Read Online Redemption by Denise Grover Swank - Free Book Online
Authors: Denise Grover Swank
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start first thing in the morning.”
“Okay.”
“We’re going to win this.”
“I know.” But she didn’t.
She turned to look up at him. His gaze was on the waves, awe in his eyes. “So you really came here when you were a kid?”
“Only a couple of summers, but those two summers were awesome. I always loved the water. I guess I know why now.”
Had she loved fire when she was a kid? Not that she remembered, but Jake had always been fascinated by it.
“I know there’s a fire pit around here somewhere. I can get some firewood and run up to the cabin and look for something to light it with.”
“I just blew up half of Albuquerque. Lighting a fire is nothing.”
“Emma…”
“It’s done. We need to move on.” She knew she had to let Albuquerque go, or at the very least, stop making Will endure her guilt. But the soot-covered and bloodied faces of the people rushing out of the buildings still haunted her. “I’d rather just go to bed.”
“Okay.”
“But not yet. I want to stay here a minute.” There was something soothing about the waves washing over her feet. The way the sand was sucked beneath her feet. She realized she’d spent her life like this—digging her toes into the sand while circumstances rushed in and sucked away every bit of her life that mattered. But she was done. Done reacting to the things thrown at her. It was time to take control and seek retribution from the people who’d made her suffer.
Closing her eyes, she reached out to Jake with her mind, calling his name. Her calls disappeared into nothingness and her heart squeezed with fear. Why couldn’t she sense him? Had something happened? She tried to relax, remembering that she’d encountered the same feeling after Aiden had taken Will’s memory and his mark. She’d mistaken it as a sign that Will was dead, but she was wrong. If she’d lost her connection to Will because Aiden had erased his mark, both on Will’s skin and hers, had the same happened with Jake? Had she lost the fire mark that appeared the night her son was conceived?
She stepped away from Will and jerked down her t-shirt, craning to look over her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t feel Jake. Is his mark still there?” Her voice shook with fear.
He tugged her shirt down farther, turning her so the moonlight shone on her back. “It’s there. Along with water.”
“But not your mark?”
“No, it’s still gone. But something new is there.”
“ What?” She stretched her neck, sending a spasm in her shoulders. “What is it?”
“It looks like two triangles. One is upside down and they intersect.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but they weren’t there a couple of days ago. Trust me, I would know.”
“What does the water mark mean? Is it you? I got it when I discovered your mark.”
“I don’t know. You said Raphael told you it was gone after you lost my protector mark. I didn’t trust him at the time, but maybe he told you the truth. Maybe they both had to do with me. Then the water mark reappeared when I came back.”
“Maybe.” But she had another theory—and right now, she didn’t want to tell him what she really suspected the mark might mean. The thought sent a new shockwave of anxiety through her. Her fire mark had appeared six years ago, when Jake was conceived. The water mark had appeared after she and Will had made love the first time. The night their baby was conceived. And the mark disappeared the night she miscarried.
So a new water mark could only mean one thing…
She cut off the thought, unable to accept the possibility. She could be wrong. Alex was Jake’s father, so shouldn’t she have gotten an air mark the night Jake was conceived? Maybe the marks had a meaning she hadn’t yet thought of.
“There’s a picture of the mark of The Chosen One in the book, but no other symbols. It must have to do with our joining.”
“But two triangles seem weird when the other marks are
“Okay.”
“We’re going to win this.”
“I know.” But she didn’t.
She turned to look up at him. His gaze was on the waves, awe in his eyes. “So you really came here when you were a kid?”
“Only a couple of summers, but those two summers were awesome. I always loved the water. I guess I know why now.”
Had she loved fire when she was a kid? Not that she remembered, but Jake had always been fascinated by it.
“I know there’s a fire pit around here somewhere. I can get some firewood and run up to the cabin and look for something to light it with.”
“I just blew up half of Albuquerque. Lighting a fire is nothing.”
“Emma…”
“It’s done. We need to move on.” She knew she had to let Albuquerque go, or at the very least, stop making Will endure her guilt. But the soot-covered and bloodied faces of the people rushing out of the buildings still haunted her. “I’d rather just go to bed.”
“Okay.”
“But not yet. I want to stay here a minute.” There was something soothing about the waves washing over her feet. The way the sand was sucked beneath her feet. She realized she’d spent her life like this—digging her toes into the sand while circumstances rushed in and sucked away every bit of her life that mattered. But she was done. Done reacting to the things thrown at her. It was time to take control and seek retribution from the people who’d made her suffer.
Closing her eyes, she reached out to Jake with her mind, calling his name. Her calls disappeared into nothingness and her heart squeezed with fear. Why couldn’t she sense him? Had something happened? She tried to relax, remembering that she’d encountered the same feeling after Aiden had taken Will’s memory and his mark. She’d mistaken it as a sign that Will was dead, but she was wrong. If she’d lost her connection to Will because Aiden had erased his mark, both on Will’s skin and hers, had the same happened with Jake? Had she lost the fire mark that appeared the night her son was conceived?
She stepped away from Will and jerked down her t-shirt, craning to look over her shoulder.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t feel Jake. Is his mark still there?” Her voice shook with fear.
He tugged her shirt down farther, turning her so the moonlight shone on her back. “It’s there. Along with water.”
“But not your mark?”
“No, it’s still gone. But something new is there.”
“ What?” She stretched her neck, sending a spasm in her shoulders. “What is it?”
“It looks like two triangles. One is upside down and they intersect.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but they weren’t there a couple of days ago. Trust me, I would know.”
“What does the water mark mean? Is it you? I got it when I discovered your mark.”
“I don’t know. You said Raphael told you it was gone after you lost my protector mark. I didn’t trust him at the time, but maybe he told you the truth. Maybe they both had to do with me. Then the water mark reappeared when I came back.”
“Maybe.” But she had another theory—and right now, she didn’t want to tell him what she really suspected the mark might mean. The thought sent a new shockwave of anxiety through her. Her fire mark had appeared six years ago, when Jake was conceived. The water mark had appeared after she and Will had made love the first time. The night their baby was conceived. And the mark disappeared the night she miscarried.
So a new water mark could only mean one thing…
She cut off the thought, unable to accept the possibility. She could be wrong. Alex was Jake’s father, so shouldn’t she have gotten an air mark the night Jake was conceived? Maybe the marks had a meaning she hadn’t yet thought of.
“There’s a picture of the mark of The Chosen One in the book, but no other symbols. It must have to do with our joining.”
“But two triangles seem weird when the other marks are
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