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Jesse shrugs. “It’s not unheard of. You said they were an older couple and were having trouble with the adoption process because of it. Maybe they turned to other means to finally get the baby they wanted so badly.”
“It’s possible, I guess,” I say slowly. “But that doesn’t feel right, either.”
“We’ll figure it out, my love,” he murmurs, pulling me against him.
“I know we will,” I reply. “Together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. I just don’t know if there’s anything left to find here in Louisiana.”
“You want to go back to L.A.? Or maybe to Asheville?” he asks. “Maybe the answer is to go back to the beginning where it all started.”
I shake my head. “It didn’t start in Asheville. Of that much, I’m almost certain. I don’t know why my parents lied, but I’m not going to find the answers there.”
“Then where?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I say on a sigh, then cock my head as I stare down at the necklace resting on the rumpled sheets. “Maybe we should take the necklace back to the Grundelier village. If the magic of the pendant combines with the magic in that place, it might show me something we can use to figure everything out.”
“If that’s what you want to do, I’ll support you.”
I shoot him a grateful smile. I know the idea of me putting on that necklace again, especially in that place, is the last thing he wants. But he’ll stand beside me and see this thing through, no matter the risk.
Because it’s important to me.
And I’m important to him.
“Have I told you how lucky I am to have you?” I ask, snuggling deeper into his chest.
“I’m the lucky one, Eden, and I’ll never forget it or take you for granted. You’re my mate, my destiny, and my whole world. We’ll head back out to Terremagie first thing in the morning.”
“And in the meantime?” I ask, a hint of teasing lacing my voice as the weight in my chest lightens.
“In the meantime,” he says, his voice dropping into a deep, husky timbre, “I’m going to show you just how devoted I am to your happiness and pleasure.”
19
PREMONITIONS
Tense silence makes my skin itch, but I refuse to be the one to break it. Who knows what might happen if I try to force Steph to tell me why she insisted I ride in the back with her while Erik drives, letting Jesse have shotgun. Leif decided to sit this trip out. He already had an appointment with a blood donor set for this morning, and the two vampires up front assured him we’d be fine if he stayed behind.
I’ve caught Erik glancing in the rearview mirror at Steph multiple times since we got on the road toward Terremagie, but she’s kept her gaze firmly out the window the entire time. She’s putting off some major “back off” vibes, so I’ll keep my mouth shut until she’s ready to talk.
I can only assume she tried to cajole Erik into taking things to the next level, and he refused. Again.
I have to stay out of it and let Steph and Erik figure things out on their own. Besides the fact that my butting in will solve nothing, I have a host of other problems that need my attention.
There’s no record of my abandonment or adoption.
Because of that, there’s a good possibility my parents lied to me my entire life.
And my damn necklace refuses to give me another vision, despite the fact that I put it back on before I went to sleep last night and haven’t taken it off since.
My fingers curl around the pendant, squeezing it so tightly the gemstones dig into the flesh of my palm. I send a silent plea out into the universe, begging it to work. To give the answers I seek.
But it’s nothing but a cold, lifeless stone in my hand. Inhaling just so I can blow out a long, frustrated breath, I release the pendant, letting it drop back to my chest.
“Still nothing?” Steph asks, proving she’s been paying attention even though her gaze remains on the scenery through her window.
“No,” I reply, the word a cracked whisper.
“Well,” she says, finally turning her head to meet my gaze, “it’ll work when we get back to the village. Its magic seems to be connected to that place. Maybe it just…I don’t know…ran out of juice, being away from there for a couple of days.”
