Chapter Twenty-Two

“I haven’t felt any of Sebastian’s people around,” Brandy said as I drove out of the Thanes’ gates. “They’re bound to show up soon, though.”

Brandy seemed fine to me, but as we drove I could tell her energy had dropped again during the night. It was best that Sebastian was coming for me. She was fading too fast to wait. That thought made me choke up a little. “Thank you, Brandy,” I said. “Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for helping me with all of this.”

“Of course,” she replied with a smile. “I wish I could see the future like Katherine. I’d like to know how things turn out for you and Ian.”

“You mean if we live or die? I’d like to know that, too.”

“You’ll live,” she said with a certainty I didn’t share. “But that’s not what I mean. I think you two are good for each other. Maybe destiny intends for you to be together.”

“I don’t think I’m meant to be with anyone,” I said quietly. “At least not for very long. I know you care for Ian. Believe me, you don’t want him to get tangled up in the mess of my life.”

She laughed. “Messes don’t scare Ian. He likes to sort them out.”

“Some of them can’t be sorted out.”

She tipped her head to the side. “But there’s a lot of fun to be had while you try.”

I smiled at her and then said, “I’m going to miss you.”

“Don’t be sad. I’m going to be with Jack again. My death shouldn’t be a sad thing to anyone.”

“You think you’re actually going to be with him again?”

“We have no religion or teachings about what happens after we die, but I’ve always felt that we continue on. Even though I can’t see him, I feel Jack around. I know he’ll be waiting for me when I’m done here.”

I thought back to the times I’d heard that voice speak to me. In my heart, I’d always known it was my mother’s voice, the voice of the White Laurel. As crazy as it once would have seemed to me, maybe Brandy was right and we did exist in some form after death.

“I’m going to ask you to do something for me, Alison,” she said, sounding very serious. “I know you’re unsure about the future, but I need you to help Ian. He and I dealt with Jack’s death together, but I’m the one that came out of it in better shape. Ian not only misses Jack, he feels guilty about taking his place as heir to the clan chiefdom. He can’t see himself in that role, and it hangs over him. If you don’t want to stay with him, at least check in on him from time to time. Help him remember this time in his life and what he’s accomplished.”

I pulled my car into a parking space and cut the engine. “I will.”

Brandy reached over to hug me. She pulled my head to her shoulder and patted my hair the way a mother would a child. It was the first indication she’d ever given that she was three times my age. Then she pushed me back to arm’s length. “You deserve to be happy,” she said. “Remember that.”

“I’ll remember.”

Reaching into the front of her backpack, she pulled a folded paper out. “This is for you. Don’t read it until our business with Sebastian is finished.”

I nodded and put the paper in my pocket. Brandy was smiling when I looked up.

“I think the Golden One wants to talk to you,” she said, pointing toward Ian, who was coming our way. She pretended to get a phone call when he opened my car door. Motioning for us to go ahead, she winked at me.

“Are you ready for this?” Ian asked.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

Aware that hostile eyes were probably watching, I kept my expression neutral when I glanced over at him. The sun glinted off his light hair and brightened the color of his eyes. He’s the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.

In a strange parallel, he whispered, “You’re beautiful.”

I laughed. “I didn’t know you had vision problems.”

“I don’t. I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you standing in line at registration. In spite of those ugly glasses and your reluctance to return a smile.”

“You’re beautiful to me, too, Ian.”

“Of course I am,” he said, cocking his head to the side.

I pushed him hard in the arm. He just laughed. When we reached the side doors of the school, he put his arm around my waist and pulled me between the brick wall and a tree that sheltered us from onlookers. He put his hand on the back of my neck, and my eyes closed in response. I leaned into him when he kissed me gently on the lips. “We’re going to get through this,” he whispered.

I opened my eyes. “I hope so.”

“We will,” he insisted, making me look at him. “You have to believe it as much as I do. You never backed down from anything we threw at you this week. Your abilities run as deep as any of us hoped they would, and you learn on the fly. You will be strong today, and Brandy and I will be right behind you.”

“Are you scared?” I asked.

“A little, but fear isn’t a bad thing for me. It quickens my reaction time.”

I thought about my conversation with Spencer the day after Ian killed the tiger. He said his son was a trained fighter with extraordinary energy. I knew that was true. I’d seen what Ian could do with my own eyes. I hoped desperately that his abilities would be enough when he fought Sebastian.

“Don’t get killed,” I ordered.

He hugged me tight. “That’s second on my to-do list. First on my list is to make sure you don’t get killed.”