Heir of Pendel (A Pandoran Novel, #4) (76 page)

"Text me when you get to the airport," I said as I hugged Stefan. "Text me when you get to the gate, too. Oh, and make sure to text me when you land in D.C. and—"

"All right!" He laughed. "And you thought our father was overprotective. I'll message you as long as I can figure out how to send messages from this thing." He patted the breast of his jacket, where his smartphone lay hidden in the inside pocket.

"Love you." I smiled.

"Love you too," he said, ducking into the taxi.

Alex slid his arm around me, pulling me close, and we stepped away from the car as Stefan shut the door. The taxi rumbled to life, tires rolled and gravel crunched, and we watched the license plate grow smaller and smaller until it turned out of sight.

Alex squeezed my waist lightly. "You'll see him again soon. Don't worry."

I took a deep, steadying breath and squeezed him back. "I know. It's just…it reminds me of my dad driving away all those years." And now Stefan was to be the face of Gaia, just like my father had always been.

The next few weeks were fairly quiet. Sonya was there, too, but she was like a ghost. Weeks passed, and she never said very much. She tried smiling for our sakes, but I wished she wouldn't. Her smiles saddened me more, because they were a hollow and anemic representation of what they used to be. The little orange flower that had always floated like a flame upon water in the bowl in their sitting room was gone. Alex had said it'd died, and I thought it'd probably died the moment Cicero had passed.

Drago Campinelli called to check on Sonya and give his condolences. He offered to fly her out to Rome, asking if she'd be interested in helping him distribute some of the Gaian artifacts that had made it through to various museums. Alex and I both knew Drago was trying to give her something to keep her busy and give her purpose, but Sonya declined his offer. She said she just needed more time. Alex encouraged her to go, but she wouldn't say another word about it.

Sonya did seem genuinely happy Alex and I were together, though, and sometimes I'd catch her staring at Alex in a way that made me think she was remembering her husband, and then she'd notice me watching her, give me that sad smile, and excuse herself from the room. I wanted to give her comfort, but there was no comforting a person when they'd lost half their person. Only time would help her learn how to function again, but I knew she would never be the same Sonya. For that matter, none of us would be the same.

The days grew longer, now that it was closer to spring, but winter still hadn't released Yosemite Valley from its frozen claws. One late evening, a month since I'd woken in Alex's bed, I was curled up in a huge chair by the fire, wearing a zip-up hoodie and leggings, buried in a blanket and holding a mug of hot cocoa while reading. This had been one of my favorite spots as a child, and I thought I could safely say it was my favorite spot as an adult.

Headlights appeared at the end of the drive, and soon Alex's Jeep pulled around the roundabout. Thad sat in the driver's seat. Somehow, he'd finagled a California Drivers' License out of Drago (don't ask), and ever since then, he and Vera left daily to do things like snowshoe or explore or go to the movies. Car doors shut as they exited the Jeep, and it wasn't long before their tread thudded up the stairs of the front porch. The front door creaked open and their soft voices sounded in the hall.

Vera came into view. She hadn't seen me, though, because she was too busy watching Thad, listening to something he said, and she was red-faced and smiling. She'd been doing that a lot lately when she was with him. Her smiles softened that hard veneer and transformed her into something beautifully vulnerable. And then Thad appeared in my view. He stepped close to Vera, slid his hands in her hair, and kissed her.

I immediately looked back down at the book in my hands and pretended to read.

"Don't think I don't see you over there, Rook," Thad said.

I slowly lifted my gaze. Vera's cheeks splotched bright pink and she grinned awkwardly at me before dashing off. Thad, however, stood confident and tall, and he looked more certain than I'd ever seen him.

"I was trying not to interrupt, genius," I said.

He grinned. "Yeah, and you fade into the background about as well as a strobe light."

I laughed. "So…? You two ready for tomorrow?"

Thad and Vera were flying to Washington D.C. in the morning to meet up with Stefan. He'd offered them jobs to help him in his role as Gaia's ambassador, and Thad and Vera were to act more as his field agents. Stefan had decided he didn't like flying all that much.

"I think so," Thad replied, glancing in the direction Vera had gone. I had a feeling his mind was there, too.

"You know," I started, "I distinctly remember a time when you told me I didn't need to worry about Alex liking her because she wasn't
human
."

He smirked. "Yeah, well, if I'd told you the reason she wasn't human was because I thought she was part goddess, that would've just given you a complex."

I laughed. "Go on. Get out of here."

He didn't have to be asked twice.

"Thad…"

He paused and looked back at me.

I smiled. "I'm happier than you could know." I nodded toward where Vera had disappeared.

He smiled. He didn't smirk. He
smiled
. And then he bolted after her. I went back to reading, and Alex appeared in the threshold of the room. I set my bookmark in place and shut my book.

"Hey." He walked toward me, his arms hanging casually at his sides. He had on a fitted forest-green thermal and a pair of stonewashed jeans, and he wore a grey wool beanie on his head. A few dark curls poked out from under it, and between the thermal and the beanie, his eyes looked exceptionally green.

"Hey," I said, moving my book and mug to the small table beside me and sitting up in the chair, giving him room to sit on the ottoman.

He lifted my legs before sitting, and then set my legs in his lap and rested his hands on my shins. The heat of his palms seeped through my leggings and into my calves. I loved how easy things had become between us—how easy he was with me. It was as comfortable and natural as it'd always been, but different, too, because there was the added element of love, and that love had so many new layers. I loved exploring those layers, and I knew there were so many more layers to explore, if only he'd let us. But he was still true to his word and kept our physical intimacy behind a certain, distinct, and very frustrating line.

"It's burning up over here." He looked from the fire to my blanket to my cup of hot cocoa.

I smiled. "Not all of us are walking space heaters, you know."

He laughed. I loved the sound of it, and I loved the way he was looking at me right then. And he kept looking at me—my face, my hair, my body—and then his eyes settled on mine again, the warmth of the fire reflecting in his.

"My mother's agreed to go to Rome," he said.

I gasped. "She has? Oh, Alex, that's great! Did she just tell you?"

He nodded. "She called Drago this afternoon. He's making travel arrangements for her tomorrow to fly out there in a few weeks."

"How long will she stay?"

"She doesn't know. But…I'm glad she's going."

I'd expected Alex to act a little more relieved about this, but he almost seemed…nervous. Before I could ask him about it, he presented an envelope.

It was addressed to me, and it was from Yale University. My heart skipped a beat. I glanced up at Alex, who grinned. My hands shook as I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the paper—er, papers, rather—and then I read over the first page. Three times.

"So…?" Alex leaned forward to read the letter's contents.

"I got in!" I all but screamed, waving the paper at him. "I get to enroll for this fall!"

He smiled, and that smile was full of all kinds of pride. "You seem surprised."

"Are you kidding? It's Yale!
And
I've been offered a full-ride plus living expenses! They liked my"—I glanced back at the letter—"'passion for social justice' and feel I've 'demonstrated the rare attributes of leadership.'"

"Let me see that." He reached for the letter, which I handed to him, and then he scanned over its contents.

"See!" I knew my voice was two levels too high, but I couldn't contain myself. Actually, if Alex weren't holding on to my legs, I'd probably be jumping in the chair right now.

"Hm…" he said. "Seems like they're giving scholarships to anyone, these days. Though you
are
passionate, I'll give them that."

I jabbed him in the ribs, and he grabbed my hand and chuckled, then handed me back my letter.

"So…International Relations it is, then," he said.

I couldn't stop staring at the letter in my hands. I had been accepted to the Jackson Institute of Global Affairs. At Yale! It was the very first time in my life I'd made a choice for
my
future. I smiled back at him, and he smiled right back. And then I set down my letter, grabbed his face, and kissed him. It was a very enthusiastic kiss—so enthusiastic he started laughing because I was pushing him back so far I was practically pushing him off the ottoman. He grabbed my shoulders and held me off so he could sit up straight again.

"Do you know what this means?" I said. He was still holding on to my shoulders. "I'm going to college! Alex! I've never gone to a public school in all my life, and I'll have a schedule and professors and…there will be
other people
in my classes!"

He chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. I thought over the reality of having other people in my classes, even as Alex started kissing along my jaw.

"Alex…"

He kissed the space beneath my ear.

"What if…what if they're all worlds smarter than me?"

He kissed my neck.

"Alex, this is a legitimate concern, here. I'm going to attend an Ivy League college and I've never even—"

He kissed my mouth so I couldn't continue, and then he pulled back and said, "I'm so proud of you." He held my face. "You'll be fine, love. More than fine. You were thrown a role as princess over a magical world, and you adjusted—
well
. It was impressive, really. You can handle Yale. What we don't know is if Yale can handle you." He grinned and I grinned back, and then he let go of my face. "So…it's safe to assume you're accepting it?"

I laughed. "Yes."

"Good, because there's something I'd like to talk to you about."

By the look on his face, I knew that whatever this something was, it was serious, and I leaned forward against the armrest to give him my full attention. Even though he always had my full attention. "Okay."

He reached out, and grabbed my hand, and his hand swallowed mine. "The President's asked if I'd be interested in overseeing the Gaians' assimilation into the global economies."

My heart swelled with pride, though I wasn't the least bit surprised. "Alex, that's a huge honor."

He squeezed my hand. "I know."

"And you would be great at it," I said. "Perfect for it, really, especially since you've spent so much time on both planets."

"That's exactly why he's asked I do this."

I searched his eyes. "But you…haven't accepted it yet?"

His eyes moved over my face. "I plan to. Of course, he thinks it'd be best that I relocate to the East Coast, and being that Washington D.C. isn't
too
far from Yale—at least closer than if you'd attended a university on this side of the States—I'm all right with it. I'll have to travel a lot initially, but at least you'll be there when I return, and, considering your chosen area of study, maybe they'll even let you come with me sometimes. Assuming you want to."

"
But
…?" I prompted.

"It's not really a
but
…at least I hope it isn't." He ran his hands through my hair. "He'd like me to move in a few weeks, which is still months away from when you start at Yale, and I can't handle being away from you that long." He brushed the backs of his fingertips along my jaw. "Which leads me to what I initially wanted to talk to you about."

I waited, lost in his gaze and the feel of his fingers against my skin, and my nerves suddenly started buzzing.

"I wanted to, you know, plan something surprising and romantic," he continued, "but considering the circumstances, I don't think that will work out very well. We're sort of pressed for time." He reached behind him and pulled out a small, black box, which he held in the small space between us.

My heart skipped a beat.

He leaned forward. "Open it," he said against my ear, filling my stomach with butterflies.

My hands trembled as I took the box from him and lifted the lid, and inside was another velvety black case. The kind that usually held a very nice and specific piece of jewelry. I took out the velvety case and lifted the lid on its hinge.

The ring inside took my breath away. It was the vitality stone—the one Alex had given me and I'd worn around my neck, but when I'd woken up without it, I'd assumed I'd lost it during the battle. He must've taken it off me during my stint in the hospital, and then had it fashioned into this gorgeous ring. The red stone sparkled, drawing in the light from the fire and splattering it upon my legs and his arms, and accented around the beautiful red stone were smaller, emerald-cut diamonds, all set in a thin gold band.

"I know it's not traditional," Alex said, brushing the hair back from my neck, tickling my skin. "But none of the diamonds were quite right, and I liked this better."

"Alex, it's…it's…" I could barely speak, too overwhelmed with feeling. I trailed my fingers over the vitality stone, which felt warm to the touch. "I've never seen anything so beautiful."

He smiled. "Here…put it on." His hands slid over mine as he pulled the ring from its sleeve, and then he held my hand as he used his other hand to slide the ring over my ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"You knew my ring size?" I asked. "I don't even know my ring size."

"Ah, well, I took a few of his sizing rings and tried them on you while you were sleeping."