Gift of Fire (38 page)

“Jesus, Verity. You are one stubborn female.” But Jonas was already sliding into his jeans.

She had known he wouldn’t fight too hard to stop her. This had to be done and they both knew it. It would be impossible for Jonas to ignore secrets that had to do with his psychic talent. The more he understood it, the better off they both were, Verity told herself as she started down the dark passageway.

Jonas came up behind her and touched her shoulder. “I love you, you know.”

“Good.” She handed him the flashlight. “I love you, too.”

“I figured as much. Otherwise, you wouldn’t take another step in this damn passage. At least Digby’s bones are gone now. Here, you hold this.” He thrust a notebook and pen into her fingers. “I’ll take the flashlight.”

The door to the dark cell was open. Verity hadn’t bothered to close it after she’d dragged Jonas and Preston out.

“There’s the green crystal,” Verity said as the flashlight beam swung across the stone floor. “And there’s the sword hilt. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Stay close beside me after we’re in the corridor. Last time we both got too near the image. It was one of the reasons we seemed to get sucked into it so easily.”

“You’ll have to be close to the vision to read the manuscript, and we’ll probably have to watch the thing recycle several times. I’ll take notes while you read aloud.”

“If I give the order to get out, I don’t want any arguments.”

“You won’t get any,” she assured him. She picked up the green crystal. “Funny, it doesn’t seem to be vibrating the way it was before. And the earrings don’t feel hot, either.”

“We’ll see what happens. Hang on, here we go.” Jonas bent down and picked up the broken sword hilt.

Nothing happened.

Verity had tensed herself for the transition into the psychic corridor. It took her a few seconds to realize that the walls of the cell weren’t curving around her.

“Jonas?”

There was a stunned silence from Jonas. She could see his taut features in the harsh glow of the flashlight. His golden eyes blazed at her.

“Jonas, what’s wrong?” she whispered.

“It’s gone.” His voice was hoarse with bewildered frustration.

“What’s gone?”

“My talent. I’m empty inside. I can’t pick up a damned thing. Not one damned vibration. Whatever happened in here this afternoon has burned out my talent.”

Chapter Nineteen

A week after their return to Sequence Springs, Verity was closer to despair than she had ever been in her life. Everything had changed between her and Jonas. There was no more talk of marriage. No more planning for the baby. No more teasing, or squabbling, or joyous making up in bed. It wasn’t that Jonas didn’t touch her in bed. He did, but his lovemaking had undergone a critical change.

Verity sensed a fierce desperation in him instead of the many levels of passion she had come to expect in recent months. It seemed he was trying to prove something, but she didn’t know what it was.

The loss of his talent had hit him hard, Verity knew. She had tried to ignore it, tried to pretend there was nothing wrong, that his psychic ability would return soon. But Jonas had convinced himself that it was gone for good, and Verity secretly wondered if he was right.

If his talent had been burned out of him, where did that leave her?

She began to grow more and more anxious as Jonas retreated behind a wall of deepening silence. Perhaps he needed to go through some sort of mourning period, she told herself. The psychic talent had been the bane of much of his adult life, but it had been an integral part of him. Losing it must have been like losing a hand, or an arm, or one of the five senses. Verity forced herself to be understanding and undemanding. She took great pains to be good-natured and sweet.

She didn’t nag him to finish the report for the Warwicks. She didn’t urge him to write any more articles for the academic journals. She temporarily shelved her big plans to have him do a piece on Renaissance weapons for
National Geographic.
And she didn’t bring up the subject of another consulting assignment.

But the more understanding she became, the more Jonas withdrew. It was a frustrating spiral, and as she got more and more enmeshed in it all her old fears were revived. She was convinced that Jonas would leave again. And this time, she thought, he might go away for good.

The bottom line here, she thought grimly, was that Jonas didn’t need her the way he once had. She was no longer his psychic anchor. She was merely his lover and the mother of his child—a child he had never planned to have.

It was unfortunate that in the dead of winter, business was light at the No Bull Cafe. Verity had too much time to think.

“When’s the wedding?” Laura Griswald asked at the end of the week. The two women were sharing a spa pool after hours. Crystal-clear water bubbled and steamed around them.

“I’m not sure there’s going to be one,” Verity said quietly.

“You mean you two haven’t talked marriage yet?” Laura’s brows arched in disbelief. “I thought for sure that when you came back from the vacation up north it would all be settled.”

“I thought it was.”

Laura leaned forward, her expression one of deep concern. “Verity, are you telling me that Jonas doesn’t want to marry you? He doesn’t want the baby?”

“I don’t know what Jonas wants,” Verity said as she stood up and reached for her towel. “I’m not sure he knows, either.”

“I can’t believe this. I was so sure everything would work out between you two.”

“Men are a little more complicated than I once gave them credit for,” Verity said curtly. “At least Jonas is.” She turned around quickly before Laura could see the tears in her eyes, and hurried toward the changing booth.

She dressed in her jeans and a yellow cotton shirt and headed for the resort’s lounge. Jonas would be waiting. He still insisted on accompanying her when she wanted a late-night soak. He refused to let her walk back alone along the icy path to the cottage.

Verity saw him as she entered the lounge. He sat slouching with casual grace on a bar stool, his boots hooked over the brass foot railing. He was draining the last of his scotch. And he was not alone.

“Dad! You’re back!” Verity ran toward her father. “When did you get in?”

Her father swung around on the bar stool and folded his daughter in a bear-sized embrace. “Got in about an hour ago. Found Jonas holding down the bar all by himself and thought I’d keep him company until you showed up.”

Verity ignored Jonas, who was giving his full attention to his drink. She smiled brilliantly at her father. “Did Jonas tell you the news?”

“What news?”

Jonas froze. He shot Verity a glowering look over his shoulder. She paid him no attention.

“I’m pregnant,” Verity said demurely and watched with delight as her father leaped to his feet.

Emerson Ames let out a whoop of joy, grabbed his daughter by the waist, and swung her around in a wide arc. Two people sitting at a nearby table ducked quickly.

“You’re pregnant? I’m going to get a grandkid? Bless you, my darling red-haired daughter! What the devil took you so long? Yahoo and pour me another drink, Clement. A big one. Hell, pour everyone in the joint another drink” Emerson turned expansively to address the small crowd. “This round’s on me, folks. Drink up. I’m gonna be a granddaddy.” There was a smattering of applause and appreciative laughter. Emerson draped a burly arm around his daughter’s shoulders and hugged her while he grinned widely at Jonas. “So when’s the wedding? I gotta get me a new suit for this.”

Jonas swiveled halfway around on the stool, one arm resting along the edge of the bar. He gazed at Verity through narrowed lids. “Who said anything about marriage?”

Emerson’s euphoric expression turned thunderous in the wink of an eye. He released Verity. “What the hell are you talking about? Verity says she’s pregnant. Haven’t you gotten around to asking my daughter to marry you yet, you son of a bitch?”

The bar fell silent. Clement, the bartender, groaned. Verity held her breath.

Jonas stood up with insulting slowness. He hooked his thumbs into his belt and scowled at Emerson. “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Ames. I did ask your daughter to marry me. Had a hell of a time talking her into it, too. But after I did, things changed. Important things. You want to know when the wedding will be? Ask Verity. I’ve been getting the impression she’s had a few second thoughts.”

Verity’s mouth fell open in amazement.
“
Jonas.
How
could you think that?”

Jonas turned on her. “That’s a damn fool question. What else was I supposed to think this past week? You’ve been acting damn weird again. You’re harder to figure out now than you were when you were moping around wondering whether or not to tell me about the baby.”

“I’ve been acting weird? What a nasty thing to say. You’re deliberately reversing the situation. You’re the one who’s been acting strange. I got the distinct impression that you were no longer interested in marriage yourself.”

Emerson took a threatening step forward. “What’s going on around here? What is it with you two?”

“Stay out of this, Emerson.” Jonas shot the big man a warning glance. “This is between Verity and me.”

“Well, you picked a fine place to settle a private matter,” Emerson roared back.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point. Come on, Verity. Let’s get the hell out of here.” Jonas caught her wrist and headed for the door.

“Ouch. Let go of me, dammit. I don’t have to put up with your caveman tactics. I’m pregnant. I deserve a little consideration.”

“I deserve a little honesty,” he snarled, hauling her through the doorway. “I’m sick of all the sweetness and light I’ve been getting lately. If you’ve got something to tell me, you can tell me straight out. You don’t need to pussyfoot around me just because I’m not…”

“Just because you’re not what?” Verity goaded as he yanked her through the rustic lobby and out into the cold night air.

Jonas exploded. He halted and swung around to face her.
“
Just because I
’
m not the man
I
once was, damn you.
”

Verity stared at him, her eyes wide with amazement. “Not the man you once were? Oh my, Jonas. Oh, Jonas.” She started to giggle. She clapped a palm over her mouth, trying to restrain herself. But she knew her eyes were reflecting her mirth. “Not the man you once were? Jonas, that’s priceless. You make it sound like you’ve been castrated or something. Not the man you once were. Incredible. I can’t believe I’m hearing this. Here I’ve been tiptoeing around all week thinking you were getting ready to leave me, and all along you were thinking I no longer wanted to marry you because you’re not the man you once were. What a pair of fools.”

“Why the hell would I leave you?” He searched her face and then caught hold of her shoulders and shook her gently.
“
Tell me, Verity. Why would
I
leave?
”

“Because you don’t need me anymore,” she explained, her humor fading quickly. She met his eyes. “Jonas, look at this from my point of view. You came to me in the first place because you needed me as a psychic anchor. Whenever I tried to pin you down about whether you loved me or just felt tied to me because of the psychic connection, you laughed off my fears. You told me there was no need to make a distinction between the two bonds. But now one of those bonds is gone, and I have no way of knowing how strong the other one is when it has to stand alone.”

“Jesus, honey, I didn’t realize.” He wrapped her close and buried his face in her hair. “I’ve been going through the same thing from the other direction. I knew I’d used the psychic link to hold you and I was scared that once it was gone, you’d feel different about marrying me. When you started treating me strangely, I was convinced you’d changed your mind. I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on. You haven’t nagged me once since we got back from that goddamned island.”

Verity’s head came up so quickly she caught his chin. There was a soft crack but she ignored his grimace of pain. Her eyes sparkled with indignation and relief. “So much for treating you with kid gloves. I was trying to be sweet and understanding. I decided you probably had some major adjustments to make. I didn’t know how you were going to respond to the loss of your psychic ability. I didn’t want to nag you or push you in any way. But I’ve been going quietly crazy, Jonas.”

“Honey, the minute you stopped chewing my ass I knew I was in deep trouble.” He rubbed his injured jaw.

“The minute you stopped deliberately provoking me every chance you got, I knew I was in real trouble.”

He caught her face between his palms. “You’re right. We’ve been a pair of idiots. Not for the first time, and probably not for the last. But I swear to you that I love you with all my heart. Nothing will ever change that. The way I feel about you doesn’t depend on the psychic connection. If I didn’t know it for certain before, I’ve sure as hell learned it the hard way this past week. You wanted me to be able to distinguish between the psychic bond and the bond of love. Well, I can, believe me. I don’t ever want to have to go through that particular hell again.”

Verity’s hands rose to grasp his wrists. She smiled up at him with all the love in her heart. “Does this mean you’re going to make an honest woman of me after all?”

He grinned. “It sure as hell does. Just as soon as we can get a ring and a license.”

“And a dress,” Verity reminded him. “Don’t forget the dress.”

He looked down at her gently curved stomach. The top button of her jeans was unsnapped. “Like I said, we’d better hurry.”

“Hey!” Emerson’s voice boomed from the lobby entrance. “You two get things settled out here? Christ, it’s a little cold to be standing around outside, isn’t it? Not good for a pregnant lady.”

Verity groaned at the sound of her father’s voice. She buried her nose against Jonas’s jacket. “What in the world has gotten into him? Everybody in the resort must know what’s going on by now. It’s embarrassing.”