The End of Darkness (20 page)

“I'm going back to Maryland,” Magnus said, pressing Erica's hand to his mouth. “
We're
 going back. Amy will be having her baby any moment now. And I need to see Lachlan.”
 

Pope laced his fingers with Suza’s. “Suza, you’ll come with me to Maryland? I’d like you to meet my family.”

Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded. “But I’ve got to get Carlene out of jail.”

“I have ways of clearing up those kinds of matters.” He turned back to Magnus and Erica. “We’ll visit, but I believe I'll be returning here for a few weeks.”

Suza leaned closer to Pope. “Months. Years.”

He smiled. “Yes, years sounds good.” He glanced up into the night sky. “I like it here.” Then he looked at Suza. “Very much.”

Magnus chuckled, finding it odd to see Pope…well, in love. “Good for you. Both of you.” He turned to Erica. “Good for us, too. I'm thinking months. Years. Who knows? My life is full of possibilities again. And I happen to like the possibility right in front of me.” 

She kissed him, something he treasured because he knew how hard doing that had once been for her.

They all crammed into Suza’s truck and drove to Magnus’s BMW, which was still parked at the trailhead. Where Erica had followed him because she thought he was a killer. It was almost laughable now. Everything had happened just the way it was supposed to, though. Aye, he believed in fate.

Erica stared down the trail, her expression dark. 

He came up behind her. “Thinking of the man Nester killed?”

She nodded but broke out of the thought, her face reflecting how she released the image. “Let’s get out of here.”

He opened the door and pulled out his phone. “I’ve got several missed calls.”

“Two will be from me,” Pope said, ready to head off with Suza. 

“Four are from Lachlan. Something’s wrong.” He listened as Lachlan told him that Amy was going into labor, and then where the birthing center was, and then another call: “I hope you’re not so shattered or mad at me that you’d not come out, especially how daft you got about the baby.”

Erica gave him a questioning look, and Magnus shook his head. “I didn’t get 
daft.
 But aye, I was taken in by the whole miracle of it.” There was something magical about Amy's belly growing, her body creating a person inside her. And the way Lucas held her, proud and protective, had sparked that kind of desire in Magnus, too. He deleted that call and listened to the next: Amy just had the baby. And Lachlan was worried about his brother.
 

Magnus's chest filled with his need to see him. He disconnected and turned to Pope, who was waiting. “Amy’s had the baby. Can you work your magic one more time to get us there? I’ve got an address.”

Pope grinned. “I'll give it a try. We’ll be shielded for a few seconds until I can ascertain whether anyone who should not see us appear out of thin air isn’t there.”

 Erica said, “I can wait for you—”

“No, you’re coming with me. I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Bossy, aren’t you?”

He smiled. “Aye, it’s not the Darkness. I think it’s the being in love part. It’s something I’ve got to get used to. All I know is I don’t want you away from me. And I want you to meet my brother and friends.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “I'll meet the guy who killed Jerryl?”

“Aye, I’m sure he’ll be there. He’s the new father’s best friend.”

The three put their hands on Pope’s arm. In a 
whoosh
, they stood in a cheery and very crowded room. 
 

“What do I do with this thing?” Amy asked when the nurse set the baby in her arms. Her green eyes were huge as she stared at her baby girl. “I’ve been reading all the books but everything just flew right out of my head.” 

Lucas settled in beside her on the bed, pressing close to her. His gaze was on the baby, too. “We’ll figure it out, babe. And look, we’ve got plenty of help.” He gestured to the people around them. 

The nurse patted Amy’s leg. “You’ll be fine, darlin’. Every new mom says the same thing, but being a parent is an innate ability. You’ll make mistakes but you’ll get it right most of the time.” She pointed to the group. “Be quiet in here. You’ve all way exceeded the limit.”

Petra squeezed in on Amy’s other side, her face aglow as she touched the baby’s cheek. “You are so beautiful, Francesca Emily Vanderwyck.”

The moment the nurse exited, the shield fell away. 

“Pope!”

Petra ran over and gave him a hug. Everyone turned to them, first surprise and then warmth on their faces. Lachlan, standing next to Jessie, also wore his hesitation. Magnus stalked toward him, keeping his expression neutral. Make the bastard sweat another second or two. 

He grabbed hold of him and yanked him into a bear hug. “Locky.”

Lachlan’s arms went round him then. “Maggie.”

Magnus didn’t want to let him go, but he forced himself to step back. “It’s alright. I’m alright.” He raised his arms. “I don’t Hold Darkness anymore.”

Jessie stepped closer. “Thank God. But how?”

“It’s a long story, and not one I’m going to dump out here. But it’s gone, Pope is safe, and I’m glad to be home.” He clasped his brother’s shoulder. “With my brother and the woman he’s probably going to marry.”

Jessie's expression crumpled. “I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t be. My brother is happy, and that means the world to me.” He turned and gestured for Erica to come over. “I want you to meet the reason I’m happy. This is Erica. Erica Evrard.” He let the name sink in. They had everyone’s attention anyway, all waiting, no doubt, to see if Magnus would explode in Darkness at seeing Lachlan and Jessie. A few soft gasps sounded as he turned her toward the rest of the group. “Aye, Jerryl’s sister.” He introduced her to Lachlan and Jessie.

Erica shook hands with them and then studied the group. “Which one of you killed him?” 

Eric stepped forward, his expression contrite. A rare thing in itself. “I did. We were in a war—”

She walked over and thrust out her hand. “Thank you.”

Eric seemed to push past his shock and clasped her hand. “You’re welcome.”

Magnus came up behind her, draping his arms over her shoulders. “Turns out he was a bigger bastard than we thought. No need to get into it but suffice it to say you did the world a favor.” He turned to her. “This is Eric, who’s married to Fonda. She worked with Jerryl.” No need either to mention that she’d dated him. “I’m not going to bombard you with everyone’s names right now; you’ll have time to get to know them. We’re sort of family. We’ve been through a lot together. They’re sort of your family, too. We all share the Callorian essence.”

He couldn’t tell what she thought about that, but her face warmed and her eyes watered. Did she have any family? Anyone in her life? Considering what she’d been doing these last years, he guessed not. Now she would, him and all of these people.

He turned her toward Amy. “But this is the reason we came so quickly. Amy and Lucas Vanderwyck, new parents. And baby Francesca.”

“After Lucas’s mom,” Amy said, her face bright. “And Emily for my mom.”

Magnus leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek, then shook Lucas’s hand. “Congratulations.” Then he took in the beautiful babe in Amy’s arms. “She’s brilliant.” He took her tiny hand. “Pleased to meet you. Welcome to your mad family.”

He turned to all of them, Olivia and Nicholas, Zoe and Rand, everyone. They were his family. It wasn’t just him and Lachlan anymore. 

Amy laughed, but it faded as she looked at him, Erica, and then Pope and Suza. “You will tell us why you all look as though you’ve been crawling around in the dirt, right? Why you’re bruised and cut and look like hell. I mean, I know I look like hell, but I’ve been in labor for umpteen hours. You all don’t have that excuse.”

Magnus glanced over at Pope and Suza, with Petra planted between them, one arm around both. Then he pulled Erica close. “Later. Just know everything’s okay. And now that we know you’re safe, we’re going back to Arizona to recover.” He squeezed her hand. “And do lots of sleeping.” His thumb traced a circle on her palm, and she gave him a clever smile. Aye, she got it.

Pope came over with Suza. “Yes, a lot of sleeping. We’ll check back in a few days, once we attend to a few matters.”

Petra gave him a sly grin. “Yeah, you have fun with that.”

They clasped their hands on Pope again, all connected in a way no one but them would ever understand. Magnus touched his mouth to Erica’s just before the 
whoosh
.
 

THE END

FROM THE AUTHOR

I hope you’ve enjoyed the (for now) last book in the Offspring series! New to the Offspring? Start from the beginning and experience all of the passion, danger, and suspense! See the sneak peek of A PERFECT DARKNESS, the first book in the Offspring series, below.

The books, in order:

A PERFECT DARKNESS

OUT OF THE DARKNESS

TOUCHING DARKNESS

BURNING DARKNESS

BEYOND THE DARKNESS

DARKNESS BECOMES HER

And two novellas (that dovetail into the events of THE END OF DARKNESS)

THE DARKNESS WITHIN

TURN TO DARKNESS

THE END OF DARKNESS

Go to 
www.jaimerush.com
 for all the details, as well as to sign up for my Yahoo newsletter so you can find out first about my new series coming from Grand Central Publishing—The Hidden.
 

Miami. A melting pot of cultures: American, Cuban, Haitian…Dragons, Angels, and sorcerers. Magick hides behind the glitter and sunshine, where humans imbued with the essence of deities keep the balance between angry and forgotten gods, demons, and those of their kind who cannot fight the seductive lure of their magick.

Look for two 
Hidden 
novellas coming out in the summer of 2013 and a trilogy in January/February/March of 2014!
 

For romantic suspense with a touch of the paranormal, check out my Tina Wainscott e-books, available in most formats! Go to 
www.jaimerush.com
 for details. For straight romantic suspense, check 
www.tinawainscott.com
 for updates.
 

A PERFECT DARKNESS

CHAPTER 1

“Mr. Bromley, there's no need to fling yourself out of the window.”  Amy Shane covered her cockatoo's cage with the obnoxious bright orange blanket before he started squawking, like he did whenever she was on the phone.  “I have a ninety-five percent retrieval rate.” Her love life might be non-existent, and her plan to eat healthier was feeble at best, but she was damned good at saving people's data.

“My presentation is on that drive.  My only copy, I know, I'm an idiot for not backing it up, and then to drop it—” He let out an agonized groan.  

She returned to the second bedroom of her apartment, cracked open the laptop case, and studied the damp interior. “And how did it end up in a pool…you know what, I don't want to know.  Is there anything else on the drive that you need?”

“There's one folder titled 
Upcoming Issues
 that's rather important.  Just business documents, but of a, ah, sensitive nature.”
 

She knew he was lying about the folder's contents.  Whatever it contained held significant emotional relevance…and the potential to embarrass him.  She didn't really want to know that.  She didn't want to see the green glow that told her he was hiding something.  

She plugged the hard drive into her computer. “I'd better get working on it.”

“You'll call—”

“The moment I know what we've got,” she assured.

“I hope so,” he said, his voice and glow emanating anxiety; if she didn't retrieve his data, she might have to do some suicide counseling. Wouldn't be the first time.

It was bad enough seeing people's glows—what she later learned were called auras—when she was physically with them.  That had started when she was a kid, seeing her teacher's yellow glow and knowing the woman was sad, and then doing the really dumb thing and trying to comfort her.  Which freaked the woman out and taught Amy a more important lesson than math or reading: seeing colors that indicated people's moods or intentions, was weird.

In the last few years they'd gotten pervasive.  Everywhere she went, she saw that smoky mist.  Oh, how people lied and hid their pain, and how that deceit made her distrustful.  That was why she worked out of her home and hardly saw anyone.  Except now she was seeing glows through the frickin' phone!

She uncovered Orn'ry's cage.  He made happy clicking sounds, and his “crown” of white feathers sprang to attention when she opened his door.  “Okay, you can come into my office now.”  She held out her arm, and Orn'ry climbed aboard.  She sat down at her work table, and he climbed up to her shoulder.  She liked working to alternative rock cranked loud.  For Orn'ry's sake she slipped on her headphones.

Orn'ry pecked at the ear piece.  “Stop it,” she growled.  Then he pecked her nose.  “Ow!” She shooed him off, and he fluttered to his stand.  He wasn't called ornery for nothing.  That's how he'd ended up at the animal shelter where she volunteered.  No one could stand him, and he languished, destined to become a breeder parrot. She couldn't bear that thought, and besides, she'd come to like the little bugger.  More interestingly, he'd come to like her, too.  She would have adopted half of the animals at the shelter if her apartment complex allowed more than caged pets.

A quick Internet search revealed that Mr. Bromley was a U.S. Congressman.  She returned to the drive.  “Please don't let me find anything really scuzzy on here.  I don't want to be known as the “whistleblower” all over CNN and the Internet.”  Her policy was never to read clients' files unless something screamed 
sick and illegal.
  Fortunately that hadn't happened yet.
 

She reached for her mug of coffee amidst the clutter of computer parts.  The few who saw her work space were always amazed that she could function in it.  She told them she had a system, which was sort of a lie.  It was more like, if everything was out in the open, she'd eventually find it.