Chapter 7

THAD

We walked up to her room quietly. I knew she was freaked out. I heard her voice when she whispered that she felt it again. She was scared.

Tonight, was the first time that it occurred with us being together, so I had no idea how she dealt with all of this on her own. I felt horrible to know that she ever had to deal with that by herself over the summer.

“Why don’t you go get ready for bed while I go steal something of your father’s to sleep in?” I asked her.

She hesitated for a moment before she nodded and went into closet and headed into her bathroom. She looked back at me for a minute with a pained expression that she was trying to keep off her face, but I still saw it clear as day.

“Mind if I keep the door open?” she asked quietly.

I saw the worry on her face. She knew something was really wrong, but she also trusted me to keep her safe. I would do every single thing in my power to keep her safe.

“Not at all, Jae. I will be right here when you get out.” I smiled reassuringly and waited for her to get in the bathroom before leaving the room.

My phone dinged as I was looking for a pair of sweats and a shirt. Thankfully, Rick and I were roughly the same size. I could no longer fit into my old clothes that I gave to Jadelynn, so this was the only option. Unless I wanted to sleep in my boxers. I was not sure how she would feel about that though, and I would never push her into intimacy. However, I would be all for it whenever she was ready. Intimacy with my girl was something that I fantasized about more times than I could count. I never wanted to push her into being with me before she was ready. Unfortunately, that left me with blue balls more times than I could even count.

To hear that I was her dream guy was a delicious shock. That meant she fantasized about me too. She was the sexiest female I had ever seen. We were also extremely close and sleeping over was nothing rare for either of us. Our parents all trusted us to make the right choices in life. It was not something that many parents would do, but it helped both of us to become even more responsible.

Then there was the other revelation besides me being her dream guy. The fact that she saw me the way that she did and cared for me so deeply. I had been terrified that she would never see me the way that I saw her, but she had the same fears. I felt like I was on cloud fucking nine with the fact that she said that she did not want anyone other than me. I had not anticipated hearing all of that tonight, but I was very happy to that I did. Her honesty was very much appreciated.

Mom – ‘Stay close to her tonight. Same room. I will tell her parents that you’re staying until they get home. Let us know if you need anything.’

I sent back an acknowledgement and got changed in their bathroom before heading back to Jadelynn’s room.

The shower was running, so I just got comfortable on her bed and tried to get in the right head space instead of on the thoughts of what Jadelynn would look like taking a shower as the water ran down her bare flesh. She loved hot showers, so I could almost imagine that her skin would have a rosy tint to it that would extend the entirety of her body.

Sure, I fantasized about it before, but hopefully one day I would get the opportunity to see for myself. The reality of it would be much better than my imagination anyways. Knowing the door was open was a temptation, but I would wait until she freely gave that to me.

This night was perfect except for when she felt that warning again. My girl was fucking gorgeous tonight, and she was finally mine. I had been a little worried about how she would respond when I told her that I liked her since we were kids. I did not tell her that I had been in love with her for years though because I never wanted to pressure her into feeling it or saying it. If I was ever granted her heart then I would cherish it until my very last breath. I would let her take whatever time it would for her to find out her true feelings. She admitted to crushing on me for years, so that was a great sign and one I had not anticipated.

A smirk tipped my lip upwards when the bathroom door fully opened. Jadelynn walked out looking like my own personal dream.

“I used to have some just like,” I teased.

She was wearing a pair of sweats and a shirt that had been mine last year. She always liked confiscating my clothes. Now it made sense as to why. It was her way of claiming me.

She rolled her eyes at me and tied her hair up in a loose bun. I did not care if she intentionally wore them or not. It was a great sight to behold either way. Seeing her in my clothes had always been a great thing to view. I loved it when she wore my football jersey. It was common practice for the girlfriends of players to wear them for gameday. Tons of girls asked for mine, but none of them got it. There was only one girl who would get it. She asked me for it, so I gladly handed it

One of my delicious dreams of her included sneaking into the stadium and taking her against the goalpost while she wore nothing but my jersey. I would pound into her glorious pussy until she shattered around my cock, screaming my name for everyone to hear who owned me and who owned her.

“Keep it up, Easton,” she said before taking a pillow and adjusting it against the headboard for her.

Her teeth gnawed on her lip hard enough that I was worried she would bit through it. She looked nervously between the window and her door before repeating it again. I pulled her lip from her teeth before tapping her nose, causing her to scrunch it adorably.

“Talk to me,” I urged her.

Her eyebrows creased as she looked back to the window once more before focusing on me. I placed an arm around her and pulled her into my side, which she leaned into for comfort. I placed a kiss on her forehead. This was not easy on her, and I wished that I could protect her from this fear that she was feeling. The best I could do was provide as much comfort as I could.

“The feeling I got wasn’t the same. It was more intense. Like really intense. Then I felt it again when I was shutting the front door. Can I ask you a direct question without you avoiding it? We made a promise tonight, and I know that neither of us take that lightly,” she said quietly.

What did it mean if it was more intense? I would text my parents after this conversation because that was not sitting right with me. I nodded for her to continue.

“What’s going on? It’s apparent that you know something…” she trailed off.

She was right on those three things. We did make a promise. I did not take that lightly. I did know something. It was not fair for me to keep this from her, but I could not risk her parents leaving with her either, so I had to be careful with what I told her. She deserved to know everything, but I could not do that until she had her birthday. At that point, they would not be able to do a damn thing because she would be an adult. I would still tell her on her birthday even if they planned on hiding her identity from her. It was not fair for them to hide anything.

“Trust me when I tell you that I’m unable to tell you everything. Once your birthday hits, I can then. What I am going to say has to stay between us. You can’t talk to your parents about it, okay, Jae?”

Her shoulders squared just as they always did when my girl got her head in the game. This was no different. She nodded just as I had. I could also see the relief in her eyes because this had been weighing on her.

My hands rubbed up and down her arm as I tried to think of what all to say that would not make me sound batshit crazy.

“There is something different about our families, Jae. I can’t say what until your birthday, but I will be the first one to tell you. Even if your parents choose to hide it from you, I will tell you everything because you deserve to know. Those feelings you’ve been getting aren’t your imagination. Think of the feeling like an early warning system. It was the way that my parents explained it to me. You can’t tell your parents that any of us know anything because they would probably uproot you and take you far away from here and away from me. My parents believe that of what’s going on now ties back into why they left New York and Louisiana. I will never let anything happen to you, Jae. Just know that you and I have this strong connection of ours for a reason, and that will never change unless you desire it to.”

She just shook her head at me saying that she would never desire it to change. That warmed my heart because I felt the same way.

We would talk more about us tomorrow once she got over the shock of tonight. It was time that the two of us sat down and truly talked about what we hoped to get out of this relationship. Tonight, made it clear that she was just as invested in this relationship as I was. I did not even care that she did not love me yet because I would wait decades for that if I had to. I cared about the fact that she wanted me just like I wanted her.

I pulled the blanket up over us from the edge of her bed and told her to get comfortable. I would wait until she fell asleep before messaging Mom back. They needed to talk to her parents somehow without them freaking out because this escalation was causing me to fear for my girl’s safety.

What in the hell was after her though? The Elders did not really explain anything about what or who would be seeking her out. Her parents knew something though, and they could not keep it silent any longer. There was a reason they fled from their last town. They needed to spill, and I would make sure they did it tomorrow because this was putting her at risk.

I placed a kiss to her head as she began to dose off. It felt amazing to have her in my arms like this. I was not going to tell her that I loved her yet, but I would show her just like I always have. Her question came after I opened her door for her. I believed it was that action which caused her to realize that I always did these things for her. I decided that I was hers all those years ago even if she had not decided that she was mine in the same way. She was my girl, so I treated her like it in everything that I did.

My name was sighed from her sweet lips in her sleep, so I leaned down and held her closer to me. My eyes were getting heavier, and it was making it impossible to keep them open. I tried to pull away from Jadelynn, but I could not. I needed to stay awake, but I could feel myself slipping further.

“Thad,” Momma E’s voice pulled me from my sleep. I had not realized that I had even fallen asleep at all.

I blinked my eyes a few times and winced at the pounding headache banging inside my skull. I groaned as I sat up and rubbed my temples. Why the hell did my head hurt so badly? It felt like I had a vicious hangover, but I had not drank anything last night.  Momma E came over and felt my forehead.

“You’re not warm. Are you feeling okay? Your parents told me that you were waiting here until we got home, but you were sleeping so peacefully. I didn’t want to wake you up. Did Jadelynn have practice this morning?”

I shook my head and looked down at Jadelynn to see that she was not there. I shot up and ran into the bathroom, but she was not there either. Momma E called after me, trying to figure out what had gotten into me, but I blocked her out.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I ran down the stairs and outside to see my car still in driveway. My heartbeat was pounding painfully in my chest as I ran around the house screaming her name. She had to be here. Fuck. She had to be here somewhere. It would be the perfect time for her to just pop out and laugh at being a great hider.

My stomach twisted painfully with each second that passed without finding her because I knew she was not here. I had no idea where she was, but it was not here.

Her parents were both trying to stop me to see what was wrong, but I dove around them and ran back upstairs to grab my phone. Mom picked up on the first ring.

“She’s gone. Jae’s gone. Get here now. Please,” I begged.

I continued searching around the house. She was not here, so where the hell was she? My heart constricted painfully, and I was barely keeping my tears back. How the fuck did she disappear from my arms without me even noticing? I had not even meant to fall asleep. One moment I was conscious, and the next Momma E was waking me up. Whoever took her had to have knocked me out.

Luckily, we lived right across the street and my parents rushed into the house without even knocking. Dad stopped me and held my shoulders so that he could look at me. His eyes took in my panicked state, and his hands tightened on my shoulders to help me focus on something other than the crippling fear that was consuming every ounce of me.

“I meant to text after she fell asleep because she was worried. No, not worried. She was scared, and I couldn’t tell her everything. You said I couldn’t. I held her, but I passed out. I don’t know why, but I did. Whoever did this knocked me out,” I rushed out in heavy pants.

I was hyperventilating. Why would I not be though? I promised her that I would protect her and not let anything happen to her. I was her fucking Guardian. She was taken right out of my arms, and I had not even noticed. How the fuck could I not have noticed? I had tried to pull away from her last night as my eyes were getting heavier and heavier, but I could not. The next thing I knew was being woken up many hours later.

Mom took my arm and sat me down in one of the kitchen chairs. She knelt in front of me and held my hands in hers.

“Tell us what happened, baby. You have to be calm. It is the only way that we can help her,” Mom said.

I nodded and tried to slow my breathing down. Jadelynn insisted that I had to learn some basic yoga if she was going to learn to fight. I compromised just like I always did with my girl. So, I used some of those breathing techniques now, and it worked like a charm.

“When we got out of the movie, she said she felt it again. She played it off like she was flirting with me just in case whoever was watching was paying close attention. It was after I got the text about staying in the room with her that she mentioned that this feeling was more intense than the others. She also felt it again before shutting the door. Jae asked me what was going on, and I told her what I could without breaking anything to her before her birthday. I, for one, can’t lie to her,” I said, side-eyeing her parents.

Yeah, it was a dick move, but I refused to go easy on them right now. They put her in danger because they kept shit from her. That was something they never should have done. Because of their stupidity, she was abducted by something or someone that had been stalking her for months. Fucking months!

“Someone mind informing us what is going on and where the hell our daughter is?” Rick asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice from my blatant disrespect.

I stood up and moved away from my parents because they would try to stop me from going off on them. I did not care. I looked her parents dead in the eyes because I had her back with this. We always had one another’s backs, and this time was no different.

“How come Jae doesn’t seem to know what she is at all?” I asked.

The look that passed between them told me everything. They were trying to weigh what we knew. That was legitimately laughable.

“We know far more than even your own daughter does. She knew you were keeping things from her. She overheard some of your conversations. Why did you leave your last town?”

Dad placed a restraining hand on my shoulder because he knew what this was doing to me. The hole inside of me was growing larger by the second. My parents knew how much I loved her. I never hid that from them. They knew how much she meant to me and how serious I took being her Guardian. This summer was filled with me learning every single bit of information I could which might improve my success with protecting her. Now, I failed.

“That’s a private matter,” Rick said. His tone told me to drop it, but I would not.

Mom stepped up and held her hands up to them, to ensure them that we were on their side. Wrong. I was on my girl’s side.

“We know what you are and what Jadelynn is. Troy and I have known since the day we met her that she was to be protected at all costs. We’ve done everything within our power to do just that since then. We did not come to you sooner because we knew you were running away from someone or something, and we could not risk you disappearing with our charge.”

Momma E gasped before her hand covered her mouth. She finally understood that my parents had always been protecting Jadelynn and that our family was tasked with that from the moment they laid eyes on a feisty little girl who saved my ass on the playground in second grade.

They motioned for all of us to take a seat at the table, but I could not sit still. So, I paced as I tried to figure out what to do. She had to be terrified right now. She was scared last night. What was she going to think when she woke up to find out that whatever was stalking her succeeded in getting its grimy hands on her?

“Rick didn’t know that I was a Seeker, or I that he was a Keeper, until I was about six months pregnant. That was when my subconscious began to interact with the Dreamworld. I had never once been able to influence it since I wasn’t a Keeper. It proved that Jadelynn was able to do something that should have been impossible even before she was born.”

Dad passed her parents some water and handed me one. I did not want to take it, but he gave me a look that told me not to argue. Fine. I would do this because she needed me in top condition to help bring her back from wherever she was, and I would do just that.

“We went into hiding down in Louisiana after that because we knew that knowledge of Jadelynn’s abilities was dangerous. We had an easy few years after that and had sought ways to keep her abilities from manifesting. It took a while, but I made some contacts who were able to place blocks on her abilities. They taught me every trick in the book when it came to protecting her from those who would seek her,” Rick explained.

That would explain why he was such a great Historian that specialized in the odd and unusual. It made sense though. It was the same reason why Dad worked at the DA’s office and why Mom was a nurse. I would venture a guess that Momma E was a top PR specialist of a huge tech company because it kept her in the know. Each of them did what they could to help out in whichever way possible.

“Someone still found her despite the protections put in place in Louisiana. We left immediately and covered every single trail. I called in every favor that I could in order to make us disappear. Once we moved here, everything went radio silent. We did not get a single peep that anyone was still looking for her. I ensured that the protections were still kept in place just in case for her sake,” Rick finished.

My hands leaned against the back of the chair in front of me as I tried to calm my anger down. Jadelynn would be very sad if I ended up punching her father, and I could really do with punching him right now. He just admitted that they knew her abilities would be dangerous for anyone to know about them. Did they not think to let her know that?

“Is that why Jae had no idea that her body would warn her when there was danger nearby?” I asked.

“We taught her to stay vigilant,” he pushed back.

My hands slammed down hard on the table in front of me. Everyone was startled by my outburst, but I did not give a shit at all. I leveled him with the harshest look I could because I wanted him to pay very close attention to my words.

“Staying vigilant isn’t the same as teaching her to trust her instincts. Do you know why radio silence happened? You had two Guardians protecting her. Of course, nobody would fuck with her. When we left for the summer, she started feeling like she was being watched. She didn’t say anything to anyone because she thought she was overreacting. The other day she got a call from ‘Dayla’ telling her that her time, interviewer, and location had been changed. She got those warning bells with that call and finally opened up to me about this summer. Eighteen warning bells was what she had before last night. Last night, she got the most intense feeling of unease ever. She was absolutely terrified. She knew you were hiding things from her. She knew that there were some leads that you came across but had no context for what that meant. My parents and I didn’t come to you because you would have disappeared with her just like you did those other two times.”

They looked stunned because the truth got slapped in their face. I shook my head and walked out onto the porch for a few minutes to breathe. Where was she now?

Jadelynn had to stay strong because I would find her. One way or another, I would find her and bring her back home.