The Fallen One (Sons of the Dark Mother, Book One)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  JES

  Jes woke first. The moment she did, she knew Justice did, too. He quietly lay there, seeming to be waiting.

  She lay there for some time, trying to get her bearings. She realized in that moment, that though they’d rented two rooms for the second night, neither of them had gone to the other one.

  Instead, they’d slept the entire night curled up—together. She didn’t know what to think about that—wasn’t prepared to allow herself to censor how it had felt. It had felt too right—to want to ruin the feeling right now.

  The moment she moved, she was aware that Justice watched her. She sat up to pick up the journal. She looked at him, and he nodded, sitting partway and running a hand through his hair. She knew he was aware of how much she needed to read on.

  Justice sat there—watching her, as she searched for the place they’d left off, in their reading the night before. “You didn’t have the answers we had, all these years. It must have been difficult for you—not knowing—not understanding. No matter what else happened, me and my sisters were always pretty aware of what took place….”

  Jes stilled at his words, her eyes on the bed.

  “We’ve been training all our lives,” he said.” We were always much too aware of the politics of our people, of the condition of our family. not to put the pieces together fairly quickly….”

  She still didn’t look up, but she nodded.

  “You were pretty much left in the dark,” he said. “It’s one of the reasons I brought you here.” He paused, and sat part way, leaning on his side. “I didn’t need that journal. So far, my mother hasn’t told me anything I hadn’t already figured out. Well, except that your mother had died,” he finished quietly.

  She sniffed, and finally looked at him.

  “I hadn’t figured that one out,” he said. “I didn’t have any way of knowing anything like that had occurred.” He sat up, now. “But the rest of it—our running—the fact that we’re all in danger—that everyone knew I had returned to Chicago….

  She studied his face. None of what his mother said was news to him, while she scrambled for every scrap of knowledge. He had known something of what was going on. But she hadn’t.

  She didn’t have any idea why one day she’d climbed out of bed, and by the end of the day her whole world had blown up.

  “You needed this,” he said. “It was a bit dangerous….” He stopped. “Actually, it was crazy dangerous. I usually don’t take these kinds of risks.”

  Her brow shot up, at that. “Then, why did you?”

  “You’re my mate,” he said as if that explained everything.

  She couldn’t help the shiver of excitement that washed over her at his words.

  He hadn’t planned this, she thought.

  No—this one he’d done straight from the heart.

  She stared at the first line, from where she’d last let off. Read, she commanded. Before you do something crazy stupid.

  She licked her bottom lip. “Jes,” she read out loud. “I’m so very sorry, but I must not tell you who killed your mother. I think your knowing would place all of you in greater danger than you already are. Most especially you…,” her voice trailed off. She shook her head. What on Earth did that mean? It was almost as if she were trying to tell Jes something.

  She looked at Justice with a question in her eyes.

  He’d sat up, upon hearing those words. She could see, he heard the warning too.

  “Especially you…,” his voice trailed off. “Jes, that sounds as though you know her killer….”

  She nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” she said. “And it sounds as though, whoever my mother’s….” She stopped and tried again. “Whoever my mother’s…,” she stumbled over the words again, “killer was—is someone I love and…,” she looked into his darkened eyes, “—maybe someone I trust.”

  He gathered her into his arms.

  Jes stiffened. Her mother had been murdered. And she was taking comfort in the arms of another murderer.

  Justice pulled free from her and stood.

  She wanted to take back her thoughts—but she couldn’t. And they both knew why.

  He headed toward the door to go to the other room. He turned back at the door. “Jes, I’m sorry about your mother.” His gaze sought hers. She nodded. “You probably need to take that journal in—a little at a time. I’ll bring your bag. Let’s get cleaned up. It’s a long drive back.”

  Jes only nodded again. She averted her gaze, and tried her best to keep her thoughts on something neutral.

  Jes and Justice made the trip home in silence. The entire way, they hardly said a word. They were each deep within their own thoughts, and Jes, deep in her grief. Whenever they stopped, Justice bought her something to drink, and something to snack on, and she’d mumble her thanks.

  She watched him when he looked her over, trying to determine if she were all right. He was sweet—for someone who…. She stopped that thought in its tracks because whenever these thoughts entered her head, she’d see him turn away in disgust—and something else.

  She didn’t try to read any more of the thick, leather-bound journal. She didn’t know if she could take anymore, right now.

  Who had killed her mother? And why did that put her in danger? Most of all—what could have happened that fateful day—all those years ago—to cause two families to go into hiding?

  And why had they left their children behind?

  “Perhaps,” said Justice, musing out loud, as usual, reading her thoughts, “it was the only way to keep us out of danger,” he nearly whispered the last—as if it were the first time that occurred to him.

  Jes went back to looking out the window—remembering her mother.

  She’d been a quiet woman, a good and gentle woman. She didn’t say much, so when she did, she was usually heard by all—especially Jes’s father.

  But Jes remembered the last few weeks with her parents before they disappeared, and they hadn’t been the usual, pleasant ones of her childhood.

  Her parents fought. She remembered because she started to fear they’d divorce like so many other families she knew, around her. She didn’t know what they were fighting over since they kept their arguments behind closed doors, and kept their voices low. She was only able to make out the heated, muffled sound of their whispers.

  But nothing hid their anger.

  She’d never heard her mother so angry. It frightened her. Her usually gentle mother had been furious with her father. And try as she might, she couldn’t figure out why.

  Jes was pulled out of her troubled memories when Justice took her hand. It was so easy to feel comforted by him. For once, she didn’t follow that with her usual thoughts. Right now, she needed his comfort.

  It was late when they reached Chicago. A thousand miles was a long way to drive, in one trip. Actually, it was a little more than a thousand, but who was counting. It was a damn long way.

  He took her into her apartment, made sure she was safe, and headed for his own. She didn’t question him, but let him drive away.

  Justice wished she would have questioned him.

  But, in truth, he had someone to deal with. Finding Jes didn’t change that. He wished it did. But he could not stop what was about to happen—even if he wanted to.

  Jes didn’t begin to know the danger into which she’d put herself. He’d have to step up his plans if he were going to find a way to protect her, too. He wished he could have kept her out of the coming danger—but she’d placed herself right in the middle of it the moment she’d stepped into that gangbanger’s house.

  And it wasn’t even that crew she needed to worry about.

  It was a much bigger gang—one that caused both of their families to disappear that day that had always been the threat.

  Jes’s apartment was a full hour away from where Justice’s sisters lived. When he reached it, he quietly let himself into Mia’s house. He threw down his keys, and headed for the show
er. He stood there, like that, in the shower, for half an hour—letting the water pelt over him. As if the water would wash away what happened. As if the water would wash away the sickness he felt.

  And make them all clean again.

  At the end of the half hour, he heard his sister quietly say his name from outside the door—as a question.

  “I’m okay,” he replied in a whisper, then repeated it louder so she could hear. A minute later, he heard her slippered feet take her back to bed.

  How was he ever going to keep his sisters safe—and Jes? And, right now, he was afraid his mother was right, that Jes was in more danger than any of the rest of them.

  Justice hadn’t known Jes’s mother died that day. But he figured out why their families left. He hadn’t told Jes—yet. Somehow, somewhere in his head, he thought the knowing would make it all somehow—worse.

  But it wouldn’t change the facts. He feared she’d made herself visible. That fear planted a seed when she’d shown at Second Chances.

  And that seed had taken root with his mother’s warning.

  If he was right, it would only be a matter of days before the gang put out the word that she’d have to go down. This particular crew feared Justice—more than they feared anyone.

  They feared Justice because he hunted any member that went rogue—and he always got what he hunted.

  But that wasn’t the only reason they feared him—lately. Justice had a secret. He’d been raised with this secret—been schooled for it—conditioned for it—taught everything he’d need—for it.

  And it led to two families going into hiding—to lead everyone away from—him.

  He toweled himself briskly, getting dressed with efficient ease. His garb was like the ancient battle garb of his ancestors, and unlike anything anyone on Earth today had seen. But if anyone were to spot him, nowadays, anyway, he knew they’d assume he was in some kind of play, or had some other job that required him to dress in such an outlandish way.

  His mind quickly followed the elusive thread that teased him all morning. Jes was now in danger because all these years, their crew couldn’t track down his family—or hers. But when she went to that gangbanger—they might have figured it out.

  Not that they didn’t know who she was all this time. Those in power kept that under wraps for a reason.

  But, now, she may have come under the watchful surveillance of the predators—those who’d gone rogue and didn’t follow anyone, save their own leaders.

  Justice simply disappeared off the map. He’d made sure his sisters did the same—changed their identities—changed their pasts—changed their lives. He’d resurfaced only recently. And this particular gang wasn’t too happy to learn that the enemy who hunted them, bringing down those who’ve actively gone rogue, was also the only one who could force them to deal with the Alliance.

  But Jes…

  Jes’s grandparents had taken her in. And their position alone protected her—which was why those in power were able to protect her, keep those who rebelled from learning who she was—or keep them too fearful to do anything about it, if they were to stumble upon the truth.

  Her grandparents wouldn’t be happy to learn their daughter died that day. They were a force of their own to be reckoned with. And he didn’t think they’d be too far behind him in figuring out how she’d died—and by whose hand.

  He hoped he was wrong.

  But Justice was seldom wrong.

  He knew the moment they figured it out, there would be a war unlike anything the Earth had ever seen. A war that would make the entire human species acutely aware they were not alone on this planet—like they so obliviously thought they were.

  Their entire existence would change because of it.

  It was nearly time to come forward—a little sooner than any of them would have liked, true, but it was the only way to keep the world tipped toward balance.

  And not chaos.