Linked (45 page)

“Madison
is going to let me know when the coast is clear.”

As I
traced the silver chain hanging at his neck, I gasped and pulled back.

“What?”
he asked anxiously.

Almost
in tears, I said, “My opal necklace, I don’t have it. I knew the cold water
would damage it, so I tore if off and tossed it onto the ice.

Reaching
into his pocket, he said, “I wondered why you’d taken it off.” His hand came up
and he dangled the gold chain before my eyes.

“Oh!”

“I was
all over the ice looking for you, but I found this first.” He placed it in my
hand. “Damn, Alex. I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you.”

Wrapping
my arms around him, I hugged him tightly and clasped my opal. “I’m so sorry…for
everything.”

“No
more lies between us Alex. I mean it.” His voice was rough, yet pleading.

“I
know.” I clamped my eyes shut and held him tighter.

“I wish
I could hold you in my arms right now. You don’t know how hard it is to be this
close, yet still so far.”

“Jason,”
I said softly with a smile and leaned back a little so I could look at his
face. “Our time is coming. Now that we know I can link, you and I will be able
to link with each other. Do you know how amazing that will be?”

“I can
only imagine,” he murmured. “We don’t know what to expect though; let’s just
hope it works out that way.”

“Of
course it will,” I said. “Why wouldn’t it?”

“There’s
just a lot we don’t know yet,” he said vaguely.

“Well,
I do know we’re meant to be together.”

His
lips pressed together in a grim line. “Do you know how jealous I am of Ash?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful that he linked with you and stopped you from
linking with Kieran…that would have killed me.”

“Shhh,
don’t even think about that,” I said.

“But
still, it drives me insane that you and Ash are connected – that he can touch
you anytime without getting burned and that it’s his voice you hear inside your
head.”

“At
least you know how I feel now,” I said in a subdued tone. “You’ve been linked
with Madison for ages. Imagine what I’ve been going through.”

“That’s
different,” he assured me. “We’re just friends.”

“So
are Ash and I,” I said with a laugh. “My heart belongs to you. It has since the
day you nearly ran me over on the sidewalk.” I placed my hands on his face.
“Jason. I love you.”

“And I
love you. With all my heart.” He played with my hair. “When’s the next full
moon?” he asked. “Do you know?”

I
laughed. “Of course I do. That’s a promise I always keep. Saturday, January 30
^th
.”

“Four
weeks, I don’t know if I can wait that long,” he complained and shivered. “But
you better prepare yourself, because when your link breaks with Ash and my link
breaks with Madison, I’m coming for you. You are mine.”

I
grasped his face. “Forever?” I asked, running my finger over his lips.

“Yes
Alex, forever. And babe,” he said roughly, “you’re killing me here. Kiss me
already, because we gotta go.”

A log
in the fireplace popped, and the burning flames reflected brightly in his
stunning eyes. My heart raced. “This could be dangerous,” I murmured, “but if
you insist.”

Closing
my eyes, I pressed my lips against his.

###

Dear reader,

Thanks for reading
Linked
, my second novel in the Guardian
series. I hope you enjoyed this urban fantasy and the cast of characters as
much as I enjoyed creating and writing about them. If you have a moment and
wouldn’t mind, I’d love if you could leave feedback as well as recommend this
eBook to any friends you think might enjoy it. I am currently working on the
third book in the series, but haven’t chosen a name yet.

If you have questions or comments for me, I’d love to
respond, so please visit my blog at
http://www.amethystatheatherbowhay.blogspot.com/

Sincerely,

Heather Bowhay

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather Bowhay lives in Bellingham, Washington with her
husband, Dan, their two children, Dawson and Laci, and their three cats, Lyon, Maci,
and Tyger. She graduated from Western with her teaching certificate and has
found that substitute teaching gives her the best balance: time for family,
exercising, cooking, reading, writing, and of course time to guest teach in
several different classrooms, promoting a fun learning environment but without
the lesson planning.
Amethyst
is her first novel in the Guardian series,
followed by the sequel,
Linked
; they are both available in eBook format.
She is currently working on book three.

• CHAPTER 1 – TRACKED
  
• CHAPTER 2 – ON BOARD
  
• CHAPTER 3 – MORE ANSWERS
  
• CHAPTER 4 – REALITY BURNS
  
• CHAPTER 5 – FRIDAY HARBOR
  
• CHAPTER 6 – DAY BY DAY
  
• CHAPTER 7 – ASH RETURNS
  
• CHAPTER 8 – TIME WITH ASH
  
• CHAPTER 9 – PARENT VISIT WITH A TWIST
  
• CHAPTER 10 – BUSY DAYS
  
• CHAPTER 11 – A NEW BABY
  
• CHAPTER 12 – NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
  
• CHAPTER 13 – SPARKS WILL FLY
  
• CHAPTER 14 – A NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY
  
• CHAPTER 15 – A MOMENT OF TRUTH
  
• CHAPTER 16 – YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE
  
• CHAPTER 17 – UP IN FLAMES
  
• CHAPTER 18 – THE FINAL SNAPSHOT
  
• CHAPTER 19 – NO MORE SECRETS