Xander wasn’t able to sleep, even after making love to Jessi. He lay on his back, staring into the darkness. Jessi’s arm was across his chest, her face nuzzled in the crook of his neck as she slept. Her warm body was pressed against his, the faint glow of the crystal emanating from its place tangled in her hair.
What bothered him wasn’t the woman in his bed. What bothered him: by making the choice he did, he was faced with a new set of consequences, ones he didn’t quite know how to handle and definitely couldn’t control.
He hated that idea. Regardless, he was doing exactly as Damian – probably with the help of the fucking Oracle – predicted. He was getting ready to leave the fringe where he’d spent his life. No more watching others fuck up, no more walking away. He lived his immortality with no strings attached, before Jessi.
His phone vibrated just as dawn lit the room where he’d taken them. Before the condo, he lived in an apartment closer to the size of Jessi’s. It was still his, a place for him to escape Ingrid and the brightness of his condo.
Xander reached for the phone. Jessi’s breathing was deep; he’d worn her out and had no fear of her waking up with his quiet movements. The text message was from Jule.
Jonny has Ashley. You’re not handling this one alone.
He glanced at Jessi’s peaceful face, able to appreciate the irony of her situation. The night she surrendered to him finally was the night everything went to shit. He wrapped an arm around her then responded to Jule.
After breakfast. Xander typed. He sent the message and rolled onto his side, drawing Jessi into his body. Her scent and sensation of her warm skin against his was intoxicating. He breathed her in and lowered his head to her neck. She murmured in her sleep when he bit her. Xander drank until the edge of hunger was gone, suspecting the talk they were about to have would force him to find alternate sources for a full meal.
Jessi’s eyes were open when he withdrew. Completely unguarded, her gray eyes were large and clear in the early morning light and her features relaxed. She smiled sleepily at him. Xander smoothed hair from her face and traced his hand down the side of her body before hugging her against him.
His heart was pounding hard, but it wasn’t from desire for once. He didn’t like the feeling at the base of his stomach.
“We need to talk,” he said against her ear. She shivered.
“I know.”
“Your turn.”
Jessi hesitated. Xander waited.
“Jonny put Ashley in the hospital last weekend. When I went to get her, he was there. He wanted me to steal your necklace. I’m not going to say I laughed, but well…”
“You did,” he said, smiling to himself.
“Yeah, sorta. So he showed me what he can do.” Jessi was quiet for a moment. “Kind of hard not to agree at that point. I didn’t understand why I had to do it, until you told me that you couldn’t hear my thoughts.”
“How did he know to plant you as my assistant?”
“I think he hacked into Ingrid’s computer and has been waiting for his chance.”
Xander made a mental note to vamp Ingrid none-too-gently, when he finally granted her wish to be a vampire.
“Did he say how he found you?”
“I think he had help,” she said. “The purple people.”
“Others.”
“Yeah. I didn’t know that’s who it was. Jonny took me to meet one who seemed to know a lot about the necklace.”
Original Other. Xander understood why it was that the Others were suddenly targeting him and the power of the gem. The only creatures that knew about his necklace were the Originals. He entered the mortal realm a year before without knowing the fates of any of the other Original Beings, before crossing paths with Jule, the Original Immortal, and Eden, the Original Human. If the Original Other made it, there was a chance the Original Watcher did as well.
“You were supposed to steal it, or they’d hurt your cousins,” he stated.
“Yes.” Her whisper was almost too quiet for him to hear. “Ashley’s half in love with Jonny. Jenn took me to Texas the other day at the mall. I figured as long as my cousins were there, I’d figure out what to do when Jonny came for me.”
Xander suspected Damian was right; Jonny didn’t have to kidnap Ashley. She walked straight into the Black God’s arms.
“And then there was you,” Jessi finished with a sigh of either frustration or defeat. “Weird how things turn out, isn’t it?”
“It’s not over yet,” he warned.
She shifted, pushing herself up on her elbow to gaze into his eyes. He held her gaze for a long moment, not wanting the moment to end. Her features were as soft as her skin, her displaced curls everywhere. She traced the lines of his face, openly admiring.
“Jessi.” He took the hand whose fingers were lightly traveling his face. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?” She frowned at his tone, studying him. “You’re against reruns now?”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he assured her. “It’s about Ashley.”
She froze. After a surprised silence, fear crossed her features.
“Jonny?” she managed.
“Yeah.”
The color drained from her face a moment before she panicked. “It’s my fault. What am I doing here instead of making sure Jonny can’t get to her? I have to find her!” She pushed at him, trying to get free.
“Quiet,” he said softly, holding her tighter.
“No, Xander! I have to find Jonny.”
He rolled her onto her back, using his body to still her movements. She was shaking beneath him. With a frustrated groan, she stopped fighting.
“Xander!” her voice cracked with emotion, and tears were in her eyes.
“Two things.” He kept his voice calm and level. “One, you are not tracking down Jonny. Two, there are two people on this planet who can get her back. I’m one. The other is in Texas, waiting for us to show up.”
She listened, though the edge of hysteria was in her gaze. He smoothed away the tears and kissed her, drawing her far enough into his influence to calm her. When her shock wore off, she responded timidly. Her heart was slamming fast and hard against her chest. Xander felt her yield and lifted his head.
“My Ashley,” she murmured.
“I’ll get her back. You calm enough to deal with this shit?”
She swallowed hard and nodded. Xander brushed his lips across hers once more then eased off her. He held out a hand to help her out of bed.
They dressed in silence. Jessi’s hands visibly shook, and he reached out to her, taking the hair band she was trying to use on her hair. She wiped her face. He gently pulled her hair back and wrapped the scrunchie around a low ponytail.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m so sorry about all this, Xander.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I dragged you into this. And my cousins, and now –“
“I can toss you back in bed and wear you out until you calm down,” he interrupted.
Her gaze flew up to his, interest flaring in her eyes a moment before she shook her head.
“Ashley is at the mercy of some sadistic psycho and you’re …” she drifted off, realization crossing her face.
He slapped her hard on the ass.
“I hate that,” she muttered.
Xander chuckled and held out his hand. She took it readily, and he pulled her into his body for a quick kiss before he Traveled.
They arrived at the paddock where he found her last night. His senses picked up on the Guardians and Gods gathered in the red barn.
“You ready for this?” he asked her.
Jessi swiped away her tears and drew a deep breath. She took his hand with both of hers and nodded. Xander walked with her towards the barn. Brandon was pacing outside the entrance, as if waiting for them. He stopped at their approach. His jaw was ticking, his eyes rimmed with red.
“Are you okay, Brandon?” Jessi asked. She hurried the last few steps to him and flung her arms around him.
The worried teen hugged her tight, more tears forming. Xander headed into the barn, giving them some space. Damian, his three brothers, Charles and Jenn were all gathered in the barn, along with his least favorite Natural, Sofi. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he growled in response. Eden smiled from her spot a few feet from the others.
“I was explaining why we can’t trade your crystal,” Jule started in the tense silence.
“Not the best idea,” Xander agreed. “Think I figured out who’s after it. Jule, Eden and I aren’t alone.”
They waited with visible caution. Xander was tempted to leave, simply so he could handle this the way he would, if Jessi wasn’t involved.
“I don’t want the Originals fucking up my world.” Damian’s tone was dangerous. “Especially knowing you all can’t directly fight one another.”
“Balance of power,” Jule said.
“Jonny’s the key,” Xander said. “If he pushes back, the Original Other won’t have the luxury of options for taking the gem.”
“The kid isn’t going to push anyone,” said Dusty, Damian’s operations director for the Western Hemisphere. Dusty’s wife was the sister of Jonny, making him the brother with the most personal connection to the Black God.
“Unless he has a reason to,” Xander pointed out. “Ashley didn’t just happen to know where to go.”
“She’s caught in the crossfire,” Damian said. “Or no?”
“Jonny hasn’t killed her type since he crossed over. He’s got an interest in her.”
“The kid’s half-hormones, half-vamp,” Jenn seconded. “Definitely likes brunettes.”
“We’re working together on this issue, right?” Damian asked.
No one said anything. Xander considered.
The soft click of the door closing announced Jessi and Brandon. Brandon was all but clinging to his cousin, whose gray eyes were taking in the group uneasily.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Jessi’s tone carried a puzzled note. “We’re going to get Ashley back.”
“You? No,” Jule told her. “We’ll handle it.”
“You, no,” she echoed, fire flashing in her gaze. She rested a hand on her hip. “If I’m not mistaken, I’ve got the magical power of stealth mode.” She said the last two words with open skepticism. “It counts for something, doesn’t it?”
“We don’t send defenseless Naturals to face the Black God,” Dusty replied.
“I really don’t care. He’s expecting to meet me.”
“You wanna talk your girl off this crazy idea?” Damian asked Xander.
“You wanna remind your friend I have a means of contacting Jonny and he’s expecting to hear from me?” Jessi crossed her arms.
Jenn hid a sudden laugh behind a cough while Sofi smiled.
It didn’t take Xander long to realize he had a much larger issue than Ashley. Jessi wasn’t going to stand on the sideline when it came to her cousin. He didn’t want her anywhere near the Original Other or Jonny but was almost certain she’d figure out how to get herself in the middle somehow.
“Jessi helps,” he said at last.
Damian frowned.
“Thank you,” she said.
I need a distraction, he told Jenn through her mind.
The Guardian eyed him.
“Phone, Jessi. I know you talk to him via texts,” Xander said, holding out his hand to the woman beside him.
She looked up at him, hesitating as she searched his gaze. Relenting, she dug the phone from her pocket and placed it in his hand.
Darian shifted and glanced at Jenn then Jessi. Xander sensed the silent communication.
“We need to break for a few minutes,” Darian said. “Meet up in ten to come up with a plan?”
“Sure,” Damian said, eyes on his brother. “We’ll set up a meeting with Jonny in the meantime.”
Xander tossed him the cell, and Darian strode out of the barn. Jessi turned to Xander expectantly, concern on her face.
“Jessi, want me to show you around?” Jenn asked.
“One sec, Jenn. Do you have a plan?” Jessi asked Xander.
His gaze went to the red gem between her breasts.
“Too late to back out now,” she hissed.
“You make that choice yet?”
Jessi gazed at him. He saw the doubt and was stung by it. Xander didn’t say what he wanted, that he took a chance on Jessi, but she hadn’t yet decided to take one on him.
“Boundary,” she whispered.
“Wrong fucking answer.”
“I’m sorry, Xander.” She turned to face the door. “Yes, Jenn, I’m ready.”
Xander watched her go, fury and frustration within him. He didn’t know if he could save Ashley, but he was the best choice Jessi had. She knew more about him than anyone else ever had – and still rejected him.
His only solace: she was worried about Ashley. He got it, even if he didn’t like it. Even if she was fucking wrong.
The three of them left.
“What the fuck just happened?” Dusty demanded when the door closed.
Xander glanced down at the smart phone in his hands. He slid his thumb across the screen to unlock it. With a sinking feeling, he realized he’d guessed right. Jessi didn’t trust anyone – even him – to help her. Anger trickled into him.
“I think I know.” Damian’s eyes were on him.
Xander dropped the phone and crushed it with his foot.
“Yeah, I know. X’s woman just pulled the wool over his eyes.”
“When this is over …” he growled.
“Sounds like the plan just got easy,” Jule said grimly. “Follow Jessi. You still have her tagged, Xander?”
“You GPS-tagged your mate?” Dusty almost cracked a smile. “Are you stalking her?”
“The opposite. Making sure she’s not sneaking up behind me to kill me,” Xander said and removed his cell from his jeans.
“You can’t sense her either. Interesting,” Damian said. “Definitely a skill I look forward to honing in Brandon.”
“If Jesse agrees. Otherwise, you risk fucking with me.” Xander opened the program that allowed him to track the GPS markers he planted in Jessi’s belongings. Several were in Southern California while two blue dots – the one in her cell phone and the other in a shoe – appeared on the map in Texas.
When he glanced up, the three brothers were staring at him in various stages of amusement. Jule smiled. Damian was cautiously entertained while the corner of Dusty’s lips curved up. Xander was surprised to find he didn’t give a shit how funny they found it that he was openly claiming Jessi. Eden grinned.
He had left his corner. He wasn’t going back to it, where she was concerned. Whether or not she knew it, she was his, the second woman in his life he was allowing into his world.
“She really got to you,” Jule said, shaking his head.
“It’s one thing, when you can put someone yelling at you to sleep. Quite another, when you have to deal with it,” Xander replied.
“Thank god I don’t deal with that shit,” Dusty said.
“Your wife has the ultimate trump card, Dusty,” Jule pointed out. “She’ll run to her dear brother, the Black God, who will crush you.”
“No worse than a mate who turns all the food in the house into dog treats when she gets pissed at you,” Dusty shot back.
“I deserved that one,” Jule admitted.
“I didn’t.”
“Yeah, well, I got all of you beat,” Damian said. “Oracle.”
No one spoke, and Xander growled. The blue dots in Texas disappeared, drawing his attention to the phone in his hand.
“She’s on the move,” he said, anger settling in his blood as he realized his newest challenge was going to be much more than he bargained for.
“Tell me where she lands,” Dusty directed and whipped out his phone. “I’ll rally the stations in the area. Headed to the ops center.”
“Jule, you’re with Xander and Darian. Find that Original Other,” Damian said. “I’ll be heading to see Jonny shortly. Dusty, is Bianca available to put us back together again?”
“Yep.”
“Yully’s on standby, too,” Jule said. “She’ll give us boosts as needed.”
Xander listened, uneasy at the thought of the Guardians and Gods he despised helping him with his issue. Logically, he understood they were needed, but it didn’t make things feel better. Bianca, Dusty’s mate, was a Healer of extraordinary power, who had turned her brother from a vamp into a human again at one point. Jule’s mate, Yully, was known as the Magician and the first to kill an Other. Able to draw off the magic of those around her, she could amplify and redirect it. She was also able to turn objects into something else, a rare talent.
“Alright,” Xander said grudgingly. “We do this, and you get the fuck out of my hair.”
“Deal,” Damian replied.
***
Jessi opened her eyes, still weirded out by the idea of moving between places without moving at all. Jenn released her hand, and she looked around at her apartment.
“I might be a few minutes,” Jessi said. “I’ve gotta get stuff for Brandon and Ash, too. You’re welcome to make yourself at home.”
Jenn’s eyes were roving the apartment, as if she expected vampires to leap from the shadows. She gave a brisk nod to indicate she heard.
Jessi went to Ashley’s bedroom. She closed the door as quietly as she could and locked it. Heart pounding hard, she sat on the bed and pulled out her cell phone.
It wasn’t going to take Xander long to figure out she’d tricked him. He’d realize she was about to betray him, then come to kill her.
After making love to her with such tenderness and passion. Her heart and stomach both fluttered. The man who tore people in two had been beyond gentle with her, savoring every inch of her body, as if he was trying to memorize everything about her. She was more than a one-night stand or a rerun. The choice he made had been to keep her, despite knowing what she was capable of doing to him.
She gazed around Ashley’s room, her fear and sorrow so deep, they hurt. Posters of teen pop stars populated her cousin’s wall. A white desk crammed in a corner was covered with teen magazines, and a box of beads had spilled and scattered a rainbow across the carpet. Normally, Jessi would groan at the mess in the teen’s room. Today, she’d give anything just to have Ashley back, no matter how long it took her to fix the vacuum cleaner after it choked on the beads.
Toying with the necklace, Jessi tried hard to quell her panic. She wasn’t entirely certain what to do, how to keep the gem and Ashley safe. She hesitated a moment longer then texted Jonny.
Got the necklace. Come get me. Ashley’s room.
She swallowed hard and set down the phone. Her eyes lingered on Ashley’s precious beads. Too nervous, Jessi instinctively knelt on the floor beside the overturned box and began collecting the small treasures. She fingered a bracelet Ashley started. The pang of worry that hit her was so sharp, she gasped.
Tears made the rainbow double. Jessi carefully placed Ashley’s project in a corner of the box, praying her cousin was alive to finish it one day. She grabbed a handful of beads and dumped them into the bin, stopping when the flash of red caught her attention.
Jessi dug out the round, flat red crystal. She pulled Xanders’s from around her neck and compared them. Side-by-side, they didn’t look much alike: his was a deep, rich ruby hue with a faint glow. Ashley’s bead was lighter red in color, its surface glazed to give it a subtle reflecting quality. Their sizes were similar, though.
Jessi’s eyes went to the box again. Struck by an idea, she piled all the beads into the box before unfastening the clasp on Xander’s necklace. She pushed his crystal into the bottom of the container then strung Ashley’s crystal onto the cord. Replacing it around her neck, she tucked it into her shirt.
No one who knew the crystal would fall for it, but maybe it would buy her time to figure out a better plan.
She purposely didn’t think about what Xander was going to do when he realized the phone she gave him wasn’t the correct one. Or that she’d taken off the gem. Or that she was asking Jonny to come get her.
Xander made love to her like she was the only one in his world of disposable girls. Knowing what he was, why did the thought of betraying him hurt her?
Jessi tucked the box under the bed and sat nervously, waiting for Jonny. At last, he texted.
On my way.
She almost sighed. With a nervous glance at the locked door, she began to realize this was probably not a day she’d live to see the end of. If she was able to save Ashley, though …
If.
Jonny materialized a few seconds later. Almost instantly, the door bucked, as if Jenn was trying to get in. He held out his hand to Jessi, and she took it. Snapping her eyes closed, she held her breath, until the Black God released her.
She stood in the center of what looked like a ski lodge with one massive wall of windows overlooking the mountains. A large, iron chandelier hung from the rafters of an A-frame roof high above. The foyer extended from the front door to the windows, with multiple hallways and a stairway running deeper into the place.
The unmistakable red eyes of vampires made her gasp. There were five in the foyer, men whose eyes glowed red like Xander’s. Jonny left her in front of the windows and strode towards one hallway.
“Where’s Ashley?” she called after him.
“Safe. Come on.”
The vampires nearest her were growling. Jessi hurried after the Black God, following him into a narrow hallway and what looked like an operations center of some sort. Rows of computers and monitors lined the room. He pointed for her to stay where she was in the doorway then motioned someone over.
A vamp approached with the type of wand security personnel at airports used.
“Checking to see if Xander GPS-tagged you,” Jonny said, standing aside.
The vamp waved it over her, and the tool lit up over her pocket. He reached into it roughly and yanked out her phone, tossing it to Jonny. The device lit up once more at her feet.
“Shoes off,” Jonny ordered.
Jessi obeyed. Her fear was growing.
“Take these somewhere far from here,” Jonny told the vamp, handing over the shoes and cell.
She watched the creature take her only hope of being found by Xander away. Jonny gripped her arm, and she barely closed her eyes before his familiar fire flew through her. This time, when he released her, she didn’t know where she was.
The warehouse was empty. Concrete floors were cool beneath her bare feet, and the perimeter was lit by dim lighting.
“How did you know he tagged me?” she asked uneasily.
“I learned a few things from him,” Jonny replied. “Ashley’s here.”
Jessi’s pulse surged, and she trotted after him. He led her out of the open bay into an office area. A television played somewhere, and light outlined the frame of one door. Jonny opened it to reveal a comfortable looking room with a plush couch set, rugs to cover the concrete floors, and television lighting the room. A door in one wall was open to reveal the white porcelain sink of a bathroom, and the wall opposite the TV held a kitchenette.
Jessi went to the couch, expecting to see her cousin lying there watching TV, as she did at home.
Ashley wasn’t in the room, though Jessi recognized some of her cousin’s things: a pink cell phone charger, a backpack that yawned open to reveal clothes, the stack of colorful beaded bracelets on the arm of the couch.
Jonny closed the door behind her and locked it.
“What’s going on?” Jessi asked uneasily. “Where’s Ashley?”
“She’s nearby,” he answered vaguely. “You have the stone?”
“I’m wearing it.”
“Okay. Hand it over.”
“Um, I don’t think you want me to do that.”
He looked at her hard.
“I’m not being difficult,” she rushed on. “Xander said only he and I can touch it. I guess it has some sort of spell on it that will um, kinda kill anyone else.”
Jonny studied her for a long minute. “Can you activate it?”
“I have no idea how to do that.”
He frowned, thoughtful. “I take it Xander does.”
“I assume so.” She studied him apprehensively, reminded of her cousins, when they were caught up in some sort of drama. She had long since learned that trying to talk them down didn’t really work. “So … do you have a plan or are you just winging this whole thing? Because I pissed him off, and I know he’s coming to get his necklace back.”
Jonny’s eyes dropped from her to the crystal at her chest.
“I don’t think removing my GPS tracking will dissuade him for long.”
“Fuck.” The Black God began pacing. “I need that gem!”
“Can I see Ashley while you figure this out?”
He hesitated.
“I promise not to run or anything,” she added. “I mean, I can’t really go anywhere anyway.”
His eyes were on the crystal.
Absolute power, Xander had said. She understood why Jonny might want it but not why he seemed so uncertain. At least he wasn’t calling her bluff.
Yet.
“I’ll bring her here,” he replied.
Without another word, he disappeared.
Jessi looked around for a phone or window. The room held neither. She went to the door quickly, terrified he would return and think she meant to escape. The door was locked from the outside, bolted shut. She didn’t know where she was, not even what state.
Retreating to the center of the room, she tried to think instead of outright panicking. First things first: her feet were freezing. She rifled through Ashley’s backpack, aware the teen never went anywhere overnight without three pairs of shoes. A pair of ballet flats caught her attention, and Jessi pulled them on.
Her attention shifted to the room again. There was no way out and no way to contact anyone. Of course, she no longer had anyone to contact, now that Xander was out to make her number seven.
Her pacing ceased, her throat tightening at the thought of spurning him.
She didn’t want to fail his test. She wanted a chance with him.
Jessi rubbed her face. A relationship with a vampire? It wasn’t something that could ever be. He didn’t tolerate betrayal, and she’d walked out on him.
You made the hardest choice. The rest we’ll handle together.
The memory of the words and how sweet he was last night made her ache, as much because she turned her back on him as it was because she wanted to feel his naked body against hers.
“You are nearly impossible to find.”
She turned at the voice. The man with translucent skin and purple eyes – the one Jonny hadn’t exactly greeted with open arms – stood a few feet away.
“Jonny’s coming back,” she heard herself saying, uncertain how the teen god with a penchant for breaking arms was less of a threat than this man.
Others, she recalled. Creatures no one she’d met yet spoke well of.
“Then we better leave now.”
The response chilled her. Jessi retreated, putting the couch between them.
“I’m, um, kind of waiting for someone,” she hedged.
“Xander is part of my plan.”
“What do you mean?”
“The gem unlocks his power. He who holds the gem will control the Vamp. With his magic intact, he can destroy a world.”
“He left that part out of our discussion,” she said, startled. He hadn’t just handed over his treasured possession; he’d handed over control of him. “Does he know that?”
“Of course. All the Originals do. Or did, at one time.”
“You’re an Original.”
“I am.”
Shit. It was one thing when she knew he was giving her the gem, which she thought only held great power. It was quite another to realize the weapon was him and the gem was merely the key to access it.
Jessi wasn’t certain how, but she felt even worse about walking away from Xander. He trusted her. His ultimate test was one that could destroy him, and she was failing miserably.
But there was something else at stake: Ashley.
I’ll get her back.
Confused, Jessi began to wonder how she was going to rescue Ashley after all.
“How did you wrest it from him?” the Other asked, circling the couch.
Jessi moved to keep it between them.
“Didn’t have to,” she answered truthfully. “He gave it to me.”
The creature paused. “Interesting. He’s claimed you.”
“Um, until I sort of betrayed him. Don’t think he’s too happy with me right now.”
“Good. He’ll have more motivation to find you.”
She paled. “I’m not sure it’s a good thing.”
“Not for you, no.”
Jessi’s thoughts flew to the night she spent with him. Xander had been nothing but tender, even knowing she was probably going to betray him. There was a part of her that didn’t think him capable of hating her and another that prayed he was upset enough to stay away.
“For me, you’ve become a bargaining tool. It’s a good thing. I planned on killing you.”
“Someone has to handle the gem,” she said quickly. “You can’t, can you?”
The Other disappeared.
Jessi looked around wildly. She felt his touch a second before the sensation of Traveling descended over her. She gasped, discouraged to find herself somewhere else entirely. Another building, this one with less light. It smelled damp, like a cellar.
“No,” the Other said. “I can’t. You can, until Xander gets here.”
Visually exploring the interior of the stone cellar, she was unable to find any sign of windows in the wall. A single bulb dangled from the ceiling, lighting up a wide area but not the entire space. She wasn’t able to see what lay beyond the ring of light. The stone beneath her feet was uneven and worn, old. The air was chilly and still. She shivered.
“You don’t know him that well. You think he’ll just … surrender?” she asked.
“I think if he claimed you, he’ll do what he must to keep you safe.”
“I hope you have a back-up plan.”
The Other chuckled. “He is no threat to me. We Originals are forbidden from fighting one another. But I can do what I wish to you.”
Not liking that part. She glanced in his direction, only to find him gone again.
Jessi froze, listening for him. She hadn’t been paying attention; did he sink into the darkness or disappear? After a moment, she ventured into the dark with her hands in front of her, to keep from running into a wall.
She tripped over something, caught herself, and continued, not wanting to be there when the Other returned. She had a feeling Jonny didn’t know she was gone and probably didn’t want her to be gone. Praying he didn’t take it out on Ashley, Jessi cursed the teen silently for taking her phone.
After inching her way through the dark, her trembling hands reached a rough, stone wall. She flattened them against the cool rock and began making her way around the edges.
“Girl.”
She froze. The Other had returned. A peek over her shoulder revealed him standing in the middle of the room, under the light. He was staring into the dark, though not in her direction.
For the first time since meeting Jonny, she prayed everyone was right about the strange skill she had to remain invisible to them. She held her breath. Her heartbeat seemed too loud in her ears, and she hoped he wasn’t able to hear as well as Xander seemed to. After a moment, he winked out of existence in a purple flash.
She waited another second then continued around the edge of the room. The wall met another, and she quickened her step, scouring the area above her for some sign of a window. A few steps down the second wall, the stone turned to wood.
Door.
She trailed her fingers across it until she felt the cool metal doorknob. She twisted it, almost squealing when it gave.
Jessi walked out of the strange cellar. She tripped over a stair and landed hard. Swallowing a cry of pain, she pushed herself up and stretched out her arms above her head, expecting the feel of a second set of wooden doors, if she really was in a cellar. After four steps, she felt them and grimaced, a rough edge piercing one finger. She stuck it in her mouth and then pulled it free.
Blood. The first night in his house, Xander reacted strongly to her slicing her finger. No one could sense her, but he would be able to smell her blood.
Jessi squeezed her finger, until she felt the warm blood. She bent and wiped it on the cement stair, not at all certain it was enough to tip him off. She then focused on how to get out of the cellar. Two metal handles – one on each door – were cold beneath her fingers. She gripped one and pushed it upward. A gust of cold, night air swept past her, and she hurried out.
Jessi hesitated, orienting herself. Moon and stars were bright overhead. She smelled the ocean on the air and was surprised to see the strange stone cottage perched in the middle of a field hedged by a stone wall.
Wherever she was, it wasn’t California. It had been afternoon when she left the West Coast, and it was clearly in the middle of the night here. The cottage was dark, but she saw the lights of another house on down a long stretch of road that hugged a massive hill.
She wasn’t going back in the cellar to await the psycho Other. Instead, she trotted down the gravel driveway, each crunching step making her cringe. No one chased her, and she stopped to hide in the shadows of the stone wall at the end of the drive to catch her breath.
Marking the wall with more blood, she kept to the shadows and hurried down the road.
The nearest house was much farther than she thought. The lights grew no closer, even when she quickened her pace.
“Smart girl.”
She yelped as the Other materialized in front of her.
“You know you’re invisible to my senses.”
Jessi whirled to run, only to smack into someone else she didn’t expect.
“I followed the blood trail.” Jonny’s fangs were out. He snatched her arm before she was able to move.
“Yeah, that wasn’t meant for you,” she said, adrenaline flying through her blood.
“Jessi!” Ashley’s voice trembled.
Jessi leaned around Jonny. Ashley stood a short distance away, between two vamps. She looked uncertain rather than scared, and Jessi’s eyes took in her cousin’s features with relief. Ashley seemed okay. Behind the teen were too many vamps for Jessi to count.
Jonny blocked her from going to her cousin. Instead, he pulled her against him, between him and the Other.
“I hope you’re not threatening me, boy,” the Other said, gaze taking in the vamps.
“They’re here in case any Guardians show up. If I can find you, so can they,” Jonny answered. “We have the necklace. Take it and go.”
Jessi gripped the crystal. The air around her crackled, Jonny’s stormy power and the Other’s cold lightening making her skin crawl.
“Neither of us can handle it,” the Other replied. “I’m waiting for Xander to show.”
Jonny shifted. “Xander.”
“He’s the weapon,” Jessi supplied. She studied the teen god’s face. “I take it you didn’t know that either.”
“You said this is the weapon.” Jonny motioned to her necklace, addressing the Other. “I fucking hate Xander! The deal was the gem for leaving my vamps the fuck alone.”
“You delivered or are about to. So will I.” The Other shrugged. “Be gone, Jonny, unless you feel like taking on an Original.”
“The deal was for the necklace. I’m keeping the girl,” Jonny responded without hesitation. “Take your shit and go.”
The Other was quiet for a moment, studying the Black God. Jessi had no idea what Jonny might want with her, unless he intended to kill her as a final penalty.
“Not to interfere, but uh, Jonny, I also delivered on my deal,” Jessi said in the silence. “You promised not to hurt Ashley in exchange.”
“I haven’t,” he snapped.
“Okay, but can you let her go? That was part of our deal, too.”
Jonny’s attention shifted to Jessi.
“You can keep me and torture me or whatever,” she rushed on. “Just let Ash go.”
“Jessi!” Ashley objected.
“I take what I want. Ashley’s mine,” Jonny said.
The quick reply startled Jessi.
“I’m not yours,” Ashley’s response was soft.
“Lover’s spat,” the Other said with a smile.
Jessi didn’t have time to figure out what the hell was going on between Ashley and the Black God. Standing in the middle of a dirt road, god-knew-where, stuck between the bristling Black God and Original Other, Jessi couldn’t imagine her situation getting worse. The two were glaring at one another.
Abruptly, the Other disappeared. Jonny whirled, starting towards Ashley, when the teen girl winked out of existence in a flash of purple light.
Jessi gasped. Jonny went rigid.
“Now, we’re on terms I can live with,” the Other said, reappearing across the road with one hand gripping Ashley’s arm. “You want the girl, you give me Jessi and the necklace.”
Jonny faced the Other. Jessi inched away, sensing the teen’s storm cloud energy surge. By the look on his face, he was seconds away from erupting.
Ashley looked terrified. Jessi struggled to keep from running across the road and grabbing her cousin. She had to think of a way to diffuse Jonny, before he blew them all up, and get Ash back.
“Can someone call Xander?” she heard herself asking. “You know, so we can resolve this shit?” Adding Xander to the mix was like smoking around dynamite, but she didn’t think a clash between Jonny and the Other was going to end well for anyone.
“I don’t want …” Jonny drifted off. His eyes settled on Jessi’s necklace. “Absolute power.”
“Yeah, but –“
“It will take no effort whatsoever for me to crush this girl.”
Ashley flinched as the Other gripped her arm more tightly.
“My sister can bring her back,” Jonny replied. “But you can’t use Xander without the gem.” He took Jessi’s arm then whipped out his cell with his free hand. “Jessi’s right. Xander needs to be here.” He typed a quick text then shut off the phone.
Jessi meet Ashley’s gaze, willing her cousin not to panic.