Tempest Reborn (35 page)

Either that, or it simply shifted my identity in the town’s consciousness from the girl who’d been responsible for Jason’s death to a girl who occasionally fought dragons. I was still the object of scrutiny and gossip, but I liked this type of gossip better.

And I enjoyed every moment I could of being ‘normal’, something I never thought I’d get to be again. So greeting guests and watching them gossip in my living room about people I could still interact with felt like a huge blessing.

Eventually, after food was eaten, cake was distributed, ‘Happy Birthday’ was sung, and presents unwrapped, the guests left one by one. Iris, Caleb, and my dad helped to clean up, and to wear the babies out so they’d sleep. After seeing Tracy and Grizzie’s struggles, I’d been very happy to learn that supe babies are easier than human babies. It’s something to do with their already beginning to process their elemental power, which wears them out no matter what they’re doing. But I didn’t ask too many questions, letting myself enjoy the fact that they were already sleeping almost entirely through the night.

After Anyan and I sought out our own bed, the barghest’s warm hand found my stomach. He’d started holding me like that when I was first pregnant, but considering our recent history, it had more meaning than the usual gesture.

‘I meant it, you know,’ he said. ‘Never again.’

I placed my small hand over his, snuggling closer against his side.

‘Anyan, I think the chances of me twice becoming the champion of the universe, chosen to battle an ancient force of evil, are pretty slim.’

‘I know. But still. Never again.’ His voice was steely, adamant.

I sighed. ‘I had to—’

‘I know you did,’ he interrupted. ‘I get that. And I was willing to do the same for you. I get that, too, now. But things are different. We have the girls—’

‘And we would both do anything for them,’ I said, my turn to interrupt.

‘Yes. But my point is that sometimes the ultimate sacrifice is to live. It’s to survive, despite what else we have to give up. That’s what I’m saying.’

I turned over on my side, pressing my body against his as I nuzzled his long, gorgeous nose with mine. ‘You’re a wise man, Anyan. Er, dog. Dog-man…’

‘Barghest,’ he murmured as his mouth found mine in a gentle kiss.

That gentle kiss quickly turned hungry, his tongue filling my mouth as his hands slipped under my nightie. He’d divested me of my clothing in seconds, and as he’d come to bed naked, we were now even. His hands roamed over my body as I did the same to him, loving the feel of us warm and solid against each other.

‘I love you, puppy,’ I told him, just because I could.

‘You just love my doggie style,’ he said, taking my wrists firmly in his. And then, suddenly, he flipped me, so I was lying on my stomach. He kept my wrists in his big hand, pinning them to my back, and me to the bed. His knees nudged my thighs apart and I gasped as his free hand knotted in my hair. He pulled my head back to whisper in my ear. I was expecting something delightfully dirty, but his voice was rough with more than just passion when he spoke.

‘I love you, too.’

That’s what I adore about my barghest. He’s like a box of chocolates: sometimes filled with something sweet, other times filled with pure filth.

Together, we may have saved the world – but we also knew how to save each other.

And have a damned good time doing it.

Writing acknowledgments is harrowing. I always worry I’ve forgotten somebody, and I usually do. But writing the acknowledgments for the last book in a series is especially daunting. After all, this series made me an author, something I’d never thought I’d become. And I have so many people to thank for that honor.

First of all, to my family. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You let me become who I am. No matter how distant or daunting was my next adventure, you always supported me. All of my experiences have gone into my books, and I would definitely not have gotten where I am so early if it weren’t for your support.

Next up is my dedicatee, Rebecca Strauss, and everyone else at McIntosh and Otis. You have all been incredibly patient with an author who knew absolutely nothing about the business. You have guided me with patience and wisdom, and you have been not only a source of professional support, but a friend. I can’t begin to thank you, and I really do feel we’re a team.

I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Orbit Books. To my editor, Devi Pillai, for buying my books and for telling me when they rocked and when they didn’t. To Jenn Flax and Susan Barnes for helping make my writing better. To Alex Lencicki, Jack Womack, and Ellen Wright for making sure my books reached as many people as possible. To Sharon Tancredi and Lauren Panepinto, who made Jane beautiful. To Tim Holman for leading the pack. And thanks also to the UK Orbit team, especially Anna Gregson, Rose Tremlett, and Joanna Kramer, for getting Jane overseas, where she belongs.

I must also thank all of my friends who supported me. James Clawson, Christie Ko, and Mary Lois White get special mention for all their readings of Jane. But there are so many of you who supported me, gave me inspiration, and answered questions on various bizarre subjects. To all of my author friends and the League of Reluctant Adults and the Pens Fatales, especially: Thank you for all of your support, advice, and talkings down. To my critique partner, Diana Rowland, who has been Jane’s partner throughout. And thank you to my employers, LSUS and Seton Hill, and to all of my wonderful colleagues.

Finally, to the fans. I can’t believe how much you love Jane. It humbles me and thrills me, and I am so lucky for your support.

I know that’s a lot of people, but one woman does not a series make. I’m also sure there are people whom I’ve forgotten, and there are a ton of people I wish I could list by name. But please know I’m well aware of how lucky I am to have you. I’ve loved writing Jane, and I couldn’t have done it without you.

www.orbitbooks.net

I drew in a ragged breath and tried hard to surface from one hell of a nightmare. “
Jesus
,” I moaned. Sweat slid down my face. My head was fuzzy. Was I dreaming? If I was, this dream hurt like a bitch.

Wait, dreams aren’t supposed to hurt.

Without warning my body seized again. Pain scorched through my veins like a bad sunburn, igniting every cell in its path. I clenched my teeth, trying hard to block the rush.

Then, as quickly as it struck, the pain disappeared.

The sudden loss of sensation jolted my brain awake and my eyes snapped open in the dark. This wasn’t a damn dream. I took a quick internal inventory of all my body parts. Everything tingled, but thankfully my limbs could move freely again. The weak green halo of my digital clock read 2:07 a.m. I’d only been asleep for a few hours. I rolled onto my side and swiped my sticky hair off my face. When my fingers came in contact with my skin, I gasped and snapped them away like a child who’d just touched a hot stove.

Holy shit, I’m on fire.

That couldn’t be right.

Don’t panic, Jess. Think logically.

I pressed the back of my hand against my forehead to get a better read on how badly I was burning up. Hot coals would’ve felt cooler than my skin.

I must be really sick.

Sickness was a rare event in my life, but it did happen. I wasn’t prone to illness, but I wasn’t immune to it either. My twin brother never got sick, but if the virus was strong enough I was susceptible.

I sat up, allowing my mind to linger for a brief moment on a very different explanation of my symptoms.
That scenario would be impossible. Get a grip. You’re a twenty-six-year-old female. It’s never going to happen. It’s probably just the flu. There’s no need to—

Without so much as a breath of warning, another spasm of pain hit clear and bright. My body jerked backward as the force of it plowed through me, sending my head slamming into the bedframe, snapping the wooden slats like matchsticks. My back bowed and my arms lashed out, knocking my bedside table and everything on it to the ground. The explosion of my lamp as it struck the floor was lost beneath my bona fide girl scream. “
Shiiiit!
”

Another tremor hit, erupting its vile ash into my psyche like a volcano. But this time instead of being lost in the pale haze of sleep, I was wide awake. I
had
to fight this.

I wasn’t sick.

I was
changing
.

Jesus Christ! You’ve spent your whole life thinking about this very moment and you try to convince yourself you have the flu? What’s the matter with you? If you want to live, you have to get to the dose before it’s too late!

The pain buried me, my arms and legs locked beside me. I was unable to move as the continuous force of spasms hit me one after another. The memory of my father’s voice rang clearly in my mind. I’d been foolish and too stubborn for my own good and now I was paying the price. “
Jessica, don’t argue with me. This is a necessary precaution. You must keep this by you at all times.
” The new leather case, containing a primed syringe of an exclusively engineered cocktail of drugs, would be entrusted to me for safekeeping. The contents of which were supposed to render me unconscious if need be. “
You may never need it, but as you well know, this is one of the stipulations of your living alone.
”

I’m so sorry, Dad.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. My genetic markers weren’t coded for this. This was an impossibility. In a world of impossibilities.

I’d been so stupid. My body continued to twist in on itself, my muscles moving and shifting in tandem. I was locked in a dance I had no chance of freeing myself from. The pain rushed up, finally reaching a crushing crescendo. As it hit its last note, my mind shattered apart under its impact.

Everything went blissfully black.

Too soon, pinpoints of light danced behind my eyelids. I eased them open. The pain was gone. Only a low throbbing current remained. It took me a moment to realize I was on all fours on the floor beside my bed, my knees and palms bloodied from the shards of my broken lamp. My small bedside table was scattered in pieces around me. It looked like a small hurricane had ripped apart my bedroom. I had no time to waste.

The dose is your only chance now. Go!

The bathroom door was five feet from me. I propelled myself forward, tugging myself on shaky arms, dragging my body behind me.
Come on, we can do this. It’s right there.
I’d only made it a few thin paces when the pain struck again, hard and fast. I collapsed on my side, the muscles under my skin roiling in earnest.
Jesuschrist!
The pain was straight out of a fairy tale, wicked and unrelenting.

I moaned, convulsing as the agony washed over me, crying out in my head, searching for the only possible thing that could help me now. My brother was my only chance.
Tyler, it’s happening! Ty, Ty … please! Tyler, can you hear me? Tyyy…

Another cloud of darkness tugged at the edges of my consciousness and I welcomed it. Anything to make all this horror disappear. Right before it claimed me, at that thin line between real and unreal, something very faint brushed against my senses. A tingle of recognition prickled me. But that wasn’t right. That wasn’t my brother’s voice.

Dad?

Nothing but empty air filled my mind. I chastised myself.
You’re just hoping for a miracle now.
Females weren’t meant to change. I’d heard that line my entire life. How could they change when they weren’t supposed to
exist
? I was a mistake, I’d always been a mistake, and there was nothing my father could do to help me now.

Pain rushed up, exploding my mind. Its fury breaking me apart once again.

Jessica, Jessica, can you hear me? We’re on our way. Stay with us. Just a few more minutes! Jessica … Hang in there, honey. Jess!