His lips turned up in a small smile. “It’s not hardship, I assure you. I am the one undeserving of her. She doesn’t see it. She has no clue how amazing she is.” He began to walk backward toward the stairs and then winked as he said, “I’ve made it my personal mission to showher.”
Cindy watched him jog up the stairs and chuckled. He was an enigma. Serious and threatening one minute and winking and dimples the next. She could see why Sally was enamored byhim.
With nothing left to do but wait for the morning, Cindy went to bed. Chris was already there, reading a book that looked as old as shewas.
“How’d it go?” he asked as he gingerly set the book down in hislap.
“He threatened to kill us if we got in between him and Sally in any way,” she said in a cheery voice. “So, all in all, I’d say it wentgood.”
He nodded. “We’re both alive, so I’d have to agree.” He reached for her hand and pulled her over to the edge of the bed. “He’s good forher.”
“I agree, and I told him asmuch.”
“We didn’t want her dragged into the supernatural world, but if it had to happen, at least her mate is strong and capable of fighting her enemies.” He squeezed her handgently.
“I agree with that as well.” She pointed to the book. “What isthat?”
“Well, while you were sharing your secrets with Costin, I did some digging into myown.”
He picked up the book and showed her the front cover. The symbols there matched the ones on Sally’slocket.
“Where did you getthis?”
“Remember that box of stuff that I put away when we married?” heasked.
Cindy nodded. “You said it was stuff your grandmother had left yourmother.”
“At the time, we didn’t have a daughter, and I didn’t need any of the information it contained. But when you started talking about the locket and your own history, it jogged my memory. I remembered seeing this book when I was a kid. It’s a journal written by my great grandmother’s great-great grandmother. Say that three times fast.” He chuckled. “She was a gypsy healer,” he finishedsoftly.
Cindy took the book and opened it carefully. It was old and felt as though it might fall to pieces if she handled it too roughly. She began to gently turn the pages and paused when she came to a drawing of Sally’s locket. She looked at the page next to it and began to read out loud. “The Healer’s Locket, or Luna’s Locket, as it has sometimes come to be called, was blessed at its creation by the Great Luna. It has been passed down through generations of gypsy healers. No one knows what the jewelry’s exact purpose is or what power it holds. And it has not always stayed in the same family. Certain healers throughout history are meant to possess it, and the locket always finds a way to them. Make no mistake, the locket was created for a reason, and such a time is coming when it’s power will berevealed.”
“Isn’t that vague and less than helpful,” Chris saiddryly.
“Not entirely,” she said as she continued to flip the pages. “We know it’s important, and it is supposed to be with Sally. With everything that has happened to her, I think it is a good sign she has ended up withit.”
“Why didn’t it protect her?” he said in a voice filled with the pain of a father who couldn’t protect hisdaughter.
“We don’t know that it didn’t, my love,” she said as she reached for his hand. “Who knows what might have happened to her mind had she not had the locket in her possession? We must trust the Great Luna, and we must be willing to stand against the Order’splans.
“I’m afraid the peaceful life we have had for so long has come to an end. But, on an incredibly positive note…” She grinned. “We have a grandson. And that, dear husband, is worth any battle we willface.”
* * *
“Not again,”Sally said through gritted teeth. She knew she was dreaming, and that made her even angrier because she had no ability to make itstop.
“I’ll always be here, brown eyes.” Jericho’s voice had her head spinning around so fast she nearly fell over, if her dream selfcouldfallover.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed. He was shirtless, but, thanks her subconscious mind, he was wearingpants.
“You’re dead,” she snarled. “You aren’t real. My mate tore you topieces.”
Jericho’s lips lifted in a lazy smile. “Maybe, but you keep mealive.”
She shook her head. “No. You’re dead to me. Dead in everyway.”
“Then why can’t you stop thinking about me? You miss me, don’t you? You don’t have to. You can come climb into bed with me and let me hold you, let me loveyou.”
Sally tried hard not to gag. Throwing up in a dream was nearly as gross as throwing up in reality. Hell would freeze over and Jen would kiss Decebel’s butt before Sally would ever crawl into bed with Jericho. Not even in adream.
