Nexus

  So far . . . this vacation sucked royally.

  Kerrigan and Dominic were the first to step out of the car. Dominic went straight to the trunk to help with the luggage, while Kerrigan took a long inhale to get a whiff of the spring flowers in bloom. She had a thing for flowers. She had always told Tori about the garden that made up her sanctuary with longing. It was so obvious she missed it. Maybe that was one of the reasons she pushed Tori so hard while training; she was living vicariously through her.

  Tori climbed out of the backseat with her messenger bag draped over her shoulder and her journal securely tucked away inside. There was a chill in the air, but the sun shining on her back made her feel like a cat curled up on a windowsill. It was a good thing Kerrigan and Gabe had included a light jacket on her packing list. Seriously, those two were like travel Nazis, but they were nothing short of efficient. Not that she’d admit that out loud.

  Tori looked up at the beige, three-story double townhouse that sat on the corner lot. The Cruz family home was big, but this place was like a mini-mansion. The stoop was much smaller than the wraparound porch of her home back in St. Augustine, but the miniature lion statutes that sat atop the weathered cement posts at the bottom of the steps added class. The perfectly manicured lawn was surrounded by a short black iron fence with a locking gate at the walkway that led to the enormous French-style doors at the front of the house. But what really caught Tori’s eye wasn’t the house; it was the park across the street. There was an air of familiarity about it, but she knew she had never been there before. Still, she felt like she knew it as if she had been there a thousand times. Closing her eyes, she retreated into herself, searching but not finding the memory of this place that teased at the corners of her mind.

  Her eyes snapped open and she jumped when she felt a pinch to her ass. “Look alive, Mini-Me,” Gabe said, brushing the wrinkles out of his clothes. He pulled a compact mirror out of the designer murse he had picked up on his last trip to Paris and began running his fingers through his hair. “You’re about to finally meet my ex.” He sighed dramatically. “Ours was a forbidden love that could never be. I do hope he’s gotten over me by now because I’d hate to have to break his heart again.”

  Tori gave him a yeah-right look. Any relationship her divatastic auntie had had with their Guardian host in the past was strictly platonic, but no one would ever be able to convince Gabe otherwise.

  “Does Uncle Colton know about this sordid love affair?”

  “Honey, let Auntie Gabe give you a bit of advice . . . What they don’t know, won’t hurt ’em . . . or you, for that matter.” He looked up and closed his compact. “Ah, there he is now. Andrew!” he drawled out in a very fake, very uppity voice before shoving Tori to the side.

  Drew was tall and fit with golden skin that shimmered in the setting sun like glitter was embedded in it. The touch of gray at his temples made him look distinguished, but the contradiction of his smooth features gave him an air of agelessness. Around his neck was a silver chain with a gold ring attached that shone almost as brightly as his skin.

  Kerrigan turned around when she heard Gabe say his name and beamed at their host. “Drew!” With a lot of work, she managed to peel Gabe away from his tall frame and threw her arms around Drew’s neck.

  His smile was as bright as the sun when he pulled back to look her over. “It’s been too long, Miss Cruz.” His brow furrowed as he realized his error. “I’m sorry, it’s Mrs. Grayson now, isn’t it?”

  “Actually, Dom insisted I keep the Cruz name, you know . . . because of the bloodline and all.”

  “Is that right? How is it I’ve never known that?”

  “You never asked,” Dominic said as he went to stand next to Kerrigan. “You remember what they say about assuming, right?”

  Drew laughed. “Are you calling me an ass, Dom?”

  Dominic shrugged and smirked back at him. “If the loafer fits . . .”

  With another chuckle, Drew offered his hand, pulling Dominic in for a manly hug. “For the record, I find it very commendable of you that you insisted she keep her Guardian name.”

  From the stories Tori had heard from her family, her father and Drew had had a rough start when they first met. Something about Drew vying for Kerrigan’s attention because he had once believed she was his soul mate. Having witnessed the connection Kerrigan and Dominic shared he had given up the good fight and had settled on friendship. In fact, Drew had risked his own life to save Dominic’s, and they had been the best of friends ever since.

  “I never wanted to change her. It’s who she is.”

  “Was,” Kerrigan corrected him. “It’s who I was. I’m no longer a Guardian.”

  Drew regarded her with empathy. “You will always be a Guardian, Kerrigan. Losing your gift doesn’t change that.”

  Kerrigan gave him a smile of gratitude. It was nice of him to say the words even if she didn’t believe them. Then she pulled away from Dominic and turned toward Tori. “Drew, this is our daughter, Victoria.”

  Drew squinted when he looked at Tori and then laughed out loud. “Bloody hell, you’re quite the brilliant one, aren’t you? I’ve never seen a Guardian so bright, but then again, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting a Guardian of the Light who also has Guardian Angel bloodline, and I dare say I never will again. It’s almost as if you’re a star fallen from the heavens.” He stepped to Tori and took her hand as he bowed. “It’s an honor to be in your presence, Victoria.”

  “Um . . . it’s just Tori,” she said, taken aback by his reverence. “And I’m nobody special, so you shouldn’t bow to me.”

  “On the contrary, my dear, you are very special.”

  Tori scoffed. “No offense, but I’ve been told that more times than I can count. I just don’t really like being treated like the golden child and all.”

  “Tori! Mind your manners!” Kerrigan scolded her.

  Dominic stepped between them and put his arm around Tori’s shoulders. “It’s not her fault, Querida. She gets her bluntness from me.” He hugged her, letting her know he had her back, yet again. She really was a lot like him in many ways. “I can’t say I blame her for not wanting all the attention.”

  Drew gave her a tight smile while studying her face. It wasn’t creepy, just weird. “Of course not. Why don’t we go inside and get you settled into your rooms, then? I’m sure you want to refresh yourselves, and you must be famished. Lucky for you, my beautiful wife is in the kitchen whipping up some dinner. She’s been in there all day, so eager to make a good impression on you.” He grabbed two of the many pieces of luggage and started toward the house.

  “Sinclair cooks?” Kerrigan asked with a furrowed brow, following after him.

  Drew laughed. “Yes, and she’s really quite good at it. She’s nothing like the woman you knew before.”

  The infamous Sinclair Davis, now Dickens. Tori had heard so much about her—like how she had tried to kill Dominic back in the day. Fun times. Apparently, she had been under the influence of another, yet her parents had never mentioned the name of Sinclair’s demon puppeteer. They thought it was bad mojo, like saying his name out loud would raise him from the pits of Hell where Kerrigan had managed to banish him.

  Dominic gave Tori another tight squeeze and then released her to help Colton with the rest of the luggage. “Go on inside, baby girl. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Tori looked across the street again, feeling a bizarre pull. “Actually, I think I’ll go for a walk. I’d like to check out the park.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Tor,” Dominic said as he juggled a designer pink carry-on under his arm and two full-size suitcases in his hands. “We don’t know how safe it is.”

  Tori rolled her eyes and let her shoulders slump. “I’m twenty-one. I think I can take care of myself.” Dominic started to protest further, but she cut him off. “It’s just a park. Besides, this is supposed to be a vacation. You don’t really expect me to drag you around everywhere with me, do you? B
ecause that wouldn’t be embarrassing at all.”

  Dominic grinned at her, amused. “Point taken. Maybe you’re more like your mom than I thought. But we’re guests here, Tor, which means you need to come inside and meet the rest of our hosts before you go running off on your own. Besides, Dante knows his way around, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking you sightseeing tomorrow or something.”

  Great, another babysitter. Tori sighed and went to help her father with the luggage. She supposed it would be rude of her to disappear before she even stepped foot in the door.

  Drew took her bags as soon as she was inside and introduced her to his wife, Sinclair. Sinclair was a very beautiful woman with all the makings of a centerfold model. Tori felt inadequate just standing next to her, but Sinclair wasn’t a bit shy.

  She hugged Tori like she had known her for all her life and beamed at her with genuine excitement. “I don’t want you to think of yourself as a guest while you’re here. Our home is your home, and you needn’t ask for a thing.” Sinclair slipped her arm through Tori’s and started up the stairs. “Come on, I’ll show you to your room. There’s a bathroom attached, so you can shower once you get settled in.”

  Tori’s room was straight out of a fairytale castle decked in Louis XV décor. The bed was humungous and fit for a queen, complete with thick, navy blue satin curtains that hung from the ceiling and tied back at the posts. A long, cushioned seat, built into the wall just under a window, looked out over the street below with a gorgeous view of the park. Feather pillows of every shape and size adorned the matching navy blue and white bedspread, making it look just as luxuriously comfortable as the antique bed. Authentic wood paneling covered the walls, adding to the nostalgic feel of old world London. In short, it was breathtaking.

  “Wow . . .” Tori said as she took it all in.

  Sinclair laughed and put her arm around Tori’s shoulder with a squeeze. “I’d hoped you’d like it. Now, the bathroom’s just through that door,” she said, pointing to the left, “and the linen closet should already be adequately stocked with towels and anything else you’ll need. I’ve also cleared out the wardrobe for you to put your things.” Sinclair went over to an ornately decorated wardrobe and opened it wide before turning back to her. “We’re so happy to have you here, Tori. I can’t wait for you to meet Dante. He should be along for dinner soon. Speaking of which, I best be getting back to it. Do you need anything else?”

  Tori merely shook her head, as she ran her hand over the plush bedding where she would lay her weary head for the next three months. No way would she be able to stay awake in that bed. Hopefully, living in a fairytale room would make the nightmares magically disappear, but she wasn’t counting on it.

  “Good, I’ll leave you to it then and we’ll see you in a bit.” Sinclair turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

  Tori went over and kicked her shoes off before curling up on the window seat to look out at the park. The undeniable pull to go explore tugged at her, but it would have to wait. The first chance she got, she was going to that park to see what was so damn important. She’d just have to find a way to slip out without her new babysitter, Dante.

  By the time Dominic and Colton had unloaded the ungodly amount of luggage—Gabe had enough to have a different outfit for every day of the summer—dinner was being served in the dining hall. Yes, dining hall. Drew’s house was humungous.

  Beyond the spacious rooms, tall ceilings, and long hallways, there were doors everywhere he looked. Dominic had even gotten lost on his quest for the guest bedrooms, finding a ridiculous amount of closets that could have served as bedrooms themselves. Behind one door, that he was sure would lead to a room, was a dark staircase that led to God only knew where—the bell tower perhaps, not that there actually was a bell tower, but it seemed sillier to dismiss the possibility than to think it might really exist. The place was a freaking maze. He hoped he wouldn’t have to take a piss in the middle of the night, make a wrong turn and end up whizzing in some priceless vase because those were everywhere, too. In fact, everything looked priceless. Damn, he was scared to even sit on anything. Luckily, the antique four-poster king-sized bed in his and Kerrigan’s temporary bedroom looked sturdy enough to handle a romp or two . . . maybe five, to start. He’d be sure to test it out later. Good thing the walls looked thick.

  “Dominic, so nice to see you,” Sinclair greeted him with a warm smile when he joined the rest of the household at the table. She didn’t attempt to kiss his cheek, hug him, or even touch him for that matter. Theirs was a complicated relationship that started when she had cast a spell on him some twenty years ago to make him believe he was in love with her so she could rip his soul out of his body to allow his demon father, Drake, to occupy it instead. And she would have succeeded had it not been for Kerrigan’s now-deceased grandmother, Availia. Still, her attempt had left him half a man—flesh and blood by day, incorporeal being by night. Her second attempt had been thwarted by Kerrigan; Dominic had gifted his soul to Kerrigan, and thus, Sinclair couldn’t take what he didn’t have to give. Foiled again.

  When she had failed with him, she had gone after Colton, but that hadn’t quite worked out in her favor either. Lucky for Colton, she didn’t get far enough into the ritual to inflict him with the same curse that had befallen Dominic.

  Sinclair had since learned the error of her ways and had been reformed. She, along with the rest of the world, had Drew to thank for that. Drew trusted her, and that was enough for Dominic, but even though he wasn’t holding a grudge, he was still careful around her. Fool me once and all that shit.

  “Sinclair, you’re looking well,” Dominic returned the polite greeting as he took his seat next to Kerrigan. She really was. She had recently celebrated her fortieth birthday, but she didn’t look a day over thirty. He wondered if that had anything to do with Drew’s Guardian powers because he knew his own Guardian Angel mother, Sarah, and Availia had bound her from doing any more magic, right along with the four lackeys who had made up her coven.

  He turned to look at Kerrigan, really noticing for the first time the signs of her aging. Her hair was the longest it had ever been, and she was still just as beautiful as the first day he had laid eyes on her. She didn’t look even close to her age, but the signs were still there. Faint crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, a little less elasticity to her skin, a dullness in the baby blue color of her irises.

  It was his fault that her eyes had lost most of their luminescence. Brighter than normal eyes were a common trait among those who had been touched by the Light, and when Kerrigan had lost her gift, she had lost that trait, too. Dominic still carried the guilt of knowing she had sacrificed part of herself for him, but Kerrigan wouldn’t let him dwell on it. After ascending to a higher plane and watching all of their past lives spent together and apart play out before them, she had cured him of his curse. He had been on the brink of death when she gifted half of his soul back to him, along with half of her own, so they would never have to be separated again. Since then, she had told him she would have done it all a thousand times over because the only thing that mattered was that they were together and their baby girl was alive and well—everything had happened just as it had always been meant to happen. She had been right, of course, but he believed she’d never truly grieved that loss.

  As far as Kerrigan’s gift was concerned, Dominic knew he would never be able to give that back to her, but he and Tori had at least been able to give her a reminder of it. Every year on their anniversary, he had taken Kerrigan out into the garden where Tori had remained hidden out of sight. One by one, fireflies had appeared in the night sky—just like they had by Kerrigan’s own will when she first learned how to use her gift. The smile on her face . . . that was a vision he would never forget. And with fireflies all around them, he had held his wife and kissed her like there was no tomorrow, because in their world they never knew when that might be true.

  Tori had been three when they found out she
had inherited the gift of the Light. Ever since then, he and Kerrigan had been training her. Just like Kerrigan’s drill sergeant father, she had pushed Tori hard. She was determined their daughter wouldn’t trip and fall into her gift unaware like Kerrigan. At the age of twenty-four, she had no one around to help guide her except a stranger who had never had the gift himself and barely any knowledge of how to wield it.

  Dominic had noticed Kerrigan’s frustrations when she couldn’t demonstrate a technique and the longing in her eyes when Tori had accomplished a particularly hard task. She had known that feeling of accomplishment, the pride of having done something no mere mortal could, and she missed it like crazy. He would’ve done anything to help her get it back. It just didn’t seem right that she should sacrifice so much for him and lose something that was a part of her when he hadn’t had to sacrifice anything in return. In fact, he gained a special gift of his own.

  As a Guardian Angel descendent he could sense when someone he loved was in danger. It’s how he knew that something wasn’t quite right with Tori. For all intents and purposes, she seemed to be okay—about as normal as a teenage Guardian with angelic and demonic bloodlines could be, anyway. The demonic side had never shown at all that he could see, so he had assumed the Guardian and angelic lines had canceled that part out. Sarah had once explained that the reason Colton hadn’t been as affected by Drake as Dominic had was because the bloodlines had been diluted by the time he was conceived, so the same must have been true for Tori as well. Still . . . something was off.

  He never breathed a word about his suspicions to Kerrigan, though. There was no proof, no real reason for him to suspect anything was wrong. In fact, Tori was flourishing with her gift, which would be the complete opposite of anything being wrong. He had resigned himself to keeping an eye on things to see if something hardcore developed before he brought attention to it. Lord knows they had endured enough drama in their lives. No sense in stirring shit up unnecessarily.