drag the ground.
Still, he is every bit of one hundred eighty-five centimeters. A good height, though somewhat short for a Reflective.
Stop that, Jeb. He is not a Reflective—he never will be.
Beth is short, and she was hades on wheels as a Reflective. Jeb winces at the thought. He now loathes the idea of her fighting. He doesn't care if TC needs her.
Jeb is bonded to her. And he knows deep within his being that he could not go on without Beth.
She remains blissfully ignorant of the scope and depth of his feelings due to the bond. That knowledge fouls his mood.
“Do I pass the test?”
“Huh?” Jeb looks up. He'd stopped moving—his eyes were at his feet.
Beth undoes him. All the conventions and things of importance disappear when countered by the soul bond.
“You're fine,” Jeb says.
“What is your major malfunction?” Jacky’s question comes across as a goad.
Jeb reins in his temper. “I'm clearly distracted. My home world has been turned upside down. My former partner is now my soul mate—yet she doesn't ken to it. And I have two Threes I'm responsible for, and I don't know the first thing about tending them.”
“Pfft! We're not pets, Merrick. We can ʻtendʼ to ourselves. I never signed up for babysitting, and I don't think Maddie needs your charity.”
Jeb's mouth parts.
“As for Jasper? She's going to just have to let that internal timepiece of hers keep on ticking until she finds out what's what. Personally, I think it's a dose of karma come to kick you in your ass.”
Jeb leans forward. “Is there anything else you can divulge yourself of?”
Jacky cocks his head, tapping his chin for a handful of seconds. “Now that ya mention it—”
“Shut. Up.”
Jacky's mouth closes.
“Listen here, miscreant.”
Jacky's eyebrows fly up. “I know that's not a nice word.”
“Ah!” Jeb yells into his domicile and stalks off. He takes several deep breaths and finally walks back to where Jacky stands.
“Papilio needs you. Maddie needs you. Do you think it would be too much trouble to just—if you would control your impulses?”
Jacky shrugs. “Sure, say the magic words.” He mimes polishing his knuckles on his ill-fitting shirt.
Jeb wants to hit him. Instead he hisses, “Please.”
“Nope,” Jacky says, giving him a look of anticipation.
Jeb's lived a long time. He's been to Three many times. His brows collide when he hits on what Jacky might want.
“I need you.”
“Bingo!” Jacky says, moving to the door. He swings it wide. “Coming?”
Jeb follows the boy, glaring at his back the entire way back to Beth's domicile.
*
Jeb is amazed there's any health left in the nearly black tendrils of Maddie’s hair, living as she has on whatever she could find.
Beth rounds the corner, butterflies hovering around her body like a halo of color.
She has yet another full plate of food stuffs.
“Hi,” she greets him, smiling.
Jeb's chest tightens.
Her face falls. “What is it?” She scans him and Jacky, obviously seeing nothing superficially amiss.
It's not superficial.
Jeb lets his hand drop from where he was rubbing his chest.
“Nothing,” he answers.
Their eyes lock, and Beth slowly moves toward him. She places the tray on the table; Maddie and Jacky sit down and begin eating.
“We always eat last,” Jeb murmurs, more for something to say than to convey valuable information.
Beth nods. She reaches for his hand, and he resists at first.
He wants her to choose for herself.
“No, Jeb, let me help you.”
Beth slides her arms around his waist, and he sighs, feeling the painful knot loosen.
“Better?” she asks.
He nods.
Jeb has heard the rumors—he just didn't believed them.
Soul mates need to be in the presence of the other for optimal ease.
Jeb holds back a snide laugh. Ease of who?
Because Jeb thinks there's nothing easy about this mess.
He turns his head and lays it atop Beth's head, inhaling her sweet fragrance.
*
“How come they didn't make you right away? Didn't Ryan know you'd stayed with Beth?” Jacky asks Maddie.
Jeb admits he's curious, and gives Maddie an inquisitive look.
Beth continues walking but is silent.
“I found a trapdoor thingy.”
Beth whirls. “That's how you avoided entrapment.”
“Yes—they came all the time, at first. I could hear them… talking.”
Jeb slows, turning to her. “About what?”
Maddie bites her lip and sucks back a sob. Beth squeezes her thin shoulder. “I'll tell you what I can repeat.”
“Those fucktards,” Jacky seethes.
“Jacky,” Jeb warns.
He slaps his thighs with his palms. “Disagree with me, Merrick.”
Jeb can't. “Go on, please,” he encourages Maddie.
“They wanted to find me, especially Ryan. He wanted to use me first.”
Jeb doesn't think she's even aware she shivers at the mention of Lance Ryan's