Chapter 29 Jackson #2
Handing Jacqueline back to Mom, I said, “Are you guys physically all right, though?” I glanced from Christian to Shyanne. “No one’s hurt?”
“I’m sore as hell,” Shyanne admitted.
“I feel fucking great,” Christian said.
Bryn slapped his arm. “Language, Christian!”
Christian rolled his eyes. “Thanks, mom.”
Sudden, overwhelming exhaustion overcame me, and my eyelids slipped shut. I had to force them open.
“I need to rest. That okay?”
“Yes,” Mom said. “Of course, sweetheart. Come on. Everyone out.”
Shyanne stayed by my side. “Do you need anything? Food? Some more water?”
Looking at her, I couldn’t help but smile. None of this, not one bit of it, would have been possible without her. I took her hand, running my thumb along her skin. After all that had happened and how close we came to losing everything, there was no reason to hold back anymore.
“I need to tell you something before you go,” I said.
Shyanne’s eyes softened. “Is everything okay? Do you feel bad?”
“It’s not that,” I said, easing myself back down as exhaustion threatened to overtake me before I could have my say. “I want you to know how much it means to me. All of what you did. You didn’t have to, but you did. Thank you.”
She rested her free hand on the bed and gave me a shrewd look, her eyebrow cocked. “You do know that you paid me, like, a shit ton of money, right?”
I snorted, shaking my head. “You and I both know you’d have done it for free.”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
“Maybe?”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay fine. Sure. Probably.”
“That’s what I like so much about you,” I said, intertwining our fingers. “It’s starting to get a lot more serious than just liking you, too.”
The sarcastic grin vanished, her eyes widening. “What?”
“Shyanne, I can’t keep it hidden anymore. I…I really care for you. I want you. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I’m falling for you. Head over heels. I’m positive that I’m in love with you, and I—”
She pressed her lips to mine. Sighing, I opened my mouth, relishing the warmth of her tongue playing against mine.
Pulling away, Shyanne put a hand to my cheek and grinned, our faces only a few inches apart.
“I’m in love with you too, Jackson Adelmund.”
Hearing those words come from her, from the woman I loved, sent my dragon into a frenzy. I couldn’t recall him ever being so ecstatic or happy. Hell, I couldn’t remember when I’d been this happy. The closest I’d come to feeling this joy was when my sister hatched.
“You need to rest,” she said, letting her hand fall from my cheek. “I’ll wait downstairs with the others while you sleep.”
“I’m fine,” I muttered sleepily, exhaustion dragging at me. “You don’t need to stay. You’ve…you’ve got the garage.”
“The guys will handle it while I’m gone,” she said. “It’s all going to be okay.”
Despite everything, all the questions I had, I couldn’t stay awake any longer. Her words were the last things I heard before I fell into darkness once again.
“Jackson! Get up!”
My eyes snapped open, and I looked around in confusion.
“Who’s there?”
A small girl stepped up beside my bed, grinning at me like mad. “It’s me, duh. Jacqueline. Your sister.”
I frowned, my confusion transforming to outright disbelief.
“What? You…you’re a baby,” I said, then closed my eyes and shook my head. “I mean, you’re supposed to be a baby.”
Her smile grew wider as she leaned in conspiratorially. Cupping one hand around her mouth, she put her lips near my ear. “That’s because this is a dream, silly. It’s not real.”
With those words, everything began to fade, slipping away like sand through a wet hand.
Beyond the girl, deep in the dark recesses of the strange room I found myself, the sounds of footsteps echoed, as if dozens of feet were marching toward us from the shadows. It should have been ominous, but instead, all I felt was joy.
“What’s that sound?” I asked as my adolescent dream-sister turned to smoke.
Before she fully vanished, she winked at me. “They’re coming back.”
When my eyes snapped open, I lay still for a moment, not sure whether I was still dreaming or if I was really awake.
Distant, almost as though it was coming from somewhere else, was the sound of laughter.
After a few seconds, as my mind cleared away the cobwebs of sleep, I realized I was awake, and the sounds were coming from downstairs, maybe near the kitchen and dining room.
Not wanting to stay in bed like an invalid any longer, I got out of bed. My body had healed a lot since the last time I woke up. That was a good sign. Grabbing a robe from a hook near the bed, I told myself to never fight a maniac alpha again unless my life depended on it.
Shrugging on the robe, I slipped my feet into a pair of slides someone had put beside my bed, and shuffled from the room. I ached, but it was now the pleasant ache that came after a grueling workout rather than the throbbing agony I’d felt earlier.
In the hall, I nearly collided with Carson as he came sprinting toward my room. I grabbed the wall as he slid to a stop and fell backward, landing on his ass.
“Carson?” I said, reaching forward to help him. “What’s—”
He leaped to his feet, grabbing my shoulders. It was only when he looked at my face that I saw the smile on his face and the tears in his eyes.
“They’ve returned,” Carson said, his voice a husky whisper, thick with emotion.
Shaking my head, I put a steadying hand on his shoulder. “Hang on. Calm down, Carson. What’s going on? Who’s returned?”
“Jackson!”
Both Carson and I turned at the shout, finding Tiana at the end of the hall, Shyanne beside her. Both women wore a goofy smile as they beckoned me.
“Hurry,” Shyanne said, rushing down the hall and taking my arm.
“Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is happening?” I said, allowing her to lead me along.
“You have to see it for yourself,” Tiana said.
Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Carson and Tiana embracing each other and sobbing. What the fuck had happened?
My mind swirling, I allowed Shyanne to guide me down the stairs before I finally managed to get any words out.
“For real, what’s the problem?” I said.
She squeezed my hand and smiled at me as we rounded a corner into the dining room.
“It only happened a couple minutes ago. We were down here eating dinner. You’ve been asleep for almost a full day. The front door opened and…”
She trailed off, gesturing to the room beyond. Bewildered, I looked at where she pointed. My eyes locked on the scene before me. Every ounce of breath seeped out of my lungs. My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor.
The room was filled with people, far more than would usually be in the house. One in particular caught my attention most, and sent a blazing surge of emotion through my chest, nearly shattering my heart.
There, with his arms around my mother, whispering in her ear, was… my father.
“Dad?” The word slipped from my lips, and even to my own ears, I sounded like a child.
Mom spun, turning her tear-streaked eyes on me, one arm holding Jacqueline, the other around the man I hadn’t seen in years.
A man who’d fallen ill, then vanished like all the rest. His shoulders were as broad as I remembered, salt-and-pepper beard framing the faint grin on his lips. Kind but teary eyes locked on me.
“Son,” he said, releasing Mom and walking toward me.
His voice. It had been so long, I’d nearly forgotten what it sounded like.
With one single word, I was transported away from my life now.
I was no longer the lone alpha of the winged dragons with all the responsibility and weight on my shoulders.
I was now a small boy, looking up at the man I desperately dreamed I’d one day be like.
Shyanne stepped back, and Dad helped me to my feet.
He yanked me close, pulling me into a bear hug that nearly cracked my ribs.
For a single moment, I stood limp, not fully comprehending what was happening, but then I put my arms around him and squeezed him back just as tightly.
The floodgates opened, and I sobbed like a child.
I had no shame. I didn’t care who saw or heard.
I had my father back. He was here, in my arms, holding me like he had when I was a kid.
I buried my face in his shoulder, my sobs echoing through the room as everyone stood silently, allowing me this moment. Shyanne stepped forward and rubbed my back while I cried.
I didn’t know how this was possible. Part of me believed I was still asleep. Was this a dream? If it was, I was determined not to wake up. If this was a dream, I’d be happy to stay here forever.