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СКАЧАТЬ she did, Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs would be there. The couple had been kind enough to take them in, and they would take care of her until Ryleigh returned. She shrugged. “Sure. I guess I could go for a little while.” She wouldn’t sleep anymore tonight anyway. “Let me change quick.”

      “Fine, but hurry up about it. I don’t have all night.”

      “Yes, dear.” She rolled her eyes but figured he couldn’t see in the dark.

      He swatted her behind.

      She may have figured wrong.

      “Don’t roll those eyes at me, smart ass. As usual, you underestimate my special powers.”

      She laughed, not quite sure if he really could see more clearly in the darkness or just knew her well enough to expect the gesture.

      Jackson followed her down the hallway to her bedroom.

      She opened the door but then stopped short and glanced over her shoulder. “Give me the bat, though. I want to put it away first. Otherwise I might forget, and I won’t have it if I need it.”

      Jackson frowned. “What bat?”

      A chill prickled her skin. He didn’t seem to be playing. “I propped a baseball bat outside Mia’s door when I went in to her.” It only took a split second to realize he didn’t know. She reached for the light switch.

      This time, when he clamped a hand around her wrist, his grip held none of the tenderness his earlier touch had. “Shhh…” He pulled her against him and pressed his lips close to her ear. She strained to hear his whisper over the blood roaring in her ears. “Go get Matt up. Now. I’ll get Mia.”

      She opened her mouth to protest, but he clamped his hand over it. “Now.” His urgent whisper propelled her toward the Jacobs’ door.

      * * * *

      Jackson resisted the urge to search the house. It wasn’t easy. As he crossed the few feet to Mia’s door, his hand itched to grip his sword, but he ruthlessly tamped down the need. He had to get the girls to safety first.

      He threw Mia’s door all the way open. Darkness crouched in the corners despite the overhead light. “Mia.” He called her name as he crossed the room, hoping not to frighten her, even as he pushed back the covers.

      Her eyes shot open before he could call her a second time. “Jackson?” She sat up and swung her feet off the bed. “What’s wrong? Where’s Ryleigh?”

      “Come with me. Quickly. Stay quiet.” He grabbed her upper arm and pulled her from the bed, his gaze continually darting from one end of the room to the other, his free hand hovering over the sword at his side.

      “Ry—”

      “Shh…Ryleigh’s coming.” He released her arm, placed his hand on the small of her back, and guided her toward the hall.

      The instant Mia spotted her sister moving down the hallway toward her, she ran. Without a sound, she threw her arms around Ryleigh for the briefest second, then stepped back and turned to Jackson, her eyes pleading silently for reassurance.

      A fist knotted in Jackson’s gut. Instincts he didn’t understand rose to the surface, hindering his ability to think logically. He’d been devoid of emotions for hundreds of years before he met Ryleigh and Mia, and the overload of feelings battered him. He must keep them safe.

      Ryleigh kept an arm draped protectively over Mia’s shoulder, her eyes wide with fear. But anger filled them as well. And determination. The same need to protect her sister that had filled them the first time he’d seen her. The love that had kept him from killing her as he’d been instructed. He tore his gaze from hers in an effort to gain some sort of focus.

      Eleanor Jacobs stood beside them, sword in hand, a dangerous scowl out of place on her delicate features. Her aggressive stance pulled him quickly back to reality.

      He didn’t dare speak, didn’t dare mask the slightest sound that might signal an attack. He drew his eyebrows together and held her stare.

      She used her sword to point toward the living room, signaling the direction her husband had gone.

      He glanced quickly over his shoulder in the direction she indicated before leaning close to Ryleigh’s ear. “Seek out Elijah.” The prophet would keep them safe until he could figure out what was going on and return to Cymmera.

      She nodded and pulled Mia closer.

      As soon as he shifted his attention back to Eleanor, she sheathed her weapon at her waist, pressed her hands together, fingers entwined, and lifted them over her head.

      The familiar tingle washed through Jackson. Like static electricity.

      The intensity increased until she could no longer contain it. Eleanor ripped her hands apart, tearing a portal open in the dim hallway, revealing the Kingdom of Cymmera.

      The familiar white stone walls of the castle brought immediate comfort, and Jackson had to resist the overwhelming urge to follow the girls through the portal.

      Ryleigh turned to look at him, wisps of long blonde hair framing her face, and caught her bottom lip between her teeth. It sent a jolt through him, reminiscent of the jolt of electricity when he called a portal. He held her worried gaze until the last of Cymmera disappeared, tamping down the desire she elicited.

      With the girls removed from immediate danger, Jackson’s resolve hardened. He turned a slow circle in the hallway, reaching out with all of his senses. He moved down the hallway toward Mia’s room, then stood just outside the door where Ryleigh had left the bat. Matt Jacobs would secure the property, search every inch of the yard and house. But he wouldn’t find anything. Whoever had been there was long gone, leaving no trace of what his intent had been.

      Positioning his back against the wall, Jackson crouched and ran a hand over the spot where someone must have stood. He placed his hand flat against the floor, and let his eyes fall shut, trusting his instincts completely. If someone tried to attack, he would undoubtedly sense it. Energy flowed into his hand, heated his palm. Someone familiar had stood there. Someone he knew. He concentrated on that one spot, desperate to bring it into focus.

      The heat dissipated. The knowledge was there, yet so elusive, like a wisp of smoke carried away on a soft breeze. He couldn’t quite grasp it. Giving up, he stood and faced Matt Jacobs. “Find anything?”

      “Nah, nothing. But I didn’t really expect to.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “What do you want to do?”

      Matt stared at him, sword held ready. “I don’t know.” With one last look around, he sheathed his sword at his side. “We’ve built a life here, Jackson. Eleanor and I. And yet…I don’t know. I guess sometimes I miss my home.”

      Jackson grinned at the other man. “So come home then.”

      Matt’s crooked smile didn’t quite reach his dark eyes. “Maybe. I don’t know. I wish it was that simple.” He sighed and propped his hand on his sword handle, fingered the jeweled design. “Anyway. For the moment, I’ll return to Cymmera, until we can figure out what’s going on. I don’t want Eleanor in danger. That’s part of the reason I left in the first place.”

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