Meadow's Keep (The Gatekeepers Series) (29 page)

He motioned with his head
.

She stepped around him to the opposite counter.
“Want some?” Jasmine asked and poured the steaming liquid in a mug.

“Already have some, thanks. Lily here’s decided on chocolate milk for her breakfast-supper.”

“With extra chocolate. You know there’s a TV in my bedroom with a DVD player and lots of movies?”

“No. I didn’t
.”

Eryk sat at the end of the island and
ate a quarter of the pancake before he even looked up. “Performances make me hungry,” he said between bites, careful not to make eye contact with her again.

Jasmine sipped the hot coffee. “I don’t know how Brandy does it. I think every muscle I have
is screaming.”

“Well, she doesn’t do it quite the way we…” he let the words trail off
suddenly aware of Lily’s rapt attention.

“And just how do you two do it different?” Lily asked, her eyes twinkling.

“Trade secret,” he said and took another bite.

Lily lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers. “The zappy thing, maybe?”

Eryk’s head shot up.

“I kinda showed her
my
secret,” Jasmine said softly, not looking at Eryk.

Eryk set down his cup. He studied Lily and let his voice turn serious. “I suppose that let
s you into the secret world of the magician, Lily. It’s a very special place, where secrets are kept.”

“I can do that.”
She crossed her heart. “I promise.”

Now was a
s good a time as any, Jasmine realized. “As can we…Arabella.” She set her coffee cup down and turned to the young girl.

Lily’s eyes took on a look of panic and flitted from Jasmine to Eryk and back.
“How?”

Without answering,
Jasmine looked at Eryk. “Eryk,” she said, “meet Arabella Greeson.”

He tossed down
his napkin. “I knew you looked familiar.”

Lily eased to the edge of her seat
, ready to flee.

Jasmine shook her head. “It’s okay, Lily. I
can
call you Lily, can’t I? I’ve grown rather fond of the name.”

Lily didn’t speak. She was looking at Eryk.

“Lily, stop worrying.” Eryk said, casually taking another bite of pancake. “It doesn’t change anything. We’re going to protect you from whatever it is you’re afraid of.”

“But your Dad and my Dad.”

“Are good friends. I know. Don’t worry about that. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

It was Jasmine’s turn to look surprised. “Your families?”

“No.” Eryk got up and brought the coffee carafe to the island. “My
father”
—only Jasmine caught the slight emphasis on the word—“and Porter Greeson, Lily’s father, went to college together. They’ve stayed in touch. Her family hired me to perform for her thirteenth birthday.” He slapped his palm against his forehead. “Which happened to be in springtime.”

“Okay, so I was off by a few months,” Lily said quietly.
She pushed the plate away. “I’m not very hungry, anymore.”

“Sweetie, I meant what I said at Safe Harbor. Knowing your name doesn’t change anything. We’re going to take care of you.
Aren’t we, Eryk.” She turned and looked at Eryk.

“Absolutely.”

It was obvious she wasn’t buying it at this point. “I think I’m going to go to bed.” Lily got up from her chair and walked toward the door. Her demeanor had changed, her shoulders were slouched and her walk slow.”

Jasmine started to go after her.

Eryk grabbed her arm and, when she looked back, he shook his head.

“I’ll check on you later,” Jasmine called
to the retreating figure. She turned to Eryk. He raised his finger to his lips and waited, listening.

He spoke softly. “Give her
a little time.”

She sat back down, took a sip of her coffee
and grimaced. It was cold.

“Want some fresh?”

“No. I’ll never sleep tonight. What can you tell me about her family?”

“I really don’t know a lot. Porter
was one of those entrepreneurial kids who began his business before college. He went on to school with my father, went back to his business and it went worldwide, fast. He and my father stayed in touch.” He was stirring sugar into his coffee, suddenly lost in thought.

She noticed his expression
change every time he mentioned his father. “You want to tell me what happened between you and your father?”

“Not
hing much. I confronted him. He told me he bought me. We parted.” He still hadn’t looked up from his mug.

“Bought you?”
She choked out the words.

This time when he looked up there was bitterness in his expression. He
told Jasmine what he’d learned the night before at the beach. “I can’t say that I’m not grateful for him getting me out of a bad situation.” He toyed with his coffee mug. “I guess it’s the fact that he never even tried to be a father to me. Add to the mix the fact that, as soon as my abilities started to show, my mother deserted me as well. The sad part about that,” he said, “is that she didn’t even know that she wasn’t my mother.”

“Eryk, I’m so sorry.”
Jasmine reached out and laid her hand on his forearm and felt his current reach for her. She accepted it, let it blend with hers and return to him, giving comfort, she hoped.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Every time I have to refer to him,
my throat closes up. I don’t want to call him Dad. I don’t even want to refer to him as my father.”

“Then don’t,” she said simply. “
Call him Donald. Mr. Vreeland. Asshole, whatever makes you happy.”

He smiled for the first time.

She decided it was best to move away from that topic for now and she removed her hand. “What else can you tell me about Greeson?”

“Nothing, really. I wonder why she ran away?”

“You don’t know why Sonya brought her to us, do you?” At the shake of his head, Jasmine related her first meeting with Lily and how different she was. “There were some old as well as recent injuries suggesting abuse.”

She held up her hand when Eryk let out an expletive. “We have no way of knowing
who did the abusing, but Eryk, there’s a reason she ran away, and there’s a reason she’s so afraid.”

“Son of a bitch
,” he hissed, shaking his head. “I just can’t imagine it being Porter Greeson. He used to come to the house. I remember him talking about his wife and little girl. He was the epitome of the doting father and husband. It used to make me jealous as hell. He positively glowed with pride and love. He was devastated when his wife died suddenly.”

“Beverly isn’t Lily’s mother?”

“No. Porter met Beverly about three years ago in Paris. They were married within three months. I don’t think Da…Donald…,” he tried the moniker, liked it and continued, “has seen him since. She has a grown daughter. I can’t remember her name.”

“Well, damn,” Jasmine spoke so softly Eryk barely heard her, which was saying something.
He took the plates to the sink, giving her a moment.

Poor kid
.
Memories of another time came flooding back. She hadn’t been much younger than Lily when she lost her mother and father. In celebration of their fifteenth anniversary, her dad had taken her mom on a skiing trip. They loved to ski. It was to be the honeymoon they’d never had. Teresa was commandeered to take care of Jasmine. On their second day, an avalanche took a good portion of the mountainside, her parents along with it. It had taken years for her to accept the fact that their bodies might never be found. At times like this, the visceral ache would punch like a fist into her stomach.

Jasmine’s hand slow
ly rubbed at the invisible ache. “I’ll go talk with her. Maybe I can reach her.” She rose from the bar stool.

Eryk was around the island in a step. His hands rested on her shoulders. He had felt the anguish wash over her
as though it had been his. “Jasmine,” he said quietly, looking into her exotic eyes. He couldn’t continue. Instead, he drew her into his embrace, letting his energy softly encase her, sending a light pulse of comfort.

H
er arms encircled him and she inhaled his scent as she rested her head against his chest briefly. Too briefly, for the pulse sharpened, sped up, skittering awareness through both of them. She stepped away offering him an apology with her eyes, turned away, and went in search of Lily.

She found her sitting in front of the dressing table in her room
, staring into the mirror. Tears streaked her checks. Jasmine walked quietly up behind her, reached around her and picked up the brush. Only when Jasmine ran the brush through her hair, did Lily look up. Her eyes looked hopeless, almost devoid of color.

“When I was young, my mother used to brush my hair. It was
a little longer then.”

Lily’s eyes shifted downward, away from the memories.
Jasmine pulled the brush gently through Lily’s hair once more. “My parents died when I was twelve. I still miss them,” Jasmine said.

Lily’s eyes sought hers in the mirror.
“I miss her so much.”

“I know.”
She felt the tears in her own eyes, the ache and emptiness they’d both experienced. “I know.” Jasmine softly stroked the girl’s hair. “Is there anything I can do?”

Lily slowly shook her head.

Jasmine set down the brush and put her hand on Lily’s shoulder. “How about we talk in the morning?”

“Thanks. Tell Eryk I’m sorry.”

“He understands. Get some sleep. You’re safe with us. I promise.” As Jasmine eased the door closed behind her, she heard the soft sobs through the door. It took every ounce of her willpower not to turn back. Tomorrow they would find out the truth.

It made her
furious, this impotence she felt. She’d been at Safe Harbor a year and the anger still welled in her with each person that found Safe Harbor’s sanctuary. They came—battered, beaten, and silent. It was the wounds on their souls that called out to her. She’d never known betrayal by a family member, or even a member of her community. When she’d been attacked, Teresa had been there to pick up her pieces before she had time to completely fall apart. One thing Rob hadn’t been able to reach was her spirit—because Safe Harbor had been there. But, so had Ruthorford. As was their way, they’d extended their sense of community, surrounding her with love to help ease her through the worst of it.

One of her
first calls had been from Bill—the man who’d set aside is own angst to become her father figure when her parents had died. He’d said he loved her and she was his little girl, letting her know there was nothing that could happen to change that. Even Bask had been there for her, though she doubted he’d admit it in this lifetime. She always knew she could go back to Ruthorford and pick up where she’d left off before Rob had attacked her. Or, she could stay on at Safe Harbor. It was her choice.

Where did the others at Safe Harbor end up?
What choices did they have? What did they have to go back to? There’d been times, when the families were getting ready to leave, that she wanted to bundle them up and send them to Ruthorford. She wanted to erase the fear and trepidation she saw fleetingly in their expressions, before they attempted to hide it.

She was so lost in thought, she almost ran into Eryk.
He’d stepped out of the library, two glasses of wine in his hands. “I was just coming to find you.” He held out a glass. “How’s Lily?”

“She sends her apologies
.”

He
nodded, turned, and walked back into the library. Soft music filled the room and a fire crackled in the fireplace.

“Nice,” she said
, walked to the soft leather couch, and sunk into its richness.

“I figured you could use a moment to relax.” Though tempted, he didn’t sit next to her but took the deep leather chair next to the sofa.
“What were you thinking about?”

Jasmine looked up. He was studying the fire. It burnished his features and made his eyes appear more crystalline than usual.
If she hadn’t known Morgan, those eyes could appear unearthly, even frightening. Instead, they compelled her.

“I was thinking about how lucky I’ve been to have Ruthorford and Teresa and Bill. Even Bask.”

“Bask,” he teased, knowing the older man’s affection for Jasmine was genuine.

“His bark
is worse—”

“I know. I can tell.” He looked at her now, humor in those emerald eyes.

Jasmine felt the tug in her belly. A tightening. An awareness of the virility of the man across from her. She took a sip of wine and set it on the heavy coffee table between her and the fireplace, not wanting the wine pushing the warmth she felt any further.

She leaned back into the soft leather and studied the
flickering flames, listening to the hiss of the sap before it popped, and the smell of wood. “I love a real fireplace.”