Winter's Dream (The Hemlock Bay Series) (24 page)

I started in surprise. “Taken them? For what?”

Luka cleared his throat but when I turned to look at him he wouldn’t meet my eyes. Jordan wouldn’t either, so I turned back to David.

“What would they want with them?”

“Take them, keep them, convince them they weren’t so bad and then have children with them.”

My stomach rolled. “I … I don’t get it.”

He sighed again. “It’s so they could try to have children that were jinn
and
Gatekeepers. Their daughters could potentially open the gates to your world for them.”

“That … no way. Wouldn’t the mothers tell them what a bad idea that is?” My mind was all over the place but kept going back to one very painful place.

“Not if the jinn had won the woman over.”

“That’s not likely. So why don’t they just,” I gagged a little, “have the kids and get rid of the mom?”

David shook his head. “Without the mother to teach the daughter about Gatekeeping the girls wouldn’t have known how to open the gates. A jinn would need a trusting mother who loved them to teach a daughter how to let them pass through.”

My stomach was a ball of hard lead high in my chest. “All right. And the jinn don’t just come to our world to kidnap Gatekeepers and try out this evil plan because …?”

He wouldn’t meet my eye. “Because they can’t. They can’t just take Gatekeepers, one would either have to have taken and rejected by the curse or … bound by one of us. Willingly.”

I swallowed hard and rubbed a hand over the painful beating in my chest. “So these discarded Gatekeepers were just sort of up for grabs, right?” I said coldly. I stood up and heard shifting behind me. “But if you wanted your own personal little open door into my world you would just have to find a Gatekeeper dumb enough to bind herself to one of you guys.”

I began to shake. All it would take was one uneducated Gatekeeper, one lonely, stupid, trusting girl and a jinn could have his own personal doorway to my world. I thought back through all the lies, all the betrayals, all my pain and heartache. Everything, every moment had been so Jordan could go between worlds unhindered. Anger and shame rose in me and I struggled not to burst into tears or throw up. I was just a pawn to him, just something to use so he could get what he wanted. Every last thing had been a lie.

Jordan placed a hand on my shoulder and I shrugged it off. My heart was breaking all over again and I could barely hold myself together. “Oh my God, is that what you wanted me for?” I whispered.

He turned me around and his arms where cold iron on my shoulders, nearly as cold as the bracelets he had put on my wrists only moments ago. “Bixby, you need to listen to me, that is not what happened between you and I, I didn’t even know you—”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Take them off,” I said, shoving my hands under his nose.

Jordan’s face was pale and for the first time ever I saw real fear there. “Bixby, I love you, I swear—”

“You don’t get to say that. Now take these off.”

He nodded and slid his hands down to my wrists.

“Jordan, don’t,” David said, his voice clearer and stronger. “She’s safer with them on.”

I ignored him and stared at Jordan. “Now.”

“Don’t, Jordan,” his uncle stressed and Jordan turned his eyes toward him. “She’s too involved; she’s already been to our world. She’ll be a target. I know you want her to love you but it’s more important to keep her safe. They can’t take her if you’ve already bound her.”

I waited for Jordan’s eyes to meet mine again. “I will never forgive you,” I promised, “there will never be a chance for us if you don’t take these off now.” Jordan slid his hands down my arms towards my hands.

“Wait,” David interrupted again.

“Are you in on it too?” I snarled. “Is this like a family operation, trying to get a hold of Gatekeepers to make some weird hybrid babies that could let you funnel into our world unchecked?” I snapped my face back to Jordan’s. “You probably weren’t even planning on going that far, you wouldn’t have to with such a pathetic, love sick girlfriend, huh? A couple more weeks under your thumb and I probably would just open them for you?”

David spoke again. “I know how this all must seem but it would be safer for you if you kept those bracelets on.”

“I cannot effing believe you,” I said and saw Luka’s startled glance from the corner of my eye. “I want the bracelets off. And then I’m going to go find those girls. Now, Jordan.”

He hesitated only a second. White heat flared up in his hands when he clamped down on my wrists and when I jerked them back a second later the bracelets were gone.

He kept his green eyes locked on mine. “I only ever wanted you,” he swore.

I searched his face, his wide open eyes, and the way his body strained slightly towards me. “Thank you,” I finally said.

His face fell a little at my formal response. “I would do anything you asked of me. You can trust me and I will prove it to, no matter how long it takes. You’ll see.”

“She isn’t going to see from inside whatever prison they lock her up in,” David interrupted angrily. “You’ve put her in danger, she’ll never be safe.” He turned to glare at me. “I don’t know how they found out about the girls but if they find out about you they will come after you for sure.”

“Bixby will always be safe,” Jordan said, still not taking his eyes from mine, “because I will never leave her side. Ever.”

I allowed a ghost of a smile to touch my lips but didn’t let my heart soften. “Fine. I’m going to need someone to help me rescue those girls anyway.”

“Bixby, stay out of it,” David warned. “You are exactly what they are hoping to gain. Trying to help will only put you in more danger. Leave the rescuing to me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, cause you’ve done a real great job of that before.”

David gave an unhappy rumble and Luka joined him. “Once again you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. Go home, stay safe and let us handle this.”

I turned back to Jordan. “And what do you think?”

He smiled and engulfed my cold hand in his warm one. “I’m with you always. Whether you like it or not.”

About the Author

A
mber lives and works in
a beautiful little town right on Lake Michigan with her husband and three children.

Other Titles by Amber Jaeger

Falling

(Book 1 of the Hemlock Bay Series)

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