The Price of His Redemption

Chapter 2

Chapter 2Jesse knew as soon as he stepped into the kitchen that the morning was going to be a long one. Michelle and Dominique wore identical frowns. Dominique was also glaring with all the narrowed-eye intensity she could muster. Jesse briefly considered turning around and going back upstairs, to where Gideon still slept. Gideon wouldn’t mind if Jesse decided to hide in bed for the rest of the day, and Emma would probably join them.

Unfortunately, Michelle would have zero compunction about barging into the room if Dominique was in one of her moods, and Michelle didn’t want to deal with her. He never complained about them both living there, but only because if he did, Gideon would kick them out. And Michelle was still a little too weak to live on her own, even with Dominique’s help. Which might not be forthcoming, because Dominique was quickly losing patience with her current guardian.

“Jesse! Will you tell Michelle that she doesn’t control my life?”

Jesse sighed as the fantasy of crawling back to bed evaporated. “Good morning to you, too. And she does control your life.”

“No, she doesn’t. I’m almost sixteen. I can make my own decisions.”

A single glance at Michelle’s face told Jesse all he needed to know about how she felt about that declaration. Jesse poured himself a cup of coffee, sensing that he would need at least one to get through this conversation. “What decision would you like to make on your own?”

“Brittany and Marcy are going to a Beyoncé concert, and they have an extra ticket. They invited me.”

“Right. And who will be escorting you to this concert?”

“We’re old enough to go to a concert by ourselves.”

“No.”

“What?”

Jesse sipped from his cup, careful not to burn his tongue. “I said no.”

“But Brittany’s mom is letting her go. And Marcy’s parents don’t care.”

Jesse nodded. “I guess Marcy’s parents just love her more than I love you. What can you do?”

Dominique’s face twisted with annoyance. “I never get to do anything fun.”

“I know, it’s tragedy worthy of Shakespeare. But maybe I can cheer you up.”

Dominique folded her arms and arched her eyebrow. It was a little frightening how fast she was growing up. Every day, she was a little bit closer to the woman she would become. Jesse found that thought more than a little horrifying—she would want to date soon. Very soon.

“How?”

“I happen to know that The Roots are going to be in town next month. And Emma’s already bought tickets.”

The dark clouds disappeared from her brow, and she actually smiled. “Can I invite Brittany and Marcy?”

“Sure. Now get moving or you’re going to be late for school.”

Dominique paused long enough to kiss his cheek before gathering up her books and heading out the back door. Jesse smiled, feeling good about the averted storm. He would have to remember to buy tickets for the concert now, but at least he knew that Emma did, in fact, like the band, so convincing her to cover for him would not be a problem. His sense of satisfaction faded when he noticed Michelle was still frowning.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Bribe her into behaving.”

“I’m not.”

“What do you call that then?”

“I call it insurance that she’s not going to sneak out and go to the Beyoncé concert anyway, because she’s like a little escape artist. I swear, I’m going to have to put bars on her window.”

“That’s why you shouldn’t bribe her. She needs consequences, not concert tickets.”

“You should write a book, Michelle. Meanwhile, I’m doing the best that I can here, okay? I never asked to be somebody’s father figure.”

“I’m just saying that she needs boundaries.”

“She has boundaries. I told her she couldn’t go to a concert without supervision. I threatened to put bars on her window. She doesn’t quite run this house yet.”

“You should have grounded her.”

Jesse blinked. “For what? Asking if she could go?”

“For talking back to me. She’s got a smart mouth.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Are you all right?”

“Why wouldn’t I be all right?”

Jesse topped off his coffee and settled in the chair across from her. “Because, in general, you only act this way when there’s something else bothering you. At least you can pretend to control Dominique.”

Michelle sighed. “It’s been a month.”

“Yeah, so? I haven’t been neglecting anything or too distracted for my training.”

“You have been.”

“We still work together every day. You already know I’m not going to devote my whole life to being a Guardian, so what is it you want from me?”

“The final test.”

Jesse looked away from her. He didn’t want to talk about the final test—whatever it was—because he didn’t want to assume all of Michelle’s duties. He didn’t want to take her power and her strength from her. He didn’t want to make her weaker. To be the reason that she would die. The minute he completed the assigned task would be the minute that began the countdown to her demise.

“I told you we shouldn’t do that until you’re healthy.”

“I’m as healthy as I’m going to be.”

“I don’t think now is a good time.”

“Jesse, with all due respect, it doesn’t matter what you think.”

“Well, Michelle, with all due respect, it should. I’m the one who is going to have all the new responsibilities. I’m the one who is going to have to watch you…”

“What? Die? I don’t want to live forever anymore.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

“We’re going to talk about it. And you’re going to have to talk to Emma.”

Jesse narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“She doesn’t know you’ve changed.”

“I told her everything.” Including the horrible, hellish weeks immediately after she disappeared. The days when he believed he would see neither her nor Gideon again. The only thing he hadn’t described was exactly how he learned of his new powers—she didn’t need to know that he was trying to kill himself even if she could guess.

“But you’ve never shown her.”

“What business of it is yours?”

“Everything is my business until you pass your test, Jesse.”

“What test?” Emma breezed into the kitchen with a smile and the trailing scent of her honeysuckle shampoo. She went straight to Jesse and kissed him on the cheek, her eyes cooling slightly in the scant seconds she glanced at Michelle. “Tell me you saved me some coffee.”

“There’s plenty of coffee,” Jesse said, automatically standing to pour her a cup.

“The test is the final step in becoming a full Guardian,” Michelle explained.

Emma hovered at Jesse’s side. She was always finding little ways to touch him—a brush of her breasts against his arm, a glance across the back of his hand. Now, she rested her cheek against his shoulder, her long hair slipping forward against her cheek.

“I thought you were already a Guardian.”

“I am, but I don’t have all of Michelle’s power yet.” He filled her favorite mug—the mug nobody had touched the entire time she was gone—leaving just enough room for cream. “She can’t finish the process until I’ve…well…proven myself.”

There was no mistaking Emma’s frown or the slight wave of annoyance that came from her before he lost the physical contact. “I would think you’ve proven yourself already.”

“There’s more to it than that,” Michelle said. “It’s about his willingness to take on the full responsibility.”

“And I’m not willing yet. So I guess that means we’re just going to have to drop it for now.”

“Does that mean we can get out today?” Rather than go back to the table and sit with Michelle, Emma leaned against the counter, cupping her coffee between her hands. “I’d like to pick up a new pair of jeans. The pair we got after I came back is too tight now, but my old ones are still too loose yet.”

“Sure, we can go anywhere you like.” He studied her face for a moment, searching for any signs of exhaustion. Gideon had already informed Jesse of her adventures the previous night, but she didn’t show any sign of disruption. “Do you want to find out if Gideon would like to come with us?”

Her mouth tipped. “Deny Gideon the chance to go clothes shopping? I’m not suicidal, thank you very much.”

“On the other hand, if he did come with us, you’d be getting a lot more than a pair of jeans.”

“True.” Her dark eyes twinkled. “And we couldn’t sit in Sushi Wabi’s window when you take me there for lunch.”

“No. Plus…” He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. “Gideon gets grumpy when he wakes up.”

“I hope you’re going to be back after lunch,” Michelle said. “We were going to cover more magical properties.”

“I’ll be back when we’re done.”

Michelle stood, gathering her coffee and newspaper. “I’m going to be in the library.”

Emma didn’t even glance in Michelle’s direction when she left. “Doesn’t she have to watch the bookstore or something? It seems like she’s never there anymore.”

“She’s tired. She hasn’t fully recovered from Foster’s attack with the hurlbat. Besides, I don’t think the bookstore is really a priority for her.”

Her thick lashes ducked. Some of her color had returned in the past few weeks, but she still seemed too pale to him. “Because you are.”

“Well, yes, completing the process is. We’ve got a lot of information to cover. Plus, there’s Dominique.”

“Right. Dominique.” She took a sip of her coffee before tilting a curious glance up at him. “You know, I used to think of your relationship with Michelle as kind of maternal, but the way you two share Dominique…she’s more like your wife, isn’t she?”

The coffee Jesse had been drinking spewed everywhere, burning his throat and tongue in the process. “What? What? Why would…” He grabbed a towel to wipe his face. “Why would you say that?”

If anything, Emma seemed amused by his reaction. “Because you’re the dad, she’s the mom, and you two are always arguing about what to do with Dominique. She’s even nagging you like a wife would.”

“I’m not…that’s not…it’s ridiculous. And she’s not nagging me.”

“Okay. If you say so.” Emma set down her cup to reach for the bagels in the breadbox. “And you don’t forgive her for just about everything like a husband would, either. Even if she doesn’t deserve it.”

“I don’t. I didn’t just forgive her…you think I shouldn’t have forgiven her?”

She took several seconds to weigh her answer. “I think she did an awful thing to you. Not the part about saving your life. But lying to you about Gideon? Taking you away from the one person you had left that would literally tear the world apart for you? That feels selfish to me.”

“It was selfish. And shortsighted, and cruel, and foolish, too, because she did think she could keep me from Gideon. Trying to have me arrested so she could take Dominique and then manipulate me into towing the line was even more selfish and cruel. But she almost died…and well, it’s complicated.”

“I know.” She took a deep breath as she pushed her bagel halves into the toaster. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No. No, you should say something. I know this is really weird. I know you didn’t bargain on waking up in a madhouse, with Michelle always underfoot and Dominique being, well, a fifteen-year-old girl.”

“I like Dominique. I always have. It’s just…” She shrugged and turned to the refrigerator. “I miss the way it was before. You. Me. Gideon. Now, it’s like…it’s almost like I’m part of your harem.”

“Harem? You’re really running with this whole wife thing, aren’t you?”

Her nose wrinkled, though he thought amusement still glinted in her eyes. “And I’m all of a sudden not liking the imagery that’s evoking. Can you imagine Michelle in one of those belly dancer outfits?”

“Oh, God. No, I can’t imagine it, and I don’t want to. Stop it. Besides, she’s not going to be here for much longer.”

That startled her into freezing. “She’s moving out?”

“No. When I pass her test, and she completes the process of giving me all her power, she’s…she’s going to succumb to her injuries.”

Emma blanched. “That’s suicide.”

“We’re in a strange limbo right now. Neither one of us are at full power. I know that it’s not a good idea for us to stay this way for long. She knows it, too. That’s why she keeps nagging at me.”

“Is there any way to reverse it? Give her powers back?”

“No. This is a one-way street. Once the process starts, it just ripples through all of the dimensions. Trust me, if we could reverse this, Gideon would have forced her into doing it before now.”

He couldn’t tell if Emma’s nod was agreement or acquiescence. But her lapse into silence worried him even more. Gideon liked to pretend otherwise, but for all the moments when she seemed like she was adjusting perfectly well, there was another where he wondered if it was all some big charade and he’d wake up to find her gone again. Not because she wanted to go; he didn’t doubt for a second that she was glad to be home. But because of something else, something he couldn’t control.

Like her sleepwalking.

“Do you ever miss it? The way it was before?”

“Every day,” Jesse admitted. “If I could somehow use all this new power to turn everything back…” He sank back to his chair. “I know some of this was out of my control, but some of it wasn’t.”

“You can’t keep blaming yourself for it.” Abandoning her breakfast on the counter, Emma came over and slipped onto his lap, looping her arms around his neck. She was soft and warm, and the love radiating from her pores burned away the edges of his guilt. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. No matter what you think.”

“Don’t keep apologizing for wanting to talk about this stuff.” Jesse wrapped his arms around her, holding her closely. Now that he had her weight and warmth settled against him, he didn’t want to let her go. “I’m going to keep blaming myself for it whether or not we talk about it.”

Her lips moved along his jaw. “I know. I do the same thing. And then I feel worse because I know I wouldn’t have done anything differently. We did what we felt was right.”

“Yeah. But at least you’re home now.” He inhaled deeply, comforted by the familiar smell of her skin and shampoo. “Do you want to go see The Roots next month?”

“Oh!” She pulled back, delight brightening her face again. “They’re playing here?”

“Yes, at the Lakeshore Theater. But…we’re going to have three teenage girls in tow. And Gideon, if I can trick him into spending an evening with three teenage girls.”

Emma laughed. “Good luck with that. What happened? Did Dominique get tickets?”

“No. She wanted to go with her friends to a Beyoncé concert without an adult. I told her no, but thought it would be good to head disaster off at the pass and promise to take her and her friends to The Roots.”

“That sounds like a bribe to me.”

“It wasn’t a bribe. Why does everybody keep saying that?”

“Because you’re giving her something to keep her from doing something you don’t want.”

“And now this weekend, I won’t have to worry about her getting in trouble at a concert. This seems like a win-win scenario to me.”

“Uh huh. Of course it would.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? It doesn’t seem like one to you?”

“Silly man.” She surprised him with a kiss, her lips soft and pliant on his. As soon as he tried to deepen it, she pulled back again, though her eyes continued to dance. “Look at when you’re happiest. When Gideon’s in charge of the reward and punishments. You don’t see how you’re doing the same with Dominique?”

“I’m…not. You’re really messing with my head this morning. You know that, right?”

The gleam became mischievous. “I could mess with your other head, if you prefer. Michelle isn’t expecting you until after lunch anyway.”

Jesse’s body immediately tightened. “I thought I was supposed to take you out to buy jeans?”

“That was an excuse to get you alone and looking at my ass.”

His hands moved down to cup said ass. “You don’t need an excuse to get me to do either thing.”

Her eyes went wide with faux innocence. “Well, as just one of your harem…”

“If you mention a harem again, I’m going to turn you over my knee.”

Emma pressed against his front, her arms tighter around his neck, her mouth hovering over his. Sweet breath fanned across his lips when she whispered, “Harem.”

“Oh, that’s it.” Jesse flipped her over and pulled her loose pants down to her thighs. Despite the weight loss, her ass was still perfect. Jesse actually spent a lot of time cataloguing the various parts of her body, trying to compare her to the woman he remembered. But even though he understood she was still recovering physically, he still thought she was perfect. “Are you going to take it back?”

“And miss out on this?” She squirmed against his knee. “The only thing that would make this better would be having Gideon in here, too.”

Jesse brought his hand down across her cheeks with barely enough force to pinken the skin. The sound of flesh hitting flesh was surprisingly loud in the kitchen, and his c**k jumped as she squirmed again. It occurred to him that maybe he shouldn’t work them both up into a frenzy in the middle of the kitchen, but on the other hand, she did deserve a good spanking.

He was a little surprised Emma let him continue. The extra people in the house had made her more private about overt actions, settling instead for the glancing touches and more platonic caresses suitable for a teenaged audience. But she wasn’t arguing now about having her bottom exposed for anyone to see. She whimpered with the second blow, pushing back against his hand for greater contact.

He slapped her a third time before turning her over and righting her again. “Should we see if Gideon would like to join us downstairs?”

Hooking her legs around him, Emma ground lightly against his erection. “He does get grumpy when he gets woken up. He’ll want to punish us.”

“He would,” Jesse agreed. The three of them hadn’t used the playroom once since Emma’s return. In fact, she hadn’t expressed any desire to be punished by either one of them. He couldn’t even put in words how much he missed the sight of Emma, collared and waiting, arousal and anticipation rolling off her body. The playroom was incomplete without her. “Especially if we get started without his permission.”

“Oh, he hates that.” Her hand slipped beneath his shirt, her nails scratching lightly across his stomach. “We should definitely do it.”

Jesse stood without releasing her. Her arms and legs tightened around him, making him ache for more. He had no doubt Gideon would sense the two of them—the combined force of their arousal and need would be too difficult to ignore.