Golden Blood (19 page)

Canyon Lands National
Park, Utah – 1988AD

The sun was unmerciful, drenching them in
sweat. Gemma wiped her wrist over her forehead to catch the drips
running from her hair. Staring out across the vast expanse of red
rock, she felt hope sigh with exhaustion. How the heck were they
supposed to find this missing hiker?

According to her father, the man’s remains
had been discovered a week after his disappearance. Because of the
heat and the time frame, Alistair hadn’t delved into explanations
as to why this man was worth saving. Ruby had cleverly argued that
they should have just stopped him from hiking in the first place,
but her father’s glare had sealed her lips tight.

“This sucks!” Ruby flicked a bug away from
her and bent over to catch her breath.

“Come on, Rube. We can’t stop now. The sooner
we find this guy, the sooner we can get out of here.”

“I wonder how Mom and Dad are getting
on?”

Their parents had taken the southern route.
The idea was to search the vicinity where the remains were
discovered. The only problem was that the remains had been spread
across a wide area, which probably meant hungry animals could be
added into the equation. Her father’s instructions to stay alert
had been repeated numerous times as he passed out knives and water
bottles.

“Cougars shouldn’t be a problem at this time
of day, but if the search takes us into dusk, you need to be on
your toes.”

“What your father is trying to say is don’t
let this take us until dusk!” Penelope’s crisp voice made Gemma
smile. Her mother always got titchy when she was worried about
their safety.

“I want you to move quickly and efficiently.
Let’s get this guy to safety then get home.”

Ignoring her father’s instructions, Gemma
crouched down next to her sister for a breather. Dom followed her
action with a flurry of protests that she tuned out. Taking her
time, she took a few swigs of water before standing. She wasn’t
sure how long they had been out in the searing heat, but it felt
like forever. Dom was right; they shouldn’t linger. Besides, she
didn’t want Harrison to worry. Five minutes of waiting was about
his limit.

“Come on, Rubylicious.” Pulling on Ruby’s
arm, she straightened her sister up and followed her brother over
the next rise and down into another canyon.

They climbed and hiked as quickly as they
could, but it was slow going. From what she could tell from the
sun, it took them another two hours to make it through the canyon.
They had looked in every cave and crevasse, scouring the ground for
any hiker tracks, but had come up empty handed. The man obviously
hadn’t come through this way.

“Mom and Dad mustn’t be having much luck
either.” Dom paused at the beginning of a narrow trail that would
lead them up and out of the canyon. His doubt in their mission was
starting to show.

“Where were we supposed to meet them?” Gemma
said.

“Not far from here. The top of this
ridge.”

“If they haven’t found him either, do we just
give up?”

Dom shot her a lopsided grin. “Can you
imagine Dad settling for that?”

All three sighed in unison before beginning
their climb.

“This guy better be important,” Ruby
grumbled.

“I’m sure he is.” Gemma flicked the comment
over her shoulder, trying to ignore the niggling doubt that
sometimes surfaced. Since Ruby’s retrieval of the necklace there
had been no more trips like it. She needed to get over it. Her
father was the most selfless man she knew!

“If we take much longer Harrison’s going to
have to send a search party to the bathroom!”

Gemma chuckled. “It’s okay. He knows what
it’s like when I cross the line. Lucky he’s so patient, huh?”

Gemma’s grin faded as she turned to look at
her sister. Ruby had stopped dead in her tracks. Her expression was
one of muted horror.

“What?” Gemma’s breath caught in her throat
and her eyes grew large. “Ruby, I mean…”

Her sister’s horror was morphing into a
malignant fury. The look in her eyes was terrifying. Gemma searched
the rocks below her for inspiration, but was coming up blank.

“I…”

Her heart began to hammer.

What do I say? How the hell do I get out of
this?

For once her father’s timing was perfect. Her
muscles turned to dust, saving her from the shocking moment… only
to face it in the next century.

* * * *

St. Augustine, Florida
– 2011AD

Gemma pulled on her clothes and scampered out
of the stall. Texting a brief, “I’m fine,” to her mother, she
scurried out of the bathroom. Dom appeared just as she rushed past
the boy’s toilets.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.” Gemma’s laughter sounded pathetic.
She turned to beam him a smile, but kept walking backwards.

“What’s up?” His brows puckered.

“Nothing. Its just Harrison’s waiting for
me.” She pointed behind her. “And I don’t want to keep him waiting
for me, because you know… no one likes to wait… too… long.”

Like a skittish pony, she pranced away from
her confused brother, hoping to make it to the safety of her bike
before the freight train of truth caught up with her.

The door to freedom was in sight when Ruby’s
voice snagged her.

“Gemma! Gemma, stop! I want to talk to
you!”

Gemma kept her legs moving. Ruby would have
told Dom the second she got out of the bathroom. She didn’t know if
she could handle both of them. One little slip…

You stupid idiot!

“Gemma, running away is not going to stop
this conversation from happening!”

Her sister had every reason to be irate. The
empty school corridor echoed with annoyance. The hands of doom were
no longer ticking they were chiming with finality. Running wasn’t
going to change anything now.

Slowing to a stop she ran her fingers through
her hair and grabbed two handfuls at the nape of her neck. Stepping
backwards, she leaned against the green metal lockers and
waited.

She kept her eyes downcast as the twins
approached. She could hear Ruby’s nostrils flaring and didn’t even
want to guess what Dominic was doing. He probably had his arms
folded over his chest and his eyes would be narrowed… She stole a
quick glance.

Yep, super narrowed.

“You know how I made that little quip about
Harrison?” Ruby’s voice was strained.

Gemma cringed.

“What did you mean when you said ‘It’s okay.
He knows what it’s like when I cross over?’ What did you mean,
Gemma?”

The exhaustion from returning was a weight
she didn’t need. She hoped it would abate quickly in order to have
the strength for this conversation. She hadn’t meant to say it! She
was tired! The words had just slipped out! She’s been distracted by
thoughts of the necklaces! And then it had just happened.

The only thing she was grateful for was the
fact her parents hadn’t been within earshot.

“Does your boyfriend know what we are?”

Gemma ignored Dom’s question and kept her
eyes on the floor.

“Does he know?!” Ruby slammed Gemma back into
the lockers.

“Yes.”

She found the courage to lift her gaze and
was met with a mix of emotion. Their eyes were swimming with
disbelief and boldly outlined with a deep hue of betrayal.

“All this time you’ve been spending with
him.” Ruby shook her head. “I should’ve known you’d let it slip.
You’ve always been such a crappy liar!”

“I’m sorry. I really am, but I didn’t have a
choice.”

Ruby snorted with disgust.

“He saw me leaving! What was I supposed to
say?”

The silence in the hall was shattered by a
booming laugh.

“He saw you leave?” Dom’s shoulders shook.
“Did he see you come back?”

She shot him a droll look.

“That must have been embarrassing.” He
guffawed.

“Shut up, Dominic.” Ruby cut him off; the ice
in her voice was enough to freeze Gemma’s insides. “How could you
let this happen? He’s just some stupid guy and you betray us all
because of him?”

“He’s not just some guy, Ruby. And besides,
you were the one who told me to go for it!”

“I told you to go on a couple of dates and
make out a little, not fall in love with him and gossip about our
family secrets.”

“It’s not like that. He just wants to
understand who I am.”

Ruby leaned in, her perfect finger waving
inches from Gemma’s nose. “He has no right to understand you. He’s
not one of us, Gemma. How could you be so stupid? This relationship
was doomed from the start. You must know that!”

Of course I know it, but…

“You have to end it. Now.” Ruby lifted
Gemma’s chin forcing her eyes to meet hers.

“I can’t.” Her eyes began to fill as her
two-month utopia shattered.

“You don’t have a choice. If Mom and Dad find
out they’re going to kill you and then they’ll probably kill
him.”

The first tears descended.

“Please don’t tell them. Ruby, please.”

The gentle, yet firm hand of Dom lowered
Ruby’s arm to her side.

“We’re not going to say anything. That’s your
responsibility. We just want you to be careful. You’re playing with
fire here, slim. If he let’s anything slip…”

“He won’t! He knows how important this is to
our family. He would never betray us… ever.”

“I’m guessing that’s what Decimus said too.”
Ruby scorched Gemma with a black look before walking away.

Gemma felt as though she’d been punched in
the gut.

“Don’t worry, she’ll get over it.” Dom
squeezed her shoulder.

“She’s never looked at me that way
before.”

“She looks at me that way all the time… and
she’s still my best friend.”

A smile wavered over Gemma’s lips.

“I’ll see if I can talk her ‘round for
ya.”

She looked up at her brother, surprised. “So
you don’t hate me then?”

He chuckled. “Hate you? Gem, that is an
impossibility.”

Reaching to her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms
around her brother and clung. He gave her a fierce hug back before
abruptly dropping her to the floor.

“I better go find her.”

“I’m sorry I let you guys down.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “You never asked
for this life. Out of all of us, you’ve been the one who struggled
with it the most. I’m glad you’ve found someone who makes you
happy.”

“Thanks, Dom.”

His eyes swam with a reality she did not want
to recognize. “He’s a good guy, Gem. Don’t string him along. I may
be more calm about this than Rube, but she’s right… you’re going to
have to end it eventually.”

Dom’s solid footsteps echoed off the corridor
walls. Gemma waited until he was out of sight before burying her
face in her hands and letting the tears flow unchecked.

It took her a good ten minutes to compose
herself and the only thing that dragged her away from those metal
lockers was the fact that Harrison was waiting for her.

Pulling herself tall, she walked towards the
sunshine, wiping the last tear from her face.

Harrison was leaning against the seat of her
Ducati. His long legs were stretched in front of him and crossed at
the ankles. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his faded
jeans. In spite of his patient posture, his face was marked with
worry. He knew she could sometimes be late when she crossed over,
but she had taken much longer than usual.

What’s the point of trying to hide this?
He’s going to read you the second he looks into your eyes.

It didn’t even take that long; he saw her
approaching and jumped from the seat, racing to her side.

“Gem! What is it?”

She shook her head, tears clogging her
throat.

“Here.” Harrison led her to the nearest
bench. “Sit down.”

Squatting down in front of her, he brushed
the hair back from her face.

“Gem, look at me. Gemma. Look at me.”

She flicked her tear stained eyes towards him
before squeezing them shut.

“What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

She brushed another tear aside and
swallowed.

“What are we doing, Harrison? This is never
going to work.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You. Me. Us!”

He ran his hands over her thighs. “Where is
this coming from?”

She drew in a shaky breath. “Dom and Ruby
found out I told you today and they’re SO mad with me,” she
hiccupped over the sentence. “Ruby said I had to break up with you,
that this relationship was doomed from the start.”

“Aw, Gem.” Harrison slid his hand up the base
of her neck, threading his fingers into her hair and rubbing his
thumb gently over her earlobe. “Sweetie, I knew that getting
involved with you was not going to be easy and I wasn’t fool enough
to think that we weren’t going to be facing huge battles.” He
tipped her head up so he could look into her eyes. “But I’m willing
to fight for you.”

Her cracked heart let out a heavy thud before
taking off like a galloping horse. She could feel her birthmark
burning.

“Gem.” He released a heavy sigh and licked
his lips. “This isn’t just about how much I love you and what I
want, though. They’re your family and you need to be happy. I need
you to be happy. So, the most important question here is what do
you
want?”

She placed her hand over his and closed her
eyes, letting the tears descend. She knew the answer immediately.
It rushed through her spirit like a tornado. Opening her eyes, she
gazed into his brown orbs and whispered, “You. I want to be with
you.”

His lips rose with a smile as he sighed out
his relief. Pulling her face towards him, he placed a warm kiss on
her lips. She sunk into the comfort and let the fire of promise
sear her brain.

He broke the bond too soon and she felt a
cold chill sweep through her.