The Prophecy (Daughters of the People Series Book 1) (19 page)

Maya scrubbed
her bathtub, expending some of her pent up sexual energy making it shine. Other
than the lack of sex, there was only one thing keeping her growing relationship
with James from being perfect. She had yet to tell him the truth about herself.

After their
first mutual meeting with Director Upton, James had only twice brought up the
documents the IECS held that might have bearing on the artifacts recovered at
Sandby borg. The first time had been directly after the meeting, when he’d
confronted her and she’d asked for patience.

The last time
had been a mere week ago. As the translations progressed, it was becoming clear
that they formed some sort of story. James had mentioned early on that the
artifacts seemed to have a pattern, and this story might be it, so he thought. The
documents carried by the slain Daughter began with what Maya believed was a
scene from the Legend of Beginnings, the oasis that had, according to the few
historical accounts they’d found, served as a sanctuary of some sort for the
Seven Sisters after they were cursed with immortality for committing a mortal
sin. The narrative jumped over large periods of time as it was told from
document to document. When laid out side by side from the oldest story to the
newest, it was clear that there
was
a narrative of sorts, in spite of
the massive gaps.

As soon as
they’d begun to suspect the documents’ narrative theme, James had wanted a
crack at the documents he knew Maya was holding back, and he’d not been happy
at all when she continued refusing access.

Maya scrubbed
harder as doubt ate at her. James would inevitably learn the true nature of the
People. He’d have to be brought in or he’d have to leave the project. There
were no other choices. Either path would end their burgeoning relationship.
With another man, it might not matter, but this man was a different story. She
was beginning to care about him. No, she had to be honest. She wasn’t just
beginning to care about him. She was beginning to fall for him. If he learned
the truth about who and what she was and rejected it, rejected her, could she
handle that? A queasy uneasiness rippled through her. No, his rejection would
hurt her deeply and possibly even break her heart.

James had to be
told, sooner rather than later, but not just yet. Please, not yet.

* * *

Another
miserably humid day in the South, James thought as he waited for Amelia to
debark. The air conditioning in Hartsfield International didn’t quite override
the sun or the heat exuded by the large number of bodies jostling from terminal
to terminal.

At last, he
spotted her bopping toward him to music only she could hear, and his heart
melted. His little girl. Had she grown an inch over the summer or was that just
his imagination?

Amelia saw him
and waved, a huge smile on her elven face. They pushed their way through the
crowds toward each other. James enfolded her in a fierce hug, then took her
carry-on, and they braved the crowds searching for her other luggage to the
accompaniment of her excited chatter.

During the
two-odd hour drive from Atlanta to the IECS, they made plans. Or rather, Amelia
told him all the things she wanted to do that week and he nodded and rearranged
his week in his mind. Six Flags and the Mall of Georgia were musts, as were
hikes in the forests surrounding the IECS.

Because he’d promised,
she reminded him.

Her phone
beeped. Amelia stopped talking in mid-sentence and flipped through her phone.

“Who’s that?”
James asked.

Her fingers
moved rapidly over the keypad, absorbing her attention. “Dee.”

“Don’t think I
know her.”

“Dee as in Dierdre,
as in your girlfriend’s daughter.”

“Er.” James’
mind went blank. He couldn’t say Maya wasn’t his girlfriend. As seen from the
outside, that’s probably what their relationship looked like. He just didn’t
think of her that way, hardly at all unless he counted pretty much every minute
he spent daydreaming about her. “How do you know Dierdre?”

“She messyed me
the week after you came down here. On Facebook? And then, she introduced me to
a bunch of her friends. It’s, like, really cool at her school.”

As Amelia
chatted on about all the things she and Dierdre had talked about, concern
wiggled its way through James. It’s not like Dierdre had gone behind his back, though
she had, or that he had a problem with the girls getting to know one another,
which he didn’t. That was great. But shouldn’t one of them have said something
to him or Maya?

On the other
hand, Dierdre was a pretty independent young woman. It might not have occurred
to her that she needed to ask permission or at least discuss contacting Amelia with
an adult before doing so. From what he could tell, she’d been raised to be a
problem solver. See the problem, find the solution, fix it. Obviously, that’s
what she’d done with Amelia. What bothered him were her motivations. Had
Dierdre reached out to his daughter as part of her overall plan to throw him
and Maya together or because she wanted to get to know Amelia, or both?

Maybe she was
just being considerate. He was liable to be at the IECS for months. Hopefully,
Amelia would visit him a lot during that time. She’d enjoy having friends
there, enjoy having younger company than his when she was around.

He pushed the
concern aside and spent the rest of the evening enjoying his daughter’s
company, and tried not to worry about how Amelia would react to his deepening
relationship with Maya.

* * *

Amelia’s
reaction to Maya turned out not to be a problem, thanks to Dierdre paving the
way. After a while, it became apparent that she’d convinced Amelia that James
and Maya would be perfect for one another. The two teens were now in cahoots,
their heads bowed together more often than not, giggling about one thing or
another.

They visited Six
Flags and the Mall of Georgia, thankfully not on the same day. Amelia insisted
they go with Maya and Dierdre, whose schedule had loosened up when the summer
term ended. He and Maya rearranged their schedules, and he refused to feel
guilty. They’d made a lot of progress on the artifacts, more than he could’ve
hoped to achieve in such a short time.

He was certain
progress would’ve been even speedier if Maya weren’t holding something
important back from him.

It was one of
the few points of contention between them, but it was a doozy. Why did Maya
continue to insist that he didn’t need to see documents pertinent to their
work? He suspected the Sandby borg artifacts were of life-altering importance
to her. Yet, she didn’t trust him enough to open up about it with him and it
stung.

The week leading
up to the Labor Day weekend was a happy one, in spite of his worries. In that
time, James got a glimpse of what life would be like if Maya and Dierdre were
part of his and Amelia’s family. The two girls were joined at the hip. Amelia
had not only accepted Maya, she hung on the older woman’s every word, much the
way Dani and Indigo had when he’d first met them. For her part, Maya treated
Amelia essentially the same way she treated Dierdre. Maybe someday, Amelia
would accept a more permanent relationship between him and Maya.

The longer he
knew Maya, the more frequently the idea crossed his mind.

The four of them
had dinner together at Maya’s house the evening before Dierdre was scheduled to
leave for her two-day camping trip. Amelia hadn’t asked to go, and he wasn’t
sure how he felt about that. He wanted to spend time with his daughter, but he was
so close to losing control where Maya was concerned. One more passionate kiss
and he might forget where they were and make love to her on the spot, location
be damned. Considering that they had two teenagers underfoot, that might not be
such a good idea. Cold showers and long hours at the gym weren’t going to cut
it for much longer, though.

Over dessert,
Dierdre caught Amelia’s gaze and waggled her eyebrows. She turned to James,
eyes wide, and said, “So, we were thinking what with this camping trip and all,
maybe Amelia should come along. I mean, otherwise she’d just be stuck here with
you two ‘cause all our friends are going camping.”

A whiff of
excitement shot through James. “Do you want to go, Amelia?”

“Well, sure,
Dad.” Amelia focused her gaze on the piece of fruit on her fork. “It’d be
great, but I don’t want you to be lonely or anything.”

“You don’t sound
like you really want to go.”

“Oh, yeah, I
really do. It’s just, you know, we’re supposed to spend time together, me and
you. The camping trip would be fun and all. They’re going to hike and go
swimming in this lake over the mountain and tell ghost stories and stuff, and
Dierdre said I could share her tent, and there’s lots of neat people going.”
She sighed and fixed a pitiful look on her face. “But I can stay here if you
want me to.”

Across the
table, Maya covered her mouth with her napkin, her almond shaped eyes
glittering. Dierdre wore the same hang-dog look as Amelia.

Oh, yeah, those
two were in cahoots, all right.

He cleared his
throat and laid his napkin on the table. “Yes, you’re right, the camping trip
would be fun.”

Dierdre and
Amelia glanced at each other wearing identical smiles.

“But I think you
should stay here with me.”

Amelia swung
around, her mouth open. “Dad. Really?”

Dierdre’s hands dropped
into her lap. “Yeah, really, Dr. T.?”

Maya snickered,
and James grinned. “Kidding. You can go, if you really want to.”

Dierdre pumped
her fist. “All right.”

“Thanks, Dad.”
Amelia jumped out of her chair and hugged him tight. “You won’t regret it.”

The two teens
raced out of the room, their excited chatter overlapping. Maya stood and
stacked empty plates into a pile. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

Immediately, his
mind shot straight to the weekend ahead, alone with Maya, no teenagers to take
into consideration. His skin tightened and his blood burned and desire pooled
in his groin. “Oh, yeah.”

Her mouth curled
into a small smile. “It means we have to do the dishes.”

“Oh, yeah.
That.”

He stood and
helped her clear the table, but the dishes waiting to be cleaned didn’t keep
him from anticipating the coming weekend.

The girls packed
and unpacked and repacked while Maya made the necessary calls securing a place
for Amelia on the camping trip. As soon as the arrangements were made, Maya
went to the attic searching for extra gear.

James followed
her up the narrow stairway, close on her heels. “Amelia already knew about this
camping trip.”

Maya paused and
peered over her shoulder. “Oh?”

“Dierdre tracked
her down on Facebook not long after I got here.”

“Did she
really?”

“Yeah.” One
corner of James’ mouth lifted. “She’s something else.”

“She’s something
all right.” Maya pursed her lips. “Did you tell her she could?”

He shrugged. “No,
but no harm, no foul, right? Besides, she was right. Amelia needs friends down
here.”

“Maybe,” she
said. And maybe Dierdre should learn to respect other people’s privacy,
especially where their kids were concerned. “I’ll talk to her.”

Maya and James
dug through the attic, rounding up an extra sleeping bag and other gear Amelia
might need. They dumped it in the foyer next to the front door, then Maya
tracked down her errant daughter. She found Dierdre in her room laying across
her bed, chatting to Amelia.

Dierdre’s gaze
fell on Maya. She sat straight up. “Uh-oh.”

“Amelia, could
you give us a few moments, please?” Maya asked.

Amelia slid off
the bed. “Sure thing. I gotta talk to my dad anyhow.”

Maya shut the
door behind the perky teenager and speared her daughter with a stern look.
“James just told me you contacted Amelia without his permission.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh. What
were you thinking, Dierdre?”

Dierdre clasped
her hands together in her lap. “Well, she was coming down anyhow.”

“That didn’t
give you the right to…” Maya blew out a breath and sat on the edge of the bed.
“You should’ve asked first.”

“If I’d asked,
you could’ve said no.”

“And we could’ve
said yes. You’re a woman among the People now, Dierdre. That means acting like
one, not tearing off on a wild hair whenever you feel like it.”

Dierdre’s
eyebrows furrowed and her gaze turned hot. “That was hardly a wild hair, Mom.
All I did was find Amelia and see if she wanted to be friends, and we are.
She’s really funny and sweet, and…”

Maya placed a
hand over her daughter’s. “And what, Squiggles?”

“Forget it. You
wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me.”

Dierdre shook
her head, sending her braids flying around her shoulders. “You gonna ground me
now?”

“That would
hardly be fair to Amelia, would it? She probably wouldn’t feel comfortable
going on the camping trip without you.”

“Probably not.
She’s kind of a girly girl, you know?” The mutinous set of Dierdre’s mouth
softened into a smile. “Thanks.”

“Don’t think
you’re getting out of it that lightly. We’ll talk about this later, once
Amelia’s gone back home.” Maya stood and made her way to the door. “Almost
packed?”

“Yes’m.” Dierdre
scrambled off the bed and bounded across the room, then threw her arms around
Maya’s neck. “You’re the best, Mom.”

“You, too,
Squiggles.”

They went in
search of James and Amelia. Maya turned the incident over in her mind as she
helped the teens finish packing, certain Dierdre’s motivations for contacting
James’ daughter weren’t nearly as pure as she’d let on.

* * *

The next morning
dawned clear and bright. James and Amelia came by for an early breakfast.
After, the four of them piled into his car with the camping gear stowed in the
trunk. Dierdre and Amelia huddled together in the backseat, giggling over who
knew what. Maya sat quietly in the passenger’s seat listening to their chatter,
mulling over the coming weekend.

From the moment
James had given permission for Amelia to go on the camping trip, Maya’s
thoughts had lingered on what would happen when she was finally alone with him.
Was she ready to be with him that way? Surely after all these weeks she must
be, but instead of the calm excitement she’d expected to feel, butterflies
danced in her stomach and molten heat slid through her blood, consuming her.

Half an hour
after leaving her house, they arrived at the campers’ meeting point, the head
of a local, well-known trail. Maya helped Dierdre and Amelia with a final check
of their camping gear while James filled out Amelia’s paperwork. After hugs and
goodbyes, the group set out, Johnny Linton between Dierdre and Amelia, one long
arm slung around each of their shoulders.

James leaned
against the hood of his car, his eyes narrowed on the departing group. Maya
lingered with some of the other parents, watching the camping party until they
disappeared around the first curve of the trail. She inhaled slowly and stuffed
her fingers into the pockets of her shorts. Making sure the girls got off to a
good start wasn’t procrastinating, was it? And besides, she didn’t want to seem
overeager.

The last
stragglers rounded the curve and the other parents drifted to their cars and
left. Maya slipped into the passenger’s seat of James’ car and buckled in as he
started the car and eased out into the string of departing vehicles.

The drive back
to her house was made in near silence. Maya clasped her hands together in her
lap and watched the passing scenery. Her heart skipped and the butterflies in her
stomach tangled into a knot, and her mind twisted over the possibilities. Would
he want to stay? Leave? Go out? None of the above?

James pulled
into her drive and turned off the car. He twisted his hands around the steering
wheel. “Dinner tonight?”

“Sure.”

“Six ok?”

“Anytime’s
fine.” She drew in a slow breath and blurted, “Do you want to come in?”

The corners of
his mouth tilted up in a soft smile. He faced her, and his eyes were hot,
greedy, and so beautiful, her heart skittered to a stop. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

They got out of
the car and walked into the house together, shoulder to shoulder. James waited
patiently as she unlocked the door, then slipped inside behind her. She shut it
and rested her forehead on the cool, wooden door.

“You ok?” he
asked.

She turned,
putting her back to the door. He was standing at the foot of the stairs with his
hands stuffed into the pockets of his shorts and his shoulders hunched. The
butterflies dissipated, leaving only the heat, and she held her hand out. “Can
you do something for me?”

He stepped
closer and slipped his hand into hers. “Anything.”

“Kiss me,” she
breathed. “I want to feel you, all of you.”

James tugged her
into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers, claiming her in a soft kiss. She
opened for him and wound her arms around his back, clinging to him as he
deepened the kiss, tasting her in slow sweeps of his tongue and gentle nips of
his teeth.

It wasn’t
enough.

She eased her
hands under his t-shirt and caressed his bare skin. It was smooth and warm, his
muscles firm under her touch, and she wanted so much more, the fierce burn of
passion, the eager touch of his hands roaming over her bare skin, him inside
her, stroking them both past pleasure into ecstasy. She wanted all of that,
craved it, and she wouldn’t settle for anything less.

She broke the
kiss and panted, “James, please.”

“Yeah,” he said.
“Me, too.”

 His hands
fumbled with the hem of her shirt, yanking it up and over her head. He pulled
his shirt off and dropped it on top of hers, then pressed her back against the
door, holding her there with the weight of his body. His skin skidded across
hers, creating a sweet, sweet friction. “Better?”

“Much.”

He slid an
open-mouthed kiss down the side of her neck, trailing beautiful heat. It
rebounded inside her, pinging through her blood, and settled between her
thighs, intense, liquid fire. She moaned and dug her fingers into his back,
reveling in his bare skin melding with hers, the moist heat of his mouth, the
delicious feel of his erection pushing against her core through their clothing.

His mouth met
hers again. She fumbled with the fastening on his shorts, aching to feel him.
Her fingers were too clumsy, her need impatient. She delved a hand into the
waistband, following the silky line of hair trailing from his navel downward.

His hand gripped
hers, holding it in place inches from where she wanted to be, and he tore his
mouth away from hers. “Bed,” he said, his voice gruff.

“Here.”

“Bed, now.” He
gritted the word out and ground his erection into her. “Please, Maya. Don’t
make me wait any more.”

She caught his
earlobe between her lips, sucking gently. He shuddered and moaned, and she
rubbed her face against his neck, hiding her satisfied smile. “Upstairs.”

He glanced over
his shoulder at the stairs, then dropped his forehead to the door. “Jesus.”

She laughed, low
and husky, and pushed him gently away from her. Urgency drove them up the
stairs as fast as they could manage, trailing shoes and clothes as they went.
They tumbled onto her bed, rolling together, landing with him stretched out on
top of her, their hands joined, her arms pinned above her head. She rolled her
hips upward, urging him to take her.

“Wait.” His hand
skimmed down her side and rested on her hip, pushing it into the mattress. “Let
me…”

She laughed and
shifted beneath him, and his erection prodded at her core.

“Oh, God,” he
moaned, and slid into her, filling her completely. He flexed his hips, seating
himself within her, and a wave of something close to ecstasy tore through her.
She gasped and lifted her knees, pulling him in deeper.

He buried his
face in her neck and murmured, “That’s it.”

He moved against
her, slowly finding a steady rhythm, deepening his thrusts, the pleasure building
with each sharp push of his hips. She raised her hips in counterpoint to his
and tightened her hold on his hands, and the heat building within her peaked
sharply and erupted into a million shattering pieces. He thrust into her a
final time and came, spilling into her on a low, shuddering moan.

They lay like
that for a long while, their breaths slowing from gasps to sighs, their bodies
cooling in slow increments. James slipped out of her, rolled onto his back, and
tucked her tightly against his side. Maya snuggled into him, draping herself
over him, and laughed. They were laying catty-corner on the bed, the duvet
wrinkled and bunched beneath them, but what a beautiful, delicious rush it had
been.

He kissed the
top of her head and relaxed under her.

“Don’t go to
sleep,” she said.

“I’m not,” he
promised, his voice soft and sleepy.

She huffed out a
sigh. “Under the covers with you.”

“In a minute.”

The air
conditioning kicked on, blowing a stream of cold air into the room. James
sucked in a breath and shifted onto his side, facing her. “That’s really cold.”

“I tried to get
you under the covers.”

“Next time I’ll listen.”
He smoothed a hand up and down her back. “You ok?”

“Mmm.” Ok was probably
not the word. More like smug, satisfied, womanly. Content.

“Not too rough?”

The concern in
his voice tickled her. He hadn’t been rough at all. She ran a leg over his,
enjoying the crisp hairs scratching against her skin. “Just right.”

“We, ah, got a
little carried away.” His cheeks flushed and his eyes closed, crinkling the
laugh lines at their corners. “Actually, we got a lot carried away.”

“It’s ok.”

“I’m clean,
promise. I haven’t had sex, er…” He cleared his throat. “It’s been a long
time.”

“Me, too.”

His mouth
opened, closed. He blinked and cleared his throat again, and she bit her lip,
containing a laugh. She kissed his nose and rubbed her fingertips through the
spattering of hair on his chest. “There’s nothing to worry about, really. It’s
a no harm, no foul situation.”

Emotions
flickered across his lean face, hope, relief, and something indefinable.
“Really?”

“Cross my
heart.”

It was the
closest she could come to saying,
Hey, James, I can’t get pregnant right now
because I’m immortal and only ovulate about once a year, twice if I’m lucky
.
She wasn’t ready for that conversation and neither was he. Maybe they never
would be.

She pushed the
gloomy thought away and kissed him lightly. “Shower?”

“Together?”

“Sure.”

A slow grin
stretched across his mouth. “Well, if you insist.”

And she did.

* * *