PHENOMENAL GIRL 5 (36 page)

Fear filled me. “This child can still bring about the end of the world, because your soul is corrupted?”

He nodded again.

“But it could also save the world.” I said, now able to picture a person with Wes’s startling blue eyes and my hair and smile, holding my hand. Calling me Mommy. “That’s the flip side of the prophecy. That we’d either save the world or destroy it.”

A half-smile traced his face. “That’s true.”

“And you did a fantastic job before,” I said. “Ben was a great man.”

Tears brimmed in his eyes. “Yes, he was.”

“He saved us all.”

“Yes.”

“So, I’m not worried about what side he or she is going to come down on,” I decided, knowing it was true. There was no way Wes and I would have created anything evil with our love. And I was no longer scared of motherhood. I was even, dare I say it, excited.
A family
, my mind gibbered. I’d have a family!

But then a thought occurred to me. “Wait. Since I’ve been drained of my magic and thrown around a lot, is the baby okay?”

He lowered a hand onto my stomach, on top of mine. My skin hummed again. “She’s just fine.”

I raised an eyebrow. “She?”

“Magic beats ultrasounds any day.”

I smiled. “So what are we going to do now?”

“I think we should definitely stick around here. Now that Ben”
—
he trailed off and I could see he was trying not to cry again
—
“is gone, the EHJ needs extra help, especially to make sure the Dragon never comes back. And we’ll need help raising someone who could potentially end the world.”

“A lot of super-powered aunts and uncles.”

“Something like that,” he agreed.

“Okay.” I slid my hand into his. “I’m in.”

He squeezed it. “Me too. Now let’s go find out what happened to the others, and see if we can help.”

I stepped out of the car and felt my heels sink into the grass. “Man, I knew I shouldn’t have worn these shoes!”

Wesley glanced back at me. “Well, be careful! Don’t fall.”

I gave him a look. “I’m not going to fall.” I lifted up to float above the ground so my stilettos wouldn’t sink anymore. “See?”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t be wearing those shoes,” he repeated.

“My heels aren’t going anywhere, Bossy McAttitude.”

He sighed and headed off, me floating along after him. We passed by many gravestones until we reached the right one.

Wesley stopped in front of the large stone, what looked to be part of a family plot. He placed the bouquet of flowers he was carrying down on it. I stood
—
er, floated
—
a respectful distance away, letting him have his moment.

He turned to look at me. “It’s not too cold out here, is it?”

I smiled. “Wes, she’s got heavy clothes and blankets on. She’s fine.” I cradled our newborn closer to me. “Emily, tell Daddy to stop worrying all the time. How in the world did you manage to raise kids in the Dark Ages, Wes?”

“Don’t remember, but maybe that’s why I’m paranoid,” he said as I floated up next to him. “Ask Fantazia how overprotective I was with her.”

“Is that why she’s such a rebel now?”

“That’s just how she is. Got it from her mother.”

I read the tombstone in front of me. B
ENJAMIN
W
ALTER
R
ATH
. B
ELOVED SON
. P
ROTECTOR OF THE WORLD
.

“A fitting memorial for your brother, Em,” I said.

Wesley smiled. “Thank you.”

I glanced at the other two names on the large stone. B
EATRICE
E
LLEN
R
ATH
. B
ELOVED
W
IFE AND MOTHER
. And finally, the plot I knew was empty. W
ALTER
R
ATH
. B
ELOVED
F
ATHER AND
H
USBAND
. N
EVER
F
ORGOTTEN
, N
EVER
G
ONE
.

“That has to be a bit weird,” I said, running a fingertip over the name.

Wesley sighed. “Not really. I’ve gotten used to it.”

I shivered, running my thumb over my wedding band, knowing that he had done this time after time. Someday, that would be me and Emily. Just names on a stone, ghosts of a life whose memory had faded.

Our baby stirred in my arms and made a cooing noise, reminding me that someday was not today. There were no guarantees in life. Wesley might reincarnate at the end of this life, or this one could truly be his last. We would have a lifetime together. But one day, our daughter would be helping to keep the world safe with a future version of the EHJ. She was our legacy. In her, we would go on. That was a different kind of superpower, and one I hadn’t realized I had. In some ways, it was better than all the rest, and it was doubly amazing with the man I’d been lucky enough to get as my partner. All of us can be immortal if we choose to be. All of us can be phenomenal.

Wesley turned to me. “I’m ready.”

I smiled. “Let’s go.”

So many people to thank for putting up with me! First off, thanks to my super agent Michelle Wolfson and my amazing editor Chris Keeslar and assistant editor Alissa Davis for pulling me out of the “slush” to take a chance on me and the book. And a big thanks to all of the good people at Dorchester for all of their hard work.

A big “wow” to artist Judy York for her, forgive me,
phenomenal
cover art.

I’ve got to give it up to my extraordinary team of betas: Laura Tennant, Andrea Greynolds, Jolene Craig, and Rachel Lane because without their encouragement, nothing would get written.

A huge amount of thanks goes out to Kelley Armstrong for creating the Online Writers Group on her website and introducing me to a community of talented people who have been such a source of help and support over the years. To all past and current members of the OWG, big hugs around. You guys rock!

Extra love goes to Susan Charman for going above and beyond the call of duty as crit partner and being an endless supply of encouragement.

And saving the best for last, thanks to my family for always encouraging me on my road here. Especially my husband, Jeremy, who reads everything I put in front of him and always has an opinion on what I should do next, and Mara and Cordelia, for being so understanding about Mommy’s need for writing time.

“
Phenomenal Girl 5
kept me up late turning pages. Kudos to debut author A. J. Menden for creating a fully realized superhero world with a well-rounded cast of characters complimented by a sharp-witted narrator that you can’t help but want to spend time with.”

—Julie Kenner,
Bestselling Author of
Deja Demon