Surfacing the Rim (Piercing The Fold) (17 page)

As I sit there watching Xander cradle me, I begin to feel a small pulse of energy within me. It builds quickly, and then it explodes with such force that I instinctively shut my eyes from the overwhelming surge within me. It takes my breath away.

I feel pure energy and life course through me. I open my eyes and gasp for air. I breathe in and smell him all around me. I’m in Xander’s arms.

He is rocking me and breathing raggedly into my hair. “I’ve got you, Jes. I’ve got you,” he keeps repeating.

I wrap my arms around him, bury my face into his neck, and weep.

Chapter 24

Ezra

The thing about a blow from one’s life force is that it’s like a web. Once it is set forth, it spreads like electricity through a live wire until it has run its course. I just hit my only daughter with all of the life force I could muster, causing her spine to split, piercing her lungs, kidney, and heart.

Yes, it was insane, but I never claimed to be fully sane. If I nicked her across the arm or leg, Xander wouldn’t have been as desperate to heal her. He had to know her life depended on it. I needed him to be desperate for her to live in order to reveal his purpose to us.

We need to know if Xander is linked to Jesca or if his only connection is his love for her. And, if he isn’t linked to her, we need to know if his love for her is strong enough to save her.

Chapter 25

Jesca

Xander is still cradling me when I feel Nate’s touch on my head. I pull back to look up at him.

Nate looks from Xander to me. “Are you alright?”

I nod my head. “Yes.”

Nate looks at Xander. Xander is still cradling me to his chest, and I see a pang of hurt run through Nate from seeing Xander and me like this. I sense he is going to run, so I reach for his hand and intertwine my fingers with his.

Ezra walks toward us with his head down. Nate and Xander immediately become guarded.

Xander warns him, “Stay back, Ezra!”

Nate pulls away from me to keep Ezra at bay. Nate grits his teeth. “How could you risk your own daughter like that?”

Ezra runs his hand over his forehead. I sense his mind working through something. He moves his hand away and looks at Nate.

Ezra says, “There was no risk. You and Jesca are linked, and you and Xander are linked. If I thought for one second that she might die, I would not have done what I did.”

Nate is so furious with Ezra that his fists tense up. He starts to pace like he is looking for something other than Ezra to hit. He stops in front of Ezra. “Then, why did you do it?”

Ezra gets nose
to nose with Nate. “Because of your link. I trust you with her life, Nate! Xander and Jesca are not linked, but I still need to trust Xander with her life as well!”

Ezra’s reddening eyes stay on Nate’s. His voice becomes thick and breaks a little. “We had to know if Xander could heal her if something were to happen to you and me!”

Nate turns and strides back over to Xander and me. He squats down in front of us and says to Xander, “Let’s get her upstairs.” Nate puts his arms under me to lift me from Xander. Xander doesn’t hesitate as he releases me to Nate.

I stop them both. “Wait, I need to stand. I can do this.”

Xander and Nate both eye me like I’m a fragile egg ready to break at any moment. Ezra moves in as well to help.

“Ezra, don’t! Just leave me alone right now!”

I see him pull back, shifting his eyes to look away from me. I instantly feel bad for scolding him.

I soften my voice,
“I need some time to wrap my head around what just happened.”

Ezra covers his mouth with his hand and nods, closing his eyes in acceptance of my request.

I head up the stairs with Nate and Xander following close behind, leaving Ezra alone in the basement.

* * *

I head up to my room. I need to be alone for a while. Thinking of the extreme experiment that Ezra just performed has me a bit shocked. I need to think about his motives and what we talked about this morning.

When I stride up the cabin stairs and close my door, Nate and Xander take the hint that I need space.
I sigh deeply and head over to the window. The sky is dark. It looks almost like dusk. I look at the clock on the nightstand. It’s only 3:30 p.m.

The corner of the windowsill catches my eyes. Snowflakes begin to stack methodically in one corner. The direction of the wind has blown them there, and now the snowflakes are sticking to the window, linking, intertwining, and making slow progress toward the other side of the window by building on their connection.

I become mesmerized and stand to watch this magnificent natural event. I wonder if this will be the last time I see an event like this. The amber, arc lightning crawling across the sky startles me. I back away from the window and flop down on the bed.

I mumble, “Ezra, what were you wanting to prove?”

I hear the tapping rhythm of sleet hitting the window. My eyes catch the linking snowflakes sliding down the windowsill, still connected.

I whisper, “Hold on.”

And, those snowflakes never break their connection until they are forced from the windowsill from the melting sleet.

I think of what transpired down in the basement minutes ago. Nate and I are linked for sure. Now, it is determined that Xander and Nate are linked. All that is left is Xander and me.

I remember last night and how Xander said he thought I was dying. This morning, I told Ezra what happened before he said he wanted to observe us to test the link. Then, I talked with Ezra about my mother and him and asked if they were linked. He said they weren’t, but they had something much stronger—their love and trust for each other.

Xander and I don’t share a link either, but from what happened just now, we have a bond just as powerful, if not more powerful than the link between Nate and me. Our feelings for each other are obviously strong enough to surpass the strength of a manufactured link between two guardians.

I remember Ezra’s words when Nate asked him why he almost killed me to see if Xander could heal me. Ezra said that he needed to make sure that Xander could heal me if something were to happen to Nate or him.

I feel my heart pounding in my throat. I close my eyes and think back over my recent nightmares, especially the last one.

Nate was fighting and got injured. Ezra was there to kill the being before it could kill Nate. Then, I remember I ran from Nate in my dream to follow the sound of a crying baby. That was when Sam attacked me, and Xander saved me, pulling me from the dream.

Damn it. What if I’m missing something that happened to Nate, Ezra, or both of them in the dream? Even more, what if Ezra is having premonitions of his own that he is not disclosing to us?

Chapter 26

Xander

Nate is sitting on the sofa, eyeing the top of the stairs, and Xander is adding logs to the fire. Xander comes to sit across from Nate. They both sit there in awkward silence for a few minutes.

Nate shifts in his seat, and then he clears his throat. “So, we’re linked.”

Xander sits back in his seat and scratches his eyebrow. “Looks that way, cousin.”

Nate adds matter-of-factly, “And, you and Jesca are not.”

Xander tilts his head and glares at Nate. “No, we aren’t.”

Nate shuts his eyes, realizing the way he said that. “I didn’t mean it that way.” He sighs. “Look, I know you care about Jesca.” Nate looks at the fire. “In that room last night, when you saved her...I could sense your feelings for Jesca coursing through me. It didn’t occur to me why I could feel them until today—when we found out about our link.”

Silence falls on the room again.

Nate stands and walks to the fireplace, leaning his hand on the mantel. “We both care about Jesca. Hell, we both might be falling in love with her.”

Xander gets up and comes to stand next to Nate on the other side of the mantel. “And now, this link connects the three of us.”

Nate looks to Xander. “Yes, it does.”

All of a sudden, Xander feels a vibration begin in the pit of his stomach. Nate begins to feel the same sensation.

Xander asks, “What is that feeling?”

Nate hurries to the computer on the kitchen table. “Someone is coming.”

Xander follows after him just as Ezra bursts through the basement door, rushing to stand behind Nate at the computer. Nate pulls up the activity readings from the drones.

Ezra points at one about a mile out. “There.”

A black Chevy Tahoe with blacked-out windows enters the drone-marked area.

Ezra looks at Nate. “Can you sense who it is?”

Nate answers, “No, I can’t. Can you?”

Ezra hisses. “No, damn it! Where’s Jesca?”

Xander replies, “She’s upstairs in her room.”

Chapter 27

Jesca

I’m about to head down to the living room to see what all the commotion is about when I feel a vibration begin in my stomach. The humming tickles my ears. I know this feeling, and it never turns out good. I don’t feel dizzy this time though.

I rush through the door and take the stairs like they’re nothing. I’m standing next to Ezra, Xander, and Nate within seconds. I try to concentrate on who the intruders could be. The mental block this person or these people have put up is so thick that I can’t even detect the number of intruders. I ask quickly, “What is going on?”

Ezra questions, “You can’t read them either?”

I shake my head. “No.”

Ezra curses. “Shit! Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Grab each other’s hands.”

We do what Ezra tells us.

He continues explaining, “We need to try to break through the block. Nate and Xander, we need to send all of your energy to Jesca. Jesca, imagine puncturing the mental block with our combined life force.”

I nod and close my eyes quickly. As soon as my eyes shut, I feel the warm energy begin to build quickly within me. At first, it’s too intense.

I call nervously to Ezra,
“It’s too much.”

Ezra cuts me off. “No, it isn’t. You can handle it. Take control of the energy, harness it, and pull it into your center.”

I slow my rapid breathing. With every breath, I feel the energy pull inward into one safe place within the center of my body. Then, I project the energy from within me out to the intruders in the approaching Tahoe.

Slowly, I get a glimpse of their minds. I try to feel their intentions, and immediately, I sense that they know I have broken the block.

I hear a whisper, “We are here to help.”

I tell Ezra, Nate, and Xander. “They say they are here to help.”

Somehow, I am able to project myself into the car because I am looking at the back of their heads while they are driving toward us. There are two males, but I can’t see their faces.

All of a sudden, one turns to face me.

I let go of Xander’s and Nate’s hands and open my eyes. They already know from reading me, but I say their names aloud.

“It’s Sebastian and Balthazar.”

With his hands on his hips, Ezra walks to the window, waiting for them to approach.

I ask, “Why would they come here?”

Ezra doesn’t answer.

Louder, I say, “Ezra!”

Ezra mumbles, “Something has changed. They have come to tell us something has happened.”

Chapter 28

Jesca

Ezra stands at the window, waiting for them to pull up. Xander, Nate, and I are too anxious to sit while we anticipate an explanation as to why Sebastian and Balthazar are here.

I hear their footsteps on the porch before Ezra opens the door. The wind gusts into the cabin, blowing in from behind the two men. Both are wearing hooded parkas. Ezra forces the door closed after letting them enter the cabin. Sebastian and Balthazar pull back their hoods and take off their coats.

It’s strange to see Sebastian and Balthazar in person. The only times I have seen them is when they have projected themselves into my dreams. Sebastian’s hair is slicked back and peppered with more gray than black. Balthazar looks like a younger version of his father. His hair is a very dark brown.

I study them both, looking for similarities in their features. I wonder if my mother or I share any of their likeness since we are family. I’m bewildered that my great uncle and second cousin are in this very room with me.

We are all standing, watching the two men take off their gloves.

Ezra introduces us. “Sebastian and Balthazar, this is Nathaniel Sera, Alexander—”

Xander interrupts briefly, “Sera.”

Xander and Nate exchange a knowing glance and nod. They are accepting each other. Instantly, I feel more at ease with our connection and am optimistic about the possibility of Xander and Nate getting along with each other.

Ezra continues, “And, this is Jesca Gershon-Sera.”

Both men look at me. I move toward them, putting my hand out to Sebastian first. As soon as his hand touches mine, I feel at peace.

Sebastian says, “Jesca, I have been eager to meet you in person.”

I nod, smile, and release his hand. I turn to Balthazar, and he puts out his hand. When I look into his eyes, I see sadness.

As he shakes my hand, he says, “Forgive me. I couldn’t remember your mother until I saw you just now.”

I realize that I must look enough like my mother if my appearance can affect a cousin that hasn’t seen her in years. I feel a knot developing in my throat, but I choke it back. I pull my hand away and sit in a nearby chair.

Balthazar wipes his eyes with his free hand and clears his throat. “I’m sure you’re wondering why we have come.”

Sebastian breaks in, “We have gotten important intelligence about Japan.”

Ezra herds us into the living room to sit. “Here, have a seat, and I will get us some coffee.”

Nate tends to the fading fire by adding a few more logs in the fireplace. Xander and I sit across from Sebastian and Balthazar on the sofa.

I wait until Ezra gets back to the sofa, and then I say, “We are going to Japan. That is where we need to be to stop Sam and close the wormhole, right?”

Ezra interrupts, speaking to Sebastian and Balthazar, “Jesca has the strongest abilities. If she and Nate combine their abilities, shutting the wormhole quickly is possible.”

Balthazar says, “We know how strong she is. And, yes, you—all of you—will be going to Japan.”

Balthazar sighs, glancing at Sebastian, and then he looks back at me. “Jesca, you are a part of a legacy that needs protection. We need to keep our guardianship alive in order to keep humanity alive. The more forces we have there to back you, the better off we will be.”

Sebastian puts his arm on his son’s shoulder, and then he looks at each of us. “We conceived what started as a theory, searching for something more in our universe. We wanted to learn from it. We did not intend to cause any harm.” Sebastian looks down and shakes his head. “Unfortunately, it has fallen into the corrupt and greedy hands of Michael Sanderson.”

Balthazar looks at us. “At first, we thought that our travels to Dobria and Sonde were causing the extreme gravitational pull between our galaxy and Andromeda.”

Sebastian nods in agreement with this.

Balthazar continues, “Michael Sanderson knew that this was not the case long before we did. The Sondian executive board knew that the implantation of Copulas was attracting something from within Andromeda.”

Ezra interrupts, “Have you gotten any closer to discovering what it is? What is this something or this force? The gravitational pull within the Andromeda galaxy is pulling it with great force toward the Milky Way galaxy.”

Sebastian breathes out loudly. “We are getting closer. It seems that the gravitational pull and magnetic radiation stemming from Andromeda is becoming more intense as the galaxy approaches ours. Two days ago, a patterned spike of gamma rays emanated from the Andromeda galaxy to ours. The pattern has not stopped. We have a team targeting where in the galaxy this spike is coming from.”

Xander asks, “When will we know?”

Balthazar answers, “Hopefully within days.”

Sebastian interrupts, “But, this also means that whatever is coming here is speeding the event of our two galaxies intersecting.”

Anxiety builds in me. “That means that the intersection is coming sooner than we thought.”

Ezra and I look at each other briefly, and then I look back at Balthazar and Sebastian.

Sebastian says, “Yes.”

Nate moves from the fireplace, pacing nervously. I feel the tension rise in the men around me. Knowing that they are just as nervous and worried as I am doesn’t bring me any comfort.

Balthazar breaks the stressful silence. “We are here, Jesca, because you are our family. We will not let you go into this without us. We started this. We have laid this legacy in your lap. We will not let you bear the burden alone.” Balthazar looks at each of us. “We won’t let any of you bear this alone.”

Sebastian adds, “We need you to pack. We need to get to New York quickly. The rest of our team will be meeting us at the safe house, so we can all be briefed on the plan for Japan. We leave tonight.”

I’m speechless. I look at Nate. He looks like he’s holding his breath. I glance toward Xander, and his eyes are nervously searching the floorboards a few inches in front of him.

Ezra starts to talk with Sebastian and Balthazar about the force from within Andromeda. He wants to know exactly what the physicists and scientists are looking for.

I zone out and start to walk up the stairs. We are going into an unknown war, and the fear shakes me to the core as I move numbly. There is something else within me though, and I don’t have a clue as to why it is there. Even though I am scared, I feel the deep calling and desire to protect and guard those that can’t protect themselves. I wonder if this is what a soldier feels when they are called to war.

I hear footsteps behind me as I climb the stairs. It is Xander heading up from behind me. I’m sure he’s off to pack.

When I reach my door, I feel Xander’s hand touch mine softly. I don’t pull away. I intertwine my fingers with his. When I turn to look at him, I see the worry in his eyes. When I try to read his thoughts, I can’t. He has that immense wall up, keeping me away from what he is thinking and feeling.
I feel the urge to touch him and to let him know that I’m worried, too. I gently place my hand on his cheek.

Without hesitation, he pulls me into my room. As soon as he shuts the door, he lets go of my hand and walks to the middle of the room.
“Jesca, I need to know something.”

Seeing Xander standing there with a look of desperation makes my mouth go dry. I have no idea what he’s about to ask me, and it scares me.

Xander moves toward me stealthily. “I need to know what you want.”

Not quite understanding what he is saying, I ask, “What?”

He is standing inches from me now, making me feel both addicted to him and anxious from his closeness. Xander’s eyes are searching mine. He takes hold of my hand and places it over his heart.

Then, I feel his immense wall crumble. The way he looks at me fills me with a hope that I haven’t felt since the night he kissed me. I look down at his chest and feel what I have done to that pounding heart.

I close my eyes and listen, really listen, to his heart. It isn’t just the sound of it so much. It’s rather what I hear it saying. It isn’t just a physical feeling. It is a strong emotion that courses through him and into me.

I open my eyes just as he says, “Before we go, I need to know if you—”

Before he has time to finish, my lips find his. Obviously taken by my reaction, Xander breathes in deeply through his nose. The surprise doesn’t last though. His hands eagerly encircle my waist, and he pulls me toward him so that every part of his body is touching mine.

The kiss is tender and slow, but it’s full of want. My mouth parts, giving him permission to deepen our kiss. We both groan when our tongues meet. My hand is still resting on his chest over his heart while the other is wrapped in his dark wavy hair, pulling him to me.

Xander pulls back just a little, still peppering my lips with soft kisses. “I love you, Jesca.”

I run my hand in his hair and place my other hand on his cheek. God, I do know that I love him. Every part of my heart, soul, and body knows that this is how pure love feels.

But, I can’t tell him. I won’t. If I tell him that I love him before we go into this battle, then he will fight for me and not for himself or others. If he were to die because of me, I would never forgive myself.

I kiss him again, my lips lingering on his, and then I pull him into an embrace. I quickly bury my face in his shoulders, hiding my fallen tears.