into bat, but
could tell it was a futile battle.

Hand it over now, argue it back
tomorrow.

With a resigned grin, he dropped it into his
mother’s hands. Gemma said she’d text him when she could, he’d just
have to get a sneak at the phone in his mother’s bag later tonight
and charm it back off her in the morning.

Rosie did not give in so easily and it took
some very stern back up from her father to finally relinquish the
piece of hardware. She shot Harrison the evils for the entire car
trip to Bryan’s parents, but had to get over herself when they
pulled into the driveway and were swamped by relatives.

* * * *

In spite of the irascible storm that battered
his emotions on and off, Harrison slept well. He was now squashed
into the corner of the couch, people watching. Having managed to
eradicate a small pest in the form of his eight-year-old cousin,
who didn’t understand the meaning of silence or personal space, he
was now happy to be resting unnoticed while the boys wrestled on
the floor and the men stood around waiting for the football to
start, occasionally being roped in to help by one of the flustered
women flitting in and out of the kitchen.

“Hey.” A jumpy Rosie plopped onto the couch
and fidgeted with the hem of her mini skirt.

He didn’t want to have to ask, he really
wasn’t in the mood, but he knew she wouldn’t leave until he
had.

“What’s up?”

She spun to face him, grasping his arm. “I’ve
got a small problem,” she whispered.

Harrison shifted his body to accommodate the
worried expression on her face. Leaning towards her, he softened
his voice.

“What is it?”

“Well, I borrowed something off Mom the other
day and… I can’t find it.”

Harrison’s eyes narrowed. “Let me guess, you
didn’t ask to borrow it, did you?”

“It’s not like I’ve ever seen her wearing
it.”

“Rosie…”

“Look, my indiscretion is not the issue
here.” Her whisper rose and she turned to make sure no one had
heard her. “I need to find it, Harrison.”

“Okay, firstly, what is it?”

“A necklace. I found it at the bottom of
Mom’s jewelry box.”

“Is it… expensive?”

“No, I don’t think so. It was kinda old. It
looked more sentimental than valuable.”

“Rosie!” Harrison rolled his eyes. “Why
didn’t you just ask her?”

“She wasn’t around and I was running late for
school. I thought it looked funky and it worked, because I totally
got compliments.”

Her blush made it all too clear that those
people were of the male persuasion.

Harrison tried to dampen his droll expression
as her face scrunched with a desperate plea. “Okay,” he sighed.
“Where was the last place you had it?”

“I wore it to school yesterday. I forgot all
about it until this morning. I was going to slip it into Mom’s bag
and then fool her into thinking she packed it without
realizing.”

“You’re such a sweet girl.”

Rosie slapped him on the arm. “Your sarcasm
is not helping!”

“Well, there’s not much I can do. You
probably left it at school in your locker or something.”

“Yeah, I just don’t remember taking it off,
that’s all.”

“You must have, unless the clasp was
loose.”

“It wasn’t a clasp. It was leather. I knotted
it at the back.”

“Knots come loose too, Rosie.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe it slipped
off.” She nibbled on her fingernail, her eyes blinking at the worry
brimming on her lashes.

Collecting up her fingers, Harrison gave them
a squeeze. “We’ll check with lost and found first thing on Monday,
okay? Put it out of your mind for now. If it was at the very bottom
of her jewelry box she’s probably not looking for it. There’s
nothing you can do while we’re here. Let’s just enjoy now and deal
with it when we get back.”

Rosie pulled in a breath and released it with
a smile. “You’re right.” She slumped back into the cushions. “So,
have you heard from Gem?”

“I snuck a look at my phone this morning.” He
shook his head.

“She’s probably busy with Dom and Ruby. Don’t
worry about it, bro.” She slapped his knee and squeezed. “She’ll be
missing you too.”

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – 2011AD

Having Dom and Ruby home was the only thing
keeping Gemma sane, apart from the fact they thought Simeon was
wonderful. The previous night had been spent around the dinner
table catching up on all their college news. Ruby was radiant as
she talked about all the people she had met and the classes she was
taking. Gemma could easily read between the lines and soon
discerned that her sister had the hots for her Art History
professor.

Dom loved college life as well, having made
friends with a bunch of guys who spent their weekends playing ball.
It had been an easy start for them, only being called across the
line once. Gemma couldn’t help wondering why her parents had put
this big hold on traveling, but she didn’t want to complain. Not
being forced back in time was great!

That night she had sat up late with Ruby and
got all the goss on Professor “Handsome.” Ruby probed mercilessly
for goods on Simeon, but Gemma remained nonplussed.

“I don’t get you. He’s gorgeous.”

Gemma shrugged.

“You’re never gonna get over Harrison, are
you?”

“How can I, Ruby? He was my match.”

Ruby rubbed her arm. “I still think it was
wrong what they did, but believe me, sis, if you can get through
this year…” Ruby beamed. “College will blow your mind. It’s so
freeing and awesome.”

“Can’t wait to join you,” Gemma murmured,
dipping her head to hide the turmoil massacring her face. Who knew
what her future held?

The next day had run smoothly. She’d gone for
an early morning jog with Dom, which ended with an all out
wrestling match in the sand. She’d come home bruised and smiling.
She’d then been dragged into the kitchen to help Simeon peel
potatoes. Ruby had joined them and livened up the conversation,
making Gemma believe just for a moment that Simeon was exactly who
he said he was.

After their mammoth lunch, Gemma had joined
the boys for the football game. It was now evening and the twins
were gearing up for a big screen movie.

“Where’s Simeon?”

“Gem, go find him. I’ll get the popcorn.”

Gemma followed her sister’s orders and headed
down the hallway to Simeon’s room. It lay chaotic and empty.
Skipping down the stairs she paused at the landing and listened for
voices. The soft strains of conversation were coming from her
father’s office. Creeping up, she paused outside the door, unsure
why she wasn’t bursting in. The voices became clear as she nestled
her ear against the wood and then her heart stopped beating.

“I wanted to wait until I had you guys
alone.” Simeon’s voice sounded deeper than usual, serious. “I found
this.”

Her mother gasped. “The last piece!”

“Where did you get it?”

“From a girl at school.”

“Which girl? Did she just give it to
you?”

“No. She was wearing it around her neck. I
didn’t even see it until she took her sweater off. I nearly choked
on my food, but then I took the time to admire it and managed to
loosen the tie without her noticing. It slipped off her neck as she
walked away.” He sounded smug.

She could picture her father’s grin.

The piece! It was supposed to be buried with
Nathaniel. It was supposed…

“Who was it?” Her mother’s voice made the
question sound like an afterthought.

Gemma held her breath, waiting for the only
name he could possibly utter.

“Just a girl called Rosie. She’s a totally
besotted sophomore.”

“I wonder where she got it from.”

“She said it was passed down through her
family, but I heard her tell a friend she had taken it from her
mom's jewelry box.”

Helen! You liar!
Gemma’s emotions
rolled black at both the Chatsworth women. Rosie no doubt took it
without asking. She at least believed in Helen enough to have
hidden the piece, but her jewelry box? How unoriginal is that?!

“Wait, Rosie who?”

Gemma held in her gasp. The interest in her
mother’s voice was frightening, as was the following question by
her father.

“Do you know her last name?”

“Chats… something. Chatsworth?”

The room fell silent for an all-knowing beat.
Gemma knew she had to run, but couldn’t pull herself away from the
door. Her eyes stared wide and frozen, waiting for her death
sentence.

“Does she have a brother?”

Simeon let out a reluctant sigh. “Actually
she does. His name’s Harrison.”

At the sound of his name, her lungs cut off.
Gemma closed her eyes, knowing this was the end.

“Harrison,” her mother’s voice shook in a
whisper.

“How could you not tell us this before?”

“Look, you told me to do whatever it took to
gain Gemma’s trust. She asked me not to mention they’d got back
together.”

“Back together! He shouldn’t even be
here!”

“What do you mean?”

“Where is she? Where is she right now?!”

The blackness in her father’s voice injected
her limbs with adrenaline. Bolting from her spot, she raced down
the stairs, heading for her bike and a futile escape.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – 2011AD

The engine roared to life and squealed out of
the garage just as her father’s livid face came into view. Gemma
tore down the driveway, screeching onto the main road and
accelerating south.

Pulling out her cell phone, she found
Harrison’s number and waited impatiently as it rang without
answer.

Where are you? I need you!

She fought off the panic and forced her brain
to function. She dialed the only number swimming in her head while
swerving around a green pick up.

“Lucia, are you okay?”

“They know!!”

She nearly lost her balance as she overtook
another vehicle. Her bike wobbled in complaint as she tried to
steer one handed while screaming into her phone. At the speed she
was going she knew she had to give up one or the other.

“I’m coming to you now. You’ve gotta help
me!”

“Where are you?”

“I just left home. They… NO!” She felt the
tingling rippling in her feet. “They’re pulling me back!”

“Fight it. Lucia…. LUCIA!”

She dropped her phone, needing to get control
of the bike. Swerving into a side alley, she pulled it to a stop
and closed her eyes, fighting with all her will power to stay
put.

She screamed at the intense pain, her ankle
burning so hot she could almost feel the skin sizzling.

“No,” she repeated with feeble tears as she
lost control and felt her body explode into gold dust.

* * * *

She appeared, naked and afraid, cowering in
the corner of her garage. Her bike was gone as were the cars. It
must be the day before when everyone was either at work, school or
picking up the twins.

She didn’t have time to deduce more. Before
she could catch her breath, she was hauled to her feet by a handful
of hair.

“Ow!” She reached for her searing scalp and
was released seconds later by being slammed into the wall.

“He’s alive? He shouldn’t even exist, Gemma.”
Her father’s eyes were black with rage.

“What did you do?”

Gemma looked away from her mother’s fierce
expression and sealed her lips.

It earned her a hard backhand slap across the
face. Her eyes bulged wide as she looked at her father in
horror.

“Did someone go back for you? Who do you know
who can travel?”