Starlight in the Heavens - 15. Chapter 15

Part 15 - Joshua

My mind was surprisingly quiet considering the announcement Jo had made concerning Jeremy earlier. And then there was the whole lives taken before their time coming back thing. While she and Alex were talking, I'd had a few questions I'd wanted to ask about Jeremy. Things like— Did he know about Mandy before he died? How did he know about Jo's kind? Had he ever met any of the creatures he used to tell stories about? Was he still with me?

It was the final question that calmed my mind. Well, not exactly the question... more like the answer. I heard him. I guess hearing her say that a part of Jeremy had blocked them out, and then became a part of Anthony, made me more aware of that part of him that was still with me. Jeremy told me he would always be with me. It was a part of us, as twins, to always be together.

Even when Jo had me turn and drive into the lot of a small park, I was mellow, though also curious. Who would we need to meet out here in the middle of nowhere? I didn't think it was someone like Jo. That just didn't make much sense. I think Jo was an anomaly for her kind. Something about the way she did things didn't go along with the way the others had manipulated Alex. When it really got down to it, she'd seemed peeved at what they had done. And then, when she was talking about before... way before... there was such grief in the sound of her voice. I glanced over at her before shutting down the engine. Her gaze was fixed out at the edge of the park, near a small grove of cottonwood trees.

I looked into the back seat at Alex as Jo got out of the Tahoe. He seemed as confused by the stop as me.

"Well?" I asked when Jo shut the door.

He shrugged and turned to leave the truck— so I did the same. I met Alex at the front of the vehicle where Jo waited and pulled him close

"Okay, Jo? Where's this person we're supposed to meet?"

"They're over there," she said and pointed toward the trees.

"They?"

She nodded and started walking. On the way through the park, we passed a young couple that had pitched a small tent and, further in, a family eating dinner. It was nice to see people out on such a nice evening. Jo seemed to barely register that they were there, and we walked on to the edge of the grass.

I don't know what I expected when we arrived, but the group we came across was not it. There were three men near the edge of the park. Two were sitting on the grass and the third paced restlessly along the perimeter. The first two were shocking to say the least. One was huge. He was built like a brick wall, all muscle, and I could swear if he'd been standing, I'd have felt small. The other, I did a double take on. At first glance, I thought he was a kid. But from the way he sat, leaning back on the big man, I knew he had to be older. The difference in their sizes was so pronounced; a person couldn't help but stare a little.

It was the third individual, though, that made me uneasy. I found myself stepping in front of Alex, going into full protection mode. This guy screamed predator, and I didn't want Alex anywhere near him. He stopped pacing when he noticed us coming closer, and I swear, I heard him growl. The little one said something I couldn't quite make out that caused an instant calm in the man, and I blew out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

The evening shadows were such that I couldn't make out their facial features well— until we got closer. What I saw caused a stumble in my step and an involuntary gasp. It was in the eyes of both the little one and the third man, who was still standing rigid. When I looked into their eyes, it was as though I was looking into replicas of Alex's midnight blue gaze. The souls behind the eyes were different, but the shape and color were the same.

I forced myself to look away from the eyes and took in their faces. They were enough alike to tell that they were more than likely brothers. But there was enough resemblance in the bone structure and skin tone to suggest they were also closely related to my lover. Their hair was darker, almost black, but the skin complexion was close to the same.

I took another look at the big man. His hair was black, and his skin tone was a dark olive. His eyes were dark, but not blue; they were almost purple. I'd never seen a color close to his. He noticed my inspection, and my stance, and did the strangest thing. He chuckled and wrapped his beefy arms tighter around the little one. I know I wasn't hearing things when the little guy purred in his embrace.

Jo stepped up closer to the couple sitting on the ground, and after a slight hesitation, spoke in a whisper too quiet for me to hear. The big man looked away from me and stared at Jo with such intensity I was sure she would back away. But she didn't, and after a few minutes, he sighed and stood up, lifting his companion to his feet as he did. Wow! This guy was a mountain, though, in reality he wasn't but maybe two inches taller than I was, I felt puny.

The little one was too cute for words. He stood about Jo's height, which made him a foot shorter than me. On the outside, he looked as young as sixteen, but the look in his eyes said he was much older. Something told me these two had seen a lot of pain.

I was so intent on the couple before me, I didn't notice the third disappear until I felt Alex clutch my arms from behind. I turned and found him reaching for Alex. In an instant, I put myself between them, ready to do whatever I had to do to protect Alex.

"Adrian," the little one said.

And unbelievably, the intruder actually flinched and took a couple steps back. His eyes flitted between Alex and his brother.

"He's—"

"Yes, Adrian, I know. But he is not aware and you are frightening him."

"Josh?" Alex whispered as he trembled.

I brought him into my arms and did what I could to soothe his fears. I didn't believe Jo would put us in danger. She had wanted us to meet these people, and after seeing the resemblance between Alex and two of them, I really wanted to know who they were.

"Well, Jo, you said we should meet. So, introduce us."

"Ah," the big one said, "the starlight has a name. And am I to assume that these are the ones you came down to find?"

Jo shrugged. "Yes and no."

He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"You don't know?"

The little guy snickered and shook his head as he pulled away to come closer to us.

He held out his hand and said, "I'm Sean."

I took his hand as he gestured with the other to his lover. "This is my mate, TJ, and the one behind you is my brother, Adrian."

I tensed and almost spun on my heels. How could he be so silent? I never saw or heard him move. This guy was as stealthy as a cat.

Sean tightened his grip on my hand, preventing me from turning. The surprise I felt in the strength of his hand, made me stay in place.

"You have nothing to fear from Adrian. He is curious... as I am sure you are."

His gaze went to Alex's face and he released my hand to take Alex's. When their fingers touched, Sean sighed and closed his eyes. I felt Alex relax in my arms.

"Margaret Sawyer," Sean said when he opened his eyes.

"My grandmother's last name was Sawyer," Alex said.

Sean nodded and waited.

Alex bowed his head. "She had a sister that disappeared when she was in her early twenties. My mother spoke of her a few times when I was little. She never met her, but said my grandma searched for her until the day she died. I was told her name was Margaret."

"My mother," Sean said. "Our mother," he said when a groan came from Adrian.

Okay... either this Margaret had children very late in life, insanely late in point of fact... or... maybe they were adopted.

"They are much older than you perceive," Jo said. "Remember what I said about new breeds."

I nodded. "You said that the souls of the ones taken before their time were able to return, and that created new breeds... But, you also said that it caused some humans to be born gifted. Is that what has happened here? Is that why you say they're older?"

Jo shook her head. "They are not human in the sense that you are."

"We are in part," Sean said. "Our mother, Adrian's and mine, was human. She was gifted, but still human."

"And you?"

He sighed and I saw a glimmer of pain cross his features. "That is more complicated."

"We should go to the motel cabin," TJ said. "It is not wise to speak of these things here."

His gaze was fixed back behind us on the small family that had been eating dinner. I turned and noticed that the father was very interested in the six of us. He sat staring openly until he saw that both TJ and I were returning his look. Then he quickly turned away to watch his two boys as they chased each other. I got the feeling that his curiosity was borderline paranoia, and that he had been listening with intense concentration. I wasn't so sure whether or not it was a safety issue as much as privacy, but hey, I wasn't going to argue the point with TJ. No way, no how. Something more than just his size told me I was not the toughest individual in this group, and it was just plain stupid to take a chance on riling him up.

We walked back to the truck and TJ told us where to find the motel in which they were staying. He said there was a restaurant attached so we could get something to eat before joining them at their cabin to finish our conversation. I guess they didn't like to eat out. I figured it had something to do with Adrian. He didn't look like he would be good in a crowd.

"If you don't mind," Jo said before we got into the truck. "I think I'll wait with them while you two eat. I'm not all that hungry, and I'd like to talk to Sean."

I shrugged while Alex regarded Jo with a bit of underlying curiosity. After hesitating a minute, he shrugged also.

"Sure thing, Jo," he said and then smiled. "We'll enjoy the little bit of alone time."

I snickered. "Won't be very alone in a restaurant, babe. But it will be nice to focus on just you."

I looked down at Jo and nodded when she made to move away. Like a lost little girl, she started following the three men we'd recently met. It didn't take long for TJ to stop and wait for her. The other two waited with him, and soon they were four, walking along the side of the road.

My attention went back to my lover as we got into the Tahoe. Since the night before we left on this journey, the all-consuming fire to be joined together had calmed. Jo had made it sound like the reasoning behind the need was the proximity of her presence. It was the path they walked. The presence and touch of beings such as Jo would bring the souls together in a way that wouldn't be possible in the natural world. Because we both touched her that first day, and because we were already bound by love, the path she took caused our need for each other to expand exponentially. A small part of me missed that need to be connected, but the larger part was glad it had calmed. I still loved Alex with everything I was, but it had started to get very difficult to function. Now we had the love we started with... and more. In that time of consuming need— each joining of our bodies also joined our souls. But unlike the physical separation when we would part, our souls stayed together.

Maybe that really was the purpose of Jo's visit. When our souls became one, it opened our minds and memories and they became one between us also. I believe it was the reason we were able to follow the trail behind our son. He was a part of us. Though I had to wonder— What about Mandy? Wasn't he a part of her? Were we supposed to become one happy family? Mother, two fathers (or was it three, since Jeremy was also a part of Anthony?), and child.

Alex touched my hand, breaking me from my thoughts. He was sitting next to me, patiently waiting for the truck to start.

"Dinner?" he said. "I am a bit hungry."

So was I. I was hungry for him. We hadn't been alone for three days. And even though the unnatural need was gone, the desire to join was still just as strong as before Jo showed up in our lives. Nothing could satisfy like the taste of Alex.

Alex giggled and snuggled closer. "We'll get Jo her own room tonight. It'll be just you and me all night long."

This same mind thing was nice. I pulled Alex closer and kissed him— once on the forehead, on each cheek, and finally on his sweet mouth. He reciprocated with a moan as I licked his lips, and opened to me. We probably would have stayed in the Tahoe and stripped the clothes from each other if Alex's stomach had not chosen that time to voice its hunger. In the fashion I am so used to, Alex began to giggle.

I sat back in the driver's seat and watched him for a minute as he tried desperately to stifle his laughter. I couldn't help but grin as a snort escaped from between his fingers. I shook my head and started the engine.

Get a room—maybe we could book a cabin—food, and then meet with TJ and Sean. I felt a frown settle upon my face. Adrian still made me nervous. When I'd seen him pacing he'd reminded me of an animal caged and wound tight, just waiting for the right time to pounce. Sean had said we had nothing to fear from him— but I wasn't so sure.