Significance (44 page)

“He’s just grandstanding for his ego. He better know not to mess with you again,” Caleb assured me and I sighed as I leaned on him. “Just hold on, baby. We’ll have you back home in no time.”

Home. Dad.

I don’t remember a time I’d ever seen my dad move so fast.

I had ridden the whole long ride there with my head in Caleb’s lap in the backseat while Peter drove way above the speed limit. I had been so anxious, so worried about dad and though I very much wanted to see him, I was worried that he’d forbid me to see Caleb or never let me leave the house again because of what happened.

And now, with my dad rushing to meet me at the SUV side, I couldn’t think about anything but the red eyes and dark circles on my father’s pale and sleep deprived face.

“Oh, baby girl.” He grabbed me up from the ground and held me too tightly but I didn’t complain. Caleb looked like he wanted to, feeling what I was feeling but I smiled at him to show I was ok. Dad needed this. “I’m so glad you’re ok.” He placed my feet to the ground and looked angrily over at Peter. I was just about to jump in and defend him but dad spoke first. “Who was it? Who took my daughter and why? If I ever get my hands on him-”

“We took care of it,” Peter said coolly. “You don’t have to worry about anything.”

“Thank you, Peter. I’m in your debt,” he said and looked back at me.

“No, I’m afraid you’re in Caleb’s debt, Jim,” Peter said, slapped my dad on the back and smiled. “He found her, not me.”

My dad’s gaze shifted over to Caleb and Caleb shrugged his shoulders, his side of his mouth curling up in a little sad smile.

“Caleb,” my dad started but stopped. He looked on the verge of tears. He released me and went to Caleb, grabbing him in a rough hug. “Thank you son.” I could read all the thoughts my dad had about Caleb and Caleb could read them through me. My dad was grateful and regretful for the things he’d said to Caleb. He was also worried that this was going to increase the intensity of Caleb and my relationship even further and he thought I wasn’t ready for that. If only he knew. “I don’t know how I can repay you for this.”
“You don’t have to.” My dad pulled back from Caleb but didn’t move away. “I love her, sir.” Caleb’s voice was rough with emotion. “I will always do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

“I know that, now. I mean it. You are always welcome in my house.” Then Dad cocked his head a little. “Will he try this again? Taking her? Who is this guy? What does he want with her?”

“No. We’ll keep an eye out, she’ll be safe,” Peter assured. “We took care of it but, Maggie is the one who got away from them. We found her in the woods after she escaped from them the day before. She survived over night out there. She’s quite a capable young lady.”

That was it. The dam broke. My dad burst with silent sobs, shaking, and pulled me to him again. Once I calmed him down with small murmurs and pats to his back he spoke gruffly as he pulled back, holding my upper arms to look at me.

“You slept in the woods? How- How did you get away? What did they do to you? What did you- Did they hurt you?”

He looked me over and saw no bruises, but that’s only because Caleb had already healed me of them.

“Dad. I’m-” I hadn’t really thought of a way to explain yet. “I’m really tired. I don’t want to relive it yet.”

“But, we’ve got to call the police and tell them to stop looking for you.”

“We will. Tomorrow ok? I can’t talk to them tonight.”

“Ok. Yeah. Yeah, of course.”

His mind was still raging with unanswered questions about what had happened. He was wondering if they had done something to me and I just was down-playing it all.

“I’m ok, dad.”

“I’m so glad your home and safe, kiddo.”

“Me too.”

He turned to Caleb and his dad.

“Thank you again. I don’t know what I can do but if there’s every anything-”

“No need,” Peter insisted. “Maggie is like family to us. We take care of our family.”

My dad nodded.

“Ok. Well, I’ll take her to bed then. Good night.”

My heart gave me the most violent clinching it ever had at his words and the thought behind them. Putting me to bed alone, he’d be checking on me every five minutes because he was scared to death now that something would happen to me again. He might even sleep in the chair in my room for who knows how long.

Caleb grunted and grabbed my arm as if to halt my dad’s progress.

“Mr. Masters, please.”

“I told you, it’s Jim.” He looked at Caleb’s hand on my arm and gave him a sympathetic look. “I know you missed Maggie too, but after everything she’s been through, I think it’s best if she goes on to bed for tonight. You can come over, first thing in the morning.”

I started to panic. I didn’t think Sikes would attack in an echoling dream again but we’d learned that Marcus could channel his uncle because they’d done it so many times. I wasn’t so sure about him. Plus the thought of being without Caleb after four days was excruciating.

I heard Peter’s thoughts and looked at him. He knew I heard and was waiting for the ok from me. Tell him? Tell dad everything about us, about the Aces. About my abilities and Caleb being my soul mate. Caleb read his father’s thoughts through me.

Up to you. And just so you know, your dad will be the first human to know about us. My dad is making a huge leap of faith with this. We never, ever tell humans. What do you want to do? Can he handle it?

I don’t know.

My dad was a lot of things but gullible wasn’t one of them. As bad as I didn’t want to lie to him anymore and it would be so much easier for him to know, I hoped he would be able to believe me but I wasn’t sure. What if he didn’t give us a chance to explain and tried to drag me inside? That wouldn’t go over well on either side.

Baby.
I looked up at Caleb.
Whatever you want I’ll do it. But you read his thoughts. He’s gonna be a little nuts about you if we don’t tell him. I’ll go home if you think it’s best...well, I won’t go home but I won’t come to your room if you don’t want me to. Whatever you want. Just tell me.

“Maggie?” Dad said and looked at me curiously.

I looked at him as he stood on the curb, the uncut grass long and curling up around his ankles as he stood in his bare feet, in his wrinkled striped short sleeve button up shirt and jeans. His hair needed to be cut something awful. The signs on his face that showed just how much he’d aged this past year. This wasn’t fair to do this to him. But the alternative- just running away or fighting with him constantly- wasn’t an option either. My dad deserved the truth, even if he resented me for it in the end.

“Dad. Can we go inside and talk for a minute? With Peter and Caleb? We need to explain something to you.”

He looked between us all and then grabbed his head.

“Oh no. You’re pregnant!”
“No, of course not.” I rolled my eyes as he sighed long and loud. “We just need to talk to you.”

“Are you getting married?” he said and cut his eyes at Caleb.

I blushed at the idea and hurriedly shut my mind, focusing on dad, so I didn’t hear Caleb nor Peter’s thoughts on that one.

“No, dad.”

“Maggie, we can do this tomorrow. It’s late and you’ve been through a lot. You need rest and whatever you have to tell me can wait.”

“No, dad. This needs to be done now. Please?”

He lifted a brow at me and I read his thoughts before he said them and it was so very strange.

“Alright,” he conceded unwittingly to the cause. “Come on. Let’s go to the den.”

He looked perturbed when I reached for Caleb’s hand instead of his but led the way inside and got everyone a glass of sweet tea as we sat, me on the loveseat beside Caleb, his hand in my lap holding mine.

“Ok. What’s so important that this couldn’t wait?”
I looked up at Peter who sat on the opposite sofa beside my father. He smiled encouragingly at me. I nodded to him and he began to tell my father all about them and us, Caleb and I, everything. He started with one loaded sentence.

“Jim, my family is a supernatural one that obtains abilities through imprinting with a mate, a soul mate, which my son is to your daughter.”

I waited for him to bolt but my dad just stared at him. So Peter continued. And continued. And continued. He told him everything there was to tell, some things I’d never even heard before. I had to give my dad credit for being attentive and seemingly open minded as he was told a load of things that I wouldn’t have listened to if I hadn’t imprinted with Caleb and felt it first hand.

Caleb squeezed my hand soothingly as his father explained how we needed to be together, touching, reading each other, everything. How we were it for each other and would always be together. Then he told him about my newfound abilities. Through it all my father remained stoic.

Then after almost an hour, Peter ended.

“I know it’s a lot to take in but we’re family now and I want you to know that though we love Maggie, we have no intentions of taking her from you. You are the only human that we’ve ever told, the only one who knows about us. This is an unusual situation but a remarkable one. We want this to work easily and not have discord between you and Maggie over it. I’m sure, as a father myself, that you feel an array of things right now but above all else know that we’ll never lie to you from this day forward and that Maggie is important to us and we’ll protect her with our lives.”

Dad looked at me. His eyes were guarded but his mind was filled and overflowing with thoughts. Scrambled. Some were angry, some were skeptical, some were down right hurt. I winced at the onslaught and he leaned forward a little towards me.

“Maggie.” He swallowed hard, spoke softly. “Are you really going to sit there and tell me that you can read my thoughts?”

I’d known it was coming. I’d known he wouldn’t just believe us but it still hurt to see his disappointment. He thought I was gullible and naïve. That I’d let them dupe me into believing this crazy scheme. He was scared for me. He was thinking that he needed to call the police again- for a restraining order this time. He was worried that they’d take me or I’d run away with them if he threw a fit so he tried to remain calm, for my sake.

“Think of something,” I told him and winced again as he bombarded me. “Think one thing,” I clarified quickly.

He sighed and pursed his lips, clearly not wanting to continue but humoring me, thinking he’d prove me wrong. He thought of the time he was teaching me to ride my bike and I crashed into the back of mom’s car, scratching the bumper in the process, but I also scratched my forehead. I still had a scar on my hairline.

She had been worried about the car, he had been worried about me.

“You always worried about me,” I said softly remembering everything. “We should have seen the signs about mom back then. We should have realized something was wrong with her, that she wasn’t happy. What kinda of mom cares more about her bumper than her kid?”

Dad’s jaw fell open and he looked at me with someone bordering fright.

“It’s ok, dad.”

He reigned in and his features were replaced with a flat expression. He never took his eyes from me. He lifted an eyebrow in contest and thought again some things to test me. He wasn’t giving in that easy. His first thought.

What’s my birthday?

“Dec 24
^th
.”

His eyes went wide but he kept going.

What’s the capital of Georgia?

“
Atlanta.”

His face got even more determined.

What’s two plus two?”

“Six.” His brow lifted higher. “I’m kidding dad. It’s four.”

Who’s the thirty second president?

“
Come on, dad. I wouldn’t know that answer even if you asked me out loud.”

He covered his mouth and chin with his hand and continued to look at me. His eyes softened a little. I saw it happen before his thoughts hit me. He believed me, how could he not after that demonstration, but that didn’t mean he was thrilled about it. He blamed Caleb for doing this to me.

“So. This is your fault?” His eyes left me for the first time in five minutes and he turned his gaze to Caleb. He scowled furiously. “You knew this would happen, that she’d be a freak and you did it anyway?”

“Dad,” I said sharply and he looked back at me. “This isn’t his fault, he had no control-”

“But he knew what he was. He shouldn’t have ever touched you if that was the case. You don’t belong to this life. You’re not like them and now, you’ll never be the same.” He shook his head and in his mind he decided he wouldn’t go quietly into the night about this. He was gonna let me have it. “And now, look at you. Following his lead and listening to every little sweet nothing he says just because you think you’re stuck with him for life? Well, I’ll figure something out, to break or stop this...this imprint thing. You don’t have to be a freak against your will-”

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” I shouted. “Caleb and I imprinted. I know you were listening to Peter, I can see your thoughts, dad, so don’t act like now you didn’t hear him. You know that we didn’t choose this, it happened
to
us. It’s not something you can control. My abilities didn’t come until a couple days ago, they’ve had nothing to do with Caleb and I up until now. And I’m not a freak and neither are they.”