Page 41

Story: Jade

She glanced around before her gaze settled back on the man.“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t you take off my cap and find out?”

Not in the mood to play games, Jade snatched his cap off his head and sucked in a deep breath.“What…who are you?”

“I am your brother, dear Jade.The one you forgot about when you turned into an immortal.”

Noah squeezed her shoulder and she looked at him imploringly.“She doesn’t remember anything about her human years or her transition.Ghost found her alone in a cabin on the outskirts of Snowfall fifty years ago.”

“That’s not true.”

Ghost and Xander stepped forward.

“I scented her in an abandoned cabin and although she had her birth certificate on her, the only information visible was her first name and birth date.She couldn’t remember anything.She still can’t.Xander is our computer expert and he’s tried every way to track her past, but there’s nothing.There were no Jades who were born on January 21st, 1948 in Colorado or anywhere else in the States.”

Jade’s gaze hadn’t left the man in front of her since she’d taken off the cap.He looked back at her just as intently.

“How…do you know I’m your…sister?”

“I took care of you after you were born.I’m six years older than you.When you were twenty-one, you went to town with friends to go to a movie and you never came back, or that’s the story Dad told me.I searched for you everywhere, asked everyone.I learned you never made it to town, but as good as I was at tracking, I couldn’t find you.You disappeared.

“I was angry at you.It was you and me against the world and you left.”

Noah sensed that he was telling the truth.His shoulders slumped in defeat and he understood what it was like to hold onto a grudge for so long that it tainted everything.With quick movements, he cut the man’s zip ties loose with his claws.

“What’s your name?” Noah knew Jade wanted to ask.

“I’m Drew.Drew Murphy.”

“How long ago were you turned?”Ghost didn’t question Noah’s decision to cut him loose, but he stepped closer to Jade to protect her if he needed to.

“Not too long after Jade went missing.I had been camping in the woods about twenty miles from town.I don’t remember being attacked, just waking up in the snow feeling better than I’d ever had before.When I shifted into a tiger the first time—well, let’s just say it was surprising.”Drew turned to Jade.“I never stopped looking for you.I’m sorry I thought you left by yourself.I knew you wouldn’t do that to me.”

“What took you so long to find me?”

“Your scent was unfamiliar to me as a shifter and I’d never come across it throughout the years.But then I heard there was a group of immortals who were based in Snowfall, shifters and vampires alike, and I decided to see if you were part of the group.When I passed you outside your boss’s office and you didn’t recognize me, I was upset.”Drew looked down.

“Were you with the shifters after us?”

Drew shook his head.“No.I had been following you when I ran into them.You’re right about them being underground.There is a series of old mining tunnels they reinforced and they live down there.I counted fifteen shifters after your run-in with them when you were shot, and they were able to manage to turn about five more.They aren’t organized, and they have no idea how to fight.They do want power and the Dark Company, if they could get their hands on it.But they still have no leader.”

“Drew?”

Drew turned his familiar green eyes to Jade and even Noah could see that he truly loved his sister, no matter what he thought she might have done.But his eyes held remorse as well.

“Can I…”

Drew held his arms open and Jade flew into his hold.Noah could hear Jade sob against Drew’s shoulder as he rubbed her back with soothing circles and murmured in her ear that everything would be okay.

Noah nodded at the rest of them and everyone headed upstairs, giving the newly discovered siblings a chance to get to know each other.

Once they were seated around the living room, the front door opened and Silas barreled inside.

Jade has a brother?

“Yeah, little man.He has the same color hair and eyes, and you can also see it in the shape of their noses and ears.They are definitely related,” Xander said.

Silas smiled and noticed Noah.He flew into his arms and Noah held Silas close to his chest.