Hathor Legacy: Burn (27 page)

34
No Escape

Water splashed across Jon's chest, and he jumped up. How long had he been here? It was still daylight, though a lot cooler than it had been when he'd fallen asleep. Next to him, Nadira was in a fetal position, obviously trying to stay warm. He squeezed her shoulder. "Nadira. Wake up."

Opening her eyes and stretching, she stopped mid-stretch and sat up. "For a minute I forgot where I was."

"Not very memorable, huh?" Jon chuckled, as he stood up. He reached out a hand to help Nadira to her feet.

"Very memorable," she said, a smile on her lips. "But now I'm cold!"

"Turn around." Wiping the sand off her back, he indulged hi
mself and didn't stop until he'd cleared it off her butt as well. "There." Smiling he whisked the remaining grains off his hands.

"Haven't you had enough of that?" She chuckled as she picked up her abandoned clothing and shook off the sand.

"I'll never have enough of that."

No matter how much sand he tried to remove, it still managed to stick to him in the worst places. After he put his shoes back on, all he felt were sharp grains rubbing against his feet.

Once they were dressed, they made their way back up the stairs. By the time he got to the top, he was ready to take his shoes off again and just walk in the dirt. But the chance that there were sharper rocks strewn across the path discouraged him. Might as well just deal with the sand for a little while longer.

"If my mother sees us…" Just looking at Nadira's rumpled, salt-streaked clothing, he knew he probably looked worse.

"What if she does?"

Okay, it was a bit ridiculous of him to care. It's not like he was a kid sneaking girls into the house. He'd only done that a couple of times when his parents weren't at home.

"Estrella is an adult, Jon. She'll be fine." Nadira rolled her eyes and continued down the path. "Don't you think she does the same thing with your father?"

"Let's not have this conversation."

They walked through the garden and headed back into the house. Jon was relieved that no one was in the living area. That meant they could make it back to his bedroom without running into anyone.

Unfortunately, as soon as he passed the com unit, Cinda's smi
ling face popped onto the screen.

"Hello Jonathan. Would you like a light snack before dinner? Or perhaps coffee or tea?'

"No, thank you," he replied, quickening his pace.

"I'd like some tea. What kind do you have?" Nadira asked as she stopped in front of the screen.

"Nothing--thank you!" Doubling back to retrieve her, he grasped her hand and pulled her along.

"Jon, why are you so shy all of a sudden?" she asked, amus
ement in her voice. "Cinda, I'll have some of that tea!"

"Not now!" He bundled her down the corridor and didn't stop until they were in his bedroom. It wasn't until the door shut behind them that he relaxed. Rushing over to the window he looked out over the beach. The spot where they'd been was tucked away in a corner below. It wasn't likely anyone could've seen them from the house. But still.

Nadira sneezed. "What's in the air out there?" She pulled off her clothes and folded the items across one of the chairs.

"You're probably chilled from lying out there." According to the clock above the desk, they'd been out for almost four hours.

"No, it's something in the air." Stifling a sneeze she scrunched up her face. But as soon as she relaxed, she sneezed again.

"Still got that soap you bought?" he asked.

"Sure. It's in my bag over there." She pointed to a small travel bag on the floor.

It didn't take much rummaging to find the bottle. After he set the bag down, he motioned for her to follow him to the adjoining bathroom. "Let's wash off the sand, then you can rest for a while."

"I'm fine." She sneezed again.

"Let's go." Standing aside for her to walk in first, he ignored her half-hearted attempt at protesting.

Later after their shower, they were lying in bed, her back to him and his arms around her. She'd shivered a bit afterwards, but now she was wrapped up under the covers and wearing one of his pull-on shirts.

Since Nadira had come, he hadn't even had headache. If only they could stay here and not deal with any of things they'd left back on Hathor. Right now, the position with Novacorp wasn't as appealing. Becoming part of the executive level wasn't what he really wanted anymore.

His father had managed to live his own life in spite of working for the company. He'd stayed his own man. All this time he'd thought his father was wrong, that he'd settled for less. But that wasn't true. Now he could see how right his father had been not to let power and status sway him. Damn. Why had it taken him so long to see it?

Nadira stirred and nestled her head deeper into the pillow they shared.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Yes. Just more tired than I thought."

"You had a long trip, and another one's coming up tomorrow. Rest. I'll wake you for dinner."  If only he could keep her safe. But she had a responsibility and nothing could stand in the way of that.

"Jon, why were you worried that your mother might see us? I know she doesn't approve of our connection."

"That's not it. She was upset about what happened to me. I didn't want to be so obvious." Thinking about it now, he did feel silly. But being back in his parents' house had made him feel more like a kid than a grown man.

"I didn't want to think you were hiding it. That you were ashamed or something," she said.

"Ashamed? I love you. Why the hell would I be ashamed of that?" He nuzzled her neck, taking in the sweet fragrance of the soap he'd slathered all over her body. Yes, he did love her. Now that it was said, he felt that they'd moved into something new. He'd never expected the word to roll off his tongue so easily. But she had his heart now, and everything else.

She sighed and rubbed her leg against his. "I keep thinking about what's going on back on Hathor."

"I know. But don't think about it now," he said. "We'll be back in the middle of it soon enough."

*****

Dinner turned out to be just her and Jonathan sharing a light meal in his room. His sisters had left the house to go into the city, and Estrella had said she wasn't hungry. Nadira had wanted to meet his sisters while she was here, but it gave her a reason to look forward to a return trip.

Afterwards, thrown off by the time differences, she'd gone back to sleep. Even though she rarely went to bed so early, it had been impossible to keep her eyes open.  At least while she was asleep, she couldn't worry about what was going on back home. With the com grid still being repaired, there was no way to get news. All she could do was hope that Azure, Lange, Varyn, Maji and the others were all right.

Unfortunately, once she woke up she was unable to go back to sleep. Outside, the dark blue sky was covered with stars, like tiny glistening crystals. Moonlight from Astarte's single moon, Demeter, illuminated the water.

Beside her, Jon had moved away. His back to her, he was fa
cing the glass wall. Odd that his old bedroom looked out over the sea and he disliked the water so much. But it was a beautiful view, and she enjoyed hearing the waves lapping onto the shore.

If only she could tap into her energy and connect with Jonathan again. She'd missed the feeling of having him inside her awar
eness. Knowing she could reach out to him and have him respond to her no matter where she was. With non-spoken communication being so strong, she'd never told him in words what she felt.

Trying to summon her abilities was a wasted effort. Just as when she'd been on the beach with Jonathan, she was unable to use her energy to feel anything going on around her. Being relegated to just five senses was like being shoved into a box with no light and no way to figure out where she was.

Maybe a cup of tea would help her to relax. She eased out of bed and headed out to the dining area in the center of the house. Not expecting to find anyone there, she was surprised to see Estrella at the table. Standing next to her chair was a younger woman, with the same dark brown hair.  She wore a sleeveless top and pants, similar to Estrella's, only hers was a soft cream color.

Estrella looked up as Nadira approached. "Come and meet my middle child, Verda."

"Hello Verda. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you," Nadira said.

She was about to greet her as Guardians greeted each other. But she realized that anyone who grew up on Astarte would have no idea what those gestures meant. Instead she reached out her hand for a standard company handshake. Verda grasped her hand, then pressed her cheek against Nadira's.

"Jonathan's talked a lot about you," Verda said, as she stepped back. "Mom said you have to leave tomorrow. Will you be able to come back to visit?"

"I hope to come back very soon."  She glanced at Estrella, who didn't meet her eyes.

"Good." Verda smiled. "I was just saying goodnight." She left them alone.

Nadira sat down across from Estrella. "I know you don't want Jon to go back to Hathor." If she'd had her abilities she'd be able to tell more about Estrella's mood. Now all she had to go by was her expression, which wasn't revealing very much.

"I don't want either of you to return. Not until things quiet down. Brandon's concerned as well." She folded her hands on the tabletop.

Over the com unit, the time display read 01:30 standard time. It probably wasn't likely that Jon's mother regularly sat alone at the dining table after midnight. Even without being able to sense her mood, Nadira knew she was worried.

"How long did it take you to lose your abilities?" Nadira asked.

"For some, it can be days, or months. The only examples I have are the few people who were able to escape," Estrella replied.

"Do you regret losing yours?"

"Coming here was better than staying and being forced into a life I didn't want. I made my choice." She kept her eyes averted as she spoke.

For some reason Estrella seemed less open than she had earlier. Whatever happened, she didn't want Jonathan's mother to blame her. "I'm a Guardian but that doesn't mean I agree with everything they've done. I'm not here to hurt your family."

Other than the soft hum of machinery in the background, it was quiet in this part of the house. With the lights dimmed, moonlight illuminated them through the skylight.

"I didn't completely lose my abilities," Estrella said. "Some things come and go."

"What?" For a moment she wondered if Jon's mother was lying to her. But what reason would she have to do that? "My abilities faded before I got here. I can't use them at all."

"Everyone is different. It's not like anyone has studied it. People with abilities aren't exactly encouraged to leave Hathor, are they?"

"Does Brandon know?" Nadira asked. He'd been the one to tell her that abilities faded once they left Hathor. But at the time, he did have a reason to keep the truth to himself.

"We don't have a psychic connection, as you have with my son, but Brandon is my partner and I have no secrets from him. But the less my children know about this, the better." She looked up and met Nadira's eyes. "Do you understand?"

"No, I don't. It's okay with you that I keep secrets from Jon?"

"As long as he's on Hathor, any Guardian can learn the truth from his thoughts. Your connection protects him there at least," Estrella replied. "It's still against Novacorp directives to leave Hathor permanently if you have abilities. I broke Corporate laws by escaping. I can't even tell my daughters that they have family back there. If the truth of what I am is ever discovered, who knows what will happen to us."

She was right. But there was one person on Hathor who knew. Maji. Though Nadira knew she could trust her, it was still dange
rous. "So, you don't mind that Jon and I are joined."

"I know you did it to protect him," she admitted. "As long you show him how to manage the connection between you, I'll be co
ntent."

"You left Hathor to protect Jonathan. Wasn't that why you d
ecided to escape?"

"The thing is, Nadira, there really is no escape. I didn't know what they'd do to him after he was born. I knew Brandon would probably be deported once they found out I was pregnant." She pushed her hair back behind her ears. "At that time there were strict rules against our being together. Obviously things have changed."

"My father was moyen, I mean he didn't have abilities," Nadira said. "My mother refused to have a partner chosen for her.

"Jonathan told me about her. She was very brave to push back against them and go after her own life." Estrella nodded, her eyes moist. "And now, not only has my son made the choice to go back to Hathor, but he's joined to a Guardian. There is no way to run away from what will be."

Perhaps she was right. How much control did they have over any of it? If Estrella  had stayed, would she and Jon have met anyway? There was no way to know.