Another man stood. “I say just let nature take its course. Healer should never mix with warring. It's an abomination.”
“So, is that what you all think of my worth, too?” Zoe glared. She raised her arms theatrically and summoned the wind. Her dark hair came out of its braid and three pieces whipped around her face like Medusa's snakes.
Several healers screamed and ran out of the hall.
“The baby’s father’s clan are good people. They are police officers, firefighters, doctors and psychiatrists. They are dedicated to making life better for healers and warriors alike.” That sounded so lame and the faces out there totally agreed. She took a deep breath and prayed for strength, for the right words. “You need my mate’s clan…my clan, to protect you from the Russians.”
The crowd grumbled.
“I promise you, Jack Fialko comes from an old and noble family.” She stood taller, and her voice lost its quiver. “Our joining is the will of the Goddess who rules us all.”
What other words would convince? Her brain went blank, her cheeks burned, and a couple people in the audience cleared their throats in the silence. Sweat trickled down her sides and her body odor wreaked of failure.
How could she ever face Jack again? If their child died, it would be her fault.
It must have been the thought of him that caused the six inch vortex to appear before her.
No fire burned within it, just beautiful violet, sparkling, healing energy.
As it twirled into a long spiral, she closed her eyes and remembered. She poured all their hurts, their laughter, and their love into that vortex. Her gut wrenched and her throat constricted, but it wasn't enough. She added her childhood pain, her friendship with Nan, and finally the essence of her whole being. The vortex grew larger and intensified in spin and color. She sobbed. Never had she felt so alive, nor ached so much.
The spiral moved up into the center of the ceiling, crackling and humming like a top. The seated clan members gazed up with eyes and mouths open.
Without warning, the energy cloud exploded and tiny violet lights floated down onto the heads of all. For a moment, everyone’s skin glowed with eerie lavender and then understanding filled their faces. When smiles and tears looked upon her, she knew they understood.
She closed her eyes and lifted up a silent prayer of thanksgiving. Her child would live. Zoe’s heart clenched with relief.
Zoe started back to her seat, then froze. She hadn’t sensed him until that moment, but there was no denying the sensations that wrapped around her, drawing her attention like a magnet. In the far corner of the auditorium, hidden in the shadows, was the man she loved.
Chapter 39
Jack stood with Nan, listening to his mate’s plea for their unborn and his heart had swelled with pride. He’d started for her when she’d panicked, but stopped when the vortex had appeared. When a piece of her light hit him, he leaned against the wall, gasping for a breath. Never in a thousand years would he have guessed the intensity of her feelings. The damnedest thing was, perhaps due to lack of oxygen, in that moment the fog cleared.
He’d been such an idiot.
His chest clenched. He loved her. There was no denying it any longer. She wasn’t just his mate. She was his heart.
He stepped into the middle of the room. There was a collective gasp, but his gaze stayed steady on the only person who mattered—his Zoe.
“I’m Lord John Makepeace Fialko, principal of the American East Coast Iesco clan. Whatever assurances you need from my clan, I will fulfill. I too, beg for my child's life. My clan will owe you. We always pay our debts.” He turned slowly and met the eyes of the crowd. “If you do not, I will be a revengeful adversary.”
“What good will your protection be, Fialko, if we’re all dead?” said a wiry nervous man near the back.
“My family protects its own.” Jack stepped further into the room. “When Zoe mated with me, you all became my family. When the baby is born, I will be bound to you by blood. I will honor that blood with the blood of my clan.”
The crowd gasped at his bold oath. What was he doing? He had all but declared war on the Russian mafia.
An ancient woman stepped forward from where she was sitting on the makeshift podium, “We are honored, Jack Makepeace Fialko, leader of the Iesco clan, to accept your protection. In turn, our clan will provide healing and comfort from now until the twilight of time to you and yours. Welcome little brother.” Like a grand queen, she glared out into the audience. “Are we all in agreement?”
From the back of the room, Nan put her hands together in a single clap, and one by one everyone joined in. Jack sighed. Damned if he knew how he would keep his new family safe from halfway across the world, but he’d deal with the fallout later. All that mattered was that Zoe and his child were safe.
Nan ran to the front of the room, jumped onto the stage, and embraced his beautiful, courageous mate.
He walked slowly up the aisle, allowing Zoe time with her friend, but he was aware that her gaze kept flickering to him.
A small hum of an ancient Romanian tune started somewhere in the middle of the group which others took up. A few guitars joined in with tambourines and singing. Chairs were folded and moved to the side. Soon the whole group was singing and dancing somewhere in-between a modern club and an old gypsy camp.
The sound echoed eerily in the old building.
