Judgment (The Alternate Earth Series, Book 3) (9 page)

“Why do I look like a giant marshmallow?” I ask. As soon as the word leaves my mouth, I realize I might have just discovered the source of our second code word. “Is that what we call a marshmallow? My wedding dress?”

“Not exactly,” Mason replies as he leans over and whispers into my ear the exact meaning of the code word ‘marshmallow’.

I involuntarily gasp from pleasure as Mason’s warm breath caresses the inside of my ear with his whisper. While he’s there, he gently tugs on my earlobe with his teeth, sending pleasurable tingles all through my body.

“Oh,” is the only word I can utter after learning what a marshmallow is and attempting to stop my heart from racing out of control.

Mason tilts his head and pays special attention to a rather sensitive patch of skin along my neck, one I feel sure he’s visited many times before. The sensations his lips invoke pull at hidden memories of moments spent very much like this one.

“Keep looking at the pictures,” Mason urges me as he continues his gentle assault across my flesh.

“How the hell am I supposed to concentrate on pictures at a time like this?”

Mason laughs softly and plants one last kiss on my neck before abandoning his efforts.

“Keep looking,” he says again.

I flip through the pictures that chronicle our wedding day.

“We look so happy,” I say. “I don’t know why I should be surprised by that. It was our wedding day, after all.”

“You were extremely nervous about walking down the aisle in that behemoth dress JoJo designed for you. But your dad suggested that you float so you wouldn’t trip. He promised he wouldn’t let you fall.”

“Does he call me Jessi?” I ask.

Mason’s expression perks up. “Yeah, he’s the only one who does. Did you just remember that?”

I shake my head, feeling frustrated with myself for having to tell Mason, “No. I didn’t remember that just now. I’m sorry.”

Mason looks slightly disappointed, but asks, “Then how did you know?”

“Lucian said something about not letting me fall, and I heard another male voice in my head say almost the exact same thing, except he called me ‘Jessi’.”

“You were remembering your dad, then. That’s a good thing, Jess.”

I lay Mason’s phone down on the tray. “What else is there to see on these phones?”

“I’m not completely sure,” Mason admits. “I gathered them from everyone who came with us to this reality; well, except for Jered and Tristan. They’re still out looking for the princes.”

“Nina said you had to get something from Xavier. Why would you need his phone? Isn’t he from this Earth?”

“Yes, but Malcolm gave Xavier his phone shortly after we arrived. I wanted to get it back because I knew it would have some videos of Lilly’s family. She’s Michael’s daughter.”

“But why did Malcolm give Xavier his phone?”

“Xavier lost his son a while back,” Mason explains. “Malcolm thought he would like to see the Sebastian from our world.”

“How did Xavier’s son die?”

Mason instantly looks uncomfortable with my question, but he doesn’t sugarcoat his words as he says, “You killed him.”

Stunned doesn’t quite cover how I’m feeling. Before I go completely numb, I have to ask, “Why did I kill him?”

“It happened when Faison went through the Tear,” Mason explains. “Sebastian was in wolf form when he came through to our reality. When he got there, he attacked you. You did what you had to do to defend yourself, Jess. He didn’t give you much of a choice.”

“Then why did Xavier help me? He should hate me for what I did,” I say, wondering why he would willingly help someone who killed his child. I wasn’t sure I could act as nobly.

“He’s actually grateful to you for not allowing his Sebastian to bite you. If he had, his soul would have been darkened and possibly lost forever. Xavier is a lot like our Malcolm in that regard. All either one of them has ever wanted was for their son to find peace. Malcolm’s Sebastian was granted the privilege of becoming completely human, and actually has a family of his own now with our Brand’s Abby.”

“Which one is Malcolm’s phone?” I ask.

Mason picks it up and hands it to me.

It takes me a while to go through each phone’s pictures and videos. Many of them have footage of my last birthday party. Mason tells me that it was the same night we traveled to this reality.

As I watch videos of my family back on our Earth, I begin to feel homesick. I see my children playing in the background of many of the videos. It makes me wish I could reach into the phone and pull them to me.

When Mason hands me the last phone to look through, he says, “This one is yours.”

I stare at the rather nondescript black device in my hand. I feel no sense of connection to it, but maybe I just wasn’t a phone person to begin with.

“The morning of your birthday,” Mason says, “I took a video of the kids on it. We got so busy that day that I forgot to show it to you later.”

“And it’s still on here?” I ask.

Mason nods. “Yes, it’s on there. Are you ready to see it?”

I feel my eyes begin to tear up at just the thought of seeing my children, even if it is only through a video. All I can do is nod my head, because I don’t trust my voice to remain steady.

Mason takes the phone out of my hand to cue up the video for me. He then hands the phone back to me and says, “Just tap the screen when you’re ready.”

I hold the phone in both hands. On the screen, in a perpetual state of stillness, are my children. Just looking at their sweet faces brings forth a well of emotions from deep inside my heart. With a shaky hand, I lightly touch the screen to start the video.

“What is today?” I hear Mason ask the kids from behind the camera.

“Mommy’s birthday!” Max and Brynlee say in unison, with smiles on their faces.

“And what do we say to Mommy on her birthday?”

Both my children look a little confused, but Max pipes up and says like a question, “Happy birthday?”

“And…” Mason says, hinting there should be more for them to say.

“We love you, Mommy!” Brynlee proclaims before her expression goes back to one of confusion. “But, Daddy, we say that every day. Not just on her birthday, silly!”

I hear Mason chuckle off screen. “Very true, Brynlee. And why do we tell Mommy every day that we love her?”

“Because she’s the bestest mommy in the whole world!” Brynlee declares proudly with a smile as bright as the sun on her face. “And she loves us more than anything.”

Max and Brynlee’s faces begin to blur through a veil of unshed tears. I quickly wipe at my eyes because I don’t want to miss a moment of the video.

“And who loves Mommy just as much?” Mason asks the kids.

“We do!” They proclaim.

Little Brynlee walks up to the camera and stares into it.

“Mommy,” she says, staring at me like she’s peering into my soul. “If you have to go away on your trip tonight, I promise I’ll try not to cry. I’ll miss you, so don’t stay away too long, ok?”

Brynlee kisses the screen, and the video ends.

I drop the phone in my lap, unable to hold onto it any longer as I begin to sob uncontrollably. I feel Mason wrap his arms around me, holding me against him for support that isn’t solely physical.

The images of my children stay clear inside my mind. I feel an intense jolt of longing to be with them again. Overwhelmed by this emotion, I begin to cry even harder.

Out of nowhere, I begin to see visions of my children in scenes that weren’t captured in any video I just watched, or any picture I just viewed on the phones. I grip Mason’s shirt tightly with both hands as my mind is flooded with memories of them from the past. I can remember the first time I ever felt Max kick me and joking with Mason that I had an alien inside my belly. I remember holding my firstborn for the first time, right after his delivery, and having him look at me with eyes that reminded me so much of his father. Following this memory comes one of Brynlee as she takes her first step all by herself. A treasure trove of moments from my past begins to flash through my mind, bringing with them pieces I had lost of myself.

Mason soon takes center stage within my thoughts, and the love I feel for him is quickly put into context. He’s not just my lover. He’s my best friend, my partner in life, and my rock when life threatens to give me more than I can handle. He is my anchor when storms of doubt threaten to whisk me out to sea.

As my memories return, my tears subside.

I know who I am now. I know my purpose.

I loosen my grip on Mason’s shirt, and lift my head from his chest to look up at him. I don’t have to say anything. I can tell by the look in his beautiful blue eyes that he knows what just happened.

“You’re back,” he almost cries, grabbing me fiercely to him, as if he never intends to let me go again.

I feel him tremble in my arms as he’s finally able to let go of all the worry he’s been bravely hiding from me all this time. It takes him a moment to compose himself, but finally he loosens his death grip on me enough to lean back and look me in the eyes.

“How did you know that would work?” I ask him, marveling at my ingenious husband.

“I didn’t,” he tells me with a small shrug, “but after Rafe explained the chemical changes your brain would undergo, I took a chance on trying to stimulate the same effect in a different way. I knew if you were able to connect with our kids on an emotional level, that your brain would produce a large dose of oxytocin and dopamine. I didn’t know if it that would be enough, but I prayed it would be.”

“Why did you want to try this first?” I ask. “Why not just make love to me to make it happen?”

“Because I wanted to make love to my wife,” Mason tells me. “Not someone who saw me as a stranger. I wanted
my
Jess back. I needed you whole.”

“Now that you have me,” I tell him, leaning my chest against his, “what exactly do you plan to do with me, Mr. Collier?”

“Everything,” Mason promises, phasing us to the bed without wasting any time.

I expect him to ravish me, but, as usual, my husband decides to test not only my patience, but also my limits.

He starts out maddeningly slow, with small kisses all over my face. Each kiss seems to be a declaration of his love. When his mouth finally covers mine, I hear myself whimper slightly as the sweetness of his tongue slips between my lips. Without warning, Mason pulls away from me, instantly making my body ache for his return.

“Where are you going?” I ask breathlessly as he slips off the bed and walks over to the chair, where his backpack is laying.

He looks over his shoulder at me with a playful grin. “Do you remember me saying that I brought something of yours to this reality?”

I have to think for a moment, but the item in question comes to mind.

“My black scarf,” I say with certainty, remembering him telling me that he brought it along on this trip. It was how Ava’s daughter, Mia, was able to find me while I flew around New York City after escaping Lucian the first time. She used my scent on the scarf while she was in wolf form to hunt me down.

Mason turns around to his backpack and pulls out the item in question. With an end of the scarf gripped firmly in one hand, he faces me again and says, “Come here.”

It isn’t exactly an order. Mason’s tone makes a familiar promise that compliance with his wishes will be richly rewarded.

As I stand up from the bed, Mason strolls over to me and gently tucks the sides of my hair behind both my ears. I watch him closely as he takes the other end of the scarf into his empty hand and twirls it to make a blindfold. I close my eyes as he wraps the silky fabric around my head and over my eyes. After he ties the ends into a loose knot, my world suddenly becomes alive through a series of sounds and sensations.

I feel Mason’s hands travel in tandem over my shoulders and down my arms. His touch disappears after he reaches my elbows, but I soon hear the soft brush of his pants as he takes a step closer to reach around me. His warm breath washes over the left side of my neck as he finds the zipper at the back of my dress. I hear the distinctive click of it being slowly drawn down. As my newly-bared flesh is revealed to him, Mason glides his other hand down its smoothness, as if he’s laying claim to it.

When the zipper reaches its end, Mason lifts his hands to pull the straps of my dress off my shoulders, allowing it to drift down to the floor in a small pile at my feet.

Mason’s hands leave my body, and I hear the soft rustle of fabric as he removes his own clothing. I stand completely still because I’m not sure what Mason intends to do next. If I know my husband at all, he already has a plan in mind, and far be it from me to mess it up.

I feel Mason’s large hands grip the sides of my hips firmly as he comes back to stand in front of me. His fingers slip past the waistband of my panties. He uses his newfound leverage to tug them down my legs.

After I step out of them, Mason’s hands rest on my hips again.

“Sit down,” he instructs, gently pressing on my hips.

When I do as instructed, I feel Mason’s hands converge inward, spreading my thighs apart. As his lips press against the sensitive flesh of one inner thigh, I take in a sharp breath. Mason’s lips never stay in one place for too long, and, with the blindfold on, I’m unable to see where his next kisses will land until I feel them. Yet, he continuously holds himself back from pressing his mouth on the one place I want him to the most.