her a thoughtful look. “Everything okay with you, Jess? You seem different from the last time we saw each other.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. Sharper, more edgy, like you’re set apart from everyone else.”
I am different. I have no family, and you do. You have money and a mate and a perfect life.
Jessica recoiled at the bitter thoughts. She’d never felt like this before. What was going on? She smiled at her best friend. “I’m just tired. Long trip.”
“Sure. Let’s get you back to your room. I’ll get Daniel.”
Her room. Peace and quiet. And the belt waited there, the crystals gleaming like a promise. Alexa had J.J. and wealth and a loving family.
Jessica had a brother, hidden somewhere, and a lovely belt that seemed to pulse with power. She couldn’t wait to touch it, hold it. As she walked toward the golf cart, Jessica ruminated over Alexa’s concern. Her best friend was wrong. Alexa was the one who had changed.
Not her.
Chapter 5
Dinner proved painful. With all of Alexa’s family, J.J. and Daniel present, Jessica felt like a total outsider. Oh, they were nice, and tried to include her in the conversation. But they talked about experiences she could not share, future holidays and family gatherings. Their obvious affection and bonds further emphasized her loneliness.
So she excused herself with a yawn and a polite thank you to all, and went into her bedroom. Shutting the door, she pulled out the purple belt from the bureau. The belt was a connection to her real family. Her brother had touched it, and she felt closer to him, knowing it belonged to him. It seemed feminine, too pretty for a man to wear. Maybe it belonged to her mother.
Her heart beat faster and happiness filled her as Jessica imagined her birth mother wearing the belt, perhaps to a special dinner. Maybe her father had bought it for her, or they had picked it out together, marveling at the crystals, her father smiling indulgently and opening his wallet as her mother exclaimed it was expensive, no, you shouldn’t spend the money…
She had never owned anything so lovely. The stones seemed to glow with a life of their own. She stroked the purple suede, enjoying the smooth leather beneath her caressing fingertips.
Mine.
Jessica sat on the bed and stared into the stones. Suddenly patterns appeared in the crystals. When she placed her palm over them, the stones felt warm.
As if they contained power, the type she’d never had.
For the first time, unease rippled through her. What if this Jules was not her brother, but someone wanting to lure her into his clutches? Why would he find her and send her this gift and then not tell her where he was?
Or more logically, come and introduce himself?
“He’s making me do all the work. What does he want?”
Jessica removed her palm and stared into the stones. If the belt had landed on her foster parents’ doorstep by magick, then surely it could provide answers. Wouldn’t hurt to try.
“So belt, if you do have power, tell me why Jules is being so secretive? Why do I have to find him?”
Nothing. The belt wasn’t an Ouija board.
On impulse, she unbuckled the leather belt threaded through the loops of her black pants, removed it and dropped it to the floor. Then she buckled on the crystal belt.
A rush of power flooded her. Jessica lifted her hands and laughed, uplifted by the amazing feeling.
She stared into the mirror at her reflection. She even looked different, more defiant and confident. The stones glowed a deep purple. Suddenly words appeared in the crystals, so sharp and defined she had no trouble reading them.
Jessica drew back from the mirror. She was a Lupine, but dealt in logic and computers, not this kind of powerful juju. Her heart raced as sweat trickled down her backside.
What the hell was she getting into? This kind of power could be very tempting and very dangerous.
But for too many years she had longed to find a blood relative. Maybe the words had
“How?”
“I don’t know. Sharper, more edgy, like you’re set apart from everyone else.”
I am different. I have no family, and you do. You have money and a mate and a perfect life.
Jessica recoiled at the bitter thoughts. She’d never felt like this before. What was going on? She smiled at her best friend. “I’m just tired. Long trip.”
“Sure. Let’s get you back to your room. I’ll get Daniel.”
Her room. Peace and quiet. And the belt waited there, the crystals gleaming like a promise. Alexa had J.J. and wealth and a loving family.
Jessica had a brother, hidden somewhere, and a lovely belt that seemed to pulse with power. She couldn’t wait to touch it, hold it. As she walked toward the golf cart, Jessica ruminated over Alexa’s concern. Her best friend was wrong. Alexa was the one who had changed.
Not her.
Chapter 5
Dinner proved painful. With all of Alexa’s family, J.J. and Daniel present, Jessica felt like a total outsider. Oh, they were nice, and tried to include her in the conversation. But they talked about experiences she could not share, future holidays and family gatherings. Their obvious affection and bonds further emphasized her loneliness.
So she excused herself with a yawn and a polite thank you to all, and went into her bedroom. Shutting the door, she pulled out the purple belt from the bureau. The belt was a connection to her real family. Her brother had touched it, and she felt closer to him, knowing it belonged to him. It seemed feminine, too pretty for a man to wear. Maybe it belonged to her mother.
Her heart beat faster and happiness filled her as Jessica imagined her birth mother wearing the belt, perhaps to a special dinner. Maybe her father had bought it for her, or they had picked it out together, marveling at the crystals, her father smiling indulgently and opening his wallet as her mother exclaimed it was expensive, no, you shouldn’t spend the money…
She had never owned anything so lovely. The stones seemed to glow with a life of their own. She stroked the purple suede, enjoying the smooth leather beneath her caressing fingertips.
Mine.
Jessica sat on the bed and stared into the stones. Suddenly patterns appeared in the crystals. When she placed her palm over them, the stones felt warm.
As if they contained power, the type she’d never had.
For the first time, unease rippled through her. What if this Jules was not her brother, but someone wanting to lure her into his clutches? Why would he find her and send her this gift and then not tell her where he was?
Or more logically, come and introduce himself?
“He’s making me do all the work. What does he want?”
Jessica removed her palm and stared into the stones. If the belt had landed on her foster parents’ doorstep by magick, then surely it could provide answers. Wouldn’t hurt to try.
“So belt, if you do have power, tell me why Jules is being so secretive? Why do I have to find him?”
Nothing. The belt wasn’t an Ouija board.
On impulse, she unbuckled the leather belt threaded through the loops of her black pants, removed it and dropped it to the floor. Then she buckled on the crystal belt.
A rush of power flooded her. Jessica lifted her hands and laughed, uplifted by the amazing feeling.
She stared into the mirror at her reflection. She even looked different, more defiant and confident. The stones glowed a deep purple. Suddenly words appeared in the crystals, so sharp and defined she had no trouble reading them.
Jessica drew back from the mirror. She was a Lupine, but dealt in logic and computers, not this kind of powerful juju. Her heart raced as sweat trickled down her backside.
What the hell was she getting into? This kind of power could be very tempting and very dangerous.
But for too many years she had longed to find a blood relative. Maybe the words had
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