Chapter 21 Jackson
JACKSON
Iwas torn out of my dreamless sleep by the incessant buzz-buzz buzz-buzz of my cell phone vibrating. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurred from sleep and the memories of the night before. A fuzzy warmth filled me as I rolled over to find my phone.
Shyanne lay beside me, still fast asleep. Easing myself off the bed, I quickly found my discarded pants and pulled the phone free. The smile on my face vanished when I saw the name on the screen.
“Carson? What’s wrong?” I said, keeping my voice low so as not to wake Shyanne.
“Thank God,” Carson hissed. “There you are. I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for an hour.”
I must have been in such a deep sleep that I hadn’t heard the phone.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s Tormynd,” Carson said, sounding miserable. “I…I think he’s about to go.”
An icy hand grabbed hold of my heart and squeezed. Go? Did that mean what I thought it meant?
“I don’t understand. What do you mean he’s about to go?”
“The Vanishing, Jackson,” Carson said, his voice tight and strained with panic. “He’s been sick the last few days. It was hard to tell if it was just bad allergies or a cold or something, but it’s not. He’s in bed now, shivering and coughing like mad. It’s like all the others. I know it.”
A wave of nausea spread through my stomach, cold sweat springing out across my entire body. Vertigo overcame me, forcing me to grab the wall to steady myself.
“Wait, wait, wait,” I muttered, trying to compose myself. “Are you sure? Uh, maybe it’s like pneumonia or—”
“Jackson,” Carson said, his voice sad and tired. “You and I both know shifters can’t contract that. Stop. Please. I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s happening. He…he’s asked for you. Can you come home? We need you.”
Sinking down to the ground, I glanced at Shyanne’s sleeping form. My responsibility to my people was a constant shadow hanging over me. As badly as I wished to stay here and slide back under those sheets and pull her close, I needed to go home.
“I’ll be back,” I said, resigning myself to the trip. Then, before either of us could say more, a horrifying thought occurred to me. “Does Mom know?”
Carson sighed heavily. “Not yet. Tiana and I have been keeping it from her. Both of us hoped it was something else. With all the stress she’s been under, we thought it best to keep her out of it for now. But she’ll find out if he vanishes. You can’t hide something like that.”
“Let me tell her, okay?” I said, already scrambling around the room and gathering my clothes.
“I will. Jackson?”
“Yes?”
“You need to hurry. I…” he trailed off, and silence stretched for several seconds. “I don’t think he has much time.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Moving as quickly and quietly as I could, I dressed, then hurried over to the small desk by the window and searched the drawers until I found hotel stationery and a pen. I slid a piece of paper out and scribbled a note.
I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.
An emergency came up at home, and I didn’t want to wake you.
Trust me, this isn’t how I would typically do this.
I’m ordering you room service for breakfast before I leave.
I want you to know I had the most amazing night of my life last night, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’re doing to help me. I’ll give you a call as soon as I can.
See you this afternoon to prepare for tonight.
—Jackson
Iplaced the note on my pillow where she wouldn’t miss it when she woke up, then gently brushed my knuckles over her cheek. She stirred and rolled over, but she didn’t wake. My heart ached to leave her, but duty called.
Leaving the room, I eased the door shut, then headed straight downstairs. The receptionist glanced up in surprise when I approached.
“Oh!” he said, eyes widening. “Is something wrong, sir?”
Glancing at my watch, I finally noticed the time. Almost four in the morning. He probably didn’t see many guests this early.
“No problem. I have an early flight. My friend will be staying in the room until checkout, though. Can you put in a room service order for her?”
He scrambled to find a pen and paper. “Absolutely, sir,” he said, sliding over a laminated copy of the room service menu. “Let me know what you’d like to order and the room number.”
I scanned the menu quickly, a constant clock ticking in the back of my mind, urging me to get home fast.
After giving the room number, I said, “An order of coffee and orange juice. The spinach and feta omelet, a side of bacon, and the brioche toast. That should work.”
The clerk finished scribbling the order and gave me a smile. “I’ll put this order in as soon as the cooks come in at five. When would you like it delivered?”
“Seven should work. I don’t want her to be woken up too early.”
“Understood,” he said, jotting down the time. “Is there anything else—”
I was already out the door before he could finish.
I waited until I was in a dark alley well away from any windows before shifting and rising high into the sky, angling toward home.
Flying back, I did all I could to push aside my worry and fear, but that was impossible.
My dragon whined at the thought of another of our kind vanishing.
I prayed that Carson was wrong, but deep down, I knew he never would have called if it was anything else.
When I’d found Tormynd during one of my searches in Europe, he’d been terrified and depressed, barely able to communicate with me through broken English, and I couldn’t make out anything he said to me in his Scandinavian tongue.
Still, I’d managed to convince him to fly back across the ocean with me and take up residence at our home.
He’d picked up our language fast enough and had become a good friend.
I didn’t want to lose him like all the others.
In a fit of rage, I raised my head and belched out a huge, shimmering stream of fire into the sky.
Heedless of anyone on the ground or in the air who might see it, I followed it with a shriek of fury.
My anger was all the worse because of how impotent I felt.
Instead of searching for a cure or a fix to The Vanishing, I was stuck trying to figure out how to get out from under Anitoli’s thumb.
I spent the rest of the flight home in a state of constant worry and anxiety. Would I be too late? Would he already be gone? What if my mom found out before I could tell her? How would she react? How would the others react?
Fuck, I hated this.
When my home finally came into view, I felt no relief. Usually, when I saw the estate, I was at least happy to be home. Now, all I could think of was the depressing sadness that would soon permeate the place.
Tiana stood in the front yard, obviously waiting for me. Spotting me, she waved, and I circled to land.
“Take me to him,” I said as I shifted back to my human form.
“He’s in his room. Come on.”
The house was dead silent as we entered and headed up the stairs. All the remaining members of the winged dragon species lay asleep in their beds. The few of us who were awake now knew that our numbers would be even smaller in a matter of hours. I dreaded the reaction, but there was nothing for it.
“Are you going to tell your girls?” I asked.
Tiana sighed as we reached the third floor. “Yes. I don’t think he’ll last much longer. I doubt he’ll still be here when the sun’s fully up.”
I nodded to myself, still thinking of how I’d tell my mother.
She was already grieving and emotionally drained.
This news might send her over the edge. Although, she’d always been a strong woman with a powerful will.
Perhaps I wasn’t giving her enough credit.
She might take it better than I was. I’d find out soon.
We came to the guest quarters that had been Tormynd’s rooms since he came to live with us. Even through the door, I could hear the guttural coughs. Tiana knocked softly on the door.
“Come in,” Carson said.
Stepping into the room behind Tiana, I was struck by the scene. Carson sat beside the bed, holding Tormynd’s hand. The other man looked awful. His face was pale and sallow, and dark circles ringed his eyes.
“How long has he been like this?” I demanded.
“It didn’t get bad until yesterday afternoon,’ Tiana explained. “At first, it seemed like nothing more than a cold. He went downhill faster than we thought…” She shook her head, at a loss for words.
“Jackson,” Tormynd said, his voice low and weak. He lifted his free hand and gave me his best attempt at a smile. “Friend.”
Moving to his bedside, I took his offered hand, shocked at how hot it was.
Fiery heat radiated from his body. I couldn’t even imagine what his temperature was.
I vaguely remembered the same thing happening to my father before he vanished.
He hadn’t looked this bad, though. Either it was taking Tormynd in a more aggressive way, or being an alpha had helped my father fight off the curse a little better.
I sank into the stool beside his bed. “Hey, buddy, how are you doing?” I said, trying to keep my voice upbeat.
He shook his head slightly, sweat beading on his brow. “I…I no good. I think I no have many time left.”
Tears stung my eyes, but I chuckled. “You know, your English is still pretty terrible.”
He smiled weakly, but at least it was real. “I know this, yes. All because…you…bad teacher.”
This time I let out a real laugh. The tears came then, slipping down my cheeks. “Oh, yeah? Well, maybe you’re a shitty student? You ever think about that?”
Tormynd laughed, which then devolved into a coughing fit. My smile died on my lips as he struggled to get it under control and take a breath. When he was finally done, he looked exhausted.
“Jackson?” he said, his voice even more hoarse than before.
“Yes?”
His own eyes were wet with unshed tears. “You are good alpha,” he said, deathly serious now.