“I don’t know,” Sheena earnestly said. “But the idea holds merit.”
It seemed to Jade each breed had much to offer, and the possibility of making those advantages mutually beneficial was certainly a notion to explore.
“Well.” Jade whisked her palms over her cheeks to wipe away the rest of her tears. Took a few deep breaths. Then she squared her shoulders, remembering her mission. “I need to make a sweep along the eastern boundary and then north to my cottage.”
They continued with minimal chatter, both lost in their own thoughts.
When they returned to Jade’s house, Sheena said, “I’ll come by at dusk tomorrow to search for the necklace if you haven’t found it during your hunt in the daylight.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“We’ll find the Star of Nathea. I promise.”
Jade suddenly felt compelled to do something very uncharacteristic of her. She hugged her vampire friend.
With a laugh, Sheena said, “Oh! That came as a surprise.” But she hugged her back. “I suppose we both still have much to learn about being a good friend.”
“I’m going to work on it.”
“As am I.”
Sheena bid her goodnight and Jade entered her cottage. She removed her boots and settled on the sofa in front of the fire, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.
She exhaled slowly and allowed her mind to wander. Thinking of her parents and all they’d done to protect the villagers—and their union with Morgan that furthered the effort—caused yet another shift within Jade.
Closing her eyes, she released her tight hold on the past. The emotions flowed through her, knotting her stomach and tugging at her heart. Burning through her veins. She neither ignored nor fought the agonizing sensations. Rather, she gave into them, the way she had over her grief of losing Davian.
More tears streamed quickly and abundantly, because she didn’t push them back. Once again, her crying turned into violent sobs that made her body convulse. Tonight, she wept for her parents—the family she’d loved.
It was harrowing for her, but Jade knew releasing all the feelings of despair was the right thing to do. The necessary thing. She desperately needed the cleansing.
Hours slid by before the tears tapered off and her body ceased shaking. She sniffled and swept away the dampness from her flushed cheeks. A few hiccups had a strange effect on her. She actually laughed.
Following more deep breaths, she told herself it was time to move on. Time to stop living day-to-day, and focus on her future and her new role within the community. Time to let her friends into her life, and be an integral part of theirs—human and demon alike.
She even decided to invite Morgan to dinner, the way her parents once had. Unfortunately, he’d have to suffer through her less-than-stellar cooking.
As for Davian… Jade couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible to win him back.
First, she’d find the necklace. Then she’d take it to him at the castle and gauge the emotional barometer.
She’d force herself to weather any storm with him—provided he was even interested in engaging with her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Davian spent the better part of a Saturday morning at the burned-out church. He stood on the ledge and stared at the land sprawled before him, having a magnificent panoramic view. The sun was shining, yet there were still patches of snow on the ground. Some of the tree limbs were laden with a half-inch or so of fleecy, undisturbed white.
A breeze rippled the water in spots that had begun to thaw along the river. In two more months, the grass along the banks would be a lush, vibrant green. The wildflowers would bloom. The needles on the pines would be fresh and hearty, not dried and brittle. The river would flow freely, undulating with the rapids and the steady current.
The birds had already begun to migrate back from their winter in the south and they chirped in a lively way as they fluttered about, in search of branches not covered in snow to perch themselves on or nest in.
Spring was Davian’s favorite season. Granted, it wasn’t in full swing now, but edging close.
He enjoyed the solitude and the scenery from his current post, though in the back of his mind, he toyed with the idea of leveling the tall structure on which the church stood. It was, after all, a constant reminder of what had happened to Jade during the fire wraith’s second attack.
Davian had come here a couple of times over the past month, for no reason other than it seemed to be the one place he could think about her and let his emotions move through him when he wasn’t around anyone at the castle to take his angst and frustration out on. Or for them to take note over how incessantly he yearned for her.
As he’d told Sheena, forgiveness was not the issue at hand. How to reconcile with Jade and find some sort of tranquility and mutual accord between them was, so they could be together. Yet even as he contemplated that notion, he wondered if it was too late. He’d allowed a huge span of time to slip by without seeing her or communicating with her in any form.