Forged by Greed (39 page)

“An adult according to our Race’s laws. But not the laws of humans.”
Tyrrell tried to console the distressed Kaliope.
 

“I said that once, and she laughed in my face.” She sighed.

The whole time Jatred stood by the door, leaning on the wall, his
arms and ankles crossed. His eyes were narrowed. As soon as Kaliope looked at
him, he rearranged his features, curving the corners of his lips into a smile. He
looked rough in his dirty, torn clothes.

“Oh,” Tyrrell said, scratching his cropped curly hair. “Kaliope,
you’ve met Jatred, right?”

She blinked a few times. “A few years ago.”

“Hi.” Jatred nodded in her direction.

“Hi, Jatred. I’m Penelope’s mother.”

“I know.”

“So how is Estelle?” Tyrrell walked toward the Native American woman
sleeping in the hospital bed. Her jet-black hair was arranged on the sides of
her head into two thick braids. She looked very small and frail. Her dark,
leathery complexion contrasted with the white pillow case. Estelle’s left arm
and leg were, each, enclosed in a long cast.

Kaliope moved to stand next to Tyrrell, her eyes on Estelle. “She’s
on some heavy meds for pain, but Doctor Bigbee said she’ll heal quickly. The
bones in her leg and arm are badly broken, in several places. But… you know…
she will pull through.” Kaliope bit her lower lip, her brows knitted in a
frown.

Jatred stood on the other side of Tyrrell, staring at the sleeping
woman.
 

“Did something fall on her?” he asked.

“We were at her house. She got on one of those step-ladders, to put
something in the china cabinet. When the shaking started, she lost her balance
and fell onto her back, and a hutch from that china cabinet crashed down onto
her,” Kaliope said. “She was pinned to the floor but my husband moved the hutch
quickly off her. Then I went outside to find help, but it was no use. I was so
scared and thinking of Penelope too.” She started to sob again.

“Where is your husband?” Tyrrell bent his head to look into her
face.

“He went to find Penelope. She just called us and got through. She’s
with some friends here, at the hospital. Oh, I already said that.” Kaliope
shook her head and rubbed her forehead with her fist.

Jatred looked at Tyrrell. “I’ll be right back.” He turned around and
quickly walked out of the room.
He
felt like running ahead, with no apparent direction, no goal in mind, toward…
what? In a few long strides he was at the staircase, taking two steps at a
time. He realized there was something, no—somebody—looking for him, and using
an invisible source of some ancient power to bring him closer.
The bond. I remember the bond with a girl. Who
was that girl?

CHAPTER 44

Human World, November 18,
late afternoon.

“We have to put you in a cast, Jousenne.” Doctor Bigbee narrowed his
eyes at the set of X-rays in front of him. “I was afraid of that. The fracture
may not heal properly if your hip is not immobilized.”

“Nonsense.” Jousenne snorted. “I heal quickly—”

“I insist. I’ve known you for a long time and yes, you heal faster
than any other Shifter I’ve ever treated for injuries, but this,” he pointed to
the X-rays, “can’t be left unattended. Trust me. You don’t want to limp for the
rest of your life.”

Jousenne glared at the doctor, her chin lifted.

Jasmira stood next to her and chewed on her lip. “Grannie, it’s
better this way. Let’s not take any chances.”

Jousenne sighed heavily. “Okay, Brad. Do whatever you need to do.
Just hurry up, please. I don’t want to be stuck in here. Although I must say,
I’m impressed with how well the hospital operates, given the circumstances.”

Doctor Bigbee pressed his lips together in a polite smile at
Jousenne’s commanding tone. Despite being a Winter Shifter, he respected her
position in the Summer Shifter community. She was, after all, a former Queen
and the president of the Summer Historical Society.
 

“If it was any other place, we would have evacuated. But with both
Goddesses’ protection this hospital is safer than any other in the whole state.
The earthquake shook everyone up, but we had to pull through quickly, because
new patients keep coming,” he said with a smile. “Anyway, in a week you should
be back to normal; maybe even faster, since your healing ability is
extraordinary, even for a Shifter. The nurses will be over to prep you.”

They watched him leave the room, and then looked at each other.
Jasmira stooped down to hug her grandmother. Jousenne patted her hand in an
affectionate manner.

“Oh, Grannie. I’m so glad nothing worse happened to you. What would
I do without you?”

“Now, now. All is going to be fine. Don’t you worry.” Jousenne winced
at the pain in her broken hip.

“But how about the house? The whole upper terrace is gone.” Jasmira
wrung her hands and sat down.

The house should have been
protected. Amber didn’t shield us from the earthquake. Why?
Jousenne thought, and then said out loud, with a small dismissive
wave of her hand, “Don’t think about that now. The house can be fixed. That’s
the least of my worries. And most importantly, the secret chamber wasn’t
affected. Let’s hope
we
aren’t harmed
throughout this whole mess. This is not over, I’m afraid.”

“What do you mean, Grannie?”

“If this is what I suspect it is, we will face much more.”
Jousenne looked
away. “From what we know, or rather have suspected until now, the
ten-thousand-year mark should start around the winter solstice. But, according
to the opinion of some knowledgeable Summer and Winter Races’ Historians, it had
just started.”

“It did? But it’s only
November.” Jasmira’s eyes opened wide. “So now what?”

“So now we have no idea
what exactly is going to happen,” Jousenne paused, meeting Jasmira’s eyes. “We
don’t have any information on what the previous ten-thousand-year mark
occurrences were.”

“Is this the Goddesses’ doing? Or something with the Amulet? Or the
Dasht-e Kavir?”
Jasmira asked with her mind, the mental barrier tight. Absentmindedly, she
touched the front of her shirt, remembering that the Dasht-e Kavir was hidden
under the fabric.

“I don’t know.”

Jasmira didn’t break the
eye contact.
Is this my fault? Did I
cause all this to start early? Just because I took the Amulet before it was
ready for the Summer Race to take?
Her lower lip trembled, and her eyes
darted down to the floor. She kept up a strong mental shield, so her thoughts
remained private.

Jousenne lifted one eyebrow.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, child. But we have to be ready; and I don’t even
know for what. You have the Dasht-e Kavir with you. Protect it, keep it away
from sight. And be very careful.”

Jasmira nodded, stood up,
and walked to the window. There was a knock on the door. When Jousenne said,
“Come in,” it opened and two middle-aged nurses strode in.

“Hello, Mrs.
Rosewater. Jasmira, I haven’t seen you in ages. You grew so tall,” a
petite, mousy-looking nurse said with a tentative smile. She was a Summer
Shifter. The other woman, dressed in a white medical coat, was human.

“Good to see you, Nicole.” Jousenne nodded slowly.
 

“This is Amy.” Nicole gestured to the human nurse. “Doctor Bigbee is
waiting for you. The procedure shouldn’t take long.”

“Nicole. Human nurses can’t be involved, you know that,” Jousenne
snapped with her mind, keeping her face neutral. “Where are the Shifter
nurses?”

“Amy is going to help out just a bit and then she’s going to assist the
human doctors. Lauren will be here shortly; she’s a Winter gal. She’s finishing
up with another patient,” Nicole explained in the same mind-communicating
manner, smiling all the time.

Amy looked at Jousenne, unaware of the exchange between the other
two women.

“Just make sure this one doesn’t see my X-rays,” Jousenne added
scornfully in Nicole’s head.

“Of course not, Mrs. Rosewater. We keep our Shifter patients’
records in a secret vault. Only the Shifter doctors know about them.”

“I’m aware of that.” Jousenne struggled to remain calm.

Jasmira stood by the window, quiet throughout the whole
mind-exchange between the nurse and her grandmother. She heard them clearly in
her head since they didn’t bother to keep their shields up. Jasmira struggled
to relax.
Jatred. My Jatred. Is he okay? Is
he hurt? Where is he? Oh, Goddess, I have to see him.
She turned back to
the dark window and buried her face in her clenched fists.

Something prodded at her mind. Her eyes widened and her breath
caught in her throat. She walked to the door and opened it. As if hypnotized, Jasmira
stepped out into the hallway. There was something there. She couldn’t put her
finger on it, but she was unable to stop herself. It pulled her in, spellbound
her, and wouldn’t let go. She submitted to the strange energy that directed and
overwhelmed her.

She just wanted close her eyes and tilt her head back. Jasmira had
never felt so vulnerable and submissive before. The sensation was deliciously
welcoming, stirring something familiar inside her, something fascinating.

“
The bond… it feels so different than ever before. But that must be
it,” Jasmira whispered almost imperceptibly.

She walked as if in a dream. She didn’t see anyone around, didn’t
truly understand or care to understand why this was happening to her. Her heart
pounded in her chest, her throat constricted. She could only take small gulps
of air. A warm, sensual feeling rose within her. Something strong was calling
her. Jasmira put the palm of her hand on the cold wall to steady herself. She
threw her head back and closed her eyes.
 

She shuddered. Her body tried to shift to her animal form, but she
managed to oppose its demands, to stay human.
 
Jasmira didn’t want to lose that luscious
feeling racing through her. Ever. She touched the front of her
neck, sliding her hand slowly up, over her chin and to her parted lips. Her
fingers lingered there, reminding her of Jatred’s mouth over hers; of his warm
breath on her skin; of his strong body pressing against her.

                                                           
 
***

A weird sensation enveloped
Jatred.
It felt like something clawing its way up from his stomach. His heart thrashed in
his chest. Sweat trickled down his back.
 
He was dodging the people around him, trying to get to the bottom of the
stairs.

Two
middle-aged
nurses walked to the door down the
hallway. One was petite and mousy-looking, and Jatred knew right away that she
was a Summer Shifter. The other nurse—taller, with short curly hair—was human.
The Summer Shifter nurse opened the door. Despite the distance, Jatred’s
Shifter’s hearing let him catch what the nurse said to someone inside the room.
Unmistakably he heard, “
Hello, Mrs.
Rosewater.
Jasmira, I haven’t seen you in ages. You grew so tall.”
  

It hit him like a hammer.
Jasmira?
He felt as if his heart stopped and squeezed itself into his throat.
Jasmira! The one that everyone says was my…
She?
It’s her?
Jatred’s lips
parted in a silent surprise, his palms sweaty.
 
He turned around and rushed back toward the staircase. He didn’t
understand his own motives, but the only thing he wanted right now was to run
up those stairs, away from her. Something made him stop and turn around.

Jatred saw
a willowy girl
with dark skin walk out of the room. Her hair was long and curly, obsidian in
color. Her movements were indecisive. Somehow he knew that she was looking for
him and she didn’t even realize it.

He took a hesitant step forward, watching the girl close her eyes
and throw her head back. She walked gingerly, one hand on the wall, the other
unhurriedly tracing an invisible line from her neck up to her lips.

Jatred screwed his face up, trying to remember. He didn’t recognize
her. He had never seen her before, he was sure about that. There was something
about her. It made him stare at her, as if nothing existed but them in this
moment.

She didn’t know how long she stood there, leaning on the wall,
absent from the world around her. Her senses came back to her, and she tried to
recall where she was. Slowly, she opened her eyes and took a shuddering breath.
A few yards in front of her, down the hallway, stood a tall, black-haired teenage
boy. The sight of him sent a wave of longing through Jasmira.
Oh, Goddess! Oh, Goddess. It’s him…

He waited by the staircase, his blue eyes on her. His face was a
mask of anguish. His jaws clenched and unclenched, as if he struggled with
pain.

“Jatred?” Jasmira said his name slowly.