Chapter 10

The ride was quiet. All three of us sat in the front seat, with Lauren next to my father. It took a while to heal Lauren, at least to the point that her color looked normal. When she started to stir, my father touched her hand to keep her incapacitated. I didn’t object, as I knew it would be more difficult with her awake.

Eventually we pulled off on an exit that appeared to go nowhere. We rode for a solid mile before I saw a hotel, and it was only a bit nicer than the last dump. I rubbed Lauren’s back to try to give her a bit of energy, wake her up. Once she regained consciousness, I explained the situation. She was too weak to argue, but I could tell she wasn’t happy.

We got two rooms, and my father handed Lauren and me one of the keys. “I know this isn’t the safest place, but I’ll be listening. If anyone goes near either of you…”

“Oh please,” Lauren said. “Like I need Daddy to protect me. I’ve managed very well without you so far.”

He looked down. “Look, Lauren, I—”

“No, I don’t want to hear it.”

“I only wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what? Trying to kill me again? Kidnapping Em again?” She turned to me. “Come on. Let’s go.”

We went to our room without another word. I jumped on the bed closest to the door.

“It’s nice to have our own room,” I said. “I get so hot at night. Half the time I take off my clothes without even realizing it…”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to share a room with that creep.”

I found it interesting that she talked about him as if he were a total stranger. It’s not like I was all chummy with him, but I at least referred to him as something other than “that creep.”

“You’re still mad at him, aren’t you?”

“Uh, yeah. He’s a dick. And he’s kidnapped you again.”

“No, I mean from all those years ago.” I could feel her defenses going up, and I worried she might lash out at me.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. What’s done is done.” She peeked out the curtain. “Maybe we can make a run for it…”

“What?”

“Leave. Go home. Get away?” Lauren looked at me as if I were brain damaged.

“I can’t. I promised him I wouldn’t try to escape if we took you.”

Lauren’s brow furrowed, as if she didn’t understand me. “Why would you do that?”

“You were in bad shape, Lauren. I was afraid you might die.” A flood of emotions poured out within me, and I found myself crying. The thought of losing her, so soon after I got her back, must have set it off. “You weren’t breathing…”

She wrapped her arms around me, and I rested my head on her shoulder. “It’s going to be all right, Em. I’m not going anywhere.”

Though I didn’t like that she was kidnapped, too, it was comforting to have her there with me. The energy flowed through me to her, healing us both. I took a deep breath and exhaled, enjoying the unusual sensation of feeling connected to her.

A knock on the door sounded. Lauren yelled, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” my father said.

With an annoyed groan, she said, “What do you want?”

“I was going to get some food,” he said. “Will you please let me in?”

I reluctantly released her. Lauren cracked open the door but left the chain attached. “Yeah, so?”

“This is ridiculous, Lauren. Let me in.”

“Want to spend some quality time with your daughters, huh?”

He didn’t respond.

“Or maybe you want a hug? A little pat on the back and your sins are forgiven?”

“I was just going to ask if you wanted some food.”

“Yeah, you can do that through the door.”

“Fine,” he said. “What do you want to eat?”

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. I was going to drive around and see what’s out there. Probably fast food.”

“That’s cool. Get us a couple of sandwiches. Cheeseburgers or whatever.”

“I’ll be right back.”

Lauren closed and secured the door. “Are you sure you don’t want to make a run for it?”

I half-smiled. “He’s not going to stop. You know that, right? How many people are you willing to sacrifice? Because I’m done. I don’t even know how bad Mom is…”

“Mom is okay. She was still in the hospital, but only for observation.” She folded her arms against her chest. “So what are you saying? We do whatever he wants? Do you even know what he wants?”

“I’m not sure. But I think it has something to do with a woman.”

Lauren cocked an eyebrow, her arms still folded.

“Besides, I gave my word. I’m going to see this through.”

She tilted her head to the side, as if she couldn’t decide whether or not to believe me. Then she shrugged. “Guess it’s your decision.”

“I can’t wait for this to all be over.”

“Amen to that. Hey, I’m going to take a shower.”

I nodded and sprawled myself onto one of the beds. After everything that went down, all I wanted was a solid night of sleep.

The knock on the door came sooner than I expected. I peeked through the peephole and saw my father with dinner. I opened the door and let him in.

“Sorry it’s not better food. I—”

“No, I’m sure it’s fine.”

He sat down on the chair next to the dresser, a piece of furniture that seemed superfluous. The chair creaked in protest, as if it hadn’t been used in ages. I sat on the bed, across from him. My father closed his eyes and massaged his temples. “Crazy, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“All of this, I mean,” he said, and broke out a cigarette. He lit it and took a long drag. “I’m sorry I had to do this, Emily.”

I coughed, waving the smoke off.

“Em, is he in the room with you?” Lauren called out.

He apologized about the smoke and leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed. “Just sitting here with you, I can feel the energy. It’s amazing.”

“What are you doing in here?” Lauren yelled as she stomped toward us, a towel wrapped around her body. Her hair was dripping wet, and remnants of soap suds that she didn’t get a chance to fully rinse off clung to her skin.

His eyes opened abruptly, and upon seeing her in the towel, he turned his face away. “I… I was only delivering your food.”

“Looks like we got it.” She crossed over to the door and opened it. “Now get out.”

“You don’t have to be so damn angry all the time,” he said. “I’m sorry for—”

“Don’t you dare apologize, you bastard,” she said, her voice a low growl.

The clerk who had checked us in walked by the open door, surprised at seeing Lauren. “Is everything all right in here?” His eyes lingered on Lauren a little too long.

“Yes, it’s fine,” she answered, rolling her eyes. “Could you stop leering at me now?”

“Doing my job, ma’am, making sure everyone’s safe here.” He waved off with a two-finger salute, flashing a devilish grin as he left.

“So?” Lauren asked, motioning to the door.

“See you in the morning,” he said, getting up from the chair. “Good night.”

“Yeah, sweet dreams, what the hell ever.” She closed the door after him and locked it. “What’s wrong with you?”

I sighed. No explanation I could come up with would satisfy her. “Let’s just eat.” I dug into the bag and handed her a burger.

“Lemme get some clothes on,” she said.

When she was dressed, we sat on the edge of the bed, chewing on soggy fries and eating our burgers.

“You know this would be cool if it weren’t so screwed up,” Lauren said, as she finished eating.

I laughed. “Yeah, traveling cross country. Staying in hotel rooms.”

She put her arm around me and squeezed. “I love you, Em.”

“I love you, too.”

“I’m going to pass out,” she said, yawning.

Still worried about Tommy and Demetri, I racked my brain trying to figure out if there was anything we could do to communicate with them. “Can you teleport to the boys?”

She appeared to concentrate for a moment. “They’re driving. I can’t teleport to someone if they’re in a moving vehicle.”

I held on to the cold turquoise heart from my necklace. “I’m afraid they’ll worry, and we’re fine now.”

Lauren arched an eyebrow. “You have a strange definition of ‘fine.’”

“You know what I mean,” I said. “What about Mom? Won’t she worry?”

She nodded. “I’ll check on her.”

I watched in awe as she disappeared. Less than a minute later, she returned.

“Still in the hospital. She was asleep. I’ll check on her tomorrow.”

“How does it work, I mean, your power? Did you think of her and then you appear where she is?”

“Usually. If I know the person, I can do that, like with you and Demetri. It doesn’t seem to work with Mom, though.”

My brow wrinkled. “How did you find her then?”

“Well, I can think of a place and teleport there, if I’ve been there before. I knew she was in the hospital, and I’d been to her room, so it’s the first place I tried.”

I thought about Lauren driving here, and I figured she must’ve left with her cell phone. “Where’s your cell phone?”

“It’s in my purse. Which is in my car.” It took a second for her to put it all together. “Which Tommy and Demetri are driving right now…”

She grabbed the room phone and called her cell. It went to voice mail after one ring.

“Damn, the battery must be dead.”

“Seriously? Of all the times to forget to charge it…” I shook my head, annoyed that we were so close to being able to talk to them.

“Look, I was using GPS to find the motel you were at, plus with all these dead spots in Texas no man’s land... It was at like 10 percent when we got there.”

There was nothing we could do about it, I realized. Both Lauren and I were cut off from the real world until this crazy adventure ended.

****

I showered in the morning while Lauren tried again to teleport to my mother and Demetri. My mother had been discharged from the hospital, but she wasn’t at home either. Lauren left her a note.

Demetri and Tommy were still moving, so she couldn’t teleport to them. I swore when we made it back, I would buy my boyfriend a cell phone myself.

We drove a good five hours before we stopped again, this time at a rest stop. After hitting the restrooms, we found a table in the diner-type restaurant there. Lauren slid in next to me, and my father sat across from us. It wasn’t long before we were approached by an elderly waitress.

“Hi, my name is Shirley Jean. Oh, sweetheart, you look exactly like my granddaughter,” she said to me, touching my arm. Her imperfect teeth didn’t detract from her natural charm. I smiled back at her.

“And what a lovely smile. What’s your name, dearie?”

“Emily,” I answered.

“Such a darling. And what can I get for you, Emily?” Her hand still rested on my arm. I gently placed my hand on top of hers. Her skin was cold, but soft. A surge of heat rushed through my hand to her.

“My, how warm your hands are!” She giggled happily.

“Em,” Lauren began, eyeing me nervously. “Answer her.”

“Oh, I’d like a Coke, please.”

She reclaimed her hand to jot down the order. Then she politely asked Lauren and my father what they wanted, before she strolled off, humming to herself.

“What the hell was that about?” Lauren asked.

“She’s nice,” I said.

“Em, you don’t even know her,” she countered, her voice hushed. “She could be a psycho.”

I laughed. “I don’t think so. She has a good energy.”

My father nodded. “You could feel that, too, huh?”

“You’ve been wrong before,” Lauren said, with a snicker. “Used to be inseparable with him.” She motioned to across the table.

My father stared curiously at Lauren. “You understand now what happened all those years ago, don’t you?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Why I spent more time with Emily,” he said softly. “It wasn’t because I loved you any less—”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Lauren, I—”

“I said no!” She glared at him.

Her hand was burning hot when I touched it. But she shied away from me, folding her arms against her chest.

He let out a frustrated sigh right as the waitress returned with our drinks.

“Is everything okay here?” Shirley Jean asked.

“Yes, everything’s fine,” I responded. “But we’re going to need more time to decide.”

“You take your time, sweetheart.” She turned and left.

“Guess we should order something.” I opened my menu and found the basics—cheeseburgers, sandwiches, and soups, along with typical diner classics like chicken fried steak and pot roast.

“So what’re you get…” I trailed off when I noticed Lauren still engaged in a stare down.

“Not hungry,” she said.

“You should eat,” he countered. “We have a few more hours on the road.”

“Thanks for your concern,” she said icily, as she grabbed the menu from my hands. “If you insist.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “Please, try to relax,” I whispered. The heat flowed steadily from my hands, calming her anxiety.

He closed his eyes, a strange moan escaping his lips.

“What the…” Lauren uttered. “What kind of creepy son-of-a-bitch are you?”

His eyes abruptly opened.

“No wonder Mom kicked you out.”

“It’s the energy,” he said, holding his head in his hands. “I haven’t fed in a while, and I…”

“What are you?” she whispered, her mouth gaping.

I reached out a hand to touch him, when Lauren grabbed my arm, stopping me. “No,” she whispered. “Are you crazy?”

My father lifted his head and looked at us both, puzzled.

“Can I talk to you a second?” I asked her, sliding out of the booth. “Privately?”

Lauren followed me out several feet away. “What the hell are you thinking?”

I wanted to cry at the pain I sensed from her, the anguish she battled with inside. “Lauren, it’s all right to let people in every once in a while.”

“People maybe.” She glanced over at him. “I don’t think he qualifies.”

“I can control it. I’ll be fine. Look at it this way. If I don’t help him, he’ll either pass out driving or find someone else to feed on.”

She peered over at the table again. “Yeah, I see what you mean.”

Shirley Jean had returned, and my father was talking to her, trying to lean in close. When she touched his hand, we both double-timed it back to the table.

“We’re ready to order,” I said, as I scooted in next to my father, breaking his contact with her.

Lauren sat across, watching me closely.

I took my father’s hand in mine and felt my healing energy feed him.

My father closed his eyes and relaxed his head back.

As I ordered for the three of us, my eyelids grew heavy, the pull becoming stronger, making me weaker.

“That’s enough,” Lauren said, after the waitress stepped away.

But I didn’t have the strength to lift my hand off. The restaurant started to spin, a whirlwind of washed-out colors in my mind.

“I said that’s enough!” Lauren got up and yanked me out of the bench seat. “Damn it, Em, you said you could control it!”

I put my hands on my temples and felt the warm heat flow. “I… I thought I could. I did for a while, it just…it overwhelmed me, I guess.”

“Are you all right?” my father asked. He stood and tried to assist me.

“Get away from her.” Lauren positioned herself in between us. “Haven’t you done enough damage?”

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to.” He withdrew back to the table and got a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. Fishing out a book of matches, he lit up.

Lauren enclosed me in her arms and rocked me gently. I hugged her back, feeling her emotions flood me in an instant—love and fear, mixed with contempt for him. “I’m okay, Lauren.” I pulled back from her and felt warm tears when I touched her face. I cried along with her.

We sat back down on the bench together. My father stared down at the table. For a long while, none of us said a word.

Then he spoke. “I’m sorry. I have trouble controlling it sometimes and—”

“No, it’s okay,” I answered. “I understand.”

“I don’t,” Lauren muttered, as she took the cigarette out of his hand and mashed it in the ashtray. “Is there any part of you that cares for us at all?”

His lips parted in shock. “How can you say that?”

“Like it wasn’t enough to almost kill me, and now Em…”

“You still don’t get it, do you?” He ran his fingers through his hair, letting out a deflated exhale. “You almost died because I held onto you. I… I wanted to take you, too.”

“What?”

“When you were born, I thought you would be like Anne. I fell in love—you were such a beautiful, sweet baby. It broke my heart when I realized you were affected by my curse. That I was making you sick being near you.” I felt his pain at recalling the memory. “With Em, it wasn’t as bad. I could hold her a little before…”

I sensed an inkling of empathy from my sister, more than I expected. I couldn’t imagine how torturous that would be, to not be able to be affectionate with your own children.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“Could we not talk about this?” Lauren said, avoiding his eyes. “I’d like to have some of my appetite when the food gets here,”

As if on cue, Shirley Jean returned with our lunch.

All of us picked at our food. My father kept trying to talk to Lauren and me throughout the meal. I thought Lauren was going to stab him a few times, and I was grateful she only had access to a dull butter knife. He finally took the hint and shut up. In awkward silence, we finished eating and then left.

****

We ended up in a small town in Idaho, of all places. The backdrop for my father’s house was a gorgeous heavily treed mountain. If I weren’t kidnapped, it would be the kind of place I’d like to visit and relax in.

Once we were inside, I was surprised to see how normal the place was—modest and small, but quaint, with lots of country style decorations and accents. By the small layer of dust I saw on the furniture, I got the feeling housekeeping had been neglected as of late.

When we entered, a woman appeared, and I immediately knew her name. Sarah. Her strawberry blond hair seemed shorter, but it was hard to tell. It had been ten years since I’d last seen her, when she drove me back home and lied to me about my father. Except for her name, I didn’t remember much about her.

“Emily,” Sarah said, smiling weakly. “How you’ve grown.”

I mustered a small smile in response. Her complexion was pale, and it appeared to take great effort for her to simply keep her eyes open.

“I’m sorry for this,” Sarah said, her expression darkening. She glanced at my father disapprovingly. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn’t listen.”

“It’s a good thing I didn’t, too.” He moved to her side, and it looked as if he were going to hold her hand, but then he stopped himself. “She… she’s a healer.”

“A healer? What on earth are you talking about, Jonathan?”

“Anne shot me—”

“She shot you?” Her eyes grew large. “Hmph. Serves you right.”

Lauren let out a snicker, while my father rolled his eyes.

“Anyway, Emily healed me.” He gently brushed a lock of hair from her face. “She’s like us.”

“Lotta good all this energy did me,” Sarah said, exhausted. She looked as if she were about to faint.

“Let’s get you back to bed,” my father said. We followed them to their bedroom, and Sarah slowly lay upon her bed.

“What if it’s you?” Lauren said to him. “What if you’re the reason she’s sick?”

My father grimaced. “This is my eldest daughter, Lauren,” he said to Sarah, before turning to Lauren. “This is Sarah.”

“The woman who covered for you all those years ago?” Her trademark scowl resurfaced. “Delighted to meet you.”

“I won’t apologize for my actions. I love your father.” She turned to him and smiled. “We need each other.”

“Yeah, and how’s that been working for you lately?” Lauren muttered.

“He’s not the cause of my sickness,” she said coldly, before her face softened. “But he’s not helping right now, either.”

“The doctors don’t know what’s wrong with her,” my father said.

“And that’s why he’s kidnapped Em once again.” Lauren glared at him. “How selfish can you be in one lifetime?”

“I made a promise,” my father said. “I needed her for everyone’s safety.”

“What are you talking about?” Lauren said.

“Em’s energy can sustain me,” my father explained. “Without me hurting Sarah or draining others. I figured Em could keep me alive until Sarah got better.” He motioned to Sarah. “I couldn’t just let her die. When I discovered Em could heal, it was—”

“I can’t believe you,” Lauren said, her eyes narrowed at him. “You think you can just—”

“Enough!” I yelled. “None of that matters. I’m here now, and Sarah needs me to heal her. Can we please do this and stop arguing?”

Sarah chuckled. “I see she takes after you, Jonathan.”

“She’s a miracle,” he whispered, gently touching Sarah’s face for only a second. “We’ll be together again, soon, my love.”

A strange noise escaped Lauren’s lips. My father signaled to her.

“Come on. Let’s leave them alone,” he said, motioning to me and Sarah.

“No way I’m letting her out of my sight, pops. You can just forget about that.”

“Lauren, I’ll be all right.” I embraced her. “It’ll be boring sitting here and watching me heal her. I don’t know how long it’ll take.”

She released me and turned to our father. “Be useful and go get us some chairs.”

He sighed but left anyway.

I arched an eyebrow at her.

“What the hell else am I going to do? Bond with Dad?”

I laughed. “Guess not.”

“Guess not,” she repeated sarcastically.

****

I wasn’t a couple of hours into the healing when I heard voices in the other room. I could pick out my father’s stern tones, but I couldn’t make out who the others were.

“Who is he talking to?” I asked.

Lauren shrugged.

The voices grew closer. Lauren signaled to me to be quiet and grabbed a wooden hairbrush from Sarah’s dresser. I had to stifle a laugh at her stance, so heroic with her fierce weapon, as she tiptoed toward the open door.

The footsteps grew louder. I stayed by the bed with Sarah but kept my eyes glued to the doorway. Lauren positioned herself to the side of the opening, ready to ambush whoever came near. She swung down before she even saw who entered.

Thunk.

“Ow.” Demetri rubbed his head. “Whatcha go and do that for?”

“Demetri!” She dropped the brush. “What are you doing here?”

Tommy followed in behind. “Em!” He ran over to me and hugged me as if we’d been apart for months. His warm embrace felt utterly perfect. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, everything’s okay.” I gave him a final squeeze before I released him. “How’d you get past my father?”

Tommy and Demetri exchanged a loaded look. “We were sneaking around the bushes, trying to figure out a way in, when—” Tommy said.

Demetri finished for him. “When the dude opens a window and tells us to come in, the front door’s open.”

“What?!”

“Yeah,” Tommy said, half-smiling. “He said he wouldn’t touch us, and that we could talk to you.”

Demetri continued to rub his injured head. “I was trying to save you,” he said to Lauren. “You didn’t have to hit me.”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, before she embraced him.

“Nothing could keep me from you, beautiful,” Tommy said. He rested his hands on my face, bringing it closer to his. When our lips touched, it felt so utterly perfect, so welcome. I kissed him back more passionately, before I heard the sound of Lauren clearing her throat.

Tommy broke the kiss and turned toward them, and looking over his shoulder, I noticed Demetri was beaming. “Could you, uh…” Tommy trailed.

“No problem, little brother.” Demetri hoisted Lauren up over his shoulder.

“Put me down. Now!” Lauren screamed, beating him on his back.

“Come on, Lauren. I know you missed me,” he said, as he waved goodbye to us. “Bout to show me just how much…” He left the room, with Lauren still punching futilely against him.

Tommy took my hands into his. “I was so worried about you.”

Sarah watched our reunion quietly as she lay resting, and her complexion appeared healthier.

I motioned to her. “She is, well, at least part of the reason he took me. She’s sick.”

“Is she like your father?” Tommy asked.

“No. She usually has a surplus of energy. The perfect mate for him.”

His look of confusion disappeared. “And now that she’s sick…”

“He needed another source of energy. At first he just needed to feed on someone he knew he couldn’t really hurt, but when he found out I could heal…”

My father appeared in the doorway. “I, uh, let your friends in.”

Sarah’s eyes flickered open, and she smiled.

“Sarah,” my father said, as he approached her bed. “You look so much better. How do you feel?”

I sensed relief from my father, and the tear that rolled down his cheek made it clear how much he loved this woman.

“Good, love,” she answered, as she reached for his hand and squeezed it. I was glad when she released it, as I knew she wasn’t completely healed, and I was unsure how badly his touch would affect her. She turned to me. “You gonna introduce me or do I have to wonder about your knight in shining armor?”

“Sarah, this is Tommy, my boyfriend.”

“Nice to meet you.” Her voice sounded stronger, louder than before.

My father looked off to the side, then down. Finally his gaze focused on me. “I know you’re probably anxious to get back. If you, uh…need to leave, you’re free to go.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He’s letting me go?

I sighed. As much as I wanted to leave, I had to finish healing her. “I’m not done yet.”

My father nodded.

“But thank you.” I turned to Sarah. “I’ll be right back. Keep resting, okay?”

“You take your time, sweetie,” she said. “I feel a lot better already.”

I flashed an appreciative smile and took Tommy’s hand in mine. We walked outside the doorway, into the hall where we could be alone.

“Now where were we?” I asked, backing him against the wall.

His hands cupped my face once more, and this time the kiss was downright fierce. A surge of heat traveled through me to him, and I relished the sweet sound of him moaning as he kissed me back.

“So warm,” he murmured, continuing to kiss me.

“I love you, Tommy,” I whispered, pulling back only enough to say the words.

His eyes met mine, and he didn’t have to say anything—I could feel his love for me. I kissed him again, and he ran his fingers through my hair, sending a million little shivers running down my spine. His strong arms wrapped around me, pulling me in close to his warm body. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He rocked me gently and I took a long exhale, as if his presence were the only thing that allowed me to truly relax.

“Missed you, beautiful,” he whispered.

“Yeah.” I reluctantly pulled back from his embrace. “Guess I gotta get back to work.”

“Will you heal Demetri first? He’s kind of a wuss when it comes to pain.”

I laughed. “Sure.”

He wrapped his arm around my waist, and we walked together to the living room, where Lauren sat next to Demetri on the couch. Her hand moved in small circles on his head where she’d struck him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you,” she said.

“Are you sure?” Demetri responded. “With the way you were just beating on me…”

This time I was the one clearing my throat. Lauren quickly withdrew her hand.

“Em, thank God you’re here,” she said. “You’d think he was dying the way he’s going on.”

“See? I told you,” Tommy whispered to me.

Demetri laughed. “Don’t even act like you’re not into touching me,” he said to Lauren.

She rolled her eyes. “You can heal him, right?” she asked me.

“Like that night in my bedroom…” He inched closer to her, focused on her lips.

Lauren’s eyes grew large before she glared at me. “Like now?” She got up, motioning impatiently toward Demetri.

I smiled and sat in Lauren’s spot. “Where’d she hit you?”

Demetri pouted. “Em, it was just about to get fun…”

A nervous snicker escaped Lauren’s lips. “I’m going to get something to drink. You guys want anything?”

“Water, please,” I responded, and Demetri added, “Me, too.”

“I’ll help you,” Tommy offered, following Lauren to the kitchen.

I turned back to Demetri. “Well?”

“It’s right here,” he answered, guiding my hand to the rather large bump on his head.

I had to hold back a laugh. “Wow. She got you good, huh?”

“Yeah, well, payback’s a bitch,” he muttered, as he closed his eyes. “Damn, that’s hot.”

The bump subsided. “I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I heal you.”

“What?” His expression turned innocent and shocked, before his grin resurfaced.

As the heat dissipated from my hands, Lauren and Tommy returned with the drinks.

“All better.” I withdrew my hand.

“That is so cool. Thanks.” He moved down the couch and motioned to Lauren to sit next to him.

“No thanks. I’ll stand,” she said dryly.

Tommy shrugged and grabbed the seat next to me.

“So how did you guys find us anyway?” I asked.

“We had a little help, actually,” Tommy said. “Without Lauren to teleport to you, we called up Roz to see if she had any other visions. She didn’t, but Wes was able to track down your father’s address.”

“That’s so awesome.” I made a mental note to thank Wes once I got back. I took a sip from my water and stretched afterwards. “Guess I should get back to work.”

“Come on, Em,” Tommy said. “I’ll walk you back to the bedroom.”

“So you and I,” Demetri said to Lauren, “left off with you apologizing and giving me a rubdown.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lauren said. “For such a strong guy, you’re quite the baby.”

Tommy grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed. “How much longer is it going to take to heal her?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a couple of hours?”

I was surprised to see Sarah sitting up as we entered the room. Her eyes were vibrant, so alive.

“You seem to be feeling better,” I commented.

“Yes. Better than I’ve felt in ages,” she said, smiling at my father, who was seated in a chair next to her. “Are you done?”

My father gave up his seat and I joined her at the side of her bed. I touched her head, but her temperature was still hot. “’Fraid not. Got some more to go.”

“Okay,” she said, disappointed. She slid down to a lying position, while Tommy grabbed the second chair and moved it closer to mine.

“Oh, you don’t have to stay,” I said to him. “Not that exciting, watching me heal.”

“Are you kidding me?” he said, snickering. “Besides, they sounded like they wanted to be alone.”

“Demetri, maybe.” I smiled. “Not sure about Lauren.”

“Yeah, right.” He smiled back at me. “Either way, I don’t want to be there. Only place I want to be is by your side.”

My smile lingered as I gazed over at him. He gently caressed my cheek.

“Oh, sweetie, you’ve got to kiss him for that,” Sarah said. “I’ll close my eyes, okay?”

My father muttered something under his breath but turned his back to us.

The second her eyes shut, I leaned over and kissed him. The warmth, the connection was there, along with a perfect feeling of adoration. I’d never felt more in love with him than I did at that moment.

The kiss was too short. “Back to work, right?” he whispered, pulling back from me.

“Yeah.” I placed my hands on Sarah as he settled into the chair Lauren was using.

****

The healing went faster than I expected—with Tommy right next to me, the energy seemed more powerful. Sarah became more and more talkative the stronger she got, and toward the end I couldn’t even keep up with half of what she was saying. The heat eventually dissipated.

“I feel incredible!” Her eyes sparkled, and the grin she wore was downright jubilant.

She got up from the bed to hug my father.

“Are you good now?” he asked nervously. “Did she heal you?”

“What do you think?” She kissed him. He relaxed, and the kiss turned passionate quickly.

“Ew,” I whispered, edging myself away from them.

“Guess she’s all right,” Tommy said. “That means we can leave, right?”

“I think so.”

We both got up and tried to sneak out of the room, but Sarah grabbed my arm as I passed.

“Not so fast. You don’t really think I’m going to let you leave without thanking you, do you?” She hugged me, and I was amazed at the energy radiating from her—as if she were totally recharged and then some.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said.

“Thanks to you, Emily. You know, Jonathan was right. You are a miracle.” She pulled back from me and smiled. “Now y’all will stay for dinner. I’m going to cook you a feast.”

“That’s nice of you to offer, but—”

“Oh, I’m not taking no for an answer,” she said nonchalantly.

“Sarah, you’ve just gotten better,” my father said, concerned. “Can’t we take them out for dinner instead?”

The look she shot him was comical. “Jonathan! You’re talkin’ crazy. Like any restaurant is better than my cooking.”

“Honey, you know I wasn’t saying that. It’s just, I don’t want you to do too much, I…”

She moved back to him, her eyes gazing lovingly at him. She traced her hands under his hair, massaging in small circles. “I’m good now. You can feel it, can’t you?”

He let out a soft moan, as she continued to move her hands upward. It was amazing to see her touch him without suffering some kind of ill effect. I’d never seen such a perfectly symbiotic relationship before. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that she was around to insure he wouldn’t hurt anyone. It seemed like some kind of universal balance; even a monster has a counterpart. He took her hands in his and kissed them.

Then again, maybe he wasn’t such a monster after all.

“Well, I’m going to start on dinner,” Sarah announced and bolted out of the room before anyone could object.

My father turned to me. “What you did… I’ll always be grateful.” His gaze fell to the floor. “Sarah… she’s everything to me. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” He suddenly embraced me tightly. “Thank you,” he whispered through tears.

When he released me, I felt woozy. Tommy held onto me, steadying me.

“I’m sorry, are you all right?” my father asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. “Look, I know she wants to cook for us and all, but we need to get on the road, and…”

“Food’s halfway done by now. Besides, she won’t let you leave anyway, even if you wanted to.” He smiled. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Tommy and I followed him to the kitchen, where Sarah was preparing everything with an efficiency I’d never seen before. She handled it all with such speed and ease—cooking the food, setting the table, getting the drinks, all the while engaging us in conversation. I watched in awe as she finished it all up, before I even had a chance to ask if she needed any help.

“Emily, be a dear and fetch your sister and her boyfriend, will you?”

Tommy chuckled, and I had a feeling I knew why. He followed me to the living room, where we found Lauren snuggled up to Demetri on the couch, both of them passed out.

I cleared my throat and Lauren stirred, confused.

She bolted upright. “I was…” she trailed, apparently lost for words.

“Let’s sleep,” Demetri murmured. “We can fight later.”

“You and your boyfriend are requested at the dinner table,” Tommy announced.

“Boyfriend?” Lauren blurted out.

I smiled. “Guess that’s Sarah’s impression of your relationship.”

Demetri opened his eyes. “What’d I miss?”

“Besides becoming Lauren’s boyfriend?” Tommy asked, grinning mischievously. “Not much.”

“Is that right? How in the world did I miss that?”

“You were dreaming again, that’s how.” Lauren stretched and got up from the couch. “What’s this about dinner?”

“Sarah cooked for us,” I explained. “She wants us to stay for dinner.”

Lauren’s forehead wrinkled, as if she didn’t comprehend what I just said. “Em, we need to get going.”

“Yeah, I know, but she’s stubborn,” I said. “I think it’s her way of thanking us.”

Demetri stood up, yawning. “Might as well eat. Got a long drive back. Besides, that smells incredible.”

“Fine,” Lauren said in a huff. “Let’s get it over with.”

Demetri wrapped his arm around Lauren’s shoulders. “Come on, girlfriend. We can hold hands under the table, and if you’re good, maybe more…”

Lauren shrugged his arm off. “Keep on dreaming.”

****

Sarah’s food tasted so amazing—it was as if she channeled Julia Childs to cook it. Her bubbly personality and never-ending stream of conversation kept the whole experience from being unnecessarily tense. Lauren avoided eye contact with my father, of course, but she was friendly toward Sarah. It would be impossible not to be. She really did have an incredible energy. I understood why my father fought for her. I’d never met anyone so naturally exuberant.

After the most delicious apple pie I’d ever tasted (which was in the oven during the main course), we were cleared to leave.

“You know where we are, darlin’,” Sarah said, giving me a great big hug. “You come back and visit us.”

“Doubtful.” Lauren suppressed a snicker. “No offense, Sarah.”

Sarah’s joyful expression faded, but only for a second. She grabbed Lauren and hugged her. To my surprise, Lauren hugged her back.

“I know it’s been the hardest for you, sweetie. And I know you don’t want to hear this, but I don’t care. Your father does love you.” Sarah rubbed her back. “You’ll come to terms with that on your own time.”

Lauren nodded, I’m sure to appease her more than anything else. She must’ve been able to sense the futility of trying to argue with her. “I’m glad you’re with him. I’d hate to think how many people he’d hurt without you.”

Sarah managed a strange grimace-smile combination. “You take care, now.”

My father got in a quick hug with me before Lauren had a chance to protest. “I love you, Emily. Both of you,” he added, but didn’t dare to look at Lauren. “You saved me.”

Afraid of getting woozy, I broke off the embrace. I half-smiled at him, not knowing what to say. I understood his motivations for what he did, and I couldn’t even imagine living with a power like his. Still, I wasn’t ready to bring him to a father-daughter dance or anything.

“Okay,” was all I could think of.

“Next time you want to spend some quality time with your daughters, call first.” Lauren at least refrained from glaring at him, which I considered progress.

He nodded.

And on that awkward note, we left.