“It’s Rafael. You’re worried about him.”
“In some ways, yes. He can take care of himself, though. He’s been doing it for a very long time. They won’t kill him. They need him to get to us.”
“But?”
“But Sami is upset. She’s likely to do something stupid. I have to figure out a way to get to Rafael before that happens.”
“Because you think she’ll be hurt in the process?”
“She’s already been hurt.”
“Yeah, but that healing thing you do is pretty handy. You saved Gunner ... and Aric ... and Sami for that matter. I wouldn’t mind having that power.”
“You’re a Child of the Stars. We have no idea what you’re ultimately capable of.”
“Yeah, but if I could heal people, I would know it.”
“Not necessarily. It depends on whether you were always magical or manifested as you grew. I’m guessing it was a mixture of both.”
There was an opening staring me in the face, so I walked right through it. “How did Sami manifest as a kid? Can she do the healing thing, too? I’m pretty sure I heard her say that but I can’t exactly remember.”
Zoe nodded. “We didn’t think she could until there came a moment when she had no choice. She either healed or had to live with a death. She healed.”
“Who did she heal?”
“Me.”
The response, so simple, hit me hard. “She saved you from dying?”
Zoe hesitated before replying. “Depending on who you listen to, she might’ve brought me back from the dead. It certainly felt as if I’d left. She could’ve scooted in at the last second and saved me. It’s probably irrelevant at this point.”
I was well and truly gobsmacked. “You died?”
“Maybe.”
“She saved you?”
“Definitely.” Zoe’s grin was easy and quick. “She’s a good girl. I know that’s not easy for you guys to see right now because she’s so ... you know.” She waved her hands above her head, indicating some level of windstorm craziness. “She’s a ball of hormones. She’s going to be a fantastic adult when she gets past this phase, though.”
I could see that. “Gunner has been making noise about us having kids,” I admitted, giving voice to one of my fears. “Not like right away or anything. It’s more of a far-off thing. I never thought kids were in my future, for a multitude of reasons, but seeing your family gives me pause.”
“Because we’re crazy?”
“Because you make it work.”
That drew another laugh. “You’re so funny. You remind me of me when I was younger. Those fears you’re feeling, you’ll outgrow them.”
“Except I was abandoned by people in the middle of the night, left with no memory of who I was or understanding of what I could do. What if that’s something that’s been passed along to me?” I wasn’t expecting to give voice to my fears. In the past, I’d always glossed over them. Somehow Zoe had broken through long-held barriers, and I wasn’t exactly sorry.
“Scout, you could never do that.” She was matter-of-fact, as if daring someone to see things differently. “You’re loyal to a fault. That’s obvious in the way you are with Gunner ... and Sami. You’re willing to fight for her and you barely know her.”
“That’s the right thing to do.”
“No, it’s who you are. You’d be surprised how many people don’t do the ‘right’ thing in this world. On the flip side, you’d be surprised at how many people are willing to risk themselves for strangers. The thing is, there are more than two types of people in this world. Not everybody is right or wrong. Not everybody is all lightness or darkness. There are varying shades of gray.”
I thought about how her eyes turned black. I wanted to ask her about absorbing the book, what it meant, but she was squirming in her seat. “It looks like we found our town.” She inclined her head toward a welcome sign. “Now we just have to find our wedding planner. He was by a lake earlier. Let’s find the lake. Once we’re close, I’m pretty sure I can track him down using my magic.”
The moment to ask about anything else had passed. We were here on a mission, and it was time to focus on that. “No problem. We’ll just follow the GPS.”
“Good deal.” She was quiet for a moment then pushed forward. “When it’s time, you’ll know it. Don’t let fear of what you think you can’t do hold you back from what you know in your heart you were born to do. You’ll just lose time if you give in to the fear.”
And just like that, some of the nerves I was feeling dissipated. “That’s good advice.”
“I’m full of it.”
PEMBERLEY WAS STAYING AT A FANCY RESORT located on a picturesque lake. It didn’t take Zoe long to track him down once we parked. In fact, I was fairly certain she didn’t even need to use her magic to do it despite her earlier declaration.
“Well, well, well.” The man in question reclined on a lounger, his feet bare (and toenails painted a sparkly purple), and adjusted his fluffy pink robe. “If it isn’t the mouth of the south.”
Zoe glowered at him. “We’re in Michigan. That means we’re in the north.”
“Everything is south of something,” he drawled, his lips curving. “Besides, mouth of the north doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Zoe waved her hand in dismissal and plopped down on an adjacent lounger, her eyes immediately going to his open robe. “I would’ve thought you were a manscaper. That’s a whole lot of hair you’ve got going on there. Were you a bear in another life?”
Pemberley snorted. “Speaking of manscapers, how is your delicious husband? Has he come to his senses and dumped you yet?”
“Not last time I checked.”
“He always was a loyal fool.” His expression turned to disappointment. “I thought for sure he would eventually recognize his love for me and we would run off together.”
“Never say never.”
“Yes, well ...” Pemberley’s eyes narrowed
