Immortal Becoming (27 page)

“As far as Jerika, Shane knows her. I’m not sure how, but I know he feels responsible for her in some way.” Jess shrugged; that was the truth. “He suggested her for the Ryu. After seeing her in class, I agreed. I think she would be a great addition to our staff. If she and Eric work alternate shifts after graduation, maybe they can co-teach part-time.

“You asked if I’m happy.” Two heads bobbed back at her. “I am, in a crazy, ‘this is too much, give me more,’ ‘fall in love first and ask questions later’ kind of way. All the things that are happening don’t feel like coincidence. It feels like destiny. I’m supposed to be on this path, wherever it may lead me. I’m supposed to be with Shane.”

“You’re going to Hawaii, then?” Eric asked

“Yeah, I am.” Jess had made her decision. Hawaii? She hadn’t gotten that from Shane’s memory. He must have discussed the destination earlier. She thought Moira lived in Italy.

“
Shane.”
She snapped out telepathically.
“Are we going to Hawaii or Italy?”

“
Both, probably.”
Shane chuckled at her irritation.
“Well, not Hawaii exactly. It’s one of the unmapped islands. That is were Gil lives. It’s where we were earlier. Of course, we could go anywhere you would like.”

“
Do you speak Italian?”
She still felt annoyed.

“
Naturalmente, la mia bellezza.”

“
Okay, that’s kind of sexy. I take that as a yes.”
Her irritation seeped away.

“
That was ‘of course, my Beauty.’ Sexy, huh? Want me to say more, maybe while flying?”

“
Later.”
Jess had to work to keep from smiling, especially since Aymee and Eric were sad about her leaving.
“How much longer are you going to be?”

“
On my way now.
Missing me already?”
Jess sent him an eye-roll. His laugh filled her with warmth.

Sighing, Eric pouted. “Do you have any idea how much I’m going to miss you?”

“We both will.” Aymee shrugged. “Shane said the airplane tickets are dated for tonight. He said they were transferable if you decided to wait for a while. Do want to leave tonight?”

Jess thought about it for a minute. She still had no clue what was happening with Moira. “I think tonight would be best. I’m not sure how much longer Shane is on leave. I want him with me.”

Aymee needed to get back to the Ryu for her last class. Since she had ridden over with Jerika, Eric offered to give her a ride. Goodbyes, hugs, and a few tears all around and they were gone. Saddened, she was watching the two of them heading toward Eric’s beat-up VW Rabbit when Shane pulled up in Jess’s Jeep.

“Shane, will you give the keys to Eric?” Jess hollered from the doorway, tears still slipping down her cheeks.

Intercepting Eric and Aymee, Shane handed Eric the keys, looking back at Jess with his eyebrows lifted in question. Jess hollered again. “We’ll take a cab to the airport. Eric, you better take care of my Jeep till I get home.” Eric’s eyes filled with tears and he nodded. “I love you, Baby Brudder.”

“I love you too, Jess,” Eric replied soberly. “Don’t forget to call. A lot.”

Aymee gave Shane a hug, and Jess heard her whisper in his ear, “You hurt her, and I will hunt you down and kill you. Got it?” Yep, her hearing was definitely improving.

Shane whispered back, “I know how magnificent she is, Aymee.”

Eric took the offered keys to the Jeep, then extended his hand to shake Shane’s. “Sorry about earlier. Please, just take care of her.”

“You have my word.” Shane grasped Eric’s shoulder, a form of showing solidarity she had seen with the Elven. Eric didn’t understand the significance, but Jess recognized it as Shane’s offer of respect.

Shane joined Jess at the doorway as the taillights of the Jeep made the turn out of the neighborhood. Jess sighed, leaning into Shane’s side, his arms wrapped around her naturally. He placed a kiss against her hair and they went back into the house.

They cleaned up the kitchen, showered, and packed, taking only a short break to make love. Then they ported back to Moira’s.

Chapter Twenty-One

Unsure of what was happening at Moira’s farm, Shane elected to port to the grain elevators. Shane taught Jess how to control the space fold, showed her to stay in one spot and peer into another. He warned her that most would sense her energy signature, like she had Shane’s when he had ported into her office at the Ryu. Learning to mask that energy took time and patience. That explained why she could barely feel Gil’s. It also explained why Eric didn’t see Shane at the academy. To her he was sitting in the bleachers, when in reality he was sitting on his La-Z-Boy in his living room. He laughed when she called him an “arm-chair mentor.” She learned it was dangerous to port to unknown locations for fear of setting the folding into a space that already had mass, like a tree, wall, or human, which was really bad and apparently painful. She decided to take his word on that, since the look on his face showed the memory was awful, and he was the one with instant recall. Did she want try that for herself? Hmm … not so much.

Jess and Shane entered the farm, and Jorie ran straight for them. A teenage boy followed behind her at a slower pace. “You’re back, yea! Did you get some rest? G-aunt Nin said you needed rest.” Jorie pulled Jess into a hug.

Returning the hug, Jess chuckled. “I did get some rest. Thank you.” She looked at the boy who had just joined them. He stood behind Jorie and kept glancing from Shane to the ground. It was obvious that Shane intimidated him for some reason. Jess peered over at Shane, trying to see what the boy was seeing. To her he just looked scrumptious. She could also see the powerful warrior that the boy must see.

Releasing Jess, Jorie hugged Shane hard in turn. Smiling, obviously enjoying the child’s acceptance, Shane returned her hug before asking, “Who’s your friend?”

“This is my best friend, Nathan. He and his mom, Sara, are here from Montana. Sara’s in the operations tent with everyone else. Me and Nathan aren’t allowed in there.” Jorie wrinkled her nose like a typical teenager, hating to be excluded.

Jess held her hand out to shake Nathan’s first. Nathan looked at Shane as if asking permission before taking Jess’s hand. Jess didn’t know whether to be annoyed or amused. “Hi, Nathan. I’m Jess.”

“I … um … nice to meet you,” Nathan stuttered, his handshake light, weak. Jess squeezed and he looked at her in surprise. Meeting his gaze, she squeezed again. This time he got the hint and returned her squeeze. Jess smiled her approval.

“I am Shanley. Call me Shane.” Shane took the boys hand in his. “That’s a good, strong handshake, Nathan.”

Nathan gave Jess a grateful look, and his shoulders squared with the compliment. “Thank you, sir. I mean Shane.” He blushed in the way only a teenage boy in awe can. “Are you two really bloodmates?”

Shane looked over at Jess for the answer to that. “Yes, we are. We haven’t completed the bond yet, but we recognize each other,” Jess answered. She could have sworn she heard Shane let out a relieved breath.

“That is so cool.” Nathan’s tone was incredulous, like he’d just found out chocolate wasn’t fattening.

“Does your mom have a mate?” Jess asked. Nathan’s crestfallen face spoke volumes.

“I never met my father. My mom never mated,” he answered.

“So what, most people don’t mate anymore. My mom and dad aren’t mated. They’re just friends, like us,” Jorie interjected.

“You at least know your father,” Nathan said. “None of the kids on our ranch have fathers.”

“True.” Jorie thought about that for a moment. “Jess never knew her father, huh, Jess?”

Jess understood now why a simple compliment from Shane had so lifted the kid’s spirits a moment ago. He was being raised around all women. “That is true. I am an orphan.” She didn’t want to go into the full disclosure of her particular paternal dynamic. That was one of the many unanswered questions she had. “I had a mentor though. His name is Jirou. He taught me martial arts and personal balance. He might not be my father, but I love and respect him the same.” Nathan was listening to her intently. Even his ears were cocked toward her. He seemed afraid he might miss even a syllable of what she was telling him. “Shane is a mentor.” Nathan looked at Shane, who nodded.

“My protégé is integrating for the first time into humanity. She is studying to be a police officer.” Shane had pride in his voice.

Nathan’s face fell again. “You mentor females.”

Shane couldn’t help barking out a laugh, and Nathan’s face went even more crestfallen. “I am sure that to you, Nathan, the world seems over-run with females. That is far from the way it is. The reason bloodmating is so rare now days is partially due to the lack of females. The reason Jerika is my protégé is because she is also my niece.”

“
Jerika’s your niece?”
Jess inquired.
“Really.”

“
Great niece actually.
Female mentoring is usually referred to males within their blood line,”
Shane answered.

It was obvious Nathan was having a hard time believing females were rare, considering his reality. “So you would mentor a male?” His question was full of hope.

“I would prefer it. Females make me crazy.” Shane laughed when Jess elbowed him in the ribs. Nathan nodded, still too serious. “If you want a mentor when you’re older, you can request me. It would be an honor. That is, if you are of warrior line.”

“How will I know if I am of warrior line?” Nathan asked, looking at Shane like he’d just hung the moon.

“Most have an inclination, a talent or gift, that will generally direct interests,” Shane explained. “Like Jorie and farming, Jess has martial arts. They both have some of the same bloodlines in them. It’s their talents that direct them.”

“My talent is farming?” Jorie asked, smiling.

“You drew that plant diagram I saw in your mom’s office, right?” Shane asked her. Jorie nodded, still smiling. “That would be an agricultural innovation if ever I saw one.”

“You really think so.” Jorie preened. “That is what G-pa E said too.” She clapped her hands.

Nathan rolled his eyes. “I hope I’m a warrior so you can mentor me.”

“No matter what, you must be true to whatever calling you have. If you try to be a warrior and it’s not your calling, you will never meet your true potential,” Shane warned. Nathan's brow furrowed, so Shane elaborated. “If your calling is to heal and you try to be a warrior, you might end up being an okay fighter, but you will lack the heart of a warrior. You will never find personal satisfaction.”

Jess was learning right along with the kids. “What if it turns out that Jerika wasn’t a warrior after all? Would you continue to mentor her?” she asked.

“As her mentor, I would hope that I’d recognize that it wasn’t her calling. Even if I didn’t, she would eventually come to realize that she was unfulfilled by being a warrior. If she wanted me to continue to help her be the best fighter she could be, I would of course be honored. A mentor should be a part of the demographics that brings out her full potential. That doesn’t mean she can’t explore other interests.”

He looked from her to Nathan, gauging the interest level. “Some who have lived very long lives have gifts and talents that reach fruition. Often times they become a new student in a subject unexplored by them. They could request mentoring in the subject by someone far younger in calendar years who is far older in subject experience. Jerika could discover in a few centuries that she wants to focus on fundamental psychic universal law or diverse language or some other scholarly pursuit. Freedom is just that. Freedom.” Nathan’s interest was peaked at the mention of scholarly pursuits. She wondered if Shane had already guessed Nathan’s direction.

“I didn’t get any gifts from my dad,” Jorie said. “He wants mom to have another baby with him. He wants someone to play chess and Risk with him. I hate to play Risk with him; he always wins. If neither of them find bloodmates then they probably will have more kids together.” Jorie seemed unfazed by the casualness of her parents’ relationship. “I have to be lots older first.”

“
I don’t understand. Why don’t Elven mate?”
Jess asked Shane privately. It seemed a touchy subject to Nathan.

“
No one wants to settle, Beauty. Everyone wants a bloodmate—that is the only mating that is forever. Bloodmating has become a rare occurrence in the last five hundred or so years. I meant what I said. You are a gift.”
Shane winked to her.

Shane looped his arm over her shoulder, and they started walking deeper into the farm.
“Eventually even unmated Elven wish to procreate. Many decide to have a child and choose a co-parent. That is what Jerika’s parents did, too. My niece Irsu waited for four hundred years for a mate before choosing a co-parent for Jerika. They use logic rather than emotion. Part of the reason she waited so long was because her parents, Teja and my oldest brother Gregor, are bloodmated. I think Irsu wanted her child raised like she was. That just wasn’t how it worked out.”